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three magic words are the only "open sesame ings and sympathies.

" to their feel

[Here the words "open sesame" recall to mind the charm by which the robbers' dungeon, in the Arabian tale, * was opened.]

2. There are many religionists of the present day who make it their shibboleth to be able to tell the precise moment when the heart was converted to God. †

3. I was surrounded with difficulties, and possessed no clue by which I could effect my escape. ‡

[Exercises may readily be framed by the student who attentively con siders the close remblance of this figure to Simile or Comparison.]

LVI.

IRONY.

Irony is the intentional use of words which express a sense contrary to that which the writer or speaker means to convey, as when we say of one unskilled in grammar, "Admirable grammarian!"

When irony is so strong as to be termed bitter or cutting, it is Sarcasm. Irony turns things into ridicule, in a peculiar manner; it consists in laughing at an individual, under the disguise of appearing to praise or speak well of him.

The proper subjects of irony are vices and follies of all kinds; and this mode of exposing them is often more effectual than serious reasoning. The figure is, however, sometimes used on the most solemn occasions, as will be seen by the following:

Example 1st.

Cry aloud, for he is a god: either he is talking, or he is pur

*The Forty Thieves.

† See the Book of Judges, chapter xii., verses 5, 6.

See the story of Ariadne, in Lempriere's Classical Dictionary. In the use of this figure (Allusion), it may be observed that the subject to which allusion is made, should be readily perceived, and that it recompense, by its beauty or its utility, the digression necessarily made in introducing it

suing, or he is on a journey, or peradventure he sleepeth, and must be awakened.

See 1 Kings, chapter xviii., verse 27.

Example 2d.

And Job answered and said, No doubt ye are the people, and wisdom shall die with you.

Example of Sarcasm.

In the name of common sense, why should the Duke of Bedford think that none but of the House of Russell are entitled to the favor of the crown? Why should he imagine, that no king of England has been capable of judging of merit but King Henry the Eighth? Indeed, he will pardon me; he is a little mistaken: all virtue did not end in the first Earl of Bedford; all discerniment did not lose its vision when his Creator closed his eyes. Let him remit his rigor on the disproportion between merit and reward in others, and they will make no inquiry into the origin of his fortune. They will regard with much more satisfaction, as he will contemplate with infinitely more advantage; whatever his pedigree has been dulcified, by an exposure to the influence of heaven in a long flow of generations, from the hard, acidulous, metallic tincture of the spring. It is little to be doubted, that several of his forefathers, in that long series, have degenerated into honor and virtue.

LVIII.

ALLITERATION.

Alliteration is the repetition of the same letter at the beginning of two or more words immediately succeeding each other, or at short intervals; as, bug-bear, sea-sick, and the ƒ and g in the following line:

Fields ever fresh, and groves for ever green.

And the 7 in the following: Love laughs at locksmiths.

The return of such sounds, if not too frequent, is agreeable to the ear because the succeeding impression is made with less effort than that which precedes.

Alliteration, as well as rhyme, is useful as an aid to the memory. Hence proverbs have generally one or the other and sometimes both of these auxiliaries.

Birds of a feather

Flock together.

Fast bind,

Fast find.

Thus:

The following are remarkable instances of alliteration:
The lordly lion leaves his lonely lair.

Begot by butchers, but by pishops bred,
How high his honor holds his haughty head.

How sweetly slow the liquid lay

In holy hallelujahs rose!

Let lords and ladies laugh and sing
As loudly and as light;

We beggars, too, can dance and fling
Dull care a distant flight.

Approach, thou, like the rugged Russian bear,
The armed rhinoceros, or the Hyrcan tiger, &c.
Round rugged rocks, rude, ragged rascals ran.

Lean liquid lays, like lightly lulling lakes, &c.

These instances are not presented as models for imitation, but rather as exemplifications of the meaning of the term alliteration. It will be suffi cient to observe, that alliterations at the present day have fallen into disre pute; and with good reason, lest the writer in pursuit of them should be tempted to sacrifice sense to sound. Occasionally introduced, and sparingly used, they are not perhaps obnoxious to strong objections. Kames, in his "Elements of Criticism," says: "Where two ideas are so connected as to require only a copulative, it is pleasant to find a connexion in the words that express these ideas, were it even so slight as where both begin with the same letter. Thus: The peacock, in all his pride, does not display half the color that appears in the garments of a British lady when she is dressed either for a ball, or a birth-day.'-Spectator, No. 265. Again: 'Had not my log of a steward run away as he did, without making up his accounts,] had still been immersed in sin and seacoal.'-Ibid, No. 530.

