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accident or occafion, but the refult of long reflexion; and I have been confirmed in my fentiments

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even the most reverend affemblies are fometimes compofed. let us confider the conduct of a neighbouring nation. How induftrious have the French been to improve their language? and to what a state of perfection have they brought it? Rome, by her conquefts, made her dialect univerfal: France, by her policy, has done the fame. By policy, I mean the encouragement of arts and fciences; which will often render a nation more powerful than arms. Nothing has contributed fo much to the purity and excellence of the French tongue, as the noble academies eftablished for that purpose: and, until fome public work of the fame kind is undertaken in England; we cannot flatter ourselves with any hope of amending the errors, or afcertaining the limits of our ftyle. I fhall not prefume even to whisper to you, that I think a defign of this fort is fufficiently momentous to attract the confideration of our legiflative powers, Their thoughts are otherwife employed, and their faculties otherwife applied. But I will venture to fay, that if to our hospitals for lunatics, an hospital was added for the reception and fupport of men of fenfe and learning, it would be of the highest honour to the prefent age, and of no lefs advantage to pofterity. I call it an hofpital, because I fuppofe it to be erected for the benefit of fuch perfons, whose infirm fortunes, or difeafed revenues, may have rendered the ftrength and abilities of their minds weak and ufelefs to the public; for I entirely agree with Ariftotle, where he fays, in the words of "his fcholiaft, Eum praeclara et magna vix poffe exequi et pre"ftare, cui facultates defunt: quonium per amicos et civilem po

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tentiam, veluti per inftrumenta, neceffe eft pleraque effici." The reflections that arife from this theme, I find, are driving me beyond. due bounds: therefore I fhall only add, that I heartily with you may think an attention to your native language as ufeful and improving a study as can be pursued, in whatever station of life Providence may allot you. Orrery.

In this epiftle Dr. Swift complains to the Earl of Oxford as first minister, in the name of all the learned and polite perfons of the nation, that our language is extremely imperfect; that its daily improvements are by no means equal to its daily corruptions; that the pretenders to polish and refine it have chiefly multiplied abufes and abfurdities; and that in many inftances it offends against every part of grammar. He proves with irrefiftible force of reafon, that our lauguage ought to be refined to a certain flandard, and then fixed for ever he remarks the feveral inconveniences which arife perpetually from our ftupid inattention to thefe matters. He doth not however preferite any methods for afcertaining the language, but throws out fome general obfervations, leaving the reft to the inspection of that fociety, which he hoped would have been fpecdily inftituted by the Lord Treafurer. But this fcheme fell to the ground, partly by the diffenfions among the great men at court, and chiefly by the lamented death of Q. Anne, that ever glorious princess. Swift. D d

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by the opinion of fome very judicious perfons, with whom I confulted. They all agree, that nothing would be of greater ufe towards the improvement of knowledge and politeness, than some effectual method for correcting, enlarging and afcertaining our language; and they think it a work very pot fible to be compaffed under the protection of a prince, the countenance and encouragement of a miniftry, and the care of proper perfons chofen for fuch an undertaking. I was glad to find your lordship's anfwer in fo different a ftyle, from what hath been commonly made use of on the like occafions for fome years paft. That all fuch thoughts must be deferred to a time of peace: a topic which fome have carried fo far, that they would not have us by any means think of preferving our civil or religious conftitution, because we are engaged in a war abroad. It will be among the diftinguifhing marks of your ministry, my Lord, that you have a genius above all fuch regards, and that no rea fonable propofal for the honour, the advantage, or the ornament of your country, however foreign to your more immediate office, was ever neglected by you. I confefs, the merit of this candour and condefcenfion is very much leffened, because your lordfhip hardly leaves us room to offer our good wishes; removing all our difficulties, and fupplying our wants, fafter than the most visionary projector can adjuft his fchemes. And therefore, my lord, the defign of this paper is not fo much to offer you ways and means, as to complain of a grievance, the redreffing of which is to be your own work, as much as that of paying the nation's debt, or opening a trade into the South-fea; and though not of fuch immediate benefit as either of these, or any other of your glorious actions, yet perhaps in future ages not lefs to your honour.

