us some
letter in a bottle from far. But what know they more than we? They
also found themselves on this wondrous sea. No; from the older sailors
nothing. Over all their speaking trumpets the gray sea and the loud
winds answer, Not in us; not in Time."

Sec. 44. The division of the Simile from the Metaphor is by no means a
definite one. Between the one extreme in which the two elements of the
comparison are detailed at full length and the analogy pointed out, and
the other extreme in which the comparison is implied instead of stated,
come intermediate forms, in which the comparison is partly stated and
partly implied. For instance:--"Astonished at the performances of the
English plow, the Hindoos paint it, set it up, and worship it; thus
turning a tool into an idol: linguists do the same with language." There
is an evident advantage in leaving the reader or hearer to complete the
figure. And generally these intermediate forms are good in proportion as
they do this; provided the mode of completing it be obvious.

Sec. 45. Passing over much that may be said of like purport upon Hyperbole,
Personification, Apostrophe, &c., let us close our remarks upon
construction by a typical example. The general principle which has been
enunciated is, that other things equal, the force of all verbal forms
and arrangements is great, in proportion as the time and mental effort
they demand from the recipient is small. The corollaries from this
general principle have been severally illustrated; and it has been shown
that the relative goodness of any two modes of expressing an idea,
may be determined by observing which requires the shortest process
of thought for its comprehension. But though conformity in particular
points has been exemplified, no cases of complete conformity have yet
been quoted. It is indeed difficult to find them; for the English
idiom does not commonly permit the order which theory dictates. A few,
however, occur in Ossian. Here is one:--"As autumn's dark storms pour
from two echoing hills, so towards each other approached the heroes. As
two dark streams from high rocks meet and mix, and roar on the plain:
loud, rough, and dark in battle meet Lochlin and Inisfail...As the
troubled noise of the ocean when roll the waves on high; as the last
peal of the thunder of heaven; such is noise of the battle."

Sec. 46. Except in the position of the verb in the first two similes, the
theoretically best arrangement is fully carri