has been to
enlarge greatly the editorial staff of the dictionary, scores of
sub-editors and contributors being now employed where a dozen or fewer
were formerly deemed sufficient. In other words, the making of a
"complete" dictionary has become a co-operative enterprise, to the
success of which workers in all the fields of literature and science
contribute.

The most complete exemplification of these principles and methods is the
_Oxford New English Dictionary, on historical principles, founded mainly
on materials collected by the Philological Society_. This monumental
work originated in the suggestion of Trench that an attempt should be
made, under the direction of the Philological Society, to complete the
vocabulary of existing dictionaries and to supply the historical
information which they lacked. The suggestion was adopted, considerable
material was collected, and Mr Herbert Coleridge was appointed general
editor. He died in 1861, and was succeeded by Dr F. J. Furnivall.
Little, however, was done, beyond the collection of quotations--about
2,000,000 of which were gathered--until in 1878 the expense of printing
and publishing the proposed dictionary was assumed by the Delegates of
the University Press, and the editorship was entrusted to Dr (afterwards
Sir) J. A. H. Murray. As the historical point of beginning, the middle
of the 12th century was selected, all words that were obsolete at that
date being excluded, though the history of words that were current both
before and after that date is given in its entirety; and it was decided
that the search for quotations--which, according to the original design,
was to cover the entire literature down to the beginning of the 16th
century and as much of the subsequent literature (especially the works
of the more important writers and works on special subjects) as might be
possible--should be made more thorough. More than 800 readers, in all
parts of the world, offered their aid; and when the preface to the first
volume appeared in 1888, the editor was able to announce that the
readers had increased to 1300, and that 3,500,000 of quotations, taken
from the writings of more than 5000 authors, had already been amassed.
The whole work was planned to be completed in ten large volumes, each
issued first in smaller parts. The first part was issued in 1884, and by
the beginning of 1910 the first part of the letter S had been reached.

The historical method of exposition, particul