roar; a serpent, to hiss; a fly, to buzz; falling timber, to crash; hail, to rattle.

Q. From the paucity of words, how would the earliest language be pronounced?

A. With more gesticulation, and with more and greater inflexions of voice than we now use. Q. Was this musical and gesticulating system, which belongs to the savage state, retained in the Greek and Roman languages?

A. Yes; to a very high degree. Aristotle considers the music of Tragedy, as one of its chief and most essential parts.

Q Was the case parallel with regard to gestures?

A. Yes. In the reign of Augustus, the fa vourite entertainment of the public was pantomime; which was carried on entirely by mute gesticulation.

Q. What put an end to this?

A. The incursions of the Barbarians, who paid no regard to the pomp of declamation or theatrical action.

Q. What modern people retain, to a great degree, the musical system?

A. The Chinese. They vary each word by five different tones; thus making it signify five different things, which gives an appearance of singing to their speech.

Q. Whence is formed the Prosody of language?

A. From the reduction of the original inflexions of voice to smooth and musical sounds.

Q. What was the original style of language?

A. Exceedingly figurative.

Q. Have we any striking instance of this? A. Yes. In the style of the American Indians, and of the Old Testament.

*

Q. How came language, at an early period, to be extremely metaphorical?

A. The want of proper names for every object, obliged men to use one name for many; but few words also, were invented for expressing moral and intellectual ideas.†

Q. Which was the earliest language, Poetry or Prose ?

A. Poetry.

Q. What was the effect of improvement in language?

A. The destruction of the figurative style, and introduction of one more precise and simple.

Q. Who was the earliest Greek Prose writer?

"We are happy in having buried under ground "the red axe, that has so often been dyed with the "blood of our brethren. Now, in this fort, we inter "the axe, and plant the tree of peace. We plant a "tree, whose top will reach the sun, and its branches "spread abroad, so that it shall be seen afar off. May "its growth never be stifled and choaked; but may it "shade both your country and ours with its leaves !" -Treaty of the Five Nations.

+ la the Old Testament, iniquity is expressed by a spotted garment; misery, by drinking the cup of astonishment; vain pursuits, by feeding on ashes; a sinful life, by a crooked path; prosperity, by the candle of the Lord shining on our head.

A. Pherecydes of Scyros, the master of Pythagoras.

Q. What difference is there between the ancient and modern tongues, in the order in which words are arranged in a sentence?

A. The ancients placed first in a sentence, that word which expressed the principal object of discourse; and afterwards the person The moderns or the thing that acted upon it. place first the person who speaks or acts; next, the action; and lastly, the object of the action. Q. How are we to account for this?

A. In the early period of language, men would labour to make themselves understood, by pointing at the object desired, and expressly naming it, before the action to be done. In asking for fruit, it would be natural to say; "Fruit give me.'

Q. Which arrangement is to be preferred? A. The Latin order is more animated; but the English is more clear and distinct, and answers better, therefore, the great end of speech.

Q. How may the present state of language be compared with the ancient?

:

A. It is more correct and accurate; but less striking and animated less favourable to poetry and oratory; but more to reason and philosophy.

RISE AND PROGRESS OF WRITING.

Q. What may be said of Writing?

A. That, next to speech, it is the most useful art of which men are possessed.

Q. How many sorts of written characters are there?

A. Two. Signs for things; as pictures, hieroglyphics, and symbols: and signs for words; as the alphabetical characters.

Q. What was the first essay towards writing?

A. The formation of Pictures.

Q. Were these perfect records?

A. No. They could delineate external events, but could convey no idea of the dispositions or words of men.

Q. What arose, in process of time, to supply this defect?

A. Hieroglyphical Characters.

Q. How did these differ from Pictures ?

A. Pictures delineated the resemblance of external visible objects. Hieroglyphics painted invisible objects by analogies taken from the invisible world. Ingratitude was denoted by a viper; imprudence, by a fly; wisdom, by an ant; victory, by a hawk; a dutiful child, by a stork.*

* Among the Mexicans, were found some traces of hieroglyphical characters, intermixed with their historical pictures. But Egypt was the country where this sort of writing was most studied, and brought into a

Q. What succeeded these?

A. Among some nations, as the Peruvians, small cords, with knots, as signs of their ideas; among others, as the Chinese, simple marks and characters.

Q. Have not the Chinese an Alphabet?

A. No. They have a character for every thing or object.

QMust not these characters be immensely numerous ?

A. Yes. Above seventy thousand. To read and write them perfectly, is the study of a life. Q. Have we any thing of this kind?

A. Yes. Our arithmetical figures, 1, 2, 3, 4, each of which represents a distinct object; and can be understood by Italians, Spaniards, and French, though they know not our language.

Q. Who invented Letters ?

A. It is unknown. Plato attributes the invention to Theuth, an Egyptian.

Q. How did they pass into Europe?

A. Through Moses, who carried them into Canaan; where they were learned by Cadmus the Phoenician, who carried them into Greece. Q. How many letters did the Alphabet of Cadmus contain?

A. Sixteen.

Q. Can all Alphabets be traced to this?
A. Yes.

regular art. In hieroglyphics was conveyed all the boasted wisdom of their priests.