LECTURE XIV,

ORIGIN AND NATURE OF FIGURATIVELANGUAGE,

HaV ING now finished what related to the L e e T,conftrndtion of fentences, l proceed to other rules XIV.concerning Style. My general divifton of the qua-lities of Style , was into Ferfpicuity and Ornament.Perfpicuity, both in frngle words and in fenten-ces , I have confidered. Ornament, as far as itarifes from a graceful, flrong, or melodious con-ftruftion of words , has alfo been treated of.Another, and a great branch of'the ornamentof Style, is. Figurative Language ; which is nowto be the fubjetd of our confideration, and wiltrequire a full difcuffion.

Our firft enquiry mull be, What is meant byFigures of Speech * ?

* On the fubjerh of Figures of Speech, ail the writers,who treat of rhetoric or compofition, have infilled largely.

To make references, therefore , on this fubject, were end-let's. On the fotftidatioas of Figurative Language, in general,one of the moft fenfible and inftruttive writers , appears tome , to be M. Marfais , in his Traite des Tropes pourfervir d'IntroduUiou a la Rbstorlqne, O' a la Logiqv.e^

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