fonable, they will tend to make what remains of our road both fhorter and clearer, than it would otherwife have been. Much in the way of illuftration and eviction may be faved, on the particular remarks. And if, on the contrary, they fhould not be reafonable, and confequently the remarks raised on them fhould not be well founded, no way that I can think of, bids fairer for detecting the fallacy, and preventing every reader from being mifled. A fluent and fpecious, but fuperficial manner of criticifing, is very apt to take at firft, even with readers whom a deliberate examination into the principles on which the whole is built, would quickly undeceive.

BUT,' it may be faid, if cuftom, which is ⚫fo capricious and unaccountable, is every thing ' in language, of what fignificance is either the grammarian or the critic?' Of confiderable fignificance notwithstanding; and of moft then when they confine themselves to their legal departments, and do not ufurp an authority that doth not belong to them. The man who, in a country like ours, fhould compile a fuccinct, perfpicuous, and faithful digeft of the laws, though no lawgiver, would be univerfally acknowledged to be a public benefactor. How

cafy

eafy would that important branch of knowledge be rendered by fuch a work, in comparison of what it must be, when we have nothing to have recourse to, but a labyrinth of ftatutes, reports, and opinions. That man alfo would be of confiderable ufe, though not in the fame degree, who fhould vigilantly attend to every illegal practice that were beginning to prevail, and evince its danger, by expofing its contrariety to law. Of fimilar benefit, though in a different sphere; are grammar and criticism. In language, the grammarian is properly the compiler of the digeft; and the verbal critic, the man who feafonably notifies the abuses that are creeping in. Both tend to facilitate the ftudy of the tongue to ftrangers, and to render natives more perfect in the knowledge of it, to advance general ufe into univerfal, and to give a greater ftability at leaft, if not a permanency, to custom, the moft mutable thing in nature. These are advantages which, with a moderate fhare of attention, may be discovered from what hath been already said on the fubject: but they are not the only advantages. From what I fhall have occafion to obferve afterwards, it will probably appear, that thefe arts, by affifting to fupprefs every unlicenced term, and to ftigmatize every improper idiom,

VOL. I.

Bb

idiom, tend to give greater precifion, and confequently more perfpicuity and beauty to our ftyle.

THE obfervations made in the preceding chapter, might eafily be converted into so many canons of criticifm, by which, whatever is repugnant to reputable, to national, or to prefent ufe, in the fenfe wherein these epithets have been explained, would be condemned as a tranfgreffion of the radical laws of the language. But on this fubject of ufe, there arife two eminent queftions, the determination of which may lead to the establishment of other canons not lefs important. The first question is this, Is reputable, national, and prefent ufe, which, for brevity's fake, I fhall hereafter fimply denominate good ufe, always uniform in her decifions? The fecond is, As no term, idiom, or application, that is totally unsupported by her, can be admitted to be good, is every term, idiom, and application that is countenanced by her, to be efteemed good, and therefore worthy to be retained?

SECTION I.

Good ufe not always uniform in her decifions.

IN answer to the former of these questions, I acknowledge, that in every cafe there is not a perfect uniformity in the determinations even of fuch use as may justly be denominated good. Wherever a confiderable number of authorities can be produced in fupport of two different, though resembling modes of expreffion for the fame thing, there is always a divided use, and one cannot be faid to speak barbarously, or to oppofe the ufage of the language, who conforms to either fide. This divided ufe hath place fometimes in fingle words, fometimes in conftruction, and fometimes in arrangement. In all

+ The words nowise, noway, and noways, afford a proper instance of this divided use. Yet our learned and ingenious lexicographer hath denominated all those who either write or pronounce the word noways, ignorant barbarians. These ignorant barbarians (but he hath furely not adverted to this circumftance) are only Pope, and Swift, and Addifon, and Locke, and several others of our most celebrated writers. This cenfure is the more astonishing, that even in this form which he has thought fit to repudiate, the meaning affigned to it, is flrictly conformable to that which etymology, according to his own explication, would fuggeft. See Johnson's Dictionary on the words nowife and way, particularly the fenfes of way, marked with thefe numbers, 15, 16, 18, and 19.

fuch cases there is fcope for choice; and it belongs, without queftion, to the critical art, to lay down the principles, by which, in doubtful cafes, our choice fhould be directed.

THERE are, indeed, fome differences in fingle words, which ought ftill to be retained. They are a kind of fynonymas, and afford a little variety, without occafioning any inconvenience whatever. In arrangement too, it certainly holds, that various manners fuit various fyles, as various ftyles fuit various fubjects, and various forts of compofition. For this reafon, unlefs when fome obfcurity, ambiguity, or inelegance is created, no difpofition of words which hath obtained the public approbation, ought to be altogether rejected. In conftruction the cafe is fomewhat different. Purity, perfpicuity, and elegance generally require, that in this there be the ftricteft uniformity. Yet differences here are not only allowable, but even convenient when attended with correfpondent differences in the

Such are, fubterranean and fubterraneous. homogeneak and homogeneous, authentic and authentical. ifle and fland, mount and mountain, clime and climate, near and nigh, betwixt and between, amongst and among, amidst and amid. Nor do I fee any hurt that would enfue from adding nowife and noway to the number.