1000000030

.Lo

A N

lhe f.lke oflinking his.lines logelher, Ihe

judi~iou!

a(lor

flods more dillieuhy in defiroyiog lh. apremnee or lhal

nt~,rUI

e, aod preveoliog lhe clinking or lhe rhimes, IhAn

in .l1 lhe reH of his wlk.--Arler Ihis lI'e will nOI be

furplircd 10 fiod Vullaire attempl ao epic poem in Ihis

fFecies of pomy ; allhough Ihe more judieious Fene·

loo in his

'TrlollaVlie

had fl,ewn 10 his

eou~trymcn

Ihe

only fpecies of poefy which Iheir laoguage could ,dmil of

for aoy potm ",hich arpired 101he digoilY of the epic

Ilrain.--Marlam DeCpoulim, in her

l1rl/ie,

has fll twn

Ihe UIOlOn eXleol of harmor.y 10 whieh Ihei

langu.ge

c.o atraio in rmal1er

r~eOls

:- iodeed in Ihe teoderncfs of

ele~y,

or Ihe gaiet)' of a fong, it may fu eeeed; but

il is ro deOilule of force aod eoergy, Ihae iteao oever he

able to reaeh the Piodarie, or eveo perhaps the Lyric

nraio,-as the inetle(lual effores eveo of Ihe harmooions

Rodfeau, ioh's mofl'lion of the P[alms of David oflhis

!Iamp, may fully eonvinee us.

\Vilh regard 10 its power inolherfpeeies of conlpofilion,

the [enleoeious rapidily of Vollaire, and the more oer·

"ous dignilY of Routreau, af!'ord us no [mall preCumplion,

that, in a flúlful haod, it might aequire fo much force, as

to tranfmil to fUlurityhiflorital

(.(ls

io aOyle 001ahoge–

ther unworthy of the fubjca -lo anempls at pathetic

declamation, the fuperior ahiliei., of che compofer may

perhaps of' fom e oecafions excite a great idea, but this

is ever cramped by the geniusof thelaoguage : and altho'

no nation in Europe can boa(l o( fo many orations where

this grandeur is attempeed; yet perhaps there are few who

caoooe produce more perfeét, althougb nOI more laboured,

compofilioos o( this kind .

But ootwith(landiog the French laoguage labours uo·

der all thefe

incoo~eoiences

;- although ie can oeither

equal the di¡;oity or genuioe politeoers o( the Spanifh,

!he

ner~ous

boldoers of the Englifh, nor the melting

[o(coefs o( the Italian ;-allhough it i! de(\itute of poelic

harmony,

and.fo

much cramped !n found as to be abfo·

lutely uo6t for almo{l every fpecres of mufical compofi.

tiOD· ;- yet the fprightly genius of thae volatile people

has beeo able eo furmoune all !hefe difficulties, and ren·

der it the laftguage moO generally elleemed, aDd mo{l

uoiverfally fpoken, of any in Europe : for this people,

naturallygay aDd loquacious, and food to excefs o( thofe

fuper6eial accomplifhments Ikhieh engage the attention o(

!he (air fex, have invente<tfuch an in6nilY o( words

c~pable

o( exprelling ngue and

unm~~ning

complimeot,

now dignified by the name of

pq/ileneji,

thae, in this

IIrain, ene who ufes the French can oever be ae a lofs ;

VOL .

Numb.

63.

L A

and as il is cafy to eúnverre

/IIOff,

and really f.y

'rji,

this than any olher I.nguage, a

m~n

of vcry modcra:e

talenls

m~y

JIOinguifn h,mfelf mllch moro! by ufing thi,

than any olher thal h"s cver

betn ir,vell:ed.-On

tllIS

aceount, il is pecllliarly IVeli

ad~ptcd

for Ihat fpecíes of

converr"ion w"ieh mur! ever

t~kc

place in IhGre g('ncJa I

and proOlircuous companies, where m2ny I,erfons of boll,

fexes are mel logether (or the pu, pof.'oof rdaxalion or

amufemenl; and muO úf eoude be o"urAlly RdOlitl(¡1

into the eúurts or princes, aod alremhlics of gre"t pero

fonage!; vho, h.,'ing (cwer equal! with whom lhey Cltl

aO'ociate, are more under a nceeflily of t'onvt,fing with

Orangers, in IVhofe eompaoy lhe lender r!imulus of

I<nd·

fltip does nOI fo ndlur.lly e'par,tI Ihe hcart to l1Iulu.1

truO or unreflrained confidenee. In t"fre eircuOlnaneel,

as the heart rcmainelh difengaged, eOllvcrf.uion mu(l nc·

cetra,ily flag; and mankinJ in Ihis filu.tion II'dl gl2dly

adopt Ihat laoguage in wlllch they can converf: moll

eafilywi lhout

bcin~

deeply inttrenl

d-On~

Ihereaecwnts

the Freneh nolV is, and probalJly will continue 10 be

reckoned Ihe moO polile langu'ge in Europe, and there:

(ore the moO generally Ourued and knoll'n : nor fhoulJ

IVe envy them this Jir!inaion, if our eount rymeo \VoulJ

not weakeo and enervate their own

m~nly

language, by

adopting too [1lany of their IInmeaning phrafes.

