ABOLISH 14 ABOLISH for the conviction. JOHNSON. A false satire ought to be recanted for the | and hate, which long-continued peace hath long sake of him whose reputation may be injured. since abolished. SIR JOHN HAYWARD. All the other terms have respect to the partial acts of men, in undoing that which they have done. Laws are either repealed or abrogated, but repealing is a term of modern use, applied to the acts of public councils or assemblies, where laws are made or unmade by the consent or open declaration of numbers. Abro gate is a term of less definite import; to abrogate a law is to render it null by any act of the legislature; thus, the making When any scholar will convince me that these were futile and malicious tales against Socrates, I will retract all credit in them, and thank him CUMBERLAND. What reason is there, but that those grants and privileges should be revoked, or reduced to their first intention? SPENSER. That society hath before consented, without reHOOKER. Tis done, and since 'tis done 'tis past recall, And since 'tis past recall must be forgotten. roking the same after. DRYDEN. TO ABOLISH, Abrogate, REPEAL, RE- of a new law may abrogate the old one. VOKE, ANNUL, CANCEL. ABOLISH, in French abolir, Latin aboleo, is compounded of ab and oleo, to lose the smell, signifying to lose every trace of former existence. ABROGATE, in SWIFT. Solon abrogated all Draco's sanguinary laws French abroger, Latin abrogatus, partici- except those that affected murder. CUMBERLAND. ple of abrogo, compounded of ab and rogo, to ask, signifying to ask away, or to ask Revoking is an act of individual authat a thing may be done away; in allu- thority-edicts are revoked; annulling is sion to the custom of the Romans, among an act of discretion, as official proceedwhom no law was valid unless the con- ings or private contracts are annulled; sent of the people was obtained by ask- cancelling is a species of annulling, as in ing, and in like manner no law was un- the case of cancelling deeds, bonds, oblimade without asking their consent. RE- gations, etc. None can abrogate but those PEAL, in French rappeller, from the Lat- who have the power to make. Any one in words re and appello, signifies literally who has the power to give his word may to call back or unsay what has been said, also revoke it, if he see reason so to do. which is in like manner the original mean- Any one who can bind himself or others, ing of REVOKE. ANNUL, in French an- by any deed or instrument, may annul or nuller, comes from nul, in Latin nihil, sig. render this null and void, provided it be nifying to reduce to nothing. CANCEL, done for a reasonable cause, and in the in French canceller, comes from the Lat- proper manner. As cancelling serves to in cancello, to cut crosswise, signifying to blot out or obliterate what has been writstrike out crosswise, that is, to cross out. ten, it may be applied to what is blotThe word abolish conveys the idea of ted out of the memory. It is a voluntaputting a total end to a thing, and is ap-ry resignation of right or demand which plied properly to those things which have one person has upon another. been long in existence, and firmly estab lished: an abolition may be effected either by an act of power, as to abolish an institution, or an order of men, and the like. On the parliament's part it was proposed that all the bishops, deans, and chapters might be iminediately taken away and abolished. CLARENDON. Or it may be a gradual act, or effected by indirect means, as to abolish a custom, practice, etc. The long-continued wars between the English and Scots had then raised invincible jealousies the whole cause for which it was made still reWhen we abrogate a law as being ill made, maining, do we not herein revoke our own deed, and upbraid ourselves with folly? me, HOOKER. I will annul, THOMSON. ABOMINABLE ABOMINABLE, DETESTABLE, EXECRABLE. THE primitive idea of these terms, agreeable to their derivation, is that of badness in the highest degree; conveying by themselves the strongest signification, and excluding the necessity for every other modifying epithet. The ABOMINABLE thing excites aversion; the DETESTABLE thing, hatred and revulsion; the EXECRABLE thing, indignation and horror. These sentiments are expressed against what is abominable by strong ejaculations, against what is detestable by animadversion and reprobation, and against what is execrable by imprecations and anathe mas. In the ordinary acceptation of these terms, they serve to mark a degree of excess in a very bad thing; abominable expressing less than detestable, and that less than execrable. This