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<commanded to teach; I have taught myself." The Greek, which is the most perfect of all the known tongues, is very regular and complete in all the tenfes and moods. The Latin is formed on the fame model, but more imperfect; especially in the paffive voice, which forms most of the tenfes by the help of the auxiliary verb, "fum."

In all the modern European tongues, conjugation is very defective. They admit few varieties in the termination of the verb itself; but have almost conftant recourse to their auxiliary verbs, throughout all the moods and tenfes, both active and pa five. Language has undergone a change in conjugation, perfectly fimilar to that, which, I fhowed in the last lecture, it underwent with refpect to declenfion. As prepofitions, prefixed to the noun, fuperfeded the ufe of cafes; fo the two great auxiliary verbs, to have, and to be, with those other auxiliaries which we use in English, do, fhall, will, may, and can, prefixed to the participle, fuperfede, in a great meafure, the different terminations of moods and tenfes, which formed the ancient conjugations.

The alteration, in both cafes, was owing to the fame caufe, and will be easily understood, from reflecting on what was formerly obferved. The auxiliary verbs are, like prepofitions, words of a very general and abstract nature. They imply the different modifications of fimple exiftence, confidered alone, and without reference to any particular thing. In the early ftate of fpeech, the import of them would be incorporated with every particular verb in its tenfes and moods, long before words. were invented for denoting fuch abstract conceptions of existence, alone, and by themfelves. But after thofe auxiliary verbs came, in the progrefs of language, to be invented and known, and to have tenfes and moods given to them like other

verbs; it was found, that as they carried in their nature the force of that affirmation which diftinguishes the verb, they might, by being joined with the participle which gives the meaning of the verb, fupply the place of most of the moods and tenfes. Hence, as the modern tongues began to rife out of the ruins of the ancient, this method established itself in the new formation of speech. Such words, for inftance; as, am, was, have, fhall, being once familiar, it appeared more eafy to apply these to any verb whatever; as, I am loved; I was loved; I have loved; than to remember that variety of terminations which were requifite in conjugating the ancient verbs, amor, amabar, amavi, &c. Two or three varieties only, in the termination of the verb, were retained, as, love, loved, loving; and all the reft were dropt. The confequence, however, of this practice, was the fame as that of abolishing declenfions. It rendered language more fimple and eafy in its structure; but withal, more prolix, and lefs graceful. This finishes all that feemed most neceffary to be obferved with refpect to verbs.

The remaining parts of speech, which are called the indeclinable parts, or that admit of no variations, will not detain us long.

Adverbs are the firft that occur. Thefe form a very numerous clafs of words in every language, reducible, in general, to the head of attributives; as they ferve to modify, or to denote fome circumftance of an action, or of a quality, relative to its time, place, order, degree, and the other properties of it, which we have occafion to specify. They are, for the most part, no more than an abridged mode of fpeech, expreffing, by one word, what might, by a circumlocution, be refolved into two or more words belonging to the other parts of fpeech. "Exceedingly," for inftance, is the fame as," "in a high degree;" "bravely," the fame as,

LECT. IX.

"with bravery or valour ;"" here," the fame as, "in this place ;"" often, and feldom," the fame as," for many, and for few times :" and fo of the reft. Hence, adverbs may be conceived as of less neceffity, and of later introduction into the fyftem of speech, than many other claffes of words; and, accordingly, the great body of them are derived from other words formerly established in the language.

Prepofitions and conjunctions are words more effential to difcourfe than the greatest part of adverbs. They form that class of words, called connectives, without which there could be no language; ferving to exprefs the relations which things bear to one another, their mutual influence, dependencies, and coherence; thereby joining words together into intelligible and fignificant propofitions. Conjunctions are generally employed for connecting fentences, or members of fentences; as, and, because, although, and the like. Prepofitions are employed for connecting words, by fhowing the relation which one fubftantive noun bears to another; as, of, from, to, above, below, &c. Of the force of thefe I had occafion to speak before, when treating of the cafes and declenfions of fubftantive

nouns.

It is abundantly evident, that all these connective particles must be of the greatest ufe in fpeech; feeing they point out the relations and transitions by which the mind paffes from one idea to another. They are the foundation of all reasoning, which is no other thing than the connexion of thoughts. And, therefore, though among barbarous nations, and in the rude uncivilized ages of the world, the ftock of these words might be fmall, it must always have increased, as mankind advanced in the arts of reasoning and reflexion. The more that any nation is improved by fcience, and the more perfect

their language becomes, we may naturally expect, that it will abound more with connective particles ; expreffing relations of things, and tranfitions of thought, which had efcaped a groffer view. Accordingly, no tongue is fo full of them as the Greek, in confequence of the acute and fubtile genius of that refined people. In every language, much of the beauty and strength of it depends on the proper use of conjunctions, prepofitions, and thofe relative pronouns, which alfo ferve the fame purpofe of connecting the different parts of difcourfe. It is the right or wrong management of thefe, which chiefly makes difcourfe appear firm and compacted, or disjointed and loofe; which carries it on in its progrefs with a finooth and even pace, or renders its march irregular and defultory.

I fhall dwell no longer on the general conftruction of language. Allow me, only, before I difmifs the fubject, to obferve, that dry and intricate as it may feem to fome, it is, however, of great importance, and very nearly connected with the philofophy of the human mind. For, if fpeech be the vehicle, or interpreter of the conceptions of our minds, an examination of its ftructure and progrefs cannot but unfold many things concerning the nature and progrefs of our conceptions themselves, and the operations of our faculties; a fubject that is always inftructive to, man. "Nequis," fays Quintilian, an author of excellent judgment, " nequis tanquam parva fastidiat grammatices elementa. Non quia magne fit operæ confonantes a vocalibus difcernere, eafque in femivocalium numerum, muta(6 rumque partiri, fed quia interiora velut facri hujus "adeuntibus, apparebit multa rerum fubtilitas, quæ "non modo acuere ingenia puerilia, fed exercere "altiffimam quoque eruditionem ac fcientiam "poffit." 1. 4.

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* «Let no man despise, as inconfiderable, the elements of

Let us now come nearer to our own language. In this, and the preceding lecture, fome obfervations have already been made on its ftructure. But it is proper that we fhould be a little more particular in the examination of it.

The language which is, at prefent, fpoken throughout Great Britain, is neither the ancient primitive speech of the ifland, nor derived from it; but is altogether of foreign origin. The language of the firit inhabitants of our ifland, beyond doubt, was the Celtic, or Gaelic, common to them with Gaul; from which country, it appears, by many circumstances, that Great Britain was peopled. This Celtic tongue, which is faid to be very expreffive and copious, and is, probably, one of the most ancient languages in the world, obtained once in most of the western regions of Europe. It was the language of Gaul, of Great Britain, of Ireland, and, very probably, of Spain. alfo; till, in the course of thofe revolutions, which, by means of the conquests, first, of the Romans, and afterwards, of the northern nations, changed the government, speech, and, in a manner, the whole face of Europe, this tongue was gradually obliterated; and now fubfifts only in the mountains of Wales, in the Highlands of Scotland, and among the wild Irish. For the Irish, the Welch, and the Erfe, are no other than different dialects of the fame tongue, the ancient Celtic..

This, then, was the language of the primitive Britons, the first inhabitants, that we know of, in

grammar, because it may seem to him a matter of small confe quence, to how the diftinction between vowels and confonants, and to divide the latter into liquids and mutes. But they who penetrate into the innermost parts of this temple of fcience, will there difcover fuch refinement and fubtility of matter, as is not only proper to fharpen the underítandings of you g men, but fufficient to give exercife for the most profound knowledge and erudition."