DZAD LANGUAGES. 343 



dcrn nations pronounce the Greek language in 

 the manner that the ancient inhabitants of* Greece 

 did , but it is very probable, that if Demoft- 

 henes or Ariitides were now to come upon the 

 earth, they would be very far from undcrftand- 

 ing what our learned men fhould fay to them 

 in Greek. 



VIII. The Latin is the lecond of thofc 1 

 guages that are called dead. It was fir ft fpoke 

 in Latium, afterwards at Rome, and by means 

 qf the Latin church, ^ud of the labours of the 

 learned, has come down to us. The Latin is 

 not an original tongue, but is formed of the 

 Greek, and especially of the ^olian dialed:, and 

 of many words taken from the languages of t;he 

 Ofci, the Hetrurians, and feveral other ancient 

 ,ns of Italy. It has had different periods 

 of improvement and decadency, which .Orm its 

 different ages. 



The firft age comprehends the ancient I 

 that was fpoke in Latium, and oihiwud an 

 Rome, from its firft foundation, under the 

 reigns of its kings, and in the firft ages of its 

 republic. At the beginning, the Latin ton<nu 

 was, fo to lay, in irliiii the walls of R 



for the Romans ciid not jcommonly permit the 

 ufe of it to their neighbours, or the people they 

 conq' but when the, to pci\ 



how -y it was for facilitating ti. 



mmr, that the Latin tongue fliould 



, and that all nations, ir luljc^iun to 



