7.  Melancthon says, “Grammatica est certa loquendi ac scribendi ratio, Latinis Latine.”  Vossius, “Ars bene loquendi eoque et scribendi, atque id Latinis Latine.”  Dr. Prat, “Grammatica est recte loquendi atque scribendi ars.” Ruddiman also, in his Institutes of Latin Grammar, reversed the terms writing and speaking, and defined grammar, “ars rece loquendi scribendique;” and, either from mere imitation, or from the general observation that speech precedes writing, this arrangement of the words has been followed by most modern grammarians.  Dr. Lowth embraces both terms in a more general one, and says, “Grammar is the art of rightly expressing our thoughts by words.”  It is, however, the province of grammar, to guide us not merely in the expression of our own thoughts, but also in our apprehension of the thoughts, and our interpretation of the words, of others.  Hence, Perizonius, in commenting upon Sanctius’s imperfect definition, “Grammatica est ars recte loquendi,” not improperly asks, “et quidni intelligendi et explicandi?” “and why not also of understanding and explaining?” Hence, too, the art of reading is virtually a part of grammar; for it is but the art of understanding and speaking correctly that which we have before us on paper.  And Nugent has accordingly given us the following definition:  “Grammar is the art of reading, speaking, and writing a language by rules.”—­Introduction to Dict., p. xii.[1]

8.  The word recte, rightly, truly, correctly, which occurs in most of the foregoing Latin definitions, is censured by the learned Richard Johnson, in his Grammatical Commentaries, on account of the vagueness of its meaning.  He says, it is not only ambiguous by reason of its different uses in the Latin classics, but destitute of any signification proper to grammar.  But even if this be true as regards its earlier application, it may well be questioned, whether by frequency of use it has not acquired a signification which makes it proper at the present time.  The English word correctly seems to be less liable to such an objection; and either this brief term, or some other of like import, (as, “with correctness”—­“with propriety,”) is still usually employed to tell what grammar is.  But can a boy learn by such means what it is, to speak and write grammatically?  In one sense, he can; and in an other, he cannot.  He may derive, from any of these terms, some idea of grammar as distinguished from other arts; but no simple definition of this, or of any other art, can communicate to him that learns it, the skill of an artist.