fucceeded by the Saxon, and after that, the Saxon blended with The Service of God, called Religion, they called Ean-partner, as the only Af The Gladfome Tidings of Salvation, which the Greeks call Evaysiλor, they called Our Saviour, in French Savieur, of Salvator, Lat. they called Al-hael, i. e. All The Pharifees, Sunden halgens, i. e. Religious Men, which had fundered and fee The Scribes, Boc-Men, i. e. Book-Men. The Sacrament, paligoom, i. e. Holy Judgment. Fertility, Conder Wele, i.e. the Wealth of the Earth.. The Judgment, Dome-retule, i.e. the Settling of Doom. A Parliament, Witten-mot, i. e. an Affembly of Wife Men. Confcience, Inpit, i. e. that which they did inwardly wot or know certainly. JANUARY [Wulpe-Mona, Sax. i. e. Wolf-Month] becaufe in that Month the FEBRUARY [Sprout-Kele, Sax. i. e. Cole-Wort or Spring-Wort] because MARCH [Lence Monao, Sax. i. e. the Lengthening Month] because then the APRIL [Oorren-Monað, Sax.] because their Eafter generally fell in April, JUNE [Mede-Mona, Sax. i, e. Meadow-Month] because then their Cattle were JULY [Pey-Monað, Sax. i. e, Hay-Month] because then they generally cut AUGUST [Aɲn-Monað, Sax, i. e. Barn-Month] because they then filled their SEPTEMBER [Genre-Monax, Sax. i. e. Grift-Month] because they carried OCTOBER [Wyn-Monað, Sax. i. e. Wine-Month] because then Grapes were NOVEMBER [Tynde-Mona, Sax. i.e. Windy-Month] becaufe of the high DECEMBER [Wynzen-Monað, Sax.i.e. Winter-Month] because of the Cold I I fhall only add one Piece of Saxon Antiquity more, and fo proceed, which is the Lord's Prayer in the Saxon Language, written about the Year of Chrift 900, by Alfred Bishop of Purham. come be Vnen paden Sic and in peopnar ric gehalgud din noma Amen. Amen. Debts ours, and By these Inftances it does appear, that the English Saxon Language, of which the Normans defpoiled us in great Part, had its Beauties, was fignificant and emphatical, and preferable to what they impofed upon us. This may fuffice for the Mutation of our Language upon the firft Caufe of it, which was Conqueft: I now proceed to the other Two. Secondly, As to Commerce, the Britains having been of a long Time a Trading Nation, as it generally happens, we have had many Words introduced by that Means; and befides, Britain having been a confiderable Time under Subjection to the See of Rome in Ecclefiaftical Affairs, the Italians coming over hither to manage the Pope's Concerns, and others for Church Dignities, and many Britains going hence to Rome on account of Ecclefiaftical Suits, Priefthoods, Abbacies, and Bishopricks, must unavoidably introduce fome Italian Words among us. Thirdly, As to the particular Properties of a Language, our Tongue has undergone no fmall Mutation, or rather has received no fmall Improvement upon that Account; for as to the Greek and Latin, the Learned have, together with the Arts and Sciences (now rendered very familiar among us) introduced Abundance, nay almost all the Terms of Arts in the Mathematicks, Philofophy, Phyfick, and Anatomy, with many others. from them; and many more have we entertained from the Latin, French, &c. for the Sake of Neatnefs and Elegancy. So that at this Day our Language, which 1800 Years ago was the ancient British or Welf, is now a Mixture of Saxon, Teutonick tonick, Dutch, Danish, Norman, and Modern French, ember lifhed with the Greek and Latin. Yet is not this, I think, any Difparagement to the English Tongue as now fpoke (for this Change is nothing but what all Languages have been liable to, and have undergone, and do interchangeably participate each with other, having likewife enfranchised many Words from the Latin and Greek, tho' perhaps not fo many as we) but it rather makes to the Advantage of its Character; for by tranfplanting Foreign Words into our Native Soil, and new forming them, we have fo enriched it, that now it is become the moft Copious and Significant Language in Europe, if not in the World. 66 as Thus Camden faid of it in his Time," That though he would "not fay the English Tongue was as facred as the Hebrew, or learned as the Greek, yet that it was as fluent as the Latin, as courteous as the Spanish, as courtlike as the French, and as amorous as the Italian; fo that being beautified and enriched "out of other Tongues, partly by enfranchising and indeni❝ zoning Foreign Words, partly by implanting new ones with "artful Compofition, our Tongue is as copious, pithy and fig"nificative as any other in Europe." And Dr. Heylin fays of it, "That whereas the English "Tongue is a Compound of Latin, French, Dutch, &c. it ra"ther adds to its Perfection, than detracts any thing from its "Worth, fince out of every Language we have culled the "moft fignificant Words, and equally participate of what is "excellent in them, their Imperfections being rejected: For it is neither fo boifterous as the Dutch, nor fo effeminate "as the French, yet as fignificant as the Latin, and, in the "happy Conjunction of two or more Words in one, little "inferior to the Greek." If then the English Tongue, in the Opinion of these learned Authors, deferved this Character in their Time, how much more now, having fince received fo confiderable Improvements from so many celebrated Writers ? Having given this fhort Account, by what Steps and Gradations the English Tongue is arrived to be what it now is, I fhall proceed to give a brief Account of the Method I have taken in the following Work. It is not my Defign