COLUMBIA INSTITUTION
FOB THE
DEAF AND DUMB
THE CHARLES BAKER COLLECTION
NUMBER ft \5
y*
DIDASCALOCOPHUS
Or
The Deaf and Dumb mans Tutor,
To which is added
A Difcourfe of the Nature and number of Double Coufonants: Both which Trad? being the firft (for what the Author kno'ws) that have been publilhed upon either of the Subjects.
By GEO. DJLGJJ^NO.
Printedatthe Theater in Oxford, Anno Dom, 1680.
No ^
Imprimatur,
TIMO. HALT ON
Vice-Cancel Qxon.
Errata. Read Didafcalocophus for cheirologs^. 96. 1. 7-and p 104. 1. 22. Read ufe for nfe} p. 27. 1. 1. Read n?oft for for/?, p. 128. 1.8.
THE
INTRODUCTION,
With a KEY
to the following difcourfe.
ABOUT 20 years agoe, J publifhedt Latiali but rudi Minerva, a Syno- pfis of a Fhilofophical Grammar and Lexicon; thereby [hewing a way to remedy the difficulties and absurdities which all languages are clogg'd with ever fmce the confu- \0my or rather fince the fall • by cutting off alt Redundancy, rectifying all Anomolyt taking a- way all Ambiguity and *s£quivocationt contra- Ming the Primitives to a few number, and even thofe not to be of a meer arbitrary, but a ratio- nal Jnfiitution ', enlarging the bounds of deri- vation and Composition, for the caufe both of Copia and Emphafis. In a wordtdefigning not only to r erne die the -confufion of Languages t by giving a much mote eajie medium af communi- cation then any yet known ; but alfo to cure even PhHofophy it [elf of the difeafe ofSophifms, And
Low
Logomachies $ asalfo to provide her with more wieldy and mannageahl^/Ipfirumonts of opera- tion, for defining* dividing, demonjlrating, &c.
What entertainment this defign may meet with in following ages* I am not folic it out to know \ hut that it has met with fo little in this f re fent age, I could give fever al -good reafons, which at pre fent I for hear ; intending, if God blefs me with life, health, and lei fur e to do thtf in a more proper place. To me 'tii enough to- *Dr.SethWard now have the Teftimony of fom%
late Lord Bifiop of pr efent age ■•* who arc be ft a*
Dillingham. this nature, that I have them
discovered a fecret of Art, which by the learn* edmen of former ages, has been reckoned among the Defderata of Learning : To which I may add, that this difcovery is made from more ra* tional, eafy> and practicable principles, than e- ver they imagined to he poffible.
To this treatife 1 gave the title of Ars Si* gnorum> which i» compliance with the Diatett fif the prtfent Scene, I may prfipe*$J?*noHgk
change
fkdttge to Sematology. This [con after be* came a fruitful Mother of' two Sifter- Germans t Didafcalocophus, W dDifcourfe of double Consonants ; which having lyen as twins in the womb for many years, at la ft two fever efts of ficknefs did midwive them into the world, th latter here in order being Senior to the other by the fp ace of full 7 jears.
That the argument I have in hand is worthy to be treated of, tv/S readily be cmfeffed by all - hut how worthily I have handled it mufi be judged by a few, to whofe candor {faffing by all apologies) I freely fubmit. The former treatife of Sematology had the Univtrfality of all mankind for its object, but had nothing to recommend it but convent ency ; This 0/D1- dafcalocophus, is retrained (at leaf} in its moft proper ends and principal effects) to a fmall number of mankind', but comes recommended with the flrongefi arguments of charity and Ne- cefjity. But at prefent Z will difmifs the Mo- ther, and betake my felf to put the Daughter in a proper drefs for the following Scene of atfion.
Tht Soul of Mm in this ftate of union defen- ding
ding in its operations upon the bodily Organs 5 when tbefe are vitiattd it mufl needs follow, that the Soul it felf is fo far affeCled, as at leaft to be hindred in ha external functions. Being therefore to treat of a way to cure a weak- nefs that follows humane nature, equally affect- ing both : I will leave it to the skilful Ph]yjicianj to difcourfe of the caufes and cure of the Difeafey as it concerns the Body, and will apply my felf to confider of the means* u cure the better part> of the Man, which is the proper work of a Gram- marian
And becanfe the fubjecJ I have in hand is «%c epntweicu, and more particularly one branch of it, which for what I know> has been hitherto ex profeflb treated of by no Author • I will fir ft mention all the fever al wayes of Interpret tationt whereby the Soul either doth^ or may e- xert her powers : In doing of which I will be o~ bilged to take the liberty of coyning fome new words ofi^Art, which hereafter I will explain-
It is true that all the Senfes are Intelligen- cers to the Soul lefs or more » for tho they have their di ft inct limits, and proper objecls afjigmd fb§m by nature 5 yetjhe U able to ufe thetr fer-
<vice
vice even in the moft abftracled Notions t ana Arbitrary institution - But mth this difference , that Nature feems to have fitted two, Hearing and Seeing, more particularly for her fervice$ And other two Tailing and Smelling, more grofs and material, for her dull and heavy con- fort the Bod) : whereas the fifth of Touching is of a midle nature, and in a manner equally fitted for the fervice of both} as will appear in the progrefs of the following difcourfe. Wherefore being here to fpeak of the Interpre- tation of arbitrary Signs, imprefi by the Ratio- nal Soule {and by it alone) upon the objects of the Senfes} mofi fitted for that ufe : I will take notice of the moft ufual, or atleaftofthe moft eafy and practicable wayes of Interpretation which either are, or may be.
Here refleSting upon Ariftotles «u%c 1^,- fjuiicu, and tiki -^vyy; t I expected both his help and Authority, in Analyfiflg the feveral kinds of Interpretation : But finding little or nothing to this purpofe in him, neither indeed in any other Author of old or new Philofophy (as wee now diftinguifh) that I have happened to look in, I was forced to adventure upon the fol- lowing
lowing Analyjisi for clearing my my, and en- abling me to difcourfe the more difiinclly on the Subject Argument.
Interpretation then in its largefi fenfe, is an adt of cognitive power, expreffing the inward motions, by outward and fenfible Signs: of this there Are three kindes, \. Su- pernatural, 2. Natural t 3. Artificial or Infti* tut tonal » to which I give the names of Chre • matology, Pbyfiology, and Sematology. Chre~ matologfy is when Almighty God reveals his will by extraordinary means, as dreams, vifions, Apparitions &c. and this in the division of Arts falls under Divinity. Phy(iology is when the internal pajjiohs, are exprejfedbj ftteh external' Signs f as have a natural connexion by way of cattfe andejfecJ with the paffion they discovery as laughing , weeping, frowning, &c. And this way of Interpretation being common to the Brute with Mant belongs to Natural PhiUfophy: Andbceattfc this goes not far enough) to ferve the Rational Soul, therefore Man has invented Sematology % that is y an Art of impr effing the conceits of the mind upon fenfible and material Objects, which have not the leafi fhadaw ef affi- nity
nity to the images of the things they carry impreft upon them : And this u Interpretation^ in the flricktft and mo ft proper (enje j and to reduce this wonderful effect of Tfeafon to fuch Rules of Art as the nature of it requires, is the proper Subject of Ars Signorum -, which according to the commonly recieved dtftribution of Arts^ is nothing elfe hut a Rational Grammar.
Sematology then being a General name for all interpretation by arbitrary Signty or {to fol- low the mofl ufual terms of Art) "Voces ex in- r ftituto, to any of the Senfes $ It may from the [three Senfes of Hearing, Seeing, and Touching, whofe fervice the Soul doth chiefly make u(e of in Interpretation* be divided into Pneumatologyt Schematology \ and H»ptology,
Fneumatology-i {or if any think, Echology more proper) ts Interpretation by Sounds con*\ veied thro the Ear ; Schematology by Figures to the Eye » and Haptology by a mutual contact, skin to skin. Pnenmatohgy again is divided into Glojfology and Aulology : Glojfology is a term proper enough for Interpretation by the Tongue, which is the fir ft, and moft common Org.ra of Interpretajiony at haft in Society, and
face
face to face ; for Man in thefe circum fiances
— effert animi motus interprete Lingua. Anlohgy fo ftyled by an ea(y Trope-, interprets by a Mufical Infirument ; which is fully capable of as much, and manifeft diflintJion as the Tongue, but not fo natural and ready an Organ. Schematobgy is divided into Typology or Grammatology, and Cheirology or Daclylology. By Typology or Grammatology, 1 under fl; and the impr effing of permanent Figures upon f olid and con ft (ting matter , which may be done two wayes ; either by the Pen and Hand, or by the imprefflon of Stamps prepared for that ufe^ which ma^ei only an accidental difference between Gramma- tology and Typology. Cheirology or Dactylolo- gy, as the words import \ is Interpretation by the tranfient motions of the Fingers s which of all other wayes of Interpretation comes nearefi to that of the Tongue* Haptology admitting of no Medium, nor diftinction of At~l and object, but being body to body, doth therefore admit t of nofubdivifton. Tho I will not warrant all thefe Terms from Acyrology 5 yet I am fare that they will both fave me the labonr of Periphrasis t and alfo from »Jtn£ words lefs proper.
CHAP,
L * ]
CHAP. I.
A Pea/ man as capable ofunderftunding andexprejfing a Language^ d$iind.
THO the Soul of man come into the world, Tabula T^afa ; yet is it withal, Tabula Cerata s capable thro ftudy and difcipline, of haying ma- ny fair, and goodly images, ftamptupon it. This capacity is actuated; by the mi- niftry of bodily Organs. The Organs of the Body, ferving the Soul in exerting her powers, in this ftate of union are four ; the Eye and the Ear ; the Hand and the Tongue : the firft pair fitted for taking in, theother forgiving out ; Both the one and the other, equally ncceffary for com- munication, and fociety.
That the Ear and the Tongue alone, lecluding the other two, can perfedfc a man in knowledge ( excepting of fomei few things which are the proper Objects of feeing ) and enable him to exprefs what he knows in Vocal Signs, or a Language
A fpoken,
[*]
fpoken, is known by daily experience in blind people. That an equal! degree of knowledge is attainable by the Eye, and expreffible by the Hand in C hara&ers, or a Language written, is no lefs evident in the Theory^, for the reafons following.
Allftgns, both vocal, and written, are equally arbitrary and ex injhtuto. Nei- ther is there any reafon in Nature, why the mind mould more eafily apprehend, the images of things impreft upon Sounds, than upon Characters ; when there is no-i thing either natural, or Symbolical, in the one or the other.
Therefore that blind people fhould come fooner to fpeak, and underftand» than Dumb perfons to write, andunder- ftand, is not , becaufe there is any more difcerning faculty in the Bar, than in the Eye ; nor from the Nature of Sounds and £haracT:ers , that the one fhould have a greater fitnefs then the other to conveigh thofe Notions impreft upon them, thro, the refpedtive doors of the Senfes into the Soul ; neither that pronounciation of ar- ticulate words is fooner, or, more eafily leatned, then written Characters* neither
yet,
en
yet, that the Ear is quicker in perceiving its object then the Eye : But it is from o-i ther accidental caufes, and circuinftan- ceSi which give the Ear many confider- able advantages, in the matter of Com- munication, above the Eye. And yet , e- ven in this particular, the Eye wants not its own priviledges j which if rightly ufed, may perhaps outweigh the advantages on the other fide. For illuftrating this, I will compare a Deaf man with a Blind, i ... The blind man goes to School in his cradle j this lo early care is not taken of the Deaf. 2. The blind. man is ftill learn- ing from all that are about him ; For e- very body he converfes with, is a Tutor, and every word he hears, is a lecture to \iims by which he either learns what he Knew not, or confirms what he had. The Deaf man not being capable 6f this way or difcipline,has no teacher at alband tho neceffity may put him upon contriving, &c ufing a few figns,i yetthofe have no affi- nity to the Language by which they that are about him do converfe amongft them- felve's, and therefore are of little ufe to him. 3, The Blind man goes thro the
A 2 difci-
[4 J difcipline of Language in the beft of his time, Childhood, and under the beft oi Teachers, women and children: The Deaf man is deprived of both thefe op- portunities. 4. The bhnd man learns his Language by the by, and aliudagens ; the Deaf cannot attain a language without inftrudtion , and the expence of much time and pains. ?. The deaf man is con- fined to the circumftances of light , di- stance, pofture of body, both inhimfelf, and him he communicates with :the blind man is free from thefe ftreightning cir- cumftances.
Laftly, all the advantages the Ear has above the eye, may be fummed up in thefe two. Firft, more opportunities of time ; iecondly, quicker difpatch,or doing more work in lefs time: Both which may be in a great meafure remedied by skill and care; by which if there were a timely applica- tion made to Deaf perfons,! conceive they might be more improved in knowledge ; and fo their condition be much more happy than that of the blind : which will appear by the following advantages that the Deaf man has above die Blind.
' Firft,
Firft, the Deaf man has greater advan- tages of acquiring Real knowledge, than tfhe blind j ^becaufe the Eye has greater variety of obje&s then the Ear. 2. The Deaf man has a greater certainty of that knowledge he attains by the Eye, than the Blind can have of that he receives by the Ear ; for JPluris eji oculatns tefiis units , quam auritt detem. 5. As he has the bet- ter of the other in the knowledge of Na- ture ; i'o alfo he exceeds him much , in Speaking and Reading the Language of Nature. For befides reading the GlorJ%. and wifdom of God, in the book of the Creation -, he is able alfo to read much of the minds of men, in the book of their Countenance ; Which, feconded with the poftures , geftures , aciiohs< of the whole body •, more particularly, the indications of the hands, feet, fingers, and other cir- cumftances -, laies open much of their in- fide to him: And he, by the fame Dumb eloquence is able to notifie his defires to others. Of which way of communication, the blind mans condition renders him wholly unicapable. So that the one is a- ble to prove himfelf a man, in any fociety
A 3 oi
pf Mankind, all the world over: The o- ther, take him from the company of his country-men, h^s little elfe left him wherewith to difference himfelf from a brute, but the childifh Rhetorick ofD*- mocritus, and Heraclitus. But fourthly, to come clofer to our purpofe with the com- parifon. The Deaf man learns a Lan- guage by Art, and exercifing his rational faculties ,• the Blind man learns by Rote ; fo that he gets a language and he himfeU knows not how. There is therefore as great difference, in the point of language between a Deaf and a Blind man ( fup- poling both to have made an equal pro- grefs, ) as between one bred in the Uni- verfity, and a Clown that knows not a letter. Fifthly, tho the Blind man have the ftart of the Deaf, yet the deaf man will be too hard for him at the long run : For he, after he has once got a compe- tency of language, will be able to help himfelf, and direct his own courfe in the further purfuit of all Real knowledge. On the contrary, the blind man who in learning a language needed no particular Guide, became every body was his Guide ;
now
[7] now he is at a Hand, and cannot io much as advance one ftep, without one to lead him. Sixthly, the Deaf man has this great advantage above the Blind, which weighs heavier then all that can' be laid in the Scales againft-it : That he is able to write down his notions, and reflecl; upon them as often as he will. And now the advan- tage of having much time for ftudy, and doing much work in little time is as much the Deaf mans, as at firft fetting out it was the Blind mans. Seventhly, inthefu- perfetation of language the Deaf man willfoonerbe impregnate with a 2d,or 3d, language then the Blind jinfomuch as one language learned by ftudy and Art, is a greater ftep to facilitate the learning of another, then the mother Tongue which comes by meer uie and Rote.
CHAP.
[8 1
CHAP. II.
uiDeaf man capable of as Early Injlruclion in a language as a Blind.
TAking it for granted, That Deaf peo- ple are equal, ;in the faculties of ap- prehenfion , and memory > not only to the Blind ,- but even to thofe that have all their fenfes : and having formerly fhewn ; that thefe faculties can as eafily receive, and retain* the Images of things,, by the conveiance of Figures, thro the Eye, as of Sounds thro the Ear : It will follow , That the Deaf man is, not only, as capa-: ble i but alfo, as foon capable of Inftru-' dtion in Letters, as the blind man* AncL if we compare them, as to their intrinfick powers, has the advantage of him too ; inibmuch as he has a more diftind: and perfect perception, of external Objects, then the other. For the Blind man has no certain knowledge of things without him; but what he receives, from the informa- tion of the grofs fenfe of Feeling s which,
tho
[9 ]
tho it be a fare intelligencer ; yet is its in- telligence very fcanty : For what he re- ceive* by the Ear, is bat a fecond-hand knowledge, depending upon teftimony, and thftcredit of others. So that the ad- vantages I gave the blind man,at firft fet- ting out, are not in his own faculties, but from extrinfick and adventitious helps.
