2n<« S. N« 83., Auo. 1. '57.] 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



B\ 



LONDON, SATURDAY, AUGUST 1, 1857. 



PBorosAxs roR a complete dictionary or the 



ENGLISH LANGUAGE. 



The subject of the following circular is one calculated 

 to interest so many of the readers of " N. &. Q." — one 

 which so many may be able and willing to 'promote — 

 that we think it due to all parties to print it entire. 

 PHILOLOGICAL SOCIETY 



(at the royal astronomical SOCIETY, SOMERSET 

 HOUSE, LONDON). 



July, 1857. 

 Dear Sir, 

 We ask your serious consideration of the following Pro- 

 posal, and invite your cooperation in carrj'ing it into 

 effect. 



We have the honour to be. 



Your very obedient Servants, 



R. Chenevix Trench, 

 f. j. furnivall. 

 Herbert Coleridge. 

 To ... . 



Proposal. 

 At a recent Meeting of the Philological Society, a dis- 

 cussion took place with reference to the present state of 

 English Lexicography, in the course of which several ob- 

 servations were made upon the deficiencies of the two 

 standard Dictionaries of Johnson and Richardson, both as 

 vocabularies of the language and as philological guides. 

 It was admitted, that neither of these works had any 

 claims to be considered as a LexiconMotius Anglicitatis, 

 and it was suggested by some of the Members present, 

 that the collection of materials towards the completion of 

 this truly national work would be an object well worthy 

 of the energies of the Society, and, if undertaken by 

 several persons, acting in concert on a fixed and uniform 

 system, could hardly fail to produce most valuable results. 

 The proposal subsequently underwent discussion in 

 Council on the evening^ of the Society's last Meeting 

 previous to the long vacation, and it was then unani- 

 mously agreed that a Special Committee should be formed 

 for the purpose of collecting words and idioms hitherto 

 unregistered, to consist of three Members, who should 

 invite help in all promising quarters, should get together 

 such materials as they could during the vacation, and 

 should report to the Society upon the whole subject at 

 the first meeting after the long vacation, which will take 

 place on November the oth. The Members of Council 

 named to act upon such Committee were, the Very Rev. 

 the Dean of Westminster, F. J. Furnivall, Esq., and Her- 

 bert Coleridge, Esq., Secretary to the Committee. 



The Committee have accordingly met to consider the 

 matters proposed for their deliberation, and the con- 

 clusions at which they have arrived are embodied in the 

 following Resolutions : — 



1, That the proposed search for unregistered words and 

 idioms shall hei primarily directed to the less-read authors 

 of the 16th and 17th centuries, some of whom are, by way 

 of example and suggestion, enumerated in the last page 

 of these Proposals. Tlie older writers, such as Chaucer, 

 Robert of Gloucester, &c., and the still earlier or contem- 

 porary ballads and romances, have been already so far 

 dealt with in the works of Richardson, Wright, Halliwell, 

 not to mention other more special glossaries, as to leave 

 little probability that the labour of investigating their 

 peculiarities would be compensated by adequate results. 

 On the contrary, the vast number of genuine English 



words and phrases, scattered over such works as the 

 Translations of Philemon Holland, Henry More's Works, 

 Hacket's Life of Williams, &c., which have not hitherto 

 found their way into our Dictionaries, but which maj' be 

 collected with a little care and patience, would probably 

 pass the belief of most persons who have never been en- 

 gaged in the perusal of these old works, or have never 

 tested the incompleteness of our Dictionaries by their 

 aid. 



2. That when once an author, or any work of an author, 

 shall be admitted to the rank of a Dictionary authority, 

 all unregistered words, without exception, used by that 

 author, or in that work, ought to be registered in the 

 proposed collection. 



3. That in order to facilitate the proposed search, it will 

 be proper to invite — and the Committee hereby invite — 

 the cooperation, not only of Members of the Society, but 

 also of all other persons who may be able and willing to 

 devote some portion of time and trouble to the task. 



4. That all collectors be requested to adhere to certain 

 general rules and directions, which have been agreed to 

 by the Committee for the purpose of securing uniformity 

 in the results. These rules and directions will be found 

 below. 



With regard to the particular mode in which the col- 

 lections formed will ultimately be made public, it is ob- 

 viously impossible at present to speak with any certainty. 

 Much*wili of course depend upon the amount of encourage- 

 ment with which the present appeal may be attended. 

 The Committee are, however, empowered to state, that 

 the subject will receive the earnest attention of the Council, 

 as soon as the collections are sufficiently advanced to 

 furnish adequate data for arriving at a decision. 



It is also particularly requested that all persons who 

 may feel disposed to become collectors, will be kind 

 enough to signify their intention to the Secretary of the 

 Committee, and at the same time to mention the name or 

 title of the work or works they may select for investiga- 

 tion, so that two persons may not be engaged in tra- 

 versing the same ground. Also, that all collectors, who 

 may be in a position to do so, will forward to the Secretary 

 such contributions as they may have ready on or before 

 the First of November, in order that the Committee may 

 be able to report to the Society upon the probable result 

 as early as possible. 



All communications are to be addressed to the Secretary 

 of the Committee. Mr. Herbert Coleridge, at his residence. 

 No. 10. Chester Place, Regent's Park, London, N.W. 



Rules and Directions for Collectors, as agreed upon by the 



Committee. 

 I. That only such words be registered as fall under one of 

 the following classes : — 

 (a.) Words not to be found either in the latest edition of 



Todd's Johnson, or in Richardson. 

 (jS.) Words given in one or both of those Dictionaries, 

 but for which no authorities at all are there 

 cited. , 



(y.) Words given in one or both of those Dictionaries, 

 but for which only later authorities are there 

 cited. 

 («.) Words used in a different sense from those given in 



the Dictionaries mentioned. 

 ft.) Words now obsolete for which a later authority than 

 any given in Johnson or Richardson can be 

 cited. 

 (i.) Forms of a word which mark its still imperfect 

 naturalization (as for instance extasis and spec^' 

 trum instead of extasy and spectre, in Burton's 

 Anat. of Mel), where they have not hitherto 

 been noticed. 

 II. That all idiomatic phrases and constructiona wmch 



