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Ir we eonfider lhe drdls \Vhieh lhefe 111'0 dilfcrenl
chu . lIm of language mufi nalurally produce upon lhe
people \\Iho employ lhem, we \ViII foon perCClrc, Ihal lh e
usof Ihe .n" lcgcullangu~ge is mueh moref,..ourable
for Ihe moO cngaglOg purpores of li(e, lhe civilizing lhe
human mind by mUlual inlcrcourfe of lhoughl, Ihan Ihe
Iranfp.jiliue, Foras il is chiefly by lheufe oUpeeeh Ihal
man is raifed aboye lhe brule crmioo ;-as il " by Ihis
me~ns he improres every f>cuhy of his mind , and, 10
the obfervations whieh he may himfclf haye made, h.s
Ihe addilion.1 ad"anllge o( Ihe experienee of Ihofe \Vilh
whonl he may eonverfe, as \\Iell .s d,c KnolVledge ",hieh
lhe hunlan h.O( aequireJ byaceumulaledexperieocc
of all pr~cedinE ases¡- .s il il byIheenlivenins Slow of
converf'liontlw kindredfouls caleh fire fromoneanolher,
lhal lhough l produces lhoughl, and each improves upoo
lhe olher, lill lhey foar beyonu lhe bounds which hu.
man mfon, if lefe alone, eou!J ever have afpired lO ;–
we mufi furely conlider Ihal language as lh. moll bene·
ha al to fociel1, ",hich mofi (lfollually remoYeS Ihefe
ban Ihal obfirull ilS progrefs. No"" lhe genius o( Ihe
"n./~g,ul lantuages js fo eafy, fofimplc and plain, aSlo be
lI'ithin Ihem ch of every one who is boro in Ihe kioguom
where il is afed, lO fpeak il IVilh f. cililY; eyeo lhe
rudell amoog lhe vulgar cao hardly fall inlo any gramo
rnatical errors : where.s, in lhe Iranfp'¡;liue languages,
fo many rule' are necelfary lO be anendcd lO, and fo
much vuialioo is produced io lhe meanio~ by Ihe flighl'
~fi vanations in.lhe found, lhal il requires a nudy fa r a·
bove lbe reach of lhe illilerale mechanic ever 10 atlain.
So lhal, how perfeét foever lhe language may be wheo
fpoken Wilh purily, !he bulk of Ihe nafrOOmufi ever la·
bour under Ihe incoorenience of rudenefs and inacurraey
of fpeecb, and all !be evils wbieh lhis nalurally pro·
duccs.- Accordingly we fiod, Ih1l iD Rome, a man,
cveo in lhe higbefl rank, received l! mueh honour, aod
1I'l! as much dillioguifhed among his equ 1, for beinc
able 10 coorerfe wi¡h eafe, as a modero autllor would be
forwriling in an cafyaod cleganl nyle; and Czfaramoog
his colemporarics IIIIS l! much eneemed for his fuperier.
i¡y in fpeaking .the laoguase in ordioary eonverfatioo
",ilh eafe aod elegance, as for his powers of oralory,
.his /kili in arms, or bisc.~cclleoee inliltrarycompofilioo,
It is needlefs 10 poinl OUl Ihe many inconveniences Ihu
!his behoved 10 produce io a fim . h is fufficieOl 10 ob·
fene, lhal il nalurallyeeods 10 iotroduce a ,andifiin(lioo
belween Ibe diffcrenl orden of meo i 10fel an impenm¡,.
ble barrier bel~'eeo thofe boro io a high and lhofe boro
iDa lowfi'lion; lO kcep Ihe \alter iDignorance and bar·
bariey, ~hile il c\eu¡es !he former 10 fuch a heighl n
mun fu~jea lhe olher10be eaGly Icd by e.ery popular de·
magogue.-\Io111 fl! ehe hiRaryof lhe naeiOM wbo hare
{ollowedth'SJ DIO " of bnguage confinILS lhil obfe" ation,
every one is Id l 10 jndge for himfclf.
Having lhus confidered LUGU'Cl in geoen!, and
poinleJ OUl Ihe geniul aad lendency of ehe 1"'0 moR drf·
linguifhcd 1D101" which haYe preuiled ¡ we O,all clo(e
Ihefe rcrnarKI " irh a fewobferu¡ioos uponthe panicular
natureand ~enius of Ihofe laaguages 'bich are no chicOy
Jludied or fpo (O in Europe.
