Of grammatical purity

refuge in a country where there is not a single person with whom they can claim a connexion, either by blood or by alliance.

BUT the patrons of this practice will probably plead, that as the French is the finer language, ours must certainly be improved by the mixture. Into the truth of the hypothesis from which they argue, I shall not now inquire. It sufficeth for my present purpose, to observe, that the consequence is not logical, though the plea were just. A liquor produced by the mixture of two liquors of different qualities, will often prove worse than either. The Greek is, doubtless, a language much superior, in richness, harmony, and variety, to the Latin; yet, by an affectation in the Romans of Greek words and idioms, (like the passion of the English for whatever is imported from France) as much, perhaps, as by any thing, the Latin was not only vitiated, but lost almost entirely, in a few centuries, that beauty and majesty which we discover in the writings of the Augustan age. On the contrary, nothing contributed more to the preservation of the Greek tongue in its native purity for such an amazing number of centuries, unexampled in the history of any other language, than the contempt they had of this practice. It was in consequence of this contempt, that they were the first who branded a foreign term in any of their writers with the odious name of barbarism,

Sect. I.

The barbarism.... Part II. By the use of new words.

Bur there are two considerations which ought especially to weigh with authors, and hinder them from wantonly admitting such extraneous productions into their performances. One is, if these foreigners be allowed to settle amongst us, they will infallibly supplant the old inhabitants. Whatever ground is given to the one, is so much taken from the other. Is it then prudent in a writer, to foment a humour of innovation which tends to make the language of his country still more changeable, and consequently to render the style of his own writings the sooner obsolete? Nor let it be imagined, that this is not a necessary consequence. Nothing can be juster than Johnson's manner of arguing on this subject, in regard to what Swift a little chimerically proposed, that though new words be introduced, none should be permitted to become obsolete *. For what makes a word obsolete, but a general, though tacit agreement to forbear it? And what so readily produces this agreement, as another term which hath gotten a vogué and currency, and is always at hand to supply its place? And if thus, for some time, a word is overlooked or neglected, how shall it be recalled, when it hath once, by disuse, become unfamiliar, and, by unfamiliarity, unpleasing?

THE other consideration is, that if he should not be followed in the use of those foreign words which he

* Preface to the Dictionary.

Of grammatical purity.

hath endeavoured to usher into the language, if they meet not with a favourable reception from the Public, they will ever appear as spots in his work. Such is the appearance which the terms opine, ignore, fraicheur, aroitness, opiniatry, and opiniatrety, have at present in the writings of some ingenious men. Whether, therefore, he be, or be not, imitated, he will himself prove a loser at last. I might add to these, that as borrowing naturally exposeth to the suspicion of poverty, this poverty will much more readily, and more justly too, be imputed to the writer than to the language.

INVENTORS in the arts, and discoverers in science, have an indisputable title to give names to their own inventions and discoveries. When foreign inventions and discoveries are imported into this island, it is both natural and reasonable that the name should accompany the thing. Nay, in regard even to evils of foreign growth, I should not object to the observance of the same rule. Were any one to insist, that we have not in our language words precisely corresponding to the French galimatias, phebus, verbiage, I should not contend with him about it; nor should I perhaps dislike, that the very name served to show, that these plants are the natives of a ranker soil, and did not originally belong to us.. But if the introduction of exotic words were never admitted, except in such cases, or in order to supply an evident want amongst ourselves, we should not at present have one such term

Sect. I. The barbaris.n....art III. By the use of good words new-modelled.

where we have fifty. The advice of the poet with
regard to both the forementioned sorts of barbarism,
is extremely good.

In words, as fashions, the same rule will hold;
Alike fantastic, if too new or old :

Be not the first by whom the new are try'd,
Nor yet the last to lay the old aside †.

PART III....By the use of good words new-modelled.

THE third species of barbarism, is that produced by new formations and compositions, from primitives in present use. I acknowledge, that when the English analogy is observed in the derivation or composition, and when the new-coined word is wanted in the language, greater liberty ought to be given on this article than on the former. The reason of the difference will appear from what hath been said already. But still this is a liberty which needs an excuse from necessity, and is in no case pardonable, unless the words be at least not disagreeable to the ear, and be so analogically formed, that a reader, without the help of the context, may easily discover the meaning.

Now, if the plea of necessity be requisite, what quarter is due to such frivolous innovations as these, incumberment*, portic *, martyrised*, eucharisty *, analyse, connexity*, stoician *, platonician *, peripa

Of grammatical purity.

tetician*, pythagorician *, fictious †, majestatic ‡, acception §, which were intended solely to express what had always been at least as well expressed by encumbrance, portico, martyr'd, eucharist, analysis, connexion, stoic, platonist peripatetic, pythagorean, fictitious, majestic, acceptation. And if any regard is due to the ear, what shall we say ofI cannot call it the composition, but the collision of words which are naturally the most unfit for coalescing, like saint authors, saintprotectrices, architectcapacity, commentatorcapacity, authorcharacter, and many others forged in the same taste, to be found in the pages of a late right honourable author? And lastly, if the analogy of the language must be preserved, in composition, to what kind of reception are the following entitled, which have issued from the same source, selfend, selfpassion, selfaffections, selfpractice, homedialect, belly sense, and mirrourwriting ?

Ir may indeed, be urged, that the pronoun self is used in composition with such latitude, that one can scarcely err in forming new words with its assistance. But this is a mistake. New words may be formed by it; but they must be formed analogically. And the analogy of these formations may be understood from observing, that when analysed thus, they ought regularly to exhibit the same meaning. Make one's self,

* Bolingbroke.
+ Prior.
Spectator, No. 580. § Hammond.

T Shaftesbury.