to depreciate the Labours of those worthy Authors, whofe Writings of this kind have faved me much Pains: I fhall only fay, as, facile eft inventis addere, in perusing the beft Books of this kind extant, I have found in them both a Redundancy and Deficiency; the former of which I have omitted, to make room for the latter, having enriched this with feveral thoufand English Words and Phrafes in no English Dictionary before extant. As for the Etymological Part, or thofe Words from Foreign Languages, whence the English Words were derived, I think I am the first who has attempted it in English, except what Mr. Blunt has done in his Gloffography, which is a very small Part, and thofe of a Latin Derivation chiefly, befides a small Extract of Dr. Skinner's Etymologicon. However, I fhall not enlarge at prefent upon the Usefulness of that Part, fuppofing that fuch Perfons who understand the Languages need no fuch Information; and as to thofe who do not, the Etymological Part is feparated fo diftinctly from the reft, being inclosed within Crotchets, that they may pass it over without any manner of Trouble or Inconvenience. In order to the more easy apprehending the Method I have taken, I fhall give the following Account: 1. In thofe Words of a Northern Derivation, I have generally given the Saxon Word firft, from whence the English Word, in all Probability, was derived; and afterwards the Teutonick, Danish, and Low-Dutch, where I have found them in the fame, or a cognate Signification. 2. In many Words, for which no Saxon Words are to be found, I have given the Teutonick, Low-Dutch, Danish, or others, where they are to be found of the fame or a like Signification, though it is very probable they came to us immediately from the Saxon Tongue; but the Fewness of the Books we have now left in the Saxon Language does not furnish us with them; and inafmuch as it is certain, that the English Saxon is no other than a Dialect of the ancient Teutonick, it appears therefore the more probable. 3. In Words derived from the Southern Languages, I have fet down the French, and afterwards frequently the Italian and Spanish, if they have them in the fame or a like Signification; and lastly, the Latin, from which probably they were all derived. 4. In Terms of Art, as Anatomy, Chymistry, Lagick, Mathematicks, Philofophy, Phyfick, Surgery, and others, I have generally given the French, if they have them, then the Latin, and afterwards the Greek, from whence they generally proceeded. 5. In many Words of a Latin or Greek Original, not properly Terms of Art, I have likewife in the first Place set the French,afterwards the Latin and Greek, fo far complying with those who are of Opinion, that we have them immediately, or in the first Place, from the French; though I cannot entirely give into that Notion, for Reasons which will appear in fome of the following Articles. 6. Thus 6. Thus much in the general, but more particularly as for those Words which the French have very near in Spelling, and alfo the Latin, I have fet down the French firft, and after the Latin, from which they are derived. 7. In Nouns, especially those that end in ion, as Salvation, Generation, &c. which are evidently derived from the Latin, to avoid the Swelling of the Book, by fetting down the Latin and French Words, I have put F. of L. at the End of the Paragraph, which fignifies the Words, Generation, Salvation, &c. are as well French as English literally, which come of the Latin, Salvatio, Generatio, &c. and differ only by the Addition of n at the End. 8. In other Nouns, where the English Word is pure Latin, and the French differs in Spelling, in fome Letter or Letters, as Author, L. Autheur, F. I have fet the French within a Crotchet, and L. at the End, which denotes the Word to be almoft literally Latin. 9. In many Adjectives in ive, as conclufive, &c. which are not found in Latin Dictionaries, though they might be analogically formed, as well as the Adverb conclufive, I have omitted to fet L. at the End. 10. In Adjectives and Participles, I have omitted to set down the French, because it appears plain to me, they were rather derived of the Latin than the French, as Defolate, of Defolatus, L. rather than Defolé, F. This may fuffice for the rest. 11. As to Verbs, I have for the most part fet down the Latin Supines, as the Words from which the English are immediately derived, rather than the Infinitive Moods, efpecially thofe of the third Conjugation in Latin, because nearer in the Spelling, as to collect, from Collectum, Supine, rather than Colligere, Infinitive, for the Reafon before-mentioned. I have not confined myself to derive from thofe Latin Words only, that may be found in Authours call'd Claffick, or of the pureft Ages of the Latin Tongue; fince it is evident we have derived from many Latin Words, which have been handed down. to us by Writers of a later Date, Schoolmen, Philofophers, Phyficians, Mathematicians, and others. If any of thofe Words, given as the Etymon of the English Word, fhould be thought too remote in Senfe or Spelling, it may be fufficient to obviate fuch an Objection, that nothing is more common in the tranfplanting Words from one Language to another, than to make confiderable Variations; as in the Word Knave, from the Saxon Cnapa, which differs literally and in Senfe too; for it fignified in Saxon Times no more than Servitor, but now generally is used to fignify a dishonest Perfon. And as |