part20-第14章

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will　be　followed；　and　that　it　cannot　fail　to　be　one　of　the

efficacious　means　of　promoting　that　cordial　good　will；　which　it　is　so

much　the　interest　of　both　nations　to　cherish。　　These　teachers　can

never　utter　an　unfriendly　sentiment　towards　their　native　country；　and

those　into　whom　their　instructions　will　be　infused；　are　not　of

ordinary　significance　only：　they　are　exactly　the　persons　who　are　to

succeed　to　the　government　of　our　country；　and　to　rule　its　future

enmities；　its　friendships　and　fortunes。　　As　it　is　our　interest　to

receive　instruction　through　this　channel；　so　I　think　it　is　yours　to

furnish　it；　for　these　two　nations　holding　cordially　together；　have

nothing　to　fear　from　the　united　world。　　They　will　be　the　models　for

regenerating　the　condition　of　man；　the　sources　from　which

representative　government　is　to　flow　over　the　whole　earth。




　　　　　　　　I　learn　from　you　with　great　pleasure；　that　a　taste　is　reviving

in　England　for　the　recovery　of　the　Anglo…Saxon　dialect　of　our

language；　for　a　mere　dialect　it　is；　as　much　as　those　of　Piers

Plowman；　Gower；　Douglas；　Chaucer；　Spenser；　Shakspeare；　Milton；　for

even　much　of　Milton　is　already　antiquated。　　The　Anglo…Saxon　is　only

the　earliest　we　possess　of　the　many　shades　of　mutation　by　which　the

language　has　tapered　down　to　its　modern　form。　　Vocabularies　we　need

for　each　of　these　stages　from　Somner　to　Bailey；　but　not　grammars　for

each　or　any　of　them。　　The　grammar　has　changed　so　little；　in　the

descent　from　the　earliest；　to　the　present　form；　that　a　little

observation　suffices　to　understand　its　variations。　　We　are　greatly

indebted　to　the　worthies　who　have　preserved　the　Anglo…Saxon　form；

from　Doctor　Hickes　down　to　Mr。　Bosworth。　　Had　they　not　given　to　the

public　what　we　possess　through　the　press；　that　dialect　would　by　this

time　have　been　irrecoverably　lost。　　I　think　it；　however；　a　misfortune

that　they　have　endeavored　to　give　it　too　much　of　a　learned　form；　to

mount　it　on　all　the　scaffolding　of　the　Greek　and　Latin；　to　load　it

with　their　genders；　numbers；　cases；　declensions；　conjugations；　&c。

Strip　it　of　these　embarrassments；　vest　it　in　the　Roman　type　which　we

have　adopted　instead　of　our　English　black　letter；　reform　its　uncouth

orthography；　and　assimilate　its　pronunciation；　as　much　as　may　be；　to

the　present　English；　just　as　we　do　in　reading　Piers　Plowman　or

Chaucer；　and　with　the　cotemporary　vocabulary　for　the　few　lost　words；

we　understand　it　as　we　do　them。　　For　example；　the　Anglo…Saxon　text　of

the　Lord's　prayer；　as　given　us　6th　Matthew；　ix。；　is　spelt　and　written

thus；　in　the　equivalent　Roman　type：　〃Faeder　ure　thu　the　eart　in

heofenum；　si　thin　nama　gehalgod。　　to　becume　thin　rice。　　gewurthe　thin

willa　on　eorthan。　　swa　swa　on　heofenum。　　urne　daeghwamlican　hlaf　syle

us　to　daeg。　　and　forgyf　us　ure　gyltas；　swa　swa　we　forgifath　urum

gyltendum。　　and　ne　ge…laedde　thu　us　on　costnunge；　ac　alys　us　of

yfele'。　　I　should　spell　and　pronounce　thus：　'Father　our；　thou　tha　art

in　heavenum。　　si　thine　name　y…hallowed。　　come　thin　ric。　　y…wurth

thine　will　on　earthan。　　so　so　on　heavenum。　　ourn　daywhamlican　loaf

sell　us　to　day。　　and　forgive　us　our　guilts　so　so　we　forgivath　ourum

guiltendum。　　and　no　y…lead　thou　us　on　costnunge；　ac　a…lease　us　of

evil'。　　And　here　it　is　to　be　observed　by…the…bye；　that　there　is　but

the　single　word　〃temptation〃　in　our　present　version　of　this　prayer

that　is　not　Anglo…Saxon；　for　the　word　〃trespasses〃　taken　from　the

French；　（｛ofeilemata｝　in　the　original）　might　as　well　have　been

translated　by　the　Anglo…Saxon　〃guilts。〃




　　　　　　　　The　learned　apparatus　in　which　Dr。　Hickes　and　his　successors

have　muffled　our　Anglo…Saxon；　is　what　has　frightened　us　from

encountering　it。　　The　simplification　I　propose　may；　on　the　contrary；

make　it　a　regular　part　of　our　common　English　education。




　　　　　　　　So　little　reading　and　writing　was　there　among　our　Anglo…Saxon

ancestors　of　that　day；　that　they　had　no　fixed　orthography。　　To

