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ways chofe night to torment me, would not incommode me in open day light. But which way to turn me? Though the place I was in was in an open fpot, at fome distance from me, I faw on all fides forefts of trees, as ancient as the creation; among which I could not enter without a renewal of my horror. Befides, I remarked that I was in a valley, and every way furrounded by hills. Deliberation was useless to a man entirely ignorant of aftronomy. I haftily purfued the rout that feemed leaft difficult, as if nothing could be of more confequence than to get at a diftance from my fledge, and that the bears were only to be dreaded in the

pected ways of fafety. My provifions were not fufficient to last longer than five or fix days; towards the end of the fourth, I confidered, that if I perfitted longer in ftaying in my afylum, it would be too late to quit it when I abfolutely wanted provifions; for fupposing I efcaped the fangs of the wild beafts, which ever way I went, I could. not expect a foreit of firs, and other timber trees, could afford me any nourishment. Notwithstanding the force of this reflexion, the impreffion of my fears was fo great, that I confumed all my provifions before I could refolve to open the door of the fledge. I even fafted entirely the fixth day, uncertain what steps to take, and ftill de-valley. I gained the fummit of a pending on the generofity of the Ruffian ladies. But I was fenfible at laft that I muft perith one way or other; and of the two kinds of death which Heaven left to my choice, extreme hunger convinced me that the fangs. of wild beafts were the leaft dreadful. Befides death, this way, was not quite fo certain; for my ftrength was already fo exhaufted, that I could fcarcely walk.

I therefore quitted my fledge. My first steps were tottering, and I know not whether this was more the effect of my terror, than of my weaknefs. I obferved, a moment, the tracks of the bears on the fand, and the marks they had left on my habitation. The leather that covered it was miferably torn. I owe my life only to the planks, the thickness of which had preferved me, though made of the lighteft wood. The ropes had been bitten through by the terrible teeth of my enemies; and what little remained, bore the marks of their favage fury. This fight froze my very blood.

As it was about noon, the fun, then in its full power, revived my trength a little, and made me hope that the wild beats, which had al

small hill, on which I was forced to reft me on the grafs through feeblenefs. Happily I had left a little ftrong liquor that I had faved as a last resource. I was going to fwallow it, when I perceived round me a great number of mushrooms; fome of which I gathered, and dipped in my liquor, and confidering this wild food as a favour of Heaven, and made a meal which exceffive hunger rendered delicious.

Doubt who will of providence, I, who experienced in this fuccour a fenfible effect of its care, profess to devote to it a life which it has preferved. It feemed to me from this moment to take me by the hand, to conduct me through the most dreadful perils. I found myself so strengthened by this strange repaft, that I did not hesitate to purfue my journey; I refolved to climb a tree at fun-fet, and remain there all night. I took with me all the mushroms I could find; fo fimple a nourishment having been capable to renew my ftrength. I made no doubt but a number of herbs and roots might be of the fame ufe in cafe of neceffity. I find myfelf, faid I, in the ftate of man, when firft created. Mankind, at firkt,

knew

Interefting Adventures of an English Merchant.

knew but little what was proper for their food. They could owe this knowledge to experience alone. I may acquire it the fame way.

Bufied with this reflexion, I walked with ardour. But when all was ftill around me, of a fudden I heard the fhrill howlings of fome unknown beafts. Terror feized me afresh. I climbed a neighbouring tree, and was not two minutes in gaining the top; the fun was ftill high above the horizon. How great was my furprize to perceive at first fight, the towers of Ciangut, which did not feem further diftant than about two leagues! I reproached myself bitterly for not having fooner thought of thus reconnoitring the environs; and during the firit emotion of my joy, I was induced to defcend from the tree, without remembering the wild beafts which had caufed my terror. Yet they were at the foot of the tree. This unexpected fight fo greatly terrified me, that lofing my hold, I tumbled into the midst of them, and crushed one by my fall. The rest fled, to appearance frightened, as much as myfelf; and I remained fome moments ftretched out close to that which I had killed, without recollecting that it was out of his power to hurt me. At laft, feeing it motionlefs, I raised myself up foftly, and turned towards Ciangut.

Scarcely had I walked an hundred yards, before another noife, but too lucky to afford me caufe of complaint, occafioned me fome moments of terror. I thought that I heard the voices of feveral perfons difcourfing together with warmth. But it was enough that they were men to infpire me with confidence. I joined them in a moment, and by a miracle more incredible ftill, than what I have already related, found they were my fellow exiles.

