GREENE'S OBSERVATIONS ON THE DRAMA. 
Twelfth Night, p. 189. . Rather consequen- 
tious. Godly, adverbially, for godlily. » Of- 
ry. ; 
«© Ungodly, adverbially: * vainly, detest- 
ably, and wuagodly employed.” Appendix to 
Mr. Pennant’s Journey from Chester to 
London, 1778, 4to. No. III. in the resig- 
nation ¢f the priory and convent af St. An- 
drew's, Northampton *. 
© Married. the married fer—-she mar- 
ried him.—Rev. Mr. A. married them, Il 
maria avec. 
-* Gentleman-like. ‘ He treated me in 9 
gentleman-like manner.’ It should rather 
be * Gentlemanly;’ otherwise it is a reflec- 
tion, as if his gentlemanship was affected, or 
mine was doubtful. ‘ He treated me like a 
gentleman,’ operates both ways. I have 
heard it pronounced gentlemany, without the 
second I. 
«€ Dr. Robertson writes Lrieves, vol, ii, p. 
133. So lLeeves, without a singulgr, The 
printers say prooves.” 
P. 310. This author enters upon rules 
for coining new words. Some of these 
rules are most ignorantly laid down. 
Soin page 311 he says, that dinnerism 
and supperism could be used; but_ not 
teatsm and coffeeism, Yes; if each of 
these meals were to become a subject of 
theoretical discussion, and were to divide 
the eating and drinking world into sects 
_ of opinion ; if one half of the epicurean 
clients of fashion were enthusiasts for 
One meal, or one refreshment, and the 
her half for the others: then we might 
talk of dinnerists and coffeeists conspir- 
ing to gallicize the manners of the Bri- 
tish ; and of teaists and supperists, who 
ersevere in the rustic greediness of swale 
Owing two cookings in a day. 
We are told’ again (p. 312) that mi- 
seraljfity is as regular a word as irritability. 
We use the verb 0 irritate; we therefore 
know that irritable means able to be ir- 
ritated, and irrjtability the capability of 
being uritated,. We do not use the verb 
29 miserate; we do not know that the ad- 
jective miserable means able to be com- 
miserated, for we use it in a different 
sense, as if it meant miserly: we are con- 
panenly not tempted to form misera- 
m use, the verbal adjective commiserable 
being therefore intelligible, we should 
ility. Butthe verb to commiserate being | 
635. 
not be offended at the coinage of com- 
miserability, but should instantly under- 
stand it. 
We are told that scoundrality is as re- 
gular a word as scurrility. No, Scoundrel 
not being a Latin word, will not so 
easily coalesce with the formative sylp 
lables of Latin origin, as scurril, which 
is a Latin word; nor can scoundrel, a 
substantive, be joined to the termination 
ity, without the intervening cojnage of 
the appropriate adjective. 
‘We are told (p. 313) that starvation, 
botheration, routation, and talkation, are as 
defensible as scandalization. No such 
thing. From verbs of southern origin, 
whose infinitives terminate in are, it is 
regular to form substantives in ation: 
create, creation ; civilize, civilization; scan- 
dalize, scandalization; salute, salutation; 
commiserate, commiseration. From gothic 
rootsno such substantives can be formed: ° 
starvation, however popular, is a bar 
barism; the other words have never been 
pronounced but by the miss Slipslops of 
modern affectation, 
We are told (p. 322) that the word 
hospitality should rather be hospitability. 
Just the reverse. Verbs, which can have 
no passive voice, can form no adjec- 
tives passive; but adjectives in able- 
are adjectives passive. /ospitari is a 
verb of this kind: were we in translat- 
ing Pliny to say, The chesnut-tree, when . 
transplanted, will not Aospitate, the, verb 
would be neuter, and therefore,.ought 
not to form an adjective .in able...¥rom 
_the Latin Aospitalis we’ ought to-have 
formed the adjective: botpital,’ the’ sub- 
stantive hospitality ; but hospitium should 
have been rendered hospice not. hospital ; 
the awkward cacophony has occasioned 
the impurity. Instead of the intolerable 
_ word hespice, another word hospitary, 07 » 
hospitory, might have been hazarded. 
On the whole, these anedotes of our 
language may indeed serve to be the 
cause of grammar in others, but have | 
very feeble claims themselves to the me- 
rit of being compiled by an ssi 
grammarian, or commented by ana 
philologer.. ; 
le 
ene, 
Axr. Ill. Observations on the Drama, with a View to its more beneficial Effects on the 
Morals and Manners of Societys In Three Parts, By Enwarv Greens, Corre- 
sponding Member of the Literary and Philosophical Society of Manchester. 8vo. pp. 60. 
WITHOUT conceding to the drama 
so powerful an influence on the morals 
_and manners of society, as Mr. Greene, 
in common with many others, attributes _ 
* « Of all their ungodly deeds which they kaye ungodly committed, Jude ver. 15.” 
