wonder to any one if the ancients
have thus disfigured many, especially as they so much affected
monosyllables; and, to make the sound the softer, took this liberty of
maiming, taking away, changing, transposing, and softening them.

But while we derive these from the Latin, I do not mean to say, that
many of them did not immediately come to us from the Saxon, Danish,
Dutch, and Teutonick languages, and other dialects; and some taken more
lately from the French or Italians, or Spaniards.

The same word, according to its different significations, often has a
different origin; as, to bear a burden, from fero; but to bear, whence
birth, born, bairn, comes from pario; and a bear, at least if it be of
Latin original, from fera. Thus perch, a fish, from perca; but perch, a
measure, from pertica, and likewise to perch. To spell is from syllaba;
but spell, an inchantment, by which it is believed that the boundaries
are so fixed in lands that none can pass them against the master's
will, from expello; and spell, a messenger, from epistola; whence
gospel, good-spell, or god-spell. Thus freese, or freeze, from
frigesco; but freeze, an architectonick word, from zophorus; but
freeze, for cloth, from Frisia, or perhaps from frigesco, as being more
fit than any other for keeping out the cold.

There are many words among us, even monosyllables, compounded of two or
more words, at least serving instead of compounds, and comprising the
signification of more words that one; as, from scrip and roll comes
scroll; from proud and dance, prance; from st of the verb stay or stand
and out, is made stout; from stout and hardy, sturdy; from sp of spit
or spew, and out, comes spout; from the same sp with the termination
in, is spin; and adding out, spin out: and from the same sp, with it,
is spit, which only differs from spout in that it is smaller, and with
less noise and force; but sputter is, because of the obscure u,
something between spit and spout: and by reason of adding r, it
intimates a frequent iteration and noise, but obscurely confused;
whereas spatter, on account of the sharper and clearer vowel a,
intimates a more distinct poise, in which it chiefly differs from
sputter. From the same sp and the termination ark, comes spark,
signifying a single emission of fire with a noise; namely sp, the
emiss