ADVERTISEMENT. 847. 



Many of our friends have lamented the want of a mark or accent 

 to determine the pronunciation of botanic names ; and have thought 

 this would be a work highly acceptable to thofe, who are no critics 

 in the learned languages. We were long in doubt whether it would 

 be preferable to put a curved or a ftraight line over the penult fylUb e 

 of the words of dubious quantity; or to put an accent over the fyl- 

 lable, which is longer dwelt upon, or fpoke with more energy, in 

 common pronunciation ; the latter we have prefer d, as being more 

 intelligible to an englifh reader. 



The learned reader will be well aware of the difficulty of this talk ; 

 we have executed it however to the belt of our abilities taking for 

 our guides the Indices catholici of Father -L^bbe, with the additions 

 of Leedes; the Profodia pharmaceutica of Dr . R. Brown ; the Pro- 

 fodia of Smetius; MorelFs thctaurus ; the dictionary of Mr. A.nf- 

 worth • and the Gradus ad PanaiTum ; with whatever we could obtain 

 from the greek and latin poets j from the ulual rules of grammar ; from 

 derivation ; and from analogy. 



It mult at the fame time be obferved that fome botanic names have 

 by fo general confent gain'd a modern pronunciation different from the 

 original one; that it may in thefe inftances be more intelligible to 

 perTift in the error, than to endeavour to correct it. Thus anemone 

 is univerfally in England pronounced with the penult fyllable fhort, 

 yet it terminates an hexameter verfe in the adonis of Bion, and in 

 Ovid, and is written with an omega by Diofcondes. The penult of 

 Cotylddon is by miftake written with an ephlonby Lmneus himfelf 111 

 the Philofophia botanica, yet it is fpelt with an eta both by Diofco- 

 rides and Nicander. Add to thefe Cyanus and Phillyrea, the penults 

 of which are originally fhort; and Hypericum, Refeda and Connim 

 the penults of which are originally long : with many others, which 

 are generally falfely pronounced ; but which however we have fo ac- 

 cented, as to afcertain their original pronunciation; and thence leav- 

 ing it to the option of the reader to ufe the modern or the antient 

 quantity ■ obferving that there are fome inftances in our common 

 lano-uaee of words, which by cuftom differ in the quantity of their 

 penults from the words to which they owe their derivation, as orator 

 and Theatre are in the latin Orator and Theatrum. 



We had other difficulties to encounter from the uncertainty of fome 

 derivations, as the Plant Thalia, if derived from the M ufe of that 

 name, would be pronounced Thalia ; but as Linneus aicnbes it to 

 Thales the philofopher, we have mark'd it Thalia ; fo the penult or 

 Veronica is marked long by Father Labbe, and fhort by Dr. Brown, 



owing 