Therefore I conceive, there might be fucces£ul addrefles made to a Dumb child, even in his cradle j when he begins — rifu cognofcere matrem : if the Mother, or,Nurfe had but as nimble a hand, as commonly they have a Tongue. For inftance , I doubt not but the words, band, foot, dag, cat, hat, &c. written fair, and as often pre-* fented to the Deaf childs Eye, pointing from the words to the Things and vice verj'a ; as the blind child hears them lpo-i ken, would be known, and remembred aflbon by the one, as the other. And as I think the Eye to be as docile, as the Ear ; fo neither fee I any reafon, but the Hand might be made as tradable an Organ, as> the Tongue; and aflbon brought to form, if not fair, at ieaft legible Chara&ers, as
the
[ *°]
the tongue to imitate, and Echo back,ar- ticulate Sounds.
Here it may be doubted ; whether it were more advifable, to train up the deaf child in Typology, or Dactylology. For the firft, it may be faid, That tho the in- ftitution is equally arbitrary in both, and therefore equally eafy to the learner, yet, writing is permanent, and therefore gives the young Scholar time to contemplate, and fo makes the deeper impreffion: whereas, pointing to the fingers is tran- fient , and gone before it can be appre- hended. This" made meat firft incline more to writing ; But upon further con- fideration, I judge the other way much more expedient. For tho it cannot be de- nied, but the permanency of the Chara- cters jis in it felf an advantage, if well improved j yet, tranfient motions, if of- ten repeated, make as great an impreffi- on upon the memory, as fixt and immov- able objects. A clear proof of this we have from young ones learning to underftand a Language, from the Tranfient moti- ons of the tongue : and which is yet more difficult i to imitate the fame tranfient
motions i
C » ]
motions ; where, neither can the diftin- ctions be fo manifeft, nor the formati- on fo eafy , as in the Hand-language. Which, as it confirms me j That pointing to the Hand, would be the better way of teaching, fo it makes me think : That if clofely followed , it might be .qafier at-r tained, by young ones, then fpeaking ; in- fbmuch as the motions of the Hand, are. much more eafy then thofe of the tongue.
If here it mould be objected; That words written are more diftind:, and eafy to be apprehended ; for tho confifting of feve- ral diitinct letters ; yet being joyned, they pafsin this rude difcipline, for one indi- vidual Sign, for our Scholar f is fuppofed as yet, to underftand nothing of the di- ftindbon of letters : whereas in pointing to the Fingers ; The diftind motions to makeup a word, will be more manifeft ; and fo will be a hinderance to the. Scho- lars weak intention, to apprehend that, which is reprefented by many touches fo diftindly, under t e Notion of one word.
To this I anfwer. If we compare the action of writing, with pointing to the Fingers, this is much more fimple then
that i
£ " 3
that ; and therefore lefs amufing. But fecondly , if we compare words written with pointing ; this is ftill not only more fimple, and therefore more eafily appre- hended ; But alfo it is as eafy to represent a word as one Compofitum with a continu- ed adtion of the Hand, tho there be ma- ny diftinft pointings , as to make One Word by an aggregate of many diftindt letters. Add to thiSj that pointing to the Hand is capable of more Emphafis; for frequent repetition accompanied with fi- gnificant gestures, will come near to the way of teaching viva voce, which incul- cates more then the beholding of a Hand- ing object. But here there is need of cau- tion ; That we follow the condudt of Na- ture,- That is, to begin with Words moft Jimple and eafy. For we fee that young children when they begin to fpeak are not able to pronounce long words, nor yet all letters. But here the only care to be taken is, to chufe fhort words ,• for all let- ters are equally eafy. Now before I pro- ceed I think it will be very proper to add fome thing of the eafinefs of the whole Task i both to remove prejudices in o-
thers,
C 13 ]
thers,and more particularly to encourage the careful Mother the more cheerfully to undertake it.
There are many mothers who ( to their great praife ) do teach their children to Read, even almoft before they can fpeak. And yet ( I hope ) it will appear from the following confiderations ; That to read and write upon the Fingers, is much ea- fier to the learner, than to read and write in Books ; there being many difficulties in the one, which are avoided in the other. For, i. in reading, fingle letters muftbe learned ; which are very remote, and ab- ftradted from fenfe, as being but parts of a Signs Sign, e. g. H. is the 4th part of the word Hand, which word written is a fign of the vocal found, the vocal found is the immediate fign of the thing it fqlf.2.Next to this difficulty is the learning to name the fame letters in the precile abltracled notion of them a, b, c, d, Sec. without bor- rowing names to them from other things ; contrary to what the firft fathers of let- ters have taught us, as appears by their naming the fimpie elements Alef.b, Beth, Gimel, Daletb, &c, And here by the by I
cannot
[i4 ] cannot but obferve; That we Europeans have been fo dull Sholars, as not to take out the leflbn : Yea our wife /Mailers the Grecians in this particular, are the great- eft Dunces of the reft^For others have been truants and taken out no leflbn ; and they have taken it out falfe . For they have named them by Barbarous and infignifi- cant words corrupted from the Hebrew ; which is worfe then to name them by their own powers alone. Which halluci- nation of theirs has a remarkable provi- dence in it i For thereby they have given a convincing proof, and openly confef- fe-d ( tho they neither defigned, nor own- ed any fuch thing,) that the Do&ors of Athens have learned their a b c at the feet of Gamaliel. And here amongftour felves and neighbouring Nations, it is obferv- able, that in this point of difcipline, our Dames are wifer than our Doctors: for they find a neceffity of bringing home thefe abftracted notions to young ones fenfes, by borrowing names from known and familiar things. But if there were one way of naming the fimple Elements agreed upon, and this put in all Primers
and
C 1/ ]
and Horn-books, it would not only be of good ufe to children and unskilful Dames; but alfo the thing being celebrated would give occalion to ingenious allufions and Metaphors , an inftance whereof we have in A and & in the Greek. But to return to our purpofe. A third difficulty in read- ing is true pronounciation of the fimple letters. And 4. joyning them in fyllables is yet more difficult ■, the fingle letters of- ten times either quite looting, or, chang- ing their powers. And /. the dividing fyl- lables aright, and joyning them to make words. All which are fuch difficulties that one may juftly. wonder how young ones come to get over them : And how late , and with how great pains they are over- come by fome, I appeal to thofe that know what belongs to the breeding of youth. Now the Deaf child under his Mothers tuition , paffes fecurely by all thefe Rocks and Quick-fands. The diftin- (Stion of letters, their names, their powers, their order, the giving them true lhape or figure ( which anfwers to others, pro- nouncing true, ) the dividing words into Syllables, and of them again making
words,
c in
words, to which may be added Tone, and Accent. None of thefe puziing niceties hinder his progrefe. All the teacher has to do, is, to go with one continued mo- tion over all the points that make up the word , pointing withal to the things. And at firft it will be convenient to ini- tiate the young Scholar with words of few letters, and a near affinity ; as, Hat, Cat, Hog, Dog, Hand, Sand. Itistroe, aftefhe has paft the discipline of the Nurfery,an4 comes to learn Grammatically, then' he muft begin to learn to know letters writ- ten, by their figure , number, and order. But the reft of the difficulties I have but now mentioned , are proper to the Ear, and therefore do not concern him.
And becanfe the advantages the Blind man hath over the Deaf, are more consi- derably fuch, in the time of childhood ; It cannot be denied, but the blind child, is in a greater capacity of learning the Mother-Tongue then the Deaf: yetfo, as skill and care might advance the Deaf child in a vocabulary of the names of vi- fible Objects, much above what the other can beiuppofed to get from the common
ufe
[ 17 ]
ufe of the Mother-Tongue. For the one is ftill running the fame round, in a narrow circle, hearing the fame words redun- dantly : the other might be in a conftant progreffive motion.
And tho I perfwade my felf, that fome time or other, there may be a mother found, who by her own care, and fuch directions as I am treating of, will lay a good foundation of Language in her Deaf child, even in the firit ftage of his Minority ; yet feeing this is like to be but rara avis, I will advance our blind and deaf Scholars to a higher Form,and place them under a feverer difcipline then that of the Nurferyj which I fuppofe none will deny them now able to bear : for I will fuppofe them entred in the 7th year of their age. Together then with this e- quality of age, let us fuppofe them every other way equal, in their natural parts, both faculties and inclinations,under Tu- tors equally both skilful and careful : And to make their capacities every way equal,- the Deaf boy to write as fair and quick a hand, as can be expected from that age. In thefe circumitances , they are
B both
[ i8 ]
both of them to begin to learn a Lan- guage ; the blind boy Latin, the deaf boy his Mothers Tongue.
The cafe being thus ftated, It is my own opinion, that the Deaf boy would come to read & write the Mother-Tongue both much better and fooner then the blind boy to underftand and fpeak the Latin. For reafons of my fo thinking,be- fide what may be gathered from chap.i. I will here carry on the comparifon be- tween the blind boy and the deaf in fonie particulars coming clofer to our prefent cafe.
i. The Blind boy has the advantage of knowing a language already , which is a great help to the learning any fecond language. For tho there be no affinity between the words of forne . languages ; yet there is fbmething of a Natural and Univerfal Grammar runs thro all Lan- guages, wherein all agree. This contra- dicts not what I have faid to the deaf mans advantage Chap.i. Num.tf. Becaufe there the blind and deaf are fuppofed both to underftand the Mother-Toague ■whenthey begin to learn a fecoad lan- guage.
[ *9 3
guage. Here the deaf is fuppofed to have no language, and the blind to have the Mother-Tdnguei which tho by him learn* ed, not by Rule, but by Rote j yet is it an advantage over him that has none.
2.Befide this notion of Natural and Uni- verial Grammar,which the blindboy hath got with the Mother-Tongue ; he not be- ing to learn Words for Things, but Words IbrWords^and it falling out fo,that often- times there is a great affinity between the words tjo be learned, and the words for which they are to be learned ; this makes that he learns with lefs pains then the deaf boy, who learning words for Things , it can never happen, that a combination of Alphabetical Characters making up a word, fliould have any affinity to, or re- femblance of the thing for which it is fub- ftituted.
3 Gnomatopceia is a great help to the blind Scholar , for Example, grunnitw, hinnitus, rugitus, ululatus, &c. are eafier to be learned by the blind man, then the deaf; becaufe as they pafs in Sounds thro the Ear, they are of a mixt Inftitution, partly. Natural , partly Arbitrary} But
B z thefe
E *° ]
thefe fame words written in" Characters are of a meer arbitrary Inftitution, whether they be confidered with relation to the immediate, or mediate Signatum. So that our dumb Scholar has nothing to truft to, but diligence and ftrengthof memory: Reaion can do him no fervice at all, at leaftfo far as either Primitive words, or words of an irregular inflexion from them extendi which make up the body of alj. languages. Neither can fancy help him much, which oftentimes is of great ufe by working a connexion between a ftrange and a known word , becaufe as yet we fuppofe moft words to be ftrangers to him.
The reafon of this difference between words fpoken and written is. Becauie fpeaking being before writing, has more of Nature and lefs of Art in it. For all languages guided by the inftind: of Na- ture, have more or lefs of Onomatopoeia in them, and I think our Englijb as much as any : For befide the naming the voice? of Animals, and fome other Mufical Sounds, which for the moft part is done by this Figure in other languages, we ex- tend
r ax ]
tend it often to more obfcure, and in- diitincT: founds. Take for example, wajb, dajh, plajh, flajh, clajh , ba/b, lajh , Jlajb, trajh,gajh, &c. So grumble, tumble, crum- ble, jumble, fumble, jtumble, bumble, mum- ble, &c. of which kind of words , The Learned and my worthy friend Dr Wallis has given a good account in his Englijh Grammar. In all thefe and fuch like words there is fomething Symboliz- ing , and Analogous to the notions of the things ; which makes them both more Emphatic, and eafy to the memory. But in words literally written, and of ameer arbitrary Inftitution , there can be no- thing Symbolical. But to draw fomething out of this digreffion to our prefent ftated cafe. Tho' Onomatopoeia gives our blind Scholar fome advantage over his Deaf Schoolfellow j yet is it fhort of what it would be if he were learning Englijb. This is all that at prefent comes into my thoughts to fay for maintaining the Para- dox of a blind guide. I will now offer my reafons for giving him the precedency, that has two Eyes open in his head, which feems to be the more piauiible opinion.
i. The
C «1
i. The Deaf mans mind is like clean pam- per, and therefore takes the impreffion the more eafily, fair and diitincl: : where- as the fcriblings and blottings upon the Table of the Blind mans memory, as they leave little room for new impreflions, fo they breed confufion, and makes him rea- dy to miftake , when he comes to read them.
2. Words laid up in the deaf Boyes me- mory , are like Characters engraven in Steel or Marble : The blind boyes words are but chalked out, or , nigro carbone No- t-ata, and therefore eafily defaced. For the deaf boy having but one word fore- very thing he knows, is therefore obliged: to reflecT: upon it, as often as he has occa- lion to think, or fpeak of the thing it felf : And it is this frequency of recognizing words, and ufing them upon all occaiions' that makes a man mailer of a Language: Whereasthe blind boy having two words for one thing, the one an intimate and pld acquaintance, even a teneru unguhitr fa, the other a ftranger to him ; upon all occafions he loves to converfe with his i)ld crony, and keeps at adiftancefrom
the
C *? 3
the ftrangerj unlefs it be at fct times,when force or fear commands his attendance. So that this confideration alone ( fpeci- ally if it be feconded with the care and diligence of thofe that are about him, in forbearing all other Signs with him but letters J mayfeem to outweigh all that can be faid for the blind Boy.
3. The deaf boy can conn a lefion by himfelf , for litera fcripta nianet ; The Blind boy can do nothing without one prompting him for vox perit.
Laftly, I think none will deny but that it ftands with reafon, That a deaf Scholar muft be exacl: in Orthography . But for the blind I know it by experience, that it will be a hard matter to make him fpel true.
CHAP.
[24]
CHAP. III. Of a Deaf mans Capacity tofpeal^.
TH A T a Deaf man may be taught to fpeak, is no more a doubt to me, then that a Blind man may be taught to write : Both which I think not only poffi- ble , but alfo not very difficult ; I will carry on the comparifon in feveral parti- culars. Firft, both have the refpe&ive Organs, the Tongue, and the Hand, e- qually entire, and in a capacity to ad:, 2. Both are equally deftitute of their proper guids, the Ey, and the Ear, to di- rect them in acting: and therefore, 3 . both muft be equally obliged to the fenfe of of Feeling for direction.
And yet fo Magifterial are the Senfes of Hearing, and Seeing; that tho the Senfe of Feeling alone may guide the Tongue, and Hand, in fpeaking, and writing, af- ter ahabit is acquiredjyet for introducing this habit, directions from the Eye, and Ear are neceffary. And which isobferv-
able
able in this point of difcipline : The eye and ear feem to ad: out of their own Sphere, and to exchange their ftations, and powers j for the Blind man learns to write by the Ear, and the Deaf man to ipeak by the Eye : From which to infer that community of Senfes, which fome Philofophers , and Phyficians fpeak of, I think would be abfurd ; th,e external ob-* jedts ftill remaining diftmcl: : But the true inference from this will be. That the foul can exert her powers, by the miniftry of any of the Senfes. And therefore when flie is deprived of her principal Secreta- ries, the eye, and the ear ; then fhe muft be contented with the fervice of her Lac- queys , and Scullions , the other Senfes ; which are no lefs true and faithful to their Miftrefs, then the eye, and the ear; but not fo quick for difpatch.
But to go on with the comparifon. 4. It will be hard to teach the deat man to ob- ferve tone, accent,and Emphafis in {peak- ing; fo will it be as hard to bring the blind man to write a fair hand,or diverfe hands, yet the one may fpeak fo as to be under- ftood, and the other write lo as wha^he
writes
C 2tf ]
writes may be read. f. As there maybe more fimple, and therefore more eaiy Characters to be written, contrived for the ufe of the blind man ; So may there founds of an eafier pronounciation than any in common ufe, be invented for the ufe of the Deaf, 6. They are equally un- capablethe one of fmging, the other of flouriihing and painting. 7. As the Deaf man has this advantage above the Blind, that fpeaking in common commerce,and bufinefs is of more frequent and greater ufe than writing : So the Blind man comes even again with him in this. That there is one way of writing, and that of great ufe too, to the Deaf man ; which the blind can learn both affoon and to as great a degree of perfe&ion, as the deaf; whereas the deaf man cannot learn to fpeak without much time,and pains; ^nd yet can never come to perfection in fpeak- ing. This way of writing is, by an Alpha- bet upon the fingers, g. As to any direct tendency of improving either of them with knowledg, or difpatch of bufinefs and converfe in vita communi, I judge them both equally ufelefs, or at leaft of
no
C *7 ]
no very great nfe ; becaufe I think fcarce attainable to that degree of perfection, as to be ready for ufe upon all occafions. That there may be cafes wherein they may be of great ufe I do not deny.
