OIiap.T. ANTIE NT METAPHYSICS. 121 



has told us, Is the mod imitative of all animals : To which I will 

 add, that he is particularly fo by the voice ; and in this refpe<£t he 

 is more imitative than the monkey, who imitates only by geftures, 

 but not by the voice. We ought alfo to confider, that when we are 

 children we learn moie eafily by imitation, than at any other time 

 ef our lives ; and, indeed, we can then learn in no other way ; and, 

 therefore, if wt have not learned to fpeak when we are young, we 

 cannot learn afterwards without the greateft difficulty. For proof 

 of this, Peter the Wild Boy, being about fifteen years of age, as 

 was conjcflured, when he was caught in the woods of Hanover 

 walking on all four, could only learn to articulate a few words, 

 though he was put to fchool, and no doubt much pains beftowed to 

 teach him, and though, as he heard as well as other men, he might 

 by imitation have learned to fpeak. When fuch was the cafe of the 

 Wild Boy, what mud be the cafe of dumb men, who cannot learn 

 to fpeak by imitation at any time of their lives, but only by teach- 

 ing. In this way, indeed, they learn to a certain degree, but with 

 the utmoft difficulty, though they be men of good underftanding, 

 and very defirous to learn fo ufeful an art. If any of my readers 

 had feen, as I faw, the Abbe de I'Epee in France and Mr Braidwood 

 in Scotland teach their dumb fcholars to fpeak, he would have 

 needed no argument to convince him, that articulation was a moft 

 artificial thing. It was taught by thefe mafters with the great- 

 eft pains and attention ; for they not only fhowed their fcholars, 

 by their own example, how they were to employ their organs in 

 pronunciation, but they applied their hands to the mouths and 

 jaws of their fcholars, giving their organs the pofition and ailion 

 v/hich was proper. 



I will only add further upon this fubjedt, that fpeaking, though 

 it be one of the moft common things among nven, is perhaps the 

 moll wonderful thiog to be found in our fpecies. For that a man 

 Vol. IV. Q^ wjio 



