A Treatise of Schemes and Tropes

by Richard Sherry

[Exornacion] is a fyne polyshinge of wordes and sentences by disseueryng thẽ w^t diuerse goodly colours and tropes or chaũgings of speach.

[Tropes.]

Emonge authors manye tymes vnder the name of figures, Tropes also be comprehended: Neuerthelesse ther is a notable difference betwixt thẽ. In figure is no alteracion in the wordes frõ their proper significacions, but only is the oracion & sẽtence made by thẽ more plesaũt, sharpe & vehemẽt, after y^e affecciõ of him that speketh or writeth: to y^e which vse although tropes also do serue, yet properlye be they so called, because in them for necessitye or garnyshynge, there is a mouynge and chaungynge of a worde and sentence, from theyr owne significaciõ into another, whych may agre wyth it by a similitude. The former partes ben these.

[Metaphora.] [Translatio], translacion, that is a worde translated from the thynge that it properlye signifieth, vnto another whych may agre with it by a similitude. And amonge all vertues of speche, this is the chyefe. ¶ None perswadeth more effecteouslye, none sheweth the thyng before oure eyes more euidently, none moueth more mightily the affeccions, none maketh the oraciõ more goodlye, pleasaunt, nor copious.

Translacions be diuerse.

i. Some frõ the body to the mynd, as: I haue but lately tasted the Hebrue tonge, for newely begunne it.

Also I smell where aboute you go, for I perceyue.

ii. From the reasonable to the vnresonable, as Vyrgyll in hys Georgexe applyed the counselles and fashion of warres belongynge to men; to bees.

iii. From the vnreasonable to the resonable. What whinest thou, what chatterest thou? That one taken of a wolfe, that other of a pye.

iiii. From the liuinge to the not liuyng. The mouthe of the well, the fatnes of the earth. The lande wyl spewe them oute.