To in graff
Staff
Diftaff
Whip Staff

Tip ftaff
Quarter ftaff

To quaff

To propagate trees by incifion, v.
A ftick; prop; enfign of office; stanza, f.
The staff used in spinning, f.
The ftaff which moves the rudder, f.
An officer, and his ftaff of juftice, f.
A ftaff of defence, f.

To drink luxuriously; rhymes ftaff, v.
Whiff Puff; blast, s.

Skiff A fmall light boat, f.

Cliff A rock; a steep hill, f.

Bailiff An officer that arrefts; a fteward, f.
Bum-bailiff A bailiff of the meanest kind, s.

To sniff To draw breath audibly up the nofe, v. n.
Tariff A cartel of commerce, f.

Midriff The diaphragm; skirt, f.
Sheriff A county officer, f.

Un der her-iff The deputy of a sheriff, f.
Hyp po griff Aftolfo's horfe in Ariofto, f.
Tiff Liquor; drink; pet, f.

To tiff To be in a pet, v. n.
Caitiff A bafe fellow, f.

Plaintiff One who commences a fuit, f.
Pontiff High prieft; pope, f.

Stiff Rigid; ftubborn; formal, a.
Maf tiff A large fierce dog, a.

Ref tiff Unwilling to ftir; ftubborn; at reft, a.
Of Signifies diftance from; not on, ad.
Scoff An expreffion of fcorn, f.

To doff To put off drefs; to ftrip, v. a.

Buff

A fort of leather made of buffalo's skin, f.
Re buff Denial; quick and fudden refiftance, f.

Blind man's buff A play in which a person is hoodwinked, f.
Cuff A blow with the fift, f.

To cuff To ftrike with the fift, v. a.

Huff Swell of fudden anger, f

To buff To chide; treat with infolence, v. a.

Chuff A blant clown, f.

To luff To keep clofe to wind, v. n.

Bluff Big; furly; bluftering, a.

Muff A warm cover of skin for the hands, f.

Knuff A lout, f.

Snuff Ufelefs excrefcence of a candle; candle's end; perverfe refentment; tobacco powdered, f.

To fnuff To crop; to fcent; to draw breath, v.

Puff Blaft of wind; any thing porous; tool to powder
hair; undeserved praise, f.

To puff To blow; fwell with wind; praife too much, v.
Ruff Linen ornament; a fifh, f.

Scruff A corruption of fcurf, f.

Gruff Sour of aspect or speech, a.

Stuff Any thing; furniture; medicine; texture, f.

Houfébold

Houfébold-ftuff Furniture; utenfils, &c. f.
Kitch'en ftuff Greafe from the dripping pan, &c. f.
If Suppofe that; allowing that, conj.
Waif Goods loft and not claimed, f.
Calif A Mahometan title of honor, f.
Clif A rock; a fleep hill, f.

Coif A woman's head-drefs; a ferjeant's cap, f.
Quoif A cap, f.

To quoif To cap; to drefs with a head-drefs, v. n.
Calf Part of the leg; the young of a cow, f.

Moon calf A monfter; a dolt, f.

Half A moiety; one part in two, f.

Behalf

Favour; vindication, f.

Elf A fairy; a devil, f.

Delf A mine; quarry; earthen ware, f.

Shelf A board to lay things on; a fand bank in the sea;

hard coat of earth under the mould, f.

Pelf Money; riches; food, f.

Self One's own perfon, pro.

Him felf In the nominative he, pro.
Her-felf The female perfonal pronoun.
Our-felf

(In the regal ftyle) myself.

It-felf It and felt, pro.

Thy-felf Belonging to thee only, pro. recip.

My felf I myfelf; not another, f.

Wolf A beaft; an ulcer in the breast, f.

Gulf A large bay; an abyss; a whirlpool, f.

To in-gulf To fwallow up, v. a.

Of Concerning; among, &c, pronounced as if written.

A-bridged-of

Un talk ed of

Un-heard of

To feof

ov, prep.

Deprived of; debarred from, p.
Not mentioned in the world, a.
Unprecedented, a.

