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usage　and　circumstance；　relating　itself　from　whatsoever　centre　to　fresh　points　in　the　circumference。　　No　two　words　ever　coincide　throughout　their　whole　extent。　　If　sometimes　good　writers　are　found　adding　epithet　to　epithet　for　the　same　quality；　and　name　to　name　for　the　same　thing；　it　is　because　they　despair　of　capturing　their　meaning　at　a　venture；　and　so　practise　to　get　near　it　by　a　maze　of　approximations。　　Or；　it　may　be；　the　generous　breadth　of　their　purpose　scorns　the　minuter　differences　of　related　terms；　and　includes　all　of　one　affinity；　fearing　only　lest　they　be　found　too　few　and　too　weak　to　cover　the　ground　effectively。　　Of　this　sort　are　the　so…called　synonyms　of　the　Prayer…Book；　wherein　we　〃acknowledge　and　confess〃　the　sins　we　are　forbidden　to　〃dissemble　or　cloke；〃　and　the　bead…roll　of　the　lawyer；　who　huddles　together　〃give；　devise；　and　bequeath；〃　lest　the　cunning　of　litigants　should　evade　any　single　verb。　　The　works　of　the　poets　yield　still　better　instances。　　When　Milton　praises　the　VIRTUOUS　YOUNG　LADY　of　his　sonnet　in　that　the　spleen　of　her　detractors　moves　her　only　to　〃pity　and　ruth；〃　it　is　not　for　the　idle　filling　of　the　line　that　he　joins　the　second　of　these　nouns　to　the　first。　　Rather　he　is　careful　to　enlarge　and　intensify　his　meaning　by　drawing　on　the　stores　of　two　nations；　the　one　civilised；　the　other　barbarous；　and　ruth　is　a　quality　as　much　more　instinctive　and　elemental　than　pity　as　pitilessness　is　keener；　harder；　and　more　deliberate　than　the　inborn　savagery　of　ruthlessness。

It　is　not　chiefly；　however；　for　the　purposes　of　this　accumulated　and　varied　emphasis　that　the　need　of　synonyms　is　felt。　　There　is　no　more　curious　problem　in　the　philosophy　of　style　than　that　afforded　by　the　stubborn　reluctance　of　writers；　the　good　as　well　as　the　bad；　to　repeat　a　word　or　phrase。　　When　the　thing　is；　they　may　be　willing　to　abide　by　the　old　rule　and　say　the　word；　but　when　the　thing　repeats　itself　they　will　seldom　allow　the　word　to　follow　suit。　　A　kind　of　interdict；　not　removed　until　the　memory　of　the　first　occurrence　has　faded；　lies　on　a　once　used　word。　　The　causes　of　this　anxiety　for　a　varied　expression　are　manifold。　　Where　there　is　merely　a　column　to　fill；　poverty　of　thought　drives　the　hackney　author　into　an　illicit　fulness；　until　the　trick　of　verbiage　passes　from　his　practice　into　his　creed；　and　makes　him　the　dupe　of　his　own　puppets。　　A　commonplace　book；　a　dictionary　of　synonyms；　and　another　of　phrase　and　fable　equip　him　for　his　task；　if　he　be　called　upon　to　marshal　his　ideas　on　the　question　whether　oysters　breed　typhoid；　he　will　acquit　himself　voluminously；　with　only　one　allusion　（it　is　a　point　of　pride）　to　the　oyster　by　name。　　He　will　compare　the　succulent　bivalve　to　Pandora's　box；　and　lament　that　it　should　harbour　one　of　the　direst　of　ills　that　flesh　is　heir　to。　　He　will　find　a　paradox　and　an　epigram　in　the　notion　that　the　darling　of　Apicius　should　suffer　neglect　under　the　frowns　of　AEsculapius。　Question；　hypothesis；　lamentation；　and　platitude　dance　their　allotted　round　and　fill　the　ordained　space；　while　Ignorance　masquerades　in　the　garb　of　criticism；　and　Folly　proffers　her　ancient　epilogue　of　chastened　hope。　　When　all　is　said；　nothing　is　said；　and　Montaigne's　QUE　SCAIS…JE；　besides　being　briefer　and　wittier；　was　infinitely　more　informing。

