That he may seek occasion against us.—Gen. xliii. 18.

Quot; Behold he seeketh occasions against me."—Job, xxxiii. 10.† † " Marat was always bloody, now he's base; And has so far in usurpation gone, He will by parricide secure the throne."—Dryden.

LECTURE II. 33

small portions; the word is well applied to de­scribe a style of writing,* the opposite to diffuse, and one that I would recommend to your adop­tion. The "excise" is a tax which cuts off or out of the property of those subjected to it "Excision" is a cutting off, or ruin. " Incision " is a wound inflicted with a sharp instrument, and is usually applied to wounds made by a surgeon cutting into the flesh. " Indecision" is the nega­tive of decision, already adverted to. " Precise" means exact or accurate and formal, as conveying the idea of having the needless parts, or those most prominent and foremost, cut off.

Candeo is to shine, to be white, to inflame. Hence we have " candid," meaning clear and open; and " candour" which can bear the light, and itself shines brightly; both words being used in a metaphorical sense. Hence also " candles" that give light, and a "chandler" who makes them. ^u Incense" is so called, as being burned; and an " incendiary" is one who wilfully sets houses or goods on fire; the term is also well applied to violent political demagogues, whose object it is to inflame men's minds. " Candi­dates" are so called, as having, amongst the an­cient Romans, worn a white toga emblematical of purity.

* "The concise style, which expresseth not enough, but leaves somewhat to be understood."— Ben Johnson's Discoveries

LECTURE II.

From cano, to sing, and its participle cantus sung, we have " chant," a religious song; "chan-tor," the head of a choir; and "chantry," the place where the singers chanted. The low word " cant" seems to have been applied to the " chant" or whining tone of voice assumed by beggars, with intent to coax, wheedle or cajole, and so came to describe the manner of speech of any deceivers or impostors, as street beggars generally are. The cock in the poultry yard is called " chanticleer," being the bird that chants clearly* " Incantations" are magical songs; and a " precen­tor," in old documents often called " chantor," was the superintendent, if not leader, of the choir of singers. The verb to " enchant," and its deri­vatives " enchanter," " enchantment," &c, are also to be traced to the same root. " Accent" means to sing to, or in unison with, certain rules of pro­nunciation, and is applied to reading and speaking as well as to singing. A " descant" meant a variation in music—a change from the plain song. This word is also more commonly applied in the sense of treating or discoursing upon the various divisions of any subject. Although a person " recanting" what has been said or done, does not sing his " recantation," any more than the man who discourses on a particular subject sings his

* "The cock's shrill clarion, and the echoing horn."

Gray's Elegy.

LECTURE II. 35

" descant," yet the words equally refer to a song or " chant." To " recant" is to retract, recall, or call back, what one had before said.*

Capio, to take, with its participle captus, taken,
has become the foundation of many words bor.
rowed from the Latin into English. In composi­
tion, these words are often changed to cipio and
ceptus, as we shall presently see. Hence we have
" capable," able to take or hold, with its derivative
" capability," and the opposite " incapable ;" also
" capacious," large, that can take or hold much;
" captious," peevish, disposed to take objections,
to take up crotchets. A " captive" is a person
taken or "captured" in war; and a " caitiff"
was originally a contraction of this word. To
"captivate" is to take "captive," or, metaphor-
rically, to take by force of charms. " Captor"
is the taker, and " capture" the taking of a prize.
To " accept" is to take to oneself, to receive; that
which is worthy of being received is "acceptable;"
and the " acceptation" of words means the signi­
fication in which they are to be taken or received.
When a person " accepts" or gives his " acceptance"
to the draft of another, he takes upon himself the
responsibility of paying the bill when it becomes

due. I have observed that the Latin preposition ante, meaning before, is to be distinguished from

* ".... How soon would ease recant

Vows made in pain, as violent and void."— Milton.

LECTURE II.

the Greek anti, signifying against; but the former is sometimes in the composition of English words, changed to anti. Thus we have " anticipate," to take before hand, and its derivative " anticipation." To " conceive" and " deceive" come from the same verb, but rather through the French than directly. The former used formerly to be " conceit," as a verb;* it is now only employed as a noun. It signifies to take or hold within, and is applied metaphorically to the mind or understanding; and we speak of an opinion being " inconceivable," when we cannot receive it into our mind. A " conceited" person is one full of his own thoughts or " conceits," which latter word, though formerly referring to any " conception" of the mind, or opi­nion of another,† is now only applied to mere fancies, or vain and high thoughts of self. " Conceitless,"† for foolish, is to be found in Shakspeare. " Con­ception" and " deception" come directly from the Latin, captus being, as I have observed, often

* " My credit now stands on such slippery ground, That one of two bad ways you must conceit me, Either a coward or a flatterer."

Shakspeare: Julius Cæsar, Act iii. scene 1. † " There's some conceit or other, likes him well, When he bids good-morrow with such spirit."

Shakspeare: Richard HI. " I shall not fail t' approve the fair conceit

The king hath of you."— Shakspeare: Henry VIII. † "Thinkest thou, I am so shallow, so conceitless,

To be seduced by thy flattery?"— Two Gent. of Ver. Act. iv. s. 2.

LECTURE II. 37

changed to ceptus in composition. To "except" is to take out of or from, hence "exception." The word "except" is also used as a preposition, meaning unless.* "Inception" is taking in (as a commencement); "intercept" is to take between, and thus to obstruct or stop. "Participate" is take a part in; the "participle" is a part of speech participating in the qualities both of a verb and adjective. "Perception" is the art of taking through, that is, "perceiving;" "percep­tible" is that which can be "perceived," and with the negative prefix in changed to im, it is " imperceptible." A physician's "recipe" is so called because it consists of a written direction in Latin to the apothecary, to make up a mixture, commencing with the word Recipe, the impera­tive mood, take thou. A "reception" is a receiv­ing of persons, and a "receptacle" is a place where goods are received or taken in. The name of a receipt for making a pudding, &c. is of the same origin as the doctor's recipe, the first word being ^u take" so and so. Here I may re­mark, although anticipating another set of words, that the other name for recipe or receipt in this sense is "prescription", "because it prescribes," or

* Shakspeare in two lines uses " except" in different senses, playing upon the word:

" Sweet, except not any; Except thou wilt except against my love."

Two Gentlemen of Verona, Act ii.

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