Of all lbe DllioOI ..bofe meIDor)' binory bu lUof·
1. A N
miued eo UI, none have been fa (mioenlly dininguifhcd
for Ihdr lilerary accompliOlmen" , al well .. acquilnn ncc
wil h Ihe polile am, as lhe Grerks; nor are we l! yel
¡rquainle" " ilh a laoRuage poO'clfed' of (o many advan·
l>~", \Vilh fa feIV dcftéh, l! lhal which lheyufed, anJ
whirh eoncinues nill eo be known by lheir naOle,- The
nmlf.,y connc(lioo belween Ihe pru~refs of knowledge
anJ Ihe impro.emenl of language has been alrcadyex.
plained; fo Ihat il will nOl be furprifiog 10 fiod Iheir pro–
~refs in lhe Dile keep pace Wilh ehaeof lhe olher : blJt
il will be of ulilily 10 poinl OUI fome aJ raotages whieh
Ihal difii nguifhed people polfdled, which olher naliool,
perhaps oOllefsdifiingniOltd for \lleon or nne, have nOl
enjoyed, which haseontribuled10 render lheir languageIhe
mon uoiverfally adntired in aneienll! well as io modern
limes.
As il is probable, lhae maay dilTcrcnl focielies of
men, in Ihe early ages of anliquily, may have (ouod lhem
felm in fileh ci reumnaoees as 10 be obligerllo invenl
a lanAuage 10 Ihemfdvn ; eaeh would nalurally adopl
!hofe founds inlo lheir laoguage which ehanee mighl (ug.
gell, or were mofi a~CCl ble lO lheir pereeplioo of har.
O1ony, or mon confonanl 10 ¡he dtfpofilion of mind of
lhe original invcnlors ; in lhe fame manner as we ll~
lhal eaeh compofer of mufic has a panicular (pecíel of
{ounds of which he ;, fonder tllln any olher, whieh wiU
predorninllC Ihroughall his compofitions, and give Ihem I
cmain charaélerilliceooe bywhiehlheymay be difii nguifh.
ed from Ihal of Dlher campufers :-So lhe bnguage of
eaeh parueularfclof people '.ouldhave originallyaccruin
chmélerilltc loneof harmony, which lIIoulrl diflioguifh il
from .11 olhm; and 10 be more od efs pu(ell,
according 10 lhe gremr or lefs degree of lhal dclime
fenfe of harmony, dininguilhed by Ihe name of lafll,
whieh Ihefe original iavenlon were polfelfcd of. Thefe
(eunds, Ihen, being ooceeOabliOledby eu!lom, lIIould be·
come familiar 10 lhe m of lhe defceodcolI of lhefe par·
licular lnbes : new lIIords would be in'enled al know·
ledge incrcafed ¡ bUl lhefe beho,ed 10 be modulmd fo
as 10 be agrceablc 10 lhe generAlleoor of lheir language,
(rom lhe neceflily of making il coofonanl as well 10 lhe
orgaos of heanng al Ihe orgaos of fpeech.- Henccíl
happens, lhat lhe chm(lerifiie eonel of a langulge are
jlrefervcd mueh longer wilhoue ..nation lh,o aay olher
particular rclating 10 il ¡ and if il cbaoge al all, Ihe
chaoge mun be flowand jmrerceplible, Kno",lcdgeaflu
lhis m¡yincrcafe ;-laOe Ola, be ¡- jI may be
perceived Ihal Ihe language il nOI Gorious enougb 10 eX'
pre(s lhe ideas, or harmonicol cnough eo picafe Ihe ear
of lhe compofer ¡-he may rcadily innol words eo (up.
ply !he deGcieoey io Ihal refpell ; bUI lhe {uunds iD 1
grUl metfure rema;n wilhoUl lllt re¡eh of his power,
and he mon ren (ali,iKd \l ilh lhe(e, fuch al lhey m,
11 ílhoul allemptjng ionoYalioDl.- -HapPYlberefore, in
Ihis rcfpeél, mllR we dccm lhofe nallDU, ",ho(e carhen
ancen.o" have been fo (olluna!e lIlO ,dopl nounharmoni·
0111 fOlllldl iOlO lheir language, ..hm hy ehey JI( fmdftom
one bar 10 Ihe cuhíflung Ihofe rcfiocd pIe or híeh
procecd fro01 lhe ufe of a delicm l4ilc, _hieh olhm
may perhaps O<fer be ablc 10 (ormoucl :-ar.d In Ihis "–
~ él DO oalÍoD \l'al mr fo CrlI!DnlUy dlllin UtlhlJ al
Ihe