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358 THEORIES OF STYLE IN LITERATURE
personne n'est exempt d'insulte; le grand seigneur, outrag
par le roi, outrage le noble qui outrage le peuple; la nature
humaine est humilte a tous les Stages, et la socie'te' n'est plus
qu'un commerce d'affronts."
The law of Sequence by no means prescribes that we should
invariably state the proposition before its qualifications
the thought before its illustrations ;
it
merely prescribes that
we should arrange our phrases in the order of logical dependence
and rhythmical cadence, the order best suited for
clearness and for harmony. The nature of the thought will
determine the one, our sense of euphony
the other.
IV. The Law of Climax
We need not pause long over this; it is generally understood.
The condition of our sensibilities is such that to produce
their effect stimulants must be progressive in intensity
and varied in kind. On this condition rest the laws of
Climax and Variety. The phrase or image which in one
position will have a mild power of occupying the thoughts, or
stimulating the emotions* loses this if
power made to succeed
one of like kind but more agitating influence, and will gain
an accession of power
if it be artfully placed on the wave of a
climax. We laugh at
" Then came Dalhousie, that great God of War,
Lieutenant-Colonel to the Earl of Mar,"
because of the relaxation which follows the sudden tension of
the mind; but if we remove the idea of the colonelcy from
this position of anti-climax, the same couplet becomes
energetic
rather than ludicrous :
" Lieutenant-Colonel to the Earl of Mar,
Then came Dalhousie, that great God of War."