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In the present publication I should undoubtedly have conformed to his wishes, if I had not imagined that, by inserting the Anglo-Saxon and Gothic characters in this place, I might possibly allure some of my readers to familiarize themselves with those characters, by an application of them to the few words of those languages which are here introduced: and thus lead the way to their better acquaintance with the parent language, which ought long ago to have made a part of the education of our youth. And I flatter myself that one of the consequences of my present inquiry will be to facilitate and abridge the tedious and mistaken method of instruction which has too long continued in our seminaries: the time which is at present allotted to Latin and Greek, being amply sufficient for the acquirement also of French, Italian, Anglo-Saxon, Dutch, German, Danish and Swedish. Which will not seem at all extraordinary, when it is considered that the five last mentioned (together with the English) are little more than different dialects of one and the same language. And though this was by no means the leading motive, nor is the present object of my inquiry; yet I think it of considerable importance: although I do not hold the acquisition of languages in so very great estimation as the Emperor Charles the Vth did; who, as Brantome tells us, "disoit et répétoit souvent, quand il tomboit sur la beauté des langues, (selon l'opinion des Turcs)qu'autant de langues que l'homme sçait parler, autant de fois est-il homme."

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CHAPTER VII.

OF CONJUNCTIONS.

H.-I was afraid of some such instances as these, when I wished to postpone the whole consideration of this subject till after we had discussed the other received Parts of Speech. Because, in order to explain it, I must forestall something of what I had to say concerning Conjunctions. However, since the question is started, perhaps it may be as well to give it here.

The truth of the matter is, that IF is merely a Verb. It is merely the Imperative of the Gothic and Anglo-Saxon verb FIFAN, Lipan. And in those languages, as well as in the English formerly, this supposed Conjunction was pronounced and written as the common Imperative, purely гIE, LF, Gif.

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And accordingly our corrupted Ir has always the signification of the English Imperative Give; and no other. So that the resolution of the construction in the instances you have produced, will be as before in the others.

Resolution." His feelings be the same with mine, GIVE THAT, I wonder he can move," &c.

"The King may have forgotten your good deserts, GIVE THAT in any way, he bids you name your griefs."

And here, as an additional proof, we may observe, that whenever the Datum, upon which any conclusion depends, is a sentence, the Article THAT, if not expressed, is always understood, and may be inserted after IF. As in the instance I have produced above, the Poet might have said,

Gif that she can be reclaimed," &c.

For the resolution is-"She can be reclaimed, Give that; my largesse hath lotted her to be your brother's mistresse. She cannot be reclaimed, Give that; my largesse hath lotted her to be your brother's prey."

1 Sad Shepherd, act 2. scene 1.

But the Article THAT is not understood, and cannot be inserted after IF, where the Datum is not a sentence, but some Noun governed by the Verb IF or GIVE. As,

Example." How will the weather dispose of you tomorrow? IF fair, it will send me abroad; IF foul, it will keep me at home."

Here we cannot say " IF THAT fair it will send me abroad; IF THAT foul it will keep me at home."-Because in this case the verb IF governs the Noun; and the resolved construction is,

"GIVE fair weather, it will send me abroad; GIVE foul weather, it will keep me at home."

But make the Datum a sentence, As-"IF it is fair weather, it will send me abroad; IF it is foul weather, it will keep me at home: "

And then the article THAT is understood, and may be inserted after IF; As-"IF THAT it is fair weather, it will send me abroad; IF THAT it is foul weather, it will keep me at home." The resolution then being,

"It is fair weather, GIVE THAT; it will send me abroad; It is foul weather, GIVE THAT; it will keep me at home."

And this you will find to hold universally, not only with IF; but with many other supposed Conjunctions, such as, But that, Unless that, Though that, Lest that, &c. (which are really Verbs) put in this manner before the Article THAT.

B.-One word more to clear up a difficulty which occurs to me concerning your account of IF, and I have done.

We have in English another word which (though now rather obsolete) used frequently to supply the place of IF. As-" AN you had any eye behind you, you might see more detraction at your heels, than fortunes before you."

