An Apology for the Study of Northern Antiquities | Page 7

to the Gentlemen. I will not contradict the Relation of the ingenious Experiment of his vocal Ladies, tho' I could give him some Instances to the contrary, in my Experience of those, whose Writings abound with Consonants; where Vowels must generally be understood, and appear but very rarely. Perhaps that Gentleman may be told that I have a Northern Correspondence, and a Northern Ear, probably not so fine as he may think his own to be, yet a little musical.
And now for our Monosyllables. In the Controversy concerning which, it must be examined, first whether the Charge which is exhibited against the Northern Languages is true, that they consist of nothing but _Monosyllables_; and secondly, whether or no the Copiousness and Variety of Monosyllables may be always justly reputed a fault, and may not sometimes as justly be thought, to be very useful and ornamental.
And first I must assert, that the ancient Northern Languages, do not wholly nor mostly consist of Monosyllables. I speak chiefly of the Gothick, Saxon, and Teutonick. It must be confest that in the Saxon, there are many Primitive Words of one Syllable, and this to those who know the Esteem that is due to Simplicity and Plainness, in any Language, will rather be judged a Virtue than a Vice: That is, that the first Notions of things should be exprest in the plainest and simplest manner, and in the least compass: and the Qualities and Relations, by suitable Additions, and Composition of Primitive Words[D]; for which the Saxon Language is very remarkable, as has been before observed, and of which there are numerous Examples, in the following Treatise of Saxon Grammar, and infinitely more might have been added.
[Footnote D: Of this the Greeks give as a fair Example, when they express the Original and Author of all Things, their +Patêr andr?nte the?nte+, by their Monosyllable +Zeus+. As the Hebrews do by ++yah++, the Goths the Ancestors of our Saxon Progenitors by the Word ++GOT++, the Saxons, old Germans, Teutons, Francick, and English, in the Monosyllable *Goe*, the Germans #Gott#, and the French Dieu.]
The second Enquiry is, whether or no the Copiousness and Variety of Monosyllables may be always justly reputed a fault, and may not as justly be thought, to be very useful and ornamental? Were this a fault, it might as justly be charged upon the learned Languages, the Latin and _Greek_: For the Latin you have in _Lilly_'s Rules concerning Nouns, several Verses, made up for the most part of Monosyllables, I mention him not as a Classick, but because the Words are Classical and _Monosyllables_; and in the Greek there are several as it were, idle Monosyllables, that have little Significancy, except to make the Numbers in Verse compleat, or to give a Fulness to their Periods, as the Verses of Homer and other Greek Poets plainly evidence: An Instance or two may suffice;
+Ex hou dê ta pr?ta diastêtên erisante.+
Here are four Monosyllables in this Verse,
+Tên d' eg? ou lus?, prin min kai gêras epeisen.+
Here are six Monosyllables, and one cutting off.
+All' ithi, mê m' erethize, sa?teros h?s ke neêai. Hos êdê ta t' eonta, ta t' essomena, pro t' eonta.+
Hom. Il. I. l. 70.
Here are seven _Monosyllables_; yet so far is Virgil from being angry with his Master Homer on this Account, that he in a manner transcribes his very Words, imitating him as near as the Latin wou'd permit;
Qu? sint, qu? fuerint, qu? mox ventura trahantur.
Here is the whole Sense of Homer exprest, and five Monosyllables. But Mr. Dryden, who has exprest the Sense of Virgil with no less Accuracy, gives you the whole Line in _Monosyllables;
He sees what is, and was, and is to come.
Mr. Pope is equally happy in the Turn he has given to the Original, who as he is an exact Master of Criticism, so has he all those Accomplishments of an excellent Poet, that give us just Reason to hope he will make the Father of the Poets speak to us in our own Language, with all the Advantages he gave to his Works in that wherein they were first written, and the modest Opinion he prescribes to his own, and other Mens Poetical Performances, is no Discouragement to these Hopes;
Whoever thinks a faultless Piece to see, Thinks what ne'er was, nor is, nor e'er shall be.
And Horace, while he is teaching us the Beauties in the Art of Poetry, gives no less than nine Monosyllables in the compass of a Verse and a half;
Sed nunc non erat his locus: & fortasse cupressum Scis simulare. Quid hoc si, &c.
Now if these are Beauties, as I doubt not but the politer Criticks will allow, I cannot see why our Language may not now and then be tolerated in using Monosyllables, when it is done discreetly, and