Andof feveral that offer themfelves,Iwill fingle out that of a blind Matter, and deaf Servant, for ftating of which the more clearly ; I will premife. i. That to read and write is a commendation in a fer- vant. 2. It recommends him the more,if he be to ferve a blind Matter. And 3 . if his blind Matter be a man of much bufi- nefs or learning, this enhanfes his fervice yet the more. Thefe things premifed; let our cafe be this.
Blind Homer hearing of an ingenious* but Deaf flave,called /€/bp,wh.o was train- ed up in all the forementioned waies of Sematology, and he himfelf being expert in Dactylology, he refolved to purchafe AZfop at any rate. The firft fervice he puts him upon, was to write out his Mas fair, from his own blotted Copy : And becaufe <<£fop could fcarce read his hand, he was alwaies prefent himfelf, correcting the faults of his Pen, upon his fingers. And
here
C 28 ] here I leave them for awhile till I have refolved another material doubt:
That which is my main defign in this Treatife ( to teach, how to come to un- derftand a language by reading and writ- ing ) fuggefts to me here to refolve this queftion. How a blind perfon might com- municate with a dumb ? The caufe of doubting being upon the dumb mans part. I anfwer. The defed: of his Tongue muft be fupplied with a mufical Inftru- ment, having the letters equally diftin- guiftied upon the Keys, or Strings, both to the Eye of the Dumb, and in the founds to the Ear of the Blind ; which I take for granted might produce the fame effedlSi with Oral fpeech. And here it is obferv- able that that fame action would very pro- ' perly be , both Writing and Speaking j writing from the hand of the dumb touch- ing the Keys, or Strings j fpeaking to the Ears of the Blind man from the found of the Inftrument.
After this fhort enterlude, let us bring Homer and Mfop upon theftage again. The old man was mightily pleafed with jEfop , till unfortunately on a certain
time,
[ *9 ]
time, the fluttering of his Tongue gave //flflwoccafionto fufpec"r. him of a ly : for which, in a fudden paflion, he cuts out his Tongue : But afterwards repenting what he had done, refolved not to put him away ; for he confidered that he was yet as capable of ferving him as ever; and perhaps more, the other waies of inter- pretation that he was skilled in, being more diftincT: than Gloflblogy could be in a Deaf man. It happened foon after that Homer had invited fome friends to din- ner, commanding ALfop to provide the greateft rarities the Market did afford. JEptp made a ihow of great preparation ; but fet nothing upon the Table, befide i the tip of his own Tongue, in a large diftij upbraiding his Mafter with his pipe, that he did not tear his blotted papers when he could not read them ; but had pati- ence till he himfelf corrected them upon his fingers. Homer not enduring this af- front before ftrangers throws JEjops pype in the fire. ALfop fearing worfe to follow, throws himfelf at his Mafters feet taking him by the hand,and by the rules of Hap- tology begs his pardon, promjfing if he
would
I 5° 1
would have patience, to make amends for his fault. Homer ftartled at this, to find both a Tongue, and a Pype, in JEfaps fingers ; was tranfported from wrath to fear, and admiration, concluding for cer- tain, That Mjop was a conjurer, and that he deferved to be thrown in the fire after his pype. Yet refolving once more to try his wit and honefty : and for making fa- tisfadrion to his friends who had loft their dinner, he invites th^m to return to mor- row, charging y£jbp to provide the oldeft^ and leaneft carrion, he could find. The night following , j£fop ferves his blind Mafter with lex talionis tongue for tongue* and repeated the fame dinner to his friends the next day ; excufing the mat- ter, that he had from firft to laft obeyed his Mafters commands, to the beft or his judgment. Homer taking it ill, to be fo o- f ten outwitted by a flave, by Daclylology begs of his provoked friends, to revenge him upon j£fop> by plucking out his Eyes ; that his condition might not be more comfortable than his own. After this old age and a fit officknefs deprived Homer of his Hearing.This reconciled him again to
Sfopi
C 31 ]
jEfop; for he judged him the fitteft com- panion he could find, with whom to be- moan his folly, and mifery. After this , they lived good friends, paffing the time in telling old ftories; fome times upon, their fingers ends, and fometimes with hand in hand, traverfing the Alphabet^ cal Mas.
This Drama being acted according to the Rules of Art, if there be any certain- ty in Art, that the pro mi fed effects will follow, is no lefs true than it feems to be ftrange. And from this we may learn two things, r. That tho hearing and feeing be the Principal, yet are they not the only Senfes of Knowkdg. 2. That the Hand is, (oratleaft is capable of being made ) a more ferviceable organ of in- terpretation to the Soul than the tongue. For it has accefs to its Miftrefs's prefence, by the door of 3 Senfes. 1. Of hearing by Aulology. 2. Of feeing, by both Species of Schematology, to wit, Typology and Da&yiology. 3. Of Feeling, by Haptolo- gy. Whereas the Tongue can only enter by the door of one Seafe, and do its mef- £ige only by one kiad of interpretation, Gloflblogy. CHAP.
C 3*1
CHAP. IV-
Of a Deaf mans Capacity to understand the fpeech of others.
ICome now to the Deaf mans capacity of understanding the fpeech of others. That words might be gathered, and read from the tranfient motions, and configu- rations, of the mouth (if all the feveral diftindtions of letters, were no lefs mani- fest and apparent to the Eye, than to the Ear from the fpeakers face ) as readily as from permanent Characters upon paper, is not to be doubted : But that all the di- ftin&ions that are perceived by the Ear in fpeaking, cannot equally be perceived by the Eye ; I will prove by an argument, which tho it be a Pojieriori ; yet I hope it will be of evidence and force sufficient, to efFeft what is thereby intended.
If the fame dijtinftions of letters and
words did appear to the Eye from the motion
of the fpeahrs mouth , which are difcernable
to the Ear from the articulation of hU voice ;
J - - Thin
C 53 1 Then it would follow ; That the capacity ofl a Deaf man , would be equal to that of a Dumb (but not Deaf) for learning a Lan- guage, Jo far at lea/las to under/iandit.
But the capacity of a Deaf man is not e- qual to that of a Dumb, for learning a lan- guage from /peaking.
Therefore all the difiinblions of letter st are not manifejt to the Deaf \man from the fpea%j ers mouth.
The fequel of the Major is, I think; clear from what has been faid before; there being nothing in founds to the Ear either Natural, or Symbolical, more than in motion and figures to the Eye. And if any fhould fay j That it is not fo eafy to read tranfient motions of the lips, even fuppofing them fufficiently diftinclt (which muft alwaies be luppofed ) as permanent Characters. To this firft, I oppofe reading from poynting to a finger Alphabet; which is nothing but motion. 2.AU reading from whatfoever immovable objects as proper- ly motion as hearing ; for if there be no motion in the objedk,then it muft be in the Organ of the Eye : which alters not our cafe, more than the Earths motioa, or reft,
C alters
mi
alters the Phenomena of Aftronomy.
If here it mould" be urged;that granting Signs Co the Eye to be. as fit for teaching, as figns to the Ear > and therefore, that a Deaf perfon muft be fuppofed to be in as great a capacity of learning to under- stand a language fpoken,as a blind, when the difhndtions to the Eye and Ear are the fame; yet, that the blind man learns to underftand a language from hearing others fpeak, when the Deaf man learns not to underftand from feeing others fpeak ; is from the advantages the Ear hath above the Eye- To this Ianfwer, that all the advan- tages the Ear hath over the Eye, will be confident enough with the Deaf mans ca- pacity of learning to underftand a lan- guage from f peaking. It is true here, that the Eye is ftill at the lofs of equal oppor-» tunities of time with the earjbut theothet advantage I gave the ear over the eye, of doing more work in lefs time, is here quite taken away : and yet the Deaf man will ftill have as much opportunity of time ( if there were no other defe& ) if bis Nurfe and all that are about him bo
not
T3T ]
not Dumb j as fiiffieiently to inculcate the common Notions of Language ; For tho young people learn a Language by hear- ing others fpeak ; yet the greateft part of what they hear is redundant, and like rain falling into a full conduit, runs over. So that a deaf man tho he have not fb much opportunity of learning as a blind ; yet has he opportunities enough, and to fpare, for learning the common notions of language.
Now for the minor fo far as concerns the Deaf man, it is known by fad experience, that he learns no language from his Mo- ther or Nurfe. And fbrtheDumb perfon, tho I can bring no inftance j yet the cafe feems to me fo clear, that I think no body- doubts of it, and therefore I will not en- large to prove it.
But tho the Deaf man be not able to perceive all the diftinctions of letters, nei- ther indeed is it poflible for him, the va* rious motions by which fome of them are differenced not appearing outwardly ; yet if he be ingenious, I judge that he per- ceives a great many j and therefore I doubt not but Dear perfoas underftand.
C 2. many
many things, even without teaching, fur- ther than what they have from their Nurfe. Tho here I muft add : That they could underft and but very little from the motion of the lips, which when moft di- ftindt muft be full of ambiguity, and asqui- vocalnefs to them, without other circum- llances concurring. For when dumb peo- ple make it appear, that they underftand many things that pafs in difcourfe where they are prefent , Children and fools can- not be perfwaded but they Hear: Super- ftitious and ignorant people think they have a familiar Spirit: others defpifing the folly of the one, and impiety of the other, do judge, that they are able by the Eye, as diftindtly to receive words from the fpeakers mouth, as others by the Ear. But the truth is, what they underftand, is from a concurrence of circumftances, ma- ny of which are often as material, as the motion of the fpeakers lips ■, fuch as, his eyes, countenanced me,place,perlbns,&c. To determine what, or how manydi- ftin&ions of letters, the eye is able to di- fcover in the lpeakers face ; There can be no man k> fit to refolve this doubt, as the.
Deaf
C 37 ]
Deaf man. And if there be no miftake in that well known paflage of Sir J^enelm Digby; A Spamjh Deaf Lord hath alrea- dy refolved it fo, as to refute and deftroy all that i have faid. What is there laid of him, will amount to this. That the Eye can perceive all the dijtinclions of letters , in the fpea%ersface, which the Ear can do in his voice. I let pafs that which increafeth the wonder: That this Spanijb Lord fhould be able not only to know Arrange letters, in ftrange languages, inftantly ; but alio to be able to imitate them, tho he had ne- ver been taught.
To neglect the Teftimony of a perfon both of Honor, and Learning, who was an ear and eye-witnefs of all he relates, and had nothing to byafs him from what he judged to be exacT: truth ; and which is more, calling to witnefs to that relation a perfon much greater than himfelf, and beyond all exception for veracity ; This would not only be difingenuous, but alfo arrogant. Therefore I will fay what feems molt probable to me for reconciling that relation to the truth. I will then firlt fup-* pofe , That Sir Kgnelm Digby had no*s
C 3 much
C 38 J sauch confidered this weaknefs of human Nature, nor of the way to remedy it; and therefore might be the more credulous ( for I find nothing of fufpition or cauti- on, that he might not be impofed upon ) and ready ( as we are ail in ftrange things) to magnify this rare and wonderful Art, which, 'tis like , he had never feen nor heard of before ,- and perhaps had even judged fuch performances impoffible. Se-* condly, I will fuppofe that the Prieft the Lords Tutor was ambitious to fet off his Art, with all the advantages poffible, be- fore fo great aPerfonage as the Heir of the Crown of England.
Thefe things being fuppofed, I take it '. for granted that the Prieft has ufed artifi-. ces of Leger-dcmain , in thefe paflages that feem moft ftrange. What thefe have been ( fuppofing the matter of fad to be true,) tho I was not there an eye-witnefs; yet, without conjuring, I can tell as cer-? tainly, as if I had been a fpeclator, or, an Adtor in that Scene, i. His keeping up difcourfe with others, has been done in fet forms i to a&ing of which he has been wained up before hand, z. For returning
any
t 39 1 any words that came from the mouth of another ; this he has been prompted to by his Tutor, or any other ftanding by , with a finger Alphabet. 3. As for his Echo- ing back Irijh and Weljh words, two things may be faid. Firft, that he might have been taught to found thefe guttural lec- tersjwhich occur often in thefe languages, and were as eafy to him as any other let- ters whatfoever : Or fecondly, Btcaule it is there faid: that the Prieft affirmed, that he performed fome things which were be* yond the Rules of his Art;I know nothing can be faid, but that he might perhaps chance upon the true found of thefe let- ters, or fomething near them ; which the relator thought good to reprefent with all his other performances ( becaufe in- deed wonderful to thofe that never had feen, or heard of the like, or knew by what art they were performed ) to the greateft advantage. As for his returning words whifpered at the diftance of the breadth of a large room, there is no new wonder in this s for whifpering and fpeak- ingloud Were all one to lim: But I fu- fped; that this as well as other things, has
bes»
[4°] been a fet leflbn, or, the Prieft did micare digit is.
I am not ignorant that many of Sir Ke- nelrns relations, are looked upon, as fa- bulous and Hyperbolical. Well, be it fo, and let this be as fabulous as any of them. It is not the ejfe? but thepojfe of the ftory, that I concern my felf to maintain. That feveral paffages related there, are inipofc lible, and other circumftances very hy- perbolical ,- in that fenfe, in which he un^ clerftands them, I think, I have fufficient- ly proved : And yet, that the whole rela* tion might be true, in that fenfe I have put upon it, I hope I have made no lefr evident.
CHAP.
C 4i ]
CHAP. V.
Of the mofi effeUual way to fill a Deaf mans capacity.
Hitherto I have been taking meafures of the Deaf mans capacity. I come now to confider of the way to fill it. And here my defign is not to give a Methodi- cal Syfteme of Grammatical Rules ; But only fuch general, directions whereby an imjuftrious Tutor may bring his deaf Pu- pil to the vulgar ufe and »ti of a language; That fo he may be the more capable of receiving inftrucStion in the «&' «* from the Rules of Grammar, when his judgment is ripe for that ftudy. Or more plainly ; I intend to bring the way of teaching a deaf man to Read and Write, as near as poflible, to that of teaching young ones to fpeak and underftand their Mother- tongue.
I will begin with a Secret, containing the whole Myftery of the Art of inftru- c^ing deaf perfons. That is, I will de-
fcribe
[4*3
fcribefuch a powerful Engine, as may be able to fill his head as full of the Image- ry of the world of words of mans mak- ing, as it is of the things of this vifible world created by Almighty God : which Engine fhall have one property more , that,it fhall not fail of fuccefs, even fup- poiing both Matter and Scholar to be the next degree to Dunces.
Here methinks, I fee the Reader fmil- ing at this fortunam Priami j and hear him .whifpering to hiniielf , Parturiunt Montes&c. But I hope before I have done with my Notion, to reconcile him fo far to it, astpbringhimto judge that there is fomething confiderable in it : And tho at firft he meet not with all that this hia-r tus may feem to have promifed j yet at laft he may meet with fomething more than he expected. This powerful and fuccef- ful Engine , is not the Tongue of th« JLearned, but the Hand of tne D I L I- GENT. The Hand of a diligent Tutor will not fail to make a Rich Scholar, if Copia verborum may deferve the name of Riches. Diligence will be that fame virtue in our Deaf fcholars Xutor , chat Demon
Jlhenet
C 43 ]
ftbenes makes AUion to be in his Eloquent Orator. Let the deaf child then have for his Nurfes, not the 9 Mufes, but the 9 Magpyes : Let him be fent to School, not
to vo/hi (turns 'OAie-rd/f, but to cifMifoiTmf StfTtTJie.
Diligence you will fay is powerful in all Arts. True it is j yet as a Handmaid : Bat here I think, that without a Catachrefis ; I may call it the principal point of Art. This with very few directions from Art, ; will do the work effectually,- all the fine Tricks of Art, which the wit of man can contrive, will be ineffectual without this. The only point of art here is , how to make an application to your deaf Scho- lar, by the fame diftin&ion of letters and words to his Eye, which appear to the Ears of others from words fpoken ; That is to know his letters, and to write them readily ,• Diligence will do the reft. For Example .• Let the fame words be feen, and written as often by the Deaf man, as they have been heard and fpoken by the Blind; if their faculties of memory and understanding be equal, the meafure o| knowledge alfo will be equal. But here it will be neceflary that. I explain what I »ean by Diligence. By
[44]
By Diligence I underftand two things. i. That which is properly fo called, both in the Matter and Scholar. This Sir Kg- nelm Digby calls much patience, and con- ftancy in the experiment upon the Spanijh Lord. 2. Many other adventitious helps. I fummed up the advantages the Ear hath above the Eye into thefe two. i. Having more opportunities of time > 2. Doing more work in lefs time. Here I will fhew how Diligence, with a few directions from Art, may in a good meafure remedy this inequality.
