their indignation, when they find the name of Junius thus degraded
by a disadvantageous comparison; but whatever reverence is due to
his diligence, or his attainments, it can be no criminal degree of
censoriousness to charge that etymologist with want of judgment,
who can seriously derive dream from drama, because life is a drama,
and a drama is a dream? and who declares with a tone of defiance,
that no man can fail to derive moan from [in greek], monos, single
or solitary, who considers that grief naturally loves to be alone.
[Footnote: That I may not appear to have spoken too irreverently of
Junius, I have here subjoined a few Specimens of his etymological
extravagance.

BANISH. religare, ex banno vel territorio exigere, in exilium
agere. G. bannir. It. bandire, bandeggiare. H. bandir. B. bannen.
AEvi medii s criptores bannire dicebant. V. Spelm. in Bannum & in
Banleuga. Quoniam vero regionum urbiumq; limites arduis plerumq;
montibus, altis fluminibus, longis deniq; flexuosisq; angustissimarum
viarum anfractibus includebantur, fieri potest id genus limites ban
did ab eo quod [word in Greek] & [word in Greek] Tarentinis olim,
sicuti tradit Hesychius, vocabantur [words in Greek], "obliquae
ac minime in rectum tendentes viae." Ac fortasse quoque huc facit
quod [word in Greek], eodem Hesychio teste, dicebant [words in
greek] montes arduos.

EMPTY, emtie, vacuus, inanis. A. S. AEmtiz. Nescio an sint ab [word
in Greek] vel [word in Greek]. Vomo, evomo, vomitu evacuo. Videtur
interim etymologiam hanc non obscure firmare codex Rush. Mat. xii.
22. ubi antique scriptum invenimus [unknown language]. "Invenit
cam vacantem."