MISS FOX'S DIARY AT HOLLAND HOUSE 25 



was, sporting his falsehoods, too, occasionally 

 when they were quite unnecessary.' 



'1825 (no month).— Mr. Plunkett, Lord 

 Stowell, Mr. Grenville, Mr. Kogers, Mr. Luttrell, 

 Lord and Lady G. Morpeth, dined with us in Old 

 Burlington Street. The derivation of words men- 

 tioned. Papa said it was useful to have a know- 

 ledge of Anglo-Saxon, in order to trace the origin 

 of many words in our language. Mr. Plunkett said 

 flimsy was obviously from film , conveying the idea 

 of lightness and transparency, yet Johnson had 

 given it up in despair. Mr. Eogers agreed to its 

 being a good guess or conjecture, without its 

 appearing to him very probable. Dr. Johnson's 

 Dictionary, he added, was wonderful, for defini- 

 tion and example ; derivation was the weakest 

 part of it, and carelessly done. All ancient tragic 

 and comic writers called to this day Tragedians 

 and Comedians, terms never applied to those of 

 modern times. Someone said Sheridan would 

 not have liked being called a Comedian. Allitera- 

 tion in poetry discussed. Gray full of it, but 

 concealing it, papa said, much less than Pope, 

 who contrived to bring it in almost without the 

 reader's perceiving it, by making, as Mr. Plunkett 



