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I am much disposed to entertain a different opinion, on 

 each of these particulars. There are many shades and dis- 

 criminations of verbs, which cannot be indicated by par- 

 ticles, suggesting the difference of time merely in the gross. 

 The difference between definite and indefinite time is lost ; 

 and thus all pretensions to precision, the principal excel- 

 lence, and the most necessary of all the qualifications of 

 language, are abandoned. Indeed, of all known languages, 

 spoken by a civilized nation, the Chinese hath the smallest 

 pretension to precision. Every word has, at least, twenty 

 different significations, besides the different aspirations; and 

 these significations are only distinguished, by the difference 

 of tone or accent; to perceive which, Sir George acknow- 

 ledges, requires a nice ear, and delicate vocal powers, to 

 render them exactly. How the grace of elocution, and the 

 harmony of verse, can subsist, in such a confusion of dis- 

 cordant sounds, I am at a loss to conjecture: yet, even 

 this contrivance is not always sufficient, to express the 

 sense of a word; recourse must be had to the ultimate 

 criterion, tracing with the finger, in the air, or otherwise, 

 the form of the written character of the doubtful sound. 

 Such a language is, no doubt, very simple; but so is the 

 Lingua Franca, which, in many respects, resembles it, but 

 whose perfection, I suppose, nobody will vaunt. Of this 

 similarity, Mr. Barrow gives some examples, page 281, and 

 Sir G, Staunton, page 418, (in 8vo.). Adam Smith justly 

 remarks, " that the simplification of the rudiments of lan- 

 " guages renders them more imperfect, and less proper, 



" for 