It is a received Maxim amongft thofe who have employed their thoughts, in that fucceflefs enquiry, about a perpetual motion. Reconcile time and Jlrength, and this will produce a perpetual motion. The application is eafy from what I have faid before, comparing the Deaf man with the Blind. Let them have equal time, and force of adting, and their proficien- cy will be equal. That care and dili- gence both in the general, and the parti- culars following, may remedy this in-* equality, in a great meafure, I think no body will doubt, ^either ought this to
be
[4/3
be any difcouragement, that the recon- ciling time and ftrength, as to a Geome- trical equality, is not poffible: For it is not here, as in the perpetual motion. There, if you fail of a minute, or a Dram, all your labour is loft : Here nothing is loft, but juft fo much as you come fhort of him you compare with. How much this is, we will fee by the particulars following.
i . If the deaf Scholar could be brought to fpeak readily, this would leflen the in- equality of Force, by one half: and if it were poffible , that he could read the Speakers words from his face, this would make a Geometrical equality of force, in the Eye and Ear ; fo that the only inequa- lity would be then, in time j the eye be- ing confined to light, bodily pofture, and diltancej and out of thele circumftan- ces, the deaf and dumb man were per- fectly cured. Butbecaufe lam dif fruit- ful of this cure tor which I have given my reafons chap. 4. I will confine myfelfto reading , and writing , moft properly fo called, as both the more certain and per- fect, cure.
Here the firft piece of diligence muft
be,
1 4<n
be, frequent excercitaio Styli, that is, as I understand it in this place, ufmg the pen and fingers much. If this be fo neceflary for forming an Orator,(as Cicero teaches us in hisd* Oratore, inculcating it with utfape jam dixi) who has the ufe of the two principal Organs of Eloquence entire s now much more muft it here be necefla- ry, where the Pen muft be both pen, and tongue. Great care therefore muft be taken, to keep your Scholar clofe to the practice of writing ; for until he can not only write,but alfo have got a quick hand, you muft not think to make any confide- rable progrefs with him. It is true, that it were poffible to teach a deaf man to, read, without teaching him to write ,• as one may learn to underftand a language lpoken and not to fpeak it : But this would be but a half cure, and leave your Scholar uncapable of Society.
And becaufe the conveniency of writ- ing cannot alwaies be in a readinefs , an- other great help will be, to have Tabula- dele tiles, of ftone or black wood, hanging up for expedition, in fever al convenient places, Athirdheipwillbe, tohavefome
common
[47 ] common forms written in thofe Tables, there to continue, and to be filled up as accafion requires, like Virgils. Sic vos non vobis, &c, luch as, where is ? I pray give me ? who ? when ? what ? &c. Theie may ferve not only for expedition, but by them alfo, your Scholar may be taught to vary. Pocket Table books may fometimes be more ready then thefe. 4-ly when neither of thefeisin areadinefs, then practice by an Alphabet upon the fingers ; which by frequent practice, as it isthereadieft, fo it may become the quickeft way of inter- courfe and communication with dumb perfons. But Ifhall haveoccaiion to en- large more on this, chap. 8. jly. another piece of ufeful care will be, to keep him from any other way of Signing, than by Letters, dly , Add to thisj that his fa- miliars about him be officious in nothing, but by the intercourfe of letters, that is, tither by Grammatology , or Dadylo- logy.
If now laftly, I can make it appear that Diligence out-weighs wit in our prfent cafe j I hope my iormer Flalh will not be thought to have ended in fmoke. And
this,
[48]
this, methinks, is eafily underftood from obvious and daily inftances : Do not we fee that young ones , tho of very weak parts for underftanding Grammar , yet come affoon, and fome of them fooner, to underftand and fpeak a language by ufe, without art, than thofe of ftronger parts. One Boy has gone to School 7 years, and yet underftands not the common ac- cidents of Grammar ; another in the half of that time, is able to expound an Au- thor, and refolve all the Grammaticati- ons that occur to a Title : take the fame two at play, or in things where there is no occafion tofhew their learning, you will often find, that the flow boy, for the nimblenefs of his Tongue, and Copia ver- borum, may feem to exceed the other, as far as he doth him in art.
Hence it will feem to follow j That the principal point of Art in teaching a flow Scholar, is, to ufe no other art but that of Diligence : and if fo, a fecond infe- rence will be : That there is none fo fit to teach a flow Scholar, as a flow Matter ; That is, one Dunce to teach another. This I know will feem ridiculous and abfurd to
many j
T49 ] many; yet I declare, that lam much of this mind in earneft, in our prefent cafe, where Grammar is excluded. For an acute man will 4>e impatient, and not able to ftoop fo much as the other. And to clear this further ; I think it will be eafily af- fentedto, that a pratling Nurfe, is a bet- ter Tutrix to her fofter-child, than the moft profoundly learned Doctor in the Univerfity.
My laft inftance therefore mail be. Take Mafter and Scholar qualified«as%e- fore, adding Diligence, as 1 have defcrib- ed it, and let a liberal reward be propof- ed to the Mafter ; if the work be not effe- ctually done, let me be the Dunce for them both.
If therefore this cure may fo eafily be performed ; what a reproach is it to man- kind, that fo little compaffion is fhewn to this infirmity of human nature ; thefe wretched impotents being not only neg- lected yi the point of education, like brutes ; but alfb, as if this were not un- kindnefs enough, the laws of men do moft inhumanly deprive them of many privi- ledges wherein the comfort of life con-
D lifts.
Ero]
fills. As for former ages, I confefs they are to be excufed : For tho ( as I have been proving ) Diligence be the principal point of Art i yet was this a fecret to them : But in this knowing age, in which proofs have been given both at home and abroad, that this weaknefs is cureable in a good meafure ; and if the reafons contained in thefe papers have any weight, curable e- ven to perfection; fofarat leaft as con- cerns the better part of the man. That is, tfoefewmpo tents may not only be inftrucl:- ed in the common Notions of Language, which is the bond of human Society ; but alio from this foundation may be raifed the fuperftructure of all other arts, which are either foE ufe or ornament to human Nature. I fay then; for us to neglect fo worthy and noble an experiment, and fa great an object of charity and compani- on ; were at once to degenerate from the charity of our Anceftors , and to make their ignorance preferable to our know- ledge.
CHAP.
CHAP. VI.
Of a Deaf Mans Diclionary.
THOa Diligent inculcating of the common Forms of a Language, fol- lowing no other Rule or Method but that of" the Nurfery, would undoubtedly bring the Deaf man to underftand, and write it, fo as the Vulgar underftand and fpeakit. Yet fome directions from Art ( fpecially if your Scholar be ingenious ) will both facilitate the work, and do it much better. That is, it will make him underftand the nature of words better, and fo prepare him for the ftudy of Gram- mar ; as alfo the nature of things, for which he fees words fubftituted, and fo prepare him for the purfuit of other Arts. I will therefore give a few fuch directi- ons, whereby the Teacher abftaining- from Rules and words of Art, may be en- abled to produce the proper effects of Art? in his Scholar. But firft I will refolve two preliminary Queries. i.What language
D z is
C n ]
is eafieft to be learned ? 2. AncLwhat lan- guage will be the molt ufeful ?
Forthefirft, a language of aphilofo- phical Inftitution, or a real Character, would be by much the moft eafy ; as be- ing free from all anomoly , sequivocal- nefs, redundancy and unneceflary Gram- matications : and the whole inftitution being fuited to the nature of things ; this verbal knowledge, would not only come more eafily ; but alfo bring with it, much real knowledge.
2dly, The language of greateft ufe to be learned, will be that of the place where he lives , and of the people with whom he is to converfe. And here with us, the Deaf man has feveral advantages above other Nations. Firlt, that our En- glijh is freer from anomoly, and aequivo- calnefs ( at leaft in writing, which is e- nough for him ) than many other lan- guages. 2. It i*. not fo much clogged with inflexions, as other languages, and 3 . our words are for the molt part Monosylla- bles, and therefore more eafy to be re- xnembred. I come now to the promifed directions.
I will
In ]
I will make way for particulars, by ob- fervingfirft in General; that the way of teaching here, muft be fomething mixt, and as it were middle between the Gram- matical way of the School, and the more rude difcipline of the Nurfery. Thefirft initiation muft be purely grammatical; But when your Scholar is got over this difficulty or knowing and writing his let- ters readily ; Then imitate the way of the Nurfery. Let utile and jucundum, varie- ty and neceffity, invite and fpur him on; lpecially if he be young or of a lache tem- per.
You muft not be too Grammatical in teaching, till you find his capacity will bear it : He muft not be dealt with as School-boyes, who are often punifhed for not learning what is above their capaci- ty. It is enough for him to underftand the word, or fentence propofed, without parfing every word and fyllable : For thr is all the ufe of language that not only- children, but even people of age that arc illiterate have: They underftand the meaning of what is fpoken ,• but can nei- ther tell how many words , fyliables, or
D 3 letters
[ f4]
letters came from, the fpeakers mouth. So that the having the vulgar ule of a lan- guage and the underftanding it Gram- matically, are very different things. And this prepofterous way of learning the learned languages, firft Grammar, & then the language, is the caufe of To flow pro- grefs in thole that apply themfelves to the ftudy of them.
The firft exercife you muft put your Scholar upon, is to know his letters writ- ten, or printed, and upon his fingers, and to write them himfelf ; and when he comes to joyn, let his copies be of luch words as he may be taught to underftand ; fo that at once, he may be learning both to write and underftand the meaning of what he writes. When you have got him to write fair, keep him to conftant pra- ctice, that you may bring him to write a quick hand j which his condition re- quires.
Let him begin to learn the Names of Things beft known to him, how Hetero- geneous foeverj fuch as the Elements, Minerals, Plants, Animals, Parts, Utenfils, Garments, Meats, 8tc. and generally the
names
C T5 3
names of all fuch corporeal Subftances , Natural or Artificial; not only abfolute, but Relative, as Father, Brother, Mafier, Servant ; as alfo names of offices, and pro- feflions, as Coo\, Butler-, Page, Groom, Tay- lor, Barber, &c. For all thefe will be as eafily apprehended as the moft diftinct Species of natural Bodies. Let his Nomen- clature be written down fair, and careful- ly preferved ; not only in a book, but on one fide of a fheet of Paper, that it may be affixt over againft his eye in conveni- ent places. And let this his Dictionary be forted three waies. i. Alphabetically, 2. following the order of double Conso- nants, both in the beginning and the end of a word. 3 . Reducing it to feveral heads, or ClaJJTes, with refpect not to the words, but the things, as in Junius Nomenclator, for every one of thefe Methods will be of good ufe to him.
After he has got a good flock of thefe concrete Subftantives,then proceed to Ad- jectives ; namly, Senfible Qualities, Quan- tity , with fome Metaphyfical Notions ; which all of them almoft admit of pro- per contraries j which illuftrate one an-;
otherj
C st ]
other, and therefore will be of great ufe to the learner. Let him be made to un- derftand Adjectives by joyning them to their proper fubje&s, taken out of his vo- cabulary of Subftantives already under- &ood;a.sHard Iron,Stone,Bone,&cc.Soft Sil^, Wool, Cloth, &c. And fometimes inftance the two contraries, in that fame Subject; as Iron hot, cold : And thus he will make a further advance to complex Notions.
Obferve here. That by the help of an Almanack and Watch, it will be eafy to make your Scholar underftand all the dif- ferences and words of that difficult Noti- on o£Ttme.
After he has practiced fufficiently upon complex notions of Subftantives,, and Ad- jectives i let him proceed to words of Acti- on , whether bodily or Spiritual, which Grammarians call Verbs, as, breai^, cut, hold, take, laugh, affirm, deny,dejire, love, bate, &c. And thus much malt be enough to have been faid of his Dictionary, in this rude difcipline under which we fuppofe him as yet to be.
Here I would have it well obferygd : Xfaflt tho in applying my felf to the deaf
mans
lT7 ]
mans Tutor, I have followed fomething of Method , docendi Caufa -s yet I do not advife him, to take this courfe with his Scholar: But as I faid before, That the ■names of things beft known to him, how heterogeneous loever , we^e to be firft learned: So here I fay, that there is no regard to be had t© the cognation, or Grammatical affinity of words. In a word, occafion will be the beft Miftrefs of Me- thod, till he have made a confiderable ad- vance , And then when his Dictionary begins to be numerous, it will be neceifa- ry to draw it up in rank and file. Nay fur- ther, I am fo far from advifing to follow any method at firft, but what is occafio- nal ( excepting only the ftated, and fixt order of letters in the Alphabet ) that if your Scholar be not very young, you may propofe fentences as early to him as fingle •words j efpecially interrogatives and im- peratives, as, where is your hat ? whofe hat is this f who gave you this apple ? fljfe up, Jit down, give me the cup, Jhut the door, &c. iAnd thefe may be ealily varyed Indica- tively, infinitively, affirmatively, nega- tively, &c.
And
t 5-8 ]
And yet for all this, I cannot deny but the Teacher may , and muft contrive fome method for himfelf, even of thofe th-rur- vhich he has taught, following occafion and his Pupils capacity ; that he' may know the better to take the mea- fures of his progrefs, and to make the beft ufe of occaiions offered.
CHAP.
I T9 I
CHAP. VII. Of a Grammar for DeafPerfons.
HAv-ing difpatcht the Deaf mans Di- ctionary, I come in the next place tofpeak of his Grammar. I fhould con- tradict the principles I have formerly laid down, if I fhould infift much upon Grammar; neither indeed doth our En-
fhjh Tongue require or afford much to e faid by him, who would be ambitious to fhew himfelf pwt^'*»'-7*]@v i fhall there- fore only make fome few reflexions upon, Etymology and Syntax, fuppofing Or- thography to belong to Lexicography , of which already : And for Profody, our Scholar is no more able to receive its pre- cepts, than a blind man is to judge of co-» lors.
I fhall only take notice of J Etymolo- gical Grammatications, and do but name them j for I judge that thefe and all o- ther points of Grammar are to be dif- fered, at leaft as to an accurate explain- ing
[ 60 ]
ing of them , until he be fitted for the ft udy of Grammar, in manner as I have faid before.
The firft is the plural number,for which the Rule is but one and eafy. Add s to the Jingular, pendens, and the exceptions are not many, which here I pafs by. 2. The Comparative, and Superlative degree, al- moft as eafy as the other. They are form- ed by adding the terminations er and eft, or by the auxiliary words, more, ,moftt as hard harder hardeft , or more hard , moft hard. The exceptions are not many. 3. The Participle Active or Neuter in ing% from which I think there is no exception : And the Participle paffive, which is often- times the fame with the preterimperfe(9t Tenfe, without an Auxiliary word, as, I loved ; or the preterperfed Tenfe, with an auxiliary word ; as I have loved: Bat from this rule are a multitude of excepti- ons -, which is the greateft irregularity in the Englijh Tongue. 4. The adverb of the manner ends in ly. This alfo hath its exceptions, but not many.#r. The ab- stract ending in nefs, generally. Thefe things you need not teach your
Scholar
C *x ]
Scholar by Rule, for a little pra&ice will enable him to make a Rule for himfeif, and to bring the exceptions too under his Rule ; as, we hear Outlandifh men, and children faying often : mans , womans foots, for men, vp omen, feet.
As for chat ambiguity, that almoft e- very concrete Subftantive in Englifh is Ufed verbaly, as pen, hand, foot, Sec. This adds much to the Copioufnefs, Emphafis and Elegancy of the language; and yet gives very little caufe of miftake; the con- struction of the words determining the li- jgnification. But the Verbal fignificati- on of thefe words being Metonymical, it will be belt to leave them to their own place. So much for Etymology fhall ierve in this place, now for Syntax.
The Learned languages make two ge- neral parts of Syntax, agreement and go- mernment ; whereas it feems to me that with them, Syntax requires a diftribution antecedent to this. To wit , that the Syntax of words is either per fe or per ak- ud, i.e. The Grammatical coherence and connexion of words, is made by the Ter- minations of the words themfelves , or,
by
C ** ]
by auxiliary words, called Particles. But neither the one nor the other of thefe di- ftributions does our language require, or admit of , being freed from all incum- brances of inflexions, by genders, and ca- fes ( except a few pronouns ) and confe- quently from the Rules of Agreement, and Government : All our Syntax con- futing in the cement of auxiliary Parti- cles.
To treat of Syntax then in Englifh, is to mew the u(e of the Particles, in form- ing words into Sentences. For, to explain thefe Notions feparately, were to build Caftles in the Air i and to form fentences without them,were to make ropes of fand.
Here I will not infift upon explaining every fingie particle, as if I were dealing with a Dumb Scholar ; But remembring that the prefent addrefs is more to the Matter then the Scholar s I will inftance only in fome few, which may ierve for a Clew to guide any ingenious adventurer trjiro the whole Labarynth.
As I would advife the dumb Scholar to be often put to practice upon verbs oji bo- dily action, varying the circumftances
by
[*3 1
by the Particles j fo will I fingle out the verb Cut, to be the Principal verb in the following Examples, for explaining the Particles.
I begin with Pronouns, which accord- ing to the Notation of the word,are words put for other words. Let therefore thele things be prefent,- for whofe names the pronouns are the provocabula : and then it will be eafy to make your Scholar un- derftand the ufe of thefe pronominal iwords. I will inftance, firft in the Demon- ftratives, I, thou, he, we, ye, they. Let there be iix perfons prefent, as many more as you will. Writedown. I cut, thou cut, he cut, we cut, ye cut, they cut. Let the Mafter take his Scholar by him, and place a third perfon over againft him, all of them pre- pared with a knife, and apple, or ftick,&c. Let the Mafter Cut firft, pointing to the words / cut, 2. let the Scholar cut, the Mafter pointing to the words thou cut ,- 3 . let the third perfon cut, pointing to he cut. And for the Plural number : let the Mafter and his Scholar ftand firft together, placing two more hear them, and two o- ver againft them. Then let the Matter
and
I *4 1
and Scholar cut, pointing to we cut-, let the two by them cut, pointing to ye cut j 3. let the two over againft them cut, pointing to they cut. The pofleflives, mine, thine, his, ours, yours, theirs, may be taught after the fame manner ; my apple, thy apple, his apple, our apple, your apple their apple, mutatis mutandis. In fhort, all pronominal words after the fame man- ner, all cut, none, or no body cut , this hoy cut, that hoy cut, the fame boy cut, another hoy cut, &c. Let him practice much upon this and other Verbs tjj.1 you find that he is able to make thefe diftindtions of him- felf.
When he can diftinguifti perfons, it will be eafy from many examples, cutteft, cut" ieth , brea\efi, breaheth , holdeft , holdeth , to make himunderftand, that the 2d and 3d perfon lingular are diftinguifhed by termination from the other perfons.
For the Signs ofTenfes, do,doji, dothy have hajl hath, was waft were, Jhall will: write down, I have cut the pen, Ida cut the apple, I will cut theftic\i cut accordingly pointing to your Scholar ; or, write, I have flood, I do ft and, I wiU Jiand, do accord- ingly.
ingly. I have walked, I dajiand, Irvillji^ do accorcJingly.Do not trouble your Scho- lar with too nice diftin&ions of words, iiich asjhail and roill, did And have , it is enough for him, as yet, that he under- stand the ufe of words in the common forms of fpeech, as illiterate perfons do.
Let him practice much upon the Pro- nouns, and Signs of Tenfes, with Verbs of Action, adding other circumftances of Jtime, place, manner, &c. and that with all the variety poffible, of familiar, plain, iCafy, moft common, and moft frequently occurring circumftances.
The copula will be eafily underftood,be- eauie of its frequent ufe , both affirma- tively and negatively ; fire is hot, water Umt hot i water is cold, fire is not cold; So in all its inflexions ; as, lam tali, thou ttxtjhort , he is thick^ lam fitting, thou art /landing, he is walking.
The Particles OR and, AND, with the adjectives Same and diverfe, are to be di-. XigentJiy inculcated, as being words of fre- quent ufe, and ufef ul for explication, and declaring the fenfe of other words. Or in the explicatiye fenfe of it coming be-
E tween
t 66 ]
iween wdrds figaifying the fame thing; And .between words fignifying diverie things. It may be good to write down ma- ny examples of Synonymous words, and phrafes which your Scholar underftands, joyning them with, or, as
rlftand ftogo (wide
The J or •) or the fame -< or the fame fame ^ do ftand /to walk tbroad
/or C
M am ftanding
So 10* the Copulative, AND, give fuch examples as thefe.
(Hand fPen f Sun
Diverf; < and diverfe < and diverfe < and
L Foot I Ink I Moon.
But the frequent recurring of thefe and many fuch like in common, familiar, and neceffary forms of fpeech, will foon make them to be nnderftood.
As for Particles fignifying Motion, as to, from, thro, by, into, out of, hither, thi- ther, hence, thence, &c. whether prepoliti- ons or adverbs : fo Diftance , as, far off, near, at, hard by, clofeby, &c. Pofition, as, before, behind, above, upon, beneath, about, up, dorvn, beyond, on this fide, &c. Their ufe and meaning is fo plain and obvious, that
there
L *7l there needs no more but choice of fit ex- amples to make them underftood. The Table is before your face ; The Chair is behind your back ; The book is upon the. Table j My hand is above the Table ; the nofe is between the Eyes ; the Eyes are «- bove the mouth; the mouth is under the eyes ; the tongue is in the mouth i to put out the tongue ; to rife up -, to fit down ; go to the door, from the door, come hither, go thither, Sec. Thefe and fuch like words fignifying circumftances perceivable by fenfe, are as eafily apprehended, as words fignifying bodily fubftance or fenfible Quality.
Even the Particles of a Metaphyseal extraction, and more remote from fenfe, may be eafily underftood, if the Teacher be not too Metaphyfical in his applicati- on. I will mention here only two To- J)icks of this kind of Particles ; The cau- es and the Comparates, which are the two principal finews of difcourfe. The particles from the caufes are diverfe/row; of with, by, wherefore, therefore, becaufe, why, &c. Ufe examples fuch as thefe. This Pen was made by the Mailer, of a Goofe-
E a qui!,
C*8I
qudi , for to write afte* »y Gapy. Ex- piate n%> whertfore, wfot U tkeeaufe, by expoftulations, and interrogations, with yovtr Scholar himieU or others, and Be- cmfe in anfwer to. thefe.
Qbferve here, that many of thefe Par- ticles being very equivocal, it will not he. prudence to reprefent this, difficulty all at once, left it amaze and difcpnrage your? Scholar. For example, yon have mad© lalm underftand she caufal particle witk». infuch examples as thefe, tacut with a knife ; to write with a Pen ; do no^ imi mediatly put him upon the Particle ol Society with, as, go with me ; but explain the various ufe of fuch particles, as they offer themselves oecaiionally in practice,? and as you. find hjts capacity is aWe to re-t ceiye: For, improving pi oecafians, andl eesLplying with the Scholars capacity, wiLlbethe Matters greateft commendatn on. Not bat that he maybe put upea learning many fet fpjcms. fox exercif© off S»eraosy; tho he vtadesftaad tliein no4{ ^esfe&kyt But do not put his uoiderftan^ fog to the rack, by an, uncfeifeoeet pteffcrig upon his appreheafive faeuJlcy, >fctfkxBS
either
t 39 3 feither fimplg or complex, Which you find he receives not readily. But make a col- lection of fitch Words, arid Watch oppor- tunities of explaining them : I can give ho better Rule for explaining Words hard to be uriderftobd; then that which Ho- *«*e has given, in a cafe not much unlike bufs.
Dixerzs Egrtgifndtumjfi ' calli-da verbiti/ti
Where the principal Verb of a fentence ft clearly apprehended, it brings great light to other cirCuftiftaritiating words. So that the skilful chufingofverbsof A- &ion, Well underftbdd by ydiir SchoUr ,- and the like dexterity in placing a hard Word, which you Would have hint to un* derftand,arnbhgft other Words of circum- Itance already Weil uriderftbrod,iricbriftrus- &ion With tlie verb^every Wbrd b"f the fen- tence will reflect fome light upon this dark word.
The fecond claffis of Metaph : ( or perhaps more properly Ldgical) parti- cles, afe thofe that owe their Orieine to theTopick of the Comparates; Mhas, than, fnlich , mote > tudft , hfs , ledft, by fit
E J mucb%
£ 70 ] much, Sec. explain thefe alfoby many fie examples, in which the feveral degrees of comparrifon may be demonftrated to the fenfes. This water is as hot as that ; This cheefe, apple, egg, is greater or more great than that ; This apple is the greatejl, or mojt great o£ all the apples ; by how much this itick, paper is longer than that, by fa much that is broader than this j let the proportion be fitted and meafured.
It will be aeceflary to make a colledti- on of fuch forms of fentences as he un-- derftands, one or two examples of every! form, that upon occafion he may have recourfe to them as to rules, and prece- dents in the like cafes: and amongft o- ther forms, forget not imperatives and Jnterrogatives, for which he will have ear- ly and frequent ufe. Gather up all the forms of interrogation; when ? who ? what? where ? wbofe ? whence ? whether ? how long? many ? great ? &c. Form fentences upon every one of thefe interrogations , in things familiar ; and fubjoyn proper an- swers ; as, whofe hookjs this? A. mine, thine, his, thy brothers, the Majters , &c. When Jballwegotoked? A., by and by, at ten «?
C 71 ]
tloc\, an hour hence,8cc. Imperative forms.
I pray give me the booJ^, take up the pen ,
Jay down the paper, jit down, rife up, put on
your hat, open the doorjhut the door, &c.
For exercife, you may find great varie- ty for him; fuch as, to vary the circum- ftances propofed ; to defcribe things from their caufes, from their contraries , by comparing them with other things j To form a narration of things feen j to write Epiftles. Let him be put much upon the exercife of memory ; and that not only in loofe words, and incoherent fentencesj But let him beftow nfuch time and pains, in learning by heart, in the firft place for his LeStiones [acres upon the Lords day, and Holy-dayes, the Lords Praier, the Creed, and ten Commandements , with the Church-Catechifm.
The folemnity and frequency of Di- vine Service , would have good effects upon him, being placed conveniently op- pofite to the Minifter, with a book before him, and one todire&him, till cuftome enable him to dire<2 himfelf. This would not only excite him to piety and devoti* onibut in progrefs of time, he would com**
botl>
£ 72]
both to underftand, and have' by heart, the greateft part ot Divine Service. Some other feled: paffages of Scripture might be recommended to him , as the firft Chap, of Gene/is, the Hiftory of our Savi- ours Nativity, and fufferings. The raoft proper books among profane Authors for him to practice on{T think) of many, were 4t£fbps I' ables,and iome playes where there, is much of Action.
In the application of all I have faid,re- fpe<ft is to be had to the quality of the* perfbn to be taught ; whether young or old, dull or docile :*How tocomgly with thefe circumftances , mutt depend upon the prudence o&the Teacher. When his progrefs is fo Confiderable that it may be feidofhim.,- He underftands the Ehglift* tongue tolerably well:He may then be put rpon the ftudy of Grammar ; which will be the more eafy to him ; becauie the courie of ftudy he was in before had a mixture of Grammar in it, aslhavefaid. Afterwards ( or before if you pleafe ) he may be taught Arithmetick and iome* thing of Geometry,
CHAP.
I 73 I
Chap. viii.
Of an Alphabet upon the Fitogefi.
BEcaufe the conveiliency of writing cannot alwaies be in readinefs ; nei* ther yet tho it couhi, is it fo proper a me- dium of interpretation between perfons £refent face to face, as a Hand-language : It will therefore be neceflary to teach the Dumb Scholar a Finger-Alphabet ; and this not only of fingle letters, but aifo for the greater expedition , of doabie and triple Confbnants , with which out En- •glifh doth abound.
After much fearch and many changes* I have at laft fixt upon a Finger,or Hand* [alphabet according to my mind: For I think it cannot be confiderably mended, either by my felt, or any other, ( without making Tinkers work ) for the purpofess, for which I have intended it j that is, a diftindrplacingof, and eafy pointing to the fidgle letters ; with the like diftincl, and eafy abbreviation of double andtri* pie Confonants. I deny
[74]
I deny not but there may be many more abbreviations than I have provided for, namely of initial Syllables, and Ter- minations ; but thefe I have paft by at prefent.for two reafons. FirftJ think there will be little need of them j For I doubt not but that with the provifion I have made, an habit equal to that in thofe who write a quick hand, may very near make the Hand as ready an Interpreter, as the Tongue, sly. It they mould be judged needful, I have taken care, that with a few Rules they may be added, without altering any thing of the inftitution of this prefent Scheme.
The Scheme ( I think ) is fo diftinct. and plain in it felf, that it needs not much ex- plication, at leaft for the fingle letters, which are as diftind: by their places, as the middle and two extremes of a right line can make them. The Rules of pra- ctice are two. i. Touch the places of the Vowels, with a crofs touch with any finger of the right hand, a . Poynt to the Conjo* nants with the Thumb of the right Hand. This is all that I think to be needful for explaining the Scheme fo far as concerns
thQ
C 7f ]
the Angle letters; andfor the double Con- fonants,
I have made provifion for abbreviating a threefold combination of them : Ifhall here only give the Rules of abbreviation of the feveral combinations I have made choice of , referring the reader for the reafons of my choice , to the following Treatife of double Confonants.
The firft combination of double Con- fonants I make provifion for is, when h, I, r, s, come in one fyllable with other Con- fonants j and that two waies, either be- fore or after another Confonant, as in thefe Examples.
..H.4!lght 3-R.-Lh>rt
7 the ° I trie
T (fait c Chaft
a,:L-|tide +'b' 7 hats
i. When thefe 4 letters are prefixt to other Confonants, as in light, /alt, heart, haft; the Rule is; point skin to skin voith the four fingers of the other Handrefpeftive- ly to the Capital letter ( which in the pre- fent example is T ) to which they are pre-, fixt i which by Initiation defigns the dou- ble
[ 76 J
ble Confanants ht, It, rt, st. 2. ^hett thfc fame four letters follow another Gtttife1- Jiant as in, the, title, tfie^ huts ; then, pdint { as before ) to T with fHt.il to s^in, which, gives , th, tl, tr, ts.
A feeond combination of doable Con*- fonants worthy of this care of abbrevia- tion, becaufe of their frequerlt life in En- glifh, is when the Liquids mrn, come be- fore the Mutes and SemimuteSj b ,p, d, t,g, &. or c , That is, m before b, p and A before a,t,g,^,c. The Rule is. Touch the plat* if theft Mutes and Semi Mutes rJtb the firfi and feeond finger joyned ,• arid this by in* ftitution gives the Liquid and the fefjte* &ive~Mut& or Semimute following, as in lamb, lamp, hand, hunt, anger s in^, France.
The third abbreviation is of Trible ConfonantS in the beginning of a word or
tillable, where s is alwaies thefirft ; as in, fchifm, sfyelpjjhrine, fpread,flrohg, fcrag, hinlc, Mbentt , Jplinter, juflU, &c. The. ule is, Joyn the thumb to the finger point- ihg to the dther two Cwfdnants. And fo jnuth for abbreviation of double add trible Coiifonants. But obferve here, that as School-bayfc*
are
177] are to. team amaviffe, before aviaffe, and m'w before ff'« ; and to write words at length , before they learn fhortvhand j lb let your Dumb Scholar^ and others that woul4 pra&ice Dactylology, firft know, ajidpra&ice upon the fingle letters, be- jjof e they tome to practice upon the Rules, of abbreviation.
Now tho this way of fhart-hand, or ab- breviation of words he diftind:3eafy3quick, and comprehenfive -, yet is there another way of practuing, which comes nothing fhortoi this in other ref peels, and in one refpect feems to be preferable : That it fttppofes nothing neceffary to be known for prad^ifing, but the places of the fingle letters , without making new Rules For diftinguifhing double and trihle Confo- jaantfS, from the lingle. The Rule is ; Point tQ all' the Jingle latter s of the double or tribi& (Lvnjona&it, firmk & femel : which will bet found to. be as eaty aspoynting by the former inftitutiom with one fingle touch, as. wiU Appear in thefe examples; when, nhieb, ihe^ light ,lduat,btavd, grunt; ^lujier, Jpread,ffirwg,8cc.
