utter ignorance of the meaning of the word but (bot).

Yet, from the imperative of getan, "to get." Still, from stell or steall, the imperative of stellan, ponere, "to suppose.

Mr.

Horne Tooke observing that these words, like if and an*, are synonimous, accounts for their equivalence, by supposing them to be derived from verbs of the same import. His mode of derivation, however, appears at first hearing to be incorrect, the meaning of the Conjunctions having little or no affinity to that of the Verbs. Tooke himself does not seem perfectly satisfied with its truth. Both these Conjunctions are synonimous with " notwithstanding," "nevertheless," terms, the obvious meaning of which does not accord with Verbs denoting "to get," or "to suppose." I am inclined, however, to think, that Tooke's conjecture is founded in truth. If I say, "he was learned, yet modest," it may be expressed, "he was learned, notwithstanding this, or this being granted, even thus, or be it so

* An occurs frequently for if in the earliest English writers. Bacon frequently uses it in this sense. "Fortune is to be ho"noured and respected, an it be but for her daughters, Confi"dence and Reputation." "And certainly it is the nature of "extreme self-lovers, as they will set their house on fire, an it "were, but to roast their eggs." (Bacon's Essays, Civ. & Mor.) In the folio edition, printed in 1740, it is improperly spelled and. An for if is still retained in our address to royalty, An't please your Majesty: and in Scotland is in general use..

*(licet ita esset) he was modest;" where the general incompatibility between learning and modesty is conceived, not expressed, the expression denoting merely the combination of the qualities in the individual mentioned. Notwithstanding indirectly marks the repugnance, by signifying that the one quality did not prevent the co-existence of the other; yet or still, supposes the incompatibility to be sufficiently known. This derivation is rendered the more probable, as the word though (thof, grant) may be substituted to express the same idea, as though (grant) he "was learned, he was modest," which is equivalent to, "he was learned, yet (this granted) he was modest."

Hence many re

peat the concessive term, and say, though he "was "learned, yet he was modest."

Unless. There can be no doubt that this Exceptive Conjunction is properly onles, the imperative of the Verb onlesan, to dismiss; thus, you "cannot be saved, unless you believe;" i. e. "dis"miss your believing, and you cannot be saved,” or "you cannot be saved, your believing being dismissed."

Lest, is contracted for lesed, the Participle of the same Verb, onlesan or lesan, signifying "dis"missed;" as, "Young men should take care to "avoid bad company, lest their morals be cor"rupted, and their reputation ruined;" that is, "Young men should take care to avoid bad com

pany, lest (this being dismissed, or omitted) their morals be corrupted," &c.

That, is evidently in all cases an Adjective, or, as some consider it, a Demonstrative Pronoun; as, "They say, that the king is arrived;"-"They say that (thing)-the king is arrived."

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Whether, is an Adjective, denoting "which of "two" thus, "Whether he live or die;" that is, "Which of the two things, he live, or die."

As, is the same with es, a German article meaning it, that, or which.

So, is Sa or So, a Gothic article of the same import.

These few examples will serve to explain Mr. Tooke's theory on this subject; and I am persuaded, that, the further we investigate the etymology and real import of Conjunctions, the more probable it will appear, that they are all nouns or attributives, some belonging to kindred languages, and others compounds or abbreviations in our own. I am persuaded also, that, from a general review of this subject, it must be evident, that Adverbs, Prepositions, and Conjunctions, form no distinct species of words, and that they are all reducible to the class either of Nouns or Attributives, if their original character and real import be considered. But, as many of them are derived from obsolete words in our own language, or from words in kindred languages, the radical meanings of which are, therefore, either obscure, or generally

unknown; and as the syntactical use of several of them has undergone a change, it can be no impropriety, nay it is even convenient, to regard them not in their original character, but their present use. When the radical word still remains, the case is different. Thus except is by some considered as a Preposition; but as the verb to except is still in use, except may, and indeed should, be considered as the imperative of the verb. But in parsing, to say that the word unless is the imperative of the verb onlesan, to dismiss, that verb belonging to a different language, would serve only to perplex, and to confound. For this reason, though I perfectly concur with Mr. Tooke, as to the proper and original import of these words, I have distributed them under the customary heads of Prepositions, Adverbs, and Conjunctions.

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CHAP. X.

Of Interjections.

AN Interjection has been defined to be,

"that

part of speech, which denotes some affection or "emotion of the mind." It is clearly not a necessary part of speech; for, as Tooke observes, Interjections are not to be found in books of History, Philosophy or Religion: they occur in novels only, or dramatic compositions. Some of these are entirely instinctive and mechanical, as ha ha ha, sounds common to all men, when agitated with laughter. These physical emissions of sound have no more claim to be called Parts of Speech than the neighing of a horse, or the lowing of a cow. There are others, which seem arbitrary, and are expressive of some emotion, not simply by the articulation, but by the accompanying voice or gesture. Grief, for example, is expressed in English by the word ah! or oh!; in Latin by oi ei, and in Greek by Here the sounds are not instinctive, or purely mechanical, as in laughing; but the accompanying tone of voice, which is the same in all men, under the influence of the same emotion, indicates clearly the feeling or passion of

οι οι αι αι.