225 T CHA P. XX. FIGURES. HE reader will not find here a complete lift of the different tropes and figures that have been carefully noted by ancient critics and grammarians; a lift fwelled to fuch a fize by containing every unusual expreffion, as to make it difficult to diftinguish many of their tropes and figures from plain language. I did not at first think that much could be made of tropes and figures in the way of rational criticifm, and therefore was refolved to neglect them; but difcovering that the most important of them depend on principles formerly explained, I gladly embraced an opportunity to fhow the influence of these principles where it would be the least expected. Confining myfelf therefore to figures that answer this purpose, I am luckily freed from much trash; without dropping, so far as I remember, any trope or figure that merits a proper name. And I begin with Profopopia or perfonification, which is juftly intitled to the first place. VOL. II. P SECT. SECT. I. PERSONIFICATION. THE HE converting things inanimate into fenfible beings is fo bold a figure, as to require, one should imagine, very peculiar circumftances for operating the delufion. And yet, in the language of poetry, we find variety of expreffions, which, though commonly reduced to this figure, are ufed without ceremony, or any fort of preparation; as, for example, the following expreffions, thirsty ground, hungry churchyard, furious dart, angry ocean. These epithets, in their proper meaning, are attributes of fenfible beings: what is their effect, when apply'd to things inanimate? do they make us conceive the ground, the church-yard, the dart, the ocean, to be endued with animal functions? This is a curious inquiry; and whether so or not, it cannot be declined in handling the present fubject. One thing is certain, that the mind, prompted by paffion, is prone to bestow sensibility upon things inanimate. This is an additional instance of the influence of paffion upon our opinions and belief. I give fome examples. Antony, mourning over the body of Cæfar, murdered in * Chap. 2. part 5. the the senate-house, vents his paffion in the following words. Antony. O pardon me, thou bleeding piece of earth, That I am meek and gentle with these butchers. Thou art the ruins of the nobleft man That ever lived in the tide of times. Julius Cæfar, at 3. fc. 4. Here Antony must have been impreffed with fome fort of notion, that the body of Cæfar was liftening to him, without which the speech would be foolish and abfurd. Nor will it appear ftrange, after what is faid in the chapter above cited, that paffion should have fuch power over the mind of man. Another example of the fame kind is, where the earth, as a common mother, is animated to give refuge against a father's unkindness: Almeria. O Earth, behold, I kneel upon thy bofom, And bend my flowing eyes to ftream upon Thy face, imploring thee that thou wilt yield; Open thy bowels of compaffion, take Into thy womb the laft and most forlorn Of all thy race. Hear me, thou common parent; -I have no parent else. Be thou a mother, And step between me and the curfe of him, Mourning Bride, a&t 4. fc. 7. Plaintive paffions are extremely folicitous for vent; and a foliloquy commonly answers the purpose: but when fuch a paffion becomes exceffive, it cannot be gratified but by fympathy from others; and if denied that confolation in a natural way, it will convert even things inanimate into fympathifing beings. Thus Philoctetes complains to the rocks and promontories of the ifle of Lemnos *; and Alceftes dying, invokes the fun, the light of day, the clouds, the earth, her husband's palace, &c. t. Mofchus, lamenting the death of Bion, conceives that the birds, the fountains, the trees, lament with him: the fhepherd, who in Virgil bewails the death of Daphnis, expreffeth himself thus: Daphni, tuum Ponos etiam ingemuiffe leones Again: Eclogue v. 27. Illum etiam lauri, illum etiam flevere myricæ. Mænalus, et gelidi fleverunt faxa Lycæi. Again: Ho visto al pianto mio Refponder per pietate i faffi e l'onde; * Philoctetes of Sophocles, act 4. fc. 2. +Alceftes of Euripides, act 2. fc. I. Eclogue x. 13. E fofpirar le fronde Ho visto al pianto mio. Ma non ho visto mai, Ne fpero di vedere Compaffion ne la crudele, e bella. Aminta di Taffo, aft 1. fc. 2. That fuch perfonification is derived from nature, we cannot have the leaft remaining doubt, when we find it in poems of the darkest ages and remotest countries. No figure is more frequent in Offian's works; for example, The battle is over, faid the King, and I behold the blood of my friends. Sad is the heath of Lena, and mournful the oaks of Cromla. Again: The fword of Gaul trembles at his fide, and longs to glitter in his hand, King Richard having got intelligence of Bolingbroke's invasion, fays, upon landing in England from his Irish expedition, in a mixture of joy and refentment, I weep for joy To ftand upon my kingdom once again. Dear earth, I do falute thee with my hand, Though rebels wound thee with their horfes hoofs. Plays fondly with her tears, and smiles in meeting; |