the present Pope ; the King of Great Britain ; the Horse that won the last Plate at New-Market ; the Royal Garden at Kensington ; this Book ; that Knife, &c.

SECT. V.

it is;

Of concrete and abstra£t Terms. IV. WORDS or Terms are divided into abo

concrete. Abstract Terms signify the Mode or Quality of a Being, without any Regard to the Subject in which

as Whiteness, Roundness, Length, Breadth, Wisdom, Mortality, Life, Death.

Concrete Terms, while they express the Quality, do also either express, or imply, or refer to some Subject to which it belongs ; as white, round, long, broad, wise, mortal, living, dead. But these are not always Noun Adjectives in a grammatical Sense ; for a Fool, a Knave, a Philosopher, and many other Concretes are Substantives, as well as Knavery, Folly, and Philosophy, which are the abstract Terms that belong to them.

SECT. VI.

Of univocal and equivocal Words.

V. ORDS and Terms are either univocal or

equivocal. Univocal Words are such as signify but one Idea, or at least but one fort of Thing ; equivocal Words are such as signify twa or more different Ideas, or different sorts of Objects. The Words Book, Bible, Fish, House, Elephant, may be called univocal Words; for I

know not that they fignify any thing else but those Ideas to which they are generally affixt; but Head is an equivocal Word, for it fignifies the Head of a Nail, or a Pin, as well as of an Animal: Nail is an equivocal Word, it is used for the Nail of the Hand or Foot, and for an iron Nail to faften any thing. Poft is equivocal, it is a Piece of Timber, or a fwift Messenger. A Church is a religious Affembly, or the large fair Building where they meet; and fometimes the fame Word means a Synod of Bishops or of Prefbyters, and in fome Places it is the Pope and a general Council.

Here let it be noted, that when two or more words fignify the fame Thing, as Wave and Billow, Mead and Meadow, they are ufually called fynonymous Words: But it feems very strange, that Words which are directly contrary to each other, fhould fometimes reprefent almost the same Ideas; yet thus it is in fome few Inftances; a valuable, or an invaluable Bleffing; a fhameful, or a fhameless Villain; a thick Skull, or a thin Skull'd Fellow, a mere Paper Skull; a Man of a large Confcience, little Confcience, or no Conscience; a famous Rafcal, or an infamous one: So uncertain a Thing is human Language, whofe Foundation and Support is Custom.

As Words fignifying the fame Thing are called fynonymous; fo equivocal Words, or those which fignify feveral Things, are called homonymous, or ambiguous; and when Perfons ufe fuch ambiguous Words, with a Defign to deceive, it is called Equivocation.

Our fimple Ideas, and especially the fenfible Qualities, furnish us with a great Variety of equivocal or ambiguous Words; for these being the first, and most natural Ideas we have, we borrow fome

of their Names, to fignify many other Ideas, both fimple and complex. The word Sweet expreffes the pleasant Perceptions of almost every Senfe; Sugar is fweet, but it hath not the fame Sweetness as Mufick; nor hath Mufick the Sweetnefs of a Rose; and a sweet Prospect differs from them all: Nor yet have any of these the fame Sweetness as Difcourfe, Council, or Meditation hath; yet the royal Pfalmift faith of a Man, We took Sweet Counsel together; and of God, My Meditation of him fhall be fweet. Bitter is also fuch an equivocal Word; there is bitter Wormwood, there are bitter Words, there are bitter Enemies, and a bitter cold Morning. So there is a Sharpnefs in Vinegar, and there is a Sharpness in Pain, in Sorrow, and in Reproach; there is a fharp Eye, a fharp Wit, and a fharp Sword: But there is not one of these seven Sharpneffes, the fame as another of them, and a fharp Eaft Wind is different from them all.

There are alfo Verbs, or Words of Action, which are equivocal as well as Nouns or Names. The words to bear, to take, to come, to get, are fufficient Inftances of it; as when we fay, to bear a Burden, to bear Sorrow or Reproach, to bear a Name, to bear a Grudge, to bear Fruit, or to bear Children; the Word bear is used in very different Senfes. And fo is the word get, when we fay, to get Money, to get in, to get off, to get ready; to get a Stomach, and to get a Cold, &c.

There is also a great deal of Ambiguity in many of the English Particles, as, but, before, befide, with, without, that, then, there, for, forth, above, about, &c. of which Grammars and Dictionaries will fufficiently inform us.

SECT.

SECT. VII.

Various Kinds of equivocal Words.

T would be endless to run through all the Varieties of Words, and Terms, which have different Senfes applied to them; I fhall only mention therefore a few of the most remarkable and most useful Distinctions among them.

Ift, The first Divifion of equivocal Words lets us know that fome are equivocal only in their Sound or Pronunciation; others are equivocal only in Writing; and others, both in Writing, and in Sound.

Words equivocal in Sound only, are fuch as thefe; the Rein of a Bridle, which hath the fame Sound with the Reign of a King or a Shower of Rain, but all three have different Letters, and distinct Spelling. So Might, or Strength, is equivocal in Sound, but differs in Writing from Mite, a little Animal, or a small piece of Money. And the Verb to write, has the fame Sound with Wright a Workman, Right or Equity, and Rite or Ceremony; but it is fpelled very differently from them all.

Words equivocal in Writing only, are fuch as thefe; to tear in Pieces, has the fame Spelling with a Tear: To lead, or guide, has the fame Letters as Lead the Metal: And a Bowl for Recreation is written the fame Way as a Bowl for drinking, but the Pronunciation of all these is different.

But thofe Words which are most commonly and justly call'd equivocal, are fuch as are both written and pronounced the fame way, and yet have different Senfes or Ideas belonging to them;

E 2

fuch are all the Inftances which were given in the preceding Section.

Among the Words which are equivocal in Sound only, and not in Writing, there is a large Field for Perfons who delight in Jefts and Puns, in Riddles and Quibbles, to fport themselves. This fort of Words is alfo used by wanton Perfons, to convey lewd Ideas, under the Covert of Expreffions capable of a chafte Meaning, which are called duble Entendres; or when Perfons fpeak Falfbod with a defign to deceive, under the Covert of Truth. Tho' it must be confeft, that all forts of equivocal Words yield fufficient Matter for fuch Purposes.

There are many Cafes alfo, wherein an equivocal Word is used for the fake of Decency to cover a foul Idea: For the most chaste and modeft, and well-bred Perfons, having fometimes a Neceffity to speak of the Things of Nature, convey their Ideas in the moft inoffenfive Language by this Means. And indeed, the mere Poverty of all Languages makes it neceffary to use equivocal Words upon many Occafions, as the common Writings of Men, and even the holy Book of God fufficiently manifeft.

2dly, Equivocal Words are ufually diftinguished, according to their Original, into fuch, whofe various Senfes arife from mere Chance or Accident, and fuch as are made equivocal by Defign; as the Word Bear fignifies a fhaggy Beast, and it fignifies alfo to bear or carry a Burden; this feems to be the mere Effect of Chance: But if I call my Dog Bear, because he is fhaggy, or call one of the Northern Conftellations by that Name, from a fancied Situation of the Stars in the Shape of that Animal, then it is by Defign that the Word is yet farther equivocal.

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