THE SECOND BOOK 305 



signifying, that it consisted in the cutting off and keeping 

 low of the nobility and grandes. Ad placitum are the 

 Characters Real before mentioned, and Words : although 

 some have been willing by curious inquiry, or rather by 

 apt feigning, to have derived imposition of names from 

 reason and intendment ; a speculation elegant, and, by 

 reason it searcheth into antiquity, reverent ; but sparingly 

 mixed with truth, and of small fruit. This portion of 

 knowledge, touching the Notes of Things and DcNotis 

 cogitations in general, I find not enquired, but Rerum - 

 deficient. And although it may seem of no great use, 

 considering that words and writings by letters do far excel 

 all the other ways ; yet because this part concerneth as it 

 were the mint of knowledge, (for words are the tokens 

 current and accepted for conceits, as moneys are for values, 

 and that it is fit men be not ignorant that moneys may be 

 of another kind than gold and silver,) I thought good to 

 propound it to better enquiry. 



Concerning Speech and Words, the consideration of 

 them hath produced the science of Grammar : for man 

 still striveth to reintegrate himself in those benedictions, 

 from which by his fault he hath been deprived ; and as he 

 hath striven against the first general curse by the invention 

 of all other arts, so hath he sought to come forth of the 

 second general curse (which was the confusion of tongues) 

 by the art of Grammar : whereof the use in a mother 

 tongue is small ; in a foreign tongue more ; but most in 

 such foreign tongues as have ceased to be vulgar tongues, 

 and are turned only to learned tongues. The duty of it 

 is of two natures ; the one popular, which is for the speedy 

 and perfect attaining languages, as well for intercourse of 

 speech as for understanding of authors ; the other philo- 

 sophical, examining the power and nature of words as they 

 are the footsteps and prints of reason : which kind of 

 analogy between words and reason is handled sparsim^ 

 brokenly, though not entirely; and therefore I cannot 

 report it deficient, though I think it very worthy to be 

 reduced into a science by itself. 



Unto Grammar also belongeth, as an appendix, the con- 



