in figurative language, the caufe is, fometimes, -put for the effect. Thus, mr. Addifon, writing of Italy:

Bloffoms, and fruits, and flowers together rife,
And the whole year in gay confusion lies.

where the "whole year" is plainly intended, to fignify the effects or productions of all the feasons of the year. At other times, again, the effect is put for the caufe; as, "grey hairs" frequently for old age, which caufes grey hairs; and "fhade," for trees that produce the fhade. The relation between the container and the thing contained, is alfo fo intimate and obvious, as naturally to give rife to tropes :

-Ille impiger haufit

Spumantem pateram, et pleno fe proluit auro.

Where every one fees, that the cup and the gold are put for the liquor that was contained in the golden cup. In the fame manner, the name of any country, is often used to denote the inhabitants of that country; and heaven, very commonly employed to fignify God, because he is conceived as dwelling in heaven. To implore the affistance of heaven, is the fame as to implore the affiftance of God. The relation betwixt any established fign and the thing fignified, is a further fource of tropes. Hence,

Cedant arma toge; concedat laurea linguæ.

The "toga," being the badge of the civil profeffions, and the "laurel," of military honours, the badge of each is put for the civil and military characters themselves. To "affume the fceptre," is a common phrase for entering on royal authority. To tropes, founded on these several relations, of caufe

and effect, container and contained, fign and thing fignified, is given the name of metonymy.

When the trope is founded on the relation be ween an antecedent and a confequent, or what goes before, and immediately follows, it is then alled a metalepfis; as in the Roman phrase of Fuit," or "Vixit," to exprefs that one, was lead. Fuit Ilium et ingens gloria Dardanidun, ignifies, that the glory of Troy is now no more When the whole is put for a part, or a part for he whole; a genus for a fpecies, or a fpecies for genus; the fingular for the plural, or the plural or the fingular number; in general, when any hing lefs, or any thing more, is put for the preife object meant ; the figure is then called a fyecdoche. It is very common, for inftance, to lefcribe a whole object by fome remarkable part of it; as, when we fay, "a fleet of fo many fail," n the place of "fhips ;" when we ufe the "head" for the "perfon," the "pole" for the "earth," the "waves" for the "fea". In like manner, an attribute may be put for a fubject; as, "youth and beauty," for "the young and beautiful;" and fometimes a fubject for its attribute. But it is needlefs to infift longer on this enumeration, which ferves little purpose. I have faid enough, to give an opening into that great variety of relations between objects, by means of which, the mind is affifted to país eafily from one to another; and by the name of the one understands the other to be meant. It is always fome acceffory idea, which recals the principal to the imagination; and commonly recals it with more force, than if the principal idea had been expreffed.

The relation which is far the most fruitful of tropes, I have not yet mentioned; that is, the relation of fimilitude and resemblance. On this is founded what is called the metaphor: when, in Vol. I. M

place of using the proper name of any object, we employ, in its place, the name of fome other which is like it; which is a fort of picture of it, and which thereby awakens the conception of it with more force or grace. This figure is more frequent than all the reft put together; and the Tanguage, both of profe and verfe, owes to it much of its elegance and grace. This, therefore, deserves very full and particular confideration; and shall be the fubject of the next lecture.

LECTURE XV.

METAPHO R.

A

FTER the preliminary obfervations I have made, relating to figurative language in general, I come now to treat separately of fuch figures of speech, as occur most frequently, and require particular attention and I begin with metaphor. This is a figure founded entirely on the refemblance which one object bears to another. Hence, it is much allied to fimile, or comparison ; and is indeed no other than a comparifon, expreffed in an abridged form. When I fay of fome great minifter, "that he upholds the ftate, like a pillar "which supports the weight of a whole edifice," I fairly make a comparison; but when I fay of fuch a minifter," that he is the pillar of the ftate," it it is now become a metaphor. The comparison betwixt the minifter and a pillar, is made in the mind ; but is expreffed without any of the words that denote comparison. The comparison is only infinuated, not expreffed: the one object is supposed to be fo like the other, that, without formally drawing the comparison, the name of the one may be

put in the place of the name of the other. "The "minifter is the pillar of the ftate." This, therefore, is a more lively and animated manner of expreffing the resemblances which imagination traces anong objects. There is nothing which delights the fancy more, than this act of comparing things together, difcovering resemblances between them, and defcribing them by their likeness. The mind, thus employed, is exercised without being fatigued ; and is gratified with the confcioufnefs of its own ingenuity. We need not be surprised, therefore, at finding all language tinctured strongly with metaphor. It infinuates itself even into familiar converfation; and, unfought, rifes up of its own accord in the mind. The very words which I have cafually employed in defcribing this, are a proof of what I fay; tinctured, infinuates, rifes up, are all of them metaphorical expreffions, borrowed from fome refemblance which fancy forms between fenfible objects, and the internal operations of the mind; and yet the terms are no lefs clear, and, -perhaps, more expreffive, than if words had been ufed, which were to be taken in the ftrict and literal fenfe.

Though all metaphor imports comparison, and, therefore, is, in that refpect, a figure of thought; yet, as the words in a metaphor are not taken literally, but changed from their proper to a figurative fenfe, the metaphor is commonly ranked among tropes or figures of words. But, provided the nature of it be well understood, it fignifies very little whether we call it a figure or a trope. I have confined it to the expreffion of refemblance between two objects. I must remark, however, that the word metaphor is fometimes used in a loofer and more extended fenfe-for the application of a term in any figurative fignification, whether the figure be founded on refemblance, or on fome