on the Englifh Alphabet. 139. 
arts, the moft curious, and apparently the moft 
difficult of invention, is AtpHaseticaL WritTine.” 
Now a variety of Alphabetical Sounds, and a 
copioufnefs of apt words for the greateft number of 
ideas, may juftly entitle a language to the epithet, 
rich; but in order that it fhould be ftill more nearly 
allied to perfection, it ought not only to poffefs words 
and founds, but alfo an’ orthography ; neverthelefs, 
if the French language be excepted, I know of none 
which has lefs of orthography, than the Englith ; 
though it be as nervous and as abundantly fupplied 
with words of all kinds, as any of the modern 
languages, 
Every one knows, that orthography does not 
merely fignify fpelling, or putting letters and 
fyllables together, but the doing fo correctly; and 
howfoever capricioufly, or defectively a language 
may be ufed, as to its orthography, or the juft 
combination of its elementary characters, yet there 
can only be one uniform law to regulate it in this 
refpect : ‘* et potius ab incorrupto principio, ab natura 
** rerum, quam ab libidine hominum.”* 
In the Englifh language there is a ftrange confufion 
of vowels and confonants heaped together ; in many 
places redundantly : Diphthongs are not infrequently 
ufed for vowels; and both are fometimes compelled 
to ferve as confonants, or rather to rank amongft 
them by name, though indeed they are not in a 
Se lefs 
Ter, Varr, de Ling. Lat, lib, ix, 
