i62 ANTIENT METAPHYSICS. Book III. 



cefs of time, extend them to other objefts, and fo make general 

 names for all the particulars of the fame kind ; and as the wants of 

 the fociety would increafe, arts would be invented to fupply thefc 

 wants, and coniequently many more names muft have been invented 

 for particular things, and then made general in the way 1 have 

 mentioned. 



And here a curious queflion occurs, Of what nature were the 

 founds ufed by men to denore thefe firft objedls of fenfe to which 

 they gave names? And, I think, they muft have been founds of the 

 eafieft pronounciation : And as the vowels are of much eafier pro- 

 nounciation than the confonants, I am perfuaded that the firft names 

 given to things confifted moftly of vowels ; and, accordingly, we 

 obferve that the words of the barbarous languages, that is languages 

 fpoken by nations who have not formed language into an art, arc 

 very vocal. 



It may be further aiked. What it was that made thefe firft men 

 denote certain things by certain founds, and other things by differ- 

 ent founds? That there muft have been fome reafon for the variety 

 of founds expreffing different things, and that names were not 

 all given by chance, I think, is evident. The queftion then is, For 

 what realon was one objed of fenfe called by one name, and another 

 by a different name? And, I think, there muft have been Ibme qua- 

 lity in the objed v;hich made men give it one name rather than 

 another. That thefe qualities were elfential or fpecific qualities, 

 diftinguiftiing the objcdl from objeds of another fpecies, we cannot 

 believe; for that would be to fuppofe that thofe men, who firft g.ive 

 names to things, had a knowledge of the nature of things much 

 greater than it was poffible they could have. It muft, therefore, 

 hnve been from fome qualities of the objeft, perceptible by the fenfe, 

 that they muft. have been firft denomiuated.. Now, the qualities of 



obieds 



