A proposal for correcting, improving and ascertaining the English tongue: in ...

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Presented by Professor H. J. Davis
August ig63

To commemorate a long association with

the Oxford English Faculty Library

of which Mrs. Davis

was for some time Librarian

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TkSWJFT^

LETTER

lord High Treafurer,

■ ■ ' 1 1 " ■

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,*m:^9Sf^^^

1 • . "

i.

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• ' 1'

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PROPOSAL

FOR

Correfliiig^mftroVntg and Ajcertahi'mg
THE

I N A

L i T T E R

To the Moft Honourable

ROBERT

Earl of Oxford and Mortimer,

Lord High Treafurer
GREAT BRITAIN.

Ci^edecontiCtittton.

I

LONDON:
Printed for Benj. Tooke, at the
Middle-Temfk-Gate^ Fleet fireet. 1712,

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^r f -^ Q O r

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To the Moft Honotirable

ROBERT

Earl (if OXFORD, ^<:^

Mr Lord,

HAT I had the Honoiiir .
of mentioning to Your
LoiifisHiP fome tinoe j%o
\si Converfation, was not
a new Thought, juft then ftarted by
Accident or Occafion, but the Re-
fult of long Refleaion j and I have
beenconfinned in my Sendmencs by

Ac

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^-. . ,. .._ .4. .LSJLX-lAiC

the Opinion of fome very judicious
Perforts, witlv-wlibm I • • €OhTulted.
They altagreed^Tlbtunochimg w
b^of |rcacer >%fe gr^ar^^e
pfoVenient or "Knowledge and
liceo^, :th<^^«|-7^flr^(^Msti5pd
for Corr'eBm£ , Enlarging d!ha Jjcer*
taini^g our Language 5 and they
think it a Work very poflible _to jjp
compafled, under the PrtitSdnon bf
a Prince, the Countenance and En-
couragement of a Miniftry, and the
Care of proper Perfons chofcn ,for
fuch an Undertaking. I was glad to
find your Lordship's Anfwer in fo
different a Style, from what hath been
, commonly liiade'Iufcof £>n the like
Oai^lfions , for fome Years paft ,
thit 4U fuck TTrntghtsvoifl he^ deferred'
0. a Time of 'feace ■: . A Topick which
fomft have carried fo fary.'rthac they
w(5ijld not have lis,: hf any' means,
tbmkpf pfefet¥iiig-.>:6ur Civil 6c Re»
l^iaiU'Cofiftit^tion,^ biscaii^^ !v« virefe o^^

J engaged

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theaxLpri iUgkiTren/urer.

depg^ge^oirt a Wm&bxosid, k will be
■W»,Q(5g Dtl»J: diftiDguiflsing Milrb of
ypur,jfelfey,rM3^:LoRi>, that you
Ji^d'ii Qfmm labov^j.iiJl fuch Jl«gards,
and that no reafonable Propofal for
the Honour, the Advantage, or the
Oxn2men$i<^( . Vopr ^C^ountry, how-
cyer fcr;§ig|iHt9 Yopr riifiorc iftjm^djatc
DiE^, Yf^S: -gyer i|?gl€^ed l?y You.
I qw^^ts^ idtj?. ii^^t jof this ^C^^dor"
afjd ConiiifcfQfipn. isj very much let.
fffjcd^vfeicfijjff ypur,i.jp^RDSj?ip hard-
ly l?a?y,ejaus rpo^! to offer our good
,^^e§,>ri;^oving a|l our Difficul-
tif?, agdiiupplyipg ©Mr Wants, faftj&r
than th? : [ittoft yifiort^ry i^rojf ^or
can adjpft: liis Sch^meSi And there-
ibre, Myjkp R p,„5hc Defigfi of this
Paper is,:noc fo flciu-ch: to offjet Ifou
Ways and Meansy as'toicorapljiiii of
^_Grle\>mce, the redr^fli?lg of which
is to be your own ^ork, as much
as that of paying the Nations DeBtSy
or opening a Trade into the South

Sea^

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8 i^ Letter to

' — ■-• -1 1

Sea^ and though not of fudi iinmc>*
diaee Benefit, as either of thefe, or any
otheirof Yourgldrioiis Atons, yet
perhaps^ in fiiciire Ages, not ids Co
Your Honour^ "

My Lord, I do here,- in the
Name of all the Learned and Po*
lice iPcrlbns of . the Nation > com-
plain to Your Lb R D s H I B^ as Ftrfi
Mhiffier, that bup- Language is ex-
treniely wnperfedt 5 th^its3aily Im-
provements arc l^ no means in
proportion to its daily Corruptiwis;
that the Pretenders, to polifhand re-
fine it> have chiefly multiplied Abules
and Abfurdities 5 and, that in ma-
ny Indances, it offends againft evcty
Pirt of Grammar. But left Your
LoRi>8Hip (hould think my Cenfure
too fevere, I (hall take leav^ to be
more particular*

I BE-;

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.. The Lord High Treafurer. p

1 BELIEVE Your Lordship
will agree with m6 in thfe Reafon,
Why our Language i^ lefs Refined
, than thofe of Itaty^ Spain^ or Pranci.
'Tis plain that the LMtin Tojngue,
iii its t*Qrity,was never in this Ifland ;
towards the Conqueft of which few
.orno Attempts were made till the
Time of Claudius', neither was that
Language ever fo vulgar in iritainy
as it is known to have been in Qml
zvASfain. Further, we find, that
the Roman Legions here, were at
lepgth all recalled to help their
Country againft the Goti>s, and other
barbarous Invaders. Mean time,
the Britmns, left to fliift for them- °l
felves, and daily harafled by cruel
Inroads from the TiBs, were forced
to call in the Saxons for their De-
fence ; who, confequently, redu-
ced the greateft Part of the Ifland
to their own Power, drove the Bri"

B tains 'oj

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lO A X.ETTER to

% ' ■ III

tmns into the moft remote and
mountainous Parts, and the ireft of
the Country, inCuftotus, Religion
and Lan^uage^ became wholly 5ax»
on. This I take fso be the Retlbn,
why tliere are more J^aim Words
remaining in the ^riti/J Tongq^
than in the old Sa'xm j which, ex»
cepting fome few Variations in the
Orthography, is'the fame, in moft
origiifal Words, with our prejQent
Bx^tfh^ as well as with' the German^
aod other Northern DialeiSs. • .

