Volume 1

A dictionary of the English language: in which the words are deduced from their originals, and illustrated in their different significations by examples from the best writers. To which are prefixed, a history of the language, and an English grammar / by Samuel Johnson.

  • Johnson, Samuel, 1709-1784.
Date:
1755
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: A dictionary of the English language: in which the words are deduced from their originals, and illustrated in their different significations by examples from the best writers. To which are prefixed, a history of the language, and an English grammar / by Samuel Johnson. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    HISTORY OF THE E N G L I S H LANGUAGE. THOUGH the Britains or Weljh were the firft poffeffors of this ifiand, whofe names are re¬ corded, and are therefore in civil hiftory al¬ ways confidered as the predeceflors of the prefent inha¬ bitants ; yet the dedu&ion of the Englijh language, from the earlieft times of which we have any know¬ ledge to its prefent ftate, requires no mention of them : for we have fo few words, which can, with any proba¬ bility, be refered to Britijh roots, that we juftly regard the Saxons and Weljh, as nations totally diftind. It has been conjectured, that when the Saxons feized this country, they buffered the Britains to live among them in a ftate of vaffalage, employed in the culture of the ground, and other laborious and ignoble fervices. But it is fcarcely poffible, that a nation, however depreffed, fliould have been mixed in confiderable numbers with the Saxons without fome communication of their tongue, and therefore it may, with great reafon, be imagined, that thole, who were not fheltered in the mountains. perifhed by the fword. The whole fabrick and fcheme of the Englijh lan¬ guage is Gothick or 7”eutonick: it is a dialed of that tongue, which prevails over all the northern countries of Europe, except thofe where the Sclavonian is fpoken. Of thefe languages Dr. Hickes has thus exhibited the genealogy. GOTHICK, r A Anglo-Saxon, Dutch, Frifick, Englifh. Francick, German. ClMBRICK* Iflandick, Norwegian, Swedifh. Danifh. Of the Gothick, the only monument remaining is a copy of the golpels fomewhat mutilated, which, from the filver with which the characters are adorned, is called the filver hook. It is now preferved at Upjal, and has been twice published. Whether the diCtion of this venerable manufcript be purely Gothick, has been doubted ; it feems however to exhibit the moft ancient dialed now to be found of the Teutonick race, and the Saxon, which is the original of the prefent Englifh, was either derived from it, or both defcended from fome common parent. What was the form of the Saxon language, when, about the year 450, they firft entred Britain, cannot now be known. They leem to have been a people without learning, and very probably without an alpha¬ bet; their fpeech therefore, having been always curfory and extemporaneous, mult have been artlefs and uncon¬ nected, without any modes of tranfkion or involution of claufes •, which abruptnefs and inconnedion may be ob- ferved even in their later writings. This barbarity may be fiippofed to have continued during their wars With the Britains, which for a time left them no leifure for fofter ftudies ; nor is there any reafon for fuppofing it abated, till the year 570, when Augujtine came from Rome to convert them to Chriftianity. The Chriftian religion always implies or produces a certain degree of civility and learning ; they then became by degrees ac¬ quainted with the Roman language, and fo gained, from time to time, fome knowledge and elegance, till in three centuries they had formed a language capable of ex- preffing all the fentiments of a civilifed people, as appears by king Alfred's paraphrafe or imitation of Boethius, and his fnort preface, which I have feleCted as the firft fpecimen of ancient Englijh. CAP. I. N barpe tibe pe Goran op 8ibbfiu msegpe pip Romana pice gepin upahopon. q mip heopa cynmgum. Rastigota ant) Ballepica prepon hatne. Romane bupij abpaecon. ant) call Iralia pice p ip betpux J)am munrum q Sicilia Sam ealont)e in anpalt) gepehton. q pa. icgtep pam popepppecenan cyningum i)eot)pic peng to pam llcan pice pe Beobpic ptep Amulinga. he pasp Gpipten. peah he on pam Ap- pianipcan gebpolan buphpunobe. £)e gehet Romanum hip ppeonbpcipe. ppa p hi moptan heopa ealbpihta pypbe beon. Ac he pa gehat ppibe ypele jelsepte* q ppibe ppape geenbobe mit) manegum mane, p -pxy to eacan oppum unapimebum yplum. p he Iohannep pone papan her opplean. Da pa:p pum conpuh p pe hepetoha hatap. Boenup prep haten. pe pa:p in boc-* cpaiptum *3 on popult) peapum pe pihtpipepta. Se ba onjeat pa mamjpealban ypel pe pe cymng Beobpic pip pam Lpiptenanbome q pip pam Romanipcum pitum bybe. he pa jemuntie bapa epneppa q papa ealbpihta be hi unbep bam Eapepum htepbon heopa ealt)hlapopt)um. Da onjan hepmeagan q leopnijan on him pelpum hu he p pice bam unpihipipan cyninje apeppan mihte. q on pyht geleappulpa ant) on piht- pippa anpalt) gebpingan. 8ent)e pa bigellice aspenb- jeppitu to pam Lapepe to Eonptantinopolim. ptep ip Lpeca heah bupg q heopa cyneptol. pop pam pe Gapepe ptep heopa ealbhlapopb cynnep. basbon hine pier he him to heopa Epiptenbome q to heopa ealbpihtum gepultumebe. Da p ongeat pe pjeih- peopa cyning Deobpic. ba het he hine gebpin gan on capcepne q p«p inne belucan. Da hit ba jeiomp p pe appypba paip on ppa miceipe neapaneppe becom. pa paip he ppa micle ppibop on hip ODobe jebpepeb. ppa hip ODot) asp ppibop to pam popult) pteipum unjepot) piup. q he ba nanpe ppoppe be innan pam capcepne ne jemuntie, ac he jepeoil mpol op tune on pa piop. q hine aptpehte ppipe unpot. anbopmub hine pelpne on^an pepan q pup pingenbe epayp. CAP.