Inhere it flioutd he>ob4e&ed, that this
will
[78 1 will breed confufion, leaving the Reader doubtful what letter to begin with. To this Ianfwer. i. For double Confonants in the beginning of a fyllable, this obje- ction can never be or any force ; For there is no Englilhword iiund wherein their order is inverted,as will appear from the following Treatife of double Confo- nants. 2. For double Confonants in the end of a word, fo far as concerns the fe-» cond combination formerly mentioned, there can never be any miftake ; forfcarce ( I think ) is there any example occurs wherein their order is inverted ,• or if there did then the rule will be in that cafe , point to the fingle letters difiinUly, So that the objection is of no force, ex- cept only againft the firft combination of iouble Confonants, and that only in the end of a Syllable : For there are fome, but not many examples, where the order is inverted as, fait title, haft hats. But to this it may be anfwered : That in a con- tinued fentence, the fenfe will eafily de-- termine the cafe, and take away all am- biguity : as here lies one hat , there lie two bats. But if you have occafion to di-
ftinguifh
L 79 J ffinguifh the word hats, from baft, then you muft point to all the letters diftin&ly. And this compendious and expeditious way of Cheirology may be extended fur- ther, than this abbreviation of double and trible Confonants : For they that are Mafters of a Language, and have got a confiderable readinefs of practifing, by diftincl: touches of fingle letters, will find itaseafy, as it is ufeful, to exprefs whole fyllables, and whole words that are Mo- nofyllables ( fpecially in words of com- mon ufe ) with one multiplyed touch, fi- mul smdjeme I. My meaning by this mul- tiplyed touch (imul and femel is, not to touch diftin&ly all the letters of a fylla- bleor word, by the Index or any one fin- gle finger of the other Hand fucceflively, making fo many diftinct motions fromj place to place, as there are letters in the lyllabie : But fo to order the matter , that an equal number of the fingers of the other Hand may be ufed. for a fimultane- ous touch t«> make the word or fyllable, according to the number of letters it fhall happen to confift of. This way of ex- preffing fyllables and words Monofylla-
bles,
[«o] Mes, with one multiplied touch, after a little pra&iee, will be aseafy and quick, as pointing to one fingle letter with a' fingle touch ; it will be alfo as diitintf; as pointing to every letter fucceffively, with one fiuger.
But let it be well obferved here, that tjho I would have a whole fyllable expref- fed with one fingle a&ion, and motion o£ the whole Hand ; yet let not the diftinft touches be fo fimultaneous, but that it may appear where the word begins, and where it ends.
Here I think will be a proper place to give a Rule, how to know when a word is ended, and it is thi# Let there be a tMtintud aSttal touch ofmorefingtrs, or one 9t teafi, till the word he ended; or if this happen ( as it may in fome words ) to be oneafy, then make a quick motion from the place of the laft letter of the word : But this difficulty after a little practice will vanilh away.
Now becaufe thi* difcougfe may fall into the hands of iome that have trifling Heads like my own, to whom it will be acceptable to kaow what other w/*ies of
Dadylo-
C 8i 3 Da&ylology I have had under confedera- tion: I will, for fatisfying their curiofity, and perhaps iaving them the expence of vain labour, mention fome other waies which I have confidered, and after exami- flation rejected.
Thefirftway istomake^the figufes of the letters upon the Hand, which differs only from writing in this,- that the one is tranfient,: and the other permanent. It is true, that this is more teady upfi& all occafions than writing ; but neither- di- ftincl: nor quick enough to be taken no- tice of here.
A fecond way is the forming of th£ 'let- ters Symbolically ,- as to make an X by icroffing two fingers ; a crols toach upon the end of the thumb for a Tpthreefiiv- gersjoyned forM, two fingers joy ned for N, &c. This Symbolical way I reject; as being defective in two refpedis: Firft, it is defective in the point of fymbolizing ; ft* it will not be eafy with the fingers to rg- prefent the fhapes of all letters. This way ofexpreffing the letters Symbolically, |s fomewhat like the conceit of a iymUolMjal £hara&er, and a Language of Natfln^
F which
[ 82]
which fome have talked much of; but without any foundation in Nature, and therefore all attempts of Art muft be in vain. Butfecondly, this way is too labo- rious, and fo defective in anfweringone of the principal ends for which Cheirolo- gy is definable, and deferves the name of an, Art : That is, a quick and ready ex- prefiion, and interpretation of the con- ceits of the mind, coming as near as poffi- ble to that of the Tongue.
The third way is to defign every fingle letter by a fingle touch ; which I judge much the better way, than either of the other two ,- as being more limple, diftincT:, eaiy , and of quick difpatch. Having therefore refolved upon this, that the molt proper way to exprefs the fimple Ele- mehtsof the Alphabet would be, by a fin- gle touch; it remained that they mould be diltinguifhed amongft themfelves by their places. And here again, after con- sideration and tryal, I have rejected feve- ral waies of diftinguifliing the letters by places, Firft, I provided places on both Hands, back and fore 5 but. finding this laborious an4 intricate , and perceiving
that
C S3 ] that there might be diftinction enough found in ®ne hand', I placed the whole Alphabet opon one Hand ,• yet fo as to make ufe or an equal number of places on both fides of the Hand: But at laft find- ing that all the neceflary diftinctions eould be provided for, on one fide of the Hand, I fixt upon the inftitution of the prefent Scheme ; which I think is done with that confideration and care, that as I faid before, it cannot be much im- proved.
Here I thought to have kept one fecret of Art to my felf j at leaft till I fhould fee how other things I had difcovered fhould pleafe : But I muft confefs my own weak- nefs, that in things of this Nature, I am plenus rimarutn. I know not how confi- derable this fecret will feem to others ; But I declare ( that I may confefs another weaknefs ) that I was much affected with it: For after a long and tyrefome chafe, and having purfued my Notion , as I thought , to a nil ultra ; when I was fet down, and pleafing my felf with my pur- chafe,- on a fudden I fancied my felf to fee an one-handed deaf man coming to me,
F 2 and
[?4]
and af much as I could readin his eyes and. countenance,expoftulatiag wish me thus? What>Have you doners therqaio help for.] me? Shall oae Eye lerve in ScbematologyA & one Ear in Pneuraatology > one tongue; in Gloflblogy?yea one hand in Typology ?f and fhall not one Hand lerve in Dactylo- logy ? With this fixing.my Eyes ftedfaftK ly on his Hand ftretched out, I jtboughtf with my felf,that;Tcoulddifcern a Mouthr and a Tongue in his Hand ; -the Thumb feemed to represent the Tongue, the Fin- gers and the hollow of the Hand the lips, teeth, and cavity of the Mouth- Upoa> this I made Signs to him to try, to follow. me, as I pointed to the letters on my owia Hand j which, he xlid lo exa&ly that the iorpriie put me in a maze, for ibtne time. But when I had overcome xaf pailion; re- flecting upon this wondei both of Na- ture and Art, I bfefervedtkat of the 24 letters, he pointed to 16 with his Thumbs Thas Idifinifled my Deaf and lame pati- ent, bidding him.be of good cojiragfej and live in hopes, of an eftectual and fpe$df •ure., Butftfeerh&wa&gone, I began to con«;
fide*
t 8* ] [fidcr with' nky felf. What ? /hall I magnify this as antyfteryand wonder of Nature and Art, to find a way, to Metamorphize a Chymtera into a Man, or, to make a black Swa;n white > This will be magna conatu magmas nugas agere. As I was thus thinking, it happened that I was fmok- ing a pype of Tobacco ; and having a prefent occafion to difpatch a fpeedy meflage s I was unwilling to let my Pype go out, and fo at that prefent was depriv- ed both of the ufe of my Tongue and one Hand : wherefore reflecting upon the leflbn which I had lately taught the one- handed Deaf man, orfhall I rather fay, which he taught me 3 I.Callaboyto me, whom 1 had. trained up in Dactylology, and delivered my meflage to him with one Hand. He flaring in my face with a fmiling counrenance ( for I had never fpoken to him before that time with one Hand ) performed the meflage very rea- dily, and returned me a fpeedy anfwer, ufing the fame Organ of interpretation ( for I furprifed him eating an Apple ) to. me, which I had done to him. This gave me occafion to think, that this point ot
F 3 Art
[ ** 3
Art had not only one-handed Deaf men for its Objed; bat that therei might be many other cafes wherein it might be ufeful to fpeak with one hand : as to fpeak to a Dumb man riding on Horfe-back , holding the reins with one hand , and -with the other asking him. How do you do ? or fitting at Table ; holding the Cup with one hand, and with the other faying, Sir) my fervice to you. Or , with one hand? holding the knife, and with the otherj asking; what willyou bepleafedto have} &c.
And if any man could be fuppofed to have that readinefs and prefence of mind which is faid to have been in J. Ctefar he might at once keep up difcourfe with 3 feveral perfons, upon feveral fubje&s,talk- ing to two with his two hands, and to a third with his Tongue. And here by the •by, it is obfervable, that without any di* ftra&ion of mind one may fpeak both to a Deaf and Blind man at once , expref- ling the fame words by the Tongue to the Blind man, and by the hand to the Deaf.
Nay further I declare, that a^ much as I have as yeC^been able to difcover by pra- ctice, I judge the way of fpeaking with
one
[ 87 ] ojae hand preferable to the other of ufing both, andthat in all refpedts, unlefsitbe in this one -, That it is not capable of diftindion enough for all the ncceifary abbrevations of double Confonants, which perhaps ( after a readmefs and habit ac- quired ) may not be needful; or if it were, yet I know that one hand is capable of many more diftindtions than I have as yet made ufe of: but at prefent I think it not tanti to make ufe of them, for I rorefee, that the conveniency will lcarce ballance the inconveniencies.
Now tho the pradtifing of this Hand- language be fo plain and eafy from the following Scheme , and the preceding explication of it, that any one who can but read (without knowiug to write) may become his own Teacher ; yet feeing the nature of all skill and cunning deferving the name of an Art is fuch, that fome- thing of inftruction viva voce, is, if not lieceffary, at leaftufeful; So herefome- thing of direction from one well skilled in the pra&ice of this Art, either viva voce, or ( which is the fame thing, and as Emphatick a way of teaching if it were
pradiced )
C 88 ] practiced ) digito demonftratfyi will be of good ufe to young practitioners.
I will add one Jfcelp more, for enabling young beginners to practice more eafily and readily:Let a pair of Gloves be made, one for the Mafter, and another for the Scholar , with the letters written upon them in fuch order as appears in the tolr lowing Scheme. To practice with thefe, will be eafy for any that do but know theif letters and can fpell ; and a fliort time will fo fix the places of the letters in the Memory , that the Gloves may be thrown away as ulelefs.
Having laid open the whole progrefs of my thoughts in this difcovery of Cheiro- logy, it remains that I make good my promife in the Title-page of fhewing,tha| it is ufefiil both in cafes of neceflky and conveniency.
Firft then I think none will deny, but that it is neceflary for perfons Deaf or J)umb i and therefore I fha.ll fpare my felf the labour of proving it any other way^ |han by referring the Reader to the Se^ jies and fcope of this whole difcourfe. Bat he*e it will be very proper to add. fome-
thing
C"«9 1 thing-haw it may be made mofi ufef&l to the Deaf man, and in order to this let it be considered. That the nature or Onei- rology is fuch, that it is only ufeful in fbciety and converfe with others : So that if the Peaf man be trained up in this Art, and have no body about him skilled in it but himfelf, it is of no ufe to him at all : As on the contrary, if all people were as ready in this Hand-language, as he may rationally be fuppofed to be j then the Hand between him and others, would be of the fame ufe that the Tongue is to o- ther people amongft themfelves. But feeing ( according to the received way of training up youth hitherto, by which no care is taken of teaching them Oneirolo- gy ) he can have none , or very few to converfe with him in this way : It will be the concern of the Deaf perfons friends ( befide the influencing all his familiars to acquaint themfelves with this Art for his caufe ) to chufe fome fit perfon to be a conftant companion to him, and to be his Interpreter upon all occasions a- jnongft ftrangers. And which is yet a more weighty concern : It would be their
wiidom
C 9° ]
wifdom to project a match for the Deaf perfon, man or woman betimes ; that the perfon they are to match with, may be trained up in Oneirology , which would add very much to the comfort of their life; they being thereby able, to exprefs and communicate their fentiments intel- ligibly, not only by Dactylology in the light, but alfo by Haptology in the dar\. In the fecond place lam obliged to fhew the general ulefulnefs and conveni- niency of this Art to all mankind. The particular cafes wherein it may be conve- nient, are many more than can be expe- &ed, that I fliould inftahce in: I mail therefore mention only three generals.- 1. Silence. 2. Secrecy. 3.Pleafure. In ca- fes of neceflfary Silence i it maybe ufeful to inferiors in the prefence of Great per- fons j to thofe that are about fick peo- ple, as near relations, Nurfes, &c. So for Secrecy, if people be in company, but not fo near as to whifper one another in the Ear, it performs the office of whifpering ; it delivers, and receives fecret meflages/ &c. And laftly for pleafurej ic may be an ingenious and ufeful divertifement
and
£ 91]
and pafs-time for young people.
Here it may be obje&ed, That all the conveniency will notballance the pains that muft be taken in learning this Art. .This obje&ion puts me in mind of another, and that a very confiderable Convenien- cy ; and therefore I anfwer. The pains that is taken about learning a Hand-lan- guage , if it were learned in due time, that is, in Childhood, would be fo far from hindring, that it would contribute much to the Childs progrefs in learning to read, if he were taught both to knoW his letters, and to fpell upon his fingers. This would pleafe the Childs fancy, and imprint the letters the fooner upon his memory , having his Book alwaies open before his Eyes. So that \ look upon this as the greateft conveniency of Cheirology, That it would be of fo great ufe, and learned with fo little pains.
And this confideration put me upon thinking of a more advifeable way of training up young ones, than any yet pradtifed, that is : To begin children to know their letters upon an Hatid-book inftead of an Horn-book; or atleaft to
have
C 9* 1 have a Hand- book, upon the backfide of theiji Horn-book : For I make no doubt but before tey could : come to know the names and Fjgujes, of the letters , they would know their places upon the Hand, and be able to point to them with the o- ther, or the fame Hand, ss readily, as to pronounce them with the Tongue.
And who will not acknowledg that it were a thing defirable, and defervedly to be efteemed as a peice of liberal educa- tion ; to be able to fpeak as readily with the Hand as with the Tongue ? And therefore who would not think it worth the while, to train up young children from their a b c in Gloffology and Onei- rology , pari pajju f fpecially feeing the one is no hinderance but a confiderable help to the other, for I may truly fay in the Poets words,
Alterius nam
Altera pofcit opem res, & conjurat amice.
I thought for the ufe of children , to have given fbme directions for facilitat- ing the Elementary Difcipline of know- ing the* letters, fpelling , and reading; whereby not only the old way might be
made
C 93 ] made much fmoother,but alfo by one and the fame labour, a confiderable acceffion of ufeful knowledge might be attained by the young Scholar: That is, together with reading in Books, reading on the Hand; and as a necelTary appendage of this., writ- ing upon, or fpeaking with ( call it which you will ) the Hand : whereas writing with the Hand according to the common ufe of the word is by itfelf a diftinct and laborious Art. But I fear left fome may think that I have already ftuft this di- fcourfe too much with trifles, and pedan- try.
A N
AN APPENDIX
T O
CHEIROLOGY
Containing
Some Critical obfervations upon the Nature and number of Double and Tibbie Confonants.
MUCH hath been faid by many learned men to defcribe the na- ture and cauiesof Simple Sounds, which are the firft Elements of Speech ; as alio of Diphthongs and Triphthongs ( if any fuch be ) coalefcing of 2 or 3 Vowels into one Syllable : But of the coa- lition of two or more Confonants into one Syllable, little or nothing ( for what I know ) hath been faid by any. And yet this compofition of Confonants deferves as much to be explained, or rather more
than
t 9*1
than the other of vowels, becaufe of its greater variety aa,d ufe ; Efpecialjy by him who would treat of a Philofophical Language or a Grammar for Deal per- fons : So that my firlt *Treatife of Ars Si- gnorum or Sematology with this fecomd of Cheiitology which is * legittimate of£ fpring of that, obliged me to this enquiry. If the Queftion mould be put : whether in framing of words it were a more ratio- nal inftitution, that a Angle Confbnant, and a fingle Vowel mould alwaies fucceed one another alternatly ; or that there mould be a mixture of Syllables allowed, made partly of Diphthongs , partly of double confonants > My own judgment in the cafe is. That both Nature and Art would make their firfl: choice of an alter- nate mcceilion of fingle Vowels and Con- iboants, and that their next choice would be , of fuch compounded vocal founds , as are commonly called Diphthongs, and defcribed by Grammarians ,• and fuch compounded clofe founds , as are moft natural* and of an eafy pi-onounciation, for "describing of which this difcourfe is intended*
But
C97] But that fuch a Language could de- rive its origine from blinded Nature, and not from Art, or a Divine inftitution, is no waies probable : For I conceive that there is now no Language upon the face of the Earth in common ufe, but admits of a mixt compofition of Diphthongs,and Double Confonants. And the more rude and uncivilized the people are, the more frequent this compofition is with them, and the founds the more harfh and un- pleafant. Thatroughnefsoffpeech wears out with roughnefs of Manners, and [fmoothnefs of the one is a natural confe- quence of the fmoothnefs of the other, the Englifti Language and Nation is a fufficient proof. And if this be granted; it is argument enough to prove ; that Na- ture without Art or fome more powerful affiftance, would never bring forth a lan- guage in which there fhould be no Diph- thongs or, Double Confonants. Nature, I fay, as it is now in its degenerate eftate : How fhe would have decided this Quefti- on in her primitive integrity and perfe- ction, or rather how fhe did actually de- cide it, as we are aflured from Gods word
G fhe
[ ?8 ] (lie did, cannot be otherwaies known to us, than by fome probable conjectures.
