ADVANCEMENT OF LEARNING 167 



vored to set the modern languages to ancient measure ; as sap- 

 phic, elegiac, etc., which is both disagreeable to the ear, and 

 contrary to the structure of such languages. And in these 

 cases, the judgment of the sense is to be preferred to the pre- 

 cepts of art. As the poet says, 



" Coenae Fcrculae nostrae 



Mallem convivis quam placuisse cocis."* 



Nor is this an art, but the abuse of art, as it does not perfect nat- 

 ure, but corrupt her. As to poetry, both with regard to its 

 fable and its verse, it is like a luxuriant plant, sprouting not 

 from seed, but by the mere vigor of the soil ; whence it every- 

 where creeps up, and spreads itself so wide, that it were endless 

 to be solicitous about its defects. And as to the accents of 

 words, there is no necessity for taking notice of so trivial a 

 thing; only it may be proper to intimate, that these 

 are observed with great exactness, whilst the accents of sen- 

 tences are neglected ; though it is nearly common to all man- 

 kind to sink the voice at the end of a period, to raise it in inter- 

 rogation, and the like. And so much for that part of grammar 

 which regards speaking. 



Writing is practised either by means of the common alpha- 

 bet, now vulgarly received, or of a secret and private one, 

 agreed upon betwixt particular persons, and called by the name 

 of cipher. But here a question arises about the common 

 orthography ; viz., whether words should be wrote as they are 

 pronounced, or after the common manner? Certainly that re- 

 formed kind of writing, according to the pronunciation, is but 

 a useless speculation, because pronunciation itself is continually 

 changing, and the derivations of words, especially from the 

 foreign languages, are very obscure ; and lastly, as writing in 

 the received manner no way obstructs the manner of pronun- 

 ciation, but leaves it free, an innovation in it is to no purpose. 



There are several kinds of ciphers, as the simple, those 

 mixed with non-significants, those consisting of two kinds of 

 characters, wheel-ciphers, key-ciphers, word-ciphers, etc. 

 There are three properties required in ciphers ; viz., I. that they 

 be easy to write and read ; 2. that they be trusty and undeci- 

 pherable ; and 3. if possible, clear of suspicion. For if a letter 

 should come into the hands of such as have a power over the 

 writer or receiver, though the cipher itself be trusty and impos- 