In this and in all similar instances, what is AN? For I can by no means agree with the account which Dr. S. Johnson gives of it in his Dictionary: and I do not know that any other person has ever attempted to explain it.

H.-How does he account for it?

B.-He

says,—"

"AN is sometimes in old authors a contraction of And if" Of which he gives a very unlucky in

1 Twelfth Night, act 2. scene 8.

stance from Shakespeare;' where both AN and IF are used in the same line.

"He cannot flatter, He!

An honest mind and plain: he must speak Truth:
AN they will take it,-So. IF not; He's plain."

Where, if AN was a contraction of AND IF; AN and IF should rather change places.

H.-I can no more agree with Dr. S. Johnson than you do. A part of one word only, employed to shew that another word is compounded with it, would indeed be a curious method of con-traction. Though even this account of it would serve my purpose. But the truth will serve it better: and therefore I thank you for your difficulty. It is a fresh proof, and a very strong one in my favour. AN is also a Verb, and may very well supply the place of IF; it being nothing else but the Imperative of the Anglo-Saxon verb Anan, which likewise means to Give, or to Grant.

B.-It seems indeed to be so.

But, if so, how can it ever be made to signify AS IF? For which also, as well as for And if, Johnson says AN is a con-traction."

H.-It never signifies As if: nor is ever a contraction of them.

B.-Johnson however advances Addison's authority for it. "My next pretty correspondent, like Shakespeare's Lion in Pyramus and Thisbe, roars AN it were any nightingale."

H.-If Addison had so written, I should answer roundly, that he had written false English. But he never did so write. He only quoted it in mirth and ridicule, as the author wrote it. And Johnson, an Editor of Shakespeare, ought to have known and observed it. And then, instead of Addison's or even Shakespeare's authority, from whom the expression is borrowed; he should have quoted Bottom's, the Weaver: whose language corresponds with the character Shakespeare has given him,

1 Lear, act 2. scene 6.

This arbitrary method of contraction is very useful to an idle or ignorant expositor. It will suit any thing. S. Johnson also says AN'T, a contraction for And it; or rather And if it; as-An't please you that is, And if it please you." It is merely-AN it please you.

"

"The shallow'st thickskull of that barren sort, viz.
A crew of Patches, rude Mechanicals,
That work for Bread upon Athenian Stalls."

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"I will aggravate my voice so (says Bottom) that I will roar you as gently as any sucking Dove: I will roar you AN 'twere any nightingale."

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If Johnson is satisfied with such authority as this, for the different signification and propriety of English words, he will find enough of it amongst the clowns in all our comedies; and Master Bottom in particular in this very sentence will furnish him with many new meanings. But, I believe, Johnson will not find AN used for As if, either seriously or clownishly, in any other part of Addison or Shakespeare; except in this specch of Bottom, and in another of Hostess Quickly-" He made a finer end, and went away AN it had been any Christom child."

B.-In English then, it seems, these two words which have been called conditional Conjunctions (and whose force and manner of signification, as well as of all the others, we are directed by Mr. Locke to search after in "the several views, postures, stands, turns, limitations, and exceptions, and several other thoughts of the mind, for which we have either none or very deficient names") are, according to you, merely the original Imperatives of the verbs to Give or to Grant.

Now let me understand you. I do not mean to divert you into an etymological explanation of each particular word of other languages, or even of the English, and so to change our conversation from a philosophical inquiry concerning the nature of Language in general, into the particular business of a polyglot Lexicon. But, as you have said that your principles will apply universally, I desire to know whether you mean that the conditional conjunctions of all other languages are likewise to be found, like IF and AN, in the original Imperatives of some of their own or derived verbs, meaning to Give?

H.-No. If that was my opinion, I know you are ready instantly to confute it by the Conditionals of the Greek and Latin and Irish, the French, Italian, Spanish, Portugueze and

1 Midsummer Night's Dream, act 3. scene 2.

2 Ibid. act 1. scene 2.

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