VI. Theory of the Moods of Verbs. By James 

 Gregory, M. D. F. R. S. Edin. Fellow of the Royal 

 College of Phyftcians, and Profeffor of the theory of Phyftc 

 in the Univerftty of Edinburgh. 



{Read by the Author, June i8. and July i6. 1787.] 



IN the profecution of certain philological and philofophical 

 fpeculations, very ample fpecimens of which have already 

 been fubmitted to the confideration of the Royal Society of 

 Edinburgh, I had occafion to confider more minutely than I 

 believe had ever been done before, many particulars relating to 

 the nature, the ftrudlure, and the import of Verbs. 



Those fpeculations related chieHy or folely to the general ra- 

 dical import of every verb and every clafs of verbs, without 

 any regard to the peculiar meaning or nature of the various 

 inflections or parts of a Verb ; fuch as, moods, tenfes, perfons 

 and numbers. It was impoflible, however, for me altogether 

 to avoid attending to thefe modifications of the general mean- 

 ing of every Verb ; efpecially to the nature and import of the 

 Moods of verbs, which appears to me a very curious and in- 

 terefting point in the theory of language. 



As I had not the good fortune to meet with any account of 

 the Moods of verbs, which appeared to me complete or jufl, in 

 the writings of thofe grammarians and philologifts that I have 

 had an opportunity of confulting, I was tempted to undertake 

 the inveftigation of the nature of them myfelf. The refult of 



Vol. II. B b that 



