1807.] 
Succefs is the mark which conduét has 
to hit: the prudent take a fafe and a 
right direction, but commonly underfhoot 
their aim; the rath fi ng fidewards, or fly 
beyond, they commonly over{hoot their 
aim; the wile choofe fitly, both their di- 
rection and their effort. ‘The prudent 
excel in collineation, the rafh tend to 
hyperbole; but every unforefeen contin- 
gency effectually difappoints the prudent, 
and iay bring the rafh to the precife 
goal. It is wifer to truft in the prudent 
than in the rath, if you value the means ; 
wiler to truft the raih than the prudent, 
if you value the end. 
Profufion. LExtravagance. 
He is profufe, who pours forth his 
whole fupply ; he is extravagant, who 
wanders from his right direction. 
The profufe man errs by the quantity, 
the extravagant man by the quality of his 
expenditure. He, who praifes exceffives 
ly, is profufe; he, who praifes inappro- 
priately, is extravagant, in_his flattery. 
The writer who fticks téo long to his to- 
pic, is profufe; he who quits it too often, 
as extravagant, 
“Prefuming. Prefumed. Prefumptuous. 
Prefumptive. 
He is prefuming, who éakes rank before 
it is allotted hin. That is prefumed, 
which is taken for granted before it is 
proved. To prefume, is to take before- 
hand. The prefumption of good fame is 
a motive for authorfhip. 
Participial adjectives bear to’ partici- 
ples the relation of habituality to actu- 
ality. Prefumptuous is habitually pre- 
fuming; prefumptive is habitually pre- 
fumed. 
‘ Prefumptuous prieft.’—Shak/peare. 
« Prefumptuous hope.’— Milton. 
In the technical language of lawyers, 
both French and Englifh, the prefump- 
tive heir is ufed for the heir-at-law; not 
as Johnfon and Trufler fay, in oppofition 
to the heir apparent: but this word, be- 
ing impurely tormed, is in both languages 
obfolefcent. 
Enough. Enow. Sufficient. 
Enough and enow are different fpell- 
ings of the fame adjective; but thefe 
orthographic variations have acquired an 
ufelefs qittinétion, Caprice has made 
enow into the plural of enough. ‘He 
has meat enough.’ *‘ He has had meats 
enow. FEnow being the more eupho- 
neus, fheuld yecome the only form of 
Contributions to English Synonymy. 
1o 
the word. ‘ Enow of reafons ;¥ why not 
alfo * enow of argument ?’ In other g0- 
thic dialects, to enow is the verb for to 
fatisty. Nog is ftrong beer; probably 
enough defcrihed originally the fatistace 
tion which precedes intoxication, The 
French ajfez, feated, alfa defcribes an 
after-dinner feeling. 
Sutficient is contracted from fatis fa- 
ciens ; and fatis means filled with food, 
not with liquor. It defcribes therefore a 
calmer comfort, mere contentment. He 
has fufficient, who has juft what he 
wants; he has enough, who has any 
thing lef than too much. The covetous 
man never has enough, although he has 
more than a futhciency. If my hoft is 
helping me to wine: ‘ that is futhcient,’ 
permits him to ftop; ‘ that is enough, 
forbids hun to proceed. 
Peace. Calm. Tranquillity. 
Peace, being derived from the fame 
root as pauje, means a ceflation of troue 
ble. From the Italian culare, to fink, to 
abate, comes the fubftantive calamento, 
declenfion, defcent, decay; and hence 
probably the verb “calmare to caufe to 
abate, and the fubftantive calma, calm. 
Tranquillity means {moothnefs, and does 
not, like peace and calm, imply previous 
perturbation, Peace is oppofed to war ; 
calm to ftorm; and tranquillity to agita~ 
tion. 
Whole. Entire. Complete. Finifhed. 
Whole derives from the fame root as 
to heal, and was at firft fynonymous with 
healthy: fo the German ganz comes 
from the fame root as gefund. Entire, 
in Latin integer, means covered in, and 
deferibes that fort of health which cone 
fits in a whole {kin. To he free from 
wounds, from fores, from mutilations, 
conftitutes the primary idea of whole- 
nefs, entirely, or mtegnty. Whole and 
entire are both oppofed to parted and to 
deficient; and in their metaphorical ap- 
plication are identical: but whole is 
fometimes ufed for healthy, whereas en< 
tire is not, 
‘They abode in the camp till they 
were whole.—Jo/hua. 
Complete means filled up, and finifhed 
means ended. The vintner completes, 
the toper tinifhes, a bottle. Of an apart- 
ment which has -all its furnicure, one 
may fay it is complete, or it is finifhed, 
A distionary may be completed by in- 
terpolations: it is finifhed at the lait 
page. 
* For 
