University of Virginia Library

3.12. Of Auricular figures pertaining to clauses of speech and by them working no little alteration to the eare.

As your single words may be many waies transfigured to make the meetre or verse more tunable and melodious, so also may

your whole and entire clauses be in such sort contriued by the order of their construction as the eare may receiue a certaine recreation, although the mind for any noueltie of sence be little or nothing affected. And therefore al your figures of grammaticall construction I accompt them but merely auricular in that they reach no furder then the eare. To which there will appeare some sweete or vnsauery point to offer your dolour or delight, either by some euident defect, or surplusage, or disorder, or immutation in the same speaches notably altering either the congruitie grammaticall, or the sence, or both. And first of those that worke by defect, if but one word or some little portion of speach be wanting, it may be supplied by ordinary vnderstanding and vertue of the figure Eclipsis, as to say so early a man, for [are ye] so early a man: he is to be intreated, for he is [easie] to be intreated: I thanke God I am to liue like a Gentleman, for I am [able] to liue, and the Spaniard said in his deuise of armes acuerdo oluido, I remember I forget whereas in right congruitie of speach it should be I remember that I [doo] forget. And in a deuise of our owne [empechement pur a choiseon] a let for a furderance whereas it should be said [use] a let for a furderance, and a number morelike speaches defectiue, and supplied by common vnderstanding.

But if it be to mo clauses then one, that some such word be supplied to perfit the congruitie or sence of them all, it is by the figure [Zeugma] we call him the [single supplie] because by one word we serue many clauses of one congruitie, and may be likened to the man that serues many maisters at once, but all of one country or kinred: as to say.

Fellowes and friends and kinne forsooke me quite.

Here this word forsooke satisfieth the congruitie and sence of all three clauses, which would require euery of them asmuch. And as we setting forth her Maiesties regall petigree, said in this figure of [Single supplie.

Whereas ye see this one word [was] serues them all in that they require but one congruitie and sence.

Yet hath this figure of [Single supply] another propertie, occasioning

him to change now and then his name: by the order of his supplie, for if it be placed in the forefront of all the seuerall clauses whome he is to serue as a common seruitour, then is he called by the Greeks Prozeugma, by vs the Ringleader: thus

Where ye see this one word [perst] placed in the foreward, satisfieth both in sence & congruitie all those other clauses that followe him.

And if such word of supplie be place in the middle of all such clauses as he serues: it is by the Greeks called Mezozeugma, by vs the [Middlemarcher] thus:

Where ye see this word [weares] serues one clause before him, and two clauses behind him; in one and the same sence and congruitie. And in this verse,

Either the troth or talke nothing at all.

Where this worde [talke] serues the clause before and also behind. But if such supplie be placed after all the clauses, and not before nor in the middle, then is he called by the Greeks Hypozeugma, and by vs the [Rerewarder] thus:

Where ye see this word [fled from me] serue all the three clauses requiring but one congruitie & sence. But if such want be in sundrie clauses, and of seuerall congruities or sence, and the supply be made to serue them all, it is by the figure Sillepsis, whom for that respect we call the [double supplie] comceiuing, and as it were, comprehending vnder one, a supplie of two natures, and may be likened to the man that serues many masters at once, being of strange Countries or kinreds, as in these verses, where the lamenting widow shewed the Pilgrim the graues in which her husband & children lay buried.

Where ye see one verbe singular supplyeth the plurall and singular, and thus

Where ye see a third person supplie himselfe and a first person. And thus,

Viz. to show. Where ye see the moode Indicatiue supply him selfe and an Infinitiue. And the like in these other.

Viz. [to show.] Thus much for the congruitie, now for the sence. One wrote thus of a young man, who slew a villaine that had killed his father, and rauished his mother.

Where ye see this word [requite] serue a double sence: that is to say, to reuenge, and to satisfie. For the parents iniurie was reuenged, and the duetie of nature performed or satisfied by the childe. but if this supplie be made to sundrie clauses, or to one clause sundrie times iterated, and by seuerall words, so as euery clause hath his owne supplie: then is it called by the Greekes Hypozeuxis, we call him the substitute after his originall, and is a supplie with iteration, as thus:

Here [went to the king] and [said to the king] be but one clause iterated with words of sundrie supply. Or as in these verses following.

Here [my Ladie gaue and [my Ladie wist] be supplies with iteration, by vertue of this figure.

Ye haue another auricular figure of defect, and is when we begin to speake a thing, and breake of in the middle way, as if either it needed no further to be spoken of, or that we were ashamed, or afraide to speake it out. It is also sometimes done by way of threatning, and to shew a moderation of anger. The Greekes call him Aposiopesis. I, the figure of silence, or of interruption, indifferently.

If we doo interrupt our speech for feare, this may be an example, where as one durst not make the true report as it was, but staid halfe way for feare of offence, thus:

If it be for shame, or that the speaker suppose it would be indecent to tell all, then thus: as he that said to his sweete hart, whom he checked for secretly whispering with a suspected person.

If it be for anger or by way of manace or to show a moderation of wrath as the graue and discreeter sort of men do, then thus.

Thinking to haue said further viz. I will punish you.

If it be for none of all these causes, but vpon some sodaine occasion that moues a man to breake of his tale, then thus.

This figure is fit for phantasticall heads and such as be sodaine or lack memorie. I know one of good learning that greatly blemisheth his discretion with this maner of speach: for if he be in the grauest matter of the world talking, he will vpon the sodaine for the flying of a bird ouerthwart the way, or some other such sleight cause, interrupt his tale and neuer returne to it againe.

Ye haue yet another maner of speach purporting at the first blush a defect which afterward is supplied the, the Greekes call him Prolepsis, we the Propounder, or the Explaner which ye will: because he workes both effectes, as thus, where in certaine verses we

describe the triumphant enter-view of two great Princesses thus.

Here ye see the first proposition in a sort defectiue and of imperfect sence, till ye come by diuision to explane and enlarge it, but if we should follow the originall right, we ought rather to call him the forestaller, for like as he that standes in the market way, and takes all vp before it come to the market in grosse and sells it by retaile, so by this maner of speach our maker setts down before all the matter by a brief proposition, and afterward explanes it by a diuision more particularly.

By this other example it appeares also.