MOODS of VERBS. 239 



fuited ill with thofe fentiments and actions which Homer attri- 

 butes to Priam. Indeed his actions, without his fpeaking at all, 

 would have been more pathetic and perfuafive than they would 

 have been with fuch imperfect and improper expremons of his 

 thoughts ; but by means of the moods of verbs, it is poffible 

 to unite, to a certain degree, the advantages both of natural and 

 of artificial language. 



We have many inftances in poetry, as well as in oratory, of 

 the figurative ufe of fuch moods as I have juft now been con- 

 fidering, and the effect of it, in enlivening and enforcing the 

 expreffion of the poet's fentiments, is very finking. 



Can Jioried urn, or animated bujl, 

 Back to its manfion call the fleeting breath f 

 Can honour 's voice provoke the fdent dujl ? 

 Or flat fry Jooth the dull cold ear of death ? 



What female heart can gold defpife f 

 What cafs averfe to.fifhf Gray. 



But while I thus point out how great a fhare the concifenefs 

 of the expreffion of many thoughts, by means of grammatical 

 moods, has in giving animation and force to language, I beg 

 it may not be thought that I impute the animation and force 

 of fuch expremons entirely to that concifenefs. Many of the 

 thoughts to be expreffed are in themfelves highly animated and 

 interefting ; and, on this very account, concifenefs in the expref- 

 iing of them is peculiarly agreeable, and even neceffary. 



VI. The fixth and laft conclufion refpecting the import of 

 the moods of verbs, is very intimately connected with the pre- 

 ceding. It relates not merely to the brevity and quicknefs of 

 the expreffion of thought, but to the intimate combination, 

 and fimultaneous exhibition, of the figns of thoughts, which 



thoughts 



