[ 3^4 I 



the miffionaries, but about three hundred and fifty words in their 

 language.* Confufion is avoided by the accents, though thefe are 

 not eafily diftinguifhed by an European ear ; we knew that this 

 muft fometimes have been the cafe in Greece, as in the inftances of 

 hvcc & A(a. The illviftration from our national and provincial 

 accents is obvious f. 



It occurred to me, however, that it was very furprifing that 

 no author on the fubjett feemed to have taken the pains to 

 enquire what was the pronunciation of the modern Greeks, or 

 their mode of ufing the accents: is it that no inference can 

 be drawn from their ufage, as to that of the ancients ? this is 

 eafily faid, but it has not been faid by any of thefe writers. 

 The argument from the Italian pronunciation of Latin giving 

 us no infight into th^t of the Romans, doth not apply ; 

 for tiae incurfions of barbarous fwarms, like fucceflive over- 

 flowings of the ocean, have walTied away every trace of con- 

 nedlion between the ancient and modern inhabitants of Italy, and 

 perhaps there are more defcendants of the Romans to be found 



in 



* Otliers fay twelve hundicil, ami that the nouns are only three hundred and 

 twenty- fix — all monofyllables. From the combination of thefe all their compounds- 

 arift;. The Greek language has but about three hundred radicals. The Greeks, it has 

 been faid, had but two accents ; the acute never rifiig above a fifth higher than the 

 grave, thoogh it might lefs : the Cliinefe many,- v/ith intervals much fnialler, and 

 more exa£t:ly marked and limited. 



came do 



f £. G. a vulgar Scotchman would fay whence you, hov/ you : a common 



you you 



Irifliman, whence came , how do — and an Engii/h farmer pei haps would 



ca''amc 

 fay whence you. The firfl puts the acute accent on the middle word, the fe- 



eond on the laft, and the drawl of the Englilh farmer is marked by the circumflex. 