But　we　dwell　too　long　with　disease；　the　writer　nourished　on　thought；　whose　nerves　are　braced　and　his　loins　girt　to　struggle　with　a　real　meaning；　is　not　subject　to　these　tympanies。　　He　feels　no　idolatrous　dread　of　repetition　when　the　theme　requires；　it；　and　is　urged　by　no　necessity　of　concealing　real　identity　under　a　show　of　change。　　Nevertheless　he；　too；　is　hedged　about　by　conditions　that　compel　him；　now　and　again；　to　resort　to　what　seems　a　synonym。　The　chief　of　these　is　the　indispensable　law　of　euphony；　which　governs　the　sequence　not　only　of　words；　but　also　of　phrases。　　In　proportion　as　a　phrase　is　memorable；　the　words　that　compose　it　become　mutually　adhesive；　losing　for　a　time　something　of　their　individual　scope；　bringing　with　them；　if　they　be　torn　away　too　quickly；　some　cumbrous　fragments　of　their　recent　association。　　That　he　may　avoid　this；　a　sensitive　writer　is　often　put　to　his　shifts；　and　extorts；　if　he　be　fortunate；　a　triumph　from　the　accident　of　his　encumbrance。　　By　a　slight　stress　laid　on　the　difference　of　usage　the　unshapeliness　may　be　done　away　with；　and　a　new　grace　found　where　none　was　sought。　　Addison　and　Landor　accuse　Milton；　with　reason；　of　too　great　a　fondness　for　the　pun；　yet　surely　there　is　something　to　please　the　mind；　as　well　as　the　ear；　in　the　description　of　the　heavenly　judgment；


That　brought　into　this　world　a　world　of　woe。


Where　words　are　not　fitted　with　a　single　hard　definition；　rigidly　observed；　all　repetition　is　a　kind　of　delicate　punning；　bringing　slight　differences　of　application　into　clear　relief。　　The　practice　has　its　dangers　for　the　weak…minded　lover　of　ornament；　yet　even　so　it　may　be　preferable　to　the　flat　stupidity　of　one　identical　intention　for　a　word　or　phrase　in　twenty　several　contexts。　　For　the　law　of　incessant　change　is　not　so　much　a　counsel　of　perfection　to　be　held　up　before　the　apprentice；　as　a　fundamental　condition　of　all　writing　whatsoever；　if　the　change　be　not　ordered　by　art　it　will　order　itself　in　default　of　art。　　The　same　statement　can　never　be　repeated　even　in　the　same　form　of　words；　and　it　is　not　the　old　question　that　is　propounded　at　the　third　time　of　asking。　Repetition；　that　is　to　say；　is　the　strongest　generator　of　emphasis　known　to　language。　　Take　the　exquisite　repetitions　in　these　few　lines：…


Bitter　constraint　and　sad　occasion　dear　Compels　me　to　disturb　your　season　due；　For　Lycidas　is　dead；　dead　ere　his　prime；　Young　Lycidas；　and　hath　not　left　his　peer。


Here　the　tenderness　of　affection　returns　again　to　the　loved　name；　and　the　grief　of　the　mourner　repeats　the　word　〃dead。〃　　But　this　monotony　of　sorrow　is　the　least　part　of　the　effect；　which　lies　rather　in　the　prominence　given　by　either　repetition　to　the　most　moving　circumstance　of　all　…　the　youthfulness　of　the　dead　poet。　The　attention　of　the　discursive　intellect；　impatient　of　reiteration；　is　concentrated　on　the　idea　which　these　repeated　and　exhausted　words　throw　into　relief。　　Rhetoric　is　content　to　borrow　force　from　simpler　methods；　a　good　orator　will　often　bring　his　hammer　down；　at　the　end　of　successive　periods；　on　the　same　phrase；　and　the　mirthless　refrain　of　a　comic　song；　or　the　catchword　of　a　buffoon；　will　raise　laughter　at　last　by　its　brazen　importunity。　Some　modem　writers；　admiring　the　easy　power　of　the　device；　have　indulged　themselves　with　too　free　a　use　of　it；　Matthew　Arnold　particularly；　in　his　prose　essays；　falls　to　crying　his　text　like　a　hawker；


