258 An Essay on the Signs of Ideas. 
stand, to sit, to walk, to fly, to sleep, to 
strike, to be struck, to hold, to be held. 
. There is a numerous class of words which 
have generally been considered as abstract 
terms, and which in fact stood for any idea, 
or no ideaat all, atthe option of the speaker 
or hearer. Such are the words right, wrong, 
truth, just. Words of this kind were formerly 
said to stand for abstract ideas. What anab- — 
stract idea was, we were never informed; of 
course the words might stand for any thing 
or nothing without danger of detection. 
Mr. Tooke,* however, has most clearly 
shewn that these, and other words of the 
same kind, are merely, to use the common 
phraseology of grammar, past participles of 
certain verbs ; which verbs are truly abbrevi- 
ated, complex terms, expressing certain ac- 
tions. ‘Thus, right is from rectum, the past 
participle of rego, to rule; therefore every 
thing ruled or laid down by the proper autho- 
rity is right. Wrong is from wring, to twist, 
that is, to turn from the right. Truth is that 
which is trowed or believed. Just, is that 
which is commanded, (from jubeo, jussi, jus- 
sum ;) but then it must always be understood 
that the authority which commands, is of the 
* Enea wlecoevla. Vol. 2. 