To inveft with poffeffion; rhymes leaf, v.
To inveft with poffeffions, v. a.

From this; of this, ad.

To en-feof

Here-of

Hoof

The horny fubftance of a horse, f.

Be-boof

Profit; advantage; what behoves, f.

Roof Cover of a houfe; palate of the mouth, f.

Proof Evidence; teft; rough fheet of print, f.
Proof Impenetrable; able to relift, a.

Re-proof

Blame to the face; reprehenfion, f.

Ap-proof Commendation, f

Dif-proof Confutation; refutation, f,
Woof Threads that cross the

Un-thought of Not regarded, a.

warp, f.

Scarf A loofe covering for the shoulders, f
Wharf A bank or place to land goods, f.

Dwarf A man below the ufual fize, f.

Scurf A dry fcab; an adberent ftain, f.

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·Turf

Turf Clod covered with grafs; horfe course, f.
To turf To cover with turfs, v. n.

Auf A fool, or filly fellow, f.

Cauf A cheft to keep fish alive, f.

Of the index of rhymes, a more deficient extract muft fuffice, for the whole having no more divifions than we have vowels, a complete clafs cannot be expected. A few inftances will explain the method of it:

A B.

Bab, cab, dab, mab, nab, blab, crab, drab, fcab, ftab. Allowable rhymes, babe, aftralabe, &c. A CE.

Ace, dace, pace, face, lace, mace, race, brace, chace, grace, place, Space, trace, apace, deface, efface, difgrace, difplace, misplace, embrace, grimace, interlace, retrace, populace, &c. Perfect rhymes, bafe, caje, abafe, debafe, &c. Allowable rhymes, grafs, glass, &c. peace, ceafe, &c. drefs, lefs, &c.

Falfe eloquence like the prifmatic glass,

Its gaudy colours spreads on ev'ry place.

Pope.

Then gladly turning fought his ancient place,

And pass'd a life of piety and peace.

Parnel.

Garth.

Old mould'ring urns, pale fear, and dark difiress,
Make up the frightful horrors of the place.

ACH.

Attach, detach, &c. Perfect rhymes, batch, match, &c. Allowable rhymes, fetch, wretch, &c.

A CK.

Back, cack, back, jack, lack, pack, quack, tack, fack, rack, black, clack, crack, knack, flack, fnack, flack, track, wrack, attack, zodiac, demoniac, fympofiac, almanac, and many others, which may be feen in the Pronouncing Dictionary. Allowable rhymes, bake, take, &c. neck, Speck, &c.

Thus Pegafus a nearer way to take

May boldly deviate from the common track.

ACT.

Pope.

4, fal, pa, trga, attra, abftra&t, extract, compact, contraƐk, detract, diftract, exact, protract, enact, infract, fubtract, tranfact, cataract, with the preterits and participles of verbs in ack, as back'd, back'd, &c. Allowable rhymes the preterits and participles of verbs in ake, as bak'd, cak'd, &c.

A D.

Add, bad, dad, gad, had, lad, mad, pad, sad, brad, clad, glad, plad, chad, &c. Allowable rhymes, cade, fade, &c. glede, bead, read, &c.

ADE.

Cade, fade, made, jade, lade, rade, blade, glade, fhade, Spade, trade, degrade, evade, diffuade, invade, perfuade, blockade, brigade, ef planade, cavalcade, masquerade, renegade, retrograde, Serenade, ambufcade, cannonade, palifade, &c. Perfect rhymes, aid, maid, braid, afraid, upbraid, &c. and the preterits and participles of verbs in ay, ey, and eigh, as play'd, obey'd, weigh'd, &c. Allow

able rhymes, add, bad, &c. bed, dead, &c. bead, mead, &c. heed, need, &c.

The fun his annual courfe obliquely made,
Good days contracted and enlarg'd the bad.
But that her ancient spirit is decay'd,

Dryden.

That facred wifdom from her bounds is fled. Lyttelton.

In genial spring beneath the quiv'ring fhade

Where cooling vapours breathe along the mead. Pope.

A FE.

