■TfS on'ihe personal pronvnns. Sept, 26. 



I. They may be considered as inferiors. 



II. As equals. 



HI. As superiors indefinite. 



IV. As superiors definite. 



The number of variations, definite, would var j 

 greatly according to the degrees of rank establifhed 

 in the country where the language was spoken ; but 

 they could in no case, perhaps, be lefs than two, viz. 



1st, As respecting the king or first magistrate. 



2c7, As respecting the supreme Being. 



In all these respects, at le;:st, we can easily con- 

 ceive that a variation of the pronoun is not only pof- 

 sible, but in some measure absolutely necefsary, be- 

 fore man can exprefs, with any degree of precision, 

 the sensations by which his mind is on innumerable 

 occasions influenced. So necefsary indeed is this va- 

 riation of the pronoun, that although it has been hi- 

 therto, in as far as I know, entirely overlooked by 

 grammarians, yet in actual practice, men, feeling the 

 want, have, in most languages, adopted certain con- 

 trivances for removing the defect, which have been 

 in some languages, more happily elTccted than iu 

 others. 



In the Englilh language we have no other pronoun 

 of the^rst and second persons, but the words I and 

 thou. Practice has enabled us however to vary these 

 word^ from the original meaning ; and on some oc- 

 casions to substitute others in their stead that are 

 sufficiently atsurd ; or periphrastic phrases are made 

 use of to supply the place of a simple pronoun. 

 Thus the proper pronoun t/jou, is, by general prac- 

 tice, now in a great msasure .appropriated to solema 



