On English ticle. Again, we read John xvi. 13. "When he, the spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth." That is, according to this translation, into all truth whatsoever, or into all kinds of truth; but, according to the original, we fhould read with the definitive article, "into all THE truth;" that is, into the mott eminent truth, or into that concerning which our bleffed Saviour was difcourfing, into all evangelical truth. The tranflation, " Truly this was THE Son of God," Matth. xxvii. 54. fuppofes the Roman centurion to have had a proper idea of the divinity of our Lord; a fenfe which fome have objected to. But when we confider, that the Centurion, by his refidence among the Jews, might have arrived at the knowledge of the true God, might have been an auditor of the heavenly doctrines, and a spectator of the great miracles which our Lord wrought before his crucifixion, it is not at all improbable, that the laft fcene in which our Lord appeared unto him, might have wrought fo powerful a conviction, that he owned him to be the Son of God, in the fame fenfe as the Jews might have reprefented their Meffiah to be. We have said above, that both the articles are definitive, or that they determine or limit the fignification of the word to which they are joined; but this they do in different manners. A, or AN determines the word it precedes to be one fingle thing of the kind, leaving it vague and uncertain which : THE determines which it is, or, of many which they are. An is derived from the Saxon an, or the Gothic ans, which fignifies one, and therefore can only be joined to fubftantives in the fingular num ber; but THE may be joined to plurals alfo. As the English word means has generally been ufed as if it had no fingular number, the belt writers have the article A before it; thus Atterbury, "A means of still doing further good." Bishop Lowth recommends the fingular in this place, afking, Whether it ought to be A mean? But it should be remembered, that this fingular has fcarce any authority, and that there are a thousand inftances in which grammatical analogy is not preferved. Another remarkable exception to this rule is, that a is ufed before the adjectives few and many, even when joined with fubftantives plural: thus Shakespear writes, A many thousand French; and we say, both A few men, and A great many men.. The reafon of this ufe of the article A, appears from the effect which it has in these phrafes; it fignifies a fmall or greater number taken collectively, and therefore gives the idea of a whole, that is of unity. Thus, likewise, a thouLand, a hundred, is one whole number, or an aggregate of many taken collectively; and therefore ftill retains the article A, though joined, as an adjective, to a plural substantive, as a hundred years, A thousand doors. But when two or three are prefixed to the word thousand, we look upon it as a barbarifm; for no polite ear can bear" A three thousand men," though they can endure " A thousand men very well. The reason is, that the word thoufand, like a dozen, or a Score, is confidered as one collective idea; but the word three feparates and divides the parts of which it is compofed, and will not any longer fuffer it to be confidered as a fingle collective idea, but as divided into many. Hence we may fee the want of grammatical propriety, in this fentence of Swift, "How many a meffage would he fend?" The word how feems to deftroy the unity or collective nature of the idea; and therefore the fentence fhould have been written without the ARTICLE, thus, "How many messages? For the fame reafon the following expreffion in the E e 2 English English verfion of the Pfalms muft be pronounced irreconcileable with analogy, Many one there be that fay of my foul." 66 As the article A, or an, fignifies one in the languages from whence we have adopted it, fo it likewife is ufed inftead of one, or the unites of a collective number taken feparatively; thus we fay, a hundred a year; i. e. a hundred every fingle year in a certain feries. Though the articles are not properly used before fuch words as are in their own nature as definite as they may be, and upon that account are not fet before PROPER names; yet there are cafes in which even proper names receive them. Tho' proper names fignify originally individuals, yet when they are ufed as family names, which extends to all the individuals, they then admit an article, as THE Howards, THE Pelhams. Again, when the high character or minence of fome individual, was fo remarkable, that his name became afterwards a common or appellative noun, ufed to denote thofe who excelled in the fame way, it then affumed an article; thus any great critic may be called AN Ariftarchus, any illuftrious warrior, AN Alexander, or a Marlborough; every great beauty AN Helen, or a Venus; and Shylock very properly exclaims, " Daniel come to judgment! yea, î Daniel!" when he would applaud the wisdom of the young lawyer. -A In fome few inances the definite article THE is prefixed to the names of towns, as THE