a resemblance between found and fignification. The beauties of verfe are handled in the laft fection: for though the foregoing beauties are found in verfe as well as in profe, yet verfe has many peculiar beauties, which for the fake of connection must be brought under one view; and verfification, at any rate, is a fubject of fo great importance, as to deferve a place by itself.

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SECT. I.

Beauty of language with respect to found.

N handling this fubject, the following order appears the most natural. The founds of the different letters come first: next, thefe founds as united in fyllables: third, fyllables united in words: fourth, words united in a period and in the last place, periods unisted in a difcourfe.

With respect to the first article, every vowel is founded with a fingle expiration of air from the wind pipe, through the cavity of the mouth. By varying this cavity, the different vowels are founded: for the air in paffing through cavities differing in fize, producerh various founds, fome high or fharp, fome flow or flat fmall cavity occafions a high found, a large cavity a low found. The five vowels accordingly, pronounced with the fame extenfion of the wind-pipe, but with different openings of the mouth, form a regular feries of founds, defcending from high to low, in the following order, i, e, a, o, u *. Each of thefe founds is agreeable to the ear and if it be inquired which of them is the moft agreeable, it is perhaps the fafalt fice to hold, that there is no univerfal preference of any one before the reft: probably thofe vowels which are the fartheft removed from the extremes, will be the most relifhed. This is all I have to remark upon the first article: for confonants being letters that of themfelves have no found, ferve only in conjunction with vowels to form

* In this fcale of founds, the letter i must be pronounced as in the word intereft, and as in other words beginning with the fyllable in the letter e as in perfuafion; the letter a as in hat; and the letter u as in number.

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red many founds fingly agreeable, that re extremely difagreeable; none but concordant founds having a good effect in the former, all founds fingly agreeFunction concordant; and ought to be, the purposes of language.

Ted fyllables, we proceed to words; aird article. Monofyllables belong to

polyfyllables open a different scene. v, one will readily imagine, that the adifagreeableness of a word with respect ould depend upon the agreeableness or

of its component fyllables: which is ut not entirely; for we must also take tion, the effect of fyllables in fucceflion. e, fyllables in immediate fucceffion, proof them, with the fame or nearly the of the mouth, produce a fucceflion of e founds; witnefs the French words diton the other hand, a fyllable of the re fucceeding one of the fmalleft, or the s a fucceffion, which, because of its rereeablenefs, is diftinguished by a proper atus. The most agreeable fucceffion, is, ity is increased and diminished alternately e limits. Examples, alternative, longemous. Secondly, words confifting wholly onounced flow, or of fyllables pronoun.

monly called long and short fyllables, ody in them; witness the words petitiondizziness: on the other hand, the interg and fhort fyllables is remarkably agreemple, degree, repent, wonderful, altitude, pendent, impetuofity. The caufe will afterward, in treating of verfification. A 4

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words, like thofe of Latin and Greek, have y aloft univerfally: English and French enerally deficient; in the former, the long g removed from the end as far as the found ; and in the latter, the laft fyllable being ge For example, Senator in English, Senator id Senateur in French.

articulate founds; and as every articulate found of this kind makes a fyllable, confonants come naturally under the fecond article; to which therefore we proceed.

All confonants are pronounced with a lefs cavity than any of the vowels; and confequently they contribute to form a found ftill more fharp than the fharpest vowel pronounced fingle. Hence it follows, that every articulate found into which a confonant enters, must ne. ceffarily be double, though pronounced with one expiration of air, or with one breath, as commonly expreffed the reason is, that though two founds readily unite, yet where they differ in tone, both of them must be heard if neither of them be fuppreffed. For the fame reafon, every fyllable must be compofed of as many founds as there are letters, fuppofing every letter to be distinctly pronounced.

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We next inquire, how far articulate founds into which confonants enter, are agreeable to the ear. Few tongues are fo polished, as entirely to have rejected founds that are pronounced with difficulty; and it is a noted obfervation, That fuch founds are to the ear harth and difagreeable. But with refpect to agreeable founds, it appears, that a double found is always more agreeable than a single found every one who has an ear must be fenfible, that the diphthong oi or ai is more agreeable than any of these vowels pronounced fingly the fame holds where a confonant enters into the double found; the fyllable le has a more agreeable found than the vowel e, or than any vowel. And in fupport of experience, a fatisfactory argument may be drawn from the wifdom of Providence Speech: is bestowed upon man, to qualify him for fociety; and the provision he hath of articulate founds is prepoffraned to the ufe he hath for them but if founds that are agreeable fingly were not alfo agreeable:in conjunction, the neceffity of a painful felection would render language intricate and dificult to be attained in any perfection; and this selection, at the fame time, would tend to abridge the number of ufeful founds, fo as perhaps not to leave fufficient for anfwering the different ends of language.

In this view, the harmony of pronunciation differs widely from that of mufic properly fo called; in the

latter

latter are difcovered many founds fingly agreeable, that in conjunction are extremely difagreeable; none but what are called concordant founds having a good effect in conjunction in the former, all founds fingly agreeable, are in conjunction concordant; and ought to be, in order to fulfill the purposes of language.

Having difcuffed fyllables, we proceed to words; which make a third article. Monofyllables belong to the former head: polyfyllables open a different fcene. In a curfory view, one will readily imagine, that the agreeablenefs or difagreeableness of a word with respect to its found, fhould depend upon the agreeableness or disagreeableness of its component fyllables: which is true in part, but not entirely; for we must alfo take under confideration, the effect of fyllables in fucceffion. In the first place, fyllables in immediate fucceffion, pronounced, each of them, with the fame or nearly the fome aperture of the mouth, produce a fucceffion of weak and feeble founds; witnefs the French words ditil, pathetique: on the other hand, a fyllable of the greatest aperture fucceeding one of the fmalleft, or the oppofite, makes a fucceffion, which, becaufe of its remarkable difagreeablenefs, is diftinguished by a proper name, viz hiatus. The most agreeable fucceffion, is, where the cavity is increafed and diminished alternately within moderate limits. Examples, alternative, longevity, pufillanimous. Secondly, words confifting wholly of fyllables pronounced flow, or of fyllables pronoun. ced quick, commonly called long and fhort fyllables, have little melody in them; witnefs the words petitioner, fruiterer, dizzinefs: on the other hand, the intermixture of long and fort fyllables is remarkably agreeable; for example, degree, repent, wonderful, altitude, rapidity, independent, impetuofity*. The caufe will be explained afterward, in treating of verfification.

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* Italian words, like thofe of Latin and Greek, have this property aloft univerfally: English and French words are generally deficient; in the former, the long fyllable being removed from the end as far as the found will permit; and in the latter, the last fyllable being ge nerally long For example, Senator in English, Senator in Latin, and Senateur in French.