ON THE SPEECH OP BRUTES. 



ted ; that is, we muft affirm that the brutal founds are 

 naturally indiflbluble into fyllables and letters, 



And in this fenfe Homer, and all who follow his 

 opinion, may well have taken the matter. I have lately 

 had occafion to refledt on this fubjecl: ; and it appeared 

 to me as if Homer, and all his fuccefTors in that way of 

 thinking, were miftaken. Whether I myfelf am not 

 rather mifraken, I hope to be informed by you, gen- 

 tlemen, if you pleafe to vouchfafe me a little of your 

 attention. 



• My doubts arife from the known experience, by 

 which they were alfo occasioned, that when a perfon is 

 finging a long, the text whereof is unknown, to us, it 

 frequently happens that we cannot diftinguifh the 

 words, much lefs the fyllables and letters of it, while 

 we do not-know the text ; but, fo foon as this is known, 

 we immediately think we plainly hear the words, the 

 fyllables and letters. I fay we think we hear, becaufe 

 it would appear a fophifm to advance that we actually 

 hear better, after the text is known, than we did before. 

 A well-formed ear can never acquire more faculty of 

 hearing from the text ; but, as the eye is deceived 

 when the ftrait ftaff appears crooked to it in the water ; 

 fo, in my opinion, the ear is deceived, when, after 

 the text is known, it feems to hear fyllables, letters and 

 words, whereas it previoufly heard only notes. The 

 ear continues to hear only notes, but it is the confciouf- 

 nefs of the words, fyllables, and letters that adds them 

 to the notes. Thus it is, on hearing unknown lan- 

 guages, and efpecially fuch as are unlike thofe that are 

 known. I hear, for example, a Pole, a Hungarian, 

 &c. fpeaking, without knowing his language; I can 



e e 3 neither 



