OBS.—­Walker observes, in his remarks on the nature of Accent and Quantity, “As to the tones of the passions, which are so many and various, these, in the opinion of one of the best judges in the kingdom, are qualities of sound, occasioned by certain vibrations of the organs of speech, independent on [say of] high, low, loud, soft, quick, slow, forcible, or feeble:  which last may not improperly be called different quantities of sound.”—­Walker’s Key, p. 305.

CHAPTER III.—­FIGURES.

A Figure, in grammar, is an intentional deviation from the ordinary spelling, formation, construction, or application, of words.  There are, accordingly, figures of Orthography, figures of Etymology, figures of Syntax, and figures of Rhetoric.  When figures are judiciously employed, they both strengthen and adorn expression.  They occur more frequently in poetry than in prose; and several of them are merely poetic licenses.

SECTION I.—­FIGURES OF ORTHOGRAPHY.

A Figure of Orthography is an intentional deviation from the ordinary or true spelling of a word.  The principal figures of Orthography are two; namely, Mi-me’-sis and Ar’-cha-ism.

EXPLANATIONS.

I. Mimesis is a ludicrous imitation of some mistake or mispronunciation of a word, in which the error is mimicked by a false spelling, or the taking of one word for another; as, “Maister, says he, have you any wery good weal in you vallet?”—­Columbian Orator, p. 292.  “Ay, he was porn at Monmouth, captain Gower.”—­Shak. “I will description the matter to you, if you be capacity of it.”—­Id.

   “Perdigious! I can hardly stand.” 
        —­LLOYD:  Brit.  Poets, Vol. viii, p. 184.

II.  An Archaism is a word or phrase expressed according to ancient usage, and not according to our modern orthography; as, “Newe grene chese of smalle clammynes comfortethe a hotte stomake.”—­T.  PAYNEL:  Tooke’s Diversions, ii, 132.  “He hath holpen his servant Israel.”—­Luke, i, 54.

   “With him was rev’rend Contemplation pight,
    Bow-bent with eld, his beard of snowy hue.”—­Beattie.

OBS.—­Among the figures of this section, perhaps we might include the foreign words or phrases which individual authors now and then adopt in writing English; namely, the Scotticisms, the Gallicisms, the Latinisms, the Grecisms, and the like, with which they too often garnish their English style.  But these, except they stand as foreign quotations, in which case they are exempt from our rules, are in general offences against the purity of our language; and it may therefore be sufficient, just to mention them here, without expressly putting any of them into the category of grammatical figures.