Now, for the Significance of WORDS, as every Indiuiduum is but one, so in our native English-Saxon Language, we find many of them suitably expressed by one Sillable: Those consisting of more are borrowed from other Nations; the Examples are infinite, and therefore I will omit them as sufficiently notorious.
Again, for expressing our Passions, our Interjections are very apt and forcible; as, finding ourselves somewhat agrieued, we crie, Ah! if more deeply, Oh! if we pity, Alas! when we bemoan, Alacke! neither of them so effeminate as the Italian Deh, or the French Helas: In detestation we say Phy ! (as if therewithall we should spit) in attention, Haa; in calling, Whowpe ; in hollowing, Wahalowe: all which (in my Ear) seem to be deriued from the very Natures of those severall Affections.
Grow from hence to the Composition of Words, and therein our Language hath a peculiar Grace, a like Significancie, and more short then the Greekes, for example, in Moldwarpe we express the Nature of the Animal; in Handkercher the thing and the use; in the word upright, that Virtue by a Metaphore; in Wisdome and Doomesday, so many Sentences as Words; and so of the rest: for I give only a Taste, that may direct others to a fuller Observation of what my sudden Memorie can represent unto me. It may pass also the Masters in this Significancie, that all the proper Names of our People do in a manner import somewhat, which from a peculiar Note at first of some of the Progenitors, in process of time inverted itself in a possession of the Posterity, even as wee see the like often befall to those whose Fathers bare some uncouth Christian Names. Yet for the most part we avoid the blemish given to the Romanes in like Cases, who distinguished their People by the Imperfections of their Bodies; from whence grew their Nasones, Labeones, Frontones, Dentones, and such like; however, Macrobius coloureth the same: Yea, so significant are our Words, that amongst them sundry single ones serve to express divers things; as by the word Bill is meant a Weapon, a Scrowle, and a Bird's beake; by Grave may be understood, sober, burial-place, and to carve; and so by Light, marke, match, file, sore, and pray, the Semblables.
Again, some SENTENCES, in the same words carrie a divers Sence, as till, desert Ground; some signifie one thing forward and another backward, as Feeler I was, noe Foe; which to return with it is, Of one saw I releef. Some signifie one thing forward and another thing backward, as this, Eye, did Madam erre; Some carrie a contrarie Sence backward to that they do forward, as I did level ere vew, Vew ere level did I.
Some deliver a contrarie Sence by the divers pointing, as the
Epistle in Dr. Wilsons Rhetorick, and many such like, which a curious
Head, Leisure, and Time might pick out.
Neither may I omit the Significancie of our Proverbs, concise in Words, but plentiful in Number, briefly pointing at many great Matters and under a Circle of a few Sillables prescribing sundrie available Caveats.
Lastly, our Speech doth not consist onely of Words, but in a sort even of Deeds; as when we express a Matter by Metaphores, wherein the English is verie fruitful and forcible.
And so much for the Significancie of our Language in meaning.
II. Now for his EASINESS in learning; the same also shooteth out into Branches, the one, of others learning our Language, the second, of our learning that of others. For the first, The most part of our Words, (as I have touched) are Monasillables, and so the fewer in Tale and the sooner reduced to Memorie. Nither are we loaded with those Declensions, Flexions, and Variations which are incident to many other Tongues, but a few Articles govern all our Verbs and Nownes, and so we read a verie short Grammar.
For easie learning of other Languages by ours, let these serve as Proofes; there are many Italian words which the Frenchmen cannot pronounce, accio, for which he saith ashio; many of the French which the Italian can hardly dispence withall; as Bailler, Chagrin, Postillon; many in ours which neither of them can utter, as Hedge, Water, &c. So that a Stranger, tho never so long conversant amongst us, carrieth evermore a Watch-word upon his Tongue, to descrie him by; but turn an Englishman at any time of his Age into what Country soever, allowing him due respite, and you shall see him profit so well, that the imitation of his Utterance will in nothing differ from the Pattern of that native Language. The want of which towardness cost the Ephramites their Skinns: Nither doth this cross my former Assertion of others easie learning our Language. For I mean of the Sense and Words, and not touching the Pronunciation.