272 Ce. Ay Deli. 3: 
not change a language, it is very improbable that corre& 
orthography would alter, but rather ferve to fix it; and 
to fuppofe the contrary is abfurd. As to “ making all their 
old books ufele/s,” 1 anfwer, that the Doctor, though he 
reafons thus, could read Chaucer and other ancient poets 
with fufficient facility. All good authors whofe works 
are too voluminous or expenfive, or too abftracted for 
new editions, would ftill afford ample matter for the learn- 
ed and ingenious, and they would be read, with as much 
eafe as the ancient Englith or French. If they were books 
of more general ufe, and worthy of new editions, they would 
no doubt be republifhed; if not, the rifing generation 
would be much benefited by their fuppreflion. Some of 
“ the advantages which a new orthography would pro- 
cure,’ fhall be enumerated. sft. Travellers and voya- 
gers [Page 265.] wouldbe enabled to give fuch perfect yo- 
cabularies of the languages they hear, that they would 
greatly facilitate all future intercourfe. a2dly. Foreigners 
would, with the affiftance of books alone, be able to learn 
the language in their clofets, when they could not have 
the benefit of mafters; and would be able to converfe 
through the medium of books, which at prefent are of no 
fervice whatever, in learning to fpeak a language; and if 
this were to be adopted by the AMERICANS, AND NOT 
BY THE EncuisH, the beft Englifh authors would be re- 
printed in America, and every ftranger to the language 
even in Europe, who thinks it of more confequence to 
fpeak the Englifh corre&tly, than to write it with the 
prefent 
grefsfo far astodeclare, that I faw.and heard more unpublifhed poems, of this kind, than have 
been printed by James Macpherfon, and John Clarke (Tranflator of the Caledonian Bards) 
and have heard alfo fome of the poems which thefe Gentlemen tranflated. ‘Though I wrote 
tolerably faft, I learnt by fome of my acquaintance, that the venerable old man could re- 
peat fuch a variety as to keep me writing half a year. I will not attribute the intelligible 
manner in which I repeated the poem, entirely to the orthography and characters made ule 
of ; formy memory, asI read it foon after, aided me much, and I had not then made the 
fubject of this treatife my ftudy : but at prefent there is no language, that I can pronounce, 
which I cannot write intelligibly, and this may be learnt by any one ina very fhort time, 