gradation is sufficiently illustrated in the following example. Dionysius, the tyrant, having been informed that a very aged woman prayed to the gods every day for his preservation, and wondering that any of his subjects should be so interested for his safety, inquired of this woman respecting the motives of her conduct, to which she replied, "In my infancy I lived under an abominable prince, whose death I desired; but when he perished, he was succeeded by a detestable tyrant worse than himself. I offered up my vows for his death also, which were in like manner answered; but we have since had a worse tyrant than he. This execrable monster is yourself, whose life I have prayed for, lest, if it be possible, you should be succeeded by one even more wicked." The exaggeration conveyed by these expressions has given rise to their abuse in vulgar discourse, where they are often employed indifferently to serve the humor of the speaker. This abominable endeavor to suppress or lessen everything that is praiseworthy is as frequent among the men as among the women. STEELE. Nothing can atone for the want of modesty, without which beauty is ungraceful, and wit detestable. STEELE. All vote to leave that execrable shore, ABOVE, OVER, UPON, BEYOND. WHEN an object is ABOVE another, it exceeds it in height; when it is OVER another, it extends along its superior surface; when it is UPON another, it comes in contact with its superior surface; when it is BEYOND another, it lies at a greater distance. Trees frequently grow above a wall, and sometimes the branches hang over the wall, or rest upon it, but they seldom stretch much beyond it. So when with crackling flames a caldron fries, The bubbling waters from the bottom rise, Above the brim they force their fiery way, Black vapors climb aloft and cloud the day. DRYDEN. Drive headlong from their waxen cells in swarms. The geese fly o'er the barn, the bees in arms DRYDEN. TO ABRIDGE, CURTAIL, CONTRACT. ABRIDGE, in French abréger, Latin abbreviare, is compounded of the intensive syllable ab and breviare, from brevis, short, signifying to make short. CURTAIL, in French courte, short, and tailler, to cut, signifies to diminish in length by cutting. CONTRACT, in Latin contractus, participle of contraho, is compounded of con and traho, signifying to draw close together. By abridging, in the figurative as well as the literal sense, the quantity is dimin ABRIDGMENT ished; by curtailing, the measure or num ber is reduced; by contracting, the com. pass is reduced. Privileges are abridged, pleasures curtailed, and powers contracted. It is ungenerous to abridge the liberty of any one, or curtail him of his advantages, while he makes no improper use of them; otherwise it is advisable, in order to contract his means of doing mischief. 16 ABRUPT I shall lay before my readers an abridgment of some few of their extravagancies, in hopes that a little more to the purpose. they will in time accustom themselves to dream SPECTATOR. Indexes and dictionaries are the compendium of all knowledge. РОРЕ, From hence (as Servius remarks) Virgil took the hint of his Silenus, the subject of whose song amorphoses of Ovid, that among the ancient tiis so exact an epitome of the contents of the Mettles of that eclogue, the Metamorphosis was one. WARBURTON. This would very much abridge the lover's pains in this way of writing a letter, as it would If we had a complete digest of Hindoo and Maenable him to express the most useful and sig-hommedan laws, after the model of Justinian's nificant words with a single touch of the needle. celebrated Pandects, we should rarely be at a loss ADDISON. for principles and rules of law applicable to the SIR W. JONES. I remember several ladies who were once very near seven feet high, that at present want some inches of five: how they came to be thus curtailed I cannot learn. ADDISON. He that rises up early and goes to bed late only to receive addresses is really as much tied and abridged in his freedom as he that waits all that time to present one. SOUTH. God has given no man a body as strong as his appetites; but has corrected the boundlessness of his voluptuous desires, by stinting his strength and contracting his capacities. SOUTH. ABRIDGMENT, COMPENDIUM, EPITOME, DIGEST, SUMMARY, ABSTRACT. THE first four terms are applied to a distinct work, the two latter to parts of a work. An ABRIDGMENT is the reduction of a work into a smaller compass. A COMPENDIUM is a general and concise view of any science, as geography or astronomy. An EPITOME is a compressed view of all the substantial parts of a thing, or, in other words, the whole