Transcriber’s Note Italic text displayed as: _italic_ PUNCTUATION Personified: OR POINTING MADE EASY. BY MR. STOPS. LONDON: JOHN HARRIS, CORNER OF ST. PAUL’S CHURCH-YARD. LONDON: PRINTED BY S. AND R. BENTLEY, DORSET STREET. [Illustration: Figure made of punctuation] ROBERT’S first interview with M^R. STOPS. Young Robert could read but he gabbled so fast: And ran on with such speed, that all meaning he lost. Till one Morning he met M^r. Stops by the way, Who advis’d him to listen to what he should say. Then entering the house, he a riddle repeated. To shew, WITHOUT STOPS, how the ear may be cheated. [Illustration: Two kids] M^R. STOPS READING TO ROBERT AND HIS SISTER. “Ev’ry lady in this land “Has twenty nails upon each hand “Five & twenty on hands & feet “And this is true without deceit.” But when the stops were plac’d aright, The real sense was brought to light. [Illustration: Counsellor] COUNSELLOR COMMA, marked thus , Here counsellor Comma the reader may view, Who knows neither guile nor repentance; A straight forward path he resolves to pursue By dividing short parts of a sentence; As “Charles can sing, whistle, leap, tumble, & run,”— Yet so BRIEF is each pause, that he merely counts ONE. [Illustration: Ensign with flag] ENSIGN SEMICOLON, marked thus ; See, how Semicolon is strutting with pride; Into two or more parts he’ll a sentence divide. As “John’s a good scholar; but George is a better: One wrote a fair copy; the other a letter.” Without this gay ensign we little could do; And when he appears we must pause & count TWO. [Illustration Colon on a stick] A COLON, marked thus : The colon consists of two dots, as you see: And remains within sight whilst you count one, two, three: Tis us’d where the sense is complete, tho but part Of the sentence you’re reading, or learning by heart. As “Gold is deceitful: it bribes to destroy.” “Young James is admired: he’s a very good boy.” [Illustration: Figure holding cloth] A PERIOD OR FULL STOP, _marked thus_ . The full-fac’d gentleman here shown To all my friends, no doubt, is known: In him the PERIOD we behold, Who stands his ground whilst four are told; And always ends a perfect sentence, As “Crime is followed by repentance.” [Illustration: Crooked man] THE INTERROGATIVE POINT ? What little crooked man is this? He’s call’d INTERROGATION, Miss: He’s always asking this & that, As “What’s your name? Whose dog is that?” And for your answer, he will stay While you, One, Two, Three, Four, can say. [Illustration: Figure reading] THE EXCLAMATION POINT ! or Note of Admiration.