Having arrived, in less than eight days, with the two foldiers, at the

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place where my guards had left me; furprized not to find me, they had waited there fome time, and had seen the ladies of Ciangut, who had given them the best account in their power of my misfortune. Their grief had induced them to try, for feveral days, every poffible method to affift me. Under a pretence of hunting, they had fent into the forefts trufty perfons, whofe fearches had proved fruitless. They had fired feveral fhots which my unhappy fortune permitted me not to hear. The young lady who entertained fome favourable fentiments for me, feemed greatly afflicted at their want of fuccefs; especially when, upon interrogating my companions, fhe heard them confirm every circumstance that I had related of my birth, fortune and character. However, the governor's lady, not being able to conceive how a man and fledge fhould both entirely difappear, was not difcouraged at the inutility of these firit attempts. She was defirous that the two foldiers, and my four exiled companions, fhould ftay fome time near the spot where I had been laft feen; and use their utmoft endeavours, day and night, to discover the place of my retreat. This employment did not feem laborious to perfons juft returned from hunting the most ferocious animals, and who had passed so many nights in bad fledges. They had begun to put in execution this order, the very day that I had the happinefs to meet with them. They were the perfons who had chaced the animals which had given me fuch

terror.

My joy at finding my companions fcarcely exceeded my fenfe of the Ruffian ladies' goodness. I teftified my gratitude for their favours in the mot ardent manner, and they received my teftimonies of it in fuch a manner as to encrease it if poffible; and carried their complaifance fo far

as

as to detain us above fix months in the foreft of Ciangut. At length, when the Czarina, after the death of her husband Peter the Great, recalled all thofe exiles from the deferts of Siberia who were not fent there for capital crimes, we were obliged to

W OF

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ON ENGLISH GRAMMA R. LETTER IV. JORDS which are compofed of one or more fyllables, may be defined articulate founds, fignificant by compact, or used by common confent to exprefs our ideas. To diftinguifh a word from a Sentence we may add, that a fentence is a quantity of found fignificant, of which certain parts are themselves alfo fignificant; but a word is a found fignificant of which no part is itself fignificant. From hence it follows, that words, which imply a meaning, which is not divisible, muit of confequence be the fmalleft parts of Speech. We have followed Ariftotle in the definition of a word; and have added the opinion both of Prifcian and Theodore Gaza to illuftrate and confirm it. We fhould obferve likewife that Plato originally laid down this characteriftic of a word, and that it is evident, the others borrowed it from him.

in his Poetics, adds the article and conjunction to the noun and verb. To Ariftotle's authority may be added alfo that of the elder Stoics. The latter Stoics made five parts, by dividing the noun into the appellative and proper. Others increased the number by detaching the pronoun from the noun, the participle and adverb from the verb, and the prepofition from the conjunction. The Latin Grammarians went farther, and separated the interjection from the adverb, within which it was always comprehended as a fpecies, by the Greeks.

As words are the minuteft parts of Speech, the knowledge of the fpecies of words muft needs contribute to the knowledge of Speech itself.

The opinions of the ancients were various refpecting the number of the fpecies, or parts of Speech. Plato, in his Sophifts, mentions only two, the noun and the verb. Aristotle, when treating of prepofitions, mentions no more: But they did not confider words as relating to Grammar, but with reference to Logic, becaufe in I ogic thefe alone compofe a perfect affertion, which none of the reit can co withcu: them. Hence Ariftotle,

To the questions why there are not more fpecies of words; why there are fo many; or, if neither more nor fewer, why these and not others? An answer may, and fhall, be given.

The firit difference that occurs to us in reading any fentence, is this, that fome words are variable, and fome are not variable. Thus the word man may be varied into men. On the contrary, the words it and and cannot be varied. But these variations cannot be called effential or neceffary, because fome languages have them, and others have them not. Thus the Greeks and Latins vary their adjectives, by gender, cafe, and number; but the English never vary them, but preferve them the fame, thro' all kinds of concord. Befides, thofe very variations, which appear most neceffary, may be fupplied by other methods; fome by auxiliars, and fome by meer pofition. As the diflinction of variable and invariable is

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On English Grammar.

not effential to words; let us try what can be done with the words of a fentence as they stand feparate and detached from each other. In this view, we fhall find fome words that preferve their full meaning in their feparate state, and others, on the contrary, that immediately lofe it; because, in fact, they have no meaning but when connected or joined with others. With respect to this diftinction, the first fort of words may be called fignificant by themselves; the latter, fignificant by relation. The firft refemble thofe ftones in the bafis of an arch, which are able to fupport themselves, even when the arch is destroyed; the latter are like thofe ftones in its fummit or curve, which can ftand no longer than while the whole fubfifts. Apollonius of Alexandria has illuftrated this doctrine in another manner; to this effect. "In the fame manner, fays our author, as fome of the letters are vowels, which of themselves complete a found; others are confonants, which without the vowels exprefs no found; fo alfo may we conceive with refpect to words. Some of them, like vowels, are of themselves expreffive, as verbs, &c. others, like confonants, wait for the vowels, being unable of themselves to become expreffive; as is the cafe of prepofitions, &c. for thof parts of fpeech are always confignificant, or only fignificant when connected together." With this clue we may pursue our enquiries. All things exift either as the affections or attributes of other things, or without being the affections or attributes of other things. If they exist as the affections of fomething elfe, they are then called attributes. Thus to

