266 ANTIENT METAPHYSICS. Book II. 



rent from general, though they be confounded by our modern phi- 

 lofophers ;— And that an idea muft be firft abftraded from the par- 

 ticular objea, in which it exifts, before it can be generalized. 



According to the method in which I have treated language, I 

 liave divided it into two parts; which I have confidered feparately, 

 the matter and x\\efon}2. The Matter of it is articulate founds; and, 

 in this refped, if in no other, it muft appear to the philoibpher the 

 moft wonderful of all arts : For in other arts, as I have ellewherc 

 obferved*, nature has furniihed us with the material, fuch as wood, 

 ftone, and metals ; whereas, of language we have ourfelves fur- 

 nifhed the materials, that is, articulate founds, w^hich we may be 

 faid to have created. Of articulation I have fpoken at confiderable 

 length in the chapter above referred tof; where I have fhown how 

 complicated an engine our vocal inftrument is, by which we articu- 

 late; fo complicated, that it is wonderful, that, by any teaching or 

 pradic^, we fhould have learned the ufe of it, efpecially in fyllables, 

 where feveral elemental founds are to be enunciated together ; as in 

 the word Jlrength in Engllfh, in which there are no lefs than eight 

 elemental founds, and feven of them confonants J. The material 

 part of language therefore, I mean the pronunciation of it, I hold 

 to be of fuch difficulty, that it never could have been invented with- 

 out fupernatui-al afhftance ; and, even after it was invented, it could 

 not have been learned by pradtice, if Man had not been, as Ariftotle 

 fays, the moft imitative of all animals, and more imitative by the 

 voice than in any other way. But, even imitative as he is, fpeak- 

 ing, though the moft common thing among men, is, as I have elfe- 

 where obferved |, one of the moft wonderful. 



That 



* Page io8. of this vol. 



I Chap. I. of this book. — p. 109. and foUowJDg. 



1 Page 115. B Page i2i- 



