Which of the following best captures Johnson's view of using quotes from pre-restoration writers?

• A. Quotes should be avoided to prevent confusion.
• B. The wells of English undefiled must be consulted.
• C. Only philosophers' quotes should be used.
• D. Quotes should be modernized.

Answer: (B)

Johnson treats older English as a stable, authentic source for the language and its best usage. The phrase wells of English undefiled is his way of saying that the pre-restoration writers provide pure, high-quality English that should be consulted when shaping criticism and prose. So, using quotes from those earlier authors isn't about antiquarianism for its own sake; it’s about drawing on trusted linguistic and stylistic exemplars to keep English from being corrupted by later changes. He wouldn’t advocate avoiding quotes or limiting them to philosophers, and he wouldn’t push to modernize the language of those quotes—the point is to consult and learn from the undefiled wellsprings of English.