men were in ancient times, and some are ftill to be found. It is chiefly by means of language that man is fo far recovered from his fallen ftate, as to be an intellectual creature, not only capable of intellect, but in the actual poffeffion of it; for, that man is fallen from a higher ftate, I hold to be a truth of philofophy, as well as of religion, and will fhew it to be fo, if I fhall live to finish the great work I have begun, THE HISTORY AND PHILOSOPHY OF MAN.

OF THE

ORIGIN AND PROGRESS

O F

LANGUAGE.

VOL. IV. BOOK I.

Of the different Excellencies and Defects of different Languages.

Α

A

INTRODUCTION.

S there can be no work of art perfect, of which the materials are not of the best kind, and language being the materials whereof ftyle is composed, it may not be an improper fupplement to VOL. IV. Α

what I have written on the fubject of Stile, to present to the reader a comparative view of fome languages, both antient and modern, in point of beauty and excellence, from whence he will be able to judge in what language, and for what reafons, the best composition, both in speaking and writing, may be made. He will alfo perceive how far in the rude and more imperfect languages the compofition may be improved by imitation of languages more perfect.

Before I fpeak of particular languages, I will lay down the general and abstract principles by which we are to judge of the excellency of language, and then I will apply these principles to fome particular languages.

Language being the expreffion of the ideas. of the human mind by articulate founds or words, it will be fully confidered under two general heads, the found of thefe words, and the fenfe of them; or, to exprefs it in philofophical language, the ma

terial and the formal part *. I will begin with the firft.

* See this philofophical divifion of language explained in Vol. i. of this Work, page. 8. fecond edition, and Vol. ii. p. 23.

СНАР.. I.

No beauty in any art without variety.There muft, therefore, in a perfect language, be a great variety of founds.—The variety of the found in the termination particularly to be attended to.-Defect of the antient Perfian language in this reSpect.-Defect of the languages of the South Sea in point of variety of found.—A perfect language must be fweet in the found, as well as various, but not too fweet of found.-The barbarous languages defective in this, being too vocal.-The words must not be too short.-The Barbarous languages go to another extreme. -The found of a language much raised by the ufe of diphthongs.-The Barbarous languages defective in this.-The difference of fpirits in pronunciation makes an. agreeable variety.-This the Barbarous languages have.-The quantity of fyllables, or the rhythm, makes another variety.This fome of the Barbarous languages have.