G R E 



it flows from its fourcc, or as a tree becomes greater with 

 its gradual cxpanfion from the root. For this reafon a-zo 

 abbreviated, fometimes incrcafes the fignification of its com- 

 pound. 



The Greek furpaffcs ahnoft all otlicr languages m the 

 number and variety of its terms ; and the caufcs of its 

 fuperior copioufncfs arc, _/»•/?, tlic many dialeds which it 

 comprehends, and which ferved to divide by accidental 

 corruption the fame primitive into many words ; JunniUj, 

 the facility with which noims combined with the perfonal 

 pronouns in the formation of verbs, and the great variety 

 cl wavs the fame noiui may be converted into verbs, lo as 

 to form diilinft verbs, yet allied in fenfe and found to each 

 other ; thirdly, the various ways in which verbs, adjcetives, 

 and pai-tlciples have been changed into abllradl nouns ; and 

 i.ijily, the great midtltude of compound terms, formed by 

 the union of verbs or adjectives with nouns, and of prepo- 

 fitions witli verbs. Tiie combination indeed ot prepolitions 

 with fmiple verbs is the moll fertile caufe of the extent and 

 comprcheniion of the language. The fimple verb ,3>.X>.i> 

 thus combined, has given birtli to no lefs than ffly-t--vo 

 compound verbs. This llngle indance fufficiently liiews the 

 genius of the language, and proves tliat, howevt-r few its 

 fi-nple primitive words may have been, its derived and com- 

 pound words are in a high d.-gree voluminous and varied, 

 yet ccnnefied by an obvious and uniform analogy, both in 

 jegard to the formation and the meaning of each term. 



But this language is not lefs remarkable for the harmony 

 of its llruc\ai-e, tl)an for the comprehenfion and variety 

 of its terms. The perfection of language, as well as of 

 mufic, depends on the melody of its founds ; their meafure 

 c>r rhythm, their variety, and their fiiitablenefs to the fub- 

 ]• (ft, which they are meant to defcribe or exprefs. Tlic 

 «lrcumftances of the Greeks in the tarlicft periods of their 

 fociety, rendered them peculiarly attentive to ail thefe ob- 

 kifts. They lived continually in crowds ; all matters of 

 confequence were decided by the voice of the alfembly, and, 

 next to the force of his arms, every v.ari-ior felt himfelf 

 indebted to the perfuafive accents of his tongue. 'I'he per- 

 petual necefhty of employing the power of eloquence, 

 during tlie infancy of their political Hate, made them retain 

 the original tones and cadences, by which men, as yet un- 

 prac'tifed in the ufe of arbitrary iigns, had made known their 

 affections and their v.-ant.>. Thefe tones and cadences, imi- 

 tating the language of acllon, (the hrll and moll natural 

 )anguage of favages.) polfefied a degree of euergy and of 

 warmth which can never be attained by the mere artilice of 

 articulate founds. By uniting them to tiiele founds, the 

 Greeks gave all the force of u natural to- an arbitrary lign.. 

 Mufic and aftion were incorporated in the fubilance ot their 

 fpcech ; and the defcriptive power of words was extended 

 to. all thofe objects wliich can be charad;eriz.ed bv found 

 and motion, or which t!ie various modiikations of tliofe 

 qualities can fuggelf to the mind oi man. Gillies' Hill, ot 

 Greece, vol. i. p. 238. 



Ghkl:k, miJfrn or rul'inr, is the language now fpoken in 

 Grecc?, and call.d 'Pu-.;.'-/ -/Air.-*,. !rom Conilanlinople 

 licing called Roma Neva. 



Tlierc have been few books written in this language, from 

 the taking of Conftantinoplc by tlie Turks ; fcavctly ai y 

 thing but fome cat'jcli'.fre.s, and the like pieces, compoled 

 or tra.illatcd into the vulgar Gretk, by the I.atin mif- 

 lionaries. 



