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l　of　a　geometric　fixity　in　the　use　of　words。　　The　claim　of　reason　and　logic　to　enslave　language　has　a　more　modern　advocate　in　the　philosopher　who　denies　all　utility　to　a　word　while　it　retains　traces　of　its　primary　sensuous　employ。　　The　tickling　of　the　senses；　the　raising　of　the　passions；　these　things　do　indeed　interfere　with　the　arid　business　of　definition。　　None　the　less　they　are　the　life's　breath　of　literature；　and　he　is　a　poor　stylist　who　cannot　beg　half…　a…dozen　questions　in　a　single　epithet；　or　state　the　conclusion　he　would　fain　avoid　in　terms　that　startle　the　senses　into　clamorous　revolt。

The　two　main　processes　of　change　in　words　are　Distinction　and　Assimilation。　　Endless　fresh　distinction；　to　match　the　infinite　complexity　of　things；　is　the　concern　of　the　writer；　who　spends　all　his　skill　on　the　endeavour　to　cloth　the　delicacies　of　perception　and　thought　with　a　neatly　fitting　garment。　　So　words　grow　and　bifurcate；　diverge　and　dwindle；　until　one　root　has　many　branches。　Grammarians　tell　how　〃royal〃　and　〃regal〃　grew　up　by　the　side　of　〃kingly；〃　how　〃hospital；〃　〃hospice；〃　〃hostel〃　and　〃hotel〃　have　come　by　their　several　offices。　　The　inventor　of　the　word　〃sensuous〃　gave　to　the　English　people　an　opportunity　of　reconsidering　those　headstrong　moral　preoccupations　which　had　already　ruined　the　meaning　of　〃sensual〃　for　the　gentler　uses　of　a　poet。　　Not　only　the　Puritan　spirit；　but　every　special　bias　or　interest　of　man　seizes　on　words　to　appropriate　them　to　itself。　　Practical　men　of　business　transfer　such　words　as　〃debenture〃　or　〃commodity〃　from　debt　or　comfort　in　general　to　the　palpable　concrete　symbols　of　debt　or　comfort；　and　in　like　manlier　doctors；　soldiers；　lawyers；　shipmen；　…　all　whose　interest　and　knowledge　are　centred　on　some　particular　craft　or　profession；　drag　words　from　the　general　store　and　adapt　them　to　special　uses。　　Such　words　are　sometimes　reclaimed　from　their　partial　applications　by　the　authority　of　men　of　letters；　and　pass　back　into　their　wider　meanings　enhanced　by　a　new　element　of　graphic　association。　　Language　never　suffers　by　answering　to　an　intelligent　demand；　it　is　indebted　not　only　to　great　authors；　but　to　all　whom　any　special　skill　or　taste　has　qualified　to　handle　it。　The　good　writer　may　be　one　who　disclaims　all　literary　pretension；　but　there　he　is；　at　work　among　words；　…　binding　the　vagabond　or　liberating　the　prisoner；　exalting　the　humble　or　abashing　the　presumptuous；　incessantly　alert　to　amend　their　implications；　break　their　lazy　habits；　and　help　them　to　refinement　or　scope　or　decision。　　He　educates　words；　for　he　knows　that　they　are　alive。

Compare　now　the　case　of　the　ruder　multitude。　　In　the　regard　of　literature；　as　a　great　critic　long　ago　remarked；　〃all　are　the　multitude；　only　they　differ　in　clothes；　not　in　judgment　or　understanding；〃　and　the　poorest　talkers　do　not　inhabit　the　slums。　Wherever　thought　and　taste　have　fallen　to　be　menials；　there　the　vulgar　dwell。　　How　should　they　gain　mastery　over　language？　　They　are　introduced　to　a　vocabulary　of　some　hundred　thousand　words；　which　quiver　through　a　million　of　meanings；　the　wealth　is　theirs　for　the　taking；　and　they　are　encouraged　to　be　spendthrift　by　the　very　excess　of　what　they　inherit。　　The　resources　of　the　tongue　they　speak　are　subtler　and　more　various　than　ever　their　ideas　can　put　to　use。　　So　begins　the　process　of　assimilation；　the　edge　put　upon　words　by　the　craftsman　is　blunted　by　the　rough　treatment　of　the　confident　booby；　who　is　well　pleased　when　out　of　many　highly…　tempered　swords　he　has　manufactured　a　single　clumsy　coulter。　　A　dozen　expressions　to　serve　one　slovenly　meaning　inflate　him　with　the　sense　of　luxury　and　pomp。　　〃Vast；〃　〃huge；〃　〃immense；〃　〃gigantic；〃　〃enormous；〃　〃tremendous；〃　〃portentous；〃　and　such…like　groups　of　words；　lose　all　their　variety　of　sense　in　a　barren　uniformity　of　low　employ。　　The　reign　of　this　democracy　annuls　differences　of　status；　and　insults　over　differences　of　ability　or　disposition。　　Thus　do　synonyms；　or　many　words　ill　applied　to　one　purpose；　begin　to　flourish；　and；　for　a　last　indignity；　dictionaries　of　synonyms。

Let　the　truth　be　said　outright：　　there　are　no　synonyms；　and　the　same　statement　can　never　be　repeated　in　a　changed　form　of　words。　Where　the　ignorance　of　one　writer　has　introduced　an　unnecessary　word　into　the　language；　to　fill　a　place　already　occupied；　the　quicker　apprehension　of　others　will　fasten　upon　it；　drag　it　apart　from　its　fellows；　and　find　new　work　for　it　to　do。　　Where　a　dull　eye　sees　nothing　but　sameness；　the　trained　faculty　of　observation　will　discern　a　hundred　differences　worthy　of　scrupulous　expression。　　The　old　foresters　had　different　names　for　a　buck　during　each　successive　year　of　its　life；　distinguishing　the　fawn　from　the　pricket；　the　pricket　from　the　sore；　and　so　forth；　as　its　age　increased。　　Thus　it　is　also　in　that　illimitable　but　not　trackless　forest　of　moral　distinctions。　　Language　halts　far　behind　the　truth　of　things；　and　only　a　drowsy　perception　can　fail　to　devise　a　use　for　some　new　implement　of　description。　　Every　strange　word　that　makes　its　way　into　a　language　spins　for　itself　a　web　of　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　p