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Ch. XX, he doubted the fact, but that his heart revolted againft fo cruel a misfortune. After ftruggling fome time with his grief, he turns from his wife and children to their favage butcher; and then gives vent to his refentment; but ftill with manliness and dignity: O, I could play the woman with mine eyes, And braggart with my tongue. But, gentle Heav'n! Cut fhort all intermiffion: front to front

Bring thou this fiend of Scotland and myself; Within my fword's length fet him--If he 'fcape, Then Heav'n forgive him too..

This paffage is a delicious picture of human nature. One exp effion only feems doubtful. In examining the meffenger, Macduff expreffes himself thus:

He hath no children- -all my pretty ones!
Did you fay all? what all? Oh, hell-kite! all?
What! all my pretty little chickens and their dam,
At one fell fwoop!

Metaphorical expreffion, I am fenfible, may fometimes be ufed with grace, where a regular fimile would be intolerable but there are fituations fo overwhelming, as not to admit even the flightest metaphor. It requires great delicacy of tafte to determine with firmnefs, whether the prefent cafe be of that nature. I incline to think it is; and yet I would not willingly alter a fingle word of this admirable fcene.

But metaphorical language is proper when a man ftruggles to bear with dignity or decency a misfortune however great.. The ftruggle agitates and animates the mind..

Wolfey. Farewell, a long farewell, to all my greatnefs!

This is the ftate of man; to day he puts forth The tender leaves of hopes; to-morrow blossoms, And bears his blushing honours thick upon him;

The

The third day comes a frost, a killing froft,
And when he thinks, good eafy man, full furely
His greatness is a ripening, nps his root,

And then he falls as I do.

IN

Henry VIII. act 3. sc. 6.

SECT. VII. Figure of Speech.

N the fection immediately foregoing, a figure of fpeech is defined, "The employing a word in "a fenfe different from what is proper to it ;" and the new or uncommon fenfe of the word is termed the figurative fenfe. The figurative fenfe muft have a relation to that which is proper; and the more intimate the relation is, the figure is the more happy. How ornamental this figure is to language, will not be readily imagined by any one who hath not given peculiar attention. I shall endeavour to difplay its capital beauties and advantages. In the fift place, a word ufed figuratively, together with its new fenfe, fuggefts what it commonly bears and thus it has the effect to prefent two objects; one fignified by the figurative fenfe, which may be termed the principal object; and one fignified by the proper fenfe, which may be termed acceffory. The prin cipal makes a part of the thought; the acceffory is merely ornamental. In this refpect, a figure of. fpeech is precifely fimilar to concordant founds in mufic, which, without contributing to the melody,. make it harmonious. I explain myself by examples.. Youth, by a figure of fpeech, is termed the morning of life. This expreffion fignifies youth, the principal object, which enters into the thought: but it fuggefts, at the fame time, the proper fenfe of morning; and this acceffory object being in itself beautiful and connected by refemblance to the principal object, is not a little ornamental. I give another example, of a different kind, where an attri

bute

:

bute is expreffed figuratively, Imperious ocean. Together with the figurative meaning of the epithet Imperious, there is fuggefted its proper meaning, viz. the ftern authority of a defpotic prince. Upon this figurative power of words, Vida defcants with great elegance:

Nonne vides, verbis ut veris fæpe relictis
Accerfant fimulata, aliundeque nomina porro
Tranfportent, aptentque aliis ea rebus; ut ipfæ,
Exuviafque novas, res, infolitofque colores
Indutæ, fæpe externi mirentur amictus.
Unde illi, lætæque aliena luce fruantur,
Mutatoque habitu, nec jam fua nomina mallent?
Sæpe ideo, cum bella canunt, incendia credas
Cernere, diluviumque ingens furgentibus undis.
Contrà etiam Martis pugnas imitabitur ignis,
Cum furit accenfis acies Vulcania campis.
Nec turbato oritur quondam minor æquore pugna:
Confligunt animofi Euri certamine varto
Inter fe, pugnantque adverfis molibus undæ.
Ufque adeo paffim fua res infignia lætæ
Permutantque, juvantque viciffim; & mutua fefe
Altera in alterius.transformat protinus ora.
Tum fpecie capti gaudent spectare legentes:
Nam diverfa fimul datur è re cernere eadem
Multarum fimulacra animo fubeuntia rerum.

