fity in any degree: its gratification lies in difcovering differences among things where refemblance prevails, and refemblances where difference prevails. Thus a difference in individuals of the fame kind of plants or animals, is deemed a discovery; while the many particulars in which they agree, are neglected: and in different kinds, any resemblance is greedily remarked, without attending to the many particulars in which they differ. A comparison however may be too far stretch

ed. When differences or refemblances are carried beyond certain bounds, they appear flight and trivial; and for that reason, will not be relished by a man of tafte: yet fuch propensity is there to gratify paffion, curiofity in particular, that even among good writers, we find many comparifons too flight to afford fatisfaction. Hence the frequent inftances among logicians, of diftinctions without any folid difference: and hence the frequent inftances among poets and orators, of fimiles without any just resemblance. With regard to the latter, I fhall confine myself to one instance, which will probably amufe the reader, being a quotation, not from a poet nor orator, but from a grave author writing an inftitute of law. "Our "student shall obferve, that the knowledge of "the law is like a deep well, out of which each 66 man draweth according to the strength of his "understanding. He that reacheth deepest, feeth "the amiable and admirable fecrets of the law, "wherein

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"wherein 'I affure you the fages of the law in "former times have had the deepest reach. And "as the bucket in the depth is easily drawn "to the uppermoft part of the water, (for nul"lum elementum in fuo proprio loco eft grave), "but take it from the water, it cannot be drawn ' up but with a great difficulty; fo, albeit begin"nings of this study seem difficult, yet when the "profeffor of the law can dive into the depth, it is

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delightful, eafy, and without any heavy bur"den, fo long as he keep himself in his own pro. τε per element." Shakespear with uncommon humour ridicules fuch difpofition to fimile-making, by putting in the mouth of a weak man, a resemblance much of a piece with that now mentioned:

Fluellen. I think it is in Macedon where Alexander is porn: I tell you, Captain, if you look in the maps of the orld, I warrant that you fall find, in the comparisons between Macedon and Monmouth, that the fituafions, look you, is both alike.. There is a river in Macedon, there is alfo moreover a river in Monmouth it is called Wye at Monmouth, but it is out of my prains what is the name of the other river; but it is all one, 'tis as like as my fingers to my fingers, and there is falmons in both. If you mark Alexander's life well, Harry of Monmouth's life is come after it indifferent well; for there is figures in all things. Alexander, God knows, and you know, in his rages,

*

Coke upon Lyttleton, p. 71.

and

and his furies, and his wraths, and his cholers, and his moods, and his difpleasures, and his indignations; and alfo being a little intoxicates in his prains, did, in his ales and his angers, look you, kill his pest friend Clytus.

Gower. Our King is not like him in that; he never kill'd any of his friends.

Fluellen. It is not well done, mark you now, to take the tales out of my mouth, ere it is made and finished. I fpeak but in figures, and comparifons of it: As Alexander kill'd his friend Clytus, being in his ales and his cups; fo alfo Harry Monmouth, being in his right wits and his good judgements, turn'd away the fat knight with the great belly doublet; he was full of jefts, and gypes, and knaveries, and mocks: I have forgot his name.

Gower. Sir John Falstaff.

Fluellen. That is he: I tell you there is good men porn at Monmouth.

K. Henry V. alt 4. fc. 13.

Inftruction, no doubt, is the chief end of comparison; but that it is not the only end, will be evident from confidering, that a comparison may be employ'd with fuccefs to put a fubject in a strong point of view. A lively idea is formed of a man's courage, by likening it to that of a lion; and eloquence is exalted in our imagination, by comparing it to a river overflowing its banks, and in. volving all in its impetuous courfe. The fame effect is produced by contrast: a man in prosperity, becomes more fenfible of his happiness by oppo

fing his condition to that of a perfon in want of bread. Thus, comparison is fubfervient to poetry as well as to philofophy; and with refpect to both, the foregoing obfervation holds equally, that refemblance among objects of the fame kind, and diffimilitude among objects of different kinds, have no effect fuch a comparison neither tends to gra tify our curiofity, nor to fet the objects compared in a stronger light: two apartments in a palace, fimilar in fhape, fize, and furniture, make separately as good a figure as when compared; and the fame obfervation is applicable to two fimilar copartments in a garden: on the other hand, oppofe a regular building to a fall of water, or a good picture to a towering hill, or even a little dog to a large horfe, and the contrast will produce no effect. But a resemblance between objects of different kinds, and a difference between objects of the fame kind, have remarkably an enlivening effect. The poets, fuch of them as have a just taste, draw all their fimiles from things that in the main differ widely from the principal subject; and they never attempt a contrast, but where the things have a common genus and a refemblance in the capital circumstances: place together a large and a small fized animal of the fame fpecies, the one will appear greater, the other lefs, than when viewed feparately: when we oppose beauty to deformity, each makes a greater figure by the comparison. We compare the drefs of different

different nations with curiofity, but without furprife; because they have no fuch refemblance in the capital parts as to please us by contrafting the smaller parts. But a new cut of a fleeve or of a pocket enchants by its novelty, and in oppofition to the former fashion raises some degree of surprise.

That resemblance and diffimilitude have an enlivening effect upon objects of fight, is made fufficiently evident; and that they have the fame effect upon objects of the other fenfes, is also certain. Nor is that law confined to the external fenses; for characters contrafted make a greater figure by the oppofition: Iago, in the tragedy of Othello, fays,

He hath a daily beauty in his life,
That makes me ugly.

The character of a fop, and of a rough warrior, are no where more fuccessfully contrasted than in Shakespear:

Hotfpur. My liege, I did deny no prifoners;
But I remember, when the fight was done,
When I was dry with rage, and extreme toil,
Breathlefs and faint, leaning upon my fword;
Came there a certain Lord, neat, trimly drefs'd,
Fresh as a bridegroom; and his chin, new-reap'd,
Shew'd like a ftubble-land at harvest-home.
He was perfumed like a milliner;

`And 'twixt his finger and his thumb he held

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