Sect. I] English Language. ^09 



Dr. Ash is an exception : consiclcringhis dictionaiy 

 as a collection of all kinds of words, scientific, 

 technical, obsolete, colloquial, decent, or other- 

 M'ise, it is doubtless the most complete extant; and 

 60 far as the mere number of words is an excel- 

 lence, his work must be pronounced much superior 

 to that of Johnson. It may fairly be questioned, 

 however, vvhetlier such an indiscriminate admis- 

 sion of words, as Dr. Ash lias thought proper to 

 adopts be not more injurious than useful. Tlic 

 dictionaries of Kenriek, Sheridan, Walker, with a 

 comparative view of their respective merits, were 

 before noticed. But as these were designed rather 

 to promote English Orthoepy than the general in- 

 terests of our language, the further consideration 

 of them will not be attempted in this place. 



It is worthy of remark, that the eighteentli 

 century has prothiced a great extension of the 

 knowledge and use of the English language. 

 Within the last forty or fifty years this language 

 lias been gradually becoming more known among 

 the learned of other countries, and its best models 

 of composition more studied. J\lr. Pope is said 

 to have lamented that his writings were not likely 

 to be much read, excepting by the inhabitants of 

 one small island. Plad he lived till the present 

 day he would have seen better prospects opening 

 to his literary ambition. To say nothing of ^the 

 immense continent of North America, where the 

 productions- of that great poet will probably long 

 be perused by many millions ; and to place also out 

 of the account the extensive foreign dependences 

 qf Great Britain, wh^re English literature is likel^^, 



