Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1856-03-15
T w I S T E R

In Doctor Jnhnson's Dictionary, under the word
"Twister, certain verses are given. which the Dc
tor calls remarkable, and which he says explain
twist in all its. senses.-These verses are remark
able. But first to their history. We derive all we
know from the pen of DR.. Adam Clark, whose ac-
count of hsms appeared many years ago in the
Wesleyan Methodist Magazine.
DIR. John Wallis was Professor of Geometry in
the University of Oxford, in ITO. In 1853 he
published a grammar of the English language in
Latin, said to be a work of great merit. He eS.
celled in etymology, his habits as a geometrician
leading him to slit every subject to its bottom, and
trace every branch or even fliment of language to
its radir. A very learned Frenchman conversing
with him, expatiating on the copiousness of his
native language and its richness in derivatives and
synonymes, produced in proof four lines on rope
making, which he had composed for the purpose.
Here they are:
Quand un cordier, cordant. veut corder une corda,
Pour So cordc corder, trois cordons il accorde
Mails, 81 un des cordons de Ia corde decorde,
lie Gordon decordant fait decorder la corde.
To show that the English language was at least
equally rich and copious, DR.. Wallis Immediately
translated the verses into English, word for word,
and of equal s~ylables, taking the word twist for
the Fr~enchman's word 'corde."
When a ~twister, a twisting will twist him a twist
For the twisting of his twi list he three times doth
intwist;
But if one of the twines of the twist do ~untwist,
The Irvine that untwisteth, untwisteth the twist.
Here are nouns, verbs, participles and synonyms,
precisely equal to those of the Frenchman in rum
Der quality and force but to show that the riches
Of this language were not exhausted, he added the
iour following, which continued the subject:
Untwisting the Irvine that untwisted between.
He twists with the twister the two in a Irvine
Then twice having twisted the taines OF the Irvine,
He twitched the Irvine he had twined in twain.
The French fund being previously exhausted, no
attempt could be made to bring IN a parallel. The
English mine, however, was still rich, and to. show
that it could be still worked to advantage, DR..
Wallis added the following qartrain.
The twain that in twining before in the Irvine,
As twines were UNFINISHED, he now doth untwine
'Twixt the twain intertwisting q Irvine more be-
tween,
He twirling his twister, makes a twist Of the
Irvine.
~ question much" says DR.. Clarke, whether
there is a language in the universe capable of such
a variety of Elections, or which can afford so many
terms and deriyations, all legitimate, coming from
one radix, without borrowings single term from
any OF her tongue, orcoining one for the purpose, fol
there is not a single word used above by DR.. Walli'
that is not pure AngiO- Sa1on, not one exotic being
entertained for the proposition inter, which mi gh
have been avoided, does not belong to the radix
and only serves to show it in another state and
as for the proposition an, we have not borrowed il
from the Latin, as some suppose, as 1T is a pure
English word, and is found in many terms of the
Anglo-Saxon."
AT the request of a foreign nobleman, DR.. Wallis
translated his English verses in Latin, but its stiff;
ness and lack of versatility yielded but a poor re-
suit by the 81 lie of the euphonious lines of our YER
aacular.
The Latin contains one hundred and ~fortyfour
words, the English amounts to one hundred and
nine. The English has but one radix, whilst the
Latin is obliged to use upwards Of twenty different
words, varied so far that they can bear, in order tc
express this one root and its derivatives. DR.. Wal
lis gives an analysis Of the English verses, in
which he considers "tro" as the primitive or rad
iicai word. and the others all derivatives from one
radix.-SopMerR Times.