tear, or lacerate, and Tear, the Water of the Eye, have the fame Letters, but may be diftinguished thus, tear, dare; Tear, Peer. Some Words have two Sounds, which may be equally admitted, as being equally defenfible by Authority. Thus great is differently used. For Swift and him defpis'd the Farce of State, And none could be unhappy but the Great. Rowe. The Care of fuch minute Particulars may be cenfured as trifling; but thefe Particulars have not been thought unworthy of Attention in more polished Languages. The Accuracy of the French, in ftating the Sounds of their Letters, is well known; and, among the Italians, Crefcembeni has not thought it unneceffary to inform his Countrymen of the Words which, in Compliance with different Rhymes, are allowed to be differently fpelt, and of which the Number is now fo fixed, that no modern Poet is fuffered to encrease it. When the Orthography and Pronunciation are adjufted, the Etymology or Derivation is next to be confidered, and the Words are to be diftinguished according to their different Claffes, whether fimple, as Day, Light, or compound, as Day-light; whether primitive, as, to act, or derivative, as Action, actionable, active, Activity. This will much facilitate the Attainment, of our Language, which now ftands in our Dictionaries a confufed Heap of Words without Dependence, and without Relation. When this Part of the Work is performed, it will be neceffary to enquire how our Primitives are to be deduced from foreign Languages, which may be often very fuccefsfully performed by the Affiftance of our own Etymologifts. This Search will give Occafion D 4 cafion to many curious Difquifitions, and fometimes perhaps to Conjectures, which to Readers unac quainted with this Kind of Study, cannot but appear improbable and capricious. But it may be reafonably imagined, that what is fo much in the Power of Men as Language, will very often be capricioufly conducted. Nor are thefe Difquifitions and Conjectures to be confidered altogether as wanton Sports of Wit, or vain Shews of Learning; our Language is well known not to be primitive or felf-originated, but to have adopted Words of every Generation, and, either for the Supply of its Neceffities, or theEncrease of its Copioufnefs, to have received Additions from very diftant Regions; fo that in Search of the Progenitors of our Speech, we may wander from the Tropic to the Frozen Zone, and find fome in the Valleys of Palestine, and fome upon the Rocks of Norway. Befides the Derivation of particular Words, there is likewife an Etymology of Phrafes. Expreffions are often taken from other Languages; fome apparently, as to run a Rifque, courier un Rifque; and fome even when we do not feem to borrow their Words; thus, to bring about or accomplish, appears an English Phrafe, but in Reality our native Word about has no fuch Import, and is only a French Expreffion, of which we have an Example in the common Phrafes venir à bout d'une affaire. In exhibiting the Defcent of our Language, our Etymologifts feem to have been too lavifh of their Learning, having traversed almost every Word through various Tongues, only to fhew what was fhewn fufficiently by the firft Derivation. This Practice is of great Ufe in fynoptical Lexicons, where mutilated and doubtful Languages are explained by their Affinity to others more certain and extenfive, but is generally superfluous in English Etymologies. When the Word is eafily deduced from a Saxon Original, Original, I fhall not often enquire further, fince we know not the Parent of the Saxon Dialect; but when it is borrowed from the French, I fhall fhew whence the French is apparently derived. Where a Saxon Root cannot be found, the Defect may be fupplied from kindred Languages, which will be generally furnished with much Liberality by the Writers of our Gloffaries; Writers who deferve often the highest Praife, both of Judgment and Induftry, and may expect at least to be mentioned with Honour by me, whom they have freed from the greatest Part of a very laborious Work, and on whom they have impofed, at worst, only the eafy Task of rejecting Superfluities. By tracing in this Manner every Word to its Original, and not admitting, but with great Caution, any of which no Original can be found, we fhall fecure our Language from being over-run with Cant, from being crouded with low Terms, the Spawn of Folly or Affectation, which arise from no juft Principles of Speech, and of which therefore no legitimate Derivation can be fhewn. When the Etymology is thus adjusted, the Analogy of our Language is next to be confidered; when we have difcovered whence our Words are derived, we are to examine by what Rules they are governed, and how they are inflected through their various Terminations. The Terminations of the English are few, but thofe few have hitherto remained unregarded by the Writers of our Dictionaries. Our Subftantives are declined only by the plural Termination, our Adjectives admit no Variation but in the Degrees of Comparison, and our Verbs are conjugated by auxiliary Words, and are only changed in the Preter Tenfe. To our Language may be with great Juftness applied the Obfervation of Quintilian, that Speech was not formed by an Analgoy fent from heaven. It did not not defcend to us in a State of Uniformity and Perfection, but was produced by Neceffity, and enJarged by Accident; and is therefore compofed of diffimilar Parts; thrown together by Negligence, by Affectation, by Learning, or by Ignorance. Our Inflections therefore are by no Means conftant, but admit of numberless Irregularities, which in this Dictionary will be diligently noted. Thus Fox makes in the Plural Foxes, but Ox makes Oxen. Sheep is the fame in both Numbers. Adjectives are fometimes compared by changing the last Syllable, as proud, prouder, proudeft; and fometimes by Particles prefixed, as ambitious, more ambitious, most ambitious. The Forms of our Verbs are fubject to great Variety; fome end their Preter Tenfe in ed, as I love, I loved, I have loved; which may be called the regular Form, and is followed by most of our Verbs of fouthern Original. But many depart from this Rule, without agreeing in any other; as I Shake, I hook, I have fhaken, or book, as it is fometimes written in Poetry; I make, I made, I have made, I bring, I brought, I wring, I wrung, and many others, which, as they cannot be reduced to Rules, must be learned from the Dictionary rather than the Grammar. The Verbs are likewife to be diftinguished according to their Qualities, as Actives from Neuters; the Neglect of which has already introduced fome Barbarities in our Conversation, which if not obviated by juft Animadverfions, may in Time creep into our Writings.. i Thus, my Lord, will our Language be laid down, diftinct in its minutest Subdivifions, and refolved into its elemental Principles. And who upon this Survey can forbear to wifh, that thefe fundamental Atoms of our Speech might obtain the Firmness and Immutability of the primogenial and constituent Particles of Matter, that they might retain their Sub ftance ftance while they alter their Appearance, and be varied and compounded, yet not deftroyed. But this is a Privilege which Words are scarcely to expect: for, like their Author, when they are not gaining Strength, they are generally lofing it. Tho Art may fometimes prolong their Duration, it will rarely give them Perpetuity; and their Changes will be almoft always informing us, that Language is the Work of Man, of a Being from whom Permanence and Stability cannot be derived. Words having been hitherto confidered as feparate and unconnected, are now to be likewife examined as they are ranged in their various Relations to others by the Rules of Syntax or Construction, to which I do not know that any Regard has been yet fhewn in English Dictionaries, and in which the Grammarians can give little Affiftance. The Syntax of this Language is too inconftant to be reduced to Rules, and can be only learned by the diftinct Confideration of particular Words as they are ufed by the beft Authors. Thus, we fay, according to the prefent Modes of Speech, The Soldier died of his Wounds, and the Sailor perifhed with Hunger: and every Man acquainted with our Language would be offended by a Change of thefe Particles, which yet feem originally affigned by Chance, there being no Reafon to be drawn from Grammar why a Man may not, with equal Propriety, be faid to die with a Wound, or perish of Hunger. Our Syntax therefore is not to be taught by general Rules, but by fpecial Precedents; and in examining whether Addifon has been with Juftice ac cufed of a Solecifm in this Paffage, The poor Inhabitant Starves in the midft of Nature's Bounty curft, |