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is now how to dispose of the prisoners in case you should be necessitated to put them in at the Downs, in order to which my Lord Duke of Albemarle has furnished me with 400 foot and a troop of horse, to be commanded by me for guards if need require; and I am just going to put all things in order. His Grace concludes with me, that Dover Castle would be the most convenient place for their custody, but would by no means invade his Royal Highness's particular province there without his Highness's consent, and therefore advises me to write his Highness for positive commands to the Lieutenant. It is therefore my humble request that you will move him therein, it being of so great importance at this time, and not only for his Castle of Dover, but for the forts likewise near it; and that (besides my own guards) he would be pleased that a competent number of Land soldiers might be sent with them from on board, to prevent all accidents, till they come safe to me; for it was so likewise suggested by his Grace, who dismissed me with this expedient: "Mr. Evelyn," says he, "when we have filled all the gaols in the country with our prisoners, if they be not sufficient to contain them, as they sent our men to the East Indies last year, we will send them to the West this year by a just retaliation." Sir, I think fit to let you understand, that I have 3 days since obtained of the Council a Privy Seal, which I moved might be £20,000, in regard of the occasion; together with the use and disposal of the Savoy-Hospital (which I am now repairing and fitting up, having given order for 50 beds to be new made, and other utensils), all which was granted. I also obtained an Order of Council for power both to add to our servants, and to reward them as we should see cause. His Majesty has sent me 3 chests of linen, which he was pleased to tell me of himself before I knew they were gone; so mindful and obliging he is, that nothing may be wanting. Sir, I have no more to add but the addresses of my most humble duty to his Royal Highness, and my services to Mr. Coventry from, Sir, your, &c.

SIR,

John Evelyn to Sir Peter Wyche, Knt.1

This crude paper (which begs your pardon) 1 should not have presumed to transmit in this manner, but to obey your commands, and to save the imputation of being thought unwilling to labour, though it be but in gathering straw. My great infelicity is, that the meeting being on Tuesdays in the afternoon, I am in a kind of despair of ever gratifying mine inclinations, in a conversation which I so infinitely honour, and that would be so much to mine advantage; because the very hour interferes with an employment, with being of public concernment, I can in no way dispense with: I mention this to deplore mine own misfortune only, not as it can signify to any loss of yours; which cannot be sensible of so inconsiderable a member. I send you notwithstanding these indigested thoughts, and that attempt upon Cicero, which you enjoined me.

I conceive the reason both of additions to, and the corruption of the English language, as of most other tongues, has proceeded from the same causes; namely, from victories, plantations, frontiers, staples of commerce, pedantry of schools, affectation of travellers, translations, fancy and style of Court, vernility and mincing of citizens, pulpits, political remonstrances, theatres, shops, &c.

The parts affected with it we find to be the accent, analogy, direct interpretation, tropes, phrases, and the like.

1. I would therefore humbly propose, that there might first be compiled a Grammar for the precepts; which (as did the Romans, when Crates transferred the art to that city, followed by Diomedes, Priscianus, and others who undertook it) might only insist on the rules, the sole means to render it a learned and learnable tongue.

2. That with this a more certain Orthography were introduced, as by leaving out superfluous letters, &c. : such as o in woomen, people; u in honour; a in reproach; ugh in though, &c.

1 Chairman of a Committee appointed by the now organised Royal Society to consider of the improvement of the English tongue.

3. That there might be invented some new periods, and accents, besides such as our grammarians and critics use, to assist, inspirit, and modify the pronunciation of sentences, and to stand as marks beforehand how the voice and tone is to be governed; as in reciting of plays, reading of verses, &c., for the varying the tone of the voice, and affections, &c.

4. To this might follow a Lexicon or collection of all the pure English words by themselves; then those which are derivative from others, with their prime, certain, and natural signification; then, the symbolical: so as no innovation might be used or favoured, at least till there should arise some necessity of providing a new edition, and of amplifying the old upon mature advice.

5. That in order to this, some were appointed to collect all the technical words; especially those of the more generous employments: as the author of the " Essaies des Merveilles de la Nature, et des plus nobles Artifices," has done for the French; and Francis Junius and others have endeavoured for the Latin: but this must be gleaned from shops, not books; and has been of late attempted by Mr. Moxon.'

