Chap. X. ANTIENT METAPHYSICS. 163 



objids the moft obvious to kn^e, and which afFed us moft, are 

 their adions or operationsj and by founds having loine n.nilari^y to 

 thefe it v\'as natural that v^-^ fhouid denominate them. i\o\v, there 

 are only two qualiiies of the operations of theie objeds which we 

 can exprefs by our voice. One of thelc qu dities is any found that 

 they may produce, which certainly may be imicatcil by our voices: 

 The other is their motions, which, being either quick or flow,- may 

 alfo be Imitated by our voices. Thus a quick motion is very pro- 

 perly exprefled by the word voluble^ a flow motion by the word 

 gradual, and no motion at all by the word Jledfajl, From thcfc 

 imitations by our voices I believe that the firft names were given 

 to things, while language was yet without art: But when it came 

 to be formed into an art, there would be a wonderful variety of 

 words produced by the three great arts of language I have mention- 

 ed, derivation, compofition, and fiedion. 



What I have hitherto faid concerning the invention of languao"c, 

 relates only to words exprefllng external objeds which we perceive 

 by our fenfes. But what ftiall we fay as to the internal operations 

 of our own minds, which we know by confcioufnefs and refledion^ 

 How could the words expreflTing them have any kind of fimilitude 

 to them? And I fay, that, as all our knowledge in this life arifcs 

 from our fenfes and begins with objeds of fenfe, it was by liken- 

 ing the operations of our mind to thofe of body, that we made 

 words to exprels them : And in our fpeech, at this day, they are fo 

 exprefled; for we fpeak of colkB'mg the operations of our mind, 

 of weighing them, ot dijfetling them, and of one of them coutdining 

 anotier: iio that it is plain wc form our ideas of thofe operations of 

 our mind irom what we perceive of our operations upon objeds of 

 fenfe or upon the qualities of thefe objeds. 



I have obferved, that as vowels are of eafier pronounciation than 



X 2 conlouants, 



