be fhewn in the Deduction of one Language from another.

Such Defects are not Errours in Orthography, but Spots of Barbarity impressed so deep in the English Language, that Criticism can never wash them away; thefe, therefore, must be permitted to remain untouched: but many Words have likewise been altered by Accident, or depraved by Ignorance, as the Pronunciation of the Vulgar has been weakly followed; and fome still continue to be variously written, as Authours differ in their Care or Skill: Of thefe it was proper to enquire the true Orthography, which I have alway confidered as depending on their Derivation, and have therefore referred them to their original Languages: Thus I write enchant, Enchantment, Enchanter, after the French, and Incantation after the Latin; thus entire is chofen rather than intire, because it paffed to us not from the Latin integer, but from the French entier.

Of many Words it is difficult to fay whether they were immediately received from the Latin or the French; fince at the Time when we had Dominions in France, we had Latin Service in our Churches. It is, however, my Opinion, that the French generally fupplied us for we have few Latin Words, among the Terms of domestick Use, which are not French ; but many French, which are very remote from Latin.

Even in Words of which the Derivation is apparent, I have been often obliged to facrifice Uniformity to Custom: Thus I write, in Compliance with a numberless Majority, convey and inveigh, Deceit and Receipt, Fancy and Phantom; fometimes'the Derivative varies from the Primitive, as explain and Explanation, repeat and Repetition.

Some Combinations of Letters having the fame Power, are used indifferently without any difcover able Reason of Choice; as in choak, choke; Soap, Sope;

Fewel,

Fewel, Fuel; and many others; which I have fometimes inferted twice, that those who search 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 I 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 suppose 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 Praise 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 anxiously on verbal Singularities, not to disturb, 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,

6

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 Steadiness 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 fuccessfully 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 to decay, and that 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 circumspect, circumvent, Cir

cumstance

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 sometimes needlefs; for who does not see that Remoteness comes from remote, lovely from Love, Concavity from concave, and demonfirative 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 muft be preferved in fyftematical 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. Moft 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 Illustration 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 in-` debted to Junius and Skinner, the only Names which

I have'

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 spare 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 Understanding. Junius was accurately skilled in all the northern Languages. Skinner probably examined the ancient and remoter Dialects only by cccafional Infpection into Dictiona ries; but the Learning of Junius is often of no other Use 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 restrain their Indignation, when they find the Name of Junius thus degraded by a disadvantageous Comparison ; but whatever Reverence is due to his Diligence, or his Attainments, it can be no criminal Degree of Cenforiousness to charge that Etymologist with Want of Judgment, who can feriously derive Dream from Drama, becaufe 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 μòr, monos, who confiders that Grief naturally loves to be alone *.

Our

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

BANISH, religare, ex banno vel territorio exigere, in exilium agere. G. bannir. It. bandire, bandeggiare. H. bandir. B. bannen. Evi medii fcriptores bannire dicebant. V. Spelm. in Bannum & in BanJeuga. Quoniam verò regionum urbiumą; limites arduis plerumq;