840 / 1042
H Y P
11
e,MOI
haveeC"ped obfermion, Ihal a wrilcr is ge.
'IIerally more Cucccfsful in magnifying by ahyperbolc Ihan
in dirninilhing. Thereafon is, tha! a minute objeél eoo·
traéls Ihe mind, and fetlers its powers of irnagination ;
bUI
Ihal tIle mind, dilaled and infl.med wilh a grand ob–
jeél, moulds objeéls for ils gratifimion wilh greal faeili–
,y.
Longinus, with rerpeél
10
a diminilhing hyperbole,
ciles Ihe following ludicrous Ihoughl from. comic poel :
~,
He was owoer of a bil of ground nOllarger Ihan
1
La·
" cedemoniao letler." BUI, for Ihe reafon now given,
\he bvperoole has by far Ihe gremr force in m.gnifying
obleéls ; of which take Ibe lollowing examples :
For alllhe laod which Ihou feefl,
10
Ihee will
1
give
jI, aod
10
Iby fecd for
cver.
Aod
1
will make Ihy
feed
~s
the dufl of tIle earth:
Ca
thal if a man can
Jumber Ihe dun of Ihe emh, Iben lhalllhy feed al
Ca
1>e numbmd.
CtnfjiJ
xiii.
15.
' 6.
lila ,el iOlaélz Cegeti, per fumma ,olarel
Gramin,a: occ leoeras eurCu Izúlfel ariflas.
JEnejó.
•
ii. 808.
---Alque imo baralhri ler gurgile ' afias
Sorbet in abruPlum ftullus, rurCuCq4e Cub auras
Eligil allernos. el lidera , erbera! ooda.
JEnejó.
iii. 42
l .
_Horri6cis juxla looal jEloa ruiais,
IOlerdumque mam prorumpil ad zlhera oubem,
Turbine fumamm picea el candenle falilla :
AuolUlque globos B.mmarum, el lidera lambil.
JEnejó.
üi.
S7
l.
Speaking of Polypbemus,
-----Ipfe arduus, a!taque pulfat
Sidera.
JEnrió.
iii.
619'
-----Wheo he fpeakl,
Tbe air, a ebarler'd
liber~ne,
i,
mil.
Henr;
V•
•
n.
1.
fe.
l .
Now fhield witb !hield:, wilh helmcl helmet e1os'd.
To armour armaur, lance lO laoce oppos'd,
Hofl againfl hofl wilb !hadowy fquadrool drew.
The Couoding dans io iroo lempefls aew,
Viélors aod vaoqui!h'd joio promiCcuous cries,
And !hriJling !hoUIl aod dyiog groaos arife;
Witb nreaming blood Ihe Oipp'ry fields are dy'd.
And Oaugbler'd herocs fweU Ibe dreadfullide.
fila'
¡,.
508.
~intiliao.i,
Ceolibte Iha! Ihis figure isnalural:
lO
For-,"
ttlys he, " nOI conleoled wilh nUlh, "e natorally iD–
o.
e1ine
10
augmeol or diminilh beyond il; and for lbal
os
reaCon Ihe hype,boleil familiar eveo amoog Ihe valgar
.. aod illileUtc:" and he adds, veryjunIy, .. That Ihe
lO
Iryperbole il then proper, ...hen Ihe rubjel! of ilCelf
ti
exceeds ¡ht commOD meaJ'ure." From Ihefe premilfes,
one would oQI expeél tbe followiog ioference, Ihe oaly
tearon he can 6nd for junifying Ihis figu re of fpmh,
ti
Coneedilur eoim ampliu$. dicere,
qUla
dici quanlum
u eO, non
~Idl:
meJ,ufque uhra qoam cilra Oat o–
.. nuo." {We are
indulg~d
ro (ay more tban coough,
H Y P
becauCe IVe ClnnOI f. y enouglt; aod il is betrcr
10
be a
bove Ihan under.) In the name of wonder, IIlty Ihis
lIighl and choldi!h reaConing, \IIhen immediately belore
he had obCerved, Ihal Ihehyperbole is founded on human
nalure
I
we could
001
refin litis perConalllroke of erili.
cifm; inlended nOI againn our author, for
00
human
trealure is cxempl from error, bUI agaion Ihe blind ve'
neration Ihal is paid
10
lIoe ancienl c1affie wrilers, with-
001
dillingui!hiog Iheir blemilhcs from Iheir beaulies.
Having examined the oature of Ihis figure, and the
priociple on which il il ereéled; lel us prow d
10
Ihe
rules by which it oughl
10
be goveroed. And, in Ibe
firn place, il is a capital faull,
10
introduce an hyperbole
io Ihe deCcriplion of an ordinary objeél or evenl: for in
fueh a cafe, it is allogelhcr unnalural, being deflitule of
furprife, its only foundation. Take Ihe following in.
llance, where Ihe Cubjeél i, eXlremely familiar,
vj:.
fwimmiog
10
gaio Ibe lhore afler a !hipwreek,
1
Caw him beal Ihe furges under him,
And ride upon Iheir backs ; he Irod the waler'
WhoCe eomily he /lung afide, and bre.lled
'
The Curge mofl Cwolo Ihal mee him: his bold head
'Bnve Ihe coolenlious wavel he kcpr, and ou'd
HimCelf wilt!)nis good arml, in lully Ilrokes
To
Ih'Jhort,
Iha! o'er his ...ave·borne bafir bOll/'d,
Allloopi~g
to relieve him.
Ttlh" f1,
6f12. ft.
/.
lo Ihe oex! place, jI may be gathered from what il
faid. Iltal an hyperbole ca never fuil Ihe lone of any
dirpiriring paffioo: forrow in particular will nmr prompl
fuch a fi&ure; and for Ihal reaCon Ihe followiog hyper–
bojes mun be coodemocd as uonatural :
K. Rj(h .
Aumerle, Ihouweep'O, my
leDder.h~arted
coufin I
We'lI make foul wealher " ilh defpiCed lem ;
Our Gghs, and Ihey, fhall lodge Ihe fummer·corn,
Aod make adeanlt io Ibis revolting land.
Rj,'hard
Il.
6f1
3·
ft.
6.
. Draw Ihem
10
Tyber's bank. and weep your lem
1010
Ihe cbannel, lill Ihe lowcllllream
Do kif, Ibe moll exahed !horesof alL
J uliul
CIj."
afl Lfo. l.
Tbirdly, a wriler, ir he wifh
10
Cucceed, oughtalwaY'
to have Ihe reader in hi, eye : he oughr
10
particular
never
10
veotore a bold Ihoughl or expr<lTooo, lill lbe
rcader be "armed and prcpared. For Ihis reafon. an
hyperbole io Ihe begiDDiog of a work
caD
oem be in ill
place. Example:
Jam pauca aralro jugm refiz
Moles rdinqueol.
Horal C"",, líh
2.
,It
CS.
In Ihe foucth place. Ihe Dicen poiDI oC all, js
10
arecr·
tain Ihe natural limia of an Ityptrbol., beyond wltieh
beiog overlhaioed il has a I!.d dFcl!. Long'Rul,
(chap. iii.) wirh grea! propriely of thuoghl, enlm a
caveal agaioll aD byperbole of Ihis kind: he clJmpms
iL ro a oowllring, which rdael by omOraioiog. aod
prodocclb an e/feél dirtélly oppofile
10
w/tal isInundcd.
To aC,maio 30y precire boundary, would be dJ/lieulr,
iI