2i6 THEORr of the 



cafion for j and, of courfe, mud often employ one mood as 

 they do one word, or one inflection, in various fenfes, that is, 

 to exprefs occaflonally different thoughts. 



V. That grammatical moods contribute greatly to the 

 beauty and perfection of language, by the brevity, animation, 

 and force, which they give to the expreflion of our mod fami- 

 liar and interesting combinations of thoughts, which may in- 

 deed be expreifed, in fome meafure, by circumlocution, and 

 the ufe of additional verbs, but not with the fame advantages. 



VI. That grammatical moods of verbs, like other inflec- 

 tions of words, exprefs much better than any fucceflion of 

 words can do, the intimate connection and relation of various 

 thoughts, which are not fucceflive, but fimultaneous or coex- 

 istent, and which appear unnaturally disjointed, and in fome 

 meafure altered, when they are exprefled by a feries of words 

 denoting each of them feparately and in fucceflion. 



Some of thefe concluflons, efpecially the third, the fifth and 

 the fixth, are fo intimately connected, that it is difficult to con- 

 fider them feparately ', and as it is of no confequence to keep 

 them quite diftinct in the following illustrations, I fhall confi- 

 der them pretty much together, as I conceive they tend to ex- 

 plain and illustrate one another. 



I. The firft of thofe concluflons can hardly be thought a no- 

 velty, if it be considered that feveral philologifts have main- 

 tained, that fome of the moods are refolvable into fuch circui- 

 tous expreflions, by means of other additional verbs. In truth, 

 they are all, in fome meafure, convertible, though, in ftrict pro- 

 priety of language, not refolvable, nor even perfectly convertible, 

 in that way. „ 



The indicative, which denotes affirmation, is nearly the fame 

 in mea'ning, and of courfe is nearly convertible, with a verb 



of 



