*

ON THE WORD "GRADELY."

Permit me to make a few remarks on the word _gradely_:--

1. It seems to have no connexion with the Latin noun _gradus_, Angl.
_grade_, step.

2. Its first syllable, _grade_, is both a substantive and an adjective; and
_gradely_ itself both adjective and adverb, as _weakly_, _sickly_, _godly_,
&c.

3. It is not confined to Lancashire or to England, but appears in Scotland
as _graith_ (ready), _graith_ (furniture); whence _graithly_ (readily), to
_graith_, _grathe_, or _graid_ (prepare), &c. See Jamieson's _Sc. Dict._
and _Supplement_.

4. It is in fact the Anglo-Saxon _gerad_, which is both substantive and
adjective. As a substantive it means condition, arrangement, plan, reason,
&c. As an adjective, it means prudent, well-prepared, expert, exact, &c.
The _ge_ (Gothic _ga_) is merely the intensive prefix; the root being _rad_
or _rath_. The form in _ly_ (adjective or adverb), without the prefix _g_,
appears in the Anglo-Saxon _raedlic_, prudent, expert; _raedlice_,
expertly. This interesting root, which appears as _re_, _ra_, _red_, _rad_,
_rath_, &c.; sometimes by transposition, as _er_, _ar_, _erd_, &c. (perhaps
also as _reg_, _rag_, _erg_, _arc_, &c.), seems to represent the nobler
qualities of man: thought, reason, counsel, speech, deliberate action; and
perhaps, also, government.

Thus in the Semitic family of languages we have the radicals _raa_ (saw,
foresaw, counselled); _radha_ (helped, ruled); _rathad_ (arranged); _rato_
(directed, instructed); and others, with their numerous derivatives.

The Indo-European family gives us, in Sanscrit, _ra_ or _rae_ (ponder,
experience); _rat_ (speak); _radh_ (accomplish); _raj_ (excel); _ragh_
(attain, reach); and others, with derivatives. In Greek, _rheo_ (speak),
transp. _ero_ or _wero_ (whence _verbum_, _wort_, _word_); _rhero_ or
_rhedo_ (do), transp. _erdo_, also _ergo_ (whence _werke_, _work_); _archo_
(rule), and others, with derivatives. In Latin, _reor_ (think), whence
_ratus_ and _ratio_ (reason); _res_ (thing, action); _rego_ (rule), with
derivatives (_rex_, _regula_, _rectus_, &c.). In Celtic (Welsh), _rhe_
(active); _rheswm_ (reason); _rhaith_ (judgment, right); _rhi_ (prince);
_rhag_ (van, before). In Sclavonic, _rada_, _rade_ (counsel); _redian_ (to
direct), &c.

In the Teutonic dialects (Gothic, Anglo-Saxon, German, Dutch, Swedish,
Danish, Icelandic, Scotch, and English) the forms of this root are very
numerous. Thus we h