And, in the beginning of a sentence, serveth instead of an admiration: And, what a notable sign of patience was it in Job, not to murmur against the Lord!

Chaucer, 3d book of Fame:

What, quoth she, and be ye wood!
And, wene ye for to do good,

And, for to have of that no fame!

Conjunctions of divers sorts are taken one for another as, But, a severing conjunction, for a conditioning:

Chaucer in the Man of Law's Tale:

But it were with the ilk eyen of his mind, With which men seen' after they ben blind. Sir Thomas More:

Which neither can they have, but you give it; neither can you give it, if ye agree not.

The self-same syntax is in and, the coupling conjunction;

The Lord Berners in the Preface to his Translation of Froisart:

What knowledge should we have of ancient things past, and history were not.

Sir John Cheek:

Ye have waxed greedy now upon cities, and have attempted mighty spoils, to glut up, and you could, your wasting hunger.

On the other side, for, a cause-renderer, hath sometime the force of a severing one.

Lidgate, lib. 3.

But it may fall a Drewry in his right,

To outrage a giant for all his great might.

Here the two general exceptions are termed, Asyndeton, and Polysyndeton.

Asyndeton, when the conjunction wanteth: The universities of christendom are the eyes, the lights, the leaven, the salt, the seasoning of the world.

Gower:

To whom her heart cannot heal,
Turn it to woe, turn it to weal.

Here the sundering conjunction, or, is lacking, and in the former example, and, the coupler.

Polysyndeton is in doubling the conjunction more

than it need to be:

Gower, lib. 4:

So, whether that he frieze, or sweat,
Or 'tte be in, or 'tte be out,

He will be idle all about.

CHAP. IX

OF THE DISTINCTION OF SENTENCES.

LL the parts of Syntax have already been declared. There resteth one general affection of the whole, dispersed thorough

every member thereof, as the blood is thorough the body; and consisteth in the breathing, when we pronounce any sentence. For, whereas our breath is by nature so short, that we cannot continue without a stay to speak long together; it was thought necessary as well for the speaker's ease, as for the plainer deliverance of the things spoken, to invent this means, whereby men pausing a pretty while, the whole speech might never the worse be understood.

These distinctions, are either of a perfect, or im

perfect sentence. The distinctions of an imperfect

sentence are two, a comma, and a semicolon.

A comma is a mean breathing, when the word serveth indifferently, both to the parts of the sentence going before, and following after, and is marked thus (,).

A semicolon is a distinction of an imperfect sentence, wherein with somewhat a longer breath, the sentence following is included; and is noted thus (;). Hither pertaineth a parenthesis, wherein two commas include a sentence:

Jewel:

Certain falshoods (by mean of good utterance) have sometimes more likely-hood of truth, than truth itself.

Gower, lib. I:

Division, (the gospel saith)
One house upon another laith.
Chaucer, 3d book of Fame:
For time, ylost (this know ye)
By no way may recovered be.

These imperfect distinctions in the syntax of a substantive, and an adjective give the former place to the substantive;

Ascham:

Thus the poor gentleman suffered grief; great
for the pain; but greater for the spite.

Gower, lib. 2. Speaking of the envious person:
Though he a man see vertuous,

And full of good condition,

Thereof maketh he no mention.

The distinction of a perfect sentence hath a more full stay, and doth rest the spirit, which is a pause or a period.

A pause is a distinction of a sentence, though per

fect in itself, yet joined to another, being marked with two pricks. (:)

A period is the distinction of a sentence, in all respects perfect, and is marked with one full prick over against the lower part of the last letter, thus (.) If a sentence be with an interrogation, we use this note (?)

Sir John Cheek:

Who can perswade, where treason is above reason; and might ruleth right; and it is had for lawful, whatsoever is lustful; and commotioners are better than commissioners; and common woe is named commonwealth?

Chaucer, 2d book of Fame:

Loe, is it not a great mischance,
To let a fool have governance

Of things, that he cannot demain?

Lidgate, lib. 1:

For, if wives be found variable,

Where shall husbands find other stable?

If it be pronounced with an admiration, then thus (!)

Sir Thomas More:

O Lord God, the blindness of our mortal nature!

Chaucer, Ist book of Fame:

Alas! what harm doth apparence,

When it is false in existence !

These distinctions, as they best agree with nature, so come they nearest to the ancient stays of sentences among the Romans and the Grecians. An example of all four, to make the matter plain, let us take out of that excellent oration of Sir John Cheek against the rebels, whereof before we have made so often mention:

When common order of the law can take no place in unruly and disobedient subjects; and all men will of wilfulness resist with rage, and think their own violence to be the best justice: then be wise magistrates compelled by necessity to seek an extreme remedy, where mean salves help not, and bring in the martial law where none other law serveth.