1000000030

e o ]\ [

can n'ver he Ihe li1hjrét of

comp~rifGn,

olhcr",i:e Ihan

by be,ng pel(ooilicd. Shakefp,'ar comp""cs ,¡¡h'crfiI Yto

R,to~d,

anJ

n~l1dcr

10 the bite of a rrocodile ; bm in lileh

eomparifuos thefe

abnra~t

terms mull be im:lsioed fcnlible

bcmgc;.

Tu have a jun ootioo of cumparifuos, the)' mull

Ilinio~uilhed

ioto tIVO kiods;

~oc

C0l\111100 aod f. miliar,

.s wl\t:re aman is comparcd to

lion in

rOl1r~gt'J

or ro

a horfe io fpeed; the other more di!faot ao¡j rcfioed,

where two thiogs that hare io themfehu 00 refembl:toce

or oppofitinn,

ar~

eompMed wil h rl'fpeét

ltI

lfll'ir eR'téls.

There is 00 refemhlaoce hetwceo a Oolt'er' plot

~od

ehear'ul fi)Og;

~od

)'et they mal' be compared with rc–

fpcét to their eOcét', the el'lOlions Ihey produce io the

miod being extremcly lil11".tr There is .s liul: refem–

blaoce belweeo fr.'teroal coueOle! no,l "rccious oiotmeot;

aod yet oulen'e how fuccclsfull)' they 'ore eompared with

refpett tO¡he impreilioos they I1lJkc.

" Hehold, how good and how plear:lnt it is for

" brethieo

dwdl IOgcthtr io uoilY' [t is like the

" precious piotmeat upoo the he.d, that ..:lUdown

" upoo

A~rol1

's beard, aod d&eoded to

¡f1C

Otirts of

" his garmeot."

P/alm

133.

For illunmiog tilis rOl t of eompdri(on, we 11lall

~dd

fome more examl'les :

" Dcllgllt¡'ul is thy prefeoce, O Fiogal! it is like

" Ihe fuo 00 Cromla, ",heo tI:c hunler mouros his

" abfeoce for a feafoo, aad fces him between the

" d ouds.

" Dld not Oflian hear a voice 1 or is it the found

" of days that are no more 1 Ofteo, lil:: the eveo–

.. iog-fun, comes the memory of former times 00 my

" foul.

" His eouoteoaoce is fettled fromwar; aod is calm

.. as the ,,'enins·beam, that from the c10ud of the

" IVe!! looks 00 C"oa's (¡Ient vale."

Fillga/.

We OOIV proceed tO illulhale

pmicular inf!aoces

the

diff~rcnt

nleans by which comp"ifons, whether of

the one fon or the o.lher, can arrord ple,lfure

and, io

(,le order above ellablilhetl. we O\all

b~~io

with fueh in–

(hnces as are agreeable by fugdeOing fome unuCual reCem–

bl.oce or conn.H.

Sweel are the ufes of Adrerfity,

Which, lil:e the toad, ugly .nd veoomous,

Wem yet a precious je"",1 io her head.

AI) cU

Ij~e

il, afl

fe.

l'.

See, how the Mornlog opes her goli:len gotes,

And lahs her farelVcf of the glorious fun ;

1101V

",ell r&mbles it the prime of youth,

Trimll1'J like a yonker pranclOg

his lovc.

Suond

Parl

I/enr)

V!.

afl.

fe,

Thus they their doublrul cooCultations dar!.

Endcd, rejoiciog iA their matehlefs chief:

As wheo from mouotaio 10pS, the dulky doudl

Afcendiog, while the North·wiod Oeeps, o'crfpread

Hea,"n's chearful face, the 10lVring elemeot

cowls o'er the darken'd

I~ndfcape,

focn\', aod Ihower

chaoce the radiant (un with farelVel ClVcel

EXteDds his ev'niog-beam, the 6e1ds

reviv~,

e o

The

hird~ t~cir

notes

r~oew,

aod bleatiog heró,

Attcll thm JOY, that hlll aod valley riogs .

Paradifo LojI,

hccl2.

Nooc of the foregoing (¡miles tend to illullrate tite'

priocipal fu hjfl'l : antl therefore the ehief pleafu;e the)"

. rrord llIull ari re from (uggeOing refemblanees tha{ afe

OOt olwinus: for ,!ndouhlCClly a beautiful fubj eét iotro–

duee~

.to form thc flm" carrorJs a fcpamte pleafure, which

_IS fclt io Ihe fimilcs mcntioncd, particularly in that cited

from Miltoo.

The Ilext eO'eét of a comparifoo in the order mendoo–

ed, is

place an objeét in. Ilrong poiOl of . iew; whiah

err~ét

is remarkable io the followiog fimilcs.

As wheo two fcales are

eh.ug

·d with doubtfulloads,

From fioe to rlde the Irembliog balaoce oods,

(Whlle fome laborious matroo, juil and poor,

With nice ex.étnefs weighs her woolly flore) ,

Till pOls'd aloft, the reiliog bcam fufpends

Each equal weight; oor this nor that defcends :

So !lood the war, till Heétor's match lefs mighl,

Wilh fates prcvailiog, turn:d the fcale of fighl.

Fieree as a whidwiod up Ihc wall he fiies,

And fires his hoO with IQud repeated crics.

__ o -

Om, out, brief candle I

lliad,

xii. 521.

Life's but a walkiog Ihadow, a poor player,

That flrms and frets his hour upon the Oage,

ADd then is hmd no more.

thau GoddeCs,

Mach<alh, aa

s·

fe·

S.·

Tho\l di"ine nature! how thyfelf thou blazOIi'll

[n thefe til'O princcfy boys! they are as geotle

As zephyrs blowiog below the violet,

Not waggiog his fwcet hcad ; and yet as rough,

(Heir royal bload inchaf'd) as the rud'll wind,

That b'y the top doth take

th~

mountain-pine,

Aod make him Iloop to th' vale.

C}mbe/int, nI!

(C.

4•.

.. Why did not 1 pars away in fe

re! ,

like the

.. ftower of Ihe rock that lifts its fair head unfeeo,

" and Orows ilS withered leaves on the blaO

!".

finga'.

As words convey but a faiol alTd ob(cure Mlion of great

numbers, a poet, to give a lively notioo of the objeét hc

d&¡jbes with regard to number, does well

compare ir

10 wlm is familiar aod commonlykoowo. Thus Homer

compares theGrecianarmy in peiot of number to a (wann

of bees : in another parrage he compares it to Ihat pro–

fufion of leaves aod Howers lI'hich appear iome fpring, on

of iofeéls io a fummer's eveoing: aod Mihoo,

_____ As wheo the pptent rod

Of Amram's foo io Egypt's evi l day

Wav'd rouod the coan, up call'd a pitchy c10ud

Of locu!ls, warpiog on the eaOern wiod,

That o'er the realm of impious Pharaoh hung

Like night, and darken'd all the land of Nile:

So oumberlefs \Vere thofe bad angels reeo,

Hov'riog on wiog under the cope of hell,

iwixI upper, Dether, aDd furrounding fircs.

Paradift LojI,

hcof

1..

SlI~