III.

WORDS express what men agree to put into them; and as there is hardly a notion which cannot be viewed in more ways than one, there is hardly a word which does not differ in signification from its nearest equivalents in other languages. From the most complicated mental operations down to ordinary sensuous objects, things admit of being conceived differently, and in consequence are given names carrying different meanings in the various languages of the world.

Let us take an instance or two. The Latin 'gladius,' being a short sword of peculiar shape, is inaccurately rendered by 'sword,' which may or may not be what the Roman term indicates. The Latin 'cantus,' signifying an articulated clangour, in preference to anything else, is too much honoured in the translation by 'song,' which plainly refers to melody. The Latin amicus,' implying a disposition to aid, abet, and confer benefits, cannot be regarded as an exact equivalent of the English friend,' a word which lays stress upon affection rather than help. Passing on to more abstract notions, the Roman 'virtus' is properly effi

ciency,' not 'virtue;' the Roman 'vis' more ordinarily imports energy and force than strength; while the Roman ingenium' should be mostly understood as expressing capacity and disposition, in preference to intellect and genius.

Differences increase in the case of adjectives and verbs. Expressing conditions of the nouns to which they apply, adjectives and verbs are apt to vary in signification according to the nature of the subjects they happen to refer to. The wider their signification, the less likely it is that their compass should be exactly the same in different tongues. In the Latin 'magnus' we encounter the three meanings of 'great,' 'long,' and 'copious,' according to the nouns with which it is coupled. The Greek quality of 'Kaλós,' like the English handsome,' may be fittingly ascribed to persons that have nothing personally attractive about them; whilst the English 'nice,' a peculiarly generous vocable, lends itself to be predicated of a good many people who would not be awarded similar praise by its Latin prototype 'nitidus.' Again, in Latin we discover the verb 'transmittere' to embrace the several meanings of transmit, transfer, cede, intrust, dedicate, perforate, pass, pass by, throw across, live through, live down,' all of which, in English, have to be rendered singly by their respective equivalents. Greek has its 'Xoyiçeca' in the cumulated sense of 'to cypher,