GREEK PREPOSITIONS. 307 



The germ of this theory may be found in the early Engllfh 

 ctvmologifts Junius and Skinner ; but with them it was car- 

 ried no farther than the analyfis of certain individual words, 

 without being advanced to any fpecies of complete and general 

 fvftem. A few of the French grammarians feem to have made 

 fome approaches to the fame fyftem ; but, it mud be owned, 

 that it is to the Dutch etymologifts Schultens, Ten Kate, and 

 above all, Hemsterhuis, and the difciples of the Hemflerhufiaa 

 fchool, Valkn^r, Linnep and Scheide, that we owe the firiT 

 complete developement of this new and fubtle theory of lan- 

 guage. The labours of the Dutch etymologifts, however, for a 

 long time obtained but little notice : even the fyftem they had 

 thus ingenioufly conftrudled, remained almoft unknown beyond 

 the immediate limits of their own fchool. In France, Ance de 

 ViLLOisiN appears to have had fome imperfedl acquaintance 

 with it. In this country, I do not know if it had been heard of 

 at all, till the fame theory was exhibited in a no lefs confplcuous 

 than amufing form, by the author of the Diver/ions of Parley. 

 When, in that lively work, the fyftem was laid down, and at 

 the fame time fuccefsfully applied to the analyfis of many of the 

 Englifti particles, our grammarians and etymologifts at length 

 began to queftion the old fyftem of gi-ammatical arrangement in 

 the claflification of words. The new theory gradually gained 

 ground, and now the truth of it feems to be almoft generally ad- 

 mitted, though much ftill i-emaias to be done in the way of its 

 particular application *. 



Satisfied 



fered in opinion to which of the two that place is to be affigned. It is unneceffary 

 to enter into that queftion at prefent, though I may afterwards take occafion to 

 point out fome reafons which induce me to think, that tracing language to its firft 

 elements, we fliall probably find that it is from the Verb the whole has gradually 

 branched out. 



* Though I have thus flated, what, I think, cannot be difputed, that the theo- 

 ry of HoRNE TooKE, and that of the Dutch etymologifts, is effentially the fame, 



I 