E1>WA f^D the Omfejor having
lived long in France^ jappears to be
the firft who introducedany mixture
of the French Tongue with the Sa;^
flW; the Court affecting wKat the
Prince was fond of, and others ta-
king it-up for a Fafliion, as it is
now with us. William the Con^
queror proceeded much further;
bringing over wi.h him vaft

nuin-

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~- the. Lord High Treafurer. I J,

» 1 I , ' ' III

bersofthat Nation 5 fcattering them
in every Monaftery ; giving them
great Qaantities 61 Lajid, directing
atl Pleadings tobeln that Language,
and endeavouring to make it univei;-
fill in the Kingdom. This,atleaft.is
the Opinion generally received: But
Your Lordship hath fully convin-
ced me, that the French Tongue

' made yet a greater Progrefs here un-
der Harry thQ Second^ who had large
Territories -on that Continent, both
ftomhis Father and his Wife, made
frequent Journies and Expeditions
there, and vvas always attended with
a number of his Countrymen, Re-
tainers at his Court. For Tome
Centuries after,there was aconftant
fnter^ourfe between France and Eng",
land^ by the Dominions we poflef-
f^ there, and the Conquefts. we
made j fo that our Language, be-

; tweien t>^o and three hundred Years
ago,feem3 to.have had a greater mix-
ture vfith French^ than at prefent 3
B 9 many

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1^ :<^ Letter to ~"

m^ny Words ha vingbeen afterwards
r^je&ed, and fome finceth^ titjie
of Sfencer j although we have (Till
retained not a few^ which have been
long antiquated in Vrance. I could .
produce feveral Inftances of botH
kinds, if it were of any life or En-
tertainment. . .
TO examine in^p the feveral
Circumftances by which the Lan-
guage of a Country may be alter-
ed, would force me to enter into' a
wide Field. I Ihall only obTerve^,
That the JLafw, the French^ and the
Efi^tfi^ feem to have uii'defgope the
fame Fortune. The firft, :iforii the
DsLVsof Romtflus to thpfe bi Julius
CeefaTy fufFered perpetual Changes,
and by what we meet in thofe Au-.
thors who occafionally • fpeak on
that SubjetS, as well as from cer-
tain Fragments of old Laws, if is*
manifeft, that the Latin, ,ThfeQ.
hundred Years before TnUy, was as

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"--TTe Lord High Ireafurer. i ; ' ■.

unintelligible in his Time, as the
Englijh and French of the fame Pe*
riodarenow 5 anid thefe two havp
changed as much fince WtUiam the
Conqueror, (which is but little lefs
than' Seven hundred Years) as the
ZitfiTf appears to have done in the
like Term. Whether our Language
or the French ynW decline as fift as
the Roman did, is a QueAion that
would perhaps admit more Debate
than it is worth. There wtxe ma^
ny Reafons for the Corruptions of
the laft : Asy the Change of their ^
Government into aTyranny, which
ruined the Study of Eloquence,
there being no further life or En-
couragement for popular Orators :
Theii- giving not only the Freedom
of the City, but Capacity for Em*
ploymerits, to feveral Townj in
Oa«/, Sfain^ znd Germany^ and other
d^iftant Parrs, as far as Afia ; which
brought a great Number of fo*

reio

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14 A LETtjER fo

<^, j rein Pretenders into Kwne\ Th^

' ^ {layilhDifpoiltion of the Senate and

People, by whicl^ the Wit ^nd

Eloquence of tfhe Age were

wholly turned intoPanegyrtelCjthe

moft barren of all Subje51s r The

great Corruption of Manners, and

0, 1 Introdudion of fore^ Luxury^with

i| forejp Term? to exprpfs \t% .iVith

feveral others tljg,t might be af-

^gned : Not to mention thofe In-

vafions from the Goths zxi^' ^an-

dals^ which are too obvious^ tO. in--'

fift on.

THE iiL(WM5«- Language arrived at

great Perfedion before it began to

Hoi^decay: Aad ^he French for thefelaft

' Fifty Years, hath b^en poHfiriri^ as

much as' it will bear, and ajijiears to ,

be d^dinincf by the . natarai' Irjicton.-"

ftaricy 'of that People, ^Sf^the

Atfe<Sdtion of fame late Authors to'

introduce and riraltiply Cmt Words,

^ which

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— iKe Lord Bi^h Trea/urer. if

i^fScti is the moft rumpus Cor-
ruption in any Language. La
Bruyerey a late celebrated Writer
among them, makes ufe of many
hundred newTerms, which are not
to be found in any of the common
I!)i(9:iQnaries before his Time. But
tIie&^i//{^ Tongue is not arrived to i
fucjji a;Degree of^erfe<^ion, asftoN
ntjkcus appreliend any Thoughts '
pf ijSfIJ)ecay ; and if it were once
refihei to a certain Standard, per*
hapsith^ere might be Ways found
•^ Q«jt; to fix it ^or ever 5 or at leaft
till we are idvaded and made a
Conqueft by jfome other State j and
even/then our belt Writings might
probably be preferved with Care,
and' grow into Efteem, and the Au*
thors have a Chance for Immor-
tality.

