Page:Cyclopaedia, Chambers - Volume 1.djvu/34

 The 9 k E F A C R xxi

Plans or Profpeits of Ideas, artfully arranged, and exhibited, not to the Eye, but to the Mind ; and there is a kind of analogous Perfpecfive which obtains in 'em, wherein we have fomething not much unlike Points of Sicrht, and of Diftance. An Author, in effect, has fome particular View or Defign in drawing out his Ideas ; either, nakedly to reprefent fomething, or diftort and ridicule.it, or amplify, or extenuate, or difcover, or teach, or prove, fcff. whence arife divers kinds of Pieces, under the Names of Hiftories, Difcourfis, Trealifes, Effays, Inquiries, Examinations, Paraphrafes, Courfes, Memoirs, Surlefques, &c. In all which, tho the Matter or Subject, may be the fame, the Conduct, or artificial Part is very different ; as much as a Still-Life from a Hiftory, or a Grotefque, or a Nudity, or a Caricatour, or a Scene-work, or a Miniature, or a Profile, &V. Each of thefe Methods of Compofition has its particular Characters, and Laws ; and to form a Judgment of the Things reprefented, from the Pictures made of them, 'tis neceffary we be able to unravel, or undo what is artificial in 'em, refolve 'em into their former State, and extricate what has been added to 'em in the Representation : That is, we iliould know the manner thereof ; whether, e. g. they be mere Nature, thro' this or that Medium, in a fore, or fide-View, withinfide or without, to be feen from above or

below ; or Nature rais'd and improv'd, for the better, or the worfe. The Cafe amounts to the fame as

the viewing of Objects in a Mirror ; where, unlefs the form of the Mirror be known, viz. whether it be plain, concave, convex, cylindrick, or conick, &c. we can make no Judgment of the Magnitude, Figure, tgc. of the Objects.

'TIS beyond my Purpofe to enter into the Nature of the feveral Methods of Compofition abovemention'd< I Ihall only note, by the way, that the firft Writers in each, mark'd and chalked out the Meafures for all that came after them. The feveral Manners of compofing amount to fo many Arts; which, we have already (hewn, are things in great meafure perfonal, and depend on the Genius or Humour of the Inventors.

WERE we to inquire who firft led up the way of Ditlionaries, of late fo much frequented ; fome little Gram- marian, would, probably, be found at the head thereof: And from his particular Views, Defigns, &c. if known, one might probably deduce, not only the general Form, but even the particular Circumftances of the modern Productions under that Name. The Relation, however, extends both ways ; and if we can't deduce the Nature of a Dictionary from the Condition of the Author ; we may the Conditions of the Author from the Nature of the Dictionary. Thus much, at leaft, we may fay, that he was an Analyft ; that his View was not to improve or advance Knowledge, but to teach, or convey it ; and that he was hence led to unty the Complexions or Bundles of Ideas his Predeceflbrs had made, and reduce 'em to their natural parity ; which is all that is effential to a Dictionarift. Probably this was in the early Days of the Phcenician or Egyptian Sages, when Words were more complex and obfeure than now -, and myitic Symbols and Hieroglyphics obtain'd ; fo that an Explication of their Marks or Words, might amount to a Revelation of their whole inner Philofo- phy : In which Cafe, inftead of a Grammarian, we muft put perhaps a Magus, a Myites, or Brachman at the head of Dictionaries. Indeed this feems the more probable ; for that a grammatical Dictionary could only have place, where a Language was already become very copious, and many Synonyma's got into it ; or where the People of one Language were defirous to learn that of another : which we have no reafon to think could be very early, till much Commerce and Communication had made it neceffary.

W H E N a Path is once made, Men are naturally difpofed to follow it ; even tho it be not the moft con- venient : Numbers will enlarge, and widen, or even make it ftraighter and eafier ; but 'tis odds they don't alter its Courfe. To deviate from it, is only for the Ignorant and Irregular ; Perfons who don't well know it, or are too licentious to keep it. And hence the Alterations and Improvements made in the feveral Arts, are chiefly owing to People of thofe Characters. There is fcarce a more powerful Principle in Nature than that of Imitation, which not only leads us to do what we fee others do, but as they do it. 'Tis true there are Exceptions from every Rule : there are Heteroclites, Perfons in good meafure exempted from the Influence of this Principle ; and 'tis happy there are ; witnefs fuch as Paracelfus, Hobbes, Leibnitz, &c. In effect, If an Art were firft broached by an happy Genius, it is afterwards cultivated, on his Principles, to advantage ; other- wife not : and it may wait long for the anomalous Hand of fome Reformer, to fet it to rights. Some of our Arts have met with fuch Hands, others ftill want 'em.

WERE we, now, to give an abfolute and confident Definition of a Ditlionary ; we fhould fay, " It is a

" Collection of Definitions of the Words of a Language." Whence, according to the different kinds of Words

and Definitions above laid down, i. e. according to the different Matter, and the different View wherein fuch Matter is confidered, will arife different forts of Dictionaries : Grammatical, as the common Dictionaries of Languages, which for one Word fubftitute another of equal import, but more obvious fenfe : Philofophical, which give the general Force or Effect of the Words, or what is common to 'em in all the Occafions where they occur : and technical, which give the particular Senfe attach'd to 'em in fome one or more Arts.

BUT, in truth, this is a little chimerical ; and is to forget what has been already faid. Tho we have Ditlionaries under all thefe Tides ; it would perhaps be hard to find any conformable to this Partition ; which is not fo much taken from what really is, as what might, or mould be. Dictionarifts are far from confidering their Subject fo clofely, or confining themfelves to fo narrow, tho direct, a Channel : They muft have more room ; and think themfelves privileg'd by the general Quality of Lexicographers, to ufe all kinds of Defini- tions promifcuoufly. 'Tis no wonder they fhould not keep to Views which they had not, and which could only arife from Refearches they never made. While the Notions of Term and Art, remain'd yet in the Rubbifh they were left by the Schoolmen ; thofe of Definition and Ditlionary muft needs be vague and arbi- trary enough ; and the Dictionarifts and Expofitors, profited by an Embarrafs it was their Bufinefs to have removM. They have not only built on it, but improv'd it, by a continual varying and confounding of Views, imperfect Enumerations, &c.

'TIS not to be imagin'd, the Mifchiefs, and Inconveniences that have arofe from this fingle Head; the great Uncertainty it has introdue'd into Language; and the Obftade it has been to the Improvement thereof. 'Tis certain it has, in great meafure, defeated the Intention of Speech ; and turn'd Knowledge which that was to be the Medium of, into Jargon and Controverfy. All the Confufion of Babel is brought upon us hereby ; and People of the fame Country, nay the fame Profeffion, no longer underftand one another.— -The Effect is, that our Knowledge is grown into little other, than that of Peoples Mifunderftandings or Mifappre- henfions of one another ; which is the only kind of Knowledge that grows ; and which will for ever grow ; there being the Seeds already laid of fuch Difputes, as, according to the ordinary fpreading of fuch things, muft overfhadow, and ftarve every thing elfe. If all Men meant precifely the fame thing by the fame Name ; there would be no room for their differing, upon any Point, either in Philofbphy or any thing elfe: There is no more poffibility of feeing the Relations of Things to each other, differently ; than of altering their Na- ture, and overturning the Syftem. Relations of Ideas are as immutable as the Creator's Will.--— Error, in ef- feft, is no natural Produaion ; nor is there any direa way of coming at it : We muff go about for it ; and find fome Law of Nature, to put it in our Power. So that Error is in one fenfe Truth ere it takes place ; only 'tis not the Truth it is taken for.

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