What will you fay to Lord Monboddo, who holds the fame opinion with Mr. Harris * ?

H.

I fay that a little more reflection and a great deal lefs reading, a little more attention to common fenfe †, and less blind prejudice for his Greek commentators, would have made Mr. Harris a much better Grammarian, if not perhaps a Philosopher.-What a ftrange language is this to come from a man, who at the fame time fuppofes these Particles and Conjunctions to be words without meaning! It should seem, by this infolent pleasantry, that Mr. Harris reckons it the perfection of compofition and difcourfe to

* « This abundance of Conjunctions and Particles," (fays he, Vol. II. page 179)" is, in my opinion, one of the greatest beauties of the Greek

language, &c. For I am fo far from thinking that that disjointed com"pofition and short cut of ftyle, which is fo much in fashion at present, "and of which Tacitus among the ancients is the great model, is a beauty: "that I am of opinion it is the affectation of a deformity; nor is there, in my apprehenfion, any thing that more disfigures a ftyle, or makes it "more offensive to a man of true Taste and Judgement in writing, &c.”

"I shall only add at prefent, that one of the greateft difficulties of com"pofing in English appears to me to be the want of fuch connecting par"ticles as the Greeks have, &c."

†The author would by no means be understood to allude to the coMMON SENSE of Doctors Ofwald, Reid, and Beattie; which appears to him to be fenonfenfe.

thear

ufe

use a great many words without meaning!—If so, perhaps Master Slender's language would meet with this learned Gentleman's approbation.

"I keep but three men and a boy yet, till my mother "be dead; but what though yet I live a poor gentleman "born."

Now here is cement enough in proportion to the building. It is plain, however, that Shakespeare (a much better philofopher by the bye than most of those who have written philofophical Treatifes) was of a different opinion in this matter from Mr. Harris. He thought the best way to make his Zany talk unconnectedly and nonfenfically was to give him a quantity of these elegant words without meaning which are fuch favourites with Mr. Harris and Lord Monboddo.

B.

This may be raillery perhaps, but I am sure it is neither reasoning nor authority. This inftance does not affect Mr. Harris: for All cement is no more fit to make a firm building than no cement at all. Slender's discourse might have been made equally as unconnected without any particles, as with fo many particles together. It is the proper mix

ture

ture of particles and other words which Mr. Harris would recommend; and he only cenfures the moderns for being too sparing of Particles.

H.

Reasoning! It difdains to be employed about fuch conceited nonsense, such affected airs of fuperiority and pretended elegance. Efpecially when the whole foundation is false for there are not any useful connectives in the Greek, which are not to be found in modern languages. But for his opinion concerning their employment, you shall have authority, if you please; Mr. Harris's favourite authority: an Antient, a Greek, and one too writing profeffedly on Plato's opinions, and in defence of Plato; and which if Mr. Harris had not forgotten, I am perfuaded, he would not have contradicted.

Plutarch fays" Il n'y a ny Befte, ny inftrument, ny

armeure, ny autre chofe quelle qu'elle foit au monde, "qui par ablation ou privation d'une fiene propre partie, "foit plus belle, plus active, ne plus doulce que paravant "elle n'eftoit; là où l'oraifon bien fouvent, en eftans les "conjonctions toutes oftées, a une force & efficace plus "affectueuse, plus active, & plus efmouvante. C'est pourquoy ceulx qui efcrivent des figures de Retorique louent

" & prifent grandement celle qu'ils appellent deliée; là " où ceulx qui font trop religieux & qui s' affubjettiffent "trop aux regles de la grammaire, fans ozer ofter une "feule conjonction de la commune façon de parler, en "font à bon droit blasmez & repris; comme faisans un "ftile enervé, fans aucune pointe d'affection, & qui laffe " & donne peine à ouir," &c. *

I will give you another authority, which perhaps Mr. Harris may value more, because I value it much less.

"Il n'y a rien encore qui donne plus de mouvement au "discours que d'en éter les liaisons. En effet, un discours que rien ne lie & n'embaraffe, marche & coule de foy"même, & il s'en faut peu qu'il n'aille quelquefois plus "vite que la penfée même de l'orateur." Longinus then "gives three examples, from Xenophon, Homer, and De"mofthenes; and concludes" En egalant & applaniffant "toutes chofes par le moyen de liaifons, vous verrez que "d