BUT without fuch great Revo-
lutions as thefe, (to which we are,

1 think,

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^

16 -< Letter to

I ' . ' III

Ifhink, lefsfubjed than Kingdoms
upon the Continent) I fee no aS-
folute Neceffity why any Language
Ihould be perpetually changing;
for we find many Examples td the
contrary.. From Homer to ^lutard
are above a Thoufand Years ;^fo
long at leaft the Purity of the Greeh.
Tongue may be Allowed to lift,
and we know not How far before.
The Grecians fpread their Colonies
round all the Coafts 6'^ jfia Minor^
even to the Northern ?iiT^S^iyhg
towardsthe Eu^gine^ in every fllahd
of the Mgean Sea^ and feveral Others
in the Mediterranean-^ where the
Language was preferved entire f6r
many Ages, after they themfelves
became Colonies to Kome^ and till
they were over-run by the barba-
rous Nations, upon the Fall of that
Empire. The Chinefe hive Books in
their Language above twoThoufand
Years old, neither have the frequent
^ Con-

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The Lord High Treafurer. 1 7

Conquefts of the Tartars been able
to alter it. The German^ Spanijhy
and /f4/w», have admitted few or ,
no Changes for fome Ages paft.
The ddier Languages of Europe I
know nothing of, neither is there
any; occafion to conflder them.

H A VI NG taken this coropafs,
I reoUrn to thofe Confiderations
upon our own Language, which I
would humbly offer Your L p r d-
s H I ?. The Period wherein the
Englijh Ton^t received moft Im-
provement, I take to commence
with tbe beginning of Queen H-
;^heih^% Reign., and tO conclude
with the Great Rebellion in Forty
Two> ' 'Tis true, diere was a ve-
ry ill Tafte both of Style and Wit,
which prevailed under King Jams
tie Fijlt, but that fecms to have
been corrected in the iirft Years
of his Succcffor,.who arnong ma-
C ny

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i8 A Letteh to

ny other Qualifications of art ex-
cellent Prince, was a great Patron
of Learning. Frorri the Civil War
to this prefent Time ^ I am apt
to doubt whethtr the Corruptions
in our Language havd not at leaft
equalled the Refinements of it 5
and thefe Corruptions very few of
the beft Authors in our Age have
wholly efcaped. During the Ufur-
pation, fuch an Infufion of £n«'
thufiaftiek Jargon prevailed in every
Writing, as was not fliaken dff m--
many Years after. To this iiic-
ceeded that Licentioufncfs which
entered with the ^ftoration^ and
from infe(5bing our Religion arid
Morals, fell to corrupt bur Lan-
guage 3 which lad was not like id
be much improved Ivy thofc Ivhd
at that Time made iip the Counr
of King Charles the Second 5 either
fuch who hid folldwcd Him in
His Banifhment, or who had been

alto-

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the Lord High Treajurer, 1 9

1 altogether converfant in the Dia*
'Jeft ofxhofe Vanattck, Times '^ or
young Mei), who had been edu-
cated in the fame Company 5 fb
that the Cdurt^ which ufcd to be
the Standard of Propriety and
, Corre<5bnefs of Speech, was then,
. and, I think, hath ever fince con-
tinued the worft School in England
for that Accomplidunent 5 and fo
'ifrill remain, till better Cafe be
z taken in the Education of our
young Nobility, that they may fet
. out into the World with fome Foun-
dation of Literature-, in order to
qullify diem for Patterns of Polite-
nefs. The Confcquence of this
- Dcfe<5t, upon our Language, may
i appear from the Plays, apd other
Compofitions, written for Entertain*
, mem within Fifty Years paft ;. Br
i ltd with a Succeflion of affc£led
. Phrafcs, and new, conceited Wordsi,
cidicr borarowed frooithc current
/ . C a Style

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20 A L.ETTER to •

. . .. • I , 1 1 II

Style of the Court, or from thofe
who, under the Charafter of Men
of Wit and Pleafure, pretended to
give the Law. Many of thefe Re-
finements have already been long
antiquated, and are now hardly
intelligible 3 which is no wonder,
when they were the Produd only
of Ignorance and Caprice.

I HAVE never known this
great Town without ©ne or more
t>unca of Figure, who hacj Credit
enough to give Rife to fome new
'Word, and propagate it in moft
Converfations, though it hid nei-
ther Humor, nor Significancy, If
it ftruck the prefent Tafte, it vuas
foon transferred into the Plays and
<njrrent Scribbles of the Week,
and became an Addition to our
Language ; while the Men of Wit
.and Learning, inftead of early ob-
iviating fuch Corrupt! ons^ werie too
:- qften

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Tin Lord Hi^ freafurer. 21

often feduced -to imitate and com-
'ply with theffii

THERE is another Sett of
Men who hav6 contributed very
ttiuch to the fpoiling of the£»g/j^
Tongue 5 I mean- the Poets, from
the Time of the Reftoration. Thefe
Gentlemen,aUhdugh they oould not
be infenfible how much our LaA-
guage was already overftocked with
Monbfyllables 5' yet, to fave Time
and Pains, introduced that barbar-
ous Cuftom of abbreviating Words,
to fit them to the Meafure of their
Verfesj and this they have frequent-
ly done, fo very injudicioufly, as
to form fuch harfli unharmonious
Sdunds, that none but a Northern
Ear could endure : They have join^
cd the moft obdurate Confonants
without one intervening Vowel, on-
ly to fhorten a Syllable : And
their Tafte in tiiiie became fo depra-
ved.

