The article examines the question of figurative language in a political context. The Renaissance interest in the dual notions of civility and eloquence is discussed in relation to the connection between translation and eloquence that dates back to antiquity. The article examines the problem for the construction of nation and empire that is presented by figurative language. Figurative language is both an indispensable resource for the development of eloquence and a dangerous site of transgression. The case of English translation contact with Ireland in the sixteenth century is considered as symptomatic of the political and cultural anxieties centred around the translation of figurative language.