566

'My life's companion, and my bosom friend,
One faith, one fame, one fate shall both attend.'"*

The following is presented as a literary curiosity:

ALPHABETICAL ALLITERATION.

THE BUNKER HILL MONUMENT CELEBRATION
Americans arrayed and armed attend;
Beside battalions bold, bright beauties blend.

Exercises.

The student may change the terms in the following expressions, so as to preBent instances of alliteration. A word of similar meaning may, in each phrase or sentence, be substituted, so as to exemplify the figure.

The royal lion.

The songs of love.

The pride of the sons of kings.

One belief, one fame, one destiny shall attend both.
The flowing lays.

How the brilliant lake shines.

His proud head shall bow.
The deceitful tiger.
The heedful cat.

He forsakes his solitary lair.

By royal prelates commended.

In sacred hallelujahs listened to.

Let noblemen and high-born ladies laugh and sing.
Birds of the same plumage assemble together.

The falling towers with curling ivy bound.

Yet would the village commend my wondrous power.
And the blithe grandsire skilled in gestic lore
Zas frisked beneath the load of fourscore.

LVIII.

PARAPHRASE OR EXPLANATION.

A paraphrase is an explanation of some maxim or passage in a book in a more clear and ample manner than is ea

Chiefs, clergy, citizens conglomerate,-
Detesting despots, - daring deeds debate.
Each eye emblazoned ensigns entertain,-
Flourishing from far, fan freedom's flame.

Guards greeting guards grown grey,- guest greeting uest
High-minded heroes, hither, homeward, haste;

Ingenuous juniors join in jubilee,

Kith kenning kin, -kind knowing kindred key.

Lo, lengthened lines lend Liberty liege love,

Mixed masses marshalled, Monumentward move.
Note noble navies near; -no novel notion;
Oft, our oppressors overawed old Ocean;
Presumptuous princes, pristine patriots, paled,
Queen's quarrel questing quotas, quondam, quailed
Rebellion rcused, revolting ramparts rose,

Stout spirits, smiting servile soldiers, strove.

These thrilling themes, to thousands truly told,

Usurpers' unjust usages unfold.

Victorious vassals, vauntings vainly veiled.

Where, whilsince, Webster, warlike Warren, walled.

Xcuse 'xpletives 'xtraqueer 'xpressed,

Yielding Yankee yeoman zest.

pressed in the words of the author. It is in fact a translation of the author's meaning into simpler language, accompanied with such explanations as will serve to render the passage easily intelligible. The author's words, therefore, are not so strictly followed as his sense.

*

Maxims, proverbs, and texts of Scripture often contain much mean ing in few words. To present them in a clear light, and to explain them in all their bearings, is the province of the preacher and the didactic writer; who thus calls in the paraphrase to their aid for the benefit of illustration.

Example 1st.

"Ne sutor ultra crepidam."

"Let not the shoemaker go beyond his last." These were the words of Apelles to a Crispin, (a shoemaker) who properly found fault with an ill-painted slipper in one of the pictures of Apelles; but, ascending to other parts, betrayed the grossest ignorance. The proverb implies that no man should pass his opinion in a province of art, where he is without a qualification.

Example 2d.

Dionysius, the tyrant of Sicily, stripped the statue of Jupiter of a robe of massy gold, and substituted a cloak of wool, saying, Gold is too cold in winter, and too heavy in summer,

- It behoves us to take care of Jupiter. From this incident we see that the first consideration with a knave, is how to help himself, and the second, how to do it with an appearance of helping others.

Example 3d.

A Scottish proverb says, "Cocks are free of horse-corn." This saying implies that people are liberal or profuse of what belongs to another.

Example 4th.

Use a cat to the churn, and she will call it custom. This

* A proverb is a short sentence, expressing a well-known truth or com mon fact, ascertained by experience or observation. A maxim is a principle generally received or admitted as true. It may here be remarked that proverbs, parables and fables are easily converted the one into the other. See Booth's Principles, p. 161.] It will be a useful exercise for the student to attempt to convert examples 3d and 4th below into a comparison and a fable.

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