F.R. volvo, I roll votum, a vow Dictate to, dico, I say famine), for (another) from (a person or thing in fero, 7 bear some quality), Different from, fero, I bear Difficulty in, facilis, easy minutus, small tained), in (a thing obtained), S probus, good coeur, heart gage, a pledge gustus, taste missus, sent dispenser, to set free Dispose of, to, for, positus, placed Dispossess of, possideo, I possess Dispute with, puto, I think: Study carefully, and parse carefully the following admirable remarks by a great master. Having done so, write, as well as you can, on the same subject; and having corrected, preserve whats yon write. You may now, if you have followed my advice, and kept your compositions, compare your earlier attempts with the essay you produce on the love of knowledge. The comparison can hardly fail to give you both instruction and encouragement. THE LOVE OF KNOWLEDGE, But while I am descanting 80 minutely upon the conduct of the understanding, and the best modes of acquiring knowledge, some men may be disposed to ask, “Why conduct my understanding with such endless care ?--and what is the use of so much knowledge?” What is the use of so much knowledge?-what is the use of so much life? What are we to do with the seventy years o existence allotted to us ?-and how are we to live them out to the last? I solemnly declare that, but for the love of knowledge, I should consider the life of the meanest hedger and ditcher, as preferable to that of the greatest and richest man here present. for the fire of our minds is like the fire which the Persians burn in the mountains,-it flames night and day, and is immortal and not to be quenched! Upon something it must act and seed,-upon the pure spirit of knowledge, or upon the foul dregs of polluting passions. Therefore, when I say, in conducting your understand ing, love knowledge with a great love, with a vehement love, with a love coeval with life; what do I say but love innocence-love yirtue-love purity of conduct-love that which, if you are rich and Perso great, will sanctify the blind fortune which has made you 80, and ke men call it justice,-love that which, if you are poor, will render your poverty respeciable, and make the proudest feel it unjust to laugh at the meanness of your fortunes,- love that which will comfort you, adorn you, and never quit you; which will open to you the kingdom of thought, and all the boundless regions of conception, as an asylum against the cruelty, the injustice, and the pain that may be your lot in the outer world, -that which will make your motives habitually great and honourable, and light up in an instant a thousand noble disdains at the very thought of meanness and fraud! Therefore, if any young man here have rked his life in the pursuit of knowledge, let him go on without doubting or fearing the event;-let him not be intimidated by the cheerless beginnings of knowledge, by the darkness from which she springs, by the difficulties which hover around her, by the wretched habitations in which she dwells, by the want and ow which sometimes journey in her train; but let him ever follow her as the angel that guards him, and as the genius of his life. Sue will bring him out at lart into the light of day, and exhibit him to the world comprehensive in acquirements, fertile in resources, rich in imagination, strong in reasoning, prudent and powerful above his fellows, in all the relations and in all the offices of life.-Sydney Smith. FRENCH STEMS. The words which the English owes to the Romance languages are very numerous. Of this number, by far the largest portion comes from the French. This portion is too large to be here enumerated, though a few specimens may be given. Before, however, I proceed to set down instances, let it be observed that I shall prefer those which retain some marked resemblance to their originals, or still appear in their native form. ENGLISH WORDS FROM THE FRENCH. Chevalier, a knight. Cavalry, horse-troops. Chart, a sea-map. Cartulary, a register; a monastic record. Barricade, a fence or temporary fortification. Barring-out, a boyish game. The following are a few separate instances—bottle; brilliant escape; engagement; flask; forage ; flank; guarantee; guard. garnish; grimace; hash; harangue; hardy; lodge; marquis alason ; packet; robe; wardrobe; saloon; supper; dinner ; (breakfast is Saxon); tirade; troubadour. The words which denote the various officers in civil government are mostly Norman French, as might be expected from the conquest of England by William the Norman : e. g., king and earl are Saxon, but prince, duke, marquis, baron, count, mayor, &c., are of French origin, at least 80 far as the English is concerned. The ignorance of older philologists may be exemplified in the derivation which they gave of parliament. Parliament is A word of French extraction, from the word parler, to speak; she ment, as the student now knows, is merely the terminational suffix. But the wisdom of our forefathers made ment into mind, and stated that the parliament was so called because men there freely spoke their mind! The history