It is generally thovight by the learned, that Adam was the Author both by Invent tion and Pra&ice of the Hebrew Tongue j not as we have it now in any of its Dia- le&s; yet if it be granted that the He- brew "had for its mother that Language which Adam did invent and fpeakj we may with good reaion conclude» that cor- rupted as it is,; it Hill retains the fubftance and Genius of its Mother j There being fome indelible Characters upon all Lan- guages which common accidents cannot deface. For tho the trad of time from Adam to Ma/its , was longer than that from Augujfos, or Alexander the Great, to this preient age ; yet the common ac- cidents which are known to change a Ian* guage could not be io many and effectu- al, for changing the firft language to that which is now called Hebrew, as they have been known to be for changing the pure Greek, into that which now is ufed by a remnant of the Grecians, and called Mo* ctern Greek; or far changing the pure Latin sxtant in Claflick Authors , intp
that
I 99 1 that Avhich is now called Italian ; which languages notwithftanding keep ftill ib manifeit Signatures of their origine, that it is eafy to difeernwhat Stem they are branches of.
Now amongft fevefal other defaced re- liques of thatfirft and Divine language remaining not only in the Hebrew, but ■alio to be found in many other of the Ea- ftern Languages, this feems to be very eonfiderable. That the Hebrew admits .of no compofition either of Vowels or Confonants in that fame Syllable ; But all their Radical words confift generally of a fingle confonant, and a {ingle vowel, fucceeding one another alternatly ; which cannot well be fuppofed to be the effect either of degenerate Reafon or Chance.
There are two things more in that an- cient language which feem to me unac- countable without referring them to a fuperuatural caufe. One is , that their radical words confift generally of 3 con- fonants, and for the moft part are DiflyJ- lablesi and thefe Radical words howHif- ferent foever in their confonants,yet have ftill the lame points, Camet^ and Pa-
G z tkacb;
C ioo ] tbach; which in oral prolatiori make the fame vocal found with x, which, as it is the firft letter of their Alphabet.andfrom thern in all other Languages ■, fo is it the firft vocal found in Nature. . And that originally all their words were DifTylla- bles ( as fome conje&ure ) is not impro- bable : whereas in all other Languages their Radicals are generally Monofylia- bles, and I think originally have all been fo i yea lb far fo, that there are many Monofyllablesfound to be Compofita, and Decompofita, as the Learned Doctor Wallis has ingenioufly obferved in his Englifti Grammar.
Another thing is, that the Hebrew does of ten contract a whole fentence into one word, incorporating not only pronouns both prefixt and furfixt, but alio prepofi- tions and conjunctions with the radical word. And this compendium did firft ex- cite me to do fomething for improving the Art of Short-hand ; That drove me before I was aware upon a real Character ; That again after a little confideration re- solved it felf into an Eflable language. This at laft has carried on my thoughts to
confider
C ioi ] confider of a way how a language may be attained by Reading and Writing, when it cannot be attained by Speaking and Hearing. So that this Series and chaine of thoughts has for its firft link an Hebrew Grammatication.
I take notice of three things more in the Hebrew, which are confiderable upon the account of a rational Inftitution, which is not to be found in the common ufage of other Languages ; but not fo myfterious as the other three which I have already mentioned. The firft is their fe- parating the Vowels from the Confo- nants,both by place and Charadtenwhich has fomething Natural, and Symbolical in it : For there is fomething in the ftru- dhire and compofition of the words, ana- lagous to 'Man the Author of them ; the Characters of the confonants being of large dimenfions , and divifible into ma- ny parts, reprefent the grofs and material part of Man, the Body. The Vowels be- ing expreft by indivifible pricks or points, do anfwer to that which is more properly indivifible, the Soul. This, together with a more accurate diftindtion of Vowels into
G 3 long
[ i°2 ] long and fhort ; as alfo a more accurate divilion of Confonants from their Physi- cal caufes, that is, the Organs of forma- tion, tho of late ufe ( according to fome later writers ) in that moft ancient lan- guage ; yet it fhows ( at leaft ) how the Genius of the Tongue is fitted not only to Comply with fuch an Inftitution ; but alfo that from all Antiquity there have been fome veftigia of that Primitive and Di- vine , or purely rational Sematology , taught by Almighty God, or invented by Adam before the fall ( unlefs any mould have the confidence to affirm, that this among many other unhappy conlequen- ces of the fall, was one ; that it did not only in part deface, but totally wipe out all former impreflions , leaving our firft. Parent as the blind Heathens would have? him, Mfitum & tmpepecus,. That is, hav- ing his Soul as much Tabula, rofa, as ours is when we come into the world ) which; have given occafion to Grammarians of later times to bring that past of Grammar to the prefenteftablifliment. But what- ever be the decifion of that grand con- troverfy about the Antiquity of the He- brew
L 103 •] brew points, the oblervation I have made here will ftill be coniiderable. Wherefore I pafs to a fecond thing coniiderable, which without all controverfy is more ancient and of longer ftanding than fome would have the points to be. It is agreed upon all hands that there are three prin- cipal and cardinal Vowels X m of as anci- ent a date as the firft invention ot letters ; which without giving offence to thofe that are for, or advantage to thofe that are agamft the Antiquity of Points, may fanofenfu, be ftyled Matres Leftionis -, Be- cauie all other Vowels are but intermedi-J ate founds and as it were the Proles or ofspring of thele three. Wherefore, with- out interpofing as to the main ftate of that fo momentous queftion ; That which! I take notice of here as coniiderable^ is this : That it has been a thing done with great care and judgment, the eftabliih- ing thefe three letters for the Cardinal vowels or Matres LeUionis ,- For they are the three moft diftincl: vocal Sounds that! are in nature ; even as diftincl: as the twoi extremes and the middle of ,any thing that has dimenfions can be 5 all othet
Vowels
C i°4 ] Vowels being but intermediate Sounds to, and gradually differing frOm them. N is a Guttural Sound, and of all other Vowels the moft apert ; i is Labial and of Vocal Sounds the moft contracted i > is Palatine and equally diftant from both. And as it is poffible that there might be a Lan- guage copious enough, allowing only the ufe of three Vowels, andfecluding dou- ble Confonantsin that fame fyllable, pro- vided that the Radical words were Di£ fyliables ; which fome think to have been the Inftitution of the pure and uncor- rupted Hebrew: So would fuch an infti- tution be much more eafy and diftincT: than any language in being ; the inter- mediate founds to thefe three radical vowels being lefs diftindt, and therefore oftentimes giving occafion of miftakes.
I have had occafion to mention the third thing confiderable in the preceding Treatife of Cheirology ,■ to wit , Their naming the fimple Elements of letters by fignificant words ; 4lepb, Beth, Gimel, &c* which without doubt is as ancient as the ufe of letters , or at leaft as Mofes ; The *ruta of this the Grecians have confirmed
by
[ I°f ]
by a very convincing, but withal a very inartificial argument in naming the let- ters corruptedly after them, Alpha, Beta, Gamma, &c. as I have noted before.
Tho I have in Ars Signorum given fuch an Analyfis of fimple Sounds, both Vowels and Confonants, as feemed to me moft natural and proper upon that occafion ; yet I miift here repeat what has been faid there of the nature and number of fimple Confonants ; otherwife the Rules of com- pofition I am to give, cannot be under- itood. ,
Confonants then are firft to be divided
int°' jfemiclofe. *• Clofe, when the appulfe of the Organs Hops all palTage of breath thro the mouth j and they are in number 9, m, b, p, n, d, t, ng, r, k, This clo- fure again is threefold. 1. A perfecl: f hut- ting of the lips and this produces m,b,p> 2. the fore part of the Tongue with the Palate, hence n,d, t, 3. the hinder-part of the Tongue with the Palat hence, ngt r, k' Thefe nine Confonants are capable of another threefold divifion , upon the account of a threefold accident which
equally
C i°8 ] common cuftome has made one of thefe a double Confonant, writing it with two letters n~g the found of neither of which is to be heard in pronountiation ; but a perfectly diftindt fimple round from the power of both, as in Jing, ring, long, and from all letters whatever. And it is ob- servable that our Englilh is very uncon- ftant in exprefling the power of this let- ter : fometimes by ng in the end of a word, asjing, hang, long ; where nothing of the found either of n, org is heard ; Sometimes by n alone before its brother conlonants, k^ygi before /^every where ; as int^, ran^, drunl^, before £ in the middle of a word, as longer, hunger, tho not alwaies fo, for in danger, Jtrangcr, &o n keeps its own power.
If any be fo far prejudiced with the ufe of the Latin ( which alwaies expre-fes the power of this letter by n ) and other mo- dern Languages ; let him look a little higher to the Greek, where he will find three things confiderable of this letter. i. That it is no double confonant, but ex- preit with one fingle Character, y. 2. That it is expreft not by a letter of a diftinct
tribe
[ io9 ]
tribe ( as in the Latin ) but by one of its own fraternity, that is, by a letter form- ed with the fame clofure of the organs with it felf . 3 . That it never goes before any other confonant in that lame Sylla- ble,but thofe or its own tribe > *-xl; which is according to the true realbn and Rules of compounding confonants in the end of a fyllable, as I ihall make appear by and by. The Romans rinding that it was a fonorous letter, re;e£t y as being a Semi- mute, and fubftitute for it n agreeing with it formally in that fame analogy of found, but differing from it materially,, as being formed by a diftinct clofure of Organs.
Great Vojfiui m ay excufe my being fo long upon this one letter : For he after fpending a whole Chapter upon it, con- cludes with a profeft uncertainty of judg- ment, whether to make it a fingle letter, a Sefquilitera, or a double confonant. I thought once I had been Angular in my opinion about it; But afterwards meet- ing with Doctor WaUis j Engliih Grammar,I perceived that he had given the fame ac- count of it long before me.
The
[ no]
The Semiclofe founds are of two forts, fomeof them are formed from the whole- clofe iounds and are called Afpirats, be- caufe they are formed by a partial open- ing of che Organs, and fending forth the breath thro the mouth ; hence the num- ber of them are fix, f, th, x from p, t, ^, and v , th ( as in that )gb, from the Semi- mutes b,d,g\ for there can be no afpirats from mi n, ng. 2. That nimble inftru- ment of articulate voice, 'the top of the Tongue brings forth three more lemiclofe founds /, r, s, and fo doubles the nnmber of letters formed by the other organs. 1. L is formed by a clofeappulfeof the top of the Tongue to the palat, the fides not touching, but leaving an open paf- fage, which diftinguifhes it from, n, where the appulfe makes a perfect clofure. 2.The appulfe is from the fides of J:he Tongue the top not touching, but leaving an o- pen paffage to force out the breathjhence is formed the letter S. 3 . A repeated or multiplied appulfe of the tongue to the palat, by a quick motion of trepidation which produces R. S, has affinity to the clofe mutest, t, ^, and therefore- admits.
of
of being raifed to a femimute, Z, both of which are capable of afpiration, as the clofe mutes and femirautes «SV;,x^.Thefe feem to me to be all the fimple confo- nanb in nature perfectly diitincSt, and to be made ufe of in a Philofophic.il Lan- guage for which this was firft intended. And I think that this Analyfis of them from their Phyfical caufes is plain &c eafy, for to purfue all the minute differences of founds, as it were endlefs, fowere it ufe- lefs.
I come now to fpeak of compounding two or more confouantsinto one fyllable, and that two waies, either in the begin- ning or end of it j a thing well to be con- sidered by him who undertakes to frame a language by Art from the principles; of Nature, and of no fmall ute in fit- ting a Grammar for Deaf perfons.
That i may proceed the more difti n<3>. lyin this enquiry, I will begin with thci definition of a Syllable, and paffing by* fevexal other defcript ions, I will, keep toi that of Prifcian and approved by Vofjius ; as being moft full and appofite to my pur- pofe. \ SylUba ejt vox littralis , que jub
uno
C 112 ]
uno accentu, t$ uno fpiritu indiflattter pro- fertur. Where I fuppole by fub uno ac- centu, and uno fpiritu, there can be no more than one Vowel or Diphthong in a Syllable ; which as a terminus communis unites the extreme confonants on each fide ; Even as the copula units the Subject and the Predicate making one Propofi- tion.
My firft Rule /hall be : To fpeak pro- perly and in a ftridt fenfe, There can be no compoiition of Confonants amonglt themfelves , either in the beginning or end of a Syllable, but what is preternatu- ral and inconfiftent with the definition of a Syllable. Who does not perceive, that even in the compoiition of Mutes and Li- quids in the beginning of a fyllable as prat, plot , which of all compofitions of confonants is molt common , and alfo judged moft eafy, as not making the pre- ceding Vowel long by pofition ; yet I fay even in thofe it is eafy to perceive a dijlan- tia terminorum, and that they are united by a rapid fpirit, as a terminus communis j and cannot polfibly be otherwife, feeing they are formed by diftincl: clofures of the
organs j
£ "3 ] organs ,• and therefore there muft be a Tranfitus from the one to the other^which appears yet much more evident in the end of a Syllable ,• with which kind of tCompofmon our Englifh abounds very much as, Table, ridle,fadle, httle,$£c.
It is true in fome compositions of con- sonants the tranfitus not being from or- gan to organ, but from one degree of vo- jcality to another, as in lamp, hand, inj^, ■the tranfitus here is fo quick, that it may .be faid to deceive the Ears ; much like the colours of the Rainbow to the Eye, as it is in that ingenious defcription of A' *4chnes Web. Ovid. Lib. 6. Met.
In quo diver fi niteant cum milk color es, Tranfitus ipfe tamen fpettantia luminafallit : Vfq; adeo quod tangit idem efi;t amen ultima diftant. But paffing by the dictates of right rea- ibn and Art, which certainly have not been followed in the primary Inftitution of any language unlefs it be of the He- brew alone j let us look to Ufe which is the Sovereign Lawgiver to all languages^ And more particularly to the ufage of the Creek, which gives laws of Orthography to all the Occidental Languages : and
H firft
C "4]
firft for the compounding of Confonants in the beginning of a Syllable.
Had the Grecians been as carelefs of Euphony and pohfhing their words in the terminations, as they have been in the initial Syllables, their language had been as much inferior to forae others in Eu- phony, as now it is efteemed more plea- lant and graceful. What more rude founds, uneafyto be pronounced , and harfh to the Ear, than -J*'***. K*«>> &"'"*> X^'»
<p§iet!, ^coinfy S~v'o?Qr> ^M^i/yfM, (*vnf*a,, yvZffit, wriiy.*, wdituYy -m-JJu-A-, SyrirKa, Thifxav, &C.Wliat CaUie tO
afcribe this to I am uncertain, whether, to the rudenefs of their language together with others, in its firft origine ; or to fome modifh affe&ation of times and humors, or more particularly to a Poetical humor of Syncopizing and contracting their words, which feems to me moft probable. But this we fee is certain, that they have taken to themfelves fuch a liberty of com- pounding Confonants in the beginning of a Syllable, that their greateft admirers 'the J(pmans have forfaken them in this; there fcarce being any fuch double con- fonants, as any in the fore-mentioned
examples
examples in the beginning of a word,in all the Latin Tongueiiinlefs it be in feme few words, which are manifeftly of a Greek origin. They have gone fo tar, that al- moit no Rule can be Formed for their ini- tial Syllables, but Quidlibet cum Quo Met. Howbeit • will endeavor to reduce 'the u- fage of the Greek in this particular to fome General Rules.
Firft, There is no double confonant to be found in the beginning of a Greekjword, but one of them is a Lingual : thefe are, nt d, tt /, r, s, %, th, 9, sh, %h. Hence I obferve that Vojfius goes too far, when he bids in imi- tation of the Greek to divide a-gmen , te-gmen ; unlefs he could have produced juniority for a fhort vowel before this ^pofition , or a word beginning with £m , neither of which I think can be found.
2. The liquids ( commonly fo called ) /, m, n, r, add, ng, never come before other confo- nants, or one another in the beginning of « word, except pvcLoy.au.
3 . None of the clofe Confonant s
H 2 Labials
[ II* 1
Labials C p, b, mt
Liaguals < t, d, n,
Gutturals. C«g,r, /^, Or their afpirats.
Labials C *, v,
Linguals ^ 0, tA,
Gutturals. C x,ght If they be of the fame Organ, canbe com- pounded with one another. Except h as •Mper, 3», as 3»M-iw. In thefe negatives the Latin , and I think other modern lan- guages do agree with them.