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ij A Letter to

vcd,that what was at firft a Poetic:
cal Licence, not to be juftified, tlifey
made their Choice, alledging, that
the Words, pronoqnced at length,
ibund^sd Ikint and languid. This
was ^ Fietence to <ake up the fame
Custom in Profe ; fo that moft of
the Books we fee now a-days,
ore full of thofe Mangling? and
Abbreviations. Jnftances of this
Jlbufeare iiinumerablej What does'
Your Lordship think of the

dL| Words, 2)r»rfeV,2)i^«ri&W, RtMi^^
l^fi^V, and a thoufand others, eve-
ry where to be met inProfeas wett
asVerfe? Where, by leaving out a
Vowel to fave a Syllable, we form
fb jarring, a Sound, and fo difficult

i. I to utter, that I have often wondred
how it could ever obtain. .^

ANOTHER Caufe (and per-
haps borrowed from the former)
which hath contributed not a little

to

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the Lord High Treajurer, ij"

to tbe maiming of our Language,
is avfeqlifh Opinion, advanced of
late Years, that we ought to fpeli'
^xadly as we fpeak ; which belide
the obivious Inconvenience of utter-
lydeftroyingour Etymology, would
be a- thing w^ flmuld never fee an
End oi, Notjonly the feveral Towns
afldUDoUnt^ibs of £»^/«»2^, havea^ 3*
dsi&rent way> of pronouncing, l^ut
even^ere inX«»^, they clip thei*
Wiocds after one Manner about the
Couqt^ another in the City, and a
tliird in the Suburbs ; and in a few
Ywra, it is probable, will all differ
fromrthcmfelves, as Fancy or Fa-
(liioo Ihall dired- All which, redu-
ced to Writing, would entirely con*
foiind Orthography. Yet many
Beople are fo fond of this Conceit,
that it is fometimes a difficult "mat-
ter to read modern Books and
Pamphlets 5 where the Words arc
focoitailed, and varied from their
/ . origi-

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4 j:hETTn^t9

original SpfeHijjg^ that vthotvcrhtth
been ufedvio plain Bnj^l^ \^XimlV:
hardly kniiyv thcm'hfiGght. f .:,

;' " l' V • 'r--^\ ■:: . 7:,: •-

. SE V£:R AL yooogiMeri at tbc'
Uni verfitieslterribly-pofleffed isrith •
the fear of. Fedantty, run into a
worfe ExiTfam, and think all Pcj-
iitenefi tatxnifirt in^reading thcdai-.
ly Trafh fenodowh to tlimitom .
hence :. . This they OLlVMowmg^he >
JVorldy^niA reading Ahnund MaikmiJ
Thus furoijfhed they: ihjme up to)
Town, reckon all theif Errors fcuf.
AccompHlhment?, borrow tHentw^.
eft Sett of- Phrafes, andlif thejBtake:
a Pen into their Hands, ail thfcodd:
Words they have picked up^iiia>
GotFee-Houfe, or a Gaming Ordi-*'
nary, are pirpduced as Flowers. o€.
StyJej and theOrthograph}? refined r
to the utmoft. To tj^isvve owe thofe '
monftrous ProduSions, which un-.
der the Names of Tri^s^SpieSjAmfir-

mentSy

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«iii^

tiii.^

Tht Lnrd High Tnafurer. 7 5

fntfitsyznd other conceited Appella-
tions) have over-ruri us for fome
Years paft. To this we owe -that
ftrange Race of Wits, who tell uSj
they Write to the Humour of tbe^ei
And I wilh Icould fay, thefequaint
Fopperies were whoUy abfcnt front
•graver Subje6ls. In Ihort, I would
undertake to (hew Yotfr LoRDSHip
feveral Pieces^ where the Beauties
-of this kind are fo predominant,
that with all your Skill in Lan-
guageS) you could never be able
either to read or underftand theni^

fi U It I am very riiuch miftakeri^
if many of thefe falfe Refinements
fliiiong us, do not arife from a
Principle which would quite deftroy
their Credit, if it were well under-
flood and confidered. For I am
afraid^ My Lord, that with all the
real good Qualities of our Country^
we are naturally not very Polite.

D Th:9

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^6 A Letter f©

This perpetual Di^ofition to i^ioiw
ten 6ur Words, by retrenching tfee
Vo«veh> is nothing elfe. but ateii'*
^dcBcy to lapCeinto theBarharityiof
thofe iVofttem Nations from whom
^are defbended^ aiidwhofe La^-
^ages labour all under the iki^
Itefeft. For it is worthy our H>b-
iervation^ that -the Sj^ards^ the
French, andthe/jro^iiHif^aifihoughtle'
rived from the fame Ntfrtbern Ad-
ceftors with ourfelves^ace^ with the
utmoft Difficulty, taught to pro-
nounce our Words,which th^Swedea
and ianes^ as well as the Germans
and the Thacb^ attain to.with Eafe,
becaufeour Syllables refemble theirs
in the Roughneis and Frequency of
Ojnfonants. Now, as we ftruggte
with an ill Climate to improve the
noisier kinds of Fruit, are at the
Expence of Walls to receive and
reverberate the faint Rays of th^'
Sun, and fence againft ths Northern

Blaft;i

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the'^LM'Mgh'TVeiifurer. 27

Bla^*/ W^^^ometimes-by- the heljp
<rf>a'good^SoiJ;'b<5ual -the Produ^i-
QfiSf of"wa^i!nep Coontries, who
hi^ riq'iieedto be> at fo much
Ocrffe or ^^GweJ It b^ the fame
th^g wi«h*efi*ea to thepoliter 4rts
s^Hton^ us; d»d the ^ feme Defe^
d;P Meat whicfe give^ a Rercenefs ta
dUi: N^tuirie^, may conitfribute tathat
R(]|]ghtii^0foi}r Laiigtiagey wnich
tersfome Analogy to the harfli
f^tiit of ColJer Goontri^. For Wo
net reqkon^ that .#fe .want a Gmiti
iftdFc thin rthe reft «f=oUf Neigh'j
If&ars : But: Your LdR%>sHip cwill
be 2of my OjMttion,; that we ought
to ftfuggle with thefe ' natural Dif-
ddvacitages ^s much W we can, and
becafeful Wlaom we employ, when-
ever We 6:e(xgn to <:orr€d them,
which is srWork that ha« hitherto
heeri affumed by tbeleaft qualified
Hands. So that if the Choice had
been left to me, I would rather have