Hague, THE Havannah, THE Devizes; in the two former inftances we follow the French, who prefix their article to those words; and we add the article in the laft, because the word has a plural termination. The use or omiffion of the article A makes a nice, and fometimes an important, diftinction in a fentence; thus if we fay, "He behaved with A little reverence," the fenfe is quite different from what it is when we drop the article, and fay, "He behaved with little reverence." In the former sense we praise, and affert that fome reverence was fhewn, tho' not a great deal; in the latter, we difpraife, and intimate that the perfon did not fhew fo much reverence as he ought, because he should have shewn a great deal. The very pofition of the article has a great effect upon the fenfe: when we infert the article a between the adjective and fubftantive, as in half A crown, we mean only half the value of a crown-piece; but when we say A HALF CROWN, we mean a piece of money which is but half the value of a crown-piece. To make this plainer, two fhillings and fixpence is half A crown, but not a half crown. The definitive article THE is fometimes joined to adverbs in the comparative and fuperlative degree, and its effect is to mark the degree more strongly, and to define the more precisely; as 66 THE more I examine it, THE more I like it. I like this THE leaft. But this article is fometimes omitted, both by writers and fpeakers, before the fuperlative degree, but especially by the Scots, who have not contributed a little to corrupt our language by the multiplicity of their works. Thus a Scotch historian and effayift writes, "At wort, time might be gained." To the fame writers we may attribute the omiffion of this article, before subftantives, when they are used in an eminent or emphatical fenfe, and require a definitive the moft. Thus, we read preface, dedication, introduc tion. And the politicians of that country too frequently tell us of the wants of government; and that government cannot fubfift without a change, not confidering that government is used as a fpecies without the Remarkable Inftance of Facundity. the article; and that in order to define it, and convey the idea of any particular government, or our own government, by way of eminence, it fhould always have the article THE before it. When we apply the ordinal numbers to a series of things, we infert the article THE between the adjective and the fubftantive, as George THE Third: fome writers have indeed affected to fet this article before the ordinal, as the author hinted at before, who writes, " THE first Henry." But this is a liberty he has no more right to arrogate, with refpect to our language, than the liberties he too frequently takes with the fundamental articles of our religion. The word God, when ufed as a proper name, has no article before it; as in "Fear GOD, &c." but when it is ufed as an appellative or common noun, it then admits the article, "I am not a God afar off;" or THE God of Abraham, THE God of Ifaac, and THE God of Jacob." The article THE is inferted to define the sense of the word God, and to 66 217 diftinguish the true God under the To conclude, the words to be join- These remarks may therefore fhew the great importance of the proper ufe of the article; the near affinity there is between the Greek article, and the English definite article; and the fuperiority of the English language in this refpect, which, by means of its Two articles, determines the extent of the fignification of common names with the greatest precifion; whereas the Greek has only ONE article, which has puzzled the Greek grammarians; and the Latin has, properly fpeaking, no article at all. W. R. Remarkable Inftance of Fecundity, from a curious monumental Infcription. T ftartles us at first thoughts to find, that the world has been peopled by the defcendants of a fingle pair of the human fpecies. The fecundity of the human fpecies is certainly great; its numbers would undoubt edly have been greater were it not for the mortality occafioned by epidemical difeafes, war, famine, and accidents of all kinds. But as the increase of the brute and vegetable kind would bear no proportion to the human fpecies, were it not for thefe feeming calamities; we find the divine mercy illuftrating itself even in its punishments; and with a fatherly tenderness, thinning the hu- Thus, Thus, Partial ill is univerfal good. And, Whatever is, is right. The poffibility of peopling the world by one pair of the human fpecies, and the kindness of our heavenly Father in making the inftances of great fecundity fcarce and remarkable, employed my thoughts, when I faw the following infcription at the cathedral of Lincoln, which I have tranfmitted to you for the entertainment of your readers. "Here lyeth the body of Michael Honywood, D. D. who was grandchild, and one of the THREE HUNDRED and SIXTY-SEVEN perfons that Mary the wife of Robert Honywood, Efq; did fee, before fhe died, lawfully defcended from her (that is) 16 of her own body, 114 grandchildren, 228 of the third generation, and 9 of the fourth."