1000000030

e o

Fir'd with like ardour, fi crce Atridcs new,

And fenl his foul \Vith cv'ry lance he tllI ew.

lIi,rd,

xvii.

642.

An error oppofite to the former, is lhe introdllóllJ: a

refembling image, fo e1evated or great as tObcu no

pro·

portion to the princi pal fubjcél. Their remarb¡'lc dif·

parity, being lhe moll (lriking circumO.nce, ferz':Sthe

mind, aod never f.ils

deprefs the principal fubjcél by

eontraO, in(lead

raifing it by

refembl~nce:

and iC the

diCparity be exceeding great, the fimile takes on an air

01'

ourlcfque ; nothing being more ridiculous than to

force an objeél out

its proper rank in nature, hy e–

qualling il with one greatly fuperior or greatly inferior.

This will be evident from thé following comparifon.

Loud as a bull makes hill and valley ring,

So roar\1the loe

when it releas'd the fpring.

, OdyffiJ,

xxi. 51 .

Such a fimile upon the fi mplcOof all aélions, Ihat of o·

peniog a lock , is pure burlefq ue.

A IVl'iter of deliC:lcy will avoid drawing his compari.

fons fromany image Ihat is naufeous, ugly, or remarka–

hly difagrmble; for however (lrong the refemolance

may be. more

will

be lo(l lhan gaioed by foch compari.

fUIl. Therefore IVe cannol help condemning, though

with fome reluélancy, the following fimile, or ralher me–

,aphor.

O Ihou fond many! IVith what loud applaufe

Did'O thou beat heav'n with bleffing Bolingbroke

Before he was \Vhal thou would'fI have him be?

And nolV being trimm'd up in thine own dtfires,

Tbou, beaOly feeder, art .fo full of him,

Tllat tbou provok'(l thyfelf tOca(l himup.

And fo, thou common dog, did(l thou difgo¡ge

Thy glulton borom of the royal Richard,

And now thou would'(l

ea!

thy dead vomit up,

And howl'(l to fi nd il.

Smnd parf Htnry

IV.

afl

fr.

The (lrongen objeélion that can lie againn a compari–

fon is, that it confi(ls in words only, not in fenfe.

Such falfe coio, or baOard wit, does extremely well in

burlefque; but is far below the dignity of theepic, or

of any ferious compofition:

The noble fi(ler of Pop/icola,

The moon of Rome; chaOe as the icicle

That', CIlrd/ed by the fro(l from pure(l fnolV,

Aod haogs on Dian's temple.

Coriolanul,

I n

5·/

C•

There i, evident!y

refemblance betwcen ao icicle, and

a woman, charte or uncha(le: but chaflity is cold in a

metaphorical fenfe, and an icicle i, cold in a proper feofe;

and thi, verbal refemblance, io the hurry aod glow of

compofiog, has been thought a fuflicient fouodatlon for

Ihe fimile. Such phantom fiOliles are mere wittrcifms,

which ought to have no qoarter, eKcept ",here purpofe–

Iy introduced to provoke laughler•• Lucian, in his dif.

(ertarion upoo hinory, talking of a cemio aUlhor, make,

Ihe followiog comparifon, which i, verbal mercly.

This author's defcriptions are fo cold, tha! they

furpaf, Ihe Cafpian foow, am! all tbe ice of Ihe

11 Donn.

e o

Iv!

--TIlTt for

dlp.ir

rpirils and foulo

Thi. \Yo!'.!

r,'h,lIiM

had froze them up

As finl are'in a pondo

Sml/d

IIMI

H(/Jry

IV.

l .

fr.

Pope

h~s

f.vrral fimilts of the fame O.rOlp.

And lrelTce one

m~ncr

p.nion in Ilre

bre.rn,

Like A<ron's ferpent fwallows up the rc(l.

Epifl· 2. 1.

!J I.

And again, talking of Ilris

f~me

ruling or maner

p~ffion :

Nwrre its mother, Habil is iu nurfe ;

\.Vit. fpiril, fdeulties , bUI OIake it worle;

Re~r.)O

itfdf but gives it cdge anrl pow'r ;

As heav'n's blefs'd beamturos vinegar mOre fowr.

Where the filbjeél is burlefque

fimiles are far from bcing impropero

fand y,

~alllql/.,m

lu I,.ior corli".

And Slrakefl'ear,

/!,id, l.

145 ,

or ludicrou" faeh

Horace fays plea-

od. 9.

In breakiog oaths he', Oronger than Hercule,.

And this leads tO obferve, that befides the foregoing

comparifon" which are all ferious, there is a fpeciC!, Ihe

end and purpofe of whieh is to excite gaiety or mirth.

Ta~e

Ihe following

ex~mples.

Fal(

l.ff,

fpeaking to his page :

" I do here walk before thee, like a Cow that hada

overwhclmed all her litter blTt one "

Smnd porf H,nry

IY.

fe.

10.

1 think he is not a pick.purfe, nor a horfe

ne~l·

er; bUl for his verily in love, 1 do thiok him a

.' concave as acover'd goblet, or a worm·eaten nut."

Al you lik,

il,

fr.

10.

This (word a dagger had his page,

Tha! was but little for his age ;

And therefore lVailed on Irinl fo,

As dIVarfs upon koights'errant do.

Hudibral, canlo

l .

Books, Iike men, tbeir authors, haqe bUI one

.. way of coming into the world; but there are teo

.. ,houfan·d to go out of it, aod retorn no more."

T.I,

Tub.

.. The mo(l accompli!hed way of ufing booKs al

.. prefeot is, tO ferve them a, fome do lord" Imo

.. tbeir

lilleJ,

and theo bug of their acquaintance."

Ibid.

He doe, not coofider, that fincerity in love il as

.. much

OUt

of fa!hioo as fweet (ouff; no body tah.

.. it now. "

Cartlifl Hufoand.

Com.IRlSoN

id,al,

that operatioo of Ihe· mind

whueby il compares its ideas one with aoother, in

regard of exrenl, degree, time, place, or aoy other

circum(lanca, and is the ground of rclacions.

COM

PAR

rSON, in erammar, the in/leélioD of the compa–

rative degree.

COMPARTT

r!ON,

in mhileélure, denotes the ufe–

fuI and graceful difpofition of

t~e

whole ground-plot

of an edrfice, inlo room of oflice, and

01'

recepIJon

or enterrainmenl.

COMPARTME T, iD general, is a defigo compo(ed

oí