Da trufted

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20 A. L E T T% R. tp^

»' III ..aiMML. L— J ^,: T-^- ■ ' ._

trufted the Refinement of pur. I>3n«».
guage, as f^r !sis it reI^$:to Souodj,
tOL the Judgiui^nt oC.:thg,Wpm«q|:
than of itii^r^e Gpilrt^Fops, hdf^i
witted-Pof t^ agd Umxerfity-Bd^./
YaSy it is plain' that Wompn in theif;
manner of ^oyiuptiiajg ^ords, do:
aaturatly dif<^ar4 the ^p^fpnants, a^
we do tb^ Vowels. What lam>
going to tell Your Xjmm^vfy aj«-
pears vety trifling j thattmote thaa'
pnce> where fome of b^th SetKf^
were in Cpnjpany,:lhaye perfga^-
ded two or threq of each, to take.9«
Pen, apd write dowi)»: ainUmher jpf
I^ptters -jqyned together, juft^asii;
came into their Heajis^ and uppij
j:ea4ing this Gibheriih we h^ve
found that which the Men h^
writ, by the frequent ehcountringoS
rough Gqpfonantg, to.Tpuna like
HigihDutch; aud the pther by.th4
jWomen, like Italian^ abounding in
{Vowels and Liquids. Now, though

J WQUI4

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■lg};.-aiji»PgHpi«WW*W I .liA-W Wi

The Lord H^hTreafu^er. ip

_ . I I II I . ' I, I I I . I I . r f

1 y^ld :by no ?; mean^ give Ladies
Hie? Trouble of advifing us in the
Rdfbrinaition of oar Language ; yet
I .C8ft©6ti help jthinking, that fihce
they have beeq Je|r .out cfialijMeet*
«igP,/ex(5ept« -parties at Play, or
^S^here worfe Defigtis ^re earned on,
our.CDnverlktioil hath very. niLUch
dcgeaferated. . c t

IN order to reform our Lan-
guag 0^ h condeive, My Xia r p,
that 9 free judicious Choice ihoukl
be made, of ,fuch Perfons, as ate
generally ajlowfed to be beft qua-
lifiefd for fach a Work, without any.
f eg^rd to Quality, Party, or Profef-
fion. .'Thefe, td^ certain Number
at leaft, (hoiild ^flemble at fome
appofrited Time and Place, and
€x on Rules by. which they defiga
to proceed. What Methods they
will take, is not * for me to pre-
fcribf, IfQu? Lo R p s r|i p, and

' other

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up I ■.I'll, 9 <ji I ■ — 7 m — '^^^mmm^^mimmmmmmm^mmi^imKmmw^

90 J Letter to

other Perfons in :i§reat Emjploy>^
menty i might plejif^ to be of the
Number 5 and I am - ^m% fucli a
Socieity j i^ould Wani: Your ' lffftru«<
^on aild £xftmple> as tmidi; as
You^ VthteOtioai Fdrj I have-not
withoDi^a^^ little EmYi obferved of
latcy thif Style oi frnne great Mi-
nifters very much to exceed ifl^at of
any other Productions.

T HwE PerfoQs%hor are t0^??Jn-
dertakealiis Worfc'piwill have^the
Examp^nof theFrertch before them,
to irpititewhiere tHefe have proceed-
ed rights" and ^. to avoid their iMi-
, I ftakes;' ''Belide. tl^. Grammaf'part^
whefeiJriLwe are allowed td be- ve*
ry defei&ive, they ^l^^ill obferve ma-
ny gro^ Improprieties, w hich how^
evfr a^thorifed by Pradice, and
gro^^n femiliar, oiight to be dif*
eaB4ed4t They will fiadmatiy Wprds
that deferve to be - utterly thrown

out

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the- Lord High Treafurer.

<mt;.pf dur Language^ foaioy more
to be correiled ; .a^.perbsps not t
few, long fincc antiquated, which
pughv to be reftored, pij. account
of th^fr Energy and Sound.

B U.T wbat I have mo^ at

Hearf ip, that fome Metkod ihoM

bethought oafor afcertitimng and

fixing out Language forever, after

fuch Alterations are made in it as

^ftiall bfe thought requifite. ffx 1

(,fl am Qf Opinion, thlt^is better a

' Language fhoidd not be wholl/

per^fl:, than that it fliould be per-

petiiaHy changing; and we muft

BT,ptk«Jgive over at one Tim^ or at length

rlnfallibly change for the worfe : A«

the Romans did , when they began to

quit their Sim^icity of Style for af-

fefled Refinements; luch as we

meet in Tacitus and other Author?,

which ended by degrees in many

Barba-

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23 A Let ter^o

Barbarities^ even before the G^ths
had invaded /f«/j>. .

