7 2 Air. Br and' J Obfeivations on the Latin 'Terms 



Secondly, What I have to fay about derivatives not ufed in 

 Latin writers, will be contained in a Ihort comment on a paffage in 

 the Academic Queftions of Cicero, where he aHerts the rights and 

 privilcoes of thofe who treat on philofophical fubjefts in a language 

 not yet enriched with proper terms, and exemplifies his principles 

 in the formation of a new derivative, an authority from which I 

 apprehend no appeal will be made. The tranflation of this paffage 

 is as follows. The original is placed at the end of this article *. 



Viuro. ' You will allow me the fame liberty which has always 

 ' been affumed by the Greeks, who have long purfued thefe re- 



* fearches; that lo iinufual fubjedls I may apply terms which never have 

 ' hen In ufe. 



Atticus. ' Certainly: but if our Latin language will not fur- 



* niili them, you may ijave recourje to the Greek 



Varro. ' I am obliged to you ; but I will endeavour to exprefs 

 « myfelf in Latin, confining myfelf to fuch terms of Greek deriva- 



* tion as are already naturalized among us, as philofophy, rhetoric, 

 ' phyfics, diale£fics. I have therefore formed the new term ^alitas, 



* to exprefs the fenfe of the Greek word rioioTws ; which even among 



* them is not a word of common ufe, but confined to the philofo- 

 ' phers. In like manner, none of the terms of the logicians are 



* found in the popular language ; and the fame is true of the terms 

 « of almoft all the arts: to new things new names mujl be given, or 

 ' thofe of others transferred to them. If the Gieeks take this liberty, 

 ' who have cultivated the fciences for ages, how much flronger is the 

 ' reafon it pould be granted to us, in our firfl attempt to treat upon them ! 



Cicero. ' It feems to me, that you will do a woik of utility to the 

 ' public, if you not only increafe the flock of our ideas, which you have al- 

 •* ready done, but alfo that of our words. 



Varro, 



