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Thus cariophyllus, flos; gerofilo, Ital. giriflée, gilofer, Fr. grifieer, which the vulgar call ju flower, as if derived from the month July; petroselinum, parsley; portulaca, purslain; cydonium, quince; cydomatum, quiddeny; persicum, peach; eruca, eruke, which they corrupt to ear-wig, as if it took its name from the ear; annulus ge minus, a gimma', or gimbal-ring; and thus the word gimbal and jumbal is transferred to other things thus interwoven; quelques choses, kick shaws. Since the origin of these, and many others, however forced, is evident, it ought to appear no wonder to any one if the ancients have thus disfigured many, especially as they so much affected monosyllables; and, to make them sound the softer, took this liberty of maiming, taking away, changing, transposing, and softening them.

But while we derive these from the Latin, I do not mean to say, that many of them did not immediately come to us from the Saxon, Danish, Dutch, and Teutonick languages and other dialects, and some taken more lately from the French or Italians, or Spaniards.

The same word, according to its different significations, often has a different origin; as to bear a burden, from fere; but to bear, whence birth, born, bairn, comes from pario; and a bear, at least if it be of Latin original, from fere. Thus perch, a fish, from perca, but perch, a measure, from pertica, and likewise to perch. To shell is from syllaba; but spell, an enchantment, by which it is believed that the boundaries are so fixed in lands, that none can pass them against the master's will, from expello; and spell, a messenger, from epistola; whence gospel, good-spel, or god-pel. Thus freese, or freeze, from frigesce; but frieze, an architectonic word, from ophorus; but freese, for cloth, from Frisia; or per haps from frigesce, as being more fit than any other for keeping out the cold.

plicated exilition. Hence we call swing whatever has an elastick force; as also a fountain of water, and thence the origin of any thing; and to spring, to germinate; and spring, one of the four seasons. From the same spr and out, is formed sprout, and with the termination ig, sprig; of which the following, for the most part, is the difference: sprout, of a grosser sound, imports a fatter or grosser bud; rig, of a slenderer sound denotes a smaller shoot. In like manner, from of the verb strive, and cut, come strout and strut. From the same str, and the termination uggle, is made struggle; and this g/ imports, but without any great noise, by reason of the obscure sound of the vowel. In like manner, from throw and roll is made troll; and almost in the same sense is trundle, from threw or thrust and rundle. Thus graff or grough is compounded of grave and rough; and trudge from tread or troc and drudge.

In these observations it is easy to discover great sagacity and great extravagance, an ability to do much defeated by the desire of doing more than enough. It may be remarked,

1. That Wallis's derivations are often so made, that by the same licence any language may be deduced from any other.

2. That he makes no distinction between

words immediately derived by us from the Latin, and those which, being copied from other languages, can therefore afford no example of the genius of the English language, or its laws of derivation.

3. That he derives from the Latin, often with great harshness and violence, words apparently Teutonick; and therefore, accord ing to his own declaration, probably older than the tongue to which he refers them. 4. That some of his derivations are ap

SYNTAX.

The established practice of grammarians requires that I should here treat of the Syntax; but our language has so little inflection, or variety of terminations, that its construction neither requires nor admits many rules. Wallis therefore has totally neglected it; and Jonson, whose desire of following the writers upon the learned languages made him think a syntax in observations as were better omitted. dispensably necessary, has published such petty

There are many words among us, even monosyllables, compounded of two or more words, at least serving instead of compounds, and comparently erroneous. prising the signification of more words than one; as from script and roll comes scroll; from froud and dance, prance; from st of the verb stay, or stand, and cut, is made stour; from tour and hardy, sturdy; from sp of spit or shew, and out, comes out; from the same s, with the termination in, is spin;, and adding out, spin out; and from the same s, with it, is shit, which only differs from shout in that it is smaller, and with less noise and force; but sputter is, because of the obscure, something between spit and shout; and by reason of adding, it intimates a frequent iteration and noise, but obscurely confused: whereas spatter,on account of the sharper and clearer vowel a, intimates a more distinct noise, in which it chiefly differs from sputter. From the same sp and the termination ark, comes park, signifying a single emission of fire with a noise; namely, sp the emission, dr the more acute noise, and the mute consonant intimates its being suddenly terminated; but by adding, is made the frequentative sparkle. The same s by adding, that is s, implies a more lively impetus of diffusing or expanding itself; to which adding the termination ing it becomes spring; its vigour imports; its sharpness the termination ing; and lastly in acute and tremuJons, ending in the mute consonante, denotes the sudden ending of any motion, that it is meant in its primary signification, of a single, not a com

The verb, as in other languages, agrees with the nominative in number and person as Thou fliest from good; be runs to death.

