BY THOMAS HOBBES OF MALMSBURY. THE ART OF RHETORIC. ========== CHAPTER I. Rhetoric is an art of speaking finely. It hath two parts: 1. Garnishing of speech, called _elocution_; 2. Garnishing of the manner of utterance, called _pronunciation_. Garnishing of speech is the first part of rhetoric; whereby the speech itself is beautified and made fine. It is either the fine manner of words, called a trope; or the fine shape or frame of speech, called a figure. The fine manner of words is a garnishing of speech, whereby one word is drawn from its first proper signification to another; as in this sentence: _sin lieth at the door_: where _sin_ is put for the punishment of sin adjoined unto it: _lieth at the door_, signifieth at hand; as that which lieth at the door, is ready to be brought in. This changing of words was first found out by necessity, for the want of words; afterwards confirmed by delight, because such words are pleasant and gracious to the ear. Therefore this change of signification must be shamefaced, and, as it were, maidenly, that it may seem rather to be led by the hand to another signification, than to be driven by force unto the same. Yet sometimes this fine manner of speech swerveth from this perfection; and then it is, either the abuse of this fine speech, called _katachresis_, or the excess of this fineness, called _hyperbole_. _Be not too just nor too wicked_; which speech, although it seem very hard, yet it doth, not without some fineness of speech, utter thus much; _That one seek not a righteousness beyond the law of God; and that when none can live without all sin, yet that they take heed that sin bear not dominion over them_. As, _My tears are my meat day and night. Those that hate me are more in number than the hairs of my head_. Both which do utter by an express of speech, a great sorrow, and a great number of enemies. The abuse of speech is, when the change of speech is hard, strange, and unwonted, as in the first example. The excess of speech is, when the change of signification is very high and lofty, as in the second example, and Psalms vi. vii. But the excellency or fineness of words or tropes, is most excellent, when divers are _shut up in one_, or _continued in many_. An example of the first sort is in 2 Kings ii. 9: _I pray thee, let me have a double portion of thy Spirit_: where by _Spirit_ is meant the gift of the Spirit; and by _thy Spirit_, the gift of the spirit like to thine.