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THE

MONTHLY MAGAZINE.

No. VI. FOR JULY, 1796.

ORIGINAL COMMUNICATIONS.

ETYMOLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS. To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine.

SIR,

MORE active occupations have, I believe, finally diverted me from a defign, which I long cherished, and to which, after Mr. Tooke's labours, I fancied myfelf equal--the defign was fuch an analyfis of our language as feems to me to conftitute the effence of grammar. Thofe who have not made the trial, will be furprifed to find how little difficulty there is in reducing our abftract words to a fenfible or objective fignification: I do not fay, to their primary fignification; for precedence may give rife to frivolous difputes here, as in other nice cafes.

You will perhaps indulge me with room to exemplify my manner of proceeding. We have a remarkable clafs of noun fubftantives, as they are called by the grammarian; though, according to the metaphysician, they are mere attributes or qualities; that is, they cannot ftand by themfelves, but are fupported by fubftances. The words I mean, are good-nefs, greatnefs, and their fellows. We have fimilar words, ending in -head. Onhed, in old English, is unity, (one-head). It will not, I prefume, be denied that head (caput) is here ufed in compofition. Now, in the other cafe, I fufpect, that it is part of the head which is ufed; the nofe, ness, nez, French. Both words have been indifferently employed to mark the points of land, that are or have been confpicuous. Will not this geographical analogy be admitted as a ftrong confirmation of my opinion? If nefs be any part of the body, what part elfe can we imagine it to be, whether we regard found or fituation? There exifts an etymological, as truly as a moral fenfe, and those who have acquired the former, will feel by how very natural a tranfition MONTHLY MAG. No. VI,

two such eminent members of the body natural, as the head and nofe, came to denote abftract qualities.--I conjecture, that thing or ding will prove to mean fome ftriking object in one of its fixed corpo real fenfes.

2. This analyfis, carried to its utmost extent, would conftitute a reformed dictionary. Every perfon apprehends the metaphorical ufe of a term the better for knowing its original meaning; and how invariably have dictionary-makers diffe vered the foul of a word from its body! Thus, fpite and Spit (the culinary imple ment) are clearly the fame word. To fpite a perfon is to run a spit into his mind. The very metaphor, I think, occurs not infrequently in the poetry afcribed to king David; and Shakspeare makes Hamlet refolve to "speak daggers.."

To confolidate HEED (care, caution) with HEAD, may appear too bold an adventure, even in etymology. The difference, however, in fpelling is of no account, the prefent orthography being modern. Í think, both words are fpelled alike by fome old writers, bede. In ufe, there obtains fufficient fimilarity, at the prefent moment. Ido not HEED (head) that. I do not MIND that. We fay, he puts a thing to HEART; and, had it been stamped by ufage, beart would have paffed juft as currently as head for one of our verbs. I DO NOT HEART that. Certain languages have it fo,or very nearly, as every fcholar knows.

3. The fubftantive verb, am (obf. eom) be (obf. bee) is, probably, fome mode of motion or appearance; and, if traced higher, may turn out fome animal, whofe mode of motion is ftriking. To walk (incedo), to emerge (evado), to ecfift (stand out), are, in Latin, perpetually fynoni mous with to be. In Greck, to be is the felffame word as to go, though split by grammarians and lexicographers,

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SIR,

UNDERSTAND your Mifcellany is open for the reception of detached thoughts on language; and I therefore fubmit a few remarks to the confideration of your readers. It has given me much pleasure to obferve, within a fhort time, a gradual change of opinion with respect to the utility of grammatical ftudies, and particularly of verbal criticifm. The wits of the last age were accustomed to treat ver bal criticism as the fruitlefs and unprofitable employment of learned dunces, or literary coxcombs: and, certainly, the abfurdities of fome of the commentators and critics of the ancient claffics laid the foundation of this general ridicule. The critics of the vulgar tongue were included in the general cenfure; and gentlemanly writers affected an eafy negligence, a genteel careleffnefs of compofition, which might diftinguish them from profeffional authors. Of late, the ftudy of language has rifen high in general eftimation. The importance of logic was never doubted, and the habit of correct thought, and of a judicious arrangement of ideas, has been ever confidered as effential to the cultivation of the intellect. But it has not yet been univerfally acknowledged that logic and grammar are but once fcience, or, at leaft,collateral difquifitions,fpringing from the fame fource, and leading to the fame end. This, however, will be maintained by all the difciples of HORNE TOOKE; and, I believe, it is not prefumptuous to fay, they are as numerous as his readers. In the "Diverfions of Purley," we are told, that Locke's Effay on Human Understanding

is but a differtation on the meaning of Terms; and to language alone, Horne Tooke attributes those operations, which Locke confiders as intellectual. Whether this be acknowledged to its utmost extent, or not, the ftrict connection between words and thoughts must be granted. Thofe philofophers, who build their theory of the human mind upon the affociation of ideas; and those moralifts, who, whilft they deny inherent moral qualities and propenfities in man, confider him as the creature of circumftances; will alike be fenfible how important the habit of correct thinking and fpeaking must be in the formation of the intellect. They will deen that science highly profitable, which fhall facilitate the adoption of a perfect theory of language, free from all anomalies and idioms, which will impart to every word a precife fignification, nor fuffer that fignification to be varied when the word is compounded with another, or when it is used in the distinct claffes of compofition, whether argumentative or poetical. If the habit of correct thought be good; and I aflume it as a principle now; then it behoves thofe who would promote the acquifition of it, to inculcate, even on common occafions, a perfect correctness of language, though it may violate the forms of common fpeech, and excite ridicule from the ignorant. I recommend, therefore, to your readers, an accurate attention to this fubject; and if each of them would communicate the obfervations he may have occafionally made on what Johnson happily terms colloquial barbarifms, licentious idioms, and irregular combinations, a valuable collection of criticifins on particular terms and phrafes in common ute, would be foon communicated to the public; and I do not fuppofe the Editor of the Monthly Magazine would deem his fheets unprofit ably filled by them. As a fpecimen (not in execution, but in defign) of this kind of criticifm, I offer the following obfervations ON COMPARATIVES:

Adverbs and adjectives of comparison are uied to exprefs the qualities of fubitantives, by a reference to known qualities in other fubftantives; they have generally referred to the relations of quantity; and have, of courfe, been expreflive either of increafe, diminution, or equality. As all comparifons are ufed only to defcribe what is loofe and uncertain, they should never be made, unless there is in the fubject an uncer

*Note. The Editor cordially affents to the wishes of this correfpondeat.

1696.]

Propofal, &c. for improving our Language.

tainty of degree only, which can be removed or leffened by comparison. To exprefs the unafcertained part of an houfe, we fay, it is more or lefs high than another, which we fee. We may establish it as a rule, that where any thing exifts in a fuperlative degree, or where the subject admits of no variation or degree at all, every comparison must be abfurd; fince comparifon is employed to remove uncertainty of degree. I have feen, in books of logic, thofe reafoners cenfured, who attempt to explain ignotum per ignotius. A little attention to the forms of logic shows this language to be abfurd and contradictory. A fact is unknown to me, but another fact is still more unknown. It follows, then, that in as much as my ignorance of one fact exceeds my ignorance of the other fact, I have an imperfect knowledge of that fact: but this is contrary to the firft pofition. There is not a more general (more universal would be objectionable) expreffion, even by our best writers, than more perfect; but, furely, perfection cannot admit of degrees, though the term is grammatically pofitive. There are many adjectives, from which, I think, comparatives ought to be excluded; and those, I think, are the words expreffive of fome determinate and precife quality. I would fay, "Erfkine is the most eloquent of English Barristers," for the degree of attainable eloquence cannot poffibly be fixed: but I would fay, "Johnfon is the leaft in accurate of writers;" for accuracy admits not of degrees, and does not, perhaps, ftrictly exit in any form. I make ufe of the phrafe "lefs unhappy" because I doubt whether the term happy, when strictly confidered, does not exclude the use of comparifons; for it means the highest state of enjoyment. But it may be faid, that the comparison of equality, would, in fuch cafes, be lefs abfurd than the adverb of increase or diminution; but, at least, it is pofitively ufelefs. Instead of faying, that the manufactures of one country are as perfect as thofe of another, we should fimply say, they are perfect; for nothing is gained by the comparison. There is another fault, which, with respect to comparatives, we daily commit, by employing a verb, which directly oppofes our real fentiments, and connecting it with a qualifying adverb; when, correctly, we should use both verb and adverb of directly contrary import. A person who is reduced to a choice of difficulties, will yet express himself as if he had objects of defire before him. A convict might, perhaps, tell you, he liked better to be tranfported, than

443..

hanged. And a found mathematician will teach you the caficft mode of folving a problem which could not in any manner be done without confiderable difficulty. These remarks will, I truft, be fufficient to induce every perfon, who is de firous of speaking correctly, to examine how often he employs comparisons where they ought not to be made; and fays, he likes that beft, which, in truth, he dif likes the least. SINBORON.

To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine.

SIR,

I FIND there is no book of more fashion

able reading at prefent, than the Life of Lorenzo de Medici, lately given to the world by Mr. Roscoe. I do not pretend to deny the merits of this publication; it may be very elegantly written, and the ingenious author may be deeply versed in Italian literature, but I muít take the liberty to say, that in one material point the hiftory is miferably defective. It wants, fir, the effential requifite of credibility. Mr. Rofcoe tells us, that this Lorenzo (who, to be fure, was as rich and as magnificent as any prince before or fince his time) in a town abounding with every incentive to pleafure and diffipation, established a fort of philofophical club, where he and his favourites, men alfo of birth and fashion, or rich bankers and merchants, amused themselves with ftudying Greek, and reading Plato. Moreover, when Lo"renzo went down to his country feat, to which the most learned men in Italy reforted, Mr. Rofcoe pretends (I give his own words) "that it was the cuítom for one of the party, after dinner, to felect certain paffages from the works of Plato, which were fubmitted to the elucidation of the company; each of the guests undertaking the illuftration or difcuffion of fome important or doubtful point. Though Lorenzo was confeffedly at the head of the State, we are not informed that his own birth-day was kept with any peculiar feftivities; or that fo much as his tradefimen lighted a candle on the occafion; but the birth day of the faid old Greek philofopher was celebrated every year in the most folemn manner; a perfon of rank, as well as learning, prefiding at the ceremony. The most ready way to the favour of Lorenzo, feems to have been either to bring him some old: Greek MSS, or an antique gem or vafe not as prefents, for he bought them, and. was heard to fay, as the account goes, that he could not lay out his immenfe

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