The native- Greeks are contented to fpcak the language 

 viihout cultiv.iing it ; the Turkifli politics not allowing 

 any ot the fubjefts of their eflates to apply thcmielves to 

 tiis Vts and fciences, G 



G R E 



It is not eafy to affign the precife difference between the 

 viilgiv and the ancient Greek : it confills of the terminations 

 of nouns, pronouns, verbs, and other parts of fpcech, 

 which make a difference between thofe two languages much 

 like that obferved between fome of the dialefts of the 

 Italian or Spanilh : we inllancc in thofe languages as being 

 the moil known ; but we might have faid the fame thing of 

 the Hebrew, Sclavonic, &c. dialeCls. The mrjJcrn Greek, 

 alfo curtails words, runs them into one another, and adds a 

 fort of enclitic particles to the end of them: it confounds 

 the vowels r, 1, i, and the diphthongs si and 01, which tliey 

 pronounce and often write only iota. They hkewiie often 

 confound cafes, moods, tenfes, and particles. See Brerc- 

 wood's Inquiry concerning the Divcrlity of Languages, 

 &:c. chap. 2. 



Befides, the modern Greek lias divers new words not in 

 the ancient ; particidarly fevera! participles which appear as 

 expletives, and which arc introduced to characterize certain 

 t'.-ufes of verbs, and other expreflions, which would have 

 had the fame meaning without fucli particles, had cullom 

 difpenfed with tliem ; divers names of dignities and ofllces 

 unknown to the ancient Greeks ; and abundance of words 

 borrowed from the vulvar ton"-ues of the nein-hbourinrf 



00 (DO 



nations. 



Accordingly one mav dillinguilh three ages of the Greek 

 tongue : the firll ends at the time when Conllantinople be- 

 came the capital of the Roman empire ; not but there were 

 fevcral books, cfpecially of the fathers of the church, 

 written with great purity after that time ; but as religion, 

 law, and policy both civil and military, began then to intro- 

 duce new words into the language, it feems neceffafv to 

 begin tlic fecond age of the Greek tongue from tliat epoelia, 

 which laded to the taking of Conllantmople by the Turks, 

 where the latl age commences.. 



GltKKK Lexicon. See LKxicc;>f. 



Gkekk Maf'jiiry. See Masonry. 



GiiKKK MaJ's. See M.vss. 



Gkkkk ]\Ionh. See AnaciioreT. 



Ghkkk Orders, m y!rchilcclure, are the Doric, Ionic, and 

 Corinthian ; in contradiflinclion to the two Latin orders, 

 the Tufcan and Compofite. See QitrjiU. 



Gkekk Pilch. See Pitch. 



Gheek Rite, or ritual, is diilinguillied from the Latin. 

 See- Rite. 



Giii'EK Statue. See St.ati'e.. 



(■heek Tejlament. See Bible and Testament. 



Greek Valerian. Sec Valeui.-vn.. 



(iiiEEK /F/W. See Wine. 



GiiEEK I'ear. See Year. 



GREEN, in Biography, an organ-builder, on the rHodel. 

 of Snelzler, whom he fucceeded, and has left behind him 

 monuments of his ikill and ingenuity in many of our churches 

 and manfions of the nobihtv and gentry. 



To this modefl and ingenious man,, ever ready to adopt 

 any hint tending to tiie pert'ec'tion of his art,, we arc indebted 

 for the improvement of the mechanifm of the moll noble 

 and coiiij)r€henfive of all inllruments, having eafed th^ 

 touch, voiced the pipes, and' contrived a fwell of tlie whole 

 inflrument, in a m.anncr fuperior to any of his predeceffors.. 

 He died when fcarcely arrived at the midway of the period 

 of mortal life.. 



Green, Matthew, was born, probably in London, nbout 

 the year 1696. He was educated among the diiTcntt-rs, and 

 his learning extended to the knowledg'e of a little Latin. 

 At this period, thofe who dilfented from the ellablifhed 

 church were rigid in their principles and gloomy in tlieir 

 manners. He appears to have been, on this account, dif- 



L'ull«l 



