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"connexivæ, fcope diffolutæ illæ funt; nec additis & "multiplicatis conjunctionibus cohærere poterunt. Hinc "patet quid debuiffet refponderi Caligula, Senecæ calamum "vilipendenti. Suetonius: Lenius comptiufque fcribendi "genus adeò contempfit, ut Senecam, tum maxime placentem, "commiffiones meras componere, & ARENAM SINE CALCE, "diceret."-" Caligulæ hoc judicium eft, inquit Lipfius "in judicio de Seneca; nempe illius qui cogitavit etiam "de Homeri carminibus abolendis, itemque Virgilii & Titi "Livii fcriptis ex omnibus bibliothecis amovendis. Refpon❝deo igitur meum Senecam non vulgo nec plebi scripsisse, nec omni viro do&to, fed illi qui attentè eum legeret. "addo, ubi Lector mente Senecam fequitur, fenfum adfequi : "nec inter fententias, fuo fe prementes & confolidantes "pondere, conjunctionem majorem requiri."

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CARAMUEL, cxlii.

And I hope these authorities (for I will offer no argument to a writer of his caft) will fatisfy the "true taste " and judgment in writing" of Lord Monboddo; who with equal affectation and vanity has followed Mr. Harris in this particular: and who, though incapable of writing a fentence of common English (defuerunt enim illi & ufus pro duce & ratio pro fuafore) fincerely deplores the decrease of

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learning

learning in England; whilft he really imagines that there is fomething captivating in his own ftyle, and has gratefully informed us to whose affiftance we owe the obligation.

See Mr. Bofwell's Tour to the Hebrides, p. 473.

ΕΠΕΑ

ЕПЕА ПТEPOENTA, &c.

CHAP. IX.

OF PREPOSITIONS.

B.

WELL, Sir, what you have hitherto said of the Con

But

junctions will deferve to be well confidered. we have not yet entirely done with them: for, you know, the Prepofitions were originally, and for a long time, claffed with the Conjunctions: and when first separated from them, were only diftinguished by the name of Prepofitive Conjunctions*.

H. Very

* The philofophers of Hungary, Turkey and Georgia at least were in no danger of falling into this abfurdity: for Dr. Jault, in his preface to (what is very improperly, though commonly, called) Menage's Dictionary, tells us Par le fréquent commerce que j'ai eu avec eux [les Hongrois] pendant plufieurs années, ayant tâché de pénétrer à fonds ce que ce pouvoit être que cet idiôme fi différent de tous les autres d' Europe, je "les ai convaincus qu'ils etoient Scythes d' origine, ou du moins que leur langue étoit une des branches de la Scythique; puifqu'à l'égard de "l'inflexion

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H.

Very true, Sir. And these Prepofitive conjunctions, once separated from the others, foon gave birth to another fubdivifion *; and Grammarians were not ashamed to have a class of Poftpofitive Prepofitives." Dantur etiam Poft"pofitiones (fays Caramuel); quæ Præpofitiones poftpofitiva “folent dici, nullâ vocabulorum repugnantiâ: vocantur "enim Præpofitiones, quia sensu faltem præponuntur; & "Poftpofitiva, quia vocaliter poftponi debent."

B.

But as Mr. Harris ftill ranks them with Connectives, this, I think, will be the proper place for their investigation. And as the title of Prepofitive or Prepofition" only expresses "their place and not their character; their Definition, be "fays, will diftinguish them from the former Connectives." He therefore proceeds to give a compleat definition of them, viz.

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"l'inflexion elle avoit rapport à celle des Turcs, qui conftamment paffoient pour Scythes, étant originaire du Turquestan, et de la Tranfoxiane; et qu' outre cela les PREPOSITIONS de ces deux langues, auffi bien que de la "Georgienne, fe mettoient toujours apres leur regime, contre l'ordre de la "nature et la fignification de leur nom."

* Buonmattei has still a farther fubdivifion; and has made a feparate part of fpeech of the Segnacaft.

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-"A Prepofition is a part of Speech, devoid itself of "fignification; but fo formed as to unite two words that are "fignificant, and that refuse to coalefce or unite of them"felves."-Now I am curious to know, whether you will agree with Mr. Harris in his definition of this part of Speech; or whether you are determined to differ from him on every point.

H.

Till he agrees with himself, I think you should not difapprove of my differing from him; because for this at least I have his own respectable authority. Having defined a word to be a "Sound fignificant;" he now defines a Prepofition to be a word "devoid of fignification." And a few pages after, he says, " Prepofitions commonly transfuse Something of their own meaning into the word with which "they are compounded."

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Now, if I agree with him that words are founds fignificant; how can I agree that there are forts of words devoid of fignification? And if I could fuppofe that Prepofitions are devoid of fignification; how could I afterwards allow that they transfuse something of their own meaning?

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