2040. Critics understand nothing more than others do, who are not critics
Several times I have been shown that critics, or those who had been very skilled in some Language, such as Hebrew, and even those who had composed lexicons, and translators of Moses and the prophets, understood much less than those who had not been critics. For the concentrated study of words brings with it a distraction of the mind from the context, and a dwelling on the words. And when they had gotten hold of a certain meaning of a given word, they seized upon it, disregarding the context, which they were nevertheless able to manipulate and force to conform. This they are accustomed to do in a thousand ways, once they have set the literal meaning. This has been proven to me by actual experience. 1748, 22 May.
2040. THAT CRITICS KNOW NOTHING IN COMPARISON WITH OTHERS WHO ARE NOT CRITICS.
It has often been shown me that critics, or those most skilled in languages, as the Hebrew, for instance, yea, even those who have constructed lexicons, and been translators of Moses and the prophets, were much less intelligent than those who were not critics; for the weighing of words has the effect of distracting the mind by the various senses assigned, causing it to adhere in bare words; and when such critics have seized upon any particular signification of a word, they hold on to it wholly regardless of the genuine sense, which they impel hither and thither, and urge with violence, in order to make it coincide [with their views]; which, when once the signification of a word is assumed, they are enabled to do in a thousand ways. All this was shown me by a living experience. - 1748, May 22.
2040. Quod critici nihil intelligant prae aliis qui non critici sunt
Aliquoties mihi ostensum est, quod critici, seu qui gnarissimi fuerunt Linguae alicujus, ut Hebraicae, imo qui lexica concinnarunt, et translatores Mosis et prophetarum, multo minus intellexerint quam qui non critici fuerunt-nam 1
verborum inspectio id secum habet, ut distrahatur mens a sensibus, et haereat in verbis-et 2
cum aliquam significationem alicujus verbi arripuerint, eam arripuerint, nihil solliciti de sensu, quem usque impellere potuerunt, et vi urgere, ut coincidat, quod posita significatione literae mille modis facere solent, haec per vivam experientiam mihi ostensa sunt. 1748, 22 Maj.
Footnotes:
1. The Manuscript has fuerunt; nam
2. The Manuscript has verbis, et