204 'THEORr of the 



Whatever may be thought of the preceding obfervations, 

 it muft at lead be admitted, that the moods of verbs may be 

 confidered in two very different points of view ; either with re- 

 lation to any particular language, or with relation to human thought, 

 which muft be fuppofed the fame in all ages and nations. For 

 the fake of diftinctnefs, I (hall call the expreflions of them, by 

 inflection or otherwife in language, grammatical moods; and the 

 thoughts, or combinations of thoughts, fo expreiTed, as well as 

 fimilar combinations of thoughts, though not always, or per- 

 haps never expreiTed in the fame way, I fhall call energies, or 

 modifications, or moods of thought. 



With refpect to the former of thefe things in any particular 

 language, there can be no difpute or difficulty. Any tolerably 

 good grammar of that language will fhew at once the number 

 and the forms of them in it ; and the exact import of each of 

 them, and the proper application of them all, will foon be learned 

 by attending to the ufe of thofe who fpeak and write that lan- 

 guage well. But the latter (the moods of thought) muft be 

 inveftigated in a different and much more laborious way ; by 

 ftrict attention to our own thoughts, and with fuch aid as the 

 ftrucTure of language, and obfervation, and even experiment 

 afford. 



All languages, I believe, are very defective in refpect of that 

 variety and accuracy of combination and of diftinction, which 

 we know with infallible certainty take place in thought. Nor 

 do I know of any particular in which language is more defiv 

 cient, than in the exprefling of thofe energies or modifications 

 of thought, fome of which always are, and all of which might 

 be expreiTed by the grammatical moods of verbs. Of this, 

 there cannot be a clearer proof, than the well known facts, 

 that we are obliged to exprefs by the fame mood very different 

 modifications or energies of thought, and that the number of 

 moods, as marked by inflection or otherwife, is different in 

 different languages, which, of courfe, do not correfpond fo far 



a* 



