Selected quad for the lemma: england_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
england_n	write_v	writing_n	year_n	42	3	4.0632	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A66045	An essay towards a real character, and a philosophical language by John Wilkins ...	Wilkins, John, 1614-1672.; Wilkins, John, 1614-1672. Alphabetical dictionary.	1668 (1668)	Wing W2196; Wing W2176_CANCELLED; ESTC R21115	531,738	644

not so ancient as Language therefore are they not of so numerous kinds several Nations taking up the use of Letters from their neighbours and adapting them to their own Tongue Thus the Spanish French Italian German British English Irish c. do all of them use the same Latine Character it being probable that they had none of their own before they learnt this of the Romans The Coptic or Egyptian Character ever since Egypt came under the Dominion of Macedon hath been the Greek excepting only seven Letters proper to their Tongue which the Greek Alphabet did not sufficiently express The Muscovites likewise and the Russians the Georgians and Iacobins do use the Greek Character the Persians and Turks use the Arabick though the Letters of any Tongue do not alwaies remain the same but are subject to the like fate and mutability to which Languages are exposed Besides this common way of Writing by the ordinary Letters the Ancients have sometimes used to communicate by other Notes which were either for Secrecy or Brevity 1. For Secrecy such were the Egyptian Hieroglyphicks as they are commonly esteemed being the representation of certain living Creatures and other Bodies whereby they were wont to conceal from the vulgar the Mysteries of their Religion But there is reason to doubt whether there be any thing in these worth the enquiry the discoveries that have been hitherto made out of them being but very few and insignificant They seem to be but a slight imperfect invention sutable to those first and ruder Ages much of the same nature with that Mexican way of writing by Picture which was a mere shift they were put to for want of the knowledge of Letters And it seems to me questionable whether the Egyptians did not at first use their Hieroglyphicks upon the same account namely for the want of Letters Those waies of writing treated of by the Abbot Trithemius were likewise for occult or secret communication And though some Learned men have suspected and accused him to have thereby delivered the Art of Magic or Conjuring yet he is sufficiently cleared and vindicated from any such prejudice in that very learned and ingenious Discourse de Cryptographia under the feigned name of Gustavus Selenus by which the noble Author the Duke of Lunenburg did disguise his true name of Augustus Lunaeburgicus 2. For Brevity There were single Letters or marks whereby the Romans were wont to express whole words Ennius is said to have invented 1100 of these to which number Tullius Tyro Cicero's Libertus others say Cicero himself added divers others to signifie the particles of speech after whom Philargyrus the Samian and Macaenas added yet more After these Annaeus Seneca is said to have laboured in the regulating and digesting of those former notes to which adding many of his own he augmented the whole number to 5000 published by Ianus Gruterus though amongst his there are divers of a later invention relating to Christian institutions which have been added since as 't is said by S. Cyprian the Martyr The way of writing by these did require a vast memory and labour yet it was far short of expressing all things and Notions and besides had no provision for Grammatical variations Of this nature is that short-hand-Short-hand-writing by Characters so frequent with us in England and much wondered at by Foreiners which hath a great advantage for speed and swiftness in writing those who are expert in it being able this way to take any ordinary discourse verbatim Besides these there have been some other proposals and attempts about a Real universal Character that should not signifie words but things and notions and consequently might be legible by any Nation in their own Tongue which is the principal design of this Treatise That such a Real Character is possible and hath been reckoned by Learned men amongst the Desiderata were easie to make out by abundance of Testimonies To this purpose is that which Piso mentions to be somewhere the wish of Galen That some way might be found out to represent things by such peculiar signs and names as should express their natures ut Sophistis eriperetur decertandi calumniandi occasio There are several other passages to this purpose in the Learned Verulam in Vossius in Hermannus Hugo c. besides what is commonly reported of the men of China who do now and have for many Ages used such a general Character by which the Inhabitants of that large Kingdom many of them of different Tongues do communicate with one another every one understanding this common Character and reading it in his own Language It cannot be denied but that the variety of Letters is an appendix to the Curse of Babel namely the multitude and variety of Languages And