322 



At varies linguae sonitus natura subegit 

 Mittere, et utilitas ^xpressit nomina rerutn. 



And again, 



Postremo quid in hoc tnirabile tantopere est, 

 ■Si genus humanum, cui vox et lingua vigerit. 

 Pro vario sensu, varias res voce notaret. 



But we are surprised to see so eminent a critic as P. 

 Simon,* agree with these unenlightened heathens, and 

 abandon, without any necessity, and in opposition to all 

 just rules of interpretation, the literal sense of the second 

 chapter of Genesis; in which, language is expressly men- 

 tioned as co-existing with the first pair. Even the cele- 

 brated Warburton, though he expressly deduces the origin 

 of language from inspiration, appears to me to have been 

 too liberal in allowing the possibility of any other origin.-f- 

 Its impossibility has been demonstrated, both theoretically, 

 by the subtle and eloquent Rousseau ;J and experimentally, 

 in the person of the savage of Aveyron. Among many 

 curious observations, of which he was the object, it was 

 discovered, not only that the organs of speech grow tor- 

 pid by inaction, and can, with great difficulty, utter any 

 articulate sound; but, what was still more extraordinary, 

 this savage was, with equal difficulty, taught to connect 



those 



* Hist. Crit. du Vieux Testam. Lib. I. chap. xiv. et xv. 

 t Divine Legation, Book IV. §. iv. p. 106, in 8vo. 

 } Sur I'Inegaliti, &c. 