of this derivation is no better than the philology, for in the French parliament liberty of speech was not predominant. Another instance of philological ignorance is presented in these facts. Curmudgeon, which Bailey, in his “ Universal Etymological Dictionary” (1731), describes as meaning a covetous hunks, a pitiful, niggardly, close- fisted fellow, Dr. Johnson derived from the French cậur-mechant (bad-heart), appending the words Unknown Correspondent as the authority. Dr. Ash, taking the English appendage as the meaning of the French words, gives the etymology thus : curmudgeon froin caur unknown, and mechant correspondent !! French words hare been a medium by which Latin words have corne into the English, the extent of our obligation to both those languages can be known only when we have seen specimens of this transference. FRENCH WURDS AS A MEDIUM FROM THE LATIN TO THE ENGLISH. Latin. French. English. ala, a wing aile (of old aisle) aisle auctor, originator auteur author bonitas, goodness bonté bounty bos, an ox boeuf beef brevis, short brief brief califacere, to warm echauffer chafe canalis, a pipe chenal channel canna, a reed canne canc caput, the head chef chief carmen, a song, charme charm ; catena, a chain, cbaine chain computare, to reckon compter count cooperire, to cover couvrir cover cultellus, a knife coutelas cutlass diabolus, Satan diable devil dignari, to think worthy deigner deign ebur, ivory ivoire extraneous, outward etianger strange feretrum, a bier bier ferox, fierce biere feroce fierce ivory Latin. French. English. feodalité fidelitas, fidelity fealty feaulté gigas, a giant géant giants gubernari, to govern gouverner to govern gula, the throat goulet gullet ud incantare, to enchant enchanter enchant inimicitia, enmity inimité enmity und lectarium, a bed litière litter 3959 levare, to lift lever to lift is lex, a laro loi loyal macer, lean maigre meagre 135 magister, master maître master 305magnus, great magne main 5093 medietas, the middle moitie moiety 130 mirabile, wonderful merveille marvels nomen, a name, nom noun lodo numerus, a number nombre numbers nutrix, a nurse nourrice nurse oleum, oil huile oil 10 sis paganus, a villager paysan peasant panarium, a basket panier pannier passus, a step pas pace Brno pauper, needy pauvre poor peregrinus, a stranger pelerin pilgrim populus, the people peuple peoples prepositus, placed over prévost provost 3 presbyter, an elder prêtre priesties probare, to make good prouver provelds pullus, a chicken poulet poultry s puppis, the stern poupe poop ratio, renson raison reasons recipere, to receive recevoir receive dit regnare, to rule regner reign og rotundus, round rond round sapor, taste, saveur εαυoun: 10: supernus, supreme souverain sovereign tegula, a tile tuile tile in traditor, a traitor traitre traitor visus, sight i n vue view iso A careful survey of a French dictionary on the part of one who is skilled in derivation, would bring to light an extent of obligation owing by the English to the French language, of which ordinary students have no idea. I subjoin a few words by way of specimen, taken under several letters of the alphabet 17 3d ben gizo mbon 310 toidust FRENCH WORDS IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE.9251ox O French. Ploda) ador English. tasd Latin. ube adage to adage y adagium 1920 aigle 27 od eagle aquila 27 ailes i aisle ala amour 10 amour amor angle of Saran angle angulus antre (Shakspeare) antre antrum aro arc arcus Bei French, French. English. Latin. bâton batoon baculun baume balm balsăinum bile bile bilis bourg burgh purgos (Greek) boutique booth apotheke (Greek) bulle bull bulla cage cage caisse case capsa campagne champagne campánia cap cape caput coche coach cendre cinders cinis cerisa : cherry cerisus chaire chair chaloupe sloop charo chariot carrus: cheminée chimney camínus cle or clef clef clavis coin coigne cuncus comté county comitatus corps corpse corpus couple couple copula duel duel duellum empire empire imperium epouse spouse sponsa etain tin stannum fable fable fabula face face facies faim famine fames fardeau phortos (Greek) fibra fig ficus flåte flute foi faith fides front front frons fruit fruit fructus gai gay gaudium jay gingembre ginger zingiber kolpos (Greek) gustus Many French terms are employed in English either in their native form or slightly altered, and of these some eren in France arc of modern origin. We have dragoon from the name of the soldiers with whom Louis XIV. carried on the war, which received the name of his dragonades, against his French Protestant subjects in order to compel them to become Catholics. From the noun dragoon we have the verb to dragoon into. A roué, in slang language, a black-leg, is literally a wretch who deserves to be broken on the wheel-metaphorically one who has the same manners as the courtiers of the profligate Duke of Orleans, Regent of France, who is said to have given the name to his abandoned associates. Guillotine, a term which we derive from France, is the name of an instrument for decapitating political offenders ; it fibre geai gulf golle goût gout |