Our adjectives and pronouns are invariable.

Of two substantives the noun possessive is the genitive; as, His father's glory; The sun's beat.

Verbs transitive require an oblique case; as He loves me; You fear bim.

All prepositions require an oblique case; as. He gave this to me; He took this from me; Ile says this of me; He came with me.

PROSODY.

It is c common for those that deliver the grammar of modern languages, to omit their Propody. So that of the Italians is neglected by Bomatte; that of the French by Desmarais; and that of the English by Wallis, Cooper, and even by Jensen, though a poet. But as the laws of metre are included in the idea of a grammar, I have thought it proper to insert them.

Presady comprises ortboepy, or the rules of pronunciation; and orthometry, or the laws of versification.

PRONUNCIATION is just, when every letter has its proper sound, and when every syllable has its proper accent, or, which in English versification is the same, its proper quantity.

The sounds of the letters have been already explained; and rules for the accent or quantity are not easily to be given, being subject to innumerable exceptions. Such however as I have read or formed, I shall here propose

1. Of dissyllables formed by affixing a termination, the former syllable is commonly accented; as, childish, kingdom, áctest, ácted, toilsome, lover, scoffer, fairer, foremost, zéalous, fulness, godly, méekly, artist.

2. Dissyllables formed by prefixing a syllable to the radical word, have commonly the accent on the latter; as to beget, to beséem, to bestów.

3. Of dissyllables which are at once nouns and verbs, the verb has commonly the accent on the latter, and the noun on the former syllable; as, to descánt, a déscant ; 10 cemént, a cement; to contract, a contract.

This rule has many exceptions. Though verbs seldom have their accent on the former, yet nouns often have it on the latter syllable; as, delight, perfume.

4. All dissyllables ending in y, as cránny; in our, as lábour, favour; in ow, as willow, wallow, except allow; in le, as báitle, bible; in isb, as bánish; in ck, as cambrick, cássock; in ter, as to batter; in age, as courage; in en, as fásten; in el,, as quiet; accent the former syllable.

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5. Dissyllable nouns in er, as canker, bút. ter, have the accent on the former syllable. 6. Dissyllable verbs terminating in a consonant and e final, as comprise, escape; or having a diphthong in the last syllable, as appease, reveal; or ending in two consonants, as attend; have the accent on the latter syllable.

7. Dissyllable nouns having a diphthong in the latter syllable, have commonly their accent on the latter syllable, as applause; except words in ain, as cértain, mountain.

8. Trissyllables formed by adding a termination, or prefixing a syllable, retain their accent on the radical word, as loveliness, ténderness, contemner, waggoner, physical, bespatter, commenting, commending, assurance.

9. Trissyllables ending in ous, as grácion,

árduous; in al, as cápital; in ion, as mention; accent the first.

10. Trissyllables ending in ce, ent, and ate, accent the first syllable, as countenance, cóntinence, ármament, imminent, Elegant, própagate: except they be derived from words hav ing the accent on the last, as connivance, acquaintance; or the middle syllable hath a vowel before two consonants, as promulgate.

11. Trissyllables ending in y, as entity, spécify, liberty, victory, subsidy, commonly accent the first syllable.

12. Trissyllables in re or le accent the first syllable, as legible, théatre; except disciple, and some words which have a position, as example, epistle.

13. Trissyllables in ude commonly accent the first syllable, as plénitude,

14. Trissyllables ending in ator or atour, as creátour; or having in the middle syllable a diphthong, as endeavour; or a vowel before two consonants, as doméstick; accent the middle syllable.

15. Trissyllables that have their accent on the last syllable are commonly French, as acquiesce, repartée, magazine; or words form. ed by prefixing one or two syllables to an acute syllable, as immature, overcharge.

