l life will always have a dizzying and attracting
effect upon the most collected spectator, and tend to draw
him into its vortex; most of all will this be the case where
that life is so powerful as it is in England. But it is only
by remaining collected, and refusing to lend himself to the
point of view of the practical man, that the critic can do
the practical man any service; and it is only by the
greatest sincerity in pursuing his own course, and by at
last convincing even the practical man of his sincerity,
that he can escape misunderstandings which perpetually
threaten him."[48]

Good Use.

Good use has been mentioned. In massing the parts of a sentence for
the purpose of emphasizing some idea, a writer has not entire freedom.
Good use, which is the use of acknowledged masters, decides what may
be done. There are certain arrangements of words to which we are
accustomed; and the disregard of them leads to obscurity or downright
contrariety in the thought. "Brutus stabbed Caesar" is the common
order; "Brutus Caesar stabbed," or "Stabbed Brutus Caesar," is obscure;
while "Caesar stabbed Brutus" is the very opposite of the truth. Those
who have studied Latin know that as far as understanding the sentence
is concerned, it would make no difference in which order the three
Latin words should be arranged; though it would make a mighty
difference in the emphasis. In Latin the case endings determine the
construction of the words. In an inflected language the words may be
massed almost to suit the writer; in an uninflected language, within
certain limits the order determines the relation between groups of
words. Though for emphasis it might be advisable to have the object
first, for the sake of clearness in a short sentence the object cannot
stand first. The primary consideration in making any piece of
literature is that it may be understood. To be understood, the
sentence must be arranged in the order to which we are accustomed. The
order to which we are accustomed has been determined by good use.

The variety in the arrangement of the parts of a sentence that has
been sanctioned by good usage is great, yet there are limits. Grammar
is based upon the usage of the best writers. Any offense against the
grammar of our language is a sin against good use. Browning may use
constructions so erratic that the ordinary reader does not know what
he is reading about; Carlyle may fo