Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	body_n	member_n	soul_n	7,274	5	5.4826	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A57633	A philosophicall essay for the reunion of the langvages, or, The art of knowing all by the mastery of one	Rose, Henry, fl. 1656-1675.	1675 (1675)	Wing R1934; ESTC R229455	21,032	86

feuds and Leagues of its Governours with other Princes the irruptions and invasions of Conquering Nations that have corrupted its Language as they ingrost its spoils the frequent Colonies that Conquerors have sent thither besides its voyages at Sea and its traffick with the most remote plantations These are the more immediate causes of this confusion and mixture It may perhaps withall be no mean pleasure to see the basis of each Language distinguisht from the changes and accessions of time or revolutions of State what every Nation hath contributed of its owne to inrich it what Religion the Government and what Sciences have communicated to it what it retains of Antiquity and what new acquests it hath made to retrieve its losses with advantage Afterall this is yet but the sceleton or at most but the body of a Language It s necessary that this rude and indigested masse made up of so many different dialects should be animated by some secret spirit that should expand it selfe through all its parts and severall members and reduce them to unity by communicating the same air to them and that this Spirit or Soul should be the individuall principle of all the effects and sensible changes which make us easily distinguish one Language from another The Temper Humour and Nature of a people the dispositions of their minds their genius and particular gusts their more generall and forcible inclinations their ordinary passions and such singular qualities by which one Nation is remarq'd and distinguisht from another are the most evident signs to discover the true genius of a Language because they are in reality the immediate causes and the very originalls after which I have copied all my draughts to compleat the present piece which in my opinion is not wanting in something that is very Naturall Besides this the very manners and customes of Nations their Laws and policy and their publick transactions both of peace and war are things so universally known that there is no need of any farther search how to be bale to judge by proportion of the genius and characters of the Languages so securely as by that of the people that speak them But as the care of a Nation to improve and advance the Arts and sciences and other kinds of good Learning is that which contributes most to the perfection of its Language So t is upon the manner in which it s receiv'd and the characters of its Authors that I cheifly depend to determine whether it be modest or imperious whether it rellish more of a softnesse sweetnesse and delicacy than of a certain Noble brisque and generous air whether it incline more to the simplicity of Nature or the subtile refinements of Art whether it be polite to affectation or betray a certain negligence which hath its graces too as well as its measures of Art and last of all whether it be not a little crampt in attempting to be too exact or else better accomodate it selfe by its freedome from all restraint Having discoverd the genius and proper character of each Language I have fram'd the most perfect Idea that is possible by way of analogie with the principles of the Platonists with whose method I was always as much taken as I am dissatisfy'd with their doctrine This Idea being unmasqued serves me in the sequell for a generall rule to establish the true and proper reasons of all that passe for singular and remarqueable in each Language either in relation to the choice the mixture and union of sounds the force and significations of words or the Air and manner of expression For t is most certain that all these things are alter'd according to the genius of a people So the Spaniards would distinguish themselves from other Nations by their haughtinesse and affected gravity and their words are easily understood by a certain pompous Air that seems to border upon grandeur and Majesty On the Contrary the Italians are the Nation of the world that seems to be most fond of its pleasure and its naturall that this softnesse should be communicated to their Language and that all their words should breath nothing but what is sweet polite and the most exact harmony their compositions admitt of no sounds but such as can slatter the Ear they suffer not the concours of consonants whose rudenesse may never so little offend the Organ but they are extreamly in Love with Vowels and often allow their sequences to make their pronunciation more sweet and delicate For their signification that they might mixe an accord with their energie they have hardly any but what are more or lesse figurative from a persuasion that a Metaphor represents objects to the mind in that most curious and diverting manner and withall they are carefull to make choise of none but such as represent the fairest images They are no lesse sollicitous to diversifie their words by agreeable modifications their inflexion hath very little uneasie in it it is all of it aequally facile and gay their diminutives are exceedingly rellishing because there is something more than ordinarily pretty in them they are rich in derivatives and compounds not only because their pronunciation is more harmonious but also because they expresse themselves in a more naturall manner In one word they banish every thing that may appear ingratefull and are passionately in quest of all that may conduce to the Sweetnesse of their Language My sense is much the same of other Languages but because reason it selfe may be suspected by some especially if at any time it appear too just or plausible I was the rather concern'd so to order my instances that besides the induction I intended custome and experience should support reason and reason should confirme experience and withall the examples are so naturally chain'd with their principles and all of them so distributed in their proper places that without so much as making the least reflexion I imperceptibly comprize all the fundamentall and essentiall words of each Lauguage being willing my selfe to draw all my conclusions from the principles I have mention'd and to make all necessary inductions without leaving any thing of trouble or disease to the reader who in such cases is glad to be quitt from paines and inconvenience I have some hopes that a composition thus differently made up of History reflexions and Criticismes supported by principles deductions and examples may contribute something to the agreeableness of the designe and lett off a subject that of it selfe is dry and knotty enough without making it more unacceptable by that mean and disreputed method that hath so much decry'd the Critiques and ordinarily hath given a disgust to a science before it hath been allow'd the least consideration besides that didacticque way is by no means proper in the present case for as there is little pleasure in being taken notice of under the character of a Scholler so the only remedy is to contrive some way to come to the knowledge of things without lying under the