produce　a　given　sound；　every　one　jumbled　the　letters　together；

according　to　his　unlettered　notion　of　their　power；　and　all　jumbled

them　differently；　just　as　would　be　done　at　this　day；　were　a　dozen

peasants；　who　have　learnt　the　alphabet；　but　have　never　read；　desired

to　write　the　Lord's　prayer。　　Hence　the　varied　modes　of　spelling　by

which　the　Anglo…Saxons　meant　to　express　the　same　sound。　　The　word

_many_；　for　example；　was　spelt　in　twenty　different　ways；　yet　we

cannot　suppose　they　were　twenty　different　words；　or　that　they　had

twenty　different　ways　of　pronouncing　the　same　word。　　The　Anglo…Saxon

orthography；　then；　is　not　an　exact　representation　of　the　sounds　meant

to　be　conveyed。　　We　must　drop　in　pronunciation　the　superfluous

consonants；　and　give　to　the　remaining　letters　their　present　English

sound；　because；　not　knowing　the　true　one；　the　present　enunciation　is

as　likely　to　be　right　as　any　other；　and　indeed　more　so；　and

facilitates　the　acquisition　of　the　language。




　　　　　　　　It　is　much　to　be　wished　that　the　publication　of　the　present

county　dialects　of　England　should　go　on。　　It　will　restore　to　us　our

language　in　all　its　shades　of　variation。　　It　will　incorporate　into

the　present　one　all　the　riches　of　our　ancient　dialects；　and　what　a

store　this　will　be；　may　be　seen　by　running　the　eye　over　the　county

glossaries；　and　observing　the　words　we　have　lost　by　abandonment　and

disuse；　which　in　sound　and　sense　are　inferior　to　nothing　we　have

retained。　　When　these　local　vocabularies　are　published　and　digested

together　into　a　single　one；　it　is　probable　we　shall　find　that　there

is　not　a　word　in　Shakspeare　which　is　not　now　in　use　in　some　of　the

counties　in　England；　from　whence　we　may　obtain　its　true　sense。　　And

what　an　exchange　will　their　recovery　be　for　the　volumes　of　idle

commentaries　and　conjectures　with　which　that　divine　poet　has　been

masked　and　metamorphosed。　　We　shall　find　in　him　new　sublimities　which

we　had　never　tasted　before；　and　find　beauties　in　our　ancient　poets

which　are　lost　to　us　now。　　It　is　not　that　I　am　merely　an　enthusiast

for　Palaeology。　　I　set　equal　value　on　the　beautiful　engraftments　we

have　borrowed　from　Greece　and　Rome；　and　I　am　equally　a　friend　to　the

encouragement　of　a　judicious　neology；　a　language　cannot　be　too　rich。

The　more　copious；　the　more　susceptible　of　embellishment　it　will

become。　　There　are　several　things　wanting　to　promote　this

improvement。　　To　reprint　the　Saxon　books　in　modern　type；　reform　their

orthography；　publish　in　the　same　way　the　treasures　still　existing　in

manuscript。　　And；　more　than　all　things；　we　want　a　dictionary　on　the

plan　of　Stephens　or　Scapula；　in　which　the　Saxon　root；　placed

alphabetically；　shall　be　followed　by　all　its　cognate　modifications　of

nouns；　verbs；　&c。；　whether　Anglo…Saxon；　or　found　in　the　dialects　of

subsequent　ages。　　We　want；　too；　an　elaborate　history　of　the　English

language。　　In　time　our　country　may　be　able　to　co…operate　with　you　in

these　labors；　of　common　advantage；　but　as　yet　it　is　too　much　a　blank；

calling　for　other　and　more　pressing　attentions。　　We　have　too　much　to

do　in　the　improvements　of　which　it　is　susceptible；　and　which　are

deemed　more　immediately　useful。　　Literature　is　not　yet　a　distinct

profession　with　us。　　Now　and　then　a　strong　mind　arises；　and　at　its

intervals　of　leisure　from　business；　emits　a　flash　of　light。　　But　the

first　object　of　young　societies　is　bread　and　covering；　science　is　but

secondary　and　subsequent。




　　　　　　　　I　owe　apology　for　this　long　letter。　　It　must　be　found　in　the

circumstance　of　its　subject　having　made　an　interesting　part　in　the

tenor　of　your　letter；　and　in　my　attachment　to　it。　　It　is　a　hobby

which　too　often　runs　away　with　me　where　I　meant　not　to　give　up　the

rein。　　Our　youth　seem　disposed　to　mount　it　with　me；　and　to　begin

their　course　where　mine　is　ending。




　　　　　　　　Our　family　recollects　with　pleasure　the　visit　with　which　you

favored　us；　and　join　me　in　assuring　you　of　our　friendly　and

respectful　recollections；　and　of　the　gratification　it　will　ever　be　to

us　to　hear　of　yo