Chap.V. ANTIENT METAPHYSICS. 



335 



vaiion and compofiiion, lulll enable a perfon to form a Latiguage 

 of his onion ^ which -will be underflood by thofe who hiow the art by 

 which the Language is formed. — 'The Jefiiit Pons' s account^ of this 

 Language, confirmed by Mr Wilkins. — This Language the work of 

 philofophers, — // may he compared to the Categories of Jrchytas, — 

 The Greek and Latin, though not fo pcrfeEt as the Shanfcrit, 'won- 

 derful "works of art, — conneSling by incans of Derivation, Compo- 

 fition, and Fle&ion, fame millions of %vords.- — FleBion the greatefl 

 of thefe. — Its wonderfid effcEls in nouns and verbs. — /// the Greek 

 verb upwards of a thoufand variations. — M. Gebelin, though learn- 

 ed in languages, knc-w fo little of the philofophy of Language, as to 

 maintain that men fpeak naturally, and have from nature the ideas 

 they exprefs by the "words. — Jlccording to him, t'wo perfons meeting, 

 "who had learned no Language, voould hold commu7iication together by 

 fpeech, and undcrfand one another. — This the primitive Language 

 of Gebelin: — According to him, all other arts, as -well as Lajtguage^ 

 natural to men ; and they have from the beginning the knowledge-' of 

 aflronomy, and of all the arts of life. — No natural fiate according to 

 Gebelin, the Savages, at prefent to be found, being men degenerated. — 

 The Author s fyf em, from antient books, very different from Gebelin s; 

 — though an admirer of Greek learning, and a reader of many books 

 in that Language, M. Gebelin has not read their philofophers^ who 

 would have taught him the progrefs of man from capacity to energy.— 

 Without Greek philofophy, no natural talents or application will avail. 

 — Conlradi&ions in Gebclni sfyfem; — it is refuted by the fact, of deaf 

 perfons being likexvife dumb, and being taught to fpeak with great 

 labour and much difficulty. — Even the mq/l barbarous Language a 

 work of art, if the words exprefs all the ideas of the fpeaker, and 

 are conne£led together. — Men, in the natural fate, without the ufe 

 ^'f IP'^^'^^^-> ^>"^ "^ ^-^^ '^^fi °f ^'""^^ "i^'^- — They could not teach thcm- 

 f elves : — But the Dcemon Kings of Egypt, who invented Language, 

 mufljirll have taught themfelves, and then others. -Progrefs of the art 



even 



