Ch.

Pag.

who writes like Salluft.-Such com-
pofitions fill more inexcufable in Greek
than in Latin.

10. The hiftory of Herodotus moft vari-
ous both in matter and file.-The
matter takes in the whole hiftory of
the world, as far as it was known,
before his time.-Yet there is an unity
in his work, fuch as there is in Ho-
mer's poems. He begins his work,
as Homer does, with the cause of
the wars betwixt the Greeks and Bar-
barians, which are the fubject of his
work.-Other things he has introdu-
ced as epifodes.-Of the truth of the
facts in Herodotus.-Thefe not cre-
dible to a man, who believes that
men have always been the fame in
all
ages and nations.-No lies in He-
rodotus.-Of the variety of his ftile.-
Not poetical, though like the file of
Homer; very much figured, and yet
neither rhetorical nor poetical.-It is
compofed in periods, but not rhetori-
cal periods.-Examples of the periods

395

Ch.

Pag

in Herodotus.-Cicero mistaken in say-
ing, that there are no numbers in
Herodotus. Of the Speeches in He-
rodotus ;-there are but few, but
thefe upon proper occafions;-the mat-
ter of them excellent.-Not many
reflections, nor philofophical and po-
litical obfervations; but these to the
purpofe. One example of them
The dialect, in which he writes,
Ionic. He ufes much the terminations
of the datives plural in that dialect.
-No epithets, fimiles, or picturefque
defcriptions in his ftile, nor any of
the strong figures ufed by Homer.
One figure of Homer, much used by
him, viz. dialogue.-Examples of
Herodotus's dialogue.-His ftile di-
ftinguished in that way from that
of every other hiftorian.-Herodotus
a religious hiftorian.-All hiftorians,
as well as poets of the higher order,
ought to be religious.-Herodotus not
fuperftitious, or over credulous, in
matters of religion,

f

414

ERRATA.

P. 65. 1. 20. and 21.

-231.-26.

-293-18.

For German Profeffor Hoegenville,
Read Dutch Profeffor Hoogeveen.
For for the Greek, Read for the
Greeks.

For in the 10th book, Read in the
9th.

For Epift. 9. Read Epift. 16.

PREFACE.

I

Here present to the public the fourth

volume OF THE ORIGIN AND PROGRESS OF LANGUAGE; and, in order to accomplith my plan, I have promised a fifth. The reader will perceive, that in this and the preceding volumes of this work, and indeed in all that I have written, whether upon the subject of Language or Philofophy, I have made much use of that great art, the greatest of all arts, as Cicero fays, by which we are taught rem univerfam in partes tribuere, latentem definiendo explicare. If therefore the reader be a man, who has never applied to any art or science, or, if he think that he has genius and natural parts fufficient to comprehend àny art or science without fuch accurate definitions and minute divifions, he needs not give himself the trouble to read this work, or any other that I have published,

g

or fhall publish; for by the ftudy of the ancient philosophy I have got so much into the habit of treating every thing as a fcience, or fyftem, that I can think, speak, or write, of no subject of art or science but in that way. He may therefore amufe himfelf by reading compilements of ancient or modern hiftory, collections of facts of natural hiftory, or fome things upon the fubjects of art or fcience, under the modeft name of Effays; in which the authors think themfelves confined to no order or method, but fet down at a venture fome loofe thoughts that occur to them upon the subject.

Another thing the reader will obferve, that I extol the ancient languages and literature above the modern; and maintain, that the works of the ancients must be our ftandard in the writing art, as well as in fculpture, painting, and architecture. Whoever therefore thinks that

Venimus ad fummum fortunae,

which, as Horace tells us, was the cafe of the Romans under Auguftus Caefar, and