rid, comes ridden; from white, whiten; from fast, fasten; from black, blacken, &c.

Note 3. That from verbs are derived the active participle, that ends always in ing, and the paffive, that ends in ed or en; as loving, loved; giving, given; from which verbs, by adding er to the prefent tenfe, comes a fubftantive fignifying the agent; as from love, comes lover; from hear, comes the noun hearer; from play, comes player, &c. and thefe fort of nouns are called verbal nouns.

Note 4. By adding y to substantives, are formed adjectives of plenty; as from wealth, comes the adjective wealthy; from filth, comes filthy; from loufe, comes loufy, &c. By adding the termination ful to fubftantives, are alfo formed adjectives denoting fulness; as from joy, comes joyful; fruit, fruitful; health, healthful, &c. So alfo by adding fome to fubftatives are formed adjectives fignifying fulnefs; as burden, burdenfome; whole, wholefome, &c. So from fubftantives come alfo adjectives denoting likeness, by adding the ending ly; as from earth, comes caribly; man, manly; heaven, heavenly, &c.

Note 5. By adding the termination lefs to fubftantives, are formed adjectives fignifying want; as care, careless; wit, witless; worth, worthless, &c. Some adjectives, which fignify the matter out of which any thing is made are formed by adding en to the fubftantives; as earth, earthen brafs, brazen; gold, golden; ash, afhen; oak, paken, &c.

THE

THE

INTRODUCTION:..

CONTAINING

SOME GENERAL DIRECTIONS FOR
WRITING LETTERS,

AND HOW TO ADDRESS PERSONS OF DISTINCTION
IN WRITING OR DISCOURSE, &c.

EPISTOLARY writing, by which a great part of the

commerce of human life is carried on, was esteemed by the Romans a liberal and polite accomplishment; and Cicero, the father of eloquence, and mafter of ftyle, fpeaks with great pleasure, in his epiftles to Atticus, of his fon's genius in this particular. Among them, it was undoubtedly a part of their education: and, in the opinion of Mr Locke, it well deferves a share in ours. "The writing letters (fays this great genius) enters fo much into all the occafions of life, that no gentleman can avoid fhewing himself in compofitions of this kind. Occurences will daily force him to make this use of his pen which lays open his breeding, his fenfe, and his abilities, to a feverer examination than a y oral difcourfe."

"It was a quaint difference (says Mr Howel, in one of his epiftles) that the ancients made betwixt a letter and an oration; the one should be attired like a woman, and the other like a man. The oration is allowed large fiderobes, as long periods, parenthesis, fimilies, examples, and other parts of rhetorical flourishes; but a letter should be fhort-coated, and closely couched. In short, we should write as we speak; and that's a true familiar letter which

D

expreffeth

expreffeth our meaning the fame as if we were difcourf ing with the party to whom we write, in fuccinct and eafy terms. The tongue and pen are both interpreters of the mind; but the pen the most faithful of the two; and as it has all the advantage of premeditation, it is not fo apt to err, and leaves things behind on a more authentic as well as lafting record."

When you fit down to write a letter, remember that this fort of writing should be like converfation. Obferve this, and you will be no more at a lofs to write, than you will be to speak to the person were he prefent; and this is nature without affectation, which, generally speaking, always pleases. As to fubjects, you are allowed in writing letters the utmost liberty; whatsoever has been done, or feen, or heard, or thought of, your own obfervations on what you know, your inquiries about what you do not know, the time, the place, the weather, every thing about you, ftands ready for a fubject; and the more variety you intermix, if not rudely thrown together, the better. Set difcourfes require a dignity or formality of style suitable to the fubject; whereas, letter-writing rejects all pomp of words, and is most agreeable when moft familiar. But, though lofty phrafes are here improper, the style should not be low and mean; and, to avoid it, let an easy complaifance, an open fincerity, and unaffected good nature, appear in all you fay for a fine letter does not confist in saying fine things, but in expreffing ordinary ones with elegance and propriety; so as to pleafe while it informs, and charm even in giving advice.

