556 



Contributions to English Si/nenymi/. 



[Jan.l, 



rude cxpreflTion is read as an innocent 

 one. 



The latin verb amhigere, to doubt, is 

 derived by yMnfwortb from aw, about, 

 and u'gere,todnif; the primitive niean- 

 ili;; of umhiiiHOus therefore is driltlefs; 

 going this way, ftoing ihat \vay, for want of 

 knowing the right dnctlion ; or, as we lu y 

 in Engliih, at a lofs. Of the two inilanccs 

 jufi. given of equivocal expreffion, the firli, 

 the Uiiintentioual equivoque, may with 

 propriety be called ambiguous ; but where 

 the equivoque is intentional, the metaphor 

 implied in ambiguity feems inapplicable. 



Ambiguity, if it excludes the idea of 

 purpofe and deiign, mull always defcribe 

 a vice of dittion: it is a learned word for 

 ^vhat the Englifh call holhering, which is 

 derived from hoth, and is applied to 

 phrafeology, ' that j)altcrs with us in a 

 double fenfe,' that may be taken both 

 ways. 



' Equivocation has two fcnfes ; the 

 one natural, in which we would have 

 what wc liiy undeifto(jd, and in wiiich 

 the hearer docs abfolutely underlland us; 

 the other perverted, underliood only by 

 the pcrfon fpeaking. Ambiguity has 

 one general fenfe, fufccptible of ditferent 

 interpretations; it always creates a dif- 

 ficulty in getting at the true I'enfc of the 

 author, and fometiines an impollibility.' 

 > — Trujler, 



' An honell man will never employ an 

 equivocal oxprellion ; a confufed man 

 may (jftcn utter ambiguous ones, without 

 any jlclicn.' — Blair. 



In tiiel'e foregoing paflages, Trufler and 

 Blair have cxprelfcd thcnifelves conform- 

 ably with the definitions inferred from 

 etymology : but when Trailer goes on to 



•-We make ufe of an equivocation to 

 deceive; of an ambiguity to keep in the 

 dark:' — and Blair, 



' An ambiguous expreflion, when it 

 is ufcd vvitl) defigii, is with an intention 

 not to give full information :' they rather 

 fupply examples than definitions. 



The word ' equi\ ocal' has been vitioufly 

 applied by men of fcicnce :is an epithet 

 to generation : they call that ' equivocal 

 generation' where the parentage is fup- 

 poled to be heterogeneous. 



Char. BiMna. 



We fee an objctt clearly, whenever it 



is futficicntly illuminated to enable us to 



form a genera! idea of its figure ; but 



we fee it not diftnitlly until we can re- 



cognize its parts. Clarare is to grow 

 bright, dijlinguere is to ilBparate by tlie 

 touch ; tiie one diffipatos obfcurity, the 

 other confufion. 



Old men oftener fee clearly, than dif- 

 tinctly. Short-lighted perfons lee con- 

 tiguous objects diltini-tly, dillant objects 

 clearly. Strong light favours clear vilion. 

 A faint one-fide" light favours dillinct 

 vilion. 



To Barter. To Chnffcr. To Exchange. 

 To Trudk. 



The French words bnrot and haraterie 

 are terms of maritime law, and defcribe 

 that injury which commodities fuffer in a 

 voyage, not from the peril of the fea hut 

 from the negligence of the (hip-captain, 

 " Tlie infurcr (fays the Erench Ordon- 

 nance of 1681,) ihall not be bable to 

 pay for damage accruing by the careleff- 

 nefs of the mate or captain ; unlefs, in 

 the policy, fuiety be exprefsly given 

 againll haraterie dc patron." From the 

 Fjencii verb haratler, to dedu6t, or to 

 abate for baratry, comes the Engliih to 

 barter. Barter, tlicreforc, ought to mean 

 nearly the fame as tare. Merchants 

 often ciiarge commodities by the grofs 

 weight ; they then deduct, under the 

 name lure, a i)erccntage, or allowance, 

 on fo much of the commodity as is fup- 

 pofed to be injured by the package, or 

 journey ; and charge only the neui weight, 

 or uninjured ))ortion, at the full price. 

 So again, in the potteries, an allowance 

 is often made for breakage, which is 

 deducted from the envoice, whether the 

 wares arii\c broken or entiic. 



Barter, inl'tcad of meaning an allow- 

 ance made on the price of merchandize 

 for fuppofod injury at fea, now means 

 the interchange of commodities for com- 

 modities: it is corruptly become iden- 

 tical vvith truck. 



' He who corrupteth Fnglifli with fo- 

 reign words is as wife as ladies, who 

 change [ilnte for china; for which the 

 laudable trallic of old clothei is much 

 the faired barter.' — Felton. 



To chaffer is a frequentative verb 

 foi ined from the obfolcte verb to chop, ro 

 purchafe, to buy. Chap and chupinart 

 are collateral with .th? German luiuffeit, 

 and kiii/ffman : but neither of thcfe vvoids, 

 though common, arc recorded in ,Iohn- 

 fon's dictionary. To cliaffer docs not 

 however fignify, as in flrictuefs it ought, 

 to purchafe frequently, but to purchafe 

 at iVequeut attc-mpta, to lii'iigl'.^ 



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