16. Polysyllables, or words of more than three syllables, follow the accents of the words from which they are derived, as árro gating, continency, incontinently, commendable, communicableness. We should therefore say, disputable, indisputable, rather than disputable, indisputable; and advertisement, rather than advertisement.

17. Words in ion have the accent upon the antepenult, as salvátion, perturbation, concóction; words in atour or ator on the penult, as dedicátor.

18. Words ending in le commonly have the accent on the first syllable, as amicable; unless the second syllable have a vowel before two consonants, as combustible.

19. Words ending in ous have the accent on the antepenult, as uxórious, voluptuous.

20. Words ending in ty have their accent on the antepenult, as pusillanimity, activity.

These rules are not advanced as complete or infallible, but proposed as useful. Almost every rule of every language has its exceptions; and in English, as in other tongues, much must be learned by example and authority. Perhaps more and better rules may be given, that have escaped my observation.

VERSIFICATION is the arrangement of a certain number of syllables according to certain laws.

The feet of our verses are either iambick, as alóft, create; or trochaick, as bóly, lofty.

Our jambick measure comprises verses
Of four syllables,

Most good, most fair,
Or things as rare,

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To call you 's lost;
For all the cost
Words can bestow,
So poorly show
Upon your praise,
That all the ways

Sense hath, come short.

The palace of loud Fame, her seat of pow'r,
Plac'd on the summit of a lofty tow'r.
A thousand winding entries long and wide
Receive of fresh reports a flowing tide;
A thousand crannies in the walls are made;
Nor gate nor bars exclude the busy trade.
Drayton. 'T is built of brass, the better to diffuse
The spreading sounds, and multiply the

With ravish'd ears
The monarch hears.

Dryden.

Of six,

This while we are abroad,
Shall we not touch our lyre?
Shall we not sing an ode?
Shall that holy fire
In us that strongly glow'd,
In this cold air expire?
Though in the utmost Peak

A while we do remain,
Amongst the mountains bleak,
Expos'd to sleet and rain;
No sport our hours shall break,
To exercise our vein.

What though bright Phoebus' beams
Refresh the southern ground,,
And though the princely Thames
With beauteous nymphs abound,
And by old Camber's streams
Be many wonders found:

Yet many rivers clear

Here glide in silver swathes;
And what of all most dear,
Buxton's delicious baths,
Strong ale and noble chear,
T'assuage breem winter's scathes.

In places far and near,

Or famous or obscure,

Where wholsom is the air,

Or where the most impure,

All times and every where,

The muse is still in ure. Drayton.

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Where echoes in repeated echoes play:
A mart for ever full; and open night and
day..
Nor silence is within, nor voice express,
But a deaf noise of sounds that never cease;
Confus'd, and chiding, like, the hollow

roar

Of tides receding from th' insulted shore; Or like the broken thunder, heard from far,

When Jove to distance drives the rolling

war.

The courts are fill'd with a tumultuous

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Of crowds, or issuing forth, or ent'ring

in:

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A thorough-fare of news; where some de

vise

Things never heard, some mingle truth with lies:

The troubled air with empty sounds they

beat,

Intent to hear, and eager to repeat.

Dryden.

In these measures the accents are to be placed on even syllables; and every line con sidered by itself is more harmonious as this rule is more strictly observed. The varia tions necessary to pleasure belong to the art of poetry, not to the rules, of grammar.

Our trochaick measures are

Of three syllables,

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The pause in the Alexandrine must be at the with syllable.

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Beneath this tomb an infant lies,
To earth whose body lent,
Hereafter shall more glorious rise,

But not more innocent.

When the Archangel's trump shall blow,
And souls to bodies join,

What crowds shall wish their lives below
Had been as short as thine! Wesley

We have another measure, very quick and lively, and therefore much used in songs, which may be called the anapestick, in which the ac cent rests upon every third syllable.

May I govern my passions with absolute sway, And grow wiser and better as life wears away. Dr. Pope

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In that of six,

"I was when the seas were roaring With hollow blasts of wind,

A damsel lay deploring,

All on a rock reclin'd.

In the anapestick,

When terrible tempests assail us, And mountainous billows affright, Nor power nor wealth can avail us, But skilful industry steers right.

Glover

Gay

Ballad,

To these measures, and their laws, may be re

The verse of fourteen syllables is now broken duced every species of English verse,

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