“the fcoffs and reproaches of ‘his 
enemies: Lead her to his crofs, and 
let her view him in the agony of 
death, and hear his laft prayer for his 
perfecutors—Father, forgive them, 
for they know not what they do.” 
This is a lofty paflage in the high 
imperative tone of declamation; it 
is richly coloured, boldly contraited 
and replete with imagery, and is 
amongit the ftrongeft of thofe in- 
ftances, where the orator addreflés 
himfelf to the fenfes and paflions of 
his hearers: But let the difciple 
tread this path with caution; let 
him wait the call, and be fure hé 
“has an occafion worthy of his efforts 
before he makes them. 
Allegory, perfonification and me- 
_taphor will-prefs upon his imagina- 
tion at certain times, but let him 
foberly confult his judgment in thofe 
Moments, and weigh their fitnefs 
before he admits them into his ftile. 
As for allegory, it is at beit but a 
kind of fairy form; it is hard to na- 
turalize it, and it will rarely fill a 
graceful part in any manly compo- 
‘fition. With réfpe& to perfonifica- 
tion, as I am {peaking of profe only, 
‘it is but an exotic ornament, and 
“may be confidered rather as the 
Joan of the mufes than as the pro- 
“perty of profe; Ict our ftudent 
“therefore beware how he borrows 
the feathers of the’ jay, ‘eft his un- 
“Patural finery fhould only ferve to 
“Make him pointed at and defpifed. 
etaphor, on the other hand, is 
mon property, and he may take 
is hare of it, provided he has difcre- 
tion not to abufe his privilege, and 
ither furfeits the appetite with 
etion, nor confounds the palate 
with too much variety: Let bis 
“metaphor be appofite, fingle and 
nconfufed, and it will ferve him 
isa kind of rhetorical lever to lift 
MESCELLANEOUS ESSAYS, 
127 
and elevate his ftile above the pitch 
of ordinary difcourfe ; let him alfo 
fo apply this machine, as to male it 
touch in as many points as poflible; 
otherwife it can never fo poife the 
weight above it, as to keep it firm 
and fteady on its pippe: center. 
To give an example of the right 
ufe and gpplication of this figure, 
I agaipeapply to a learned author 
leet y quoted—« Our firft parents 
having fallen from their native ftate 
of innocence, ‘the tincture of evil, 
like an hereditary difeafe, infected 
all their pofterity ; and the leaven 
of fin having once corrupted the 
whole mafs of mankind, all the 
{pecies ever after would be foured 
and tainted with it; the vitious fer- 
ment perpetually diffufing and pro- 
pagating itfelf through all genera- 
tions.’—( Bentley, Com. Sermon.) 
There will be found alfo in cer- 
tain writers a profufion of words, 
ramifying indeed from the. fame 
root, yet rifing into climax by their 
power and importance, which feems 
to burit forth from the overflow 
and impetuofity of the imagina- 
tion; refembling at firft fight what 
Quintilian characterifes as the Abux- 
dantia Fuvenilis, but which, when 
tempered by the hand of a mafter, 
will upon clofer examination be 
found to bear the ftamp of judg- 
ment under the appearance of pre- 
cipitancy. 1 need only turn to the 
famous Commencement Sermon before 
quoted, and my meaning will be 
fully illuitrated—« Let them tell us 
then what is the chain, the cement, 
the magnetifm, what they will call 
it, the invifible tie of that union, 
whereby matter and an incorporeal 
mind, things that have no fimilitude 
or alliance to each other, can fo 
fympathize by a mutual league of 
No; they 
motion and fenfation. 
: will 