My lord, I do here, in the name of all the learned and polite perfons of the nation, complain to

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your lordship as first minifter, that our language is extremely imperfect; that its daily improvements are by no means in proportion to its daily corrup tions; that the pretenders to polifh and refine it have chiefly multiplied abufes and abfurdities; and, that in many inftances it offends against every part of grammar. But left your lordship should think my cenfure too fevere, I fhall take leave to be more particular.

I believe your lordship will agree with me, in the reafon why our language is lefs refined than those of Italy, Spain, or France. It is plain, that the Latin tongue in its purity was never in this ifland, towards the conqueft of which few or no attempts were made till the time of Claudius; neither was that language ever fo vulgar in Britain, as it is known to have been in Gaul and Spain. Further, we find that the Roman legions here were at length all recalled to help their country against the Goths, and other barbarous invaders. Mean time, the Britons left to fhift for themselves, and daily harraffed by erucl inroads from the Picts, were forced to call in the Saxons for their defence; who confequently reduced the greatest part of the island to: their own power, drove the Britons into the most remote and mountainous parts, and the rest of the country in customs, religion, and language, became wholly Saxon. This I take to be the reafon, why there are more Latin words remaining in the Britifh tongue than in the old Saxon, which, except. ing fome few variations in the orthography, is the fame in most original words with our prefent Englifh, as well as with the German and other Northern dialects.

Edward the confeffor, having lived long in France, appears to be the first who introduced any mixture of the French tongue with the Saxon; the court affecting what the prince was fond of, and others taking it up for a fashion, as it is now with

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us. William the conqueror proceeded much far ther; bringing over with him vaft numbers of tha nation, fcattering them in every monaftery, giving them great quantities of land, directing all pleadings to be in that language, and endeavouring to make it universal in the kingdom. This at least is the opinion generally received: but your lordship hath fully convinced me, that the French tongue made yet a greater progrefs here under Harry the fecond, who had large territories on that continent, both from his father and his wife, made frequent. journeys and expeditions thither, and was always attended with a number of his countrymen, retainers at his court. For fome centuries after, there was a conftant intercourfe between France and England, by the dominions we poffeffed there, and the conquefts we made; fo that our language between two and three hundred years ago, feems to have had a greater mixture with French than at prefent; many words having been afterwards rejected, and fome fince the time of Spencer; although we have ftill retained not a few, which have been long antiquated in France. I could produce feveral instances of both kinds, if it were of any use or entertainment.

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To examine into the feveral circumftances by which the language of a country may be altered, would force me to enter into a wide field. I fhall only obferve, that the Latin, the French, and the English, feem to have undergone the fame fortune. The first, from the days of Romulus to those of Julius Cæfar, fuffered perpetual changes and by what we meet in thofe authors who occafionally fpeak on that fubject, as well as from certain fragments of old laws, it is manifeft that the Latin, three hundred years before Tully, was as unintelligible in his time, as the Englifh and French of the fame period are now; and these two have changed as much fince William the conqueror

(which is but little lefs than feven hundred years,) as the Latin appears to have done in the like term. Whether our language or the French will decline as fast as the Roman did, is a question, that would perhaps admit more debate than it is worth. There were many reafons for the corruptions of the last : as, the change of their government to a tyranny, which ruined the study of eloquence, there being no further ufe or encouragement for popular orators: their giving not only the freedom of the city, but capacity for employments, to feveral towns in Gaul, Spain, and Germany, and other diftant parts, as far as Afia; which brought a great number of foreign pretenders into Rome: the flavish difpofition of the fenate and people, by which the wit and eloquence of the age were wholly turned into panegyric, the moft barren of all fubjects: the great corruption of manners, and introduction of foreign luxury, with foreign terms to exprefs it, with feveral others that might be affigned; not to mention thofe invafions from the Goths and Van-dals, which are too obvious to infift on.

The Roman language arrived at great perfection, before it began to decay: and the French, for thefe laft fifty years, hath been polifhing as much as it will bear, and appears to be declining by the natu ral inconftancy of that people, and the affectation of fome late authors to introduce and multiply cant words, which is the most ruinous corruption in any language. La Bruyere, a late celebrated writer among them, makes ufe of many new terms, which are not to be found in any of the common dictionaries before his time. But the English tongue is not arrived to fuch a degree of perfection, as to make us apprehend any thoughts of its decay; and · if it were once refined to a certain standard, perhaps there might be ways found out to fix it for ever, or at leaft till we were invaded and made a conqueft by fome other ftate; and even then our D d 3

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