LATIN DERIVATIVES.

"Many terms, however denominated in construction, are generally Participles or Adjectives used without any Substantive to which they can he joined, and are therefore, in construction, considered as Substantives."

Angel, the past participle of Aggellein, to announce.
Epistle, the past participle of Epistellein, to send.
Apostle, the past participle of Apostellein, to send out.
Pore, the past participle of Peirein, to go beyond.
FRENCH DERIVATIVES.

Lash, the past participle of Lascher, to throw out.
Chance, the past participle of Cheoir, to befall.
Destiny, the past participle of Destiner, to purpose.

The Saxon Prepositions used in the composition of the words to which reference is made, are these:

Fore, signifies before,

Mis, denotes defeet or error,

as Afoot, on foot,
as BEstir, Before,
as FORbid, FORsake,

as FOREsee,

as Mistake, Misdeed,

Over, denotes eminence or superiority, as OVERcome, OVERhasty 15

The Latin Prepositions referred to, are these:

A, ab, or abs, signifying from or

as to Absorb,

PAGE. 11 and 29

as to Ascend,

to Eject, to Elect, 12

34

as to Infect,

as OBstruct,

as to PERforate, 11

29

as to project,

as REvolve,

The Greek Prepositions to which the student is referred, are these:

Derivatives from the Latin words to which the Student is re

coitio, a verbal noun,

42

Concutere, (con & quatio) concussion,

Consternere, (con & sterno)consternation, consternation, a verbal

43

EXAMPLES FOR PRACTICE.

The Derivation of the words in SMALL CAPITALS is to be traced, and the signification of the Prepositions used, to be told.

These beams of intelligence will be ABSORBED. The flame CREPITATES. Full of CONTRITION. In great CONSTERNATION. A sudden CONCUSSION. CESSATION from hostilities. Sympathy ALLEVIATES grief. As if to ACCEND the seas. The FLUX and REFLUX

of the tide.

He was ELECTED.

What is IMMERSION? The JUNCTION of the beautiful rivers. INVEST thee with a royal robe.

To impede is not to OBSTRUCT.

account.

is a PROJECTOR, but he has not formed a project. A SUCCINCT A waste TRACT of land. Who would VEND his honour for gewgaws? In the VICINITY of London. No wiseacre shall have my VOTE. Admirable CRITIC!

A hundred

What is the derivation of the word EMETIC? He treats the science both ANALYTICALLY and SYNTHETICALLY. LASHES. CHANCE, high Arbiter!

A hard DESTINY. POLITE Lit

erature. The LAPSE of time. A good ANGEL.

A letter is not an

EPISTLE. Paul the APOSTLE. He bled at every PORE. "A POST in the ground.

A military POST.

To take POST.

A Post under Government.
The POST for letters.

POST chaise or POST horses.
To travel POST."

H

GEOFFREY CHAUCER.

Geoffrey Chaucer was born in the second year of Edward III, A.D.

1328.

BALE says he was a Berkshire man, Pitts would entitle Oxfordshire to his birth; but it is probable that he drew his first breathin the City of London. (See his Test. of Love.)

We may refer to the age of Chaucer for the genuine commencement of our Literature, for the earliest diffusion of free inquiry, and for the first great movement of the national mind towards emancipation from spiritual tyranny. We find him frequently (says Campbell) using satire as the moral warfare of indignation and ridicule against turpitude and absurdity, aud hence he has been claimed as a Primitive Reformer. His appearance, considering the lapse of our poetry after his time, has been compared to a premature day in an English spring, after which, the gloom of Winter returns, and the buds and blossoms which have been called forth by a transient sunshine, are nipt by frosts, and scattered by storms.

In the Canterbury Tales it appears to have been the design of Chaucer to compose a company of individals of different ranks, in order to produce a great variety of distinct character, as may be learned from the Prologue which he has prefixed to them.

In order to trace the progress of any language, it is necessary that we should have before us a continued series of authors; that those authors should have been reputable, and that their writings should have been exactly copied. In the English Language we have not an approved author whose writings have been preserved, before the time of Chaucer.

In his writings the article SE, SOE, WAT, was laid aside, and THE, our definite article, used in its stead.

The declensions of nouns substantive, were reduced from six to one; and instead of a variety of cases in both numbers, they had only a genitive case singular, which was deduced from the nominative, by adding to it es, or s only, if it ended in e feminine; and the same form was used to express the plural number in all