246 THEORY of the 



inafs of co-exiftent thoughts, not a train of fucceffive thoughts. 

 The thoughts exprelTed in them are much more numerous than 

 the words, as plainly appears on endeavouring to explain or 

 define all the words, even in their mod general radical mean- 

 ing, which is rendered ftill more complicated, that is, expref- 

 five of more thoughts, by the inflexions of many of them, 

 efpecially in the Greek lines. We can attend to different parts 

 of that mafs of thought, at our pleafure, regardlefs of the reft, 

 or we may take in, more or lefs clearly, the whole at once, as 

 the authors certainly did in compofing the lines ; or we may 

 attend accurately to the meaning of every word fingly. And 

 if this be done very fiowly, and with long intervals between 

 every word, the meaning of the whole lines, as a fentence or 

 period, will be loft ; nor can we, in fuch a way of reading or 

 pronouncing Homer's or Milton's lines, make fenfe of them, 

 but by a voluntary and painful effort of memory, to retain, or 

 recal, the former words and thoughts, till the latter are fug- 

 gefted and duly combined with them. The words of the fineft 

 period that ever was compofed, when read or uttered one by 

 one at the interval of a few minutes, or even feconds, will no 

 more have the effect of the period properly read or uttered, in 

 point of thought, than an equally flow founding of the various 

 notes in a piece of mufic will have, in point of melody or 

 harmony, the effect of the mufic properly performed ; or than 

 the fucceflive and flow inflection of the different rainbow co- 

 lours will have, in giving the perception of white, which they 

 would give, if contemplated at once properly blended, or even 

 if contemplated in very quick fucceflion. 



After all, perhaps the beft illuftration of this important 

 principle is that of the Indian orator, mentioned in the Origin 

 and Progrefs of Language, Vol. IV. p. 22. "I have heard a 

 " ftory" (fays the learned author of that work) " of an Indian 

 " orator, who, at a congrefs or talk, as they call it, with the 

 " then Britifh governor of Florida, Commodore Johnston, 



" being 



