ion, ar, the more acute noise, and k, the mute consonant,
intimates its being suddenly terminated; but adding l, is made the
frequentative sparkle. The same sp, by adding r, that is spr, implies a
more lively impetus of diffusing or expanding itself; to which adding
the termination ing, it becomes spring: its vigour spr imports; its
sharpness the termination ing; and lastly in acute and tremulous,
ending in the mute consonant g, denotes the sudden ending of any
motion, that it is meant in its primary signification, of a single, not
a complicated exilition. Hence we call spring whatever has an elastick
force; as also a fountain of water, and thence the origin of any thing:
and to spring, to germinate, and spring, one of the four seasons. From
the same spr and out, is formed sprout, and wit the termination ig,
sprig; of which the following, for the most part, is the difference:
sprout, of a grosser sound, imports a fatter or grosser bud; sprig, of
a slenderer sound, denotes a smaller shoot. In like manner, from str of
the verb strive, and out, comes strout, and strut. From the same str,
and the termination uggle, is made struggle; and this gl imports, but
without any great noise, by reason of the obscure sound of the vowel u.
In like manner, from throw and roll is made troll, and almost in the
same sense is trundle, from throw or thrust, and rundle. Thus graff or
grough is compounded of grave and rough; and trudge from tread or trot,
and drudge.

In these observations it is easy to discover great sagacity and great
extravagance, an ability to do much defeated by the desire of doing more
than enough. It may be remarked,

1. That Wallis's derivations are often so made, that by the same license
any language may be deduced from any other.

2. That he makes no distinction between words immediately derived by us
from the Latin, and those which being copied from other languages, can
therefore afford no example of the genius of the English language, or its
laws of derivation.

3. That he derives from the Latin, often with great harshness and violence,
words apparently Teutonick; and therefore, according to his own
declaration, probably older than the tongue to which he refers them.

4. That some of his derivations are apparently erroneous.

* * * * *

SYNTAX.

The established practice of grammarians requi