128 Philosophy of Language , 



The general doctrine of Mr. Tooke, especially 

 so far as it applies to the English language, has 

 been pronounced, by the best judges, to be fully- 

 established; and the probability is strong that it 

 applies with equal exactness and felicity to all 

 other languages. So far as they have been inves- 

 tigated the result is decidedly in favour of such an 

 opinion. The inquiries of the great etymologists 

 of Leyden, before mentioned, though they differ 

 from Mr. Tooke in many respects, furnish, at the 

 same time, strong confirmation of his doctrine. 

 But it is plain that the absolute proof of the univer- 

 sal truth of this doctrine would require an extent 

 of acquaintance with languages, which can never 

 be acquired by any individual, and which, to be 

 collected by numbers, will require a long course of 

 patient labour. It is to be regretted that so few 

 philologists have pursued the path marked out by- 

 Mr. Tooke, and that none have been found to ex- 

 tend the inquiries which he commenced, into re- 

 gions which he was unable to explore. Even 

 some of the latest writers on the continent of Eu- 

 rope, who have undertaken to philosophize on 

 the subject of language, proceed chiefly upon old 

 and exploded principles; and appear either not to 

 be acquainted with, or not to embrace the disco- 

 veries of the sagacious Briton, whose work forms 

 so important an era in the history of philosophical 

 grammar. 



Besides the great theorists above mentioned, the 

 philosophy of language has been treated, with 

 great learning and ingenuity, during the period 

 under consideration, by Drs. Campbell'* and 

 Beat-tie," before mentioned; and by President 

 De Brosses, M. Beauzee/ the Abbe Girard, 



m Philosophy of Rhetoric, 1. vols. 8vo. 



n Theory of Language, published in his Dissertations, % vols. 8vo. 1 78 J. 



o Formation Mechanique des Langues. 



p Grammaire Qentrale % % torn. 8vo. 1 767. 



