if we may fo fay, to the moft fpirited things, and makes them almoft the objects of hearing and fight by the fenfible images it delineates to the imagination. In order to give an idea of the force of metaphors, great care must be taken to begin always with explaining the plain and natural sense, upon which the figurative is founded, and without which the latter could not be well understood.

The fureft and likewise the eafieft way to represent the beauty of the metaphor, and, in general, to explain the beautiful paffages in authors with juftnefs, is to fubflitute natural expreffions inftead of the figurative, and to divest a very bright phrase of all its ornaments, by reducing it to a fimple propofition. This was Cicero's method; and what better method can we follow? He explains the force and energy of a metaphorical expreflion in thefe verfes of an ancient

poet.

Vive, Ulyffes, dum licet:

Oculis poftremum lumen radiatum rape.

He performs it thus: Non dixit cape, non pete; baberet enim moram fperantis diutius effe fefe victurum: Jed rape. Hoc verbum eft ad id aptatum, quod ante dixeral, dum licet. Horace ufes the fame thought.

'Dona prefentis cape lætus horæ.

An able interpreter afferts, that we must read rape inftead of cape. I doubt whether he be not in the right; for the man portrayed by Horace, is one who is free from all care and uneafiness; and by flattering himself with the hopes of a long life, enjoys peaceably the pleafures which each day offers; and the word cape agrees very well with such a condition; whereas, in the ancient poet, Ulyffes is exhorted to lay hold of the prefent moments, left they fhould efcape him, and he be deprived of them by a fudden and unexLib, 3 de Orat. n. 162.

■ Ode 8. 1.3.

pected

W

pected death: Poftremum lumen radiatum rape. Cicero employed a word like this full as gracefully : gracefully: Quo quifque eft folertior & ingeniofior, hoc docet iracundius &laboriofius. Quod enim ipfe celeriter arripuit: id cum tarde percipi videt, difcruciatur. It is enough to obferve, that he does not fay, facile didicit, but celeriter arripuit; the difference is very obvious.

When the metaphor is continued, and does not confist in one word, it is called an Allegory. Equidem cæteras tempeftates & procellas in illis duntaxat fluctibus concionum femper Miloni putavi effe fubeundas. He might have faid plainly, Equidem multa pericula in populi concionibus femper Miloni putavi effe fubeunda.

x Remember the beginning and progress of the war, which though but a fpark in the beginning, now fets all Europe in a flame.

Thofe clouds which arife from diflike or fufpicion, never appeared in his ferene countenance.

His virtues made him known to the public, and produced that first flower of reputation which spreads an odour more agreeable than perfumes, over every other part of a glorious life.

When we use this figure we must always obferve to continue the fimile, and not fally abruptly from one image to another; nor, for example, conclude with a conflagration, after we began with a a ftorm. Horace is charged with that error in this line:

Et malè tornatos incudi reddere verfus ;

where he joins two ideas widely different, the turning wheel, and the anvil. But fome interpreters excuse him. I know not whether Cicero may not be charg’d

w Pro Quint. Rofc. n. 31. * M. Fléchier.

y Melius eft nomen bonum, quàm unguenta pretiofa. Ecclef.

vii. 2.

z Id imprimis eft cuftodiendum

ut quo ex genere cœperis tranflationis, hoc definas. Multi enim, cùm initium à tempeftate fumpferunt, incendio aut ruina finiunt: quæ eft inconfequentia rerum fœdiffimam. Quintil. Lib. 8. c. 6.

with the fame fault in this paffage of the fecond book de Orat. Ut cum in fole ambulem, etiamfi ob aliam caufam ambulem, fieri tamen natura ut colorer: fic, cum iftos libros ad Mifenum ftudiofius legerim, fentio orationem meam illorum quafi cantu colorari. How can we reconcile these two words, cantu and colorari? and what relation can there be between cantus and a piece of writing?

