furnish't by the Criticks, and seriously to
examine the continuall comerce it hath had with the most considerable of
its neighbours, the wars, feuds and Leagues of its Governours with other
Princes, the irruptions and invasions of Conquering Nations, that have
corrupted its Language as they ingrost its spoils, the frequent Colonies
that Conquerors have sent thither besides its voyages at Sea, and its
traffick, with the most remote plantations, These are the more immediate
causes of this confusion and mixture.

It may perhaps withall be no mean pleasure to see the basis of each
Language distinguisht from the changes and accessions of time or
revolutions of State, what every Nation hath contributed of its owne to
inrich it, what Religion, the Government and what Sciences have
communicated to it, what it retains of Antiquity and what new acquests it
hath made to retrieve its losses with advantage.

Afterall, this is yet but the sceleton, or at most but the body of a
Language, Its necessary that this rude, and indigested masse made up of so
many different dialects should be animated by some secret spirit that
should expand it selfe through all its parts and severall members, and
reduce them to unity by communicating the same air to them, and that this
Spirit or Soul should be the individuall principle of all the effects, and
sensible changes, which make us easily distinguish one Language from
another: The Temper, Humour, and Nature of a people, the dispositions of
their minds, their genius and particular gusts, their more generall and
forcible inclinations, their ordinary passions, and such singular
qualities, by which one Nation is remarq'd and distinguisht from another,
are the most evident signs to discover the true genius of a Language,
because they are in reality the immediate causes and the very originalls
after which I have copied all my draughts to compleat the present piece,
which in my opinion is not wanting in something that is very Naturall,
Besides this, the very manners and customes of Nations, their Laws and
policy, and their publick transactions, both of peace and War, are things
so universally known, that there is no need of any farther search, how to
be able to judge by proportion of the genius, and characters of the
Languages so securely, as by that of the people that speak them.

But as the care of a Nation to improve and advance the Arts and Sciences
and other kinds of good Learning, is that which cont