have, in this century, been imported from France. Are not pleasure, opinionative, and fally, as expreffive as volupty, opiniatre, and fortie? Wherein is the expreffion laft refort, inferior to dernier refort; liberal arts, to beaux arts; and polite literature, to belles lettres? Yet fome writers have arrived at fuch a pitch of futility, as to imagine, that if they can but make a few trifling changes, like aimable for amiable, politeffe for politeness, delicateffe for delicacy, and hauteur for haughtiness, they have found fo many gems, which are capable of adding a wonderful luftre to their works. With fuch, indeed, it is in vain to argue; but to others, who are not quite fo unreasonable, I beg leave to fuggeft the following remarks.

FIRST, it ought to be remembered, that the rules of pronunciation and orthography in French, are fo different from thofe which obtain in English, that the far greater part of the French words lately introduced, confiitute fo many anomalies with us, which, by loading the grammatical rules with exceptions, greatly corrupt the fimplicity and regularity of our tongue.

NOR

NOR is this the only way in which they cor rupt its fimplicity; let it be obferved further, that one of the principal beauties of any language, and the most effential to fimplicity, refults from this, That a few plain and primitive words called roots, have, by an analogy, which hath infenfibly established itfelf, given rife to an infinite number of derivative and compound words, between which and the primitive, and between the former and their conjugates, there is a refemblance in fenfe, correfponding to that which there is in found. Hence it will happen, that a word may be very emphatical in the language to which it owes its birth, arifing from the light that is reflected on it by the other words of the fame etymology; which, when it is tranfplanted into another language, lofes its emphafis entirely. The French word eclaircissement, for inftance, is regularly deduced thus: Eclairciffement, eclairciffe, eclaircir, eclair, clair, which is the etymon, whence alfo are defcended, clairement, clarté, clarifies, clarification, eclairer. The like may be obferved in regard to connoiffeur, reconnoitre, agrémens, and a thousand others. Whereas, fuch words with us, look rather like ftrays than like any part of our own property.

They

They are very much in the condition of exiles, who, having been driven from their families, relations, and friends, are compelled to take refuge in a country where there is not a fingle perfon 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 muft certainly be improved by the mixture. Into the truth of the hypothefis from which they argue, I fhall not now inquire. It fufficeth for my prefent purpofe; to obferve, that the confequence is not logical, though the plea were juft. A liquor produced by the mixture of two liquors of different qualities, will often prove worse than either. The Greek is, doubtlefs, a language much fuperior, in riches, harmony, and variety, to the Latin; yet, by an affectation in the Romans of Greek words and idioms, (like the paffion of the English for whatever is imported from France) as much, perhaps, as by any thing, the Latin was not only viciated, but loft almost entirely, in a few centuries, that beauty and majefty which we discover in the writings of the Auguftan age. On the contrary, nothing contributed more to the preservation of

the

the Greek tongue in its native purity for fuch an amazing number of centuries, unexampled in the history of any other language, than the contempt they had of this practice. It was in confequence of this contempt, that they were the first who branded a foreign term in any of their writers with the odious name of barbarism.

BUT there are two confiderations which ought especially to weigh with authors, and hinder them from wantonly admitting fuch extraneous productions into their performances. One is, if these foreigners be allowed to fettle amongst us, they will infallibly fupplant 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 ftill more changeable, and confequently to render the ftyle of his own writings the fooner obsolete? Nor let it be imagined, that this is not a neceffary confequence. Nothing can be juster than Johnson's manner of arguing on this fubject, in regard to what Swift a little chimerically propofeth, that though new words be introduced, none should be permitted to become obfolete*.

• Preface to the Dictionary.

For

For what makes a word obfolete, but a general, though tacit agreement to forbear it? And what fo readily produces this agreement, as another term which hath gotten a vogue and currency, and is always at hand to fupply its place? And if thus, for fome time, a word is overlooked or neglected, how fhall it be recalled, when it hath once, by difufe, become unfamiliar, and, by unfamiliarity, unpleafing?

THE other confideration is, that if he fhould not be followed in the ufe of thofe foreign words which he hath endeavoured to usher into the language, if they meet not with a favourable reception from the Public, they will ever appear as fpots in his work. Such is the appearance which the terms opine, ignore, fraicheur, adroitness, opiniatry, and opiniatrety, have at prefent in the writings of fome ingenious men. Whether, therefore, he be, or be not, imitated, he will himself prove a lofer at last. I might add to thefe, that as borrowing naturally expofeth to the fufpicion 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 difcoverers in science, have an indifputable title to give names * Ee

VOL. I.

to