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method, by writing alternately from the right to the left, and the left to the right, which was called boustrophedon, as if the practice was adopted from the manner in which oxen plow the furrows of a field. Of this a curious fpecimen is extant in the Sigoan monument"; and down to the time when Solon, the great lawgiver of Athens, flourifhed, this continued to be the method of writing. In this manner his laws were written. At length the movement of the hand from left to right, being found more convenient and agreeable, the practice of writing in this direction has prevailed not only in England, but in all other countries in Europe*.

III. Characteristic Diftinctions between ancient and modern Languages.

The formation of the modern languages of Europe is intimately connected with the hiftory of the dark ages. The Latin language began to be corrupted in the fifth century, as foon as the Goths and Lombards, both of whom derived their origin from Germany, had gained poffeffion of Italy. From the reign of Theodoric the Oftrogoth, the Italian language began gradually to affume its form and character; and its deviation from the Latin was particularly marked by the ufe of articles inftead of the variations of cafes, and of auxiliary verbs instead of many changes of tenfes.

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See Shuckford's Connexion, vol. i. p. 264, &c. Goguet. v.ji. p. 233.

* Blair, Lecture VII.

In proportion as the Goths made more fuccefsful and extenfive ravages in the Roman empire, their phrafeology was blended with that of their captives, and the coarfe dialect of Provence and Sicily contributed to the compofition of the Italian language. As in the features of the Italian ladies, the curious traveller may now remark a ftriking likeness of the faces engraved on antique gems; fo in the Italian language he may difcover a ftrong refemblance to the original from which it is derived. If it want the ftrength and majesty of the Latin, it inherits that delicacy and melodious flow of expreffion, which never fail to charm 'every reader of taste, in the works of Dante, Ariofto, Petrarch, Taffo, and Metaftafio. Italy maintains this fingular glory with refpect to her literature, that while the early poets and hiftorians of France and England are become in a great measure cbfolete, those of her writers, who flourished fo early as the fourteenth century, are read with the fashionable authors of the prefent times, and share in their popularity and applaufe.

In the fifth century, the Franks, a people of Germany, under the command of Pharamond, invaded France, and conquered its ancient inhabitants. By a mixture of their dialects the French language was formed, which gradually polishing the rude expreffions and uncouth phrafeology obfervable in its firft writers, has acquired in later times a great degree of precifion, delicacy, and elegance, and more perhaps from the eafe with which other

nations

nations adopt French fashions, or the affiduity with which the French introduce them, than its own intrinfic excellence, it has been for fome time allowed to take the precedence of the other languages of Europe.

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Between the languages of Greece and Rome, and those of modern times, a striking difference prevails. The prepofitions of the latter fupply the place of the cafes of the former. Auxiliary verbs are ufed inftead of many of the ancient tenses: thefe forms of expreffion contribute greatly to fimplify modern languages, in point of rudiments and first principles, and confequently render them more eafy to be acquired. Still however they are fubject to faults, which nearly counterbalance their excellence; for they are weaker in expreffion, and lefs agreeable to the ear.

In the claffical languages, great advantage refults from the power of placing words which agree with each other in any part of a fentence moft fuitable to its harmony; and this liberty of pofition arifes from the various terminations of nouns and verbs. In the English language in particular, two words which agree with, or govern each other, require to be placed together, or nearly fo, that is, the adjective muft not be placed far from its fubftantive, or the verb from its nominative cafe; otherwise the phrafe will be unintelligible. Every fcholar is fenfible, that the inverfion of words is one principal fource of beauty in all claffical coinpofitions, and particularly in poetry.

VOL. I.

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Another very remarkable diftinction prevails in Poetry. Thofe effufions of fancy which the moderns exprefs in rhyme, the ancients conveyed in metre. In the claffic authors, the quantity, that is, the length or fhortness of fyllables is fixed, and their various combinations give a pleafing variety to pronunciation, both in profe and verse, and render every word more diftinct and harmonious.

Rhyme is frequently the fource of redundancy and feeblenefs of expreffion; as even among the moft admired writers inftances frequently occur of the fenfe being fo much expanded, as to be on that account much weakened, because the poet is under the neceffity of clofing his couplets with correfponding founds. The translation of Homer by Pope, and of Virgil by Dryden, afford ftriking proofs of the truth of this obfervation. The verbose paffages in many of the finest tragedies of Corneille, Racine, and Voltaire, arife from the fame caufe. In rhyme the fenfe is ufually closed with the first line, or at leaft with the fecond. This produces a tedious uniformity, which is particularly unpleafing to thofe, whofe ears are accuftomed to the varied periods of the claffic authors. Rhyme appears not fo well adapted to grand and long, as to gay and fhort compofitions. Its perpetual repetition 'n the Henriade of Voltaire is tirefome in the ftanzas of the Fairy Queen of Spenfer its recurrence, although ftated and uniform, is more tolera le, because the paufes are

more

more varied but it certainly is of all compofitions beft fuited to the lively turn of an epigram, and the ludicrous descriptions of the mock-heroic. As a proof how little rhyme can contribute to the effential beauties of poetry, thofe perfons are esteemed the beft readers, who pay the leaft regard to its frequent return, and attend only to fuch pauses, as the meaning of an author naturally points out to them.

A wider and more accurate furvey of nature, and a more diligent cultivation of art, by gradually opening new channels of knowledge, have increased the number of words. Hence we find, that the moderns excel the ancients in copioufnefs of language upon many fubjects, of which abundant inftances occur in the terms which exprefs certain animals, plants, metals, earths, amufements, and recreations, various machines, implements, and materials employed in agriculture, navigation, and chemistry. And in feveral branches of fcience, difcoveries have been made, which were entirely unknown in ancient times..

This greater extent and variety of knowledge refult from the operations of the fpirit of enter prize, and the diligent ardour of refearch, which has explored new paths, and improved upon former discoveries. But it may abate the triumph of the moderns to reflect, that much of their fuperior knowledge may be the natural confequence of living in the later ages of the world. Future generations,

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