Here the poet begins the Allegory with stings and arrows, and ends it with a sea; besides taking arms against the sea.

Metonymy was the next you named; let me hear

what you have to say respecting that figure. Metonymy is a word derived from the Greek, and signifies a change of name.

It is a figure in which one name is used or changed for another, because of some mutual resemblance or near relationship existing between them, whereby the ideas belonging to the one are readily excited or brought to mind on the mention of the other name.

Can you give any instances of the use of the Metonymy?

Yes; several.

"They have Moses and the Prophets, let them bear them." This is said to be placing the cause for the effect; the meaning is, they have the books written by Moses and the Prophets, let them read them.

"Words move nobody but him who understands the tongue."

Here the tongue-the instrument-is put for speech or language.

"Silver and gold have I none, but such as I have give I thee." Here the idea excited is, that Peter had no money; money being made from silver and gold.

Have you any more instances of the application of the Metonymy?

Yes; the effect is sometimes put for the cause, as—

"Ye will bring down my grey hairs with sorrow to the grave."

There grey hairs are substituted for old age-the cause of grey hairs.

The sign is sometimes substituted for the thing, as

"The sceptre shall not depart from Judah," &c.

That is, Royal Authority; sceptre being the sign there used to imply royal authority.

The thing containing is sometimes put for the thing contained.

"Who steals my purse, steals trash;

'Tis something, nothing;

'Twas mine, 'tis his, and has been slave to thousands :

But he that filches from me my good name,

Robs me of that which not enriches him,
And makes me poor indeed."

SHAKSPERE.

Here purse the container is substituted for money; the idea being, that Money is but of small account when set against the value of a good name.

Right; and as we always put a high price on our own good name, let us always put a high price on the good name belonging to another. But proceed with your next Figure of Speech -namely, the Synecdoche.

The word Synecdoche is also borrowed from the Greek, and signifies to take with.

This Figure of Speech is that in which the part is taken as representing the whole, or the whole for a part. It is sometimes called the Figure of Comprehension; the beauty of the figure consists in marking that part which is most impressive; as, twenty sail: sail, the most impressive part, being used for ships. So, also, the ship's hands are on board, that is, the sailors. The Hyperbole now demands some attention. Hyperbole, a Greek word, signifying to throw over or beyond.

It is a figure that goes beyond the bounds of truth, for

the purpose of enlarging or lessening, and so making things appear better or worse than they really are.

This figure is sometimes called exaggeration, and should be used very sparingly for two reasons:

1st. Because it may be carried too far, and so produce the opposite of the intended effect.

2nd. It is not clear that any departure from truth can be justified.

Can you give instances?

As

His speed outstripped the wind.

He darted as quick as the lightning.
White as the snow.

The best that was ever seen.

Shakspere makes Cassius say to Cæsar, to excite him

"Why, man, he doth bestride the narrow world

Like a Colossus, and we petty men

Walk under his huge legs, and peep about

To find ourselves dishonourable graves."

And the scout in Ossian exhibits his own fear while giving an hyperbolical description of the enemy's chief.

"I saw their chief, tall as a rock of ice; his spear, the blasted fir; his shield, the rising moon; he sat on the shore, like a cloud of mist on the hill."

Let me hear something about the figure you call

Irony.

Irony comes from the Greek, eironeia, to dissemble. It is a figure in which the words are taken to mean directly contrary to their usual sense, but not with a purpose to deceive, as the tone of voice and other circumstances sufficiently indicate what is intended. Vice and folly are frequently more effectually reproved by

this figure than by any other mode of reasoning. Satire and sarcasm are nearly allied to irony, and the occasion rare indeed that would justify their use.

Give an instance.

"And it came to pass at noon, that Elijah mocked them, and said, Cry aloud: for he is a god; either he is talking, or he is pursuing, or he is in a journey, or peradventure he sleepeth and must be awaked,” 1 Kings xviii. 27.

You mentioned a figure-Catachresis.

Catachresis, compounded of two Greek words signifying against use, is a figure in which the words are wrested too far from their native signification, or the name of one thing is borrowed to express another, which either has no proper name, or the borrowed name is more surprising and acceptable by its boldness and novelty.

"Attemper'd to the lyre, your voice employ,
Such the pleas'd ear will drink with silent joy."

"Her voice is but the shadow of a sound."

РОРЕ.

YOUNG.

We have an example of bold conception in Milton's “Paradise Lost”; he describes Raphael's descent into Paradise :

:

Down thither, prone in fight

He speeds, and through the vast ethereal sky

Sails between worlds and worlds."

It would seem to me as if all the seven figures you have named are very much alike.

It is so because another word is used instead of the proper one, and so the thing meant differs somewhat from the thing said, as the following summary will show:

When one thing is said and means another like to it, it is called a Metaphor.

When a Metaphor is carried out or continued, it becomes an Allegory.

When one word is put for another mutually related it is catie a Metonymy.

When one thing is said and another is included nearly the same, it is a Synecdoche.

When one thing is said and the opposite or contrary meant, it is Irony.

When the thing goes beyond the literal truth, it is Hyperbole or exaggeration.

And when the thing said would seem at first to indicate some startling impropriety, it is a Catachresis.

You have done with the seven principal figures of speech, are there many more?

The remaining figures of speech are rather numerous; we will give a list which can be studied over:

Can you not give a short explanation of them?
Yes; and we will take them in alphabetical order :—
Amplification is a figure in which each succeeding period

adds strength to the preceding one, till the whole is
finally closed: this figure is nearly allied to Climax.

Apostrophe, Greek, to turn from, is a figure in which the