MOODS of VERB S, 227 



flections, partly too from the obvious difficulty of remember- 

 ing and employing accurately even fuch a number as might 

 undoubtedly be contrived, but much more from there being 

 no urgent occafion for fuch a variety of them ; many of the 

 combinations of thoughts to be expreffed by verbs being fo 

 near akin, that they would naturally be claifed together, and 

 might be denoted by one grammatical mood, without danger of 

 any ambiguity or obfcurity j as for inftance, the various moods 

 of thought which are occasionally expreffed by the grammatical 

 imperative, or by the future tenfe of the indicative ; all the 

 distinctions of which moods of thought, both in kind and in 

 degree, may be fully understood by thofe to whom the dif- 

 courfe is addreffed, from a variety, of well known or obvious 

 circumftances. Hence I think it appears very natural, that 

 though the poflible number of grammatical moods be very 

 great, (though by no means infinite) the number of actually 

 fubfifting moods in different languages fhould be very fmall j 

 and that fome, even of thefe few, fhould occafionally be em- 

 ployed with little distinction ; the ingenuity and labour of man- 

 kind in contriving, and their precifion and fleadinefs in em- 

 ploying fuch moods, being chiefly regulated by the experience 

 of what they daily had occafion for. 



V. The fifth of thofe conclusions refpecting the importance 

 of grammatical moods towards the perfection and beauty of 

 language, by the quicknefs, animation, and force, which they 

 give to the expreflion of our mofl familiar and moft interefting 

 modifications of thought, can require no other proof but mere 

 illuftration by proper examples, any number of which may 

 eafily and readily be found. And from thefe it will plainly ap- 

 pear, that the moods of verbs are in a manner efTential to elo- 

 quence of almoft every kind. " L'eloquence" (as M. d'Alem- 

 bert very juftly obferves, and propofes to define it) " eft le 

 " talent de faire paffer avec rapidite, et d'imprimer avec force, 



" F f 2 " dans 



