Chap. X. ANTIENT METAPHYSICS. i6i 



Not only is language of abfolute neceflity for carrying on the 

 bufinefs of civil life, but, 1 tl.ink, it was nceelT.try for the firll in i- 

 tution of it. 1 am, therefore, of opinion, that lome kind ot lan- 

 guage, very imperfcdt to be fure, mull have been invenred in the 

 herding ftate, which, as I have faid, was prior to civil iociety, an^l, 

 1 think, of neceffity prior, as men mull have lived ior iome time in 

 the loofe herding way, before they united in that dole union, which 

 we call civil fociety, for which the herding ftate was a very 

 proper preparation ; for Nature, that is Divine Wifdom, orders 

 matters fo regularly, that every thing pafles from one ftate to another 

 by proper degrees, not fuddcnly or abruptly. Now, it was necef- 

 fary, that, when men went out of a herd and formed a ftate ot ci- 

 vility, they fliould have fome communication by the voice, inti- 

 mating their defires and inclinations to one another ; and as in all 

 fuch cafes there muft have been a leading man who formed the Io- 

 ciety, he muft, in that way, have given his orders, confifting for 

 the greater part of animal cries, varied and diftinguiftied by iomc 

 articulate founds, or by different tones of the voice, by which dif- 

 ferent things were exprelTed. This L;nguage, therefore, would be 

 fuch as Horace, who very well underftood the progrefs of Ian- 

 gunge, tells us the firft language among men was, confifting, as he 

 fays, of verba^ quibus voces fenfulque noturent, — that is founds, by 

 which they exprefled their fenfations and defires ; and it was moft 

 natural that men fhould firft ipeak for that purpofe, for which only 

 other animals utter their cries. But after focitty w^as formed and 

 other arts were invented and cultivated, this art of language would 

 be among the firft that was brought to fome degree of perfedlion. 

 Then fays Horace, Nomina invetiere — that is, they not only ex- 

 prcfTcd their inclinations and defires, but they gave names to things 

 by which they diftinguiflied one thing from another. Thefe names, 

 1 am perfuaded, were at firft given only to the particular objeds 

 of fenfe with which they were converfant. But they w^ould, in pro- 

 VoL. VI. X cefs 