The En&lifh is perhaps potretred of a grwer cegree of

excellenee, blended wilh a gre"er number of de(eéls,

thao any of the langllages that we hare hilheno men·

tioned.-As the peorle of gleal Britain are a bold, da–

ring, aod impetuous raee of men; fubjca to Orong paf.

fi ons, and, from the abfolute frecdom and independence

whicb reigns among all rank9 of people throughou t this hap.

py iOe, liltle folicilllOUS aboutconlroulingthefe pallions;–

our Janguage tdkcs in (IrongeO charaéleriflie dillinélioo

(rom the geniusorIhe ptoplc; and, being bold, daring, and

abrupt, i5 adlllirably well

ad~ptcd

10 expref! thofe great

emotipns whieh (pring up in an intrepid mind at the pro–

fpeél of intcreOing evenl!. l'eeuliRrly h:lppy eoo in Ihe

(ull and open found oflhevowels, \lhich (orlOs Ihe chao

raéleriOic

lone

of the language, and in the Oror,g ufe of

the afpirate H in almoO all Ihofe words Ilhich are ufcJ

as exclanrations, 01' marks of Orong emolions upoo inte·

reOing oceafions, that particular daIs o( words ealled

in·

lerjdlilnJ

have, in our langua&e, more of that fulnefs

and unrdlrained (rcedoO! of tones, in "hieh thei r ehief

power conGlls, and are pufhed fonh (rom the inmoO re·

cetres of Ihe foul in a more foreible and unreOrained mano

ner, than aoy olher language whalever. Hence it is

!11'

• An aUlhor of Jll'eatdi!cemment, and well acquain:ed Wilh the Freneh

Janí:uag~,

has Illtclyma,le Ihe fame renmrl:;

a'hl

as the

loftine(~

hi~

genius often prevents him from bringing down his

ilruflraliun~

10 Ihe level oi' fI,·dinar.y cOllll'rchcl1'

(¡on, he has on

Ihi~,

and manyolher oceafions, becn unjufllyaeeufedIIf btil1H fUI1J of

pllrlJllxc~

...·Bul '" muflc nc,<\, pro–

duces

il~

full elfeH but when Ihe tones it a/rumes are in unir.lIlll'ilh Ihe i.tea lhal Ihe \lorJ, n31111'311,' eni,., il l'¡' nc–

cclli!)' folloll's, Ihat if the

lVord~

of aoy lal1p,ualle do not admil uf Ihal fulneli of '¡,und, nr of Ihal

r¡"

<ies of lomes, "h:(h

the pallion or alfeélionlhaJ may be delcribcd by Ihe words would nalUrally require 10 enile Ihe (""". ide.l il1 Ih< milld of

one who was IInaequainted wilh Ihe languap,e, it wiUhe imponible fllr Ifte mufle

pl'O':lIec i¡, fllll

el~c/I,

'" il Il'ill he

cramped and ennfincd hy Ihe fOllnd of the word, ;..·alld as Ihe Frenrlt

lanl:"ag~

doe, 1"'1 2<1111il t,f ,¡",fe fllll .,nd "I'c"

[ollnds whieh are neecr.ary for pathelic c'l'rcOi"n in IlIlIflr, il mufl o( rllllrle he IIn("

("r

1I",lie.11 ero" 1,,,li'illl1....

1t1'~

indeed, Ihal io mlldern limes, i" ",I,ieh fo lileleallemion i, hellulI'cd on 11,,· li"'l'l< an<ifublin.•

d,,,,,,.' "

I'.IIhoi". '1'1'(

IIj,,",

andafantaHknl línftlillp' nf

Hll0ll'2níng fOlll1dsjs

tallco

¡nuric···wherc tlu:

nlt

(I(!I1t:

wllr<l... :11(' IlIft ;1I

r.I·,I.1",

llll.ln

;'1111

unn~e~lrary

1'('("'li'i"u "f

r.,u·ri~ular

IYllahles,.-..alllanguages

~re

ucarl)'

tI'U

di)' tillc.1 fu,. il, "",1,

",~¡,.,,::

,h,

¡¡.

tlII'

1;:... '"

1, .

nnr

It 10

be '!lJlIllt('tl,

11,11.

Illlhc ea(v g.llclyofa (1I11g, lJII'; bll/fllil"C'

lJ;1

n'rl~·I· t;I~'\I'

'1.1

Ilj:i

tl,l l1lU.J(,¡Il' .

r rcffi.n wl,id'lhat Ij'"ic. of comrof¡¡jun

'""Y

IC'I"i,.c.

'v "