x66 BACON 



ern ears, that the ancient languages are full of declensions, 

 cases, conjugations, tenses, and the like; but the later lan- 

 guages, being almost destitute of them, slothfully express many 

 things by prepositions and auxiliary verbs. For from hence it 

 may easily be conjectured, that the genius of former ages, how- 

 ever we may flatter ourselves, was much more acute than our 

 own. And there are things enough of this kind to make a vol- 

 ume. It seems reasonable, therefore, to distinguish a philo- 

 sophical grammar from a simple literary one, and to set it down 

 as deficient. 



All the accidence of words as sound, measure, accent 

 likewise belong to grammar ; but the primary elements of sim- 

 ple letters, or the inquiry with what percussion of the tongue, 

 opening of the mouth, motion of the lips, and use of the throat, 

 the sound of each letter is produced, has no relation to gram- 

 mar, but is a part of the doctrine of sounds, to be treated under 

 sense and sensible objects. The grammatical sound we speak 

 of regards only sweetness and harshness. Some harsh and 

 sweet sounds are general ; for there is no language but in some 

 degree avoids the chasms of concurring vowels or the rough- 

 ness of concurring consonants. There are others particular or 

 respective, and pleasing or displeasing to the ears of different 

 nations. The Greek language abounds in diphthongs, which 

 the Roman uses much more sparingly, and so of the rest. The 

 Spanish tongue avoids letters of a shrill sound, and changes 

 them into letters of a middle tone. The languages of the Teu- 

 tonic stock delight in aspirates, and numerous others which we 

 have not space to cite. 



But the measure of words has produced a large body of art ; 

 viz., poetry, considered not with regard to its matter, which 

 was considered above, but its style and the structure of words ; 

 that is, versification ; which, though held as trivial, is honored 

 with great and numerous examples. Nor should this art, which 

 the grammarians call prosodia, be confined only to teaching 

 the kinds of verse and measure; but precepts should also be 

 added, as to what kind of verse is agreeable to every subject. 

 The ancients applied heroic verse to encomium, elegy to com- 

 plaint, iambic to invective, and lyric to ode and hymn ; and the 

 same has been prudently observed by the modern poets, each 

 in his own language : only they deserve censure in this, that 

 some of them, through affectation of antiquity, have endea- 



