be intelligible to persons accustomed to take a wide range in English reading: Figs outed Turkey-figs offed Turkey-figs proceeded Turkey-figs forthed Turkey-figs fored or fared Turkey. We have fare still both as a verb and noun, denoting foreing or going forth; and farewell is still the compliment at parting when a friend, neighbour or acquaintance leaves, goes off, from or out of the place, country, &c. Observe farewell was originally said to the person departing, expressing a wish that he might fare, fore, go, or travel well or safely, prosperously, &c.

The intelligent reader will perceive the connexion among the following word: foris, forest, foreign, fro, from, forth, buga, bugalev, door, through, thorough &c. Many words beginning with for or fore will appear more intelligible by spelling them from or fro: as forego, frogo; forget, froget; forsake, froseek; forbear, frobear; forbid, frobid; forgive, frogive; pardon, perdon or prodon ;-forlorn, frolorn; forswear, froswear, &c. It will be perceived also that off and out are contractions resolvable into the same origin as from, fro, forth, &c.

Dr. Crombie, repeating after Horne Tooke, says, "or is a contraction of oder, a Saxon word signifying contrary, or sometimes merely different." It is really to be wished that authors would think more and rote less. I would if possible give the Doctor the respect due to a philosophic scholar, but there is so much in his grammar constantly rising up in judgment against him that I have much difficulty to re

strain the force of my convictions. Horne Tooke had a reason for resolving words into Saxon or Gothic nouns and verbs. His favourite theory-the northern origin, was ever and anon running away with his understanding; but why should sincere worshipers of mother Rome dance after northern lights, or wander in Gothic darkness? Oder, other, either, ¿TEgos, or, else, &c. are all contractions of alter, whose etymology will be given when we come to treat of the Latin language. Custom may have given different offices, or rather posts in composition to different forms of the same word; but or, else, otherwise, &c. are plainly synonymous: thus, the tender ears and manners of accomplished petits maîtres would go into hysterics with rough handling, or I would speak more plainly and pointedly to them of their silly systems of learning-else I would speak more plainly and pointedly-otherwise I would speak more plainly and pointedly. In all such exceptive modes of expression or, else, otherwise, &c. are evidently negative, and might be changed into—if not-were it not-but for, and the like. Dr. Crombie tries his microscopic skill at hair-splitting on or by representing it as sometimes disjunctive and sometimes sub-disjunctive; but my poor understanding is not metaphysical enough for such nice, vacuous distinctions.

DIMINUTIVES.

The class of words included under this denomination will not detain us long. We have not now any regular diminutive termination in the English language; but ling might be restored to its wonted use without much violence to present usage or English ears: as grammaticling, philosophling, thinkling, criticling, &c. The conveniency and expressiveness of such a termination is evident: one of the greatest charms of the Scottish dialect is the diminutive termination ock or y: as lassock or lassy; laddock or laddie for little lad, little lass. Burns addressing the mouse, says:

"Timorous beasty, what a panic's in thy breasty."

In this age of little maîtres I should be glad to see some form of our ancient diminutive revived; and indeed we cannot speak appropriately on many occasions without saying metaphysicling, authorling, hireling, lordling, dukeling, squireling, priestling, &c.

Observe all the diminutive or diminishing terminations of our language are like lyte, lit, little, &c. contractions of klein, which yet remains in Dutch and German as a separate word signifying little. Contracted into ock it appears in such words as bullock, hillock: softened into ish it is affixed to adjectives; saltish, a little salt; sweetish, a little

sweet; blackish, a little black it is contracted into kin in mannikin, &c. ; into ket (as child into chit) in pocket, a little pouch, poke, bag, &c.; or quet, paroquet, pacquet or packet; en in kitten, which is kitlin in Scotch; ling in gosling, properly gooseling; firstling, yearling, &c.

Observe: child, chit, kid, foal, filius, cul, the Latin diminutive, culex, day-os, and a hundred other words are all expressive of the same idea, and all resolvable into child, or any creature newly born; the reason of whose name is sufficiently obvious. Men who are constantly talking without thinking, speak of this idea being relative, and that idea being relative; but all ideas are relative; and the relative littleness of calf, foal, child, &c. is so obvious and striking that their name could hardly fail to be employed to denote diminutiveness and diminution in general, or in the abstract as a metaphysician would term it. The name of any other object (and all written language originated in visible objects) remarkably and proverbially little, might be employed for the same purpose: as mite, minnow, shrimp, shrub, mouse, wren, jot, dot, tittle: or as the name of the head or highest member, or part of the human body is employed in all the dialects to denote highness and greatness in general; so the name of the foot, or lowest member, might be employed (and has been employed) to denote lowness and littleness in general. Still, however, it would be proper to enquire how these or any objects remarkably and proverbially lit

tle came to receive their names; in other words, it would be proper to enquire into the reason or cause of their name; but this enquiry, though important would take us too far from our immediate purpose: enough has been said to unfold the nature of diminutives in general, and to show that the usual and as it were universal diminutive, is resolvable into the name of child, cild, &c.; the etymon of which is sufficiently obvious.

Thus I have finished what I intended concerning the component parts of speech: every word which may be considered as belonging to this classification has not been particularly noticed: but I have brought all those words into view which I thought most likely to be mistaken or to occasion difficulty. My English Dictionary will be the proper place for explaining fully and minutely the whole of the English language; which with the other philological works contemplated by me, and in a state of progress, will, I trust, completely unvail the nature of language in general, as well as the Hebrew, Latin and English languages in particular.