Safe, chafe, vouchsafe, &c. Allowable rhymes, leaf, sheaf, &c. deaf, &c. laugh, staff, &c.

And authors think their reputation fafe,

Which lives as long as fools are pleas'd to laugh. Pope. Refpecting the inftances produced of allowable rhymes, it may be hinted that in the republic of letters, no ftamp of reputation extends to the attribute of infallibility. Inattention and defects do not alter their nature though found in a Pope or a Swift; nor will the credit of their names fhelter other writers. Mr. Walker has too much good fenfe to confider this index of rhymes in any other than a fecondary point of view, though our young fucking poetafters may think themfelves much obliged to him for fuch a grand magazine of hitching terminations, which will leave them nothing to do but to fill up the meafure as well as they can. It is indeed an effay toward Dean Swift's ludicrous fcheme for compofing books mechanically by an engine.

N.

ART. IV. Lectures on the Art of Reading. First Part. Containing the Art of reading Profe. By Thomas Sheridan, A. M. Author of "Lectures on Elocution, British Education," &c. 8vo. 5 s. Dodfley, &c. 1775.

IN

N the prefent age, fo much diftinguished by the love of fcience, and the cultivation of the arts, there is little danger that important difcoveries and real improvements will fail of obtaining for their authors a degree of honour and profit proportioned to their value. The difficulty lies in placing them before the eye of the Public with that diftinction and elevation, which fhall preserve them from being overlooked and loft amidst the crowd of inferior fcribblers and compilers. To overcome this difficulty, and engage the attention of his readers, it is fometimes neceffary that an author fhould undertake the painful task of writing his own panegyric.

Mr. Sheridan seems to be in this difagreeable fituation. Conscious of the vast importance of his defign, and the uncommon merit of the execution, and generously apprehenfive left the Public should lofe the benefit of his labours through inattention; after having, no doubt, ftruggled hard with his native modefty,

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defty, he at last prevails upon himself to give the world a juft idea of the nature and utility of his undertaking.

With infinite strength of argument he proves, that the art of reading and fpeaking lies at the foundation of all private and public virtue and happiness; that were this art properly studied and practifed, the education and manners of the fair sex would be greatly improved; the general prevalence of a selfish fpirit would be restrained; benevolence would be cherished and Strengthened; arts would flourish; liberty would be fecured; and the boafted conftitution of Great Britain would be preferved from inevitable deftruction, by reftoring to their due vigour the almost worn out principles of religion. All these pofitions, which to thofe who accuftom themselves to contemplate only the near and obvious relations of things may appear extraordinary, our Author has laboured to establish in a series of dif courfes but the force of his reafoning would fo entirely evapo rate in any abridgment which we are able to give, that we must refer those who are inclined to doubt of the truth of what he advances, to the work itself.

Of this art, which is fo effential to the happiness of mankind, Mr. Sheridan informs the world, that he may, without brafting, claim the credit of being the inventor:' and by a natural confequence, which, though the Author's modefty would not allow him to draw, the Public will not be fo blind and ungrateful as not to difcern and allow, be is entitled to the fit honours and rewards, as the reftorer of arts, liberty, morals, and religion, and the faviour of his country.

The me effectually to fecure to mankind the important benefits of this invention, Mr. Sheridan condefcendingly points out the particular advantages which may be derived from it by those who are by profeffion public fpeakers or teachers of youth. Addreffing the clergy, he tells them, that though they have hitherto not been deferving of blame for the defective manner in which they have acquitted themselves as public speakers (fince, however defirous they might have been to make themselves mafters of the art of fpeaking, the means were not in their power, and they had no lights to guide them in their refearches) this excufe will now no longer avail them: for the method of acquitting themselves with propriety, at least, is now fo clearly laid open, that a person of a very moderate capacity may attain it by the application of one month only.' He farther reminds them, that if they neglect to make ufe of these means, their faults will no longer efcape notice, as they will all now be obvious to their hearers; it being probable that this work will be generally read by the laity.' He concludes with a hint to the Right Reverend Bench, that if their Lordships would pitch upon this book as a part of the examination for holy orders-they would

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