ARTICLE LII.

REPONSE aux Objections contre le Projet d'unc nouvelle Grammaire, pour apprendre l'Hebreu & les autres Langues Orientales fans Points. Par M. MASCLEF Chanoine d'Amiens.

That is,

AN ANSWER to the Objections that may be raised against the Project of † new Grammar to learn Hebrew, and other Oriental Languages without Points. By M. MASCLE F, Canon of Amiens,

SHALL neither tranflate this Difcourfe, nor make a full Extract of it; being of Opinion, that it will be fufficient to enlarge upon that Part, whereing the Author undertakes to fhew, that the Truth of his New Method has been fully proved by his own Experience.

About

I have inferted the First Part of that Project above in Art. XIII, and the Second Part in Art. XXX.

About the latter End of the Year 1694. M. Mas clef being difcouraged a Third Time from learning Hebrew, by Reafon of the Difficulties he met with in the very beginning of the common Grammars, and because he knew the greatest Proficients in that Language cannot eafily read and tranflate it without Points; it came into his Thoughts to enquire, whether Hebrew might be learned without the help of Points. He knew thofe Vowels are a new Invention, and that Hebrew was formerly read and learn'd without them; from whence he inferr'd, that it was not impoffible to read and learn it still in the fame manner. He faw that the Want of Vowels was the only Reason why Hebrew could not be read without Points; but he perceived at the fame time, that Vowels were to be found in a great many Places, (for he could not believe that were Confonants, ) and thaf they might be uuderstood in thofe Places where they are wanting; that the Senfe of the Words lying in the Characters, he might fupply any Vowels; it being an indifferent thing whether he pronounced Hebrew as the Ancients did, or according to the Method of the Mafforets, or in a new way, provided he understood himself, and had fome fhort and easy Rules to know conftantly in what place he was to fupply Vowels, and what Voweis were to be fupplied. Having examined feveral ways of fupplying thofe Vowels, and duly confidered the Advantages and Inconveniencies arifing from each of them, at last the Method mentioned in his Project came into his Mind. It appeared to him very eafy: He tried to read according to that Method; and in a Quarter of an Hour he read with great Facility.

Being well pleased with this Difcovery, he enqui red whether the Grammar would agree with that Method, and whether the Characters without Points would enable him to diftinguish all the Parts of Speech one from another, and their feveral Modifications. He immediately perceived, that there was no Difficulty

Difficulty in his Method, as to thofe Parts of Speech that are undeclinable; and that Dictionaries would teach the Nature of thofe Words, and their Significations, in the fame Manner, and with the fame Facility, as they are learned by the ufual Methods. He made the Experiment. It answered his Expectation.

Our Author proceeded to thofe Parts of Speech,' that are declined and conjugated; and obferved, that it was generally an eafy thing to diftinguifh the Genders, the Numbers, and fome Cafes of Nouns and Paticiples by the Characters without the Help of Points. Afterwards he perceived, that it was much the fame thing with the Verbs, the more because the Hebrew Verbs have few Tenfes and Moods; that one might eafily diftinguifh the Preter-Tenfe and the Future, their figurative Characters being wholly different; that the Perfons and Numbers of thofe Two Tenfes are alfo fufficiently diftinguifhed by their Characters; that it was likewife an eafy thing to diftinguifh a confiderable part of the Conjugation Kal from Niphal, Hiphil, Hopbal and Hithphaël, and that the Four laft Conjugations having different figurative Letters, he might alfo generally diftinguish them one from another. 'Tis true he perceived that the Conjugations Piel, Pual, and even Poel could not be diftinguished from Kal without the Help of Points. But far from looking upon it as an Inconveniency, he took it to be an Advantage of his New Method; being of Opinion, that fince thofe Three Conjuga tions feem to be a mere Invention of the Mafforets, because their Difference from Kal lies only in the Points, they might very well be left our; by which Means fome Difficulties of the Hebrew Grammar would vanish away.

M. Mafclef adds, that the only Difficulty he met with, concerns fome Modifications, which cannot be diftinguished by the Characters, and fome ambiguous Words, the Sense whereof is only determined by the

Points,

Points. But, fays he, all those who read the Bible without Points, find themselves engaged in the fame Difficulty. Befides, it is a Question whether certain Words ought to have the Modification and the Senfe bestowed upon them by the Pointing of the Maffor rets. Laftly, he was apt to believe that the Senfe and Modification of thofe ambiguous Words might be generally determined by the Exigency of the Place, as it frequently happens in all other Languages, either dead or living.

Thus, perceiving no other Difficulty but what he thought he might eafily overcome, he began to tran fate. He knew it was not neceffary to underftand the Grammar thoroughly in order to go about fuch a Work. The Rules he had obferved in the common Grammars, to know the different Modifications of Nouns and Verbs, with the help of the Letters, ap peared to him fufficient for a beginning, being of Opinion that he might learn the reft by Ufe and Exercife. The firft Effays of his Tranflation fucceeded beyond his Hopes: He went on, and made a new Progress every Day.

Hitherto he had read but few critical Books upon the Holy Scripture, having turned his Studies, another way. He read fome then, and among others the critical Hiftory of the Old Testament, wherein he found many things, that convinced him of the Solidity of his Defign, and how neceffary it was to put it in Execution.

The Author having found out the Secret of reading Hebrew without Points, went on, and with the help of the common Grammars, leaving out every thing that concerns the Points, he happily read all the Hebrew Bible. He made the fame Experiment upon the Chaldaick Text of Daniel and Ezra, upon all the Chaldaick Paraphrafes, and a great Part of the Syriack Verfion, both of the Old and New Teftament, and upon fome Pieces of the Samaritan; wherein he had

the

the fame Succefs: Which convinced him that his Method was equally proper for all thofe Languages. M. Mafclef would have published his Hebrew Grammar in 1696, and perhaps fome Grammars for the other Oriential Languages foon after, had it not been for fome Employments, which for the space of near Fourteen Years did not allow him to mind the Hebrew Tongue.

He fays, he does not propofe a Method grounded upon mere Conjectures, fince he has tried it, and the Success has answered his Expectation. Had he underftood the Hebrew Language then according to the common Methods, one might think he is deluded by his Fancy, and that he afcribes to his new Method what fhould be afcribed to fomething else; but all those who know him, wift teiftfy that he had no Skill in Hebrew, and could not fo much as conjugate, when he began to learn it in his own way. Nay, at this very time he knows nothing of the different Ufes and Changes of Points, nor the very Figure and Import of fome of them. He has not spent a great deal of Time in learning the Hebrew Tongue; and he might have done it much fooner, had he had fuch a Grammar as that which he has drawn up, and had he been able To remove fome Obstacles, which stopp'd him now and then.

Mr. Mafclef can hardly believe that his new Me thod will not meet with a good Reception from the Publick. It might have been rejected (fays he) as a mere Fancy in a lefs knowing Age; but the Principles, on which it is grounded, being now gene. rally admitted, he hopes for a better Succefs. However he does not expect to have an univerfal Approbation: One must be very little acquainted with the Hiftory of the World, (fays he,) to flatter himfelf with it upon any Work whatfoever, and leaft of all upon a Work of this Nature. The new Method (continues our Author) will doubtlefs be at

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