contributed to the still sarther Establishment of a number of Words, which we had much rather have seen proscribed, or banish'd the Land.
UPON the whole, nothing could be more desirable than an Index expurgatorius, to clear the Language of our superfluous Words, and Equivocals; all the modern French and Italian Terms in the several Arts, where we have Latin and Greek ones; and even all the Latin and Greek ones, where we have English or Saxon ones, equal in Sound and Significancy. I think the learned Languages ought to have the preference to the modern, be- cause every Person may be supposed to have read, but not to have travelled; and our Country Words I would prefer to any others, because there is the most analogy between 'em, and they usually retain more of the Origin and Etymology than those transplanted from other Languages.—Such a Reform would reduce our Dictionarics to more reaſonable Dimensions; and disincumber the Arts from half the difficulty now to be surmounted in attaining 'em.
BUT, there is another Spring of Words no lefs prolifick than that hitherto spoke of, and which has pro- duced a Swarm of spurious, mifhapen Words, which no Nation but our own would ever have own'd: I mean the Itch of coining or making English Words, by a fort of analogy, from the Latin and Greek ones. This Fault the Tribe of Lexicographers have carried to a ſtrange excels. How muft a Man ftare, to ſee what de- teftable Stuff fome late Writers of that Clafs have complimented us with: Words of their own manufacture, fcarce fit to do any thing with, except cure Agues! Witnefs fuch as Scopulofity, Siliculous, Scatebrofity, Sic- cific, Pugnacity, Segnity, Sputative, Mulierofity, Mugient, Gracility, Faftuoufnefs, Exuccous; and many thouſand more, One would almoft at the Reader's fervice, to be met withal in a Dictionary which few People are without. wifh the Mold deftroyed that fuch Grotefques were caft in, for fear of new Impreffions. We are already over- run with this Author's Scarecrows: but what fhall we be when, having thus anglicis'd all the Greek and Latin Words, he proceeds to do the fame with the Dutch, Irijh, Welsh, &c. Indeed, I am the lefs angry with him, for that he has carried the Abuſe fo far, as mult not only fave People from being feduc'd, but bring the Prac- tice into Contempt. Such Monſters can't poffibly live long: if they have efcap'd the Midwife, who ought to have ftrangled 'em ere they came to light, yet if ever they ftir abroad they muſt infallibly be knock'd o' the head.
HOW oddly will our Practice in this refpect look, when confronted with that of our Neighbours? One of the most learned Men and greateft Critics of the laft Age, M. Menage, incurr'd an infinite deal of Cenfure, for only endeavouring to introduce the fingle word Profateur: and could not fucceed in it, notwithstanding that a Word of that import was confeffedly wanting in the French; and both the Sound and Analogy of the new Word were unexceptionable. TO return. The different ftate of different Arts is very remarkable. Some of 'em are refined to a degree of fubtilty that deftroys 'em; as Metaphyfics, and Logics: others have had no refinement or polifhing at all, but lie wafte and over-run for want of it; as Agriculture, Heraldry, &c. The groffnefs of fome is their fault: it being fuch as difgufts, and forbids a delicate Mind from purfuing them in others, their fubtilty and nicety What meagre fare, for inftance, are the is their bane, as leaving nothing for a hearty Appetite to feed on. School Rules, and Doctrines of Mediums, Extremes? &c. They do indeed furnish us with Relations, and true Relations too; but thefe fo remote from all Purpoſes of Life, that they are in great meature infignificant.
'TIS certain all our Knowledge and Arts ultimately refer to the great End of Prefervation. The Faculties of the Mind, like thofe of the Body, were not given us for the mere Exercife, or Gratification of 'em ; but in fubferviency to farther purpoſes. Our Knowledge is all of the Nature of Revelation; and the divine Being reveals nothing to us for the mere vague fake of our knowing it, but that it may minifter to his Ends, the being and well-being of his Creatures. Our Perceptions and Notices are all Inftruments in his hands, which he has appointed to do his work, and bring about the wonderful and adorable Ends of the Creation. They are fecond Caufes, or at leaft Occafions of what we do; and no doubt are under the Direction of him for whom we do; whofe Glory is ferved thereby. Tho they extend to abundance of things, yet they all centre and terminate at laft in our Prefervation; and accordingly, as they are farther from, or nearer to this Point, they are found fainter or ftronger: very near they are palpable and cogent; as they recede, they continually abate of their clearness, and evidence; and when arrived at a certain diftance, dwindle to nothing, and are loft. At a great height from this Centre, the Nexus or Chain whereby things are held together, and in virtue whereof we proceed from things known to things unknown, becomes infenfible; fo that we lofe our hold, and wander on we don't know where. Our Faculties here faulter; the Objects they meet with are inadequate to 'em ; the Air grows too thin for Refpiration. But, where we leave off, there poffibly fome fuperior Order of Beings may take it up.We have, indeed, a kind of Comets in the Affair of Learning, which feem to be got far out of the Orb ; fo that one would wonder how they came there, or what fuftains 'em ; as alfo what they do there. Such are, mere Antiquaries, Etymologifts, Microfcopifts, Alchymifts, Phyfiognomifts, and other Searchers of Futu- rity: But thefe, for all their feeming diſtance and irregularity, do all refpect the fame central Point, and move by the fame Law with others; and even anfwer very good Purpoſes to the whole.
IN effect, the feveral Arts have been cultivated to more or less purpoſe, as our Prefervation is more or leſs immediately interefted in 'em; and by this Key one might almoft venture to judge which Arts are capable of b-ing carried ftill farther, and which not.—Our Knowledge of very great and of very little things, is very imper- fect, . g. of very great and little Objects, Diſtances, Sounds, &c. And the reafon, no doubt, is, that there is but little Relation between us and them; fo that we are but little intereſted in the Knowledge of them. Thoſe things we have neceffarily and immediately to do withal, are made to our reach for the reft, no matter, to the Creator's chief Purpofe, what they are.
AND yet our Leifure and Curiofity have found means of making even thefe more cognizable than other- wife they are we can, in fome meaſure, alter the eſtabliſhed Relation between our Faculties and their Objects; and make use of one Law of Nature, to undo or fuperfede— another.Thus we can magnify a little Sound or little Body, or a little Diſtance, &c. or we can diminish large ones; and thus make things in ſome meaſure adequate Objects, that naturally are not fo.
BUT there is no great advantage in this: We only, by thefe means, come at a better apprehenfion of things which Nature feem'd to put out of our way for no other reafon but becauſe they did not concern us ; left we should be engaged to miſtake, and run after things that had no relation to us, to the neglect of thofe which have.—Thus, Anatomy is really found of much less ufe than at firft fight one would imagine; as being employ'd in taking things afunder and confidering their Parts, which Nature chiefly intended to be confidered and dealt with together. There is I know not what fecret Law, whereby the Effect of a thing is, as it were, attach'd to its integral State; fo that in proportion as you either diminish it, by taking from it, or enlarge it by adding to it, its Effect is alter'd, in a manner beyond what we can well account for from the bare Confideration of Magnitude.
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