MOODS of VE R B S. 205 



as to admit of perfect and literal tranflation in all cafes from 

 one to another, or at leaft not without circumlocution. 



Yet, unfavourable as this circumllance muft, at firft fight, 

 appear to the hopes of one who wifhes to inveftigate the nature 

 of the moods of verbs, and ultimately to afcertain the nature 

 of a verb itfelf, I think it is chiefly by attending to it, by con- 

 fidering what modifications of thought are expreffed by gram- 

 matical moods in different languages, and by comparing them 

 •with fuch modifications of thought as are never, or at lead not 

 ufually, expreffed in that way, and by examining how it comes 

 to pafs that fome of them are, while others are not fo expreffed, 

 that we fhall be led to difcover wherein they agree or differ, 

 that is, to learn the common nature of all, and the particular 

 nature of each of them, which is the immediate object of 

 enquiry. 



The province of the fchoolmafler who undertakes to teach 

 any particular language, Englifh, French, Latin, or Greek, ex- 

 tends no farther than to explain the meaning and fhew the 

 ufe of the grammatical moods which are found in that lan- 

 guage which he teaches ; and his fcholars, at lead at an early 

 period of life, can go no farther. 



But the province of the philologift, who wifhes to examine 

 the ftru<5ture of language, and of the philofopher, who wifhes 

 to inveftigate the laws of human thought, is much more ex- 

 tenfive. Every grammatical mood that is found in any one 

 language, is to him a proof of a correfponding diftinction, or 

 variety of energy, or modification of thought ; for all men are 

 by nature capable of learning any language. Nor does he flop 

 here. From confidering how many energies are expreffed by 

 grammatical moods, he is led to form a more extenfive and juft 

 notion of thofe energies, and may naturally fufpecl, and with a 

 little attention will foon difcover, that there are many other fi- 

 milar energies, which are not expreffed in any language ; and 

 to thefe, as well, as to thofe that are expreffed, in fome or 



all 