of any matter brought into a small compass. A DIGEST is any materials digested in order. A SUMMARY comprehends the heads and subdivisions of a work. An ABSTRACT includes a brief but comprehensive view of any particular proceeding. Abridgments often surpass the originals in value when they are made with judgment. Compendiums are fitted for young persons to commit to memory on commencing the study of any science. There is perhaps not a better epitome than that of the Universal History by Bossuet, nor a better digest than that of the laws made by order of Justinian. Systematic writers give occasional summaries of what they have been treating upon. It is necessary to make abstracts of deeds or judicial proceedings. cases before us. As the Theseida, upon which Chaucer's Knight's Tale is founded, is very rarely to be met with, it may not be unpleasing to the reader to see here a short summary of it. TYRWHITT. Though Mr. Halhed performed his part with fidelity, yet the Persian interpreter had supplied him only with a loose, injudicious epitome of the original Sanscrit; in which abstract many essential passages are omitted. SIR W. JONES. Epitome and abstract are taken for other objects, which contain within a small compass the essence of a thing. The face is the epitome of the whole man, and the eyes are, as it were, the epitome of the face. HUGHES. But man the abstract FORD. ABRUPT, RUGGED, ROUGH. ABRUPT, in Latin abruptus, participle of abrumpo, to break off, signifies the state of being broken off. RUGGED, in Saxon hrugge, comes from the Latin rugosus, full of wrinkles. ROUGH is in Saxon reoh, high German rauh, low German rug, Dutch ruig, in Latin rudis, uneven. These words mark different degrees of unevenness. What is abrupt has greater cavities and protuberances than what is rugged; what is rugged has greater irregularities than what is rough. In the natural sense abrupt is opposed to what is unbroken, rugged to what is even, and rough to what is smooth. A precipice is abrupt, a path is rugged, a plank is rough. The abruptness of a body is generally occasioned by a violent concussion and separation of its parts; ruggedness arises from natural, but less violent causes; roughness is mostly a natural property, although sometimes produced by friction. ABSCOND The precipice abrupt Projecting horror on the blackened flood, Softens at thy return. THOMSON'S SUMMER. The evils of this life appear like rocks and precipices, rugged and barren at a distance; but at our nearer approach we find them little fruitful spots. SPECTATOR. The common, overgrown with fern, and rough Not the rough whirlwind, that deforms FRANCIS. In the figurative or extended application, the distinction is equally clear. Words and manners are abrupt when they are sudden and unconnected; the temper is rugged which is exposed to frequent ebullitions of angry humor; actions are rough when performed with violence and incaution. An abrupt behavior is the consequence of an agitated mind; a rug ged disposition is inherent in the character; a rough deportment arises from an undisciplined state of feeling. An habitual steadiness and coolness of reflec tion is best fitted to prevent or correct any abruptness of manners; a cultivation of the Christian temper cannot fail of smoothing down all ruggedness of humor; an intercourse with polished society will inevitably refine down all roughness of behavior. Dishonest men abscond, thieves steal away when they dread detection, and fugitives secrete themselves. Those who abscond will have frequent occasion to steal away, and still more frequent occasion to secrete themselves. ABSENT, ABSTRACTED, ABSTRACT, DIVERTED, DISTRACTED. ABSENT, in French absent, Latin absens, comes from ab, from, and sum, to be, signifying away or at a distance from all objects. ABSTRACTED, or ABSTRACT, in French abstrait, Latin abstractus, participle of abstraho, or ab, from, and traho, to draw, signifies drawn or separated from all objects. DIVERTED, in French divertir, Latin diverto, compounded of di or dis, asunder, and verto, to turn, signifies turned aside from the object that is present. DISTRACTED, of course, implies drawn asunder by different objects. A want of proper attention is implied in all these terms, but in different degrees and under different circumstances. Ab sence of mind is either a state or a habit; a man may be occasionally absent. I have hardly seen a line from any of these gentlemen, but spoke them as absent from what they were doing, as they profess they are when they come into company. SPECTATOR. Or a man may contract an habitual absence, either from profound