» * - , "

THE Fame of bUr Writers isr
ufually confined to t^efe tvsro Iflands,
and it is hard it ^ouldbe limited in
Timty as mueh as f*W^ by the per-
petual Variations of our Speech, ^t
is Your LbRDsttip's Obfervation,
that if^werenot for the hiUt and
Commdn Trayer Booh in the vulgar
Tongue) we ftiould hardly be able
to underftand any Thing that was
written among us an. hundred Years
ago : Which is certainly true : For
thofe Books being perpetually read
in Churches, have proved a kind of'
Standard for Language^ efpecially
to the corrimon People. And I
doubt whether the Alterations fince
introduced, have added much to
the Beauty or Strength ofthe Englifi>
Tongue, though they have taken off
a great deal from that SimfUdty^

which

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the Lord J^^h Trea/urer. ^|

ivhich is one of the greateii Perfer
£fcions in any Language* You^ Mf^
Lord, who ate fo cpnverfanc in
the Sacred Writings, and To great a
Judge of thetti in their Original^'
will agree, that no Tranflation out
Country ever yet prbduccdj hath
come up to that of the Old gnd Ke0
Tejimnenti And by the many beau?
dml Paflage% which I hav« ofteti
had the Honor to hear Your L o r i>«
tHtP cite from ^thence, I ampere]
fuaded^ diac the Tranflatots of the
Bible were Matters of an ^^U{k
Style much fitter for that Work/
than any wc 6ft in our preffRt Wd*
tings, which Icajce to be owing rd
the Simplicity that runs dirough the
"whole. Then, as to the greatcft
part of ttur Liturgy^ compiled Idng
oefbre the Tranilation of die <Bibk
now in ufe, and little altered :iince |
there feem to be in it as gr^ ftraihs
(af true iub^ime; Eloquence^ a$ are
. E ' any

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I i ■ ■ -^A-^L E. T T fe<ii fo

•atiy where to , be fefdiid^in bur Lan-
iP^gCj which: cT€ty IMan <5f good
-l^aSiie will dbierve ia die CoiumfiTfiin*
^Peri^f e\ fcHit of Bkrial, and ©the?

rlr B li^ U'hcrc I fay, tliac I would
liave cik ^Lariguage^ after it is duly
«orrc^^t#^ys to lad; I do not meaii
dtatit fii^dldWyetbe enlarged: Prbf
V&}i<^' ^liitur ho Wdrd which a So«
tic^'fftiall give a^San<5Hon to^-be
afterMi^alds abtiquated-^nd exploded^
^ef ttiiy liavc 'tibcniy to receive
ydtacever h€\^ -ottfes^ they (hall iindl
fiCciGm for: Beead^ then the old
Boi4»^U yet bfe^^hfays valuable,
acciwdiflg'to^their intrinfick WoiSh,
^rui no|; thrown afide on account of
pnidteh^i^e Woti^s and Phrar<^|
i«lii(!hp4ppeat harfli' and uncouth^
pniy 'ttecaufe they iarie- out of Ba-
Chioii; ^4. die <2^M^ Tongue con-
tinued ililgat iA chsu^'City tiU-chis
^i Tinic J

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the Lordi M^h Tr£(^rer, ^^^

Time 3 it wouldhaVe bcbtiafafdkite^fi
]y.riece(&iy from the mighajj Chzmo
ges that have been iskudi in Lanr)
and Religion 3 from the many Teems;
of Art required in Trade and ift
War 3 ironadie new Inter^i^nis that
have happened in.the: Wortd : Front
the.vaft fpreadingof NaYiption anill
Commeroe ^ • wath .many ? other iJb^
vious Gircumftainbes^ it» hiave mkdfti
gfeit Addiciohfi kb diatvJaitbguage^i
yet th;e Aocienti :w(sai&t&i^r>my&
been read, an^ imdeiflbqd^im !^kif^
foieand Eafe:. Tfe fii^Too^eg
reeeiTed iqasyi Bilirgcmfinti-l^
tween tlie yisnt ^f tArsm, saoditb^f
of ^M<irc4 -ycp the yfermer Autoc-
was. probably as wett.; undedldod^^iflr
Trajan s Tiinej as thclatpjc : Whafcj
Harate' fays .pf Woxikyg(iit^fiiff.0iii
perifnng Ul^lMttyes<faad M^imef c9tiH
ing in theih^laeey is'a MisfomdieJbc
laments\,' ifadiet than a Thin^Jifir
^^^ravcs J ; But I can ©pt fee^ whp

E '3 this

s

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^6 A Letter to

this ihould be abfolutely neceffaiy,
ocif it were, what would have be»
come of la&Monumemum dtre peren^^

WRITING by Memory ©tity;
2s I do at prefent, I would gladly
keep within my Depth ; and theie^*
fere (hall not enter into fiirther Par-
ticulars. Neither do rpretend mere
Alzh to (hew the Ufefulnefs of this
Def^, and to m^dce fome general
Obfervations, leaving the reft to thac^
Society, which I hope will owe its'
Inftitution and Patronage taYour
LoRBSHip. Befides, I would,
willingly avoid Repetition, having,
dbout a Year ago, communicated to~
die Piiblick, much of whatl'hadtb
^^er upon this Subje<% , by the
Hands of an ingenious^ Gendema%
who for a long Time did thrice a
;Week divert or inftratft die King-
dlom by his Papers 5 and isf fuppofe^

- • •'■. /. \q

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the Lord H^ Trea/urer. 37

J iii i m p ti i w m 1^ mwu iii ^ 1 i j i II III ,1,

to pur^ the fametDclign at prcfenry
un4et.<he Title ^i^Speifator. ' This
Author,- ^ho hath [tried the Borcc
aiid Gmlpars of our Language with
fo much Succcfs,a^cesemifel^ with
me iiiij\oll of pjy. Sentiments: rcla^
titig' tft.it J fo do .the grcatcft ^ part
cf thcr Mcli of Wit:, ai)d Learnings
whom I have h^ the Happinefs to
eonYcrfe wiiji 5> j^d therefore I ima-:
gint • that fuch a So^icqr would
be psttY unanii^s in the main
Point*," ;:.■ ■ ■

