Philosophy of Language. 125 



live country of the author, but also on the conti- 

 nent of Europe, and has, even yet, many ardent 

 admirers. 



About the time that Mr. Harris laid his doc- 

 trines before the public, the philosophy of gram- 

 mar was an object of laborious and learned in- 

 quiry at the celebrated Greek school of Leyden 

 In these investigations the great Schultens, and 

 after him Professor Hemsterhuis, and his disci- 

 ples, made a distinguished figure. Schultens ex- 

 amined the derivation and structure of the Greek 

 language with great care, and particularly gave 

 some new and interesting views of Greek particles. 

 Afterwards Professor Hemsterhuis undertook to 

 derive the whole Greek language from a few short 

 primitives, on a plan entirely original. His spe- 

 culations were carried further, and received new 

 light, by means of the inquiries of his pupils Valc- 

 kenaer, Lennep, and others. Though the la- 

 bours of these great philologists were chiefly con- 

 fined to the Greek language, yet they were in- 

 tended to throw light on Universal Grammar, 

 and to educe principles applicable to all languages. 

 To give even a brief account of the various opi- 

 nions which they taught would require a more 

 intimate acquaintance with them than the writer 

 of this retrospect possesses, and would lead to a 

 detail inconveniently and disproportionably ex- 

 tended. It is sufficient to say, that though they 

 failed to form a fair, consistent, and regular fa- 

 bric, yet they furnished many insulated facts, and 

 useful materials, and analysed many words and 

 classes of terms, in a manner which did them great 

 honour, and rendered important aid to the philo- 

 sophical grammarian. 2 



2 For some further information concerning the celebrated Dutch ety- 

 mologists above mentioned, see Observations on the Nature of Demonstrative 

 Evidaue, by Thomas Beddoes, 8vo. 1/93. No man can look into the 