-Mrs. Honywood died in the year 1605, and in the 78th year of her age. To the EDITORS of the OXFORD MAGAZINE. GENTLEMEN, FTER wishing you all poffible A fuccefs in your prefent under taking, and undaunted perfeverance in holding up the field for virtue, as well as the glass for folly, I here make you a tender of the following manufcript, which I have long had by me, the refult of a poor old man's experience, and which goes by the name of Poor Richard's Maxims. Who the writer was, where he refided, or in what æra he exifted, is immaterial, provided the reader can profit by his experience, or improve by his documents you, gentlemen, as literary cooks, will be able to judge, in fome measure, from the perufal, what entertainment it will afford; and whe vance of them: inasmuch as they have a direct tendency to rouze the trifler or fluggard from the couch of floth, and betake himfelf to rational and useful diligence; and not only fo, but to infpire him with that prudence which our moralifts have introduced into the clafs of virtues, as that which gives being to all the reft, and which, fuffer me to observe, there is no age, condition, or fituation in life, but what will afford scope for the exercife and improvement of it. Oxfordshire, Yours, Dec. 1, 1768. PROBUS. POOR RICHARD'S MAXIMS. ther it will be worth while to ferve GOD helps them who help them it to the public, is entirely fubmitted to you. There appears to me a pleafing fimplicity, and inftructive moral, in the generality of these aphorifms of poor Richard, Whofe even thoughts with so much Yet to fuch height is all their plainnefs wrought, Wit may admire and letter'd Pride be taught: And, which having reference to human actions, the happinefs of life greatly interested in the obfer felves. Sloth, like ruft, confumes faster than labour wears-while the ufed key is always bright. Doft thou love life? then do not fquander time for that's the ftuff life is made of. The fleeping fox catches no poultry-and there will be fleeping enough in the grave. If time be of all things the most precious-wafting time muft be the greateft prodigality. Loft time is never found againwhat we call time enough, always proves little enough. Sloth Poor Richard's Maxims. Sloth makes all things difficult-but industry all eafy. He that rifeth late muft trot all day, and fhall fcarce overtake his bufinefs at night. Laziness always travels fo flowly, that poverty foon overtakes him. Drive thy bufinefs, and let not thy bufinefs drive thee, For early to bed, and early to rife, There are no gains without pains; then help hands, for I have no lands. He that hath a trade hath an estate, and he that hath a calling, hath an office of profit and honour. Industry pays debts, while despair increaseth them. Diligence is the mother of good luck, and God giveth all things to industry-then plough deep, while fluggards fleep, and you fhall have corn to fell and to keep. One day is worth two to-morrows, therefore have you fomewhat to do to-morrow?-do it to-day-be always afham'd to catch yourself idle-let not the fun look down and fay, inglorious here he lies. Handle your tools without mittins, remember the cat in gloves catches no mice. Conftant dropping wears away ftones--and by diligence and patience the moufe ate into the cableand little itrokes fell's great oaks. Employ thy time well, if thou meanit to gain leifure-and fince thou art not fure of a minute, throw not away an hour. Trouble fprings from idleness, and grievous toil from needlefs cafe. Many without labour would live by their wits cnly; but they break for want of flock. Fly pleafures and they'll follow you. The diligent fpinner has a large hift-and now I have fleep and a cow, every body bids me good-morTow. 219 Neglect not your affairs, nor truf too much to others; For I never faw an oft removed tree, Three removes is as bad as a firekeep thy fhop, and thy fhop will keep thee. If you would have your business done, go-if not fend. He that by the plough would thrive, The diligent eye of the mafter will do more work than both his hands. Want of care does us more damage than want of knowledge. Not to overfee workmen is to leave them your purse open. In affairs of this world men are faved not by faith, but by the want of it. Learning is for the ftudious, riches for the careful, power for the bold, and heaven for the virtuous. A little neglect may breed great mischief; for a want of a nail the fhoe was loft; for want of a shoe the horfe was loft; and for want of a horfe the rider was loft, being overtaken and flain by the enemy; all. for want of care about a horfe-fhoenail. A man may, if he knows not how to fave as he gets, keep his nofe all his life to the grindstone, and die not worth a groat at last. A fat kitchen will always make a lean will; for many eftates are spent in the getting, Since women for tea forfook fpinning and knitting, And men for punch forfook hewing and fplitting. Think of faving as well as getting, Women and wine, game and deceit, Who |