"most accomplished person in this way of writing, upon which I shall make some remarks *. It is in "these terms:

SIR,

I couldn't get the things you sent for all about town.—I tho❜t to ha' come down myself, and then I'd ha' bro't 'um; but ha'nt don't, and I believe I can't do't, that's pozz.-Tom begins to g'imself airs, because he's going with the plenipo's.-'Tis said the French king will bamboozle us agen, which causes many speculations. The Jacks, and others of that kidney, are verry uppish and alert upon't, as you may see by their phizz's.-Will Hazard has got the hipps, having lost to the tune of five hundr'd pound, tho' he understands play very well, nobody better. He has promis't me upon rep to leave off play; but you know 'tis a weakness he's too apt to give into, tho' he has as much wit as any man, nobody more: he has lain incog ever since.The mobb's very quiet with us now. I believe you tho't I banter'd you in my last like a country put.-7 shan't leave town this month, &c.

"This letter is, in every point, an admirable pattern of the present polite way of writing; nor "is it of less authority for being an epistle you may gather every, flower of it,, with a thousand more of equal sweetness, from the books, pamphlets, and single papers, offered us every day

* It is very remarkable, that, notwithstanding the ridicule so justly thrown by our author on barbarous contractions, he constantly fell into that errour in his private letters to Stella.

in the coffeehouses. And these are the beauties "introduced to supply the want of wit, sense, hu"mour, and learning, which formerly were looked

upon as qualifications for a writer. If a man of "wit, who died forty years ago, were to rise from "the grave on purpose, how would he be able to "read this letter? and after he had gone through "that difficulty, how would he be able to under"stand it? The first thing that strikes your eye, is "the breaks at the end of almost every sentence; of " which I know not the use, only that it is a refine"ment, and very frequently practised. Then you "will observe the abbreviations and elisions, by "which consonants of most obdurate sounds are

joined together without one softening vowel to "intervene and all this only to make one syllable "of two, directly contrary to the example of the "Greeks and Romans; altogether of the Gothick

strain, and of a natural tendency toward relapsing "into barbarity, which delights in monosyllables, "and uniting of mute consonants, as it is observable "in all the Northern languages. And this is still "more visible in the next refinement, which con"sists in pronouncing the first syllable in a word “that has many, and dismissing the rest; such as

phizz, hipps, mobb, pozz, rep, and many more; "when we are already overloaded with monosylla"bles, which are the disgrace of our language. "Thus we cram one syllable, and cut off the rest; 66 as the owl fattened her mice after she had bit off "their legs, to prevent them from running away; "and if ours be the same reason for maimi g words, "it will certainly answer the end; for I am sure no "other nation will desire to borrow them. Some

"words

"words are hitherto but fairly split, and therefore only in their way to perfection, as incog and plenipo; but in a short time, it is to be hoped, "they will be further docked to inc and plen. This "reflection has made me of late years very impatient "for a peace, which I believe would save the lives "of many brave words as well as men. The war "has introduced abundance of polysyllables, which "will never be able to live many more campaigns. "Speculations, operations, preliminaries, ambassadors,

palisadoes, communications, circumvallations, bat"talions, as numerous as they are, if they attack us "too frequently in our coffeehouses, we shall certainly put them to flight, and cut off the rear.

"The third refinement observable in the letter I "send you, consists in the choice of certain words "invented by some pretty fellows, such as banter, "bamboozle, country put, and kidney, as it is "there applied; some of which are now struggling "for the vogue, and others are in possession of it. “I have done my utmost for some years past to stop "the progress of mob and banter, but have been "plainly born down by numbers, and betrayed by "those who promised to assist me.

"In the last place, you are to take notice of certain choice phrases scattered through the letter; some of them tolerable enough, till they were "worn to rags by servile imitators. You might easily find them, although they were not in a “different print, and therefore I need not disturb "them.

"These are the false refinements in our style, "which you ought to correct: first, by arguments "and fair means; but if those fail, I think you are

"to make use of your authority as censor, and by "an annual index expurgatorius expunge all words "and phrases that are offensive to good sense, and "condemn those barbarous mutilations of vowels "and syllables. In this last point the usual pre"tence is, that they spell as they speak: a noble "standard for language! to depend upon the caprice " of every coxcomb, who, because words are the

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clothing of our thoughts, cuts them out and shapes them as he pleases, and changes them "oftener than his dress. I believe all reasonable people would be content, that such refiners were more sparing of their words, and liberal in their syllables. On this head I should be glad you "would bestow some advice upon several young "readers in our churches, who, coming up from the

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university full fraught with admiration of our town "politeness, will needs correct the style of our "prayerbooks. In reading the absolution, they are "very careful to say pardons and absolves, and in "the prayer for the royal family it must be "endue'um, enrich'um, prosper'um, and bring'um; "then in their sermons they use all the modern "terms of art, sham, banter, mob, bubble, bully, cutting, shuffling, and palming; all which, and many more of the like stamp, as I have heard "them often in the pulpit from some young so

26

phisters, so I have read them in some of those "sermons that have made a great noise of late. The "design, it seems, is to avoid the dreadful imputa"tion of pedantry; to show us that they know the "town, understand men and manners, and have not "been poring upon old unfashionable books in the university.

“

"I should

"I should be glad to see you the instrument of "introducing into our style that simplicity, which "is the best and truest ornament of most things in "human life; which the politer ages always aimed at in their building and dress (simplex munditiis)

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as well as their productions of wit. It is manifest "that all new affected modes of speech, whether "borrowed from the court, the town, or the thea"tre, are the first perishing parts in any language; and, as I could prove by many hundred instances, "have been so in ours. The writings of Hooker, "who was a country clergyman, and of Paions the jesuit, both in the reign of queen Elizabeth, are "in a style, that, with very few allowances, would "not offend any present reader; much more clear " and intelligible, than those of sir Henry Wotton, "sir Robert Naunton, Osborn, Daniel the historian, " and several others who writ later; but being men " of the court, and affecting the phrases then in fashion, they are often either not to be understood, or appear perfectly ridiculous.

i

"What remedies are to be applied to these evils I "have not room to consider, having, I fear, already "taken up most of your paper: besides, I think it " is our office only to represent abuses, and yours to "redress them.

"I am, with great respect,

"SIR,

"Yours, &c. *”"

* Some other Tatlers by the dean will be found in the eighteenth

volume of this collection.

0 4

THE