Poet. lib. 3. l. 44.

In the next place, this figure poffeffes a fignal power of aggrandifing an object, by the following means. Words, which have no original beauty but what arifes from their found, acquire an adventitious beauty from their meaning. A word fignifying any thing that is agreeable, becomes by that means agreeable; for the agreeablenefs of the object is communicated to its name*. This acquired beauty by the force of cuftom, adheres to the word even when used figuratively;

* See chap, 2. part 1. fect. 4.

figuratively; and the beauty received from the thing it properly fignifies, is communicated to the thing which it is made to fignify figuratively. Confider the foregoing expreffion Imperious ocean, how much more elevated it is than Stormy ocean.

Thirdly, this figure hath a happy effect in pre-venting the familiarity of proper names. The familiarity of a proper name, is communicated to the thing it fignifies by means of their intimate connection; and the thing is thereby brought down in our feeling. This bad effect is prevented by using a figurative word inftead of one that is proper; as, for example, when we express the sky by terming it the blue vault of heaven. For though no work made with hands can compare with the fky in magnificence, the expreffion however is good, by preventing the object from being brought down by the familiarity of its proper name. With refpect to the degrading familiarity of proper names, Vida has the following paffage.

Hinc fi dura mihi paffus dicendus Ulyffes,
Non illum vero memorabo nomine, fed qui
Et mores hominum multorum vidit, & urbes,
Naufragus everfæ poft fæva incendia Troja.

Poet. lib. 2. 1. 46..

Laftly, by this figure language is enriched and rendered more copious. In that refpect, were there no other, a figure of fpeech is a happy invention. This property is finely touched by Vida:

Quinetiam

*I have often regreted, that a factious spirit of oppofition to the reigning family made it neceffary in public worship to diftinguifh the King by his proper name. One will scarce imagine, who has not made the trial, how much better it founds to pray for our Sovereign Lord the King, without any addition.

Quinetiam agricolas ea fandi nota voluptas ple
Exercet, dum læta feges, dum trudere gemmas
Incipiunt vites, fitientiaque ætheris imbrem-
Prata bibunt, ridentque fatis furgentibus agri..
Hanc vulgo fpeciem propriæ penura vocis.
Intulit, indi&tifque urgens in rebus egeftas..
Quippe ubi fe vera oftendebant nomina nufquam,
Fas erat hinc atque hinc transferre fimillinia veris..
Poet. lib. 3. l. 90..
1.

The beauties I have mentioned belong to every figure of fpeech. Several other beauties peculiar to one or other fort, I fhall have occafion to remark afterward..

Not only fubjects, but qualities, actions, effects, may be expreffed figuratively. Thus as to fubjects, the gates of breath for the lips, the watery kingdom for the ocean. As to qualities, fierce for ftormy, in the expreffion Fierce winter.altus for profundus, altus puteus, altum mare: Breathing for perfpiring, Breathing plants. Again, as to actions, the fea rages: Time will melt her frozen. thoughts: Time kills grief. An effect is put for the caufe, as lux for the fun; and a caufe for the effect, as boum labores for corn. The relation of refemblance is one plentiful fource of figures of fpeech; and nothing is more common than to apply to one object the name of another that refembles it in any respect. Height, fize, and worldly greatnefs, though in themfelves they have no refemblance, produce emotions in the mind that have a resemblance; and, led by this resemblance, we naturally exprefs worldly greatnefs by height or fize. One feels a certain uneafinefs in looking down to a great depth: and hence depth is made to exprefs any thing difagreeable by excefs; as depth of grief, depth of despair. Again, height of place and time long paft, produce fimilar feelings;

and

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