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and plain declamation, with his remarks on their theatrical representations, we have purposely omitted, as they contain little more than a repetition of what the Abbé du Bos has advanced in the third volume of his Critical Reflections on Poetry and Painting.

Our author then proceeds to treat of words, and the order in which they were invented; which is done with accuracy and precision: he then takes into confideration the fignification of words, where he obferves, with Locke and other writers, that the names of fimple ideas are the leaft fufceptible of ambiguity; whereas complex ideas are much more liable to it, because it is a long time before we can affemble the simple ideas that belong to them.

The fignification of the names of fubftances therefore must needs have been very uncertain, and been the occasion of a multitude of verbal altercations. We are naturally inclined to believe that others have the fame ideas as we, because they make use of the fame language; from whence it frequently happens that we imagine we think differently, tho' we are defending the fame opinions. On these occafions an explanation of the terms would be fufficient to remove the fubject of difpute, and to fhew the futility of a great many queftions which are looked upon as important.

The fignification of the names of archetypes is ftill more uncertain than that of the names of substances, whether because it is rare to find the pattern of the collections to which they belong, or because it is oftentimes very difficult to obferve every part of them, even when we have the pattern: the most effential are exactly those of which we know the leaft. In order to frame, for inftance, the idea of a crininal action, it is not fufficient to observe the external and visible act, it is neceffary moreover to come at things which do not fall under the fenfes. We must fearch into the intention of the perfon that commits it, we must discover the relation which it bears to the law, and even know a great many circumftances that preceded it. All this requires fo particular a care, as from our fupineness or want of penetration can feldom be expected..

To prevent the many inconveniencies arifing from the abuse of words, our learned Abbé lays down a few rules for the exact fignification of them. He is of opinion that we ought never to make ufe of figns, but in order to exprefs ideas which we really have in our minds. In fpeaking of subftances, the names we give them ought to relate only to the qualities which we have obferved them to contain, and of which we have made collections. The names of archetypesshould likewife import only a certain number of fimple ideas, which we have it in our power to determine. We must particularly avoid fuppofing, without fufficient grounds, that others annex the fame ideas as we to the fame words. Upon the difcuffing of a question, our chief care ought to be to confider, whether the complex notions of those with whom we enter into difpute, include a greater number of fimple ideas than ours. If we fufpect it to exceed ours, we fhould inform ourselves by how many, and what kind of ideas if it appears to us lefs, we should discover what fimple ideas we add to theirs.

In relation to general terms, we can confider them only as figns that diftinguish the different claffes under which we diftribute our ideas and when it is faid that a substance belongs to a certain fpecies, we ought fimply to understand, that it includes fuch qualities as are contained in the complex notion fignified by a particular word.

In every other cafe, except that of fubftances, the effence of a thing is confounded with the idea we have framed of it; and of course the fame word is equally the fign of both. A fpace terminated by three angles is together the effenceand the idea of a triangle. The fame may be faid in reregard to whatsoever mathematicians con foundunder the general term of magnitude. Philofophers perceiving that in mathematics the idea of a thing imports the knowledge of its effence, have precipitately concluded that the fame may be faid in regard to phyfics, and thence imagined that they knew the very effence of fubftances.

Mathematical ideas being determined by the fenfes, the confufion of the idea of a thing with its effence, is not, attended with abufe: but in fciences, where we reason

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from archetypes, the confequence is, that we are less upon our guard against verbal disputes.

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Subfequent to thefe obfervations is a chapter on tranfpofitions, wherein our author fhews the advantages refulting from them, which, in a great meafure, conftitute the fuperiority of ancient over modern languages. As fome of the Abbé's remarks on this head fhew a true tafte of claffical beauty, we shall fubjoin one or two of them in his own words, They (tranfpofitions) render our style more nervous and lively: this ap'pears from the eafe we find in placing each word where it ought naturally to produce the beft effect. Perhaps fome ⚫ will afk the reason why a word fhould have a greater force in one place than in another.

