41. The superiority of the Metaphor to the Simile is ascribed
by Dr. Whately to the fact that "all men are more gratified at
catching the resemblance for themselves, than in having it pointed
out to them." But after what has been said, the great economy it
achieves will seem the more probable cause. Lear's exclamation--

"Ingratitude! thou marble-hearted fiend,"

would lose part of its effect were it changed into--

"Ingratitude! thou fiend with heart like marble;"

and the loss would result partly from the position of the simile and
partly from the extra number of words required. When the comparison
is an involved one, the greater force of the metaphor, consequent
on its greater brevity, becomes much more conspicuous. If, drawing
an analogy between mental and physical phenomena, we say, "As, in
passing through the crystal, beams of white light are decomposed
into the colours of the rainbow; so, in traversing the soul of the
poet, the colourless rays of truth are transformed into brightly
tinted poetry"; it is clear that in receiving the double set of
words expressing the two halves of the comparison, and in carrying
the one half to the other, considerable attention is absorbed.
Most of this is saved, however, by putting the comparison in a
metaphorical form, thus: "The white light of truth, in traversing
the many sided transparent soul of. the poet, is refracted into
iris-hued poetry."

42. How much is conveyed in a few words by the help of