1 y «0 11 R )b o;r;P SHI? ttitjft al-
low/ that fuchr^Worfc as this,
brought to Perfe^ion, , wqul^iweiy'
much ixmahmti to the . Glor)? o£
Her MAtj!B3TT5,Rcign j whichiOught
ife rbe recorded in ' V^ords moft ■ du-
rable f ban Brafs, " and fuch as our
Pofterit^ff may read a ihouland Years
hence, with PleaT^e as well as Ad^*
mkiiiop\ I tia^vc '^ways difapprq^
" '.' ved

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^8 A LfiTTER m .

ved that falfe Gdmplimenc dd Pfin«
ces, that the moft lading >Moiiu«
ment they can^havt, is tnerHiian^
of their Subjedbv ft '\% indeed- their
greateft preient Fdicity to it\<m in
meir Sabjetfis Hearts ; but di^ are
too perifhable to 'gf cfavc dieif Me-
moriesy which can only be Ataek- by
d^ Pens of able and faidi&f Hifto-
rians; ? And I take it to i«i'¥out
EoKDs^ipVputy^ as ^nkie^t^
mfteff toi gite Older for it^^J^ing
onr Language, and rendring k& to
leoord the Hiftory of (o great and
good a Brine«l^ B^de4 Mf^'IS^^ d,
asdifintereded ills Yc^appeai-itathe
WoMd^ 1 am cteiiriflcc<^. diae no
Mart; is- more iti die iPower Afar
preyaiitig'fav6rli« ^n^am^i^ Tout
Self 5 f mean thWDefire oCcflicf indJ
tailing Honbr^ xvhicji ybb have boit]'
along with You Aough e»et^i Stage
of Year Life. To this Y^u.*av^'
o6ct>\facri|igedVtfti^ Intercft^^Your
•"> ' ' Eafe

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the L^ri^^^^reafurer, ^^

,Eafe^4!Sd YourHealdt: For prcfcr-
ving and cDi^rdiftig ^is^ you have
expoTed Your Perfon to fccrcc Trca-
cfacrjTy and sopcfl Violence* There
is not. perhaps aa Example in Hi«
ftorv of any Mniiler, ivho in (b
llMkt ^ time hath performed fo ma-
ny gi^at Things and overcome fa
many great Di$culties. Now, dio'
I am %lLy convinced, that You fear
Goc^ionbc Your> QjLJEEN^ and love
Yacu' iCountry, as much as any
©f YourFeHow*.8ubje<as 3 yetlmuft
believe dut the Defire of Fame
hath been no inconfiderable Motive
to ^iijuickcn You in the Parfuit of
chof& Actions which will beft deferve
k. But at die jQime time, ! mud
be fo plain as to tell Your Lo R p-
SHip, that('^ You will not take
ibme Care to fctde our Language,,
at^d put it into a ftate of Continu-
ance, I cannot promife that Your
Mctnocy; (hall be'preferved above

4 - ?w

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iW?--***!

40 A L;n,TT MR Jo

an ■ hundred Years, further than by
imperfe^ TfiJdicfpri; .

we. were: .' in forinef Centuries, there
was more effc^al Care taken by
our Anceftors, to prcferve the Me-,
mory. of Tihies aijd; Perfons,; dij^
we find; in this Age of Leatning
and Fotitcnefs^ as -We are .pleaied
to call it. Tlie .rude X4f/« -of ;thc
Monks., is ftill^nve^ intdligiHe}
whereas,, had their Records bcen.de-
livered down only, in the yulgat
Tongue, fo barren, and fo biarba*
rous, fo :fubjq<a to V continual fuc-
ceeding.. Changes, they could not
now.hi underftood, junlefs by An-
ti<}uaicjes. who made it their Study
«p expound. theral iAnd we raiA
at this Day have been content witk
fuch poor. Abftra^s^ of our En^^
Story, as.laborious Menof low Ge*
nius_.jv<jwl4 : think jfiC; to. give us 4

And

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. — |-irjri--| ■ — '^- ■■ ■ I

The L4ri ^gh Treafurer. 4.1

And even thefe in the next Age
Would be liliewife fwallowed up in
fucceeding CollecStions. If Tilings
go on at thi^ rate, all I can promife
Your LdRDSHtp is, that about
two huijdred Years hence , feme
painftit Gbmpiler, who will be at
the Troubk of ftudying Old Lan^
gbage, may inform the World, that
in Che Reigri of QUEEN ANNE ,
Robert Earl of Oxford, a
very wife and excellent Man, was
made High Treafurer, and faved his
Country, wliich in thbfe Days was
almoft ruined by a Foreign War, and
a Domejiii^k. FaBion. Thus much he
may be able to pick out, and wil-
ling to transfer into his new Hifto-
ty 5 but the reft of Your Chara<aerj
which I or any other Writer may
hojv value our felves by drawing,
and the particular Account of the
great Things done under Your Mi-*
niftry, for which You are already fe»

V eelsA

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42 A Letter to

celebrated in moft Parts of EuropCy
will probably be dropt, on accoiult
of the antii^uated Style, and Man-
ner they are delivered in*

HOW then fliall any Man who
hath a Genius for Hiftory, equal to
the beft of the Antients, be able to
undertake fuch a Work with Spirit
and Chearfulnefs, whenheconiiders,
that he will be read with Pleafure
buz a very few Years, and in an Age
or two {hall hardly be underftood
without an Interpreter?- This is like
employing an excellent Statuary to
work upon mouldring Stone. Thplc
who apply their Studies to preferve
the Mernory of others, will always
have feme Concern for their own.
And I believe it is for this Reafon,
that- fo few Writers among us, of
any Diftindion, have turned their
Thoughts to fuch adifcouraging Em-
ployment : For the beft EngU/h Hi-

ftorian

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" l ■■

the Lord Htgh 'Trea/urer. 43

ftorian muft lie under this Mortifi-
cation, that when his Style grows
antiquated, he will be only confi-
dcrcd as a tedious Rplator of JFa<5i:s ;
and perhaps confuked in his turn,
among other ncgle<5ted Authors, to
furnifli Materials for fome future
ColIe6tor.

