10 32 36 36 29.76 cloudy II 39 47 4 29,9 fair 38 29,4 fair 26 36 44 40 29,6 fair, W. CARY, Mathematical Inftrument-Maker, oppofite Arundel ftreet, Strand. I 1234567890 3י 20 21 22 23 24 25 29 29 29 29 75 67 Rain roothsin. 13 43 33 19 5 ram, heavy clouds, and fun fair p 23 brifk wind and clouds, rain overcaft and warm The warm days and nights awake dormant vegetation. Yellowhammer (emberiza flava) fings Blackbird (urdus merula) builds. Pilewort (ficaria verna) and daffodil (narcillus minor) in bloom-e Draba verna in full bloom.-f Bats (vefpertilio murinus) come forth at fix p. m. in queft of phalene, though the thermometer was only 43.-g Peaches and nectarines in bloom.- Dog's-toothed (erythronium dens canis) in bloom.The dufodil comes this year long before the iwallow dares, and takes the winds of Yellow Lammer, that is. yellowcoat, from the old Gothic word bamur, a garment. Hence hammer cloth for the covering of a coach-box. clouds and fun, brisk wind 26 BEING THE SECOND NUMBER OF VOL. LVIII. PART I. OXFORD DICTIONARY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE. XXXGREEABLY to the defires of the following among his correfpondents, Mr. CROFT acknowledges their favours in A this publication. He very much thanks them all. It is his intention to depofit their communications in fome public library, whether he ufe them or not; along with all his MSS. and his philological library. D. D. advifes kindly, but there have been good reasons for not publishing yet. In the courfe of the fummer it is hoped that a volume will be ready, to thew (what a few pages will not fhew) the incredible, radical, and incurable defects of Johnfon; the progrefs made in the new Dictionary, and the manner in which it is carried on. "Gratitude" may be affured, that the author of the new Dictionary can never forget what he owes to Johnfon. He will praife that mighty man more, in fact, than ten Knights who write his life. He will fay that, every time he takes up Johnlon's Dictionary, he is more convinced it deferves to be put into the fire; but he will alfo fay, that, every time he takes it up, he is more attonithed to think what the peos, poverty-Aricken, bookfeller-fold, man has done, and more and more convinced that the book, which the new Dictionary fhall difplace from our fhelves, is perhaps the greatest work by one individual (ail things confidered). that has ever appeared in any country.-The Effay, which Gratitude" mentions and offers, Mr. C. has already marked, to be transcribed by his athiftants for his Dictionary. It" Gratitude" do not confider what has just been faid as praife, Mr. C. is ready to fubfcribe to the following paffage in Whitaker; except that Mr. C. concludes there were more reafons than we know, why Johufon was neglected in the reign, of which Whitaker 1peaks with more freedom perhaps than even Hiftory demands. (Hiftory of Manchefter, 40. 1775, book II. chap. viii, fect. 1, p. 327, 8.)-"I hope that I have executed the whole "with fuch a respectfulness to the gea❝tleman (Johnfon] whom I meant par"ticularly to encounter, as is peculiarly "due to one, whom every friend of vir66 tue muft elleem, and every lover of "letters admire; whole negligencies are "merely the difgrace of the reign that "left iuch a writer to ftruggle with dif "treffes and depend upon bookleliers, "and whofe mistakes are the incident "failings of humanity; one, of whom I "am happy to acknowledge, because it "is doing juftice to genius and to "worth, that, for energy of language, "vigour of ander landing, and rectitude "of mind, he ranks equally as the first March with beauty. Shakspeare's March is but just begun.-k Bees frequent the male bloom of the willow. Frogs croak, za? Almond-tree and early plum in bloom.—” Gooteberries in bioom. Pear-tree against wall in bloom. Frogs ipawn. Corinths in bloom.- Crown imperial in bloom.-7 Saxifragia craffifolia in bloom.— Blackthen as fpinofa) in bloom.- → Chaffinches (frinzilla celebs) pull off the blooms of the pot, anth, which are beautifully variegated, to eat the ports of froStification. fcholar fcholar and the firft man in the king"dom." Were it potible for the author of the Life of Young to infult over fuch a man's failings in the first great English Dictionary, executed in such an incredibly fhort fpace of time, Mr. C. would ftudy to coufign him to infamy, and gibbet his name in the new Dictionary at ingratitude, or fome other coun drel-word. "Spirit" may fend the papers (which will be very acceptable) either to Mr. Nichols's, or to Mr. Croft, Holywell, Oxford, whichever be more convenient. They thall be faithfully returned."Spirit" may be affured, that Mr. C. will follow the example of Hume, and indeed of his ancestor Herbert Croft, Bishop of Hereford, in never anfwering any attack. Whether Mr. C. be praised or abufed, truly or untruly, now