To understand this, we need only to compare á con• ftruction in which the terms follow the connexion of ideas, to that wherein it deviates from this connexion. In the former, the ideas prefent themselves fo naturally, that the mind perceives their whole fucceffion, without any occafion, • almost to exercife the fancy. In the other, the ideas, which 'fhould immediately follow each other, are too far feparated to be perceived in this manner: but if it be artfully made, the most distant words are eafily joined by the relation which the terminations eftablish between them. Thus the trifling difficulty arifing from their distance, feems to have • been defigned only to excite the imagination; and the ideas are difperfed, only that the mind being at the trouble of 'joining them, fhould be more fenfible of their connexion or oppofition. By this artifice the whole force of a sentence 'centers fometimes in the word with which it terminates. • For example,

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Nec quicquam tibi prodeft

Aerias tentaffe domos, animoque rotundum
Percurriffe polum, morituro*.

This laft word (moriture) concludes with force, because ⚫ the mind cannot apply it to tibi, to which it belongs, with' out naturally recollecting the feveral words between them.

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Suppose we tranfpofe the word morituro according to the

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" 'Horat. lib. 1. Cd. 28.

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'connexion of ideas, and say, nec quicquam tibi morituro, &c. the effect fhall be no longer the fame, because there is not the fame exercife of the fancy. This fort of transpositions ⚫ partake of the character of the mode of speaking by action, where a fingle fign was oftentimes equivalent to an entire ⚫ fentence.

From this fecond advantage of tranfpofitions arises a third; which is their forming a picture: I mean that they unite in a fingle word the circumftances of an action, in some measure as a painter unites them upon a canvas: if they pre• fented them in fucceffion, it would be only a plain narrative. This will be better understood by means of an example.

Nympha flebant Daphnim extinétum funere crudeli.

• Here is a fimple narrative. I learn that the nymphs wept, that they wept for Daphnis, that Daphnis was dead, &c. Thus the circumftances fucceeding each other make but a flight impreffion on me. Change but the order of words, ⚫ and fay:

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• Extinctum nymphæ crudeli funere Daphnim

• Flebant t,

it produces quite a different effect, because having read ex• tinɛtum nymphæ crudeli funere, I am still in the dark; but at Daphnim I fee the first stroke of the pencil, at flebant I fee the fecond, and then the picture is finished. The nymphs in tears, Daphnis dying, and this death attended with every doleful circumftance, ftrike me all at once. Such is the ' power which tranfpofitions have over the imagination.'

Our author's next chapter on writing, is, by his own confeffion, borrowed from the fecond volume of Dr. Warburton's divine Legation, a work so well known to our readers as to make any extract from it unneceffary: he then treats of the origin of fable, parables, and enigmas; with fome particulars concerning the ufe of figures and metaphors.

This naturally leads him to a very entertaining fubject, the character of languages, where our Abbé obferves, that every language

Vir. Eccl. 5. v. 20.

language expreffes the character of the people that speak it, though it cannot be perfected without the affiftance of eminent writers. He then proceeds to the refolution of two questions which have been often difcuffed, but never fully decided, víz. why the arts and sciences do not flourish alike in all ages and countries; and why men of eminence in every kind are generally cotemporaries?

Our author differs in his fentiments on this head from feveral other writers, who have attributed it to the difference of climates; and is rather of opinion that the circumstances favourable to the displaying of talents are always to be found in a nation, when the language begins to have fixed principles and a settled ftandard +.

The causes which contribute to the display of abilities are as follow. 1. The climate is an effential condition. 2. It.. is requifite that the form of government be fettled, fo as to 'fix the character of a nation. 3. It is this that gives a cha'racter to the language by multiplying such phrafes as express ⚫ the prevailing taste of a people. 4. This is brought about very flowly in languages formed upon the ruin of others: ⚫ but when once thefe obftacles are furmounted, then the rules of analogy are established, the language makes fome im'provements, and there is an opportunity to display one's abili'ties. We fee therefore the reason why great writers do not indifferently flourish in all ages, and why they make their ⚫ appearance fooner in fome and later in other countries.' In regard to the second question, how it happens that great men of every kind are generally cotemporaries, the Abbé observes, that as foon as a man of genius difcovers the character of a language, he expreffes it strongly in his writings. With this affiftance other ingenious perfons, who would not perhaps have been able to find it out of themselves, fee it very plain, and exprefs it after his example, each in his own way. The language is infenfibly enriched with a multitude of new turns of

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Amongst these is the abbé du Bos. See his 2d. Vol.

+ The progrefs must be a great deal more rapid in a language not formed upon the ruin of others, because it has a character from its original. This is the reafon why Greece was fo early diftinguished for excellent writers.

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