204 THE FISHES OP BRITAIN, 



Shall I say more in apology for " hard words" — or what can be 

 argued against me ? If my Csesars oppose me, let them find safety 

 in their accustomed obscurity, or, I fear me, their feeble pleadings., 

 like the shades which opposed the progress of Ulysses — " decensus 

 averni" — will be too filmy to strike, and too helpless to be hurt- 

 ful ; otherwise the evil will be perpetuated, and we shall soon be 

 reduced to mere affirmation and negation — the " affecting fanlastL 

 coes" and " pardoiniez moi's" of our contiguants — or, like the 

 Turks, make more use of our hands than our tongues, and sacrifice 

 our brains to a lower and more unworthy officer of the physical 

 commonweal. 



Considering how repeatedly we use comparison in writing, and 

 especially in conversation, to give variety and force to our thoughts 

 and descriptions, an aptitude for antithesis is very important, thus 

 opposing our words in their numerous shades; as familiarity with- 

 out coarseness, dignity without pride, sternness without cruelty, 

 cheerfulness without frivolity, decision without stubbornness, sub- 

 mission without servility, &c. By such contrasts our meaning is 

 essentially defined, and our thoughts strongly expressed. I know 

 of no book which would tend to improve our knowledge of lan- 

 guage so much as a lexicon of antinonyms, wherein every suscepti- 

 ble word should be contrasted with its opponent, and illustrated 

 with quotations from ancient and modern authors. By this means 

 we should acquire that facility in writing and speaking in which 

 the generality of persons, even well educated, are now so remarka- 

 bly deficient. 



Phillologos. 



THE FISHES (PISCES) OF BRITAIN, SYSTEMATI- 

 CALLY ARRANGED. 



Of the five classes into which vertebrated animals are divided, 

 the four first, namely, beasts or mammals (mammalia), birds 

 favesj, reptiles (reptilia), and amfibians* (amjibia), having 



* We do not ourselves countenance the changes, advocated by S. D. W., 

 of ph into f y y into i, and the like. We cannot, therefore, admit these de- 

 partures from all acknowledged authorities without enteriug our decided 

 protest against such useless alterations. — Eds. 