The periphrafis or circumlocution. This figure is fometimes abfolutely neceffary, as when we fpeak of things which decency will not allow us to exprefs in their own names; ad requifita naturæ. 'Tis often ufed for ornament only, which is very common with poets; and fometimes to exprefs a thing the more magnificently, which would otherwife appear very low and mean; or to cover or soften the harshness of fome propofitions which would be fhocking, if shewn in a naked and fimple dress.

1. For Ornament.

a The King, in order to give an immortal testimoný of his esteem and friendship for that great general (M. de Turenne) gives an illuftrious place to his renowned afbes, among thofe lords of the earth, who fill preferve, in the magnificence of their tombs, an image of that of their thrones; inftead of faying fimply, gives his afhes a place in the tombs of the Kings.

C'est-là ce qui l'emporte aux lieux où naît l'aurore, Où le Perse est brûlé de l'astre qu'il adore.

Englished.

"Tis this tranfports him to far diftant climes, "Where gay Aurora rifes, where the Perfian "Is fcorch'd by the bright planet he adores."

2. To heighten low and common thoughts.

The eagle had already winged to the mountains to fave herself, whofe bold and rapid flight had at firft terrified our provinces; that is, the German army. Those brazen thunderbolts, which bell invented for the deftruction of men, thundred on all fides; that is, the cannon.

3. To foften harsh expreffions.

Cicero finding himfelf obliged, in his defence of Milo, to acknowledge that his flaves had killed Clodius, does not fay, interfecerunt, jugularunt Clodium; but, by making ufe of a circumlocution, he conceals the horror of this murder under an idea which could not offend the judges, but feemed rather to engage them: Fecerunt id fervi Milonis (dicam enim non derivandi criminis caufa, fed ut factum eft) neque imperante, neque fciente, neque præfente domino, quod fuos quifque fervos in tali re facere voluiffet.

When Vibius Virius exhorted the fenators of Capua to poison themselves, to prevent their falling alive into the hands of the Romans, he defcribes, by an elegant periphrafis, the misfortunes from which this draught would deliver them; and by this figure conceals from them the horror of death, instead of faying, the poifon would procure them a fudden one. Satiatis vino ciboque poculum idem quod mihi datum fuerit, circumferetur. Ea potio corpus ab cruciatu, animum à contumeliis, oculos, aures, à videndis audiendifque omnibus acerbis indignisque quæ manent victos, vindicabit.

Though Manlius knew very well how odious the bare name of a King was to the Romans, and how likely to spirit them up to rebellion, he endeavoured nevertheless to prevail with them to give him that title. He did it very dexterously, by contenting

Fitch.

Pro Mil, n, 29.

Liv. Lib. 26. Aut 3.5

himself

f

himself with the title of protector; but infinuating, at the fame time, that that of King, which he was very careful not to name, would enable him to do them greater service. Ego me patronum profiteor plebis, quod mihi cura mea & fides nomen induit. Vos, fi quo infigni magis imperii honorifve nomine veftrum appellabitis ducem, eo utemini potentiore ad obtinenda ea quæ vultis.

Some have juftly taken notice of certain turns, which the ancients employed to foften harfh and fhocking propofitions. When Themistocles faw Xerxes approaching with a formidable army, he advifed the Athenians to quit their city; but he did it in the fofteft terms, and exhorted them to commit it to the care of the Gods. Ut urbem apud Deos deponerent ; quia durum erat dicere, ut relinquerent. Another was of opinion, they should melt down the golden ftatues raised to victory, to answer the exigencies of war. He used a turn of expreffion, and told them it was neceffary to make use of victories. Et qui victorias aureas in ufum belli conflari volebat, ita declinavit, victoriis utendum effe.

Repetition is a pretty common figure, which has different names, because there are various kinds of it. 'Tis very proper to express lively and violent paffions, fuch as anger and grief for example, which are strongly employed on the fame object, and fee no other; and therefore often repeat the terms which reprefent it. Thus Virgil paints Orpheus's grief after the death of Eurydice.

TE dulcis conjux : TE folo in littore fecum TE veniente die, TE decedente canebat.

i Pliny the younger ufes the fame figure in bewailing the death of Virginius, who had been his tutor, and