For affirmative Rules the firfl: (hall be. The liquids L, /?, come frequently after the Mutes andSemimuteSy ivitb their afpirats ■ as,
\G>
fa* %ia t
fa- WW*
J fa. a •xfo.opxx.
The Rule is uriiverfally true dejure,iho not defaclo » or, it is true de generibus fin-
gulorumt
C 117 ]
gulorum,thonot de fingulis generum. Hence tho there be no ^«ji», yet analogy would bear it as well as frbm or W^>. So in Latin thothere be no words beginning with tlt yet tlarus would be as Analogical,as clarus or planus. So in Englifh tlajh were as Eu- phonick mplajb, clajb.
2. S, in the beginning of award comes before all \indt of Confonants in that fame Syllable > i. e. it is compounded with Ge- nera fingulorum, tho not with Singula Ge- nerum.
i . For the Mutes/?, t, k^, and their afpi- rats p, 8. X' it is compounded with them alU
as, <rmt»y s'tnrtu, e-ni^en, o-p£tt a-fcvQr, tr-fiii*. 2 . The
Semimutes (3, <J\ y, it is only found with #, as |^wK/fu; and by the Dorick Dialed!: with <*y is mfMrJio for xs\u«C<». 3. Of the Sonorous orNafalesM»>>^» it is found only with ^ as *v«pA. s. is not to be found before any of thefe three confonants in Latin, un- lefs it be in words taken from the Greek j and yet our Englifh abounds with exam- ples both of Jm, and fn, as fmall, fmootb, finite, fnatch^fnorv.
Except from the former Rule, its two fifter-femiclofe linguals, r, I, before which
Hi it
t 118 ]
it never comes in Greek or Latin ; Tho si frequently inEnglifh, asjleep, flow ; and tho j- it felf come not before r yet its afpi- rate sh is found wich r zsjhrinejhreivd.
3. S in the beginning of a word comes after fome both of the Mutes and Semi- mutes, dzfatto, and therefore might come after them all eodcm jure, 4»z>%> i. e. pst ds , ks. Here it comes after two Mutes, k^,p, and one Semimute, d. The reafon in Nature were the fame for bs}gs ts, in the beginning of a Syllable ; but j- after any other Confonant in the beginning of a Syllable founds harm, and layes a force upon nature. What could induce the Grecians to fingle out thefe three double Confonants 4>z>§> contracting them into one fing!e Character, and placing them in the Alphabet amongft thefimple Ele- ments of letters, is not eafy to guefs. Had they made a more foft and melting found than other double confonants, this might have paft for a tolerable Reafon ; But the cafe is quite contrary; for they make a ftronger pofition after a Ihort vowel than many other donble confonants do : or if frequency pf ufe had been the induce- ment
I "9 ] ment this alfo had been tolerable ; but e- ven in this they muft give place to many other double confonants : unlefs perhaps it may be thought, that the frequency of 4 and £ in the future tenfes ot Verbs might have occafioned this abbreviation. Vojjius guefTes at the Origin of 4-, that it has been an imitation of the Hebrew y. If he had made \ and ? to be of the fame ori- gine , his conjecture had been by much the more probable ; for there is fully as great reafon for thefe as for that. The affinity of ? toy is all one with 4- toy; for both of them are compounded of £ fol- lowing a Mute. Again the affinity of z to y is no lefs, for tho the one be mute, the other Semimute ; yet they belong both to one organ of formation, which the He- brews take notice of as the greater affini- ty : So that if an imitation of the He- brew may pafsfor a probable reafon of this Grammatication , it is much more likely , that a threefold abbreviation would induce them to this imitation , fooner than a fingle one ; fpecially confi- dering that s never follows another cori- fonant in compofition in the beginning
of
[ 120 J
of a word, but in thefe three. I might add that the Hebrew Grammarians will icarce allow y to be a double Conlbiiant, tho I dare not under take to defend them in this.
My next Rule mall be for trible Confo- nants in the beginning of a word. 1. There can no rvord begin with three confonants but tehere s is one. This is not only true in Greek and Latin, but Ithinkalfo in our vulgar European Languages. 2. S, never Makes a trifle confonant in the beginning of a word, but mith a mute and liquid follow- ing i And this but rarely in Greek , as* vvh.bv,7\iyyh,?f!fn{i fQ jn Latin, as feribo , fpretusjtratw ; Tho the composition of s with any either fingle or double confo- nant in the beginning of a word, feems- to be of no difficult pronounciation. And now I come to double and Triple confo- nants in the end of a Syllable.
I think our Englifli Tortgue with its J^other Saxon, abounds more with this Kind of clofure or ending of words, with double and triple Gonfonants, than any Opher common Language ; which makes pscenfured by neighboring Nations, by Comparing our pronounciatioft to the
barking
L 121 3
barking of Dogs: For our words being for the moft part Monofyllables, and of- ten ending with a harfh collifion or" dou- ble affid tnble confonants, and admitting no Apoftrophe; this makes us take the more time, aad uie the more force to ut- ter them.
i. The mojl natural and eafy compofition *f Confonants, either in the beginning or end- ing of a Syllable, is that of the Mutes and Semimutes, following the Sonorous letters of their own refpeUive organs of formation ; as in thefe examples.
mb Lamb, dumb, comb, mp lamp, imp, lump9 rid hand, blind, round, nt Ant, hint, hunt, ngg things long, dung, ngk thinker ank^,drunk^ 2. The compofition of two confonants next for facility to the •former, is when the three femiclofe Unguals, l,r, s,come before other confonants in the end ofafyllable. Exam- ples in Englifh are obvious : It is true, not of thefe three coming before all other letters ; yet the reafon is the fame for all, thoufebenot.
l.Sin
C 122 ]
3. Sin the end of a word, according to the ufe of our Englijb, maizes a double consonant after any other letter , unlefs it be after q, \. Other double confonants there are in the end of a word ; but being very ir- regular and of a harfli found I pals them by j fuch, &s,foft, length, right, apt, &c.
4. For trible Confonants in the end of a fy liable there is none found in any language but where S ma\es one. 1 know the Dutch write l^ailtlt, but I fuppofe they mult pronounce either hand or hant ; for a mute and femimute of that fame organ are inconliftent founds. And as for our firength, and length ; 1. Tho they be writ- ten with four confonants ; yet we found but two neither ofwhich can be written in Englifh, but with two Characters ; But aly, 1 think the molt genuin pronouncia- tion of thefe two words is, as if they were written flrenth and lenth according to the Northern Dialed:.
5. Andlaflly, allowing two ss in two di- JlincT; places ('which often happens) there
may be, and are de facto, in Englijhfour confonants after a Vowel in that fame Jylla- blet as infirfts, tbirjls.
This
This doctrine of double and trible con- fonants fo far as concerns the ending of words, has bat little place in the learned languages ; yet examples are found both in Greek and Latin, even of Trible con- sonants; as **pol» flirps. Where obferve that there are no words in Greek ending either in double or tnble confonants, but where x either virtually or exprefsly is the lait ; and but very few in Latin ending in other dovlre Confonants ; Some in nt as amant fiint, iome few in nc} as hinc hunc, mstyttejtpoft.
My laft enquiry about double Confo- nants fhall be. How many may come to- gether in one fyllable?To which I anfwer. Firftjlf v\ e follow reafon & the Authority" of the ancienteft language,there can come no more than two, one before and ano- ther after the vowel. 2ly If we follow the ufage of the other two learned languages Greek and Latin ; fecluding the letter /, there can be no fyllable of above four confonants, two before, and two after the Vowel. ?ly Admitting s, which comes both before and after moft letters, there may be a fyllable of fix confonants, three
before
[ 124 ] before and three after the vowel. I grant there is no example found either in Latin or Greek of above five confonants,- yet there are many examples in both of three confonants in the beginning, as?*™-, cri- iosio of three in the end,as ™?z,ftirps, what- ever is above this, is harfhand Barbarous. I have heard learned men of the Polilh Nation affirm, that there is a Monofyl*- lable of nine letters in that Language, the Orthography of which I took from the hand of a perfon of Honor of that Nation, thus Cbr%as%c%, This word I have often heard pronounced by Natives, and have my felf been commended by them for my imitation: But to ftrangers it feems a barbarous found, and reaches not the expreffing of the power of all the let- ters with which it is written. Vojfins af- firms as much of the Dutch. The word he inftances in is, tjSttttlgft. But I am fure if this be allowed for a Monofyllable , there may be a monofyllable of eleven letters, according to the Analogy both of the Dutch and Englijh ; or rather I may fay, that there can be no bounds fet to theToague in this particular. For firft
if
C «f ] if t'jftrengtt, why not $t gtrettgff j for it
is clear even from the fame inftance, that j- may come before t in that fame Sylla- ble. If itbefaid that the letter j- cannot be repeated thrice, in diftind: places of that fame fyllable. Firft, I anfwer by re- torting; much lefs can t be repeated thrice, as here ,• for laying this one word afide , I think it will be hard either to prove by reafon, or to bring another in- ftance out of any language whatever, where a word confifting of three ttt dif- joyned from one anothet by the inter- vention of other letters is efteemed a mo- nofyllable. 2ly T%e Analogy of the En- glifla. alksws of fuch a Monofyllabie, as Spafms, Scbifms. Again if gtCttCttgft why notftftret!gft& and fo in infinitum. That s after t is con- fiftent in the end of a fyllable, our Engliih abounds with Examples , as Tajls, fafis. But here it is obfervable that this compo- fition we admit of, s coming both before and after another Confonant in the end of a fyllable, is very harm and uneafy, and fcarce to be found in any other language. The Fretub make ma«y fhifrs to avoid
the
C I**]
the harftmefs of j- either before or after another confonant,and chiefly ia the end of a fyllable : if/ go before, they leave it out, as in hafte, vifte ■, if it come after they leave out the confonant that goes before it ; as in loups, animaux. Another thing obfervable of s with its affinis / ,• when they come alone without the implication of other confonants : they are of aneafy and graceful pronounciation. Homer feems to have loved them, as in thefe,
Em $fiei /3<*Mso <7jf«
That the Prefs mould have ftript thefe broken end^ of Verfes gf the unneceffary and troublefome luggage of Spirits and Accents , is neither the Compofitor nor the Correctors fault : I am obliged to ex- cufe them and take the fault, if there be any, upon my felf; or rather lay it over upon the Author ; who were he alive, he would excufe both me and himfelf, by the Ufe of the times he lived in: And ufe we know is the fupreme Law in all languages. But if all this do not fatisfy the Critical Hellenift; Then I muft add further, that iyHn the prefent cafe, will even dare to
appeal
[ 127 ] appeal to right Reafon: For whatever may be faid for the cumberfome tackling of Spirits and Accents in Profe; yet in a Verfe, Accents are down-right non-fenfe, unlefs it be tollendte atnbiguitatis caufa in equivocal words.
That all other Appendages befide the letters are unneceflary and troublefome, I fhall inftance only in one word, which is fo overgrown with the Rickets, that the Head is much greater than the whole Bo- dy j for whereas the letters of the word are but three, the other appurtenances of it are five: And had it all that fwelling furniture about it in the GlolTology, which it hath in the Typology, it would choke one to pronounce it. But he muft have more critical Ears than mine, that can perceive five diftin&ions in *it which are .not to be heard in our Englifh ERR. That this is not a word either made or fought by me, appears by this paffage of a com- mon Epigram.
il& iTTSt {•vJ.cioB) 7M7flJbt, HSU ytViTUY
And here I (hall take the liberty -to go pneftep further out of my road,by taking
notice
[i*8]
notice that the Grecians have iafht out a little too far, in that which is thought to t>2 the greateft^grace of their language : That is, their words ending much in Vowels and Diphthongs ,- and the fe frequently mak^ ing pure fyllables, one, two, or more, with' out the intervention of a Confonant. One, two, or at leaft three, one would think were enough for Euphony ; but four, five, or fbmetimes fix in the end of a word, I think is too much specially, if they make fo many fyllables, ap?^* -n%* founds well; ipjups* &k, is yet more foft and melting ; and ifyvfioic (iio7o founds high and lofty from the mouth of a Poet, and-Symbolizeth with the more Symbolical Hemiftich pre- ceding it.
But /Wo, and by a Dialyfis £'»o/o,. is too foft and luftiious. And for ateie and £<>?«» I know not what other cenfure to pafs on them, but that they are childifh and ridi- culous Traulifms. It is true that £<#» in the Typology of the word, has its Sylla*, bles diftincl enough ; but the beft can be faid of it will leave them too identical in the GloiTology. Again for MMM> which
is
C 133 ]
is the word of the greateft number ofvow- els without a Confonant, that I have hap- pened to meet with j tho if be manifeftly of a Greek origin, yet I know not where to father it upon any Greek Author, toti- dem Uteris & fyllabis : which makes me ftrange the more to fee the grave and Manly 2{oman, who in his imitation of the effeminate Greculus, hath with a won- derful judgment, fhall I fay or happinefs, equally avoided the extremes ortoo much harlhnefs in the beginning of his words, and too much foftnefs and delicacy in the end of themj yet in this one word to have outdone him in number of vowels, tho not of fyllables. Ovid, is my Author for this. Metamorpb. lib, 4.
Nee tenet AJEJE genetrix pukherritna Circes. But to return from this digreffion to another obfervation upon the letters, L, and S. Thefe two letters ieem to me to make a great impreflion upon the body of the French Tongue (as the particles and chiefly the pronouns do in all languages,) becaufe of their fo frequent ule in thtpro- vocabula of that language. I have often heen pleafantly affe&ed to hear two talk-
I ing
t 134] ing French, when the pronominal words recurred often ; fuch as, ceicett,cejtcettuit cettutci, cettuila, lui, celui, icelui, elle, icelle, celled, cellece, &c. and many fuch like der fee nding from the fruitful flock oica & la-. for thefe words comming from a French mouth, make a pretty foft whiipering fioife affedting the Ear pleafantjy. Our own Englifh pronominal words are none of the moft graceful pronounciation, chiefly becaufe of the fo frequent ufe of th as thou, thy, that, the, this, thofe, their, &c* This makes Outlandifh men call us blefi , the found of th never being heard a- mongft them, but by lilpers ; who pro- nounce s vitioufly by the power of this letter. I will conclude with rectifying an Univerfal mistake of all that have writ- ten of Grammar, for want of confide*ing the Nature of double confonants. It has paft for currant amongft all Grammari- ans, that we are to divide words in all o- the-r Languages, following the ufe of double Conlonants among the Grecians ; as, ma-gnw, do-Bus, le-Btts, Orftut, and not mag-nus, doc-tus, lec-tus, ap-tus, Voffius goes yet further fas 1 have had occafion to
men-
mention before,) and bids us divide /*- gmen a-gmen ; tho their be no precedeat for this in Greek. One Ancient Gram- marian goes yet a ftep further, and bids follow this Rule even in compounded IRrords; nso-bruo,Q-bhgo, which notwith- ftanding others do except. But Prifcian does well refute this Authors opinion by this argument, That Poets never ufect Jthefe fyllables fhort : So that for the very fame reafon, wemuft not divide h-Huxi do-Uus, becaufe they are uied ftill long by pofition.
Tho this reafon be convincing enough; yet there is another reafon worthy to be mentioned in this place, which alfo illu- ftrates and confirms what I have faid be- fore : that the primitive v/ords of other languages ('excepting the Hebrew) are for the moft part Monofyllables. In all primitive words I diftinguifh between ra- dical and fervile letters : the radical part of the word generally both in Greek and Latin is efface in one fyllable, amo,db- ceo ; am and doc are the radical letters, o in the one and e o in the other being fer- viles s and fo changeable in the oblique
inflexion
inflexion of the words, therefore I think it were reafonable in dividing the word to diftinguifli between what is radical,and what is fervile.
Toft-Script.
Tho I make ro qiuftion, but Ihavefaidas much as may enable any perfon of ordinary capacity, with extraordinary diligence, to become if notaDidafca- lqcophus, at leaft a Hypodidafcalus to fome more ex- pert Mafter; yet my main defign being not fo much to make every Grammaticafter a Didafcalocopbus, as to fatisfy learned men, that Cophology is none, ei- ther of the tgyov&fiwd'Kiy, or Jbgyaimii j This has made me the shorter in the practical part. So that any pra- ctitioner in this Art, not more Mafter of it than my ttlf,muft be beholding to me for fome more particular directions. Wherefore if any Philocophus should challenge my felf,to make good the Title of my book: let him bring a Subject duciy qualified,male or female, Tthe younger the better ; and he shall find me ready to anfiver his challenge, either perfonally or by proxy. .
FINIS.