ARTICLE XIII.

PROJET d'une nouvelle Grammaire pour apprendre l' Hebreu, & les anciennes Langues Orientales fans Points. Par Monfieur MASCLEF, Chanoine d' Amiens. Primere Partie.

That is,

A PROJECT of a New Grammar to Learn Hebrew, and the Ancient Oriental Languages without Points. By M. MA SCLEF, Canon of Amiens. Part. I.

THO' the firft Part of this Project confifts only of Thirty Pages in 12mo. I rather chufe to give an Extract of it, than to infert it at length, being perfuaded that a fhort Account of that Piece will be fufficient to fatisfy the Curiofity of the Readers.

The Author having obferved, That the Sciences are not fo entirely exhaufted, but that they may afford ftill fome new Difcoveries, adds, that he ventures to communicate to the publick a new Method to learn the Hebrew Tongue, and the ancient Oriental Languages; and then proceeds in the following man.

ner.

It has been fo fully proved, (fays he) that the Points made use of to read Hebrew, on which all the Grammars of that Language are grounded, were invented by the Mafforets, feveral Ages after the Beginning of Christianity, that there are now but few Writers of any Diftinction, who dare affirm the contrary. Some Authors place the Invention of thofe Points in the Fifth Century; others, in the Ninth. Granting the first Epoch to be true, it will follow from it,

that

that the Hebrew Points were not invented till about a Thousand Years after the Hebrew Tongue ceased to be the common Language of the Jews; fince this Alterati on happened, either during the Captivity of Babylon, or foon after. But that Space of Time, and even a fhorter one, is fufficient for my Purpose.

The Hebrew Grammar is ftill of a later Date. And indeed it could not be formed till after the Invention of the Points; and 'tis well known that there was no fuch Grammar before the Tenth Century.

Which being granted, it must be confefs'd that the Mafforets, who fixed the Pronunciation of the Hebrew Tongue, and laid down the Rules of Grammar, with the Help of their Points, could not know how that Language was pronounced, when it was in use. The Hebrew had not been the common Language of the Jews above a Thousand Years; and every Body knows that the Pronunciation of any Language will be quite forgotten in a much fhorter Time. The Greek and Latin Tongues are a plain Proof of it. It is acknowledged by the moft Learned Criticks, that we are altogether ignorant how those two Languages were pronounced in the time of Demofthenes and Cicero. And yet neither of them has been fo long difufed: And there is a great Difference between thofe Criticks, who endeavour'd to retrieve their true Pronunciation, and the Mafforets. The former, befides a lively Genius, improved by a vaft Knowledge, had a great many Greek and Latin Books, even upon all Sorts of Grammatical Questions; whereas the Mafforets were Men of very indifferent Parts, and had no other Hebrew Book but the Bible, being moreover deftitute of all Sorts of Learning.

Perhaps it will be objected, That the Mafforets learned by a conftant Tradition the true and ancient. Pronunciation of the Hebrew Tongue. To enforce this Objection, it will be faid, that many Jews, in all Ages, ftudied the Hebrow Bible; and that Mofes and the Prophets were read in Hebrew, and the Pfalms fung in that Language, in all the Jewish Synagogues. But this is not fufficient to make one be. Vol. IV.

F

lieve,

lieve, that the Mafforets preferved or retrieved the an cient Pronunciation of the Hebrew Tongue; for the fame Helps have not been wanting to preferve the Pronunciation of Greek and Latin. A vaft Number of People made ufe of those two Languages in all Ages: A prodigious Number of Greek and Latin Books are extant to this Day: Nay, the Church has preferved and confecrated thofe Two Languages it her Offices; and yet their true Pronunciation is loft, without any Hopes of recovering it. The faire ought therefore to be faid of the Hebrew Tongue, notwithftanding the Tradition alledged to prove the contrary.

This Objection will appear weaker ftill, if we confider the Alterations and Changes of that Tradition. The Mafforets knew without doubt how to pronounce Hebrew, as it was pronounced in their Time. The Septuagint did a'fo pronounce it, as it was pronounced in their Days. The fame ought to be faid of Fofephus, Origen, St. Jerome, and other ancient Doctors. Why then do they not agree with the Mafforets about that Pronunciation? 'Tis because the Tradition has not been always the fame. But if that Tradition has undergone feveral Changes, how could it have been fufficient to hinder the Mafforets from runnning into Miftakes about a Thing to uncertain and fo intricate?

