1. Be fparing and cautious in the Use of them, and omit them when they are not either as plain as proper Words, or more expreffive. Tropes are the Riches of a Language, and therefore it will be anImputation upon a Man to lavish them away without Difcretion. Too thick a Croud of them encumber a Difcourfe, and make it obfcure and heavy; and that is juft contrary to the Nature and Defign of Tropes; which is to illustrate dark Truths, and relieve the labouring Thoughts.

2. Care must be taken that Tropes hold a Proportion to the Ideas intended to be rais'd by them. And this may be taken in two Senfes : First, there ought to be an eafy and unforc'd Relation betwixt the Trope and the proper Word it is put for, or the Thing intended to be exprefs'd by it. When there is not this Suitablenefs and Relation, the Expreffion at best will be harsh and unpleasant ; but often barbarous and ridiculous.

Such

Such was that Saying of the Roman expos'd by Tully -- The Commonwealth was caftrated by the Death of Cato. The Connexion between the Trope and the proper Word, ought to be to close and evident, that the one cannot be mention'd without raifing the Idea of the other. This Connexion is either natural or artificial: The natural is when the Things express'd by their proper and metaphorical Names naturally refemble one another. When 'tis faid a Man has Arms of Brafs, that Expreffion readily and naturally conveys to one's Understanding, a Notion of the extraordinary Strength and Firmness of that Man's Arms. The artificial Connexion depends upon Ufe and eftablished Cuftom. The Turks are generally esteem'd a barbarous and cruel People; a rude and unrelenting Perfon is by Cuftom call'd a Turk; and the frequent Ufe of it in this Senfe makes the Idea of the Word Turk raife in the Mind the Idea of a rude and unrelenting Man. The other

way

way of preferving the Proportion above-mention'd is, that a Trope don't exprefs more or less than the Thing requires That Things capable of Heightening and Ornament be not debas'd and vilify'd by low Expreffions; nor fmall Matters over-magnify'd by pompous and fwelling Words of Vanity. Euripides is cenfur'd by Ariftotle for calling Rowing the Exercise of the Empire of the Oar; and fo may Cato in Agellius for calling a Hill, cover'd with Brakes and Thickets, by the Name of a Wart. But if a Trope feem to be a little harsh, and yet is neceffary, and very fignificant, you may mollify and smooth it by a good Epithet, or in a few Words without Formality, begging the Reader or Hearer to pardon the Expreffion.

3. A Trope ought to be obvious and intelligible: and therefore must not be fetch'd from Things too remote, fo as to require much Reading and Learning to apprehend it. If a Man, speaking

fpeaking of a House of Debauchery, fays, 'tis a dangerous Rock of Youth, the Relation lies plain to an ordinary Capacity: But if he calls it the Syrtes of Youth, 'tis far-fetch'd and obscure; because few know that the Syrtes are Sands on the Coaft of Afric, which inevitably swallow up all the Ships that fall into them.'

4. No Tropes are to be us'd, which convey a fordid or lewd Idea to the Mind. Vile and debauch'd Expreffions are fure Marks of an abject and groveling Mind, and the filthy Overflowings of a vicious Heart. He who fo far forgets the Design and Dignity of Speech, as to endeavour to poison and debauch by it, instead of instructing in Virtue, and pleafing Men in order to do them good, acts against Reafon, and all the Decencies and Modefty of human Nature.

To conclude: Tropes and metaphorical Expreflions are us'd either for Neceffity, Emphafis, or Decency. For Neceffity, when we have not proper H Words

Words to declare our Thoughts; for Emphafis, when the proper Words we have are not fo comprehenfive and fignificant; for Decency, when plain Language would give Offence and Diftafte to the Reader.

CHA P. II.

Containing a particular Account of the chief Tropes of Language.

§. 1.

ETAPHOR is a Trope, M by which we put a strange Word for a proper Word, by reafon of its Refemblance and Relation to it. All Tropes are, in ftrict speaking, Metaphors or Tranflations; yet this is more peculiarly call'd fo by reafon of its conftant Ufe, and peculiar Beauty. But more plainly to diftinguish this particular Trope from the general Name, it may be thus defin'd: A Metaphor is a Simile or Comparison, intended to enforce