124 Philosophy of Language. 



to show more clearly than ever, the importance^ 

 the profundity, and the difficulty of the inquiry. 



Dr. Hartley was followed by Mr. James 

 Harris, a learned English gentleman, who, in his 

 Hermes, professed to treat this subject in a formal 

 and systematic manner/ He acknowledges him- 

 self to be indebted for some of the leading prin- 

 ciples of his system to Apollonius, a learned 

 grammarian of Alexandria; but he is, perhaps, 

 still more indebted to Professor Perizonius, a 

 celebrated philologist of Leyden, who, early in 

 the century, in his notes on Sanctii Minerva, de- 

 livered nearly the same doctrines; so nearly, in- 

 deed, that good judges have denied to Mr. Harris 

 the honour of having made any important improve- 

 ment upon them. 



The system of grammar taught in Hermes is the 

 following. The author divides all words into 

 two grand classes, called Principals and Accessories. 

 The former he subdivides into two branches, Sub- 

 stantives and Attributives ; the latter into two others, 

 Definitives and Connectives ; so that under one of 

 these four species, Substantives, Attributives, De- 

 finitives, or Connectives, he includes all the varie- 

 ties of words. He considers articles, conjunctions, 

 and prepositions, as having no signification of 

 their own, but as deriving a meaning only from 

 their connection with other terms. On these lead- 

 ing principles his boasted fabric rests. 



Mr. Harris was doubtless a learned and inge- 

 nious man; but as some of the best judges utterly 

 deny that his doctrines of general grammar are 

 either original or just, it is not probable that they 

 will long be considered as doing him much honour. 

 His work, however, was, for many years, re- 

 ceived with high approbation, not only in the na- 



h See Hertrits, or a philosophical Inquiry concerning Universal Grammar* 