Perhaps it will be faid, That notwithstanding the various Pronunciation of the Hebrew Tongue at feveral Times, we muft acknowledge at leaft, that the Mafforetick Way of pronouncing it, is the beft. But, not to infift upon the Impoffibility of proving fuch an Affertion, it appears from feveral Arguments, that the Pronunciation of the Mafforets is very faulty, and frequently more imperfect than others.

In the first Place, If it be confidered that the Tradition in queftion has been fubject to many Alterations for fo many Ages, and that the Mafforets pronounced Hebrew differently from the Septuagint, and the other ancient Tranflators; is it not very natural to

infer

infer from thence, that their Pronunciation must needs be more different from the true one?

The Pronunciation of the Maßorets runs upon Two Heads. 1. Upon the Sound, which they afcribe to each Letter of the Hebrew Alphabet. 2. Upon the Vowels, which must be understood in thofe Syllables, wherein they are not expreffed; for every body knows the Hebrews did not write all the Vowels which they pronounced. It is no difficult thing to fhew that upon thofe Two Heads, the Mafforets are far from follow. ing the ancient, and confequently the true Pronunciation of the Hebrew. As for what concerns the Let ters, the Mafforets and their Followers affirm that they are all Confonants, and that there is no Vowel among them. But how can any one believe it? At this Rate, thofe Letters that have no Sound by them. felves, have been invented; but those that have a Sound, have been laid afide. Why were Letters invented? Was it not to exprefs Sounds? But Vowels are infinitely more neceffary to that End than Confonants: And therefore 'tis not true that the latter were invented, and the former quite forgotten. Befides, don't we find in the Hebrew Alphabet, that is, a, e, i, u, aleph, he, jod, vau? Thofe Letters are true Vowels, tho' the Mafforets deny it.

Our Author mentions fome Mistakes of the Masso rets relating to Confonants, and then proceeds to the fecond Head. viz. the Vowels which they add where they think it neceffary. Wherein (fays he) they dif. fer from the Ancients, not only by inferting Vowels where the Ancients inferted none, or, on the contrary, by inferting no Vowels where the Ancients inferted fome ; but also by inserting different Vowels.

M. Mafclef gives fome Inftances of it, by fhewing how the Ancients and the Mafforets read proper Names very differently. This Difference is no lefs confpiCuous in other Words, even fo far as to alter their Signification. What is among the Ancients a Singu lar Number, a Masculine Gender, a Firft Perfon, an Active Verb, a Future Tenfe, a Word derived from a F 2

certain

certain Root, appears among the Mafforets a Plural Number, a Feminine Gender, a Second Perfon, a Paffive Verb, a Prerer-Tenfe, a Word derived from a quite different Root; because they have been pleased to infert fome Vowels in thofe Places, whereby the Words are determined to a certain Senfe. 'Tis true, the Sense which the Mafforets put upon them, is fometimes preferable to that of the Ancients; but it frequently proves worse, as feveral eminent Authors have fhewed at large. 'Tis obfervable, that the Mafforets do not only differ from the Ancients, fuch as the Septuagint, Origen, S. Ferome, &c. in their Way of Reading and Pointing fome Words, but also from the Talmudifts. Nay, from the Time of the Mafforets to this prefent Age, their Pronunciation has undergone very great Alterations. The Jews pronounce now fome Vowels, for Inftance, the Cametz, quite otherwise than the Maforets, as it has been obferved by fome Learned Men: Nor do they agree among themselves about the Pronunciation. The Eaftern Jews pronounce Hebrew one Way, and the Western another Way: The Portugueze pronounce it differently from those that live in Germany. The Chriftians are ftill more divided among themselves, infomuch that those who learned Hebrew of different Mafters, have frequently much ado to understand one another. So true it is, that 'tis impoffible to know exactly the true and ancient Pronun ciation of the Hebrew Tongue; which is the second Principle that was to be laid down. The Author confirms his Opinion by a Paffage out of Drufius.

In the next Place, he lays down a third Principle to fupport his new Method. In order to understand He brew (fays he) 'tis altogether needless to know how it was pronounced formerly. Is it neceffary to know how Greek was read and pronounced in the Time of Demofthenes, to learn that Language? Not in the leaft. So tis with the Hebrew Tongue. The Signification of Hebrew Words lies in the Characters, and not in the Manner of pronouncing them. As long as the Characters are preferved, every thing is fafe. The Author adds, that one might raise the fame Difficulties

against