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Tbe Alteration of Languages.

Book I. _.—`

СНАР.

II.

I. Concerning tbe ‘various changer and corruption: to wbicb ad’ «vulgar Language: are obnoxious.

П. Particularly concerning tbe Ницце)’

tbe Engliíh tongue. I 1I. Wbetber an]l Language, formerly in ufo, be not» tvboß] [v_/l. IV. Concerning the riß and occajìonof ncrv Languages.

è I ` '

I-lere are three (kieres which may deferve fome farther difquiliti« on. t. Whether the purefi of thofe Mother-tongue: , which yet remain, be not now much changed from what they were at the hrfì Con fulion. a. Whether and how any of the Mother-tongue: have been quite loft Íince the Confulion. 3. Whether and how other new Langua

ges have Íince arii'en in the world. ~ t. To the Iirftßeûdes the common fate and corruption to which Lan guages aswell as all other humane things are fubjeâ , there are many other particular caufes which may occaíìon fuchachangc: The mix ture with other Nations in Commerce-j, Marriages in Regal Families,

which doth ufually bring fome common words into a Court faihion; that afieétation incident to fome eminent men in all ages, of coining new words, and altering the common forms of fpeech, for greater elegance 5

the neceflity of makin other words , according as new things and in­ ventions are dil'covcre .

Befides,the Laws of forein Conquelts ufually

extend to Letters and Speech as well as Territories, the Vié’tor com monly endeavouring to propagate his own Language as fatte as his Dominions5 which is the reafon why the Greek and Latin are fo uni

_ verfally known.

And when a Nation ’is overfpread with feveral Colo

nies of forciners, though this do not a lwaies prevail to abo/¿ß the former

Language, yet if they make any long abode, this mnit needs make fuch a conûderable change and mixture of fpeech as will very much alter it

from its original Purity. Thofe learned Languages which have now ceafed to be 'ou/gar , and remain onely in Books , by which the purity of them is regulated, may, whilft thofe Books 'are extant and i’tudied , continue the fame without

change.

But all Languages that are vulgar, as thofe learned ones for

merly were, are upon the fore-mentioned occalions, fubjetïlr to fo many alterations, that in tract of. time they will appear tolle quite another y

‚ ‚ thing then what they were at Eril'.

ggîï’igs 1 The Liturgiesyof S. Bafìl and S. Cbryji/ionz , which are yet tiled in the chap. 1, ¿6Q`Grcek Churches in their publiek worlhip, the one for ßlernn, the other ’for common days,havc been a long time unintelligible to that people 5k) much is the vulgar'Greek degenerated from its former purity. Binet-.likt 3.

And Po/ibiur teftiiies , that the Articles of truce betwixt the Romane

and Cartbaginianr could fcarce be „underiiood by the moli learned Ro man Antiquaries 3 5о years after the time of their making. ÉI’MIGITHLO

If any Eng/rfb man fhould now write or [peak as our forefathers did

gomQmfAnf about Их or feven hundred years pali, we Íhould as little underfland him

slim-Pw as — if he were afortiner5 cf which it were ealie to give feveralproofs ‘

faces ~