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 This uncertainty is mot frequent in the vowels, which are o capriciouly pronounced, and o differently modified, by accident or affectation not only in every province, but in every mouth, that to them, as is well known to etymologits, little regard is to be hewn in the deduction of one language from another.

Such defects are not errours in orthography, but pots of babarity impreed o deep in the Englih language, that criticim can never wah them away; thee, therefore, mut be permitted to remain untouched: but many words have likewie been altered by accident, or depraved by ignorance, as the pronunciation of the vulgar has been weakly followed; and ome till continue to be variouly written, as authours differ in their care or kill: of thee it was proper to enquire the true orthography, which I have always conidered 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 choen rather than intire, becaue it paed to us not from the Latin integer, but from the French entier.

Of many words it is difficult to whether they were immediately received from the the French, ince at the time when we had dominions in France, we had Latin ervice in our churches. It is, however, my opinion, that the French generally upplied us; for we have a few Latin words, among the terms of dometick ue, 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 acrifice uniformity to cutom; thus I write, in compliance with a numberles majority, convey, and inveigh, deceit and receipt, fancy and phantom; ometimes the derivative varies from the primitive, as explain and explanation, repeat and repetition.

Some combinations of letters having the ame power are ued indifferently without any dicoverable reaon of choice, as in choak, choke; oap, ope; fewel, fuel, and many others; which I have ometimes inerted twice, that thoe who earch for them under either form, may not earch in vain.

In examining the orthography of any doubtful word, the mode of pelling by which it is inerted in the eries of the dictionary, is to be conidered as that to which I give, perhaps not often rahly, the preference. I have left, in the examples, to every authour his own practice unmoleted, that the reader may balance uffrages, and judge between us: but this quetion is not always to be determined by reputed or by real learning; ome men, intent upon greater things, have thought little on founds and derivations; ome, knowing in the ancient tongues, have neglected thoe in which our words are commonly to be ought. Thus Hammond writes feciblenes for feaiblenes, becaue I uppoe he imagined it derived immediately from the Latin; and ome words, uch as dependant, dependent; dependence, dependence, vary their final yllable, as one or other language is preent to the writer.

In this part of the work, where caprice has long wantoned without controul, and vanity fought praie by petty reformation, I have endeavoured to proceed with a cholar's reverence for antiquity, and a grammarian's regard to the genius of our tongue. I have attempted few alterations, and among thoe few, perhaps the greater part is from the modern to the ancient practice; and I hope I may be allowed to recommend to thoe, whoe thoughts have been, perhaps, employed too anxiouly on verbal ingularities, not to diturb, upon narrow views, or for minute propriety, the orthography of their fathers. It has been aerted, that for the law to be known, is of more importance than to be right. Change, ays Hooker, is not made without inconvenience, even from wore to better. There is in contancy and lability a general and lating advantage, which will always overbalance the low improvements of gradual correction. Much les 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 itelf, and imitate thoe changes, which will again be changed, while imitation is employed in oberving them.

This recommendation of teadines and uniformity does not proceed from an opinion, that particular combinations of letters have much influence on human happines; or that truth may not be uccefully taught by modes of pelling fanciful and erroneous: I am not yet o lot in lexicography, as to forget that words are the daughters of earth, and that things are the ons of heaven. Language is only the intrument of cience, and words are but the igns of ideas: I wih, however, that the intrument might be les apt to decay, and that igns might be permanent, like the things which they denote.

In ettling the orthography, I have not wholly neglected the pronunciation, which I have directed, by printing an accent upon the acute or elevated yllable. It will ometimes be found, that the accent is placed by the authour quoted, on a different yllable from that marked in the alphabetical eries; it is then to be undertood, that cutom has varied, or that the authour has, in my opinion, pronounced wrong. Short directions are ometimes given where the ound of letters is irregular; and if they are ometimes omitted, defeat in uch minute observations will be more eaily excued, than uperfluity.

In the invetigation both of the orthography and ignification of words, their Etymology was necearily to be conidered, and they were therefore to be divided into primitives and derivatives. A primitive word, is that which can be traced no further to any Englih root; thus circumpect,