: 1 71) ^ • remarks m g ravmiar . 2 S i 



at any rate their meaning ought to be preserveo ; but 

 care fhould be taken to mark these words so as to be 

 known, and I know no -way in which the accurate 

 knowledge of provincial words could be acquired 

 but that which i- here recommended- 



Among the other advantages that would resi;lt 

 from this mode of composing a dictionary, it would 

 happen, that words which affected and conceited wri- 

 ters had invented through vanity, and a desire of 

 distinguiftiing themselves, would be allowed to fall 

 quickly into total oblivion, instead of being perpe- 

 tuated, as they would be if the' mere authority of 

 the writer fhould be deemed a sufficient proof 

 of their currency. There are, in every nation, to h& 

 found writers, who have acquired a temporary 

 v-ogue by affectation and blameabh singularities of 

 Janguage ; and as the selecting of authorities is a 

 mere mechanical labour, that must be intrusted 

 to inferior afsistants, these meaner geniuses could 

 not fail to admire the popular writer of the day, and 

 tlierefore would select with care all the flowers of his 

 oratory^ and store them up in their dictionary. Ju- 

 dicious men, who had made this branch of science a 

 study, would know, that such words and phrases had 

 not tlie authority of a general currency, and tliere- 

 jore they would be rejected. 



It is needlefs for me to add, that I do not ever ex- 

 pect to see such a plan serioualy adopted by a man, 

 or men, who are qualified to carry it into full effect ; 

 Uut I may recommend it as a useful exercise to such 

 of my readers as have a turn for things of this na- 

 ture, to give an accurate explanation of any single 



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