its origin in no exclufive language, but is original in all thafe, where 



it hath at any time prevailed. To find therefore the origin of rhime, 



we mud feek it in the origin of language itfelf. 



Let us try it by thi. touchflone. If we repair to the mofl ancient 



of all languages, and fountain of every other, * the Hebrew, fliall we 

 find It there? That queftion fliall be anfwered prefently. In the n^eau 

 while I obferve, that every language hath a genius peculiar to itfelf 

 and rhime may not be that of the Hebrew. Written with an iron 

 qu.ll,, mufical inflexion t is almoft a flranger to it: prosody it may in- 

 deed poffefs, for every language hath its own laws. But harlh gut 

 tural, and unyielding, its ruftic fimplicity admits no tranfpofitives the 

 very foul of numbers and charafter of an animated mufe. Sublime and' 

 affeAng as the. Hebrew poetry undoubtedly is beyond all others, it is 

 rather the inartificial burft of laud and magnification, than the llrain 

 or efFeft of regulated compofition. It has more of the mountain flort^ 

 than the n^urmur of the grove, the roar of the broken torrent than the 

 mufic of the flowing ftream, yet when the evil fpirit was upon Saul, 

 he foft melody of the harp calmed the paffions of the king. In the 

 language of Longmus, it contains that ponderous enthufiafm which is 



one 



V.d. Strabo Geog Lib. r. Where this well-informed writer %., that the Arme- 



"r; wTc^'h dt r^ ^" '°™''''^'°"^' ^^ ^^^--^ 'y "^^'^ ----. - - '- 



Z2 ' " ^'^"^ ''" ^^^0,0.^'r^-^^ is ^e common parent of the three : .,... .. 



M..„o™^.. .. .„ ,^,,. ,„.^_, ^g,^, ._ ^^^^^.^ Mefopotamia ex tribus hifce confl. a 



Vinnga s Or,g Sac^.^,„. r„ L^, ,. Cap. 3. this laft admirable writer exprefsly fays, " Cun. 

 una .a .que hngua omnes orientis populos diu poft extru..ionen, civita is B^ab i. u 0" 

 effe probav,mus, baud obfcure indicavlmus, credere no., illam iinguam (fcil. ^yptfaca 



llZ:Z:r\1 "^''-r"'-™ ^^fl-'«-e; at,ue hinc pr^ftantimmoru" 

 genens et J.ngu* vocabulorum apad gentem facram reperiri origines." 



^h!2ll 7 '" "' ."''""' *'■""" ''=""'"^' "°'" '"' "'« J°^«""g ^nd elevation of 

 the voice m fog.ng and recitation, which are called /mci. 



