Page:Cyclopaedia, Chambers - Volume 1.djvu/676

 ENG [ 310 ] ENG

Where the Reader will obferve the Diction almoft [Effeminate, I would have faid, but for the Catachrefis]

brought to the prcfent Standard 5 the Variations being Nations on the other Side the Alps t where you fee Polite-

principally in the Orthography. neft in its Perfection.

Spencer, who lived in the fame Age, contributed not a But the Revd. Doctor ventures further: £ Our Language,

little to the Improvement and refining of the Tongue : " he affirms," is extremely imperfect; its Improvements in

He threw afide Abundance of the outlandifh Ornaments, ( no proportion to its Corruptions ; and in many Intlances

and wrote a purer Englifu, yet with more Elegance and * it offends againll every Part of Grammar." What this

Variety, than had been known before. He was fucceeded ingenious Author means by offending againtl Grammar, " $kef

- -'i'y

guage has been tranfmitted to us under all its prefent regulated, by any pre-conceiv'd Forms or Rules of Gram- Advantages, mar, but the Grammar to be taken from the Language : The Perfections afcribed to the Effglip, and that in a "Tis the Language directs the Grammar, not vice verfa$ degree fuperior to any of the other Modern Tongues, arc, So that if there be any Difagreemcnt between them, the i°. That it is Strong and fignificant : to which our Fault mull be charged on the Grammar, which is ib far finely compounded Words, form'd on the Model of the deficient. Does he mean, that it offends againll the Gram- Greeks, do not a little contribute. mar of the Latin-, or Greek ? That may well be, without 2 . Copious: of which Mr. Greenwood gives us Inftanccs any Fault 5 for the Grammars of all Languages widely in the Word Striking: which we have above 30 different, differ.

fynonomous Expreffions for; as, to finite, bang, beat, bait, Mr. Welftead is fully of Opinion, that the EngUp

buffer, cuff, hit, thump, thwack, flap, rap, tap, kick. Language is not capable of a much greater Perfection,

fpurn, box, ycrke, pummel, punch, &g. And the Word than it has already attain'd : We have trafficked, he ob-

Anger, for which he enumerates above 40. ferves, with every Country for the enriching it : The An-

So we fay, to feeth or boil Flefh, fiew Prunes, poche cients and Moderns have both contributed to the giving it

Eggs, coddle Apples, bake Bread ; for which Expreffions Splendor and Magnificence ; the fairdl Scyons that could

to feeth, flew, poche, coddle, and bake, the Latins, with be had from the Gardens of France and Italy, have been

all the boaflcd Copia of the Tongue, have only one Word, grafted on our old Stocks, to reiine the Savagencfs of the

coquere ; and the Trench, as much as they abound with Breed ; we have laid afide moil of our har/h, antique

Terms of Cookery, not many more ; the Word Cttire, Words, and retain'd few but thofe of good Sound and

ferving indifferently for feething, boiling, baking, flew- Energy : The moll beautiful Polifh is at length given

ing and codling. ' our Tongue that it will bear, without deflroying, and al-

3 . Muiical and harmonious^ in which Refpccf, Mr. tering the very Bafis and Ground-work of it: Its Teu-

^Dennis makes no Scruple to affert it fuperior even to the tonick Ruff is worn away; and little or nothing is

French. This, which fome may think firange, he proves wanting, either of Copioufncfs, or Harmony. He goes on

hence, that we have blank Verfe which is harmonious to argue the Maturity and Perfection of the Jinglip t

by mere Force of Numbers, and Quantity; whereas the from another very extrinfic Principle; viz. By compar-

J-'rench have long ago dciifled from all Pretentions to poetical ing the Time, and Circumstances of the Improvements,

Numbers, without the Affiftance of Rhime. See Quan- made fince the firll Refiners of it; with thofe of the

tity, Numbers, €£?c. ■ Greek, Latin, French, and other Tongues, that confcffedly

It may be added on this lail Head, from Mr. Wei- have rifen to their Height.

ftead, that the Englip has many Meafures, the r fambic Every civilized Nation, that applauded Author thinks, has

and Trochee for Inftance, in common with the Greek ks Glalfical Age 5 and he fuggefis, that the English are not feiC

and Latin ; an Advantage arifing from the Variation of from it. So that what remains to be done for the Englip

the Accent. And that Rhime is peculiarly natural to Tongue, fhould not be to advance, but to fix it where

it, varying it felf to the Ear with excefTive Sweatnefs ; it is, and prevent its Declining. There is in Effect, a Point

not to mention the Ca?furas, Paufes, Tranf portions, and of Perfection, which when a Language has once arrived

numberlefs other Graces, which the Englip Verlification at, it cannot exceed, tho' it may degenerate from it ;

is capable of, beyond any other living Language. See and thus it happen'd to the two finer* Languages the

Rhime, &c. World has known.

