6 - Philology

Summary

IN MILTON's “BEST possession,” founded on scripture alone, the words that matter are the words of scripture, the Word itself, normally as given in the Latin of the Protestant Latin Bible. As part of this undertaking, however, particular expressions in Hebrew or Greek or Latin are subjected to philological scrutiny, usually etymology, sometimes grammar. For what purposes—to win what arguments—and how does he deploy his philological expertise?

By grammar, including syntax, I mean the study of form and function in the twists and turns of ancient usage. Although questions of grammar in extinct languages are hard to bring to life, they were passionately discussed until recently by philologists—of the same order as Milton's quarrels with Salmasius over false quantities (mispronunciations) in Latin versification. Perhaps it is the passion itself which can keep these arcana alive. At any rate, the passionate eristic of Milton's deployment makes this chapter's subject.

Thus it is for etymology in particular. The name etymology means “true account” or “truth about a word,” which originally meant its origins (as far as recoverable), then derivation (metaphor from rivers, rivus being Latin for a stream). So, if you know the linguistic history or componentry of a word, you may think you can pontificate about its idea, or narrow its applications, because you know the origin. Such conduct of inquiry tends to ignore units larger than the individual word, like phrases and clauses, and to narrow the sense of complex words unacceptably. Still, it happens. It happens when in the course of argument we wish to insist or to redirect. If I said, “abrupt must mean something is broken off, because it comes from Latin abrumpere, to break off,” I would be arguing for the sake of truth in the form of historicity, no great issues, only a piffling pedantic phialetheia. But if I said to a domineering Pantisocrat that Pantisocrats do, or ought to, be “equal in everything,” he or she would smell trouble. Must all Senators be senes, old men?

The examples of Milton's philology in action are chosen to illustrate his diverse, local purposes. They are shown, mostly, in order of occurrence. They range from negative to positive and from simplicity to tortuosity, these qualities often measurable by length or by stylistic shrillness.