Chap. VIII. FIGURATIVE CONSTRUCTION, Sect. II. EXERCISE. Marteau d'airain, bruit lugubre, of Chateaubriand; and replis tortueux, are remarkable instances of the above Figure. SECTION II.-EXERCISE ON FIGURES OF WORDS, CALLED TROPES. The learner, in the following exercise, will write each paragraph with a specification of the Figure. The words in the paragraph containing the Figurative Construction, are to be underlined. sor. Example. "Ou croirait, à vous voir dans vos libres caprices, Specification of the above Figure. A Trope, called Antonomasis ;-Caton means Cen EXERCISE on the First Series of the Figures of Words, "Jetez-moi dans les troupes come un simple soldat, je suis Thersite; mettez-moi à la tête d'une armée dont j'ai à répondre à toute l'Europe, je suis Achille."-LA BRUYERE. "Cet homme qui portait la gloire de sa nation jusqu'aux extrémités de la terre, qui couvrait son camp du bouclier. . . . et qui réjouissait Jacob par ses vertus et ses exploits, dont la mémoire doit être éternelle."-FLECHIER, Oraison Funèbre du Maréchal de Turenne. "Au nom du Pinde et de Cithère, Gentil Bernard est averti Que l'art d'aimer doit Samedi Venir souper chez l'art de plaire."* VOLTAIRE. A card from Voltaire to the poet Bernard, inviting him to sup at the Marquise du Chatelet. K Chap. VIII. FIGURATIVE CONSTRUCTION, Sect. II. EXERCISE. "Quand je vois ta sagesse, en ses justes projets, BOILEAU, Discours au Roi. "Ce roi, fils de David, où le chercherons nous ? RACINE, Athalie, Trag. Act. I. Sc. 1. "Vous chez qui la guerrière audace Le fameux vainqueur de l'Euphrate J. B. ROUSSEAU, Ode à la Fortune. EXERCISE on the Second Series of Figures of Words. "Qu'avez-vous mon cher fils, vous pleurez! rien ma mère. Je crains que vous ne vous soyez fait beaucoup de mal, mon ami; oh! non monsieur, ce n'est rien."- ** "La flotte d'Antoine ne se battit pas mal a la bataille d'Actium contre celle d'Octave, et quoique vaincue, elle ne devint pas méprisable pour cela." "Poursuis, Néron; avec de tels ministres, RACINE, Britannicus, Trag. Act. V. Sc. 6. Ch. VIII. FIGURATIVE CONSTRUCTION, Sec. III. FIGS. OF THOUGHT. "Pour célébrer tant de vertus, "Lorsque sur cette mert on vogue à pleines voiles, LA FONTAINE, Elégie. "A travers les rochers la peur les précipite: SECT. III.-FIGURES OF THOUGHT. Figures of Thought, in Rhetoric, form a very distinct branch of composition. An ingenious employment of words, or a change of signification given to them in expressing our thoughts, constitutes what is called a Figure of Words, whether a Trope or not. But Figures of Thought depend solely on the turn given to the phrase, without any alteration in the words, and their use is allowed to give to language, grace, nobleness, and strength. The difference between Figures of Words and Figures of Thought is very striking, although, to the eye of the reader, it may appear scarcely perceptible. The former depends on a word, the latter on a turn of phrase. If, for instance, the word feux, in ce village est composé de cent feux, was altered into + Quatrains on the victories of the great Condé, by a Gascon poet, who gained the mille écus, as the prize for the best quatrain. The Court. Ch. VIII. FIGURATIVE CONSTRUCTION, Sec. III. FIGS. OF THOUGHT familles, as ce village est composé de cent familles, the Figure of Words would disappear instantly; and if, instead of saying, ó vanité, ô mortels ignorants de leur destinée; we were to say, la vanité rend les mortels ignorants de leur destinée, the Figure of Thought would cease to exist in the phrase. By the above examples, the reader will at once perceive that a Figure of Words and a Figure of Thought are very different from each other. The Figures of Thought are eighteen in number: 1st, Pretermission; 2d, Concession; 3d, Correction; 4th, Reversion; 5th, Periphrasis; 6th, Antithesis; 7th, Licence; 8th, Simile; 9th, Hypotyposis; 10th, Hypothesis; 11th, Parallel; 12th, Dubitation; 13th, Suspension; 14th, Repetition; 15th, Gradation; 16th, Personification; 17th, Deprecation; 18th, Imprecation. The above eighteen figures, for the sake of clearness, are divided into three series: the first will contain five, the second six, and the third seven figures. FIRST SERIES OF FIGURES OF THOUGHT. PRETERMISSION. Pretermission is a Figure, by which we pretend to pass a subject over in silence, or to touch lightly on it, although in reality we use peculiar force in dealing with it. This Figure is strikingly displayed in the following extract from the narrative of the massacre at Paris on St Bartholomew's day. “ Je ne vous peindrai point le tumulte et les cris, Des fureurs des humains c'est ce qu'on doit attendre.” Ch. VIII. FIGURATIVE CONSTRUCTION, Sec. III. FIGS. OF THOUGHT. CONCESSION. Concession is a Figure, by which the orator appears willing to grant certain points to his adversary, in order to strengthen those not granted. Example. "Je veux bien avouer de lui ce qu'un auteur célèbre (Pline) a dit de César, qu'il a été clément jusqu'à être obligé de s'en repentir. Que ce soit donc là, si l'on veut, l'illustre défaut de Charles aussi bien que de César. Mais que ceux qui veulent croire que tout est faible dans les malheureux et dans les vaincus, ne pensent pas pour cela nous persuader que la force ait manqué à son courage, ni la vigueur à ses conseils. Poursuivi à toute outrance par l'implacable malignité de la fortune, trahi de tous les siens, il ne s'est pas manqué à lui-même."-BossUET, Oraison funèbre de Henriette Marie de France, épouse de Charles I. Roi d'Angleterre. CORRECTION. By Correction, is understood a Figure, consisting in either retracting or explaining certain thoughts, and substituting others more becoming or adequate in their place. Mithridates, the sworn enemy of the Romans, when divided between his jealousy against his son, and his hatred against his foes, affords a fine example of the above Figure. "Immolons en partant trois ingrats à la fois Allons, et commençons par Xipharès lui-même. Mais quelle est ma fureur! et qu'est-ce que je dis! |