true, they are originally designed to degrade the persons spoken of, but it is equally true, that low words and low thoughts are incompatible with dignity of style, however much they may promote its

energy.

Keats has conceived in all his poems, but, perhaps, with the most exquisite grace in St. Agnes' Eve, beautiful metaphors, which give delight to the mind by the extreme and yet graphic delicacy of their expression. The wax taper extinguished in the moonlight,

"Its little smoke in pallid moonshine died."

Thus, too, in describing sounds in lonely spots, he says they

A figure forcible but not very clearly illustrative.
A fine figure, too, is expressed in the line,

"Or blind Orion hungry for the morn.".

But such figures are, in some degree, removed from popular taste by their classical allusions, in which are contained to the instructed, indeed, the chief charm of the metaphor. Some persons have classed the "allusion" among the figures of speech; but it is evidently a metaphor which, besides bringing two

objects into pleasant relation, renders that relation more striking, by the character and interest of one of the objects as part of another connected story. Like the simile, the metaphor is so simple a figure, and so abounds in discourse, that we need not dwell longer upon it.

But as it has been observed that the simile is often very useful in illustration, so it is also evident that some of the most delicate and beautiful thoughts are conveyed by the use of metaphor, causing a gleaming radiance in the style which lends very much to its vivacity; thus, a poet, in speaking of Columbus, as he watched the moving light on shore, while the darkness of night veiled from his eyes the longsought new world which was to burst in beauty upon his sight when morning should dawn, compares him and his grand achievement to another hero contemporary with himself, and to an achievement of rival greatness, although purely of a moral character:

Perhaps any change of word in the following matchless line of Keats, would destroy the beauty of the metaphor :

"A thing of beauty is a joy for ever."

Often a Metaphor and Comparison combined give still greater vivacity to style. Moore, in speaking of the towers of ruined Baalbec, has this very pleasing figure, or rather succession and combination of figures:

"Whose lonely columns stand sublime,
Flinging their shadows from on high,
Like dials, which the wizard Time

Has reared, to count his ages by."

(99.) Of Synecdoche.

The Synecdoche (Greek, ow, together with, and Exdɛxoμaι, to take), consists in placing the whole to express a part, or a part to express the whole. This is evidently a figure residing in the word itself, and expresses no resemblance.

1. The whole to express a part. This is done when the genus is put for the species, or for the individuals ranged under it. Our western hunters chase the buffalo and the bear. These classes stand for the individual animals hunted. "The man is gray," is used to express that his head is gray. Man is born to trouble. The brute is under the dominion of man. "Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more."

2. A part for the whole. The ocean swarms with sails, instead of ships. They shall beat their swords into ploughshares, and their spears into pruning

hooks. In this latter Synecdoche, swords and spears stand for all weapons of war; and ploughshares and pruning-hooks for the implements of peace.

Myriad, in its original meaning is ten thousand (uvpto), and is used now, by synecdoche, for an immense number, that is, more than ten thousand; in the plural, myriads, it implies numbers so great as to be beyond the computation of human arithmetic. The Synecdoche is not so frequently used as the other figures, among modern writers, but the Scriptures contain many examples of it. Thus we have the reverse of the form just mentioned, in Joel: Beat your ploughshares into swords, and your pruning-hooks into spears.

The coming of the Son of God to put to confusion the rebellious hosts of Satan, as described by Milton, contains also a Synecdoche in numbers :

"Attended with ten thousand thousand saints,
He onward came; far off his coming shone."

It may also be supposed that this figure is used by our Saviour in his answer to St. Peter's question : against me and I forJesus saith unto him, until seven times: but until This partial number is meant to stand for as many times as our brother shall sin,

"How oft shall my brother sin give him? until seven times?

I say not unto thee seventy times seven."

and thus claim from us that charity of forgiveness which the apostle assures us "never faileth."

(100.) Of Metonymy.

Metonymy (Greek, μera, together, and ovoμa, a name,) is much better known in its use than by its name. It consists in placing one word for another, which does not express or define it, but to which it is related, as, for instance, the name of a cause for the effect; or of the effect for the cause; the source, for that which flows from it; the place or scene for something enacted there; the name of a place for the people. In general, it is the interchange of names between things having some connection.

Thus we speak of Homer, Virgil, Milton, when we mean their works.

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Our Saviour makes frequent use of this figure :

They have," he said, "Moses and the prophets, let them hear them." Of course, the reference is to their writings. Prophetic language is rendered more sublime by the use of Metonymy. "Ephraim is joined to idols;" «Assyria, the rod of mine anger;" "Rachel mourning for her children." "Gilead is mine, and Manasseh is mine. Ephraim also is the strength of my head, Judah is my lawgiver, Moab is my wash-pot. Over Edom will I cast out my shoe. Philistia, triumph thou because of me."