dis-joyning variously a little book-craft, and two hours meditation might furnish him unspeakably to the performance of more than a weekly charge of sermoning: not to reck'n up the infinit helps of 6 Not to reck'n up the infinit helps.] MILTON's Orthography gave Pronunciation the preference over Etymology. He, accordingly, put the apostrophed mark, or wholly sunk the o, where it is inarticulately pronounced, as above in reck'n and elsewhere in prisner, &c. And the same with other Vowels, where there is the same failure of an express enunciation; e. gr. med'cin, ordnary, cov'nant. A slovenly mode of utterance but too common among us, and which confounds all our Vowels in the same indistinct sound. The spelling of infinit without the supplemental e exemplifies his general scheme; as it also explains why in some instances he added this as a servile Letter to the end of a word. In this Oration infinit is printed like opposit, obdurat, Senat, Prelat, and many more, as it is spoken. This was the rule likewise prescribed to the Printers of his own Editions of Par. Lost, except when in accommodation to the measure the last Syllable is to be produced, then to denote it to be long an e was appended. As, "Be infinitly good, and of his good p. 97. of 8vo. edit. 1674. That these variations were not fortuitous is clear: "Through the infinite Host, nor less for that." "For which to the infinitly Good we owe." ib. p. 143. ib. p. 175. In these instances, where he Syllable, he subjoined the e. tious e to the closing word ought to be a rest on the last Syllable, that it might, I suppose, placed the accent on the middle So we find on system an adscitiof the Verse, to show that there interlinearies, breviaries, synopses, and other loitering gear. But as for the multitude of Sermons answer to the final Spondee of Latin Hexameters. Thus, "The bond of Nature drew me to my owne, 66 My own in thee, for what thou art is mine." Again; ib. p. 242. "When in orbes "Of circuit inexpressible they stood ib. p. 134. The omission of this e was further to " perform the effect" of accentual notation; and therefore it is that these Editions exhibit" Proserpin" (P. L. IV. 269.), "Nectarin," (ib. 332.) and "Maritim," (ib. XI. 398.), because contrary to the authority of custom, the metre constrains the ictus in these words to be thrown back to the middle Syllable. It is extraordinary, that none of Bentley's antagonists should have urged this laboured exactitude of Spelling in refutation of his hypothesis that there was an Editor of the original Edition of Par. Lost, who beside typographical faults, had foisted in several of his own verses. The phantom must have instantly faded before this objection. Where the e was not subsidiary to the written representation of the vocal breathing, but was entirely surd, he discarded it: for example; judg, fescu, revenu, shon, wors. In such cases to have retained the superfluous Letter might have misled as to the use to which it was applied in other places. S, as interpolated in Island, and the intercalary g in foreign, were retrenched by others as well as by MILTON. We see that Chaucer spelt to the sound; and this seems to have been the rule most attended to by our Forefathers; though it was the opinion of Gibbon, that Languages gradually lose sight of Etymology and come to be regulated by Pronunciation. As written words are but the signs of sound, Letters wholly mute should be regarded as a defect. The motive therefore ready printed and pil'd up, on every text that is not difficult, our London trading St. Thomas in his vestry, and adde to boot St. Martin, and St. Hugh", have not within their hallow'd limits more vendible ware of all sorts ready made: so that penury he never need fear of Pulpit provision, having where so plenteously to refresh his magazin. But if his rear and flanks be not impal'd, if his back dore be not secur'd by the rigid Licencer, but that a bold Book may now and then issue forth, and give the assault to some of his old collections in their trenches, it will concern him then to keep waking, to stand in watch, to set good guards and sentinells with our Authour might have been the benefit of Foreigners; as with the mode of pronouncing Latin and Greek which he wished to have introduced.-The French have so many quiescent Letters as to make too much of their Language merely Language to the eye. Our London trading St. Thomas in his vestry, and adde to boot St. Martin, and St. Hugh, &c.] This appears to convey a reflection on some Preachers who had converted the Vestryroom into a warehouse and place of sale for their Sermons. But I am unable to designate the individuals by name. 8 If his rear and flanks be not impal'd-] He has this last word in Par. Lost. VI. 553. "impal'd « On every side with shadowing squadrons deep." i. e. defended or surrounded. But from what follows presently afterward in my Text, I am inclined to think it is there in a different acceptation, and that he would now have the Reader understand him as meaning, guarded with the valli, the stakes or palisadoes, which the Romans made use of to strengthen their entrenchments. about his receiv'd opinions, to walk the round and counter-round with his fellow inspectors, fearing lest any of his flock be seduc't, who also then. would be better instructed, better exercis'd and disciplin'd. And GOD send that the fear of this diligence which must then be us'd, doe not make us affect the lazines of a licencing Church! For if we be sure we are in the right, and doe not hold the Truth guiltily, which becomes not, if 9 If we be sure we are in the right, and doe not hold the Truth guiltily, which becomes not.] We have a development of what is meant by the expression "holding the Truth guiltily," in the succeeding extract from his latest Publication : "With good and religious Reason, therefore all Protestant "Churches with one consent, and particularly the Church of England, in her thirty nine Articles (Artic. 6th, 19th, 20th, "21st, and elsewhere), maintain these two points, as the main "Principles of true Religion; that the Rule of true Religion is "the word of GOD only; and that their Fuith ought not to be an "implicit Faith, that is, to believe, though as the Church be"lieves, against or without express authority of Scripture. "And if all Protestants as universally as they hold these two Principles, so attentively and religiously would observe them, "they would avoid and cut off many Debates and Contentions, "Schisms and Persecutions, which too oft have been among "them, and more firmly unite against the common adversary. "For hence it directly follows, that no true Protestant can per"secute or not tolerate his fellow Protestant, though dissenting "from him in some opinions; but he must flatly deny and re"nounce these two his own main Principles, whereon true Re"ligion is founded; while he compels his Brother from that "which he believes as the manifest word of GOD, to an implicit "Faith (which he himself condemns) to the endangering of his "Brother's Soul. Whether by rash belief, or outward conformity: for whatsoever is not of Faith, is Sin." Of true Re we our selves condemn not our own weak and frivolous teaching, and the People for an untaught and irreligious gadding rout; what can be more fair, then when a man judicious, learned, and of a conscience, for ought we know, as good as theirs that taught us what we know, shall not privily from house to house, which is more dangerous, but openly by writing publish to the world what his opinion is, what his reasons, and wherefore that which is now thought cannot be sound. Christ urg'd it as wherewith to justifie himself, that he preacht in publick; yet writing is more publick then preaching; and more easie to refutation, if need be, there being so many whose businesse and profession meerly it is, to be the champions of Truth; which if they neglect, what can be imputed but their sloth, or unability? Thus much we are hinder'd and dis-inur'd by this cours of Licencing toward the true knowledge of what we seem to know. For how much it hurts and hinders the Licencers themselves in the calling of their Ministry, more then any secular employment, if they will discharge that office as they ought, so that of necessity they must neglect either the one duty or the other, I insist not, because it is a particular, but leave it to their own conscience, how they will decide it there. ligion, Hæresie, Schism, Toleration, and what best means may be us'd against the growth of Popery; p. 4. 4to. 1673. |