"
The next two sentences are quite short, and variety is given by the
simple transposition in "and very good farmers they were."
This is no more than a graceful little twirl to relieve any possible
monotony. The fourth sentence in the paragraph is also very short,
purposely made so for emphasis. It gives in a word what the following
long sentence presents in detail. And observe the constant variation
in the form of this long sentence: in the first clause we have
"They shot . . . . because," in the second, "and killed . . . . lest"
(the subject of killed being implied, but its place supplied by and),
while in the third, the subject of the verb is again expressed,
and then we have the prepositional form "for eating" instead of the
conjunction and verb in a subordinate sentence. Moreover we have three
different verbs meaning the same thing---shot, killed, poisoned.
By the variation Ruskin avoids monotony; yet by the similarity he gains
emphasis. The likeness of the successive clauses is as important as
their difference. There is also in each an implied contrast,
between the severe penalty and the slight offense.
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