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think is the attribute of a man. If they exift not after this manner, they are called fubftances. Thus man is not an attribute, but a fubftance, because it does not exift as the affection of any thing elfe. All things being either fubftances or attributes, it fol lows, that all words which are fignificant of themselves, or as principals, muft needs be fignificant of one or the other. If they fignify fubftances, they are called fubftantives; if they fignify attributes, they are called attributives, or adjectives. As to words, which are only fignificant as acceffories, they acquire a fignification, either from being affociated or connected to one word, or elfe to many words. If to one word alone, then, as they can do no more than define or determine its fignification, they may, for that reason, be called definitives. If to many words at once, then they ferve only to connect, and may be called connectives. By fubftantives, are meant what other Grammarians call nouns; by attributives, VERBS; by definitives, ARTICLES; and by connec tives, CONJUNCTIONS. As for pro nouns, adverbs, prepofitions, and interjections, they may either be found included within the fpecies abovementioned, or else must be admitted as fo many distinct fpecies by themfelves. If this admiffion be contended for, then there will be no less than nine fpecies or forts of words in the English language. Their names are the Article, Subftantive, or Noun; Pronoun, Adjective, Verb, Adverb, Prepofition, Conjunction, and Interjection. Of thefe we fhall treat in the fubfequent Series of Letters.

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To the EDITORS of the OXFORD MAGAZINE. OU may depend on the authenticity of the following anecdote, which is much at your fervice. It was given by Dr. Sharpe, June 27, 1757, who was then principal of Hertford college in Oxford. The ftyle and form being fomewhat extraordinary, it was very humouroufly burlefqued by the wits at that time.

The ADMONITION.
Notice is hereby given, that the
buttery and kitchen will be put out,
as ufual, on Saturday the 16th of
July next, being the last day of term,
by which time the feveral members of
this houfe are defired to repair to
their refpective homes, that the tu-,
tours and officers of the college may
be at liberty to go where their en-
gagements or amusements call them.

W. S. BURSER.
Your's, &c.

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A LA DOGGREL.
Noverint omnes per præfentes,
Quotquot in col. Hert. funt ftudentes,
Quod termino mox exituro,
(Viz. menfe Julii prox. futuro,)
Nil erit iftic quod voretur,
Ipfa culina extinguetur;
Quin ut omnino vacat domus,
Cum coquo exulabit promus;
Proinde neminem relictum
Volo per meum hoc edictum,
Difcedant omnes (inquam fex *.)
Haec confuetudo, haec est sex,
Ad fuos fe recipant ruri,
Quod ventri fat eft inventuri.
Tunc principalis, tunc tutores
Quifque fecundum fuos mores
Habebunt tempus otiandi
Et quo fert animus vagandi,
Illi, quorfum vadent de futuro,
Haec novi fane, neque curo;
Ipfe de me jam fabulofum
Ad || vadum tendam arenofum.
OXONIENSIS.

*The whole College at that time confifted of eight members. Sandford, near Oxford, where the Doctor was faid to pay his addreffes to a Lady at that time.

Extract from Churchill's Prophecy of Famine; with a Copper Plate annexed, called SCOTCH AMUSEMENTS.

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The Scots are poor, cries furly English pride;
True is the charge, nor by themselves denied.
Are they not then in ftricteft reason clear,
Who wifely come to mend their fortunes here?
If by low, fupple arts, fuccefsful grown,
They fapp'd our vigour to increase their own:
If mean in want, and infolent in power,
They only fawn'd, more furely to devour.
Rous'd by fuch wrongs, fhould reason take alarm,
And e'en the Mufe, for public safety arm:
But if they own ingenious virtues fway,
And follow, where true honour points the way:
If they revere the hand by which they're fed,
And bless the donors for their daily bread;
Or, by vaft debts of higher import bound,
Are always humble, always grateful found:
If they, directed by Paul's holy pen,
Become difcreetly all things to all men,
That all men may become all things to them,-
Envy may hate, but juftice can't condemn.

Into our places, ftates, and beds, they creep;
They've fenfe to get, what we want fenfe to keep.

Ceremony

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