The Works of Samuel Johnson in Nine Volumes | Page 8

not to be
omitted.
The difference of signification in words generally accounted
synonymous, ought to be carefully observed; as in _pride, haughtiness,
arrogance_: and the strict and critical meaning ought to be
distinguished from that which is loose and popular; as in the word
perfection, which, though in its philosophical and exact sense it can be
of little use among human beings, is often so much degraded from its
original signification, that the academicians have inserted in their work,
the perfection of a language, and, with a little more licentiousness,
might have prevailed on themselves to have added the perfection of a
dictionary.
There are many other characters of words which it will be of use to
mention. Some have both an active and passive signification; as fearful,
that which gives or which feels terrour; a fearful prodigy, a fearful hare.
Some have a personal, some a real meaning; as, in opposition to old,
we use the adjective young of animated beings, and new of other things.
Some are restrained to the sense of praise, and others to that of
disapprobation; so commonly, though not always, we exhort to good
actions, we instigate to ill; we _animate, incite_ and encourage
indifferently to good or bad. So we usually ascribe good, but impute
evil; yet neither the use of these words, nor, perhaps, of any other in our
licentious language, is so established as not to be often reversed by the
correctest writers. I shall, therefore, since the rules of style, like those
of law, arise from precedents often repeated, collect the testimonies on
both sides, and endeavour to discover and promulgate the decrees of
custom, who has so long possessed, whether by right or by usurpation,
the sovereignty of words.

It is necessary, likewise, to explain many words by their opposition to
others; for contraries are best seen when they stand together. Thus the
verb stand has one sense, as opposed to fall, and another, as opposed to
_fly_; for want of attending to which distinction, obvious as it is, the
learned Dr. Bentley has squandered his criticism to no purpose, on
these lines of Paradise Lost:
--In heaps Chariot and charioteer lay overturn'd, And fiery foaming
steeds. What _stood, recoil'd_ O'erwearied, through the faint Satanic
host, Defensive scarce, or with pale fear surpris'd, Fled ignominious.--
"Here," says the critick, "as the sentence is now read, we find that what
_stood, fled_:" and, therefore, he proposes an alteration, which he
might have spared, if he had consulted a dictionary, and found that
nothing more was affirmed than, that those fled who did not fall.
In explaining such meanings as seem accidental and adventitious, I
shall endeavour to give an account of the means by which they were
introduced. Thus, to eke out any thing, signifies to lengthen it beyond
its just dimensions, by some low artifice; because the word eke was the
usual refuge of our old writers, when they wanted a syllable. And
buxom, which means only obedient, is now made, in familiar phrases,
to stand for _wanton_; because in an ancient form of marriage, before
the Reformation, the bride promised complaisance and obedience, in
these terms: "I will be bonair and buxom in bed and at board."
I know well, my Lord, how trifling many of these remarks will appear,
separately considered, and how easily they may give occasion to the
contemptuous merriment of sportive idleness, and the gloomy censures
of arrogant stupidity; but dulness it is easy to despise, and laughter it is
easy to repay. I shall not be solicitous what is thought of my work, by
such as know not the difficulty or importance of philological studies;
nor shall think those that have done nothing, qualified to condemn me
for doing little. It may not, however, be improper to remind them, that
no terrestrial greatness is more than an aggregate of little things; and to
inculcate, after the Arabian proverb, that drops added to drops
constitute the ocean.

There remains yet to be considered the distribution of words into their
proper classes, or that part of lexicography which is strictly critical.
The popular part of the language, which includes all words not
appropriated to particular sciences, admits of many distinctions and
subdivisions; as, into words of general use; words employed chiefly in
poetry; words obsolete; words which are admitted only by particular
writers, yet not in themselves improper; words used only in burlesque
writing; and words impure and barbarous.
Words of general use will be known by having no sign of particularity,
and their various senses will be supported by authorities of all ages.
The words appropriated to poetry will be distinguished by some mark
prefixed, or will be known by having no authorities but those of poets.
Of antiquated or obsolete words, none will be inserted,