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names to trees, and to those animals that they hunted or tamed.

It is an ingenious conjecture of the author before quoted *, and I think a very probable one, that the first names of objects were proper names denoting the individual; but afterwards, by being applied to objects of the fame kind, on account of their refemblance, they became general names of the species. For the natural progress of the human mind, with which language always keeps pace, is from individuals to generals; and therefore, as individuals must necessarily have been firft known, it is likely that they were first named.

The radical words in a formed language may be faid, in one fenfe, to be the first words of the language, and accordingly are called primitives. But fuch words are far from being the firft invented words: For the barbarous languages having no compo→ fition or derivation, can have no roots; but they belong only to artificial languages, and are the invention of the grammatical art, to make the words of a language connect and

*Dr Smith on the formation of language, in the beginning.

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hang together, and to fave the too great multiplication of them, as fhall be afterwards fhewn. And, in general, it is in vain. to feek for any thing like art in the truly primitive languages; which being produced by the neceffities of life, and used only to ferve the purpose of thofe neceffities, had at first no rule or analogy of any kind: So that, whatever we find like art or regularity in them, we are fure is an improvement of the original jargon.

There is another queftion concerning language that has been much agitated, namely, Which is the truly primitive language from whence all the others are derived? But first I think it ought to be determined, whether there be any one primitive language. Upon the fuppofition indeed, that language could not have been invented by man, but was revealed from heaven, it is evident, that this revealed language is the only primitive one, and that all the other languages of the world are only dialects of it, more or lefs pure. And then the question will be, Whether that first language is yet extant? or, if it be loft, What language now remaining comes the neareft to it? But, on the other hand, fuppofing language to be

the invention of man, (and it is upon that fuppofition I proceed), I fee no reafon to believe, that it was invented only by one nation, and in one part of the earth; and that all the many different languages spoken in Europe, Afia, Africa, America, and the new world that we have now discovered in the South fea, are derived all from this common parent. And, accordingly, I have all along spoken, not of one primitive language, but of primitive languages in general. At the fame time, I am far from being of opinion, that every nation has invented the language it ufes : On the contrary, I am perfuaded, that fo difficult an art as language has not been the invention of many nations; but having been once invented, and being by its nature of long duration, as well as eafy communication, it has been propagated to countries very diftant from those where it was firft invented. But the duration and propagation of language is a curious fubject, which deferves to be confidered and explained at foine length; after which, we shall be better able to judge whether one language could be fpread all over the face of the earth.

Of the Duration of Language, and the Facility of its Propagation. Of the Celtic, and the great Extent of Country over which it is fpread. Of the Teutonic, and its Propagation. Of the Greek and Latin, and their Connection with the Teutonic-That the Latin is the fame Language with the antient Pelagic; and of the Affinity betwixt the Latin and Hebrew;-aljo betwixt the Latin and Hetrufcan.

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S language is among the first arts invented by men, fo it is among the laft that are loft. It cannot be totally and at ⚫ once loft, except by the total destruction of the nation, either by fone natural calamity, like that of the Atlantic island finking, as it is faid, into the sea, or by the extirpation of war. In this last way the Celtic language was loft in England, when it was conquered by the Saxons, and was preserved only in the

mountains of Wales, which were not conquered by them. But, in the case of most other conquefts, the language of a country has not been totally loft, but mixed with that of the conquerors; and out of that mixture a corrupt language produced. This was the cafe of the conqueft of the feveral provinces. of the Roman empire by the northern nations. In Italy, for example, the language that took place after it was fubdued by the Lombards, was a mixture of Latin and the language of that people, which is the prefent Italian. In France, after the conqueft of the Franks, the Language was mixed of Latin, of Tudefque, or Teutonic, which was the language of the Franks, and of what ftill remained of the antient language of the country, viz. the Celtic; and of those three languages the modern French is compofed *, but principally of Latin.

But it has fometimes happened, that the conquered retained their language entire, and that even the conquerors adopted it. This was the cafe when the conquered nation was much more numerous than the

* See Monf. Bullet's preface to his Celtic Dictionary.