fome affinity. Thus we fpeak of, a piercing judgment, and a clear head; a foft or a hard heart; a rough or afmooth behaviour. We fay, inflamed by anger, warmed by love, fwelled with pride, melted into grief; and these are almoft the only fignificant words which we have for fuch ideas.

But, although the barrenness of language, and the want of words, be doubtless one caufe of the invention of tropes; yet it is not the only, nor, perhaps, even the principal fource of this form of fpeech. Tropes have arifen more frequently, and fpread themselves wider, from the influence which imagination poffeffes over language. The train on which this has proceeded among all nations, I fhall endeavour to explain.

Every object which makes any impreffion on the human mind, is conftantly accompanied with certain circumstances and relations, that strike us at the fame time. It never prefents itself to our view, ifole, as the French express it; that is, independent on, and feparated from, every other thing; but always occurs as fomehow related to other objects; going before them, or following them; their effect or their caufe; resembling them, or oppofed to them; diftinguished by certain qualities, or furrounded with certain circumftances. By this means, every idea or object carries in its train some other ideas, which may be confidered as its acceffories. These acceffories often strike the imagination more than the principal idea itself. They are, perhaps, more agreeable ideas; or they are more familiar to our conceptions; or they recal to our memory a greater variety of important circumftances. The imagination is more disposed to rest upon fome of them; and therefore, instead of using the proper name of the principal idea which it means to exprefs, it employs, in its place, the name of the acceffory or correfpondent idea; although the principal have

a proper and well-known name of its own. Hence a vaft variety of tropical or figurative words obtain currency in all languages, through choice, not neceffity; and men of lively imaginations are every day adding to their number.

Thus, when we design to intimate the period at which a ftate enjoyed moft reputation or glory, it were easy to employ the proper words for expreffing this; but as this is readily connected, in our imagination, with the flourishing period of a plant or a tree, we lay hold of this correfpondent idea,' and fay, "The Roman empire flourished moft un"der Auguftus." The leader of a faction is plain language; but, because the head is the principal: part of the human body, and is supposed to direct all the animal operations, refting upon this refemblance, we fay, "Catiline was the head of the par"ty." The word, voice, was originally invented to fignify the articulate found, formed by the organs of the mouth; but, as by means of it men fignify their ideas and their intentions to each other, voice foon affumed a great many other meanings, all derived from this primary effect. "To give our: "voice" for any thing, fignified to give our sentiment in favour of it. Not only fo; but voice was transferred to fignify any intimation of will or: judgment, though given without the leaft interpofition of voice, in its literal fenfe, or any found. uttered at all. Thus we speak of liftening to the. voice of confcience, the voice of nature, the voice, of God. This ufage takes place, not fo much from. barrenness of language, or want of a proper word, as from an allufion which we choose to make to voice, in its primary sense, in order to convey our idea, connected with a circumftance which appears to the fancy to give it more fprightliness and force.

The acount which I have now given, and which

feems to be a full and fair one, of the introduction of tropes into all languages, coincides with what Cicero briefly hints, in his third book, de Oratore. "Modus transferendi verba late patet ; quam ne"ceffitas primum genuit, coacta inopia et anguf "tiis; poft autem delectatio, jucunditafque cele"bravit. Nam ut veftis frigoris depellendi caufa "reperta primo, poft adhiberi cæpta eft ad orna

tum etiam corporis et dignitatem, fic verbi tranf"latio inftituta eft inopiæ caufa, frequentata, delec"tationis*."

From what has been faid, it clearly appears, how that must come to pafs, which I had occafion to mention in a former lecture, that all languages are moft figurative in their early state. Both the caufes to which I ascribed the origin of figures, concur in producing this effect at the beginnings of fociety. Language is then most barren; the stock of proper names, which have been invented for things, is finall; and, at the fame time, imagination exerts great influence over the conceptions of men, and their method of uttering them; fo that, both from neceffity, and from choice, their speech will, at that period, abound in tropes. For the favage tribes of men are always inuch given to wonder and aftonishment. Every new object furprises, terrifies, and makes a ftrong impreffion on their mind; they are governed by imagination and paffion, more than by reafon; and, of course, their speech must be deeply tinctured by their genius. In fact, we find, that this is the character of the American and In

The figurative ufage of words is very extenfive; an ufage to which neceflity firft gave rife, on account of the paucity of words, and barrennefs of language; but which the pleasure that was found in it afterwards rendes ed frequent. For, as garments were first contrived to defend our bodies from the cold, and afterwards were employed for the purpose of ornament and dignity, fo figures of fpeech, introduced by want, were cultivated for the fake of entertainment."

dian languages; bold, picturefque, and metaphori-→ cal; full of ftrong allufions to fenfible qualities, and to fuch objects as ftruck them moft in their wild and folitary life. An Indian chief makes a harangue to his tribe, in a style full of stronger metaphors than an European would ufe in an epic poem.

As language makes gradual progress towards refinement, almost every object comes to have a proper name given to it, and perfpicuity and precifion are more ftudied. But, ftill, for the reafons before given, borrowed words, or, as rhetoricians call them, tropes, must continue to occupy a confiderable place. In every language, too, there are a multitude of words, which, though they were figurative in their first application to certain objects, yet, by long use, lose that figurative power wholly, and come to be confidered as fimple and literal expreffions. In this cafe, are the terms which I remarked before, as transferred from fenfible qualities to the operations or qualities of the mind, a piercing judgment, a clear head, a hard heart, and the like. There are other words which remain in a fort of middle state; which have neither loft wholly their figurative application, nor yet retain fo much of it, as to imprint any remarkable character of figured language on our ftyle; fuch as thefe phrafes, "apprehend "one's meaning," "enter on a fubject;"" fol"low out an argument ;" "ftir up ftrife ;" and a great many more, of which our language is full. In the use of fuch phrafes, correct writers will always preserve a regard to the figure or allufion on which they are founded, and will be careful not to apply them in any way that is inconfiftent with it. One may be "fheltered under the patronage of r a great man ;" but it were wrong to say, fhel"tered under the mafque of diffimulation ;" as a mafque conceals, but does not shelter. An object, Vol. I. 2 L

in defcription, may be "clothed," if you will, "with epithets ;" but it is not fo proper to speak of its being "clothed with circumftances ;" as the word "circumstances," alludes to standing round, not to clothing. Such attentions as thefe, to the propriety of language, are requifite in every compofition.

What has been faid on this fubject, tends to throw light on the nature of language in general; and will lead to the reasons, why tropes or figures contribute to the beauty and grace of style.

First, They enrich language, and render it more copious. By their means, words and phrafes are multiplied for expreffing all forts of ideas; for defcribing even the minuteft differences; the nicest fhades and colours of thought; which no language could poffibly do by proper words alone, without a fiftance from tropes.

Secondly, They beftow dignity upon ftyle. The familiarity of common words, to which our ears are much accuftomed, tends to degrade ftyle. When we want to adapt our language to the tone of an elevated fubject, we should be greatly at a loss, if we could not borrow affiftance from figures; which, properly employed, have a fimilar effect on language, with what is produced by the rich and splendid dreis of a perfon of rank; to create refpect, and to give an air of magnificence to him who wears it. A liftance of this kind is often needed in profe compofitions; but poetry could not fubfift without it. Hence figures form the conftant language of poctry. To fay, that "the fun rifes," is trite and common; but it becomes a magnificent image when expreffed, as mr. Thomson has done :

But yonder comes the powerful king of day

Rejoicing in the east.

To fay, that "all men are fubject alike to death,"