r DOUBT, Your Lordship
is "bStlll entertained with a few fcat-i
tered Thoughts^ upon a SubjecSb that
defervcs to be treated with Ability and
Care : However, I muft beg leave to
add a few Wards more, perhaps not
altogether foreign to the fame Matter.
I know not whether that which I am
going to fay, may pafs for Caution,
Advice, or Reproach, any of which
will be juftly thought very improper
from one in my Station, to one in
Yours. However, J. muft venture to
affirm, that if Genius and Learning be
not encouraged under Your Lord-

F a ship's

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44- ^ Lbtter to

I »i I Mill I — ■;,.i ' ., ' . .\ . .„! .X

^Mip's Adminiftration, you are 13ie
moft inexcufable Pcr|bp alive. All
Youf .ocher Virtues, My Lord, will
be defej^ive without this 5 Your Af
fabilityj Candor, and good Nature 5
that perpetual agrceatdenefs of Coo*
verfation, fo difengagedin die ^idft
offuch a Weight ofBufinefs and Op'-
pofition 5 Even Your Juftice, Pru-
dence^ and Magnanimity, wilt fhine
lefs bright without it. Your LoRP*
SHIP is unTverfally allowed to poi^
fefs a very large Portion in moft
^arts of Literature 5 and to this Yoii
owe the cultivating thofe many Vir-
tues, which otherwife would have
been lefs adorned, or in lower Per-
fection. Neither can You ac<juit your
jfelf of thefe Obligations, without hzf
ting the Arts, in their turn, fliare Your
Influence and Protection : ^fides,
who knows, but fome true Genius
may happen to arife under Your Mir-
V^vf^exortus ut iHtherim Sol. Every

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The Lord Hijg/> freafurer. 45

Age might perliaps product one or
tw^oli thcfb to gdprn ir, if they were
jiqt fiink under the Cenfure and Ob'
loquy of plodding, fervile, imitating
Pedants. I do not naean by a true
Genius, any bold Wri^ci; who breaks
through th$ Rules of Decency to di'
ftinguifh him^felf by the fingularity of
Opinions j but one, who upon a de-
serving Subjc<5t, is able to open new
Scenes, and difcover a Vein of true
and noble thinking, whicb never en-
tered into any Imagination before :
Evcsy Ssroke of whofePen,is worth ail
the Paper blotted' by Hundreds of
Others in the compals of their Lives.
i know, My Lord^ Your Friends
will offer in Your Defence, that in
Your private Capacity, You never
tefus'd YourPurfe and Credit to the
Service and Support of learned or jn-
genious Men 3 and that ever fince
You have been in publick Employ-
ment, You have conftantly beftowed

Your

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46 ..A Letter tty

Your Favours to the moft deferving
Pcrfons. But I defire Your Lordship
not to bfc deceived : We never will a^i-
mit of thefe Excufes, nor will allow
Your private Liberality, as great as it
is, to attone for Your exceffive pub-
lick Thrift. But here again, lam afraid
moft good Subje(Sts will interpofe in
Your Defence^ by alledging the def-'
perare Condition You found the Na-
tion in, and the Neceflity there was
for fo able and faithful a Steward, to
rietrieve it,if poflible,l>y the utmoft Fru-
gality. We grant all this. My Lord 5
but then, it ought likewife to be con-
lidered, that You have already faved
feveral Millions to the Publick, and
that what we ask, is too inconiidera-
ble to break into any Rules of the
ftriftcft good Husbandry. The Vrznch
K^rig beftows about half a dozen Pen-
fions to learned Men in feveral Parts
of Europe^ and perhaps a dozen in his
own Kingdom j which, in the whole,

do

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the Lord Htgh Trmfurer, 47

do probably not amount to half the
Income of many a private Commo-
ner in England^ yet have more contri-
buted to the Glory of that Prince, than
any Million he hath othcrwife em-
ployed. For Learning, like all true
Merit, is eafily fatisfied, whilft the
Falfe and Counterfeit is perpetually
craving^ and never thinks it hath
enough. The fmalleft Favour
given by a Great Prince, as a
Mark of Efteem, to reward the En-
dowments of the Mind, never fails to
be .returned with Praifc and Gratitude,
and loudly celebrated to the World.
I have known fome Years ago, fe-
vcral Penfions given to particular
Perfons, (how defervedly I fliall not
enquire) any one of which> if divid-
ed into fmaller Parcels, and diftri-
buted by the Crown, to thofe .who
might, upon occafion, diftinguifli
themfclves by fome extraordinary
Frodui^ion of Wit or Learning,

would

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^

4$^ yf; Letter to

would be amply fufficient to anfwcr
the End. Or if ^ny fuch Perfons.
were above Money, (as every great
Gehim certainly is, with very mode-
rate Convcniencies of Life) a Medal,
or fome Mark of Diftindion, would
do fiill as well .

BUT t forgive ray Pfovihce, and
find my felf turning Projector before
I am aware 5 although it be one of
the laft Char^ders under which 1
fliould defire to appear before Your
Lordship, cfpecially when I have
the., Ambition of afpiring to that of
beinSy with the greateft Reipec^ and
Truirn,

A^ L O R D,
Tear Lordship's

Loudon,
Feb. zz.
1711,12.

J. SwiFT^

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