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-Fewel, Fuel; and many others; which I have fometimes inferted twice, that thofe who fearch for them under either Form, may not fearch in vain.

In examining the Orthography of any doubtful Word, the Mode of Spelling by which it is inferted in the Series of the Dictionary, is to be confidered as that to which 1 give, perhaps not often rafhly, the Preference. I have left, in the Examples, to every Authour his own Practice unmolefted, that the Reader may balance Suffrages, and judge between us: But this Question is not always to be determined by reputed or by real Learning; fome Men, intent upon greater Things, have thought little on Sounds and Derivations; fome, knowing in the ancient Tongues, have neglected thofe in which our Words are commonly to be fought. Thus Hammond writes Fecibleness for Feafibleness, because I fuppofe he imagined it derived immediately from the Latin; and fome Words, fuch as dependant, dependent; Dependance, Dependence, vary their final Syllable, as one or other Language is prefent to the Writer.

In this Part of the Work, where Caprice has long wantoned without Controul, and Vanity fought Praife by petty Reformation, I have endeavoured to proceed with a Scholar's Reverence for Antiquity, and a Grammarian's Regard to the Genius of our Tongue. I have attempted few Alterations, and among those few, perhaps the greater Part is from the modern to the ancient Practice; and I hope I may be allowed to recommend to thofe, whofe Thoughts have been, perhaps, employed too anxioufly on verbal Singularities, not to difturb, upon narrow Views, or for minute Propriety, the Orthography of their Fathers. It has been afferted, that for the Law to be known, is of more Importance than to be right. Change,' fays Hooker, is not made without Inconvenience, even from worse to better.' There is in Conftancy and Stability a general and lasting Advantage,

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vantage, which will always overbalance the flow Improvements of gradual Correction. Much lefs ought our written Language to comply with the Corruptions of oral Utterance, or copy that which every Variation of Time or Place makes different from itfelf, and imitate thofe Changes, which will again be changed, while Imitation is employed in observing them.

This Recommendation of Steadinefs and Uniformity does not proceed from an Opinion, that particular Combinations of Letters have much Influence on human Happiness; or that Truth may not be fuccefsfully taught by Modes of Spelling fanciful and erroneous: I am not yet fo loft in Lexicography, as to forget that Words are the Daughters of Earth, and that Things are the Sons of Heaven. Language is only the Inftrument of Science, and Words are but the Signs of Ideas: I wish, however, that the Inftrument might be lefs apt todecay, and that the Signs might be permanent, like the Things which they denote.

In fettling the Orthography, I have not wholly neglected the Pronunciation, which I have directed, by putting an Accent upon the acute or elevated Syllable. It will fometimes be found, that the Accent is placed by the Authour quoted, on a different Syllable from that marked in the alphabetical Series; it is then to be understood that Custom has varied, or that the Authour has, in my Opinion, pronounced wrong. Short Directions are fometimes given where the Sound of Letters is irregular; and if they are fometimes omitted, Defect in fuch minute Obfervations will be more eafily excufed than Superfluity.

In the Investigation both of the Orthography and Signification of Words, their Etymology was neceffarily to be confidered, and they were therefore to be divided into Primitives and Derivatives. A primitive Word is that which can be traced no further to any English Root; thus circumfpect, circumvent, Cir

cumftances

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cumftance, delude, concave, and complicate, though Compounds in the Latin, are to us Primitives. Derivatives are all thofe that can be referred to any Word in English of greater Simplicity.

The Derivatives I have referred to their Primitives, with an Accuracy fometimes needlefs; for who does not fee that Remoteness comes from remote, lovely from Love, Concavity from concave, and demonftrative from demonftrate? but this grammatical Exuberance the Scheme of my Work did not allow me to reprefs. It is of great Importance in examining the general Fabrick of a Language, to trace one Word from another, by noting the ufual Modes of Derivation and Inflection; and Uniformity must be preferved in systematical Works, though fometimes at the Expence of particular Propriety.

Among other Derivatives I have been careful to infert and elucidate the anomalous Plurals of Nouns and Preterites of Verbs, which in the Teutonick Dialects are very frequent; and though familiar to those who have always used them, interrupt and embarrass the Learners of our Language.

The two Languages from which our Primitives have been derived, are the Roman and Teutonick : Under the Roman I comprehend the French and Provincial Tongues; and under the Teutonick range the Saxon, German, and all their kindred Dialects. Most of our Polyfyllables are Roman, and our Words of one Syllable are very often Teutonick.

In affigning the Roman Original, it has perhaps fometimes happened that I have mentioned only the Latin, when the Word was borrowed from the French; and confidering myself as employed only in the Illuftration of my own Language, I have not been very careful to obferve whether the Latin Word be pure. or barbarous, or the French elegant or obfolete.