or hereafter, for spending his life upon a Dictionary of his language, the publick will bear in mind what was moft folemnly faid in a letter by Mr. C. laft November, which was copied into this Magazine for that month. A reference to that letter, "Spirit" may reft affured, will be the only anfwer that ill-judging good-will, half-faced partiality, or open envy and malice, fhall ever force from the author of the new Dictionary: and he trufts that none of his real friends, by their of ficioufnels, will give him reafon to confider them as his worf enemies. **Q will lay Mr. C. under great obligations, by bearing him in his mind with regard to fuch matters as his obliging letter of September mentions. That Copy of Skinner unluckily does not ap pear in the library of Queen's college. For B. A's improved edit. of his book Mr. C. will be very thankful. He certainly means to quote modern books (though Johnfon protefled not to do it), when ever he fhall deem them neceflary to fatisfy any of the heads of his analyfis of Arts and Sciences. The new edition of Miller's Gardener's Dictionary (upon which the world will be glad to know that Profeffor Martyn is laboriously employed), will (for inftance) undoubtedly be deemed neceffary to fatisfy the head of Botany, &c. More than B. A. withes. he will find in the tables, which it is intended to prefix to the Dictionary, of all the books quoted, their editions, &c.; with fhort characters, and perhaps marks (1, 2, 3), bath there and at the quotas tions, to fav whether the books be fiift, laft, or middlemost in point of merit.— Every bad word will certainly be diftin guifhed by a mark of difapprobation. "Cantab." has Mr. C's thanks; but Profetor Martyn has already honoured him with his acquaintance, and given Mr. C. his father's very curious MSS. of a Dictionary on Johnfon's plan; which were certainly put together long before Johnfon fate down, it is imagined as long ago as 1744. Cantab." is requested to procure the provincialities. Mr. C. collets every thing that may by any poffibility come into an English Dictio nary; though he do not wish or intend to draw out his plan extenfively enough for the lives of ten men. "Columbus" fhall find that Mr. C. does not forget over how much land the English language is fpread. America, and American books, will not be neglected by Mr. C. The American am. batfador has taken charge of fome letters, which he advifed Mr. C. to write, and. which will, no doubt, produce communications from the other fide of the Atlantick. "A Foreigner" will oblige Mr. C. by noting what he mentions, and indeed by putting down every thing which frikes him in learning the English language. Former makers of Dictionaries for living languages have not enough forgotten, that, with regard to the lan guage, they were natives, and well-informed ones they fhould have poffefled the verfatility of changing places, and fhould have been able to imagine themfelves ignorant, uninformed natives, and even foreigners taking up the Dictionary. No people thail ever fee their language or their customs well explained, corrected, or criticifed, but by that man who is able, whenever he choofe, to ftep into the fhoes of a foreigner, and to leave thofe in which he has been bred and grown old, and by which (to continue the metaphor which chance has prefented) his feet have been fqueezed, and pinched, and cramped, and contracted.This correfpondent will not be forry to know, that Mr. C. at prefent intends, unless it turn out one of the too-extenfive ideas which a determination not to be the Quixote of lexicographers may make him give up, to accompany his English words with a vocabulary of one or more foreign languages, perhaps French and German. "A Literary Trade finan" is deûred to proceed in arranging and defcri! ing Mr. C. collects the terms of his trade. every thing even of this kind, but from the first quarters, marking the naines on each each communication now, and meaning to give them hereafter, thould he ufe the particular communication. For this determination, of never accepting any thing from friend or affifiant without mentioning their names, Mr. C. was obliged to Shak fpere-Steevens fome years ago. Mr. Wedgewood has promifed Mr. C. his terms; and Mr. C. will be obliged even to a mafter chimneyfweeper for his. Such communications are of the first authority, and, fhould Mr. C. not extend his fcheme fo far, pofterity will find them, and not be forry to find them, in the corner of fome publick library, among Mr. C's MSS; though perhaps covered with as much duft as the MSS, of the great Junius. "B-t,” “S. A," " M. M."" Philo," "Minfhew junior," and " EJohnlon," tymologift," are received, with many thanks. Birminghamienfis," it is hoped, will call, in his way through Oxford.-To thofe writers in this publication, who have noticed his intended Dictionary, it is hardly neceffary for Mr. C. to lay he is obliged. Wife men will fee what this hafty feribble is, and will criticize it accordingly. Mr. C. was not willing to be accufed of ingratitude, until the appearance of the account which he means to give of the progrefs he has made in his work, by thofe correfpondents who particularly defired him to acknowledge their favours in this ufeful publication. If fuch acknowledgements as thefe fhould not exhibit fpecimens of every fpecies of fine writing, it is rather ex culeable in a man fomewhat employed; or, at woift, there is one comfort, that the poor Dictionary-maker is confidered as much too dull an animal to be able to write at all. Ενθάδε δη φρονέω τεύξειν περικαλλέα νηον, Feb. 5. Homer's Hynin to Apollo, I. 287. Mr. URBAN, Feb. 22. be fufficiently wealthy to afford them a When the prefent diftrefs of the clergyman I have abovementioned, who is poffeffed of the fcanty income of forty pounds a year, with the large family of A relides at B, in the county of a wife and five children, reached the ears Bucks, was not long fince on the foundation of Eton, the manfion of learning and fcholaftic knowledge, where he had fpent many years indulging with pleafure the expectation at length of participating in thofe emoluments which the pious founder Henry VI. had eftablifhed, for the benefit of thefe whofe affairs (without such an institution) would not of the Etonians, they generously and fpontaneously raifed, out of their private purfes, a very handfome Bank note, which they fent him, hoping that it would in fome fmall degree contribute to enliven the brow with pinching forrow oppreffed. I have faid thus far, Mr. Urban, left fo generous an act should be overwhelmed in obfcurity, and at the fame fame time hoping that it may imprefs Mr. URBAN, AGE. Feb. 10. TH HE well-founded partiality I have for your Magazine, and the unfeigned refpect I bear to your candid and learned correfpondents, induce ine to anfwer the question which one of them has propoled about the letters fubjoined to the three Dedications of Bellendenus. Two perfons were concerned in conducting the edition; but the Preface was writtten by one of them only. They agree in their political fentiments, both of men and meafures, and each of them wished to thew his refpect for the gen tlemen to whom the work is dedicated. The initial letters of their respective Chriftian names, and the final letters of their furnames, were at firth printed. It was thought, however, that thofe letters might lead to a difcovery which they withed to avoid: and therefore the first vowels of their Chriftian and furnames were fubftituted, as being lefs expofed to invidious conjecture. I beg leave to atfure your correfpondent, that in the choice of a fignatuie I never intended the fmalleft attempt at conceit, or the flightest allufion to any clallical fubje&. Permit me, Mr. Urban, to add, that a late Tranflation of the Preface was undertaken without my knowledge; and, though I am far from thinking unfa vourably of the tranflator's abilities, I am concerned and difpleated, that he has fet before English readers what I had written in a learned language, and withed to be read by fcholars only. Something of this kind I had, in juftaefs to myfelt, biated in the Preface; and to thole readers who know not my delicacy, or might difpute my veracity, the miftakes which occur in the English tranflation will appear as decifive proofs that I am totally unconcerned in it. Yours, &c. A. A. Mr. URBAN, B. M. Feb. 20. I SEND you a tranfcript of an ancient deed illuftrative of the hate of Slavery in Eng and. S. A. "Omnibus hanc cartam vifuris vel audi turis, Willielmus filigs Drogonis falutem. Noveritis quod ego dedi & quietum clamavi de me & heredibus meis in perpetuum, & hac carta confirmavi, Deo & Abbatiæ de Neuhus Willielmum filium Gilberti filii Rolf de Wivelefby, hominem meum, cum tota fequela fua, & omnibus catallis fuis ubicunque fuerint inventi; ita quod ego nec heredes mei de cetero aliquod jus vel clamium in eodem Willielmo, aud in predicta fequela fua, vel in fuis catallis, habere potuerimus. Et fi forte aliquis dictum Willielmum, five fequela fua vel cataila fua, de cetero calumpniavit, vel in eodem clamium habere voluerit, ego & heredes mei tam dictum Willielmuin, quam fequelam, cum catallis prenominatis, tam verfus eundem, quam versus alios homines predicte Abbatie warantezabimus. Hanc autem donationem, quietam clamationem & confirmationem feci predicte Abbatie, pro falute anime mee, anno Gratie M. cc. Xxx quinto, ad feftum Sanéti Bartholomei. His teftibus, Galfrido Priorede Yreby, Johanne de Botherby, Willielmo de Belefby, Waltero de Belefby, Alano de Befeby, Alano de Bernolby, Willielmo de Bernolby, & aliis." Feb. 19. Mr. URBAN, but Dr. Bamber never did her any effec- S.on |
