Etymologiae, Book I, chapters 35-36: De metaplasmis to De schematibus
Chapter XXXV. On metaplasms Metaplasm is the Greek word; in Latin it is called transformation. It occurs in a single word by necessity of the metre and the licence of the poets; its species are these.
Prothesis is an addition at the beginning of a word, as gnato for nato and tetulit for tulit. Epenthesis is an addition in the middle, as: “May the descendants remain in relligione,” for religione; relliquias for reliquias; induperator for imperator. Paragoge is an addition at the end, as admittier for admitti, magis for mage, and potestur for potest. Aphaeresis is a cutting off from the beginning, as temno for contemno. Syncope is a cutting off from the middle, as forsan for forsitan. Apocope is a cutting off from the end, as sat for satis. Ectasis is a lengthening against nature, as: “Diana leads the dances”; “Italiam fato,” whereas Italiam ought to be said with the first syllable short. Systole is a shortening against nature, as: “and the city Fidena,” though the first syllable ought to be lengthened. As when we say Orion with a short syllable, though it ought to be said long. Diaeresis is the splitting of a syllable into two, as: “of embroidered (pictai) garment,” for pictae; “Albai longai,” for Albae longae. Episynaloephe is the gluing of two syllables into one, as _Phaethon_ for _Phaëthon_, Neri for Nerei, _aeripedem_ for _aëripedem_. Synaloephe is the collision of vowels joined to vowels, as: “And while these things were being done in a quite different quarter.” Ecthlipsis is the collision of consonants with vowels, as: “Much he, both on lands and on the deep, tossed.” Antithesis is the setting of one letter in place of another letter, as inpete for impetu, olli for illi. Metathesis is the transposition of a letter, as Thymbre for Thymber, Evandre for Evander. Between barbarism and figures, that is, Latin and perfect diction, the metaplasm is that which occurs in a single word and is faulty in speech. Likewise between solecism and scheme, that is, the perfect connection of words, the figure is that which occurs in the context of words and is faulty in speech. Metaplasms and schemes, therefore, are intermediate and are distinguished by skill and unskilfulness. They are made, however, for ornament.
Chapter XXXVI. On schemes Schemes are interpreted from Greek into Latin speech as figures, which occur in words or sentences through various forms of expressions for the ornament of eloquence
Since these are many among the grammarians, these are found. Prolepsis is anticipation, where the things that ought to follow are put first, as: “Meanwhile the kings, Latinus with great pomp.” For he ought to have said thus: “Meanwhile the kings with great pomp,” and at once added what follows: “advance from the camp”; then say “Latinus,” etc.; but for ornament an anticipation of the matter was made, and the kings who ought to have followed are interposed in seven verses, and afterwards is added: “They advance from the camp.” Hence also it is an anticipation, because the things which ought to follow have been put first. Zeugma is a close, when several senses are closed by one word, which occurs in three ways. For the word that joins the sentences is placed either at the first, or at the last, or in the middle. At the first, as: “Greece was given to Sulpicius by lot, Gaul to Cotta.” At the last, as: “For at this time flattery begets friends, truth hatred.” Hypozeuxis is a figure contrary to the above, where in single senses each has its own proper close, as: “He approaches the king and tells the king his name and race.” Syllepsis is, in dissimilar closes, either a plural expression ended by a singular verb, as: “His allies and the king having been received,” or a singular expression completed by a plural verb, as: “We have mild apples, and an abundance of pressed milk.” For above he said sunt (are). Here he ought to have said: est (is) an abundance of pressed milk. Syllepsis occurs not only through the parts of speech but also through the accidents of the parts. For wherever one is put for many and many for one, it is syllepsis. One for many, as in that line: “And they fill the womb with armed soldiery,” when it was not one soldier but many. Likewise many for one, as in the Gospel: “The thieves who were crucified with him reviled him,” where each is represented as having blasphemed, in place of one. Anadiplosis is when the following verse begins with the same word with which the preceding verse ended, as in that line: “Let owls vie with swans, let Tityrus be an Orpheus, Orpheus in the woods, Arion among the dolphins.” Anaphora is the repetition of the same word at the beginning of several verses, as: “We followed you, Dardania burned and your arms; we, under you, traversed the swelling sea with our fleets.” Epanaphora is the repetition of the same word in one verse at the beginnings of the senses, as: “You the grove of Anguitia, you Fucinus with his glassy wave, you the clear lakes wept.” Epizeuxis is the doubling of a word in one sense, as: “Thus, thus it pleases to go among the shades.” Epanalepsis is the replication at the end of a verse of the word placed at its beginning, as in that line: “The love of money grows as much as the money itself grows.” Paronomasia is an expression almost the same with a different signification, as in that line: “Is it fitting for you to abire or obire?” that is, to become an exile or to die. Schesis onomaton is a multitude of names joined, coupled in a certain circuit, as: “Clouds, snow, hail, storms, lightnings, winds.” Paromoeon is a multitude of words beginning with one letter, such as is found in Ennius: “O Titus Tatius, tyrant, you yourself have brought on yourself such great things.” But Virgil tempers this well, since he does not use this figure through the whole verse, as Ennius does, but now only at the beginning of the verse, as in that line: “Savage, sitting upon arms”; now at the end, as: “Cassandra alone sang such misfortunes to me.” Homoeoptoton is when very many nouns are uttered in one case, as in that line: “But he neither recognizes him as he runs, nor as he goes, nor as he lifts with his hand and moves a huge rock.” Homoeoteleuton is when very many words are ended in one way, as: “he went away, withdrew, escaped, burst forth.” Polyptoton is when the sentence is varied in different cases, as: “From nothing nothing, to nothing nothing can return.” and: “Marcus’s Dama.”
“Marcus promising, do you refuse?” said Marcus.
“Seal the tablets, Marcus.” Hirmos is a sentence of continued speech keeping its course to the very end, as: “There is a place in a long recess, an island makes a harbour,” and the rest. For from here the sense goes on at length as far as that line: “And a dark grove overhangs with bristling shades.” Polysyntheton is an expression chained with many conjunctions, as: “And the roof, and the hearth, and arms, and the Amyclaean dog.” Dialyton or asyntheton is the figure which, on the contrary, is uttered without conjunctions, loosely and simply, as: “We came, we saw, it pleased.” Antitheton is where contraries are set against contraries and give beauty to the sentence, as in that line: “Cold things fought with hot, moist with dry, soft with hard, weightless with having weight.” Hypallage is whenever words are understood by contraries, as: “To give the southern winds to the fleets,” when we should give the ships to the winds, not the winds to the ships.