t all they which pass by the way do pluck
her? The boar out of the wood doth waste it, and the wild beast of the
field doth devour it. Return, we beseech thee, O God of hosts; look down
from heaven, and behold, and visit this vine; and the vineyard which
thy right hand hath planted, and the branch that thou madest strong for
thyself."[72:1]

The _parable_ and the _fable_ are closely akin to allegory. A parable is
a brief narrative of real or imaginary incidents for the purpose of
inculcating some moral or religious truth. It has been described as "an
earthly story with a heavenly meaning." A considerable part of Christ's
teaching was in parables, many of which are as beautiful as they are
profound.

A _fable_ is a fictitious story introducing animals or even inanimate
things as rational speakers and actors, for the purpose of teaching or
enforcing a moral. The fables of AEsop are almost universally known, and
the fables of La Fontaine exhibit a high degree of artistic merit.

+37. Figures of Contiguity.+ (1) _Metonymy_ consists in naming an object
by one of its attributes or accompaniments. It is based, not on
resemblance, but on relation, such as _cause_ and _effect_, _container_
and _thing contained_, _material_ and _thing made of it_, etc. When we
say, for example, that "_gray hairs_ are venerable," we mean _old age_,
putting an effect for the cause. In the sentence, "Socrates drank _the
fatal cup_," the container is put for the thing contained, namely, the
deadly hemlock.

The general effect of metonymy is to bring before the mind a definite
image, and thus to impart a graphic quality to the style. To say, "The
pen is mightier than the sword," is more graphic and forcible than to
say, "Literature is mightier than war."

(2) _Synecdoche_ puts a part for the whole, or a whole for the part; as,
"The harbor was crowded with _masts_." Synecdoche is a species of
metonymy, and has the same effect of giving vividness. This is apparent
in a well-known quatrain from Goethe:

"Who ne'er his _bread_ in sorrow ate,
Who ne'er the mournful _midnight hours_
Weeping upon his bed has sate,
He knows you not, ye heavenly Powers."

(3) _Exclamation_ is a figure of thought. It is the result of kindled
emotion, and expresses in exclamatory form what would usually be stated
in declarative form. Thus Hamlet, outraged at the conduct of his mother,
bursts forth:

"O that this too too solid flesh woul