nophon, Plato, Aristotle, and Demofthenes. They changed letters of a harth and unpleafing found for those which were fofter, and they were remarkable for contracting their words in order to adapt them to the fhort measures of their dramatic poetry.

The Athenians were celebrated for the greateft delicacy of taste. Even the inferior claffes of citizens decided not only upon the fentiments delivered by the public fpeakers, but criticised the purity of their language, and the harmony of their periods. So exquifite was their judgment, as oftentimes to border upon faftidiousness; and the leaft deviation from the eftablifhed rules of propriety offended their ears. As a remarkable inftance of their refinement, we are told that Theophraftus, the author of the Characters, a native of Lefbos, and a difciple of Plato, who gave him his name for the fluency and elegance of his diction, was discovered by one of the common people of Athens to be a ftranger, by his too great accuracy of pronunciation'.

The theory of derivation adopted by Lord Monboddo, the author of "the Origin and Progrefs of Language," according to which all the words of the Greek language are derived from duads of vowels, originated with Hemfterhufius, one of the most eminent scholars of his age. Not only the vowels regu

i Illa Attica anus Theophraftum hominem alioqui difertiffimum, annotata unius affectatione verbi hofpitem dixit: nec alio fe id deprehendiffe, interrogata refpondit, quam quod nimium Atticè loqueretur. Quint. lib. 8. c. 1.

larly

larly taken from A to Y, and ending in N, as aw, sw, iw, vw, are made the bafis of this plan; but the most ancient confonants are either prefixed to them, or inferted between them, fo as to form about a hundred radical verbs. With these, other confonants and vowels were mixed, and varioufly combined; and thus the whole language is fuppofed to have been gradually conftructed and furnifhed with its abùndant ftores of derivative words.

We do not hesitate to acknowledge, that this theory is very ingenious, and deferves the examination of thofe, who wish to inveftigate the origin of languages. The Greek, no doubt, is diftinguished by very ftrong marks of a methodical ftructure. But ought it not to be confidered, whether language, like the government of nations, does not arife out of peculiar circumftances and fitua tions? Is it not probable that neceffity, the invention of arts, and the exercise of various occupations, are its genuine fources? After a people have emerged from a favage ftate, in which all their attention has been employed in procuring the means of fubfift ence, and they have made fome confiderable advances in refinement, they have then leifure to fix the proper standard of their language, to reduce all its parts to order, and complete its artificial form. For its origin, therefore, it can be little indebted to the fyftematic precifion of rules, whatever it may owe to them for its improvement. The ages of

* Origin and Progrefs of Language, vol. ii. p. 540. vol. iv. p. 54. Lennep's Proleg. in Etymologicon, p. 27. and vol. ii. barbarism

barbarism may produce warriors and legiflators but it required a lefs turbulent and more refined ftate of fociety, for grammarians and philologifts to arife, and for works of literature to be compofed, and regulated by their laws.

I. The Characteristics of the Greek Language.

4

Among its numerous beauties, it is deservedly celebrated for fweetnefs, as well as variety of founds, to which our pronunciation is far from doing juftice, from a want of the fame compafs, and modulation of tones. By tranfpofing, altering, and taking away letters, the Greek was foftened, and made more pleafing to the ear. The diphthongs, as well as the open vowels, fwell and elevate the tones, in a manner fuperior to modern languages. The declenfions of nouns, the conjugations of verbs, the changes of dialects, and the number of poetical licences, produce the greateft variety of terminations. Many words are clofed with vowels, and very few with mute confonants, as is the cafe in the Oriental and other languages.

In the works of Homer in particular, the beauty of fingle words, confidered only with respect to found, is remarkable. With confummate skill and tafte, he has made choice of fuch as are rough or fmooth, long or fhort, harmonious or difcordant to the ear, fo as to agree exactly with the nature of

his different fubjects. The names of perfons, rivers, mountains, and countries, are fometimes foft, and fometimes fonorous, and contribute in no small degree to improve the charms of his defcriptions. Homer's Catalogue of the Ships will illuftrate this remark: and if taken in a geographical point of view, it may be confidered as an accurate map of antient Greece highly coloured, and finished by a mafterly hand'.

The works of the beft Greek authors are much to be admired for the skilful arrangement of words, and the beauties of finished compofition. From the accurate diftinctions made by genders and cafes in nouns, and by perfons in verbs, no invariable fituation of words was neceffary; and confequently fuch as were declinable could be placed in any part of a fentence without injury to its fenfe and with great advantage to its rythm. Greek compofitions abound with grand and lofty fentences, confifting of members of various extent, terminating fometimes with one part of speech, and fometimes with another. Hence the ear is conftantly gratified by a variety of paufes, and an harmonious flow of periods; and an emphatical word, like the principal figure in a picture, is placed where it will produce the most striking effect. In poetry this arrangement is ftill more remarkable, as it is accommodated to every different kind of metre. All thefe modifications of ftyle were intro

Iliad, lib. ii. 1. 494, &c.

duced

duced with confummate kill by Homer, and Pindar, Plato, and Demofthenes. Unable as the moderns are to equal thefe beauties, or even to form a complete idea of their nature; yet the judgment and extenfive knowledge poffeffed by the ancient critics, who lived fome ages after the most flourishing era of Grecian literature, amply qualified them for this purpose. Both Dionyfius the Halicarnaffian and Demetrius Phalereus enter into particular and critical difcuffions on the melodious conftruction of Greek fentences, in profe as well as verfe, conduct their obfervations upon regular principles of rythm and metre, and illuftrate them by the examples of the moft eminent authors.

Other characteristic properties of the Greek language will appear by confidering the particles, which connect fentences and members of fentences with each other. They are, indeed, too often regarded by fuperficial readers as redundant, or unmeaning; but when clofely examined, they are found to poffefs particular force, energy, and precifion". The diminutive words give great exactness. and beauty to expreffion, and are calculated to annex to an object fome pleafing idea of tenderness

* Τοῖς παραπληρωματικοῖς συνδέσμοις χρηστον ουχ ως προσθήκαις κεναΐς-καθαπερ παρα Πλατωνι σε Ο μεν δη μεγας ήγεμων εν ερανω Ζεύς.” Και παρ' Όμηρος. « Αλλ' οτε δη” &c. Λαμβανεται δε και εν παθητικοῖς πολλακις ὁ συνδεσμος ετος ώσπερ ετω δε οικονδε”Ει γεν τον συνδεσμον εξελοις, συνεξαίρησεις και το παθος.-Demetrius Phalereus wept Egunvas. See Clarke's Homer's Iliad a. 1. 56. в. 1. 158. E. 858, &c.

or