nament. In the Greek and Roman languages a muficab and gefticulating pronunciation was retained in a very high degree. Without attending to this we fhall be at a lofs in understanding feveral paffages of the Claffics, which relate to the public fpeaking and theatrical entertainments of the antients. Our modern pronunciation would have seemed to them a lifeless monotony. The declamation of their orators and the pronunciation of their actors upon the ftage approached to the nature of recitative in music; was capable of being marked by notes, and fupported by inftruments; as feveral learned men have proved.

man.

With regard to gefture the cafe was parallel; for ftrong tones and animated gestures always go together.. The action both of orators and players in Greece and Rome was far more vehement, than that, to which we are accustomed. To us Rofcius would appear a madGefture was of fuch confequence on the antient. ftage, that there is reason for believing that on some occafions the fpeaking and the acting were divided ;. which, according to our ideas, would form a ftrangeexhibition. One player fpoke the words in the proper tones, while another expreffed the corresponding motions. and geftures. Cicero tells us it was a contest between him and Rofcius, whether he could exprefs a fentiment in a greater variety of phrases, or Rofcius in a greater variety of intelligible fignificant geftures. At laft gef ture engrossed the stage entirely; for under the reigns

of Auguftus and Tiberius the favorite entertainment of the Public was the Pantomime, which was carried on by gesticulation only. The people were moved, and wept at it as much, as at tragedies; and the paffion for it became fo violent, that laws were made for reftraining the fenators from studying the pantomime art. Now, though in declamations and theatrical exhibitions both tone and gesture were carried much farther, than in eommon discourse; yet public fpeaking of any kind. must in every country bear fome proportion to the manner, which is used in conversation; and fuch public entertainments could never be relished by a nation, whose tones and gestures in discourse were as languid, as ours.

The early language of men, being entirely composed of words defcriptive of fenfible objects, became of necef fity extremely metaphorical. For, to fignify any defire er paffion, or any act or feeling of the mind, they had no fixed expreffion, which was appropriated to that purpofe; but were obliged to paint the emotion or paffion, which they felt, by alluding to thofe fenfible objects, which had moft connection with it, and which could render it in fome degree visible to others.

But it was not neceffity alone, that gave rife to this pictured ftyle. In the infancy of all focieties fear and furprise, wonder and astonishment, are the most frequent paffions of men. Their language will neceffarily be affected by this character of their minds. They will be difpofed to paint every thing in the strongest colors.

Even the manner, in which the first tribes of men utter ed their words, had confiderable influence on their style. Wherever strong exclamations, tones, and gestures are connected with conversation, the imagination is always more exercised; a greater effort of fancy and paffion is excited. Thus the fancy, being kept awake and rendered more sprightly by this mode of utterance, operates upon style, and gives it additional life and spirit.

As one proof among many, which might be produced, of the truth of these observations, we shall tran fcribe a speech from Colden's Hiftory of the Five Indian Nations, which was delivered by their Chiefs, when entering on a treaty of peace with us, in the following language. "We are happy in having buried under ground "the red axe, that has fo often been dyed in the "blood of our brethren. Now in this fort we inter the "axe, and plant the tree of peace. "whofe top will reach the fun;

We plant a tree, and its branches

fpread abroad fo, that it fhall be feen afar off. May "its growth never be ftifled and choked; but may it "fhade both your country and ours with its leaves ! “Let us make fast its roots, and extend them to the ut"most of your colonies.. If the French fhould come, "to shake this tree, we should know it by the motion "of its roots reaching into our country. May the "Great Spirit allow us to reft in tranquillity upon our "mats, and never again dig up the axe, to cut down "the tree of peace! Let the earth be trodden hard over

it, where it lies buried. Let a strong ftream run un "der the pit, to wash the evil away out of our fight and "remembrance. The fire, that had long burned in

Albany, is extinguifhed. The bloody bed is washed "clean, and the tears are wiped from our eyes. We "now renew the covenant chain of friendship. Let it "be kept bright and clean, as filver, and not fuffered. ❝to contract any ruft. Let not any one pull away his

"arm from it."

As language in its progrefs grew more copious, it gradually lost that figurative style, which was its early character. The vehement manner of speaking by tones and geftures became lefs common. Inftead of Poets Philofophers became the inftructors of men? and in their reafoning on all fubjects introduced that plainer and more simple style of compofition, which we now call Profe. Thus the antient metaphorical and poetical drefs of Language was at length laid afide in the intercourfe of men, and referved for thofe occafions only, on which ornament was profeffedly ftudied.

RISE AND PROGRESS OF LANGUAGE
AND OF WRITING.

WHEN we examine the order, in which words are

arranged in a sentence, we find a very remarkable difference between antient and modern tongues. The confideration of this will ferve to unfold farther the genius

of Language, and to fhew the causes of thofe alterations it has undergone in the progress of fociety.

To conceive distinctly the nature of this alteration, we must go back, as before, to the earliest period of Language. Let us figure to ourfelves a Savage beholding fome fruit, which he earnestly defires, and requests another to give him. Suppofe him unacquainted with words, he would strive to make himself understood by pointing eagerly at the object defired, and uttering at the fame time a paffionate cry. Suppofing him to have acquired words, the first word, which he would utter, would be the name of that object. He would not exprefs himself according to our order of conftruction, "Give me fruit ;" but according to the Latin order, "Fruit give me," "Fructum da mihi," for this plain reafon, that his attention was wholly directed toward fruit, the object defired. Hence we might conclude a priori, that this was the order, in which words were most commonly arranged in the infancy of Language; and accordingly we find in reality that in this order words are arranged in most of the antient tongues, as in the Greek and Latin; and it is faid likewise in the Ruffian, Sclavonic, Gaelic, and feveral American tongues.

The modern languages of Europe have adotped a different arrangement from the antient. In their profe compofitions very little variety is admitted in the collocation of words; they are chiefly fixed to one order, which may be called the Order of the Understanding,