The word _up_ is undoubtedly but a corruption of _top_, or a noun derived from the same root, and this hypothesis is supported by the true theory of language; which is, that rude nations converse mostly by names. _Up myn hed_, is _top mine head_. An improvement of this phrase would be the use of _one_, _ane_ or _an_, to ascertain particular things; _uppone_, _upon_. In the progress of language, these words would be contracted into _on_, which we denominate a preposition. I am very sensible that Chaucer used _on_ in the manner mentioned by Lowth; _on live_ for _alive_; _on hunting_; _on hawking_; which would seem to warrant the supposition of that writer, that _a_ is a contraction of _on_, considering _on_ originally as a preposition. But it is contrary to all just ideas of language to allow such a primitive part of speech. On the other hand, Chaucer uses _on_ for other purposes, which cannot be explained on Lowth's hypothesis. "His brede, his ale, was alway _after on_." Cant. Tales, 343. So also in line 1783. In this example _on_ is allowed on all hands to be a contraction of _one_; _after one_ (way, manner) that is, _alike_, or in the same manner. "They were _at on_;" line 4195. They were _at one_; that is, together or agreed. "Ever _in on_;" line 1773, and 3878; ever _in one_ (way, course, &c.) that is, _continually_. If therefore we suppose _on_ to be merely a corruption of _one_, we can easily explain all its uses. _On hunting_, or contractedly, _a hunting_, is _one hunting_. _On live_, _on life_, or _alive_, is merely _one life_. This form of expression is very natural, however childish or improper it may appear to us. It seems very obvious to resolve _ashore_, _abed_, into _on shore_, _on bed_; but even Lowth himself would be puzzled to make us believe that _adry_, _athirst_, came from _on dry_, _on thirst_; and Wallis would find equal difficulty to convince us that they came from _at dry_, _at thirst_. If we suppose _a_ to be a contraction of _one_, or the Saxon _ane_ or _an_, the solution of all these phrases is perfectly easy, and corresponds with Horne's theory of the particles. For if rude nations converse without particles, they must say _go shore_, or _go one shore_; _he is bed_, or _he is one bed_; _he is dry_, or _one dry_; _I am thirst_, or _I am one thirst_. Indeed every person who will attend to the manner of speaking among the American savages, must believe this explanation of the phrases to be probably just. That _on_ was formerly used both as a preposition and an adjective, is acknowleged by the Editor of the British Poets;[103] but its uses in all cases may be easily explained on the single principle before mentioned.