beholds with his eyes the footprints in the ashes, he is convinced. And then the King (who seems to be gifted with the sporting instinct) challenges the victorious Daniel to dispose of the Dragon. He does so, neatly enough; though the chemistry of that explosive victory seems a little obscure. And the triumph of the man of insight is complete.

Selection. The story being essentially dramatic, having for its motive power the conflict of Reason and Faith with Unreason and Superstition, depends for its interest upon Action. Hence, we find the author discarding all accessories of scenery, and even omitting descriptions of the persons acting. We are not given any picture of the King's Palace, or the Temple, or the Idol, or the Dragon. We are left to picture for ourselves the personal appearance of Cyrus the King, and of Daniel. For, if these things had been presented to us, however interesting they might have been in themselves, they must inevitably have diverted attention from the Action, and so the effect the author designed to achieve would have been weakened.

So Cyrus succeeds the dead Astyages in one sentence. Daniel gains all friendship and honour from the King in another. Then the drama begins, and the daily sacrifice of the Idol is enumerated in detail, and the dialogue between Daniel and the King is fully related. So the piece proceeds; wherever the least incident vitally affects the main action, it is minutely told, as in the details concerning the

number of the priests, the meat and flour and wine, the sealing of the doors, and the strewing of the ashes; wherever the course of events but lightly touches the main action, it is compressed until it serves its purpose, no more and no less, as in the calling of the priests together, the coming of the King to the Temple, the secret expedition of the priests and their families to secure the victuals.

The story is largely conveyed in dialogue; yet all dialogue that does not directly contribute to the story is entirely omitted. And there is no note at all of the time that elapsed between the slaying of the priests and the destruction of the Idol and its temple, and the administering of that fatal bolus to the Dragon, because it does not matter when these things took place.

Disposition. The arrangement is again that of simple narrative, the incidents being related in the order in which they befell. The Introduction is compressed into the first four sentences; the Conclusion is the majestic words of Daniel: '. . . Lo, these are the gods ye worship.'

Diction. The diction is the diction of the English Bible, the noble and imperishable monument of the English tongue. The evolution of the Authorised Version lasted (roughly speaking) for a hundred years -from Tyndale's first translation, to the version of King James the First's forty-seven scholars, completed in 1611. 'It is the result of at least six several versions, conducted under varied circum

stances of the history of the English Church, and executed by the ripest scholars in England, aided directly or indirectly by the most accomplished Biblical critics in Europe.'1

The immense labours of generations of scholars, extending over a long period, brought to this mighty work all learning and wisdom and eloquence, purging it at the same time of all dross and superfluity. The grammar is not invariably faultless. But of skilful construction, cunning adaptation of every resource of the language to varying purposes, musical rhythm, and opulence of diction, the Bible is the great example in our literature.

Let the pupil take the story of Bel and the Dragon (or indeed any other episode in the Bible) and endeavour to tell it in fewer words, without losing any of the force of the original. He will then begin to appreciate the superb workmanship; for, there is no surer test of excellence.

IV.

THE FIVE ORDERS OF COMPOSITION. DEFINITIONS.

I. Story.

II. Description.

III. Dialogue.

IV. Letter.

V. Essay.

Of these, the second, third and fourth might have been included under Story; and Dialogue and Story, 1 The English Bible. The Ven. Henry Woollcombe.

and Letter and Story, are of course interchangeable denominations, under certain conditions. But, for convenience of treatment, the various kinds of composition are grouped as above.

I. A Story may be defined as:-a Problem, or Puzzle. Without a Problem (however simple) to solve, there can be no story. Take any story that occurs to you, and you will find that it contains a Problem to be solved by the action of the story. The definition may be completed thus:-A Problem, or Puzzle, that is solved by an Incident, or series of Incidents, surrounded by appropriate Circumstances. The Incident, or series of Incidents, with the Circumstances, form the steps in the process of the solution of the Problem. An incident is anything that befalls, or happens. A series of incidents, is a succession of incidents linked to each other. Appropriate, is that which properly belongs to any particular purpose, person, or thing. Circumstance, is anything surrounding, or in any manner attending, accompanying, or connected with an incident; in the plural, the whole surrounding situation of affairs. II. A Description is a picture in words.

III. A Dialogue is a conversation between two persons.

IV. A Letter is a written conversation between persons separated by distance.

V. An Essay is the demonstration, the making plain, or illustration, of a particular truth, idea, or sentiment.

V.

THE FIVE ORDERS OF COMPOSITION. EXAMPLES.

I. Story. A story is (as we have seen) a Problem, or Puzzle, that is solved by an Incident, or series of Incidents, attended by appropriate Circumstances: the incident, or series of incidents, and the circumstances, forming the steps in the process of the solution of the Problem or Puzzle. Every story must of necessity be composed of three parts. It must have a Beginning, a Middle, and an End. Every kind of composition has these three main divisions. In the case of a story, these divisions have the following names. The beginning is called the Introduction, or Statement of the Problem: the middle, the Action, or Evolution of the Problem: the end, the Conclusion, or Solution of the Problem.

The Introduction introduces the reader to the persons, events, things, and circumstances, whose combination goes to make up the Problem of which the story consists. Thus, the introduction states the Problem. It makes plain to the reader the situation (as it is called) whence the story proceeds, or is evolved. It presents to the reader the various threads, whose weaving and unweaving make the process of the story.

The Evolution, or Action, is called by the French the nœud, or knot. It shows the persons, events,