Epea pteroenta. Or, The diversions of Purley. To which is annexed Letter to John Dunning, Volume 11829 |
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Common terms and phrases
Abbreviations adjective adverb Aleran amongst Anglo-Saxon antient Article authority autres boke booke Butan c'est called Cause Chaucer common Conjunctions corruption Danish denote derived Douglas dune Dutch employed English enim etiam etymologists etymology euery explained fait French give Gothic Gower Gram Grammar Grammarians Greek grete guage Harris hath haue Ibid ideas imperative Infinitive instances Italian Johnson Junius kynge language langue Latin learned LEST Lord Lord Monboddo loue manner meaning merely mind modern mots neuer never noun old English opinion orationis origin particular past participle perhaps philosophers preposition Present Participle Prol pronounce Purley qu'il quĉ quam quod RATHE reason Scaliger sche Scioppius sentence signification Skinner says sorts of words speech substantive sunt suppose Tale termination thare thing thou thyng tion Troylus truth unto verb Vossius Whan wolde writing written wyfe
Popular passages
Page xxxiv - For the wit and mind of man, if it work upon matter, which is the contemplation of the creatures of God, worketh according to the stuff and is limited thereby; but if it work upon itself, as the spider worketh his web, then it is endless, and brings forth indeed cobwebs of learning, admirable for the fineness of thread and work, but of no substance or profit.
Page 248 - Cowards die many times before their deaths ; The valiant never taste of death but once. Of all the wonders that I yet have heard, It seems to me most strange that men should fear; Seeing that death, a necessary end, Will come when it will come.
Page 34 - The consideration, then, of ideas and words as the great instruments of knowledge, makes no despicable part of their contemplation who would take a view of human knowledge in the whole extent of it. And perhaps, if they were distinctly weighed and duly considered, they would afford us another sort of logic and critic than what we have been hitherto acquainted with.
Page 347 - Heaven doth with us as we with torches do ; Not light them for themselves : for if our virtues Did not go forth of us, 'twere all alike As if we had them not...
Page 337 - In books, not authors, curious is my lord; To all their dated backs he turns you round: These Aldus printed, those Du Sueil has bound. Lo! some are vellum, and the rest as good For all his lordship knows, but they are wood. For Locke or Milton 'tis in vain to look, These shelves admit not any modern book.
Page 436 - Devoid of sense and motion? And who knows, Let this be good, whether our angry Foe Can give it, or will ever? How he can Is doubtful; that he never will is sure.
Page 30 - This design will likewise contribute much to the clearing of some of our modern differences in religion ; by unmasking many wild errors, that shelter themselves under the disguise of affected phrases ; which• being philosophically unfolded, and rendered according to the genuine and natural importance of words, will appear to be inconsistencies and contradictions. And several of those pretended mysterious...
Page 29 - ... although we think we govern our words, and prescribe it well ' loquendum ut vulgus sentiendum ut sapientes ' ; yet certain it is that words, as a Tartar's bow, do shoot back upon the understanding of the wisest, and mightily entangle and pervert the judgement.
Page 62 - ALL things that exist being particulars, it may perhaps be thought reasonable that words, which ought to be conformed to things, should be so too, — I mean in their signification: but yet we find quite the contrary. The far greatest part of words that make all languages are general terms; which has not been the effect of neglect or chance, but of reason and necessity.
Page 30 - But I am apt to imagine, that were the imperfections of language, as the instrument of knowledge, more thoroughly weighed, a great many of the controversies that make such a noise in the world, would of themselves cease ; and the way to knowledge, and perhaps peace, too, lie a great deal opener than it does.