Observations on La?iguage. 38S 



pendently of the anomalies, ^\-lih which our language 

 has been disturbed by the confluence, and mixture, of 

 many streams. Mcst of the modern languages of £u- 

 rope have followed the same course. The effect, there- 

 fore, setiiis to have flowed from a cause, common to all 

 the nations, by which these are spoken. 



Secondl}^ It is admitted on all hands^ that the sccoiid 

 of these modes is the most favourable to Perspicuity ; 

 and thejiretj to Impression. The Romaiis^ and Greeks, 

 were unquestionably far more solicitous than we are to 

 make deep impressions on those, to whom they wrote, 

 or spoke ; and far less, to communicate clear and dis- 

 tinct ideas. For the former of these purposes their 

 languages were more fitted, and for the latter much less, 

 tlian ours. The English Verb, particularly, is by its 

 auxiliaries moulded into a wonderful variety of forms : 

 all of them adopted, to express real varieties of exist- 

 ence, and action; and all of them actually expressii.g 

 these varieties. The English Active Ferb. in the fust 

 person, and indicative m.ode, is varied through fourteen 

 forms r all of them expressing different shades of the. n^ht. 

 The Latin Verb, in the same circumstances, has e 'y 

 Jive forms ; and the Greek, eight : three of them super- 

 fluous, and useless, or very nearly so. The English 

 Potential Mode is probably a peculiarity, and the great- 

 est ornament, of our language ; expressing shades of 

 thought, of vast importance to minds of superior intelli- 

 gence, and incapable of being expressed, even in cir- 

 cumlocutory phraseology, by either the Latin, or the 

 Xjreek. Much less were they expressible by the varia- 

 tions of the Verb in these languages. It is hardly ne- 

 cessary to observe that neither of these languages had 

 ?i potential mode. The Greeks h?id an Optative; but it 

 was of very little significance, and very little use. The 

 potential mode in the English is indispensable to exact 

 and superior ratiocination. The forms of the verb in 

 this mode amount to no less than 32. 



The forms in the Subjunctive, every one of which has 

 its use, are equal in number to those in both the prece- 

 ding modes : viz. 46. 



This example shews, in the strongest possible man- 

 ner, the unrivalled attention; paid by the En^^ lish nation 



