ave endeavour'd to
endear our selves to the _French_, and make 'em forgive us for beating
them so, nothing certainly will oblige 'em more than our affecting to
imitate them in our Political Style. Of this Nature is that Novelty the
Reverend Author has introduc'd into our Language, where the Term _Prime
Minister_ has no more a Place than _Will and Pleasure_. Pray who among
the many Ministers Her Majesty is so happily serv'd by, does she Honour
with that Name, and how comes it that _Prime_ does not go with
Precedence? What Law of ours Impowers any body to order our Language to
be _Inspected_, and who is there that wou'd think himself oblig'd to
obey him in it? Is there no difference between the Ministers of a
Despotick Monarchy, and the Servants of a limited one, who have no Rule
but the Law, and are as accountable to it as the vilest of their
Flatterers. We see how our Tongue would be improv'd and enlarg'd, had
the Doctor and his Brethren the ordering of it. He has already impos'd
on us the Court Style of _France_, and their Politicks wou'd soon come
after it. He pastes a particular Compliment on our Tongue and his
Patron, that they have not Merit enough to subsist a Hundred Years
without mending. As bad as our _English_ is, I'll engage it will subsist
in the History of another great Man of this Nation, as long as the Names
of _Edward_ the III. or _Henry_ V. shall be remembred in _Britain_.
There being some Characters so illustrious that without the Ornaments of
Stile or the Beauties of Wit, they Shine in their Native Dress, and make
every thing look Glorious about them. Others there are which require all
the Advantages of Language and Invention, and darken every Thing that
comes near them. The best of it is, the Contempt with which he treats
the _English_ Tongue, is not like to do it any harm, for whatever
becomes of any ones History a Hundred Years hence, the Doctor's will
certainly be of much shorter Date, unless his Censurers should preserve
the Memory of him, or he thinks fit to own at last some other of his
Productions, when 'tis probable Fortune has done her best or her worst
for him.

I have several very good Reasons why, if I were to be of this Academy,
I would banish the word Dozen out of our Dictionary, and the Doctor has
no doubt his to be fond of it, and fixing it there for ever. The
_French_ King says _he has given about half a dozen Pensions to Learned
Men in several Parts of +Europe+, and perhaps a dozen