\ATHANIEL PAER WILLIS was one of the most popular writers of thc i)1 period from 1828 to 1860, but from the Civil War until the present d;ay his reputation appears to have declined so that it is not surprising to find that scant attention has been paid to him in our linguistic researches. He was praised and condemned by the critics for his pretentiousness, his mutilation of the English language, and lais kind of philosophy which completely disdained the future for the contemporary life. rhe Cambridge History of American Liternture has this to say about Willis: 'Striving to be original at all costs, he first embellished, then later mutilated the English language, sticking it full of foreign phrases, coined words, and oddities of diction culled from all times and localities. If these things seem intolerable when compared to the sure classic perfection of Irving's style, we must remember that fluidity is essential to the innovator. Willis followed no tradition, good or bad.'1 I wish to make it possible for the reader to understand this mutilation of language with whicll Willis has been charged, by presenting whatever remarks of importance that he has made relative to the subject of language. I shall try to do so impartially; it is no concern of 1nine whether he was the great writer some claimed him to be or just a grand failure, as that can have no bearing on his contributions to the American language, the immediate object of my research. Before I quote from the writings of \Alillis, however, I wish to point out that H. L. Mencken has seen fit to write about him in his first supplement to The AmJerifan Language.2 Mr. Mencken combines praise with criticism, but I believe that after this article his estimation of \\lillis will be higher. I have selected from his Complete Works a passage in which Willis defends himself against the criticism of his use of words: