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Page 7
That I may make my procedure more justificable and artificiall, I examine
with all exactnesse the different organs of the voice, the various motions
of the muscles belonging to these organs, and the admirable concent and
accord of those motions; and these I make use of to demonstratively
explaine the precise number of all the simple sounds, that enter into the
composition of the Languages, to discover the nature and proper
pronunciation of these sounds, and by consequence to disclose their
nearnesse and affinity, the resemblances of some, and the disproportion of
others, their accord and opposition, their Sympathy and Antipathy, in a
word, all their combinations and mixtures, their divisions and
distinctions, their orders and severall degrees. From whence I conclude
that all the astonishing and surprizing depravations and Corruptions that
are met withall in the words that one Language borrows from another, in
changing or in transposing, in adding or retrenching, have their basis in
nature; which never attempts any thing but to the purpose, and with a
sollicitous care, when to us it appears to have acted with an open and
observable neglect.
We may Study Nature upon the Latine it selfe which may serve as well for a
model as it doth for a principle; It will in the first place acquaint us
that the Vowels are almost accounted for nothing, for altho there are some
of them that admitt of easie changes among themselves according as they are
more open or reserv'd, we know neverthelesse that there are none of them
but what may be absolutely shifted into the place of another of what kind
soever, either immediately, or by succession and degrees. For a finall
confirmation of this we have no more to doe but to make an easie comparison
of the different derivative of the same word, the reference of these three
_Cepa_; _incipio_ and _occupo_, to the Verb _Capio_ may serve for an
instance, if we shall but grant the truth of this principle which the
orientalists have always suppos'd, who form the greatest part of their
words from the sole change of their Vowels.
The same is not altogether allowable in relation to the Consonants, where
we must not admitt indifferently all sorts of changes; the sole affinity of
the Organs is that which must regulate almost all their varieties: the
Labiall letters easily supplant one another but the Dentall or Linguall
with more difficulty succeed them as being not of the same order; For as
these consonants, M. B. P. V. F. make neer the same sound, which is
modified by the divers force of the Air opening the lips after severall
forms. So the Letters D. T. Z. S. ought to make an order by themselves,
having a particular relation to the point of the tongue, which only by
touching upon the teeth in various manners frames their pronunciation.
But it is not a single and easie reflexion, that can absolutely determine
whether two letters have resemblance and proportion, because there are some
of them that being made up of the movements of severall organs, maybe
differently alter'd according to their various resemblances, so the letter
H. carrys not only the resemblance of a gutturall as it is pronounc'd by
the assistance of the muscles of the throat, but also as an Aspiration
besides the regard it hath to the whispers of the tongue, and the 6.
Aspirates of the Lips, Teeth, and Palate. However if the precipitance or
forwardnesse of any, hath by chance brought into use, other methods of
altering sounds, as they have not so certain a foundation in reason, so
neither can they be receiv'd within the Compas of this Art, at least being
not establisht by a regular and constant analogie.
From the sound of words, I passe to their _signification_, which in the
same dialect may be call'd the soul of a word, as the sound is its body; to
expresse it in other terms, then what seem to rellish the dry and
unpleasant humour of the Pedant or Grammarian; I suppose that words being
the expressions of our thoughts, and our thoughts the representations of
objects, the different significations that are given to words, principally
depend upon the various conceptions, that every Nation frames of the same
objects, agreeable to what seems most neerly to concern it.
This ingageth me to explaine the intire sequel, and naturall dependances of
our Ideas, and the manner of their forming; of which the world hath yet
receiv'd a very imperfect account. In order to this, you may understand
what those objects are, of which we have proper Ideas, and what those are
which we conceive by forreigne images, and that we do not name but in
figurative terms; whence ariseth that alliance and resemblance of our
Ideas, and why the greatest share of our words if refer'd to their first
originall, are but metaphors which represent objects to us in such terms as
are proper to another, with which it hath some agreement, or neere
relation, and withall what are the grand principles of metaphors; either of
Attribution or Proportion, that do not only make op the beauty, but almost
the intire body of the Language.
Our Ancestors that gave no names to things, but by a directing prudence,
purposing to distinguish the works of Nature and Art, had an especiall
regard to the naturall resemblance they had with any thing that was most
known to them, and that was already distinguisht by its character, or to
any one of their most prevailing properties, or to the principall action
that distinguisht them from other beings. They made use of almost the same
artifice, to impose names upon things more expressive of their properties,
by considering them only with reference to their operations, of which they
were the immediate principles. As for the operations, themselves being not
�qually knowne, nor �qually obvious to sense they plac't the same
subordination in the terms they made use of to represent them, that Nature
hath establisht in our apprehensions and cognisances.
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