rious
science; _to banish_ their lawyers from their courts of
laws; or _to quench_ the lights of their assemblies by
refusing to choose those persons who are best read in their
privileges."

"For though rebellion is declared, it _is_ not _proceeded
against_ as such, nor _have_ any steps _been taken_ towards
the apprehension or conviction of any individual offender,
either on our late or our former Address; but modes of
public coercion _have been adopted,_ and such as have much
more resemblance to a sort of qualified hostility towards an
independent power than the punishment of rebellious
subjects."

"My Resolutions therefore mean TO ESTABLISH the equity and
justice of a taxation of America by grant and not by
imposition; TO MARK the legal competency of the colony
Assemblies for the support of their government in peace, and
for public aids in time of war; TO ACKNOWLEDGE _that this
legal competency has had_ a dutiful and beneficial exercise;
and _that experience has shown_ the benefit of their grants,
and the futility of Parliamentary taxation as a method of
supply."[49]

In the second sentence Burke has used a passive voice when it would
certainly be more elegant to change to the active. "Is proceeded
against" is surely awkward, but for uniformity and resulting clearness
he has retained the passive. In the last sentence the infinitives "to
establish," "to mark," and "to acknowledge" are in the same
construction; they are objects of "mean." Then comes a change of form
to show that the clauses "that this legal competency has had," etc.,
and "that experience has shown," etc., are in a like relation to the
infinitive "to acknowledge." Though the last clause by reason of the
punctuation looks correlative with the others, it is not related as
object to the verb "mean," as the others are, but it is the object of
"to acknowledge." There could hardly be a better example of the value
of parallel constructions for the purpose of avoiding confusion, and
linking together parts that are related.

Balanced Sentences.

Parallel constructions are used in balanced sentences. In balanced
sentences one part is balanced against another,--a noun and a noun, an
adjective and an adjective, phrase and phrase. Balanced sentences are
especially suited to express antithesis, the figure of speech where
two ideas are sharply opposed to