Our Language is only a Mixture of Greek, Latin, and Teutonick, with fome confus'd Remains of the Gaulish. Now feeing the main Stock of it is borrow'd from other Tongues; why fhou'd we, through a groundlefs Shame, deny ourselves the Liberty of borrowing what Words we ftill want to enrich our Language? We ought to take from all Quarters, whatever we need to render it more clear, more exact, more harmonious, and more concife for all Circumlocution weaken's a Difcourfe. 'Tis true the Choice of fuch Words as ought to be authoriz'd, fhou'd be left to Perfons of a juft Taste and approv'd Difcernment. Latin Words feem to be fitteft for this Purpose: For, they found agreeably; and depend on other Words, that are already French. People's Ears are accuftom'd to them: there's but one Step wanting to make them current; and that is, their having an agreeable Termination given them. When the introducing of new Words is left to Chance, or to ignorant People, or the Fancys of Women; they admit feveral Terms that are neither fo clear, nor fo finooth as were to be wish't. I own that if without a prudent deliberate Choice, we fhou'd haftily adopt a great Number of foreign Words, we Thou'd make our Language a confus'd unpolish'c unpolish't Medly of other Tongues of a quite different kind: As ill-digefted Food adds to the Mafs of Blood, an unfutable Mixture of Parts that rather corrupt, than recruit it. But we must remember, that we have but juft thrown-off that unciviliz'd Manner which was as antient as our Nation. Sed in longum tamen ævum Some will perhaps object that the ACADEMY has not Power, to make a new Term current; and that the Publick may oppofe it. I remember the Inftance of TIBERIUS, that formidable Mafter of the Roman's Lives; who made himfelf ridiculous by affecting to introduce the Word Monopolium. However, I be lieve that the Publick wou'd readily fhew a Deference to fuch a difcreet Authority as the Academy wou'd ufe. Why might not we effect what the English do every day: When ye find the Want of a Word, chufe one that found's fweetly, and is not in the least ambiguous; one that is agreeable to our Language, and will help to abridge Difcourfe: Every-one will perceive the Convenience of fuch a Word. Let four or five Perfons ufe it modeftly in familiar Conversation; others will reP 2 peat HOR. Ep. L. II. HOR. de *.47 Ibid. peat it, through a love of Novelty: and then it becomes fafhionable. Thus a Path that one opens in a Field, foon becomes a beaten Way, when the old Path is rugged and fartheft about. Besides new and fimple Words, we want fome compounded ones, and Phrafes in which the Art of joining Words together, that were always us'd a-part, might produce a graceful Novelty. Dixeris egregiè, notum fi callida verbum Thus the Latins faid Velivolum in one tenuis autufque ferendis. The Nations that live in a mild Climate relish strong and bold Metaphors less than the People of hot Countrys do. Our Language wou'd foon become copious, it thofe who are in greatest Repute for Po liteness endeavour'd to introduce fuch Expreflions, (either fimple, or figurative as we have hitherto wanted. S. IV. RHETO S. IV. AN excellent RICK wou'd be far more valuable than a Grammar, or any other Project that tends only to bring a Language to greater Perfection. He who wou'd undertake this Work, fhou'd collect into it all the fineft Precepts of ARISTOTLE, CICERO, QUINTILIAN, LUCIAN, LONGINUS, and other famous Authors. The Paffages he might quote from them, wou'd be the Ornaments of his Work. By taking only the choiceft Parts of the pureft Antiquity, he wou'd make a fhort, curious, delicate Treatife. I am very far from preferring the Genius of the ancient Orators, to that of the Moderns, in all Refpects. I think the Comparison that has been lately made on this Subject is very juft. For, as Trees P 3 *Nor wou'd I have this new ENGLISH ACADEMY confin'd only to the weighing Words, and Letters: there may be also greater Works found out for it. By many Signs we may guess that the Wits of our Nation are not inferiour to any other; and that they have an excellent Mixture of the Spirit of the French, and the Spaniard: and I am confident that we only want a few more ftanding Examples, and a little more Familiarity with the Antients to excel all the Moderns. Now the best Means that can be devis'd to bring that about, is to fettle a fixt and impartial COURT of ELOQUENCE; according to whofe Cenfure all Books, or Authors, fhou'd either ftand, or fall -The ROYAL SOCIETY is fo far from being like to put a ftop to fuch a Business, that I know many of its ME MBERS who are as able as any others to affift in the bringing it into Practice. Hiftory of the Royal Society, p. 42, 43. Trees have now the fame Form, and bear the fame kind of Fruit, that they had a thousand Years ago; fo Men continue to produce the fame Thoughts. But there are two Things I muft here take the Freedom to fuggeft. The firft is, that fome Climates are more happy than others, for fome particular Talents, as well as for certain kinds of Fruit. For inftance, Languedoc and Provence produce Raifins and Figs of a better Tafte, than Normandy, or the Netherlands. So the Arcadians had a Genius fitter for polite Arts than the Scythians. The Sicilians have a better Taste of Musick than the Laplanders. We find likewise that the Athenians had a more quick and fprightly Wit than the Beotians. The fecond Thing I obferve, is, that the Greeks had a kind of long Tradition that we want. Eloquence was more cultivated among them, than it can be in our Nation. Among the Greeks all Things depended on the People: and the People were influenc'd by Haranguing. In their Form of Government, Fortune, Reputation, and Authority, were obtain'd by perfwading the People. Artful vehement Declaimers * * Athenis tenue cœlum, ex quo acutiores etiam putantur Attici; craffum Thebis. CIC, de Fato. §. 4. - Beotum in craffo jurares aëre natum. HOR. |