It should alfo wear an honeft, chearful countenance, like one who truly efteems, and is glad to fee his friend; and not like a fop, admiring his own drefs, and feemingly pleafed with nothing but himself.

Exprefs your meaning as freely as poffible. Long periods may please the ear, but they perplex the understanding; a fhort ftyle and plain, ftrikes the mind, al fixes an impreffion; a tedious one is feldom clearly underflood, and never long remembered. But there is fill fomething requifite beyond all this, towards the writing a polite and agreeable letter, and that is, an air of

good

good breeding and humanity, which ought conftantly to appear in every expreffion, and that will give a beauty to the whole. By this I would not be fuppofed to mean, overftrained or affected compliments, or any thing that way tending; but an eafy, genteel, and obliging manner of addrefs, in a choice of words that bear the moft civil meanings, with a thorough generous and good natured difpofition.

But in familiar letters of the common concerns of life, elegance is not required, nor is it the thing we ought to aim at; for, when attempted, the labour is often feen, and the end perverted by the very means. Eafe and clear

nefs are the only beauties we need to ftudy.

Never be in pain about familiarity in the ftyle to those with whom you are acquainted: for that very pain will make it awkward and stiff, in spite of all your endeavours to the contrary.

Write freely, but not haftily; let your words drop from your pen, as they would from your tongue when speaking deliberately on a subject of which you are master, and to a perfon with whom you are intimate.

Accuftom yourfelf to think juftly, and you will not be at a loss to write clearly; for while there is confusion at the fountain-head, the brook will never be clear.

Before you begin to write, think what you are going to write. However unneceffary this caution may feem, I will venture to fay, that ten appear ridiculous on paper, through hurry and want of thought, for one that is fe, through want of understanding.

A man that begins a fpeech before he is determined what to fay, will undoubtedly find himself bewildered before he gets to the end; not in fentiment only, but in grammar. To avoid this, before you begina fentence, have the whole of it in your head, and make ufe of the first words that offer themselves to exprefs your meaning; for, be affured, they are the moft natural, and will, generally fpeaking, (I cannot fay always) beft answer your purpofe; for to ftand fearching after expreffions, breaks in upon the natural diction: and, for a word that, perhaps, is not a-jot more expreffive, you make the whole fentence stiff and awk

ward.

ward. But; of all things, learn to be correct, and never omit a careful perufal of what you have written, which, whoever neglects, must have many inaccuracies ; and thefe are not only a reflection on the writer, but a rudenefs to the perfon to whom they are written. Never be afhamed of having found fomething amifs, which you confefs that you did, by amending it; for in that confeffion you cancel the fault, and if you have not time to transcribe it, let it pafs; for a blot is by no means fo bad as a blunder; and, by accuftoming yourself to correct what is amifs, you will be lefs liable to future mistakes.

So much for letters in general; as for thofe in trade in particular, I fhall quote a reputable author on the subject, who, I think, has faid every thing that need to be faid upon it, and given examples, whereby we cannot err, if we do not excel, viz.

"As plainnefs, and a free way of expreffion, is the beauty and excellence of speech, fo an eafy concife way of writing is the beft ftyle for tradefmen. He that affects a rumbling bombaft ftyle, and fills his letters with compliments and flourishes, makes a very ridiculous figure in trade for inftance, of the following letter, which a young tradefman in the country writes up to a wholefale-dealer in London, on his first setting up."

SIR, The definies having fo appointed it, and my dark flars concurring, that I, who by nature was formed for better things, fhould be put out to a trade; and the time of my fervitude being at length expired, I am now launched forth into the great ocean of bufinefs. I thought fit to acquaint you, that left month I received my fortune, which, by my father's will, had been due two years paft, at which time I arrived to man's eftate, and became major; whereupon I have taken a houfe in one of the principal fireets of this town, where I am entered upon my businefs, and hereby let you know that I shall have occafion for the goods hereafter mentioned, which you may fend to me by the carrier.

This fine flourish, which the young shopkeeper dreffed up with much application, and thought it well done, put