For the Teutonick Etymologies I am commonly indebted to Junius and Skinner, the only Names which

I have forborne to quote when I copied their Books ; not that I might appropriate their Labours to ufurp their Honours, but that I might fpare a perpetual Repetition by one general Acknowledgment. Of thefe, whom I ought not to mention but with the Reverence due to Inftructors and Benefactors, Junius appears to have excelled in Extent of Learning, and Skinner in Rectitude of Underftanding. Junius was accurately fkilled in all the northern Languages. Skinner probably examined the ancient and remoter Dialects only by occasional Inspection into Dictionaries; but the Learning of Junius is often of no other Ufe than to fhew him a Track by which he may deviate from his Purpose, to which Skinner always preffes forward by the shortest Way. Skinner is often ignorant, but never ridiculous: Junius is always full of Knowledge; but his Variety diftracts his Judgment, and his Learning is very frequently difgraced by his Abfurdities.

The Votaries of the northern Mufes will not perhaps easily reftrain their Indignation, when they find the Name of Junius thus degraded by a disadvantageous Comparifon; but whatever Reverence is due to his Diligence, or his Attainments, it can be no criminal Degree of Cenforioufnefs to charge that Etymologist with Want of Judgment, who can fe riously derive Dream from Drama, because Life is a Drama, and a Drama is a Dream; and who declares with a Tone of Defiance, that no Man can fail to derive Moan from por, monos, who confiders that Grief naturally loves to be alone *.

*That I may not appear to have spoken too irreverently of Junius, 1 have here fubjoined a few Specimens of his etymological Extravagance.

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BANISH, religare, ex banno vel territorio exigere, in exilium agere. G. bannir. It. bandire, bandeggiare. H. bandir. B. bannen. medii fcriptores bannire dicebant. V. Spelm. in Bannum & in Ban leuga. Quoniam verò regionum urbiumq; limites arduis plerumq; montibus, altis Aluminibus, longis deniq; flexuofifq; anguftiffimarum viarum amfractibus includebantur, fieri poteft id genus limites

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Our Knowledge of the Northern Literature is fo fcanty, that of Words undoubtedly Teutonick, the Original is not always to be found in any ancient Language; and I have therefore inferted Dutch or German Substitutes, which I confider not as radical, but parallel; not as the Parents, but Sifters of the English.

The Words which are reprefented as thus related by Defcent or Cognation, do not always agree in Sense; for it is incident to Words, as to their Authours, to degenerate from their Ancestors, and to change their Manners when they change their Country. It is fufficient, in etymological Enquiries, if the Senfes of kindred Words be found, fuch as may eafily pass into each other, or fuch as may both be referred to one general Idea.

The Etymology, fo far as it is yet known, was eafily found in the Volumes where it is particularly and profeffedly delivered; and, by proper Attention to the Rules of Derivation, the Orthography was ban dici ab eo quod Bawáras & Bavvargo, Tarentinis olim, ficuti tradit Hefychius, vocabantur αἱ λοξοι καὶ μὴ ἰθυτενεῖς ὅλοι, “ obliquæ ac minimè in rectum tendentes viæ." Ac fortaffe quoque huc facit quod Baves, eodem Hefychio tefte, dicebant ögn sayyúλn montes ar

duos.

EMPTY, emtie, vacuus, inanis. A. S. Emrig. Nefcio an fint ab iμew vel iμETάw. Vome, evomo, vomitu evacuo. Videtur interim etymologiam hanc non obfcurè firmare codex Rufh. Mat. xii. 22. ubi antiquè fcriptum invenimus gemoeteo hit emesig. " vacantem."

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HILL, mons, collis. A. S. hyll. Quod videri poteft abfcium ex xov vel nonwvis. Collis, tumulus, locus in plano editior. Hom. I. b. ν. 811, ἔτι δέ τις προπάροιθε πόλεΘ αἰπεῖα, κολώνη, Ubi authori brevium fcholiorum κολώνη exp. τόπο εἰς ὕψω ἀνήκων, γεώλοφ ἐξοχή.

NAP, to take a Nap. Dormire, condormifcere. Cym. heppian. A. S hnæppan. Quod poftremum videri poteft defumptum ex xvéças, obfcuritas, tenebræ nihil enim æque folet conciliare fomnum, quàm caliginofa profundæ notis obfcuritas.

STAMMERER, Balbus, blæfus Goth. STAMMS. A. S. rzamen. rramun. D. ftam. B. ftameler. Su. ftamma. I. ftamr. Sunt a φαμιλεῖν vel σωμύλλειν, nimia loquacitate alios offendere ; quod impeditè loquentes libentiffimè garire foleant; vel quòd aliis nimis femper videantur, etiam parciffimè loquentes.

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