[ 36 ] 



by attention to harmony of found, or diftindnefs of fignification t 

 inftances, to be afcribed merely to that wantonnefs of habit 

 which after quoting Congreve's declaration, that " he wrote the 

 " Old Batchelor to amufe himfelf in his recovery from a fit of 

 " ficknefs," thinks proper, a few lines after, to explain it in 

 Johnfon's words, by faying, " the Old Batchelor was written in 

 " the languor of convalefcence." It would feem that the aunt 

 of Bellaria *, w-ho gives the writings of the Rambler to her niece 

 for her perufal, and promifes to tell her the meaning of any word 

 {he fhould not underftand, has undertaken a tafk, which the 

 author himfelf fufpefls to be not unneceffary, and the reader has 

 reafon to apprehend fhe will fcarcely be able to accomplifh. 



JoHi\soN fays indeed, he has rarely admitted any word, not 

 authorized by former writers: but where are we to feek authorities 

 for " refufcitation, orbity, volant, fatuity, divaricate, afinine, 

 " narcotic, vulnerary, empireumatic, papilionaceous," and innu- 

 merable others of the fame ftamp, which abound in and difgrace 

 his pages? For " obtund, difruption, fenfory or panoply," all 

 occuring in the fhort compafs of a fingle effay in the Rambler? 

 Or for " cremation, horticulture, germination and decuffation," 

 within a few pages in his Life of Browne ? They may be found, 

 perhaps, in the works of former writers, but they make no part 

 of the Englifli language. They are the illegitimate offspring of 

 learning by vanity ; adopted indeed, but not naturalized, and 

 though ufed, yet not authorized : For if ufe can fufficiently 

 authorize, there is no defcription of improper words, which can 

 be condemned. Technical words may be defended from Dryden 

 and Milton, obfolete from Shakefpeare, vulgar from Swift and 

 Butler. Johnfon's fault lies in this, that he has made fuch fre- 

 quent 



* Rambler, No. 191. 



