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cannibal commencing with this modeft obfervation, that"I had found a mare's neft *.

99

I shall examine them in this place, because one fourth part of these criticisms (20 pages out of 79) is employed in objections to the derivation of UNLESS, ELSE, and LEST: which have all three one meaning (viz. of Separation) and are all, as I contend, portions of the fame verb Leran. i. e. of On-leran, A-leran, Leran.

My Norwich critics (for I fhall couple them) blame me,

1. For the obscurity of my Title-page. Page 2. †

2. For

* This malignant and falfe obfervation was heard with an appearance of fatisfaction which prudence dictated to the hearer; and communicated with that disgust which a liberal royalift always feels at Renegado illiberality.— "No, (faid my antipolitical communicating friend) "I will never defcend " with him beneath even a Japanese: and I remember what Voltaire re"marks of that country;-Le Japon était partagé en plufieurs fectes, quoique fous un roi Pontife. Mais toutes les fectes fe reuniffaient dans "les mêmes principes de Morales. Ceux qui croiaient la metempsycofe, "et ceux qui n'y croiairent pas, s' abftenaient, et s' abftiennent encore aujourdhui, de manger la chair des animaux qui rendent service à l' bomme.”

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↑ Vix plane a me impetrare poffum, quin exemplum fequar Petri Fransifci Giambullarii qui librum fuum de linguæ Florentinæ origine fcriptum, a Jobannis Baptifte Gellii, viri fibi amicitia et ftudiis conjunctiffimè,

cognomine,

2. For the matter of my Introduction. Page 3.

3. For the place of my Advertisement. Page 21.

4. For a very strong propenfion towards inaccuracy. Page 2.

5. For having "introduced one of the champions for "intolerance," by quoting a Roman catholic bishop. P. 4,

6. For the imperfection of my Anglo-faxon alphabet. Page 22.

7. And finally, For my politics. Page 32.

cognomine, quem in fcribendo focium et confiliarium habuit, Il Gello nuncupari voluit. Perinde quidem et mihi THWAITESII nomine librum noftrum infcribendo, fi per modeftiam ejus liceret, nobis faciendum effet.

G. Hickes.

* Mr. Secretary and his fecretary will not be furprised that their difapprobation does not move me; when they confider that, as far as corrupt and unbridled power has been able to enforce the decree, I have, on account of these politics, been, for the laft thirty years, robbed of the fair use of life, interdictus aqua et igni: and, by what I can prognofticate, I fuppose I am still to lay down my life for them. I might have quitted them, as Mr. Secretary has done, and have received the reward of my treachery. But my politics will never be changed, nor be kept back on any occafion: and whilft I have my life, it will neither be embittered by any regret for the paft, nor fear for the future.

All

All these I willingly abandon to their mercy and discretion; although they have not fhewn any fymptoms of either.

But I should be forry if any of my readers were hastily misled by them to believe,

Ift. That "Grammar was one of the First arts which "probably engaged the attention of the curious." Pag. 4.

For the contrary is not a matter of conjecture, but of historical fact: and whoever pleases may know at what precife period Grammar, as an art, had its commencement in every nation of Europe.

Or 2dly. That "The defire which arifes in the mind, "next to that of communicating thought, is certainly to "ufe fuch signs as will convey the meaning clearly and "precisely." Pag. 19.

For a defire of communicating thought, and a defire of conveying our meaning clearly and precifely (though expreffed by different words) are not two defires, but one defire: for as far as our meaning is not conveyed clearly and precisely, it is not conveyed at all; so far there is no communication of thought.

Or

Or 3dly. That "This defire of conveying our mean❝ing clearly and precifely naturally leads to the use of "abbreviations: and that abbreviations feem to bear a "much stronger affinity to the defire of perspicuity than to that of dispatch." Pag. 20.

For, to fatisfy himself that the defire of clearness and perfpicuity does not lead to the use of abbreviations, (which are substitutes) any perfon needs only to confult the legal instruments of any civilized nation in the world: for, in these instruments, perfpicuity or clearness is the only object. Now these legal instruments have always been, and always must be, remarkably more tedious and prolix than any other writings, in which the fame clearness and precifion are not equally important. For abbreviations open a door for doubt; and, by the ufe of them, what we gain in time we lose in precision and certainty. In common discourse we fave time by using the fhort fubftitutes HE and SHE and THEY and IT; and (with a little care on one fide and attention on the other) they answer our purpose very well; or, if a mistake happens, it is easily set right. But this fubftitution will not be rifqued in a legal inftrument; and the drawer thinks himself compelled, for the fake of certainty to fay-HE (the faid John A.) to HIM (the faid Thomas B.) for THEM (the faid William C. and

Anne

Anne D.) as often as those perfons are mentioned *. And for the fame reafon he is compelled to employ many other prolixities of the fame kind.

Or 4thly. That "A defire of variety gave birth to "Pronouns in language, which otherwife would not have "appeared in it." Pag. 20.

For Pronouns prevent variety.

Or 5thly. That " Articles and Pronouns are neither "Nouns nor Verbs." Page 26.

For I hope hereafter to fatisfy the reader that they are nothing else, and can be nothing else.

Or 6thly. That Johnson considered Skinner as fo ignorant that his authority ought not to be regarded. Pag. 39 t.

Abbreviations and fubftitutes undoubtedly cannot fafely be trusted in legal inftruments. But it is an unneceffary prolixity and great abfurdity which at prefent prevails, to retain the fubftitute in these writings at the fame time with the principal, for which alone the fubftitute is ever inferted and for which it is merely a proxy. HE, SHE, THEY, IT, WHO, WHICH, &c. fhould have no place in these inftruments, but be altogether banished from them. And I know a Solicitor of eminence who, at my fuggestion, near twenty years ago, did banish them.

t

Skinner, indeed, tranflates Onleran, or rather Aleran, to Difmifs. "But Skinner is often ignorant, fays Dr. Johnfon."

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