22.4 THEORT of the 



called the fubjuncYive, and amount to a full confirmation of 

 that account. 



II. The fecond of thofe conclufions can fcarce require any 

 explanation or commentary. The modification or mood of 

 thought, which is moft commonly exprefTed by a grammatical 

 mood of a verb, is unqueftionably that of affirmation, under 

 which we may comprehend negation, or elfe we mull ufe the 

 more general term propofition, which comprehends them both. 

 This is exprefTed by the indicative mood. Next to* this, the 

 moods of thought, moft commonly exprefTed by verbs, are 

 thofe of command and of interrogation ; the latter (at leaft in all 

 the languages that I know any thing of) being ufually exprefTed, 

 either by the addition of fome particle to the common indica- 

 tive mood, or elfe by fome peculiar arrangement of the words 

 connected with a verb in that mood. Vidijli, 'Thou faweji or 

 thou didft fee. Vidifiinef Sawefi thou, or Didfl thou fee f Some- 

 times, however, it is not exprefTed in either of thefe ways, nor in 

 any way but merely by the tone of voice of the fpeaker ; and 

 confequently, when it is written, and read filently, it cannot be 

 diflinguifhed from a propofition. Fervet avaritia pectus. Lau- 

 dis amove tum.es. Hence the ufe of points or marks of interro- 

 gation in writing. The former (command) is commonly ex- 

 prefTed by a diftincl: grammatical mood. 



These three moods are all plainly focial modifications of 

 thought. No man could be fuppofed even to form (not to fay 

 utter) a propofition, a queflion, or a command, who did not 

 believe that there were other intelligent Beings befides himfelf, 

 who might underftand him. In general too, (for I admit there 

 may be exceptions to this) the perfon who utters a propofition 

 wifhes to be believed, he who gives a command wifhes to be 

 obeyed, he who puts a queflion wifhes to be anfwered, and all 

 of them wifh to be underftood. Thefe are all operations of 



thought, 



