that, by which other languages must be taught; and will render the study of them lefs intricate. It is of fmall moment, by what names and claffification we distinguish these words, provided their meaning and ufe are well underflood. A philofophical confideration of the fubject, may, with great propriety, be entered upon by the grammatical ftudent, when his knowledge and judgment become more improved.

SECT. 2. A sketch of the steps by which the English Language has rifen to its prefent flate of refinement.

BEFORE We conclude the fubject of derivation, it will probably be gratifying to the curious fcholar, to be informed of fome particulars refpecting the origin of the English language, and the various nations to which it is indebted for the copioufnefs, elegance, and refinement, which it has now attained.

"When the ancient Britons were fo haraffed and oppreffed by the invasions of their northern neighbours, the Scots, and Picts, that their fituation was truly miferable, they sent an embaffy (about the middle of the fifth century) to the Saxons, a warlike people inhabiting the north of Germany, with folicitations for fpeedy relief. The Saxons accordingly came over to Britain, and were fuccefsful in repelling the incurfions of the Scots and Picts; but feeing the weak and defenceless state of the Britons, they refolved to take advantage of it; and at length establifhed themselves in the greater part of South-Britain, after having difpoffeffed the original inhabitants.

"From thefe barbarians, who founded feveral petty kingdoms in this ifland, and introduced their own laws, language, and manners, is derived the groundwork of the English language; which, even in its present state of cultivation, and notwithstanding the fucceffive augmentations and improvements, which it has received through various channels, displays very confpicuous traces of its Saxon original.

"The Saxons did not long remain in quiet poffeffion of the kingdom; for before the middle of the ninth century, the Danes, a hardy and adventurous nation, who had long infested the northern feas with their piracies, began to ravage the English coafts. Their first attempts were, in general, attended with fuch fuccefs, that they were encouraged to a renewal of their ravages; till, at length, in the beginning of the eleventh century, they made themselves masters of the greater part of England.

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Though the period during which thefe invaders occupied the English throne, was very short, not greatly exceeding half a century, it is highly probable that fome change was introduced by them into the language spoken by those whom they had fubdued: but this change cannot be fuppofed to have been very confiderable, as the Danish and Saxon languages arofe from one common fource, the Gothic being the parent of both.

"The next conquerors of this kingdom, after the Danes, were the Normans, who, in the year 1066, introduced their leader William to the poffeffion of the English throne. This prince, foon after his acceffion, endeavoured to bring his own language (the Norman French) into use among his new fubjects; but his efforts were not very fuccessful, as the Saxons entertained a great antipathy to thefe haughty foreigners. In procefs of time, however, many Norman words and phrafes were incorporated into the Saxon language: but its general form and conftruction ftill remained the fame.

"From the Conqueft to the Reformation, the language continued to receive occafional acceffions of foreign words, till it acquired fuch a degree of copioufness and ftrength, as to render it fufceptible of that polish, which it has received from writers of taste and genius, in the last and prefent centuries. During this period the learned have enriched it with many fignificant expreffions, drawn from the treasures of Greek and Roman literature; the ingenious and the fashionable have imported occafional fupplies

of French, Spanish, Italian, and German words, gleaned during their foreign excurfions; and the connexions which we maintain, through the medium of government and commerce, with many remote nations, have made fome additions to our native vocabulary.

"In this manner did the ancient language of the AngloSaxons proceed, through the various ftages of innovation, and the feveral gradations of refinement, to the formation of the prefent English tongue.'

* Coote's Elements of English Grammar.

PART III.

SYNTAX.

THE third part of grammar is SYNTAX, which fhows the agreement and right difpofition of words in a sentence.

A fentence is an affemblage of words, expreffed in proper form, ranged in proper order, and concurring to make a complete fense.

Sentences are of two kinds, fimple and compound.

A fimple fentence has in it but one fubject, and one finite* verb: as, "Life is fhort."

A compound fentence contains two or more fimple fentences, joined together by one or more connective words: as, "Life is fhort, and art is long."

As fentences themselves are divided into fimple and compound, fo the members of fentences may be divided likewife into fimple and compound members: for whole fentences, whether fimple or compounded, may become members of other fentences, by means of fome additional connexion; as in the following example: "The ox knoweth his owner, and the afs his mafter's crib; but Ifrael doth not know, my people do not confider." This fentence confifts of two compounded members, each of which is fubdivided into two fimple members, which are properly called claufes.

There are three forts of fimple fentences; the explicative, or explaining; the interrogative, or asking; the imperative, or commanding.

An explicative fentence is when a thing is faid to be or not to be, to do or not to do, to fuffer or not to fuffer, in a

* Finite verbs are those to which number and perfon appertain. Verbs in the infinitive mood have no refpect to number or perfon.

direct manner: as, "I am; thou writeft; Thomas is loved." If the fentence be negative, the adverb not is placed after the auxiliary, or after the verb itself when it has no auxiliary: as, "I did not touch him ;" or, "I touched him not."

In an interrogative fentence, or when a question is asked, the nominative cafe follows the principal verb or the auxiliary as, "Was it he ?" "Did Alexander conquer the Perfians."

In an imperative fentence, when a thing is commanded to be, to do, to fuffer, or not, the nominative cafe likewife follows the verb or the auxiliary: as, "Go, thou traitor!" "Do thou go:" "Hafte ye away:" unless the verb let be used; as, "Let us be gone."

A phrafe is two or more words rightly put together, making fometimes part of a fentence, and fometimes a whole fentence.

The principal parts of a fimple fentence are, the fubject, the attribute, and the object.

The fubject is the thing chiefly fpoken of; the attribute is the thing or action affirmed or denied of it; and the object is the thing affected by fuch action.

The nominative denotes the fubject, and usually goes before the verb or attribute; and the word or phrafe, denoting the object, follows the verb; as, "A wife man governs his paffions." Here, a wife man is the fubject; governs, the attribute, or thing affirmed; and bis passions, the object.

Syntax principally confifts of two parts, Conord and Government.

Concord is the agreement which one word has with another, in gender, number, cafe, or perfon.

Government is that power which one part of fpeech has over another, in directing its mood, tenfe, or cafe.