6. That things difficult to be translated or expressed, and such as are, as it were, incommensurable one to another: as determinations of weights and measures; coins, honours, national habits, arms, dishes, drinks, municipal constitutions of courts; old, and abrogated customs, &c., were better interpreted than as yet we find them in dictionaries, glossaries, and noted in the lexicon.

7. That a full catalogue of exotic words, such as are daily minted by our Logodadali, were exhibited, and that it were resolved on what should be sufficient to render them current, ut Civitate domentur; since without restraining that same indomitam novandi verba licentiam, it will in time quite disguise the language. There are some elegant words: introduced by physicians chiefly and philosophers, worthy to be retained; others, it may be, fitter to be abrogated; since there ought to be a law, as well as a liberty in this particular. And in this choice, there would be some regard had to the well sounding, and more harmonious words; and such as are numerous, and apt to fall gracefully into their cadences

1 In the second volume of his "Mechanick Exercises."

and periods, and so recommend themselves at the very first sight as it were; others, which (like false stones) will never shine, in whatever light they be placed, but embase the rest. And here I note, that such as have lived long in Universities do greatly affect words and expressions no where in use besides, as may be observed in Cleaveland's Poems for Cambridge: and there are also some Oxford words used by others, as I might instance in several.

8. Previous to this it would be inquired what particular dialects, idioms, and proverbs were in use in every several county of England; for the words of the present age being properly the vernacula, or classic rather, special regard is to be had of them, and this consideration admits of infinite improvements.

9. And happily it were not amiss, that we had a collection of the most quaint and courtly expressions, by way of florilegium, or phrases distinct from the proverbs: for we are infinitely defective as to civil addresses, excuses, and forms upon sudden and unpremeditated (though ordinary) encounters: in which the French, Italians, and Spaniards have a kind of natural grace and talent, which furnishes the conversation, and renders it very agreeable: here may come in synonyms, homoinyms, &c.

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10. And since there is likewise a manifest rotation and circling of words, which go in and out like the mode and fashion, books should be consulted for the reduction of some of the old laid-aside words and expressions had formerly in deliciis; for our language is in some places sterile and barren, by reason of this depopulation, as Î call it; and therefore such places should be new cultivated, and enriched either with the former (if significant) or some other. For example, we have hardly any words that do so fully express the French clinquant, naïveté, ennui, bizarre, concert, façonier, chicaneries, consommé, emotion, defer, effort, chocq, entours, débouche: or the Italian vaghezze, garbato, svelto, &c. Let us therefore (as the Romans did the Greek) make as many of these do homage as are like to prove good citizens.

11. Something might likewise be well translated out of the best orators and poets, Greek and Latin, and even out of the modern languages; that so some judgment might be

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made concerning the elegancy of the style, and a laudable and unaffected imitation of the best recommended to writers.

12. Finally, there must be a stock of reputation gained by some public writings and compositions of the Members of this Assembly, and so others may not think it dishonour to come under the test, or accept them for judges and approbators: and if the design were arrived thus far, I conceive a very small matter would dispatch the art of rhetoric, which the French proposed as one of the first things they recommended to their late academicians.

I am, Sir,

Your most, &c.

Sayes-Court, 20 June, 1665.

John Evelyn to Lord Viscount Cornbury.

MY LORD,

Cornbury, 21 June, 1665.

Those who defined history to be Disciplina composita de bono practico obtinendo pointed us to that use of it which every wise man is to make of it by his reading of authors. But as it is the narration Rerum gestarum (for whatever is matter of fact is the subject of history) your Lordship cannot expect I should, at this distance from my study and books of that kind, be able to present you with so complete a series of authors as you require of me; much less such a method as your affection for so noble a resolution, and so becoming a great person, does truly merit. However, that this may not be looked on as an excuse, and that I may in some measure obey your Lordship's commands, I shall, as far as my talent and my faithless memory serves me at present, give your Lordship the names of those authors which have deservedly been esteemed the most worthy and instructive of those great and memorable actions of the ages past.

A Recension of the Greek Historians from the reign of Cyrus (before which we have nothing of credible in any profane history) till after Justinian, and the confusion of the Roman Empire by the Goths and Vandals.

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