"They accused him of being bribed (receiving bribes from) by the lung and unwilling (neglecting) to take the city."
41. Antithesis adds force, and often clearness.—The meaning of liberal in the following sentence is ascertained by the antithesis:—
"All the pleasing illusions which made power (a) gentle (b) and obedience (a') liberal (b') ... are now to be destroyed."
There is a kind of proportion. As gentleness is to power, so liberality (in the sense here used) is to obedience. Now gentleness is the check on the excess of power; therefore liberal here applies to that which checks the excess of obedience, i. e. checks servility. Hence liberal here means "free."
The contrast also adds force. "They aimed at the rule (a), not at the destruction (a'), of their country. They were men of great civil (b) and great military (b') talents, and, if the terror (c), the ornament (c') of their age."
Excessive antithesis is unnatural and wearisome:—
"Who can persuade where treason (a) is above reason (a'), and might (b) ruleth right (b'), and it is had for lawful (c) whatsoever is lustful {c'), and commotioners (d) are better than commissioners (d'), and common woe (e) is named common wealth (e')?"
42. Epigram.—It has been seen that the neglect of climax results in tameness. Sometimes the suddenness of the descent produces amusement: and when the descent is intentional and very sudden, the effect is striking as well as amusing. Thus:—
(1) "You are not only not vicious, you are virtuous," is a climax.
(2) "You are not vicious, you are vice," is not climax, nor is it bathos: it is epigram.l
Epigram may be defined as a "short sentence expressing truth under an amusing appearance of incongruity." It is often antithetical.
"The Russian grandees came to court dropping pearls and diamonds," climax.
"The Russian grandees came to court dropping pearls and vermin," epigram.
"These two nations were divided by mutual fear and the bitter remembrance of recent losses," climax.
"These two nations were divided by mutual fear and mountains," epigram.
There is a sort of implied antithesis in:—
"He is full of information—(but flat also) like yesterday's Times."
"Verbosity is cured (not by a small, but) by a large vocabulary." ...
1 Professor Bain says: "In the epigram the mind is roused by a conflict or contradiction between the form of the language and the meaning really conveyed."
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