LECTURE VII,

RISE and PROGRESS of LANGUAGE,AND OF WRITING,

VV HEN we attend to the order in whichwords are arranged in a fentence, or figniiicantproportion, we rind a very remarkable differencebetween the ancient and the modern Tongues.The confideration of this will ferve to unfoldfarther the genius of Language, and to (howthe cauf.s of thofe alterations, which it hasundergone, in the progrefs of Society.

In order to conceive diftindly the nature ofthat alteration of which I now fpeak, let us goback, as we did formerly, to the moll earlyperiod of Language. Let us figure to ourfelvesa Savage, who beholds fome objedt, fuch asfruit, which raifes his. defire, and who requeflsanother to give it to him. Suppofrng our Sa-vage to be unacquainted with words, he would,in that cafe, labour to make himfelf be under-ftocd , by pointing earneftly at the object whichhe derired, and uttering at the fame time apafiionate cry. Slippering Iiim to have acquired

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VII.