THE

MONTHLY REVIEW,

For JANUARY, 1787.

ART. 1. ENEA TEPOENTA, or the Diverfions of Purley. Part I: By John Horne Tooke, A. M. late of St. John's College, Cam bridge. 8vo. 7s. Boards. Johnfon. 1786.

NEW perfons could guess at the object of this learned and

FEW

very ingenious publication, by the title which the Author hath given it. Who would fuppofe that the Diversions of Purleg meant nothing more than profound etymological researches into the origin of English particles, conjunctions, prepofitions, and adverbs? Thefe, however, are the WINGED WORDS (ETTE Epola) that are explored in their birth, their growth, their relation, and ufe; and the tracing them ab ove ufque ad alam conftitutes the fole entertainment of this curious work.

PURLEY was the feat of Prefident Bradshaw. Our Author is supposed to have a fecret attachment to the place, from the veneration in which be holds the memory of its former poffeffor. It is a fort of boly ground to a republican; and every man who is an enthufiaft in any fyftem of politics or religion, will have his holy ground in spite of wit and ridicule. Dr. Johnson had his (but not at Purley), and difdained that frigid philofophy that was unmoved at fuch fcenes as had been dignified by wisdom, bravery, or virtue. That man (fays the great moralift) is little to be envied, whofe patriotifm would not gain force upon the plain of Marathon.' It is on this principle that Mr. Tooke (more commonly known, as a patriot, under the name of Mr. Horne) kindles with the noble fire of liberty, when he reflects, that the spot he daily treads was hallowed by the feet of him who dared to trample on royalty itself; and who, rifing fuperior to the forms of law, fpurned alfo at the forms of decorum; and fill more nobly rifqued the curfe of God, and the execration of pofterity, to bring his monarch to the block.

The prefent Diverfions of Purley are not, indeed, allowed to take so serious a turn. And it is fomewhat diverting to fee the fierce patriot tamed into an etymologift; though now and then the old fpirit breaks through the cloud that oppreffes the luftre of freedom :

VOL. LXXVI.

B

Staring,

Staring, tremendous, with a threat'ning eye,
Like fome fierce Tyrant, in old Tapestry.

The manus inimica tyrannis,.that once waved the cap of liberty, and was ready to make

-the Tyrant feel

The keen deep fearchings of the patriot's fteel,

now holds the birch to fcourge the grammarians: and, having flogged through. the whole fchool, redoubles its ftrokes on Lord Monboddo-as if unwilling to leave his Lordship one found point to fit upon.

We hope Mr. Tooke will give us as much room to admire his candour as we do his skill. He who cenfures and laughs fo freely at others, hath no right to complain if others indulge a little ridicule at his expence. But let this be his confolation, that if his manner of fighting be condemned, yet no one can difpute his claim to the victory; and if we fmile at the gatriot, we muft applaud the scholar.

We shall now enter on the confideration of the prefent work: and we cannot better befriend the interefts of English literature than by giving our readers a general view of its contents. The Author hath the fingular honour of throwing light on fuch parts of language as had been left in great obfcurity by all preceding lexicographers and etymologifts; and the Diverfions of Purley have laid the foundation for a new fyftem of grammar, which we hope to fee ftill farther extended by the refearches of this acute and penetrating critic: for we are happy to find that this volume is announced only as a first part.

The form of the work is not, in our opinion, fo happy as its execution. The dialogue feems unfuitable to the dry difquifitions of the grammarian. It rather obfcures the subject than illuftrates it.

But where the matter is so fubftantial and excellent, it would be faftidious to quarrel with the manner; and for the fake of the former, we could forgive more blemishes and defects in the latter, than we find in the prefent volume.

It confifts of ten chapters. The general titles of which areI. Of the divifion or diftribution of language.

II. Some confiderations on Mr. Locke's Effay.

III. Of the parts of speech.

IV. Of the noun.

V. Of the article and interjection.

VI. Of the word THAT.

VII. Of conjunctions.

VIII. Etymology of the English conjunctions.

IX. Of prepofitions.

• X. Of adverbs.'

* Pope.

+ Churchill.

In

In the firft chapter the Author expofes, in a very lively manner, the great mistakes into which grammarians and philofophers have fallen, in their feveral attempts to enumerate the diftinct parts of fpeech. Some have allowed thirty; and none have acknowledged less than eight. But the errors of grammarians have arifen from fuppofing all words to be immediately, either the figns of THINGS, or the figns of IDEAS; whereas, in fact, many words are merely abbreviations employed for difpatch, and are the signs of OTHER WORDS. These are the artificial wings of Mercury (Enea leptola), by means of which the Argus-eyes of philofophy have been cheated.'

The ingenious Author proceeds to ftrip Mercury of his wings: for they do not make a part of his body. It is only to loose the ftrings from his feet and take off his cap; and we fhall then fee what fort of a figure he will make without them.

The first aim of language was to communicate our thoughts; the fecond, to do it with dispatch. The difficulties and disputes concerning language have arifen almoft entirely from neglecting the confideration of the latter purpose of speech; which, though fubordinate to the former, is almoft as neceffary in the commerce of mankind, and has a much greater share in accounting for the different forts of words.

Abbreviations are employed in language three ways: 1. In terms.

2. In forts of words.

3. In construction.

Mr. Locke's Effay is acknowledged by our Author to be the beft guide to the firft; but it is the fecond only that he undertakes to illuftrate and unfold in the prefent work, because hitherto it hath escaped the proper notice of all who have written on the fubject of grammar.

In the fecond chapter Mr. Tooke briefly confiders fome pofitions of Mr. Locke; and though he profeffes a veneration for his character, yet he hesitates not to fay, that in the Effay on Human Understanding, the great writer never did advance one ftep beyond the origin of ideas and the compofition of terms.

Mr. Locke was not fufficiently aware of the infeparable connection between words and knowledge; if he had, it is prefumed that he would not have talked of the compofiti n of ideas; but would have perceived that it was merely a contrivance of language, and that the only compofition was in the terms, and confequently that it was as improper to talk of a complex idea, as it would be to call a conftellation a complex ftar. In fact, they are not ideas, but merely terms, which are general and abftra&t.

Mr. Locke's reafoning against innate ideas is equally cogent against the compofition of ideas. The former no more involve an abfurdity

B 2