Beating　it　in　upon　our　weary　brains；　As　tho'　it　were　the　burden　of　a　song；


clattering　upon　the　iron　of　the　Philistine　giant　in　the　effort　to　bring　him　to　reason。　　These　are　the　ostentatious　violences　of　a　missionary；　who　would　fain　save　his　enemy　alive；　where　a　grimmer　purpose　is　glad　to　employ　a　more　silent　weapon　and　strike　but　once。　The　callousness　of　a　thick…witted　auditory　lays　the　need　for　coarse　method　on　the　gentlest　soul　resolved　to　stir　them。　　But　he　whose　message　is　for　minds　attuned　and　tempered　will　beware　of　needless　reiteration；　as　of　the　noisiest　way　of　emphasis。　　Is　the　same　word　wanted　again；　he　will　examine　carefully　whether　the　altered　incidence　does　not　justify　and　require　an　altered　term；　which　the　world　is　quick　to　call　a　synonym。　　The　right　dictionary　of　synonyms　would　give　the　context　of　each　variant　in　the　usage　of　the　best　authors。　　To　enumerate　all　the　names　applied　by　Milton　to　the　hero　of　PARADISE　LOST；　without　reference　to　the　passages　in　which　they　occur；　would　be　a　foolish　labour；　with　such　reference；　the　task　is　made　a　sovereign　lesson　in　style。　　At　Hell　gates；　where　he　dallies　in　speech　with　his　leman　Sin　to　gain　a　passage　from　the　lower　World；　Satan　is　〃the　subtle　Fiend；〃　in　the　garden　of　Paradise　he　is　〃the　Tempter〃　and　〃the　Enemy　of　Mankind；〃　putting　his　fraud　upon　Eve　he　is　the　〃wily　Adder；〃　leading　her　in　full　course　to　the　tree　he　is　〃the　dire　Snake；〃　springing　to　his　natural　height　before　the　astonished　gaze　of　the　cherubs　he　is　〃the　grisly　King。〃　　Every　fresh　designation　elaborates　his　character　and　history；　emphasises　the　situation；　and　saves　a　sentence。　　So　it　is　with　all　variable　appellations　of　concrete　objects；　and　even　in　the　stricter　and　more　conventional　region　of　abstract　ideas　the　same　law　runs。　　Let　a　word　be　changed　or　repeated；　it　brings　in　either　case　its　contribution　of　emphasis；　and　must　be　carefully　chosen　for　the　part　it　is　to　play；　lest　it　should　upset　the　business　of　the　piece　by　irrelevant　clownage　in　the　midst　of　high　matter；　saying　more　or　less　than　is　set　down　for　it　in　the　author's　purpose。

The　chameleon　quality　of　language　may　claim　yet　another　illustration。　　Of　origins　we　know　nothing　certainly；　nor　how　words　came　by　their　meanings　in　the　remote　beginning；　when　speech；　like　the　barnacle…goose　of　the　herbalist；　was　suspended　over　an　expectant　world；　ripening　on　a　tree。　　But　this　we　know；　that　language　in　its　mature　state　is　fed　and　fattened　on　metaphor。　Figure　is　not　a　late　device　of　the　rhetorician；　but　the　earliest　principle　of　change　in　language。　　The　whole　process　of　speech　is　a　long　series　of　exhilarating　discoveries；　whereby　words；　freed　from　the　swaddling　bands　of　their　nativity；　are　found　capable　of　new　relations　and　a　wider　metaphorical　employ。　　Then；　with　the　growth　of　exact　knowledge；　the　straggling　associations　that　attended　the　word　on　its　travels　are　straitened　and　confined；　its　meaning　is　settled；　adjusted；　and　balanced；　that　it　may　bear　its　part　in　the　scrupulous　deposition　of　truth。　　Many　are　the　words　that　have　run　this　double　course；　liberated　from　their　first　homely　offices　and　transformed　by　poetry；　reclaimed　in　a　more　abstract　sense；　and　appropriated　to　a　new　set　of　facts　by　science。　　Yet　a　third　chance　awaits　them　when　the　poet；　thirsty　for　novelty；　passes　by　the　old　simple　founts　of　figure　to　draw　metaphor　from　the　latest　technical　applications　of　specialised　terms。　　Everywhere　the　intuition　of　poetry；　impatient　of　the　sturdy　philosophic　cripple　that　lags　so　far　behind；　is　busy　in　advance　to　find　likenesses　not　susceptible　of