Some object to the Englift, its confifting too much of It may fcem odd to talk, with Dr. Swift, of fixing ft

Monofyllables ; which others make a Piece of Merit, as it unffable a Thing as Language: The Greek Liturgies of

argues the greater Antiquity, if what Salmafius fays be St. Saftl, and St. Chryfoftom, Itill ufed in that Church,

true : Certimi quippe eft, linguas omnes qiiee monofyllabis the one for Solemn, the other for Common Days, have

conftant ceteris ejfe antiquiores 5 adding, that the an- been a long Time unintelligible to the People : 80 much

tient Greek abounded herein, as appears from the is the vulgar Greek degenerated from its original Purity.

mitient 'Poets, and fuch as affected Antiquity. 2)e Re Polybms teflifies, that the Articles of Truce between the

Hellenift. But we have a further Advantage from our Romans and Carthag'raians, cou'd fcarce be underikod by

Monofyllables; viz. Concifencfs, we being hereby enabled the moil learned Roman Antiquaries, 350 Years after

to exprefs more Matter in the fame Compafs of Letters, the Time of their Making. In Effect, from the Days of

than any other Modern Tongue. The only Thing we Romtilus, to thofe of Julius C&far, the Lathi was perp:-

fuffer by it, is, fomething in Point of Softnefs and Num.- tually changing; and what was wrote three h mdred Years

bers; and yet we have Verfes compofed wholly of Mo- before Tally, was as unintelligible in his Tune, as the

nofyllables, that do not want Harmony ; as that of Creech Englip and French of the fame Period are now: And

" Nor could the World have born fo fierce a Flame." See thefe two have changed as much fince William the Con-

Monosyllaele. qusror, in about 700 Years, as the Latin appears to have

Some of our later, and politer Writers, however, find., done in the like Term.

wherewithal to find Fault in our Language : It feems it Whether our Language will decline as fail as the Roraaa

does not come up to the Softnefs, the Delicacy of the did, may admit of fome Debate; there being many Cir-

more Southern Languages, France, Spain, and Italy, cumilances in the Affairs of the Nation, which contri-

lt retains fome what of the Gothic Roughnefs, of the buted to that Corruption, that may not, in all Probability*

People who framed, and introduced it; the Soil and the find Place among us. The French, for thefe 50 Years patt;

Climate it was planted in, not tending much to mellow has been polifhing as much as it will bear; and appears

and refine it. t0 be now declining, by the natural Inconflancy of that

To this Purpofe docs Dr. Swift talk, who accounts for the People, and the Affectation of fome 'late Authors, to in-

Thing hence, that the Latin Tongue was never in its Purity troduce Cant Words, which is the meft ruinous Corruption

in our Ifland ; and befide, fuch as it was, was call'd away in any Language. But without fome fuch Confidcration,

ere it could have Time to incorporate with the Language there does not feem any abfolute Neceffity, why a Lan-

of the Country, and fubdue, and foften it : as it did in guage iliou'd be perpetually changing.

the other Provinces of France and Spain, Sic. But it We find Examples to the contrary : From Homer to

is to be obferved, that, upon the whole, this, fuppofing Plutarch, are above a thoufand Years ; and Co Jong, at

it true, dees not fall as an Objection againit the Lan- kail, Dr. Swift thinks, we may allow the Purity of the

guage, but the People: Our Manners are alfo lefs Greek:' The Grecians fpread their Colonies, round all the

polifli'd, than fome of our Neighbours ; we are not yet Coafcs and Illands of AJia minor, and the Egean Sea,

arrived, and may we never hereafter arrive, at that Pitch where the Language was preferv'd entire for many Ages

of Molleffe, of Delicatefie, of Soupk-fTe, which we cenfure after they themfelves became Colonies to Rome, and were

in them; and 'tis but juft our Language correfpond with over-run by the barbarous Nations. The Chincfe have

the reil of our Character. We have fomewhat more of Books in their Language above zooo^ Years old; neither

the rough Virtues of human Nature unfubdued, unp(»- have the frequent Conquefo of the Tartars been able to

lifh'd away by Art 5 and when thefe are gone, we may alter it. And the German, Spanip, and Italian, have

talk as foftly, and as prettily, as the Diffolute, Enervate, admitted few or no Changes for fome Ages pafl.