therefore for any man to go about to add to their number will be but like the inventing of a Disease for which he can expect but little thanks from the world But this Consideration ought to be no discouragement For supposing such a thing as is here proposed could be well established it would be the surest remedy that could be against the Curse of the Confusion by rendring all other Languages and Characters useless It doth not appear that any Alphabet now in being was invented at once or by the rules of Art but rather that all except the Hebrew were taken up by Imitation and past by degrees through several Changes which is the reason that they are less complete and liable to several exceptions The Hebrew Character as to the shape of it though it appear solemn and grave yet hath it not its Letters sufficiently distinguished from one another and withall it appears somewhat harsh and rugged The Arabic Character though it shew beautiful yet is it too elaborate and takes up too much room and cannot well be written small The Greek and the Latin are both of them graceful and indifferent easie though not without their several imperfections As for the Aethiopic it hath no less then 202 Letters in its Alphabet namely 7 Vowels which they apply to every one of their 26 Consonants to which they add 20 other aspirated Syllables All their Characters are exceedingly complicated and perplexed and much more difficult then those proposed in this following Discourse for the expressing of things and notions This is said likewise of the Tartarian that every Character with them is a Syllable having each of the Vowels joyned to its Consonant as La Le Li c. which must needs make a long and troublesome Alphabet But it is not my purpose to animadvert upon these Tongues that are less known so much as those with which these parts of the world are better acquainted CHAP. IV. I. The Defects in the common Alphabets as to their true Order II. Iust Number III. Determinate Powers IV. Fitting Names V. Proper Figures of the Letters VI. The Imperfections belonging to the Words of Language as to their Equivocalness variety of

Monday 13 th of April 1668. At a Meeting of the Council of the ROYAL SOCIETY Ordered That the Discourse presented to the Royall Society Entituled An Essay towards a Real Character and Philosophical Language be Printed by the Printer to the Royal Society BROVNCKER Presi AN ESSAY Towards a REAL CHARACTER And a PHILOSOPHICAL LANGUAGE By JOHN WILKINS D.D. Dean of RIPON And Fellow of the ROYAL SOCIETY NVLLIVS IN VERBA LONDON Printed for SA GELLIBRAND and for IOHN MARTYN Printer to the ROYAL SOCIETY 1668. To the Right Honourable WILLIAM LORD VISCOUNT BROUNCKER PRESIDENT Together with the rest of the COVNCIL and FELLOWS of the ROYAL SOCIETY My Lord I NOW at length present to your Lordship those Papers I had drawn up concerning a Real Character and a Philosophicall Language which by severall Orders of the Society have been required of Me. I have been the longer about it partly because it required some considerable time to reduce the Collections I had by me to this purpose into a tolerable order and partly because when this work was done in Writing and the Impression of it well nigh finished it hapned amongst many other better things to be burnt in the late dreadfull Fire by which all that was Printed excepting only two Copies and a great part of the unprinted Original was destroyed The repairing of which hath taken up the greatest part of my time ever since I mention this by way of Apology for that slackness and delay I may seem to be guilty of in my obedience to your Orders I am not so vain as to think that I have here completely finished this great undertaking with all the advantages of which such a design is capable Nor on the other hand am I so diffident of this Essay as not to b●lieve it sufficient for the business to which it pretends namely the distinct expression of all things and notions that fall under discourse I am sensible of sundry defects in the severall parts of this Book And therefore would make it my humble motion to your Lordship and this Society that you would by your Order appoint some of our number thoroughly to examin consider the whole and to offer their thoughts concerning what they judge fit to be amended in it Particularly in those Tables that concern the species of Natural bodies which if they were so far as they are yet known and discovered distinctly reduced and described This would very much promote and facilitate the knowledg of Nature which is one great end of your Institution And besides the ranging of these things into such an order as the Society shall approve would afford a very good method for your Repository both for the disposal of what you have already and the supplying of what you want towards the compleating of that Collection so generously begun of late by the bounty of M r. Daniel Collwal a worthy Member of this Society And by this means I should not doubt but that in a very short space you would have the most usefull Repository in the World It is no easie undertaking to Enumerate all such matters as are to be provided for in such a design But the business of Defining being amongst all others the most nice and difficult must needs render it a very hard task for any one to attempt the doing of this for all kinde of Things Notions and Words which yet is necessary to the design here proposed Vpon which account I may be excused for being so sollicitous about the assistance of others in these matters because of their great difficulty and importance The compleating of such a design being rather the work of a College and an Age then of any single Person I mean the combined Studies of many Students amongst whom the severall shares of such a Work should be distributed And that for so long a course of time wherein sufficient experiments might be made of it by practice It has been sayd concerning that famous Italian Academy styled de la Crusca consisting of many choice Men of great Learning that they bestowed forty years in finishing their Vocabulary And 't is well enough known that those great Wits of the French Academy did begin their Dictionary in the year 1639. And for the hastning of the Work did distribute the parts of it amongst severall Committees and yet that undertaking is for ought I can understand far enough from being finished Now if those famous Assemblies consisting of the great Wits of their Age and Nations did judge this Work of Dictionary-making for the polishing of their Language worthy of their united labour and studies Certainly then the Design here proposed ought not to be thought unworthy of such assistance it being as much to be preferred before that as things are better then words as real knowledge is beyond elegancy of speech as the general good of mankind is beyond that of any particular Countrey or Nation I am very sensible that the most usefull inventions do at their first appearance make but a very slow progress in the World unless helped forward by some particular advantage Logarithms were an Invention of excellent Art and usefulness And yet it was a considerable time before the Learned Men in other parts did so farr take notice of them as to bring them into use The Art of Shorthand is in its kind an Ingenious device and of considerable usefulness applicable to any Language much wondered at by Travailers that have seen the experience of it in England And yet though it be above Threescore years since it was first Invented 't is not to this day for ought I can learn brought into common practice in any other Nation And there is reason enough to expect the like Fate for the design here proposed The only expedient I can think of against it is That it be sent abroad into the World with the reputation of having bin considered and approved of by such a Society as this which may provoke at least the Learned part of the World to take notice of it and to give it such encouragement as it shall appear to deserve And if upon such an amendment and recommendation by this Society the design here proposed should happen to come into common use It would requite the Honour you bestow upon it with abundant Interest The being Instrumental in any such discovery as does tend to the Vniversal good of Mankind being sufficient not only to make the Authors of it famous but also the Times and Places wherein they live He that knows how to estimate that judgment inflicted on Mankind in the Curse of the Confusion with all the unhappy consequences of it may thereby judge what great advantage and benefit there will be in a remedy against it Men are content to bestow much time and pains in the Study of Languages in order to their more easy conversing with those of other Nations 'T is said of Mithridates King of Pontus that he was skilled in Two and twenty

that place in Nehem. 8.7 8. where we find the Priests upon reading of the Law to the people after their coming out of Babylon were fain to expound it distinctly to them and to make them understand the meaning of it the common people by long disuse being grown strangers to the Language wherein 't was written So in our Saviour's time the unlearned Iews whose vulgar Tongue the Syriac was could not understand those parts of Moses and the Prophets read to them in Hebrew every Sabbath-day Which was the reason of those public speeches and declarations of any learned men who occasionally came into the Synagogues after the reading of the Law though neither Priests nor Levites nor Scribes yet was it ordinary for them to expound unto the people the meaning of those portions of Scripture that were appointed to be read out of the Hebrew which the people did not understand and to render their meaning in Syriac which was their vulgar Tongue As for so much of the pure Hebrew as is now in being which is onely that in the old Testament though it be sufficient to express what is there intended yet it is so exceedingly defective in many other words requisite to humane discourse that the Rabbins are fain to borrow words from many other Languages Greek Latin Spanish c. as may appear at large in Buxtorf's Lexicon Rabbinicum and a particular Discourse written to this very purpose by David Cohen de Lara And from the several defects and imperfections which seem to be in this Language it may be guessed not to be the same which was con-created with our first Parents and spoken by Adam in Paradise What other varieties of Tongues there have been or are in Asia Afric or America I shall not now enquire CHAP. II. I. Concerning the various changes and corruptions to which all vulgar Languages are obnoxious II. Particularly concerning the changes of the English tongue III. Whether any Language formerly in use be now wholly lost IV. Concerning the first rise and occasion of new Languages THere are three Queres which may deserve some farther disquisition 1. Whether the purest of those Mother-tongues which yet remain be not now much changed from what they were at the first Confusion 2. Whether and how any of the Mother-tongues have been quite lost since the Confusion 3. Whether and how other new Languages have since arisen in the world 1. To the first Besides the common fate and corruption to which Languages as well as all other humane things are subject there are many other particular causes which may occasion such a change The mixture with other Nations in Commerce Marriages in Regal Families which doth usually bring some common words into a Court fashion that affectation incident to some eminent men in all ages of coining new words and altering the common forms of speech for greater elegance the necessity of making other words according as new things and inventions are discovered Besides the Laws of forein Conquests usually extend to Letters and Speech as well as Territories the Victor commonly endeavouring to propagate his own Language as farre as his Dominions which is the reason why the Greek and Latin are so universally known And when a Nation is overspread with several Colonies of foreiners though this do not alwaies prevail to abolish the former Language yet if they make any long abode this must needs make such a considerable change and mixture of speech as will very much alter it from its original Purity Those learned Languages which have now ceased to be vulgar and remain onely in Books by which the purity of them is regulated may whilst those Books are extant and studied continue the same without change But all Languages that are vulgar as those learned ones formerly were are upon the fore-mentioned occasions subject to so many alterations that in tract of time they will appear to be quite another thing then what they were at first The Liturgies of S. Basil and S. Chrysostom which are yet used in the Greek Churches in their publick worship the one for solemn the other for common days have been a long time unintelligible to that people so much is the vulgar Greek degenerated from its former purity And Polibius testifies that the Articles of truce betwixt the Romans and Carthaginians could scarce be understood by the most learned Roman Antiquaries 350 years after the time of their making If any English man should now write or speak as our forefathers did about six or seven hundred years past we should as little understand him as if he were a foreiner of which it were easie to give several proofs by instance if it were not inconsistent with my present design of brevity What the Saxons Language was at their first arrival into England about the year 440 doth not appear but 't is most probable that the changes and differences of it have been somewhat proportionable in several Ages About the year of Christ 700 the Lord's Prayer in English was thus rendred Uren fader thic arth in heofnas sic gehalgud thin noma to cymeth thin ric sic thin willa sue is in heofnas and in eortho Uren hlaf ofer wirtlic sel us to daeg and forget us scylda urna sue we forgefen scyldgum urum and no inlead usith in custnung Ah gefrig urich from ifle Amen About 200 years after it was changed thus Thu ure fader the eart on heofenum Si thin nama gehalgod Cum thin ric Si thin willa on eorthen swa swa on heofenum Syle us to daeg urn daegthanlican hlaf And forgif us ure gyltas swa swa we forgifath tham the with us agyltath And ne led the us on costnung Ac alys us from yfle Si it swa About the same time it was rendred in the Saxon Gospels said to be Translated by King Alfred after this manner Faeder ure thu the earth on heofenum si thin nama Gehalgod to be cume thin Rice Gewurthe thin willa on eorthan swa swa on heofnum urne ge daeghwanlican hlaf syle us to daeg And forgyf us ure gyltas swa swa we forgivath urum gyltendum And ne gelaedde thu us on costnung Ac Alyse us of yfle About 260 years after in the time of King Henry the 2 d it was rendred thus and sent over by Pope Adrian an English-man turned into meter that the people might more easily learn and remember it Ure fadyr in heaven rich Thy name be hallyed ever lich Thou bring us thy michell blisse Al 's hit in heaven y. doe Evar in yearth beene it also That holy bread that lasteth ay Thou send it ous this ilke day Forgive ous all that we have don As we forgivet uch other mon Ne let ous fall into no founding Ac shield ous fro the fowle thing Amen And about a hundred years after in the time of Henry the third it was rendred thus Fader that art in heavin blisse Thin helge