study, or from any other less commendable cause. Nothing is so incompatible with politeness as any trick of absence of mind. EARL OF CHATHAM. Abstraction denotes a state, and, for the most part, a temporary state. He would begin the ceremony again, and having gone through it, break from his abstraction, walk briskly on, and join his companions. BOSWELL. The term absent simply implies not present with one's mind, not observant of present objects, but it does not necessarily imply thinking on anything; a man may be absent who is thinking on nothing. Theophrastus called one who barely rehearsed his speech, with his eyes fixed, an "absent actor." HUGHES. Abstracted, on the other hand, denotes a deep thought on something not present. Abstract may in poetry be used in the sense of abstracted. Abstract as in a trance, methought I saw, Though sleeping, where I lay, and saw the shape, Still glorious, before whom awake I stood. MILTON. Absent and abstracted denote an exclusion of present objects; diverted and distracted, a misapplied attention to present objects, or to such objects as do not demand attention. An absent man never has his body and mind in the same place; the abstracted man is lost in thinking; a man who is easily diverted seeks to take an interest in every passing object; a distracted man is unable to think properly on anything: it may be good to be sometimes diverted. The mind is refrigerated by interruption; the thoughts are diverted from the principal subject; the reader is weary he knows not why. JOHNSON'S PREFACE TO SHAKSPEARE. It is bad at any time to be distracted, particularly when it arises from passion. He used to rave for his Marianne, and call upon her in his distracted fits. ADDISON. TO ABSOLVE, ACQUIT. ABSOLVE, in Latin absolvo, is compounded of ab, from, and solvo, to loose, signifying to loose from that with which one is bound. ACQUIT, in French acquitter, is compounded of the intensive syllable ac or ad, and quit, quitter, in Latin quietus, quiet, signifying to make easy by the removal of a charge. 18 ABSOLUTE there that can patiently bear contempt from one whom he has relieved and supported? JOHNSON. TO ABSOLVE, ACQUIT, CLEAR. ABSOLVE in this case, as distinguished from the former article (v. To absolve), is extended to all matters affecting the Conscience generally. ACQUIT (v. To absolve, acquit) and CLEAR, in the sense of making clear or free from, are applied to everything which may call for blame, or the imputation of what is not right. A person may be absolved from his oath, acquitted or pronounced quit of every charge, and cleared from every imputation. Compell'd by threats to take that bloody oath And the act ill, I am absole'd by both. WALLER. Those who are truly learned will acquit me in this point, in which I have been so far from offending, that I have been scrupulous perhaps to a fault in quoting the authors of several passages which I might have made my own. ADDISON. He set himself with very great zeal to clear the Romish church of idolatry. BURNET. ABSOLUTE, DESPOTIC, ARBITRARY, ABSOLUTE, in Latin absolutus, participle of absolvo, signifies absolved or set at liberty from all restraint as it regards persons; unconditional, unlimited, as it regards things. DESPOTIC, from despot, in Greek dɛomórŋ, a master or lord, implies being like a lord, uncontrolled. ARBITRARY, in French arbitraire, from the Latin arbitrium, will, implies belonging to the will of one independent of that of others. TYRANNICAL signifies being like a tyrant. These terms imply the setting free from guilt or its consequences. Absolving may Absolute power is independent of and sometimes be applied to offences against superior to all other power: an absolute the laws of man, but more frequently to monarch is uncontrolled not only by men, offences against God; acquitting applies but things; he is above all law except solely to offences against man. The what emanates from himself. When this conscience is released by absolution; the absolute power is assigned to any one acbody, goods, or reputation are set free by cording to the constitution of a governan acquittal. ment, it is despotic. Despotic power is therefore something less than absolute power: a prince is absolute of himself; he is despotic by the consent of others. In the early ages of society monarchs were absolute, and among the Eastern nations they still retain the absolute form of government, though much limited by es Yet to be secret, makes not sin the less; DRYDEN. The fault of Mr. Savage was rather negligence than ingratitude; but Sir Richard Steele must likewise be acquitted of severity; for who is |