Contemporary Literature [pp. 729-761]

750 CONTEMPORARY LITERATURE. [Oct.
among views, to form inductions, to theorize for himself. Authority is of
comiaratively little value in such lines of effort. There are no despotic
names as yet. Many theories have already been advanced and abandoned
in the progress toward true views, and doubtless many more will yet be advanced and abandoned before the complete truth will be reached. Prof.
March very properly avails himself of this liberty. In the exercise of it he
chooses to make the necessary forms of predication, as they appear in all
complete languages, the basis of his verbal paradigms. He does it because
he sees that this a iriori basis is the necessary basis. The method is philosophical as opposed to mechanical, and even if the course is not justified in
the end-as we believe it will be-it will doubtless aid in the investigation
of the whole subject. But however that may be, it is his to claim the
liberty by just right. This is but a single instance in illustration. Most,
if not all, of the little adverse criticism of Prof. March which we have seen
has been based upon the ungenerous theory which denies him the rights of
a pioneer and leader in his department.
4. AnZglo-Saxon wotd-formns are in a very unsettled condition. AngloSaxon had passed out of use before the days of printing. When the old
manuscripts were copied by a person who spoke the same language, the
text was modernized, so that the language of the existing manuscripts is
ordinarily the language of the copyist, and not of the producer. Nothing but
the utter ignorance, on the part of the copyist, of the meaning of what he
copied could preserve from this. An extract from the poems of Caedmnon
will illustrate this. Caedmon died A. D. 680. In a Codex of A. D. 737
are a few lines of his poetry, which are translated into Latin by the venerable Bede; and the same lines appear as modernized in King Alfred's
Anglo-Saxon version of Bede two hundred years after Caedmon. We
quote only a part:
Caedmion. MS. of A4. D. By Aing Alfred. About Literal Eng. Version.
737. I A. D. 885. Now must we praise
Nu scylun hergan Nu we sceolan herian. the guardian of heaven's
hefaen ricaes uard heofon-rices weard. kingdom,
metudns m,ecti. metodes mihte. the Creator's might,
end his mod gidanc and his mod-gethone. and his mind's thought,
uere wuldur fadur. i were wuldor-fader. glorious father of men
The full extent of these changes has only recently become apparent. It
will evidently be a very long time before the original Anglo-Saxon forms
can be ascertained and verified in every particular, if that work can ever
be done. Meanwhile there cannot be demanded of any man an ideal and
perfect Grammar of Anglo-Saxon with which all other grammarians shall
accord.
The critic who fails to take into account these evident limitations will do
injustice to Prof. March, and render his own estimate practically worthless.
Taking them into account, he will accord to Prof. March the foremost
place in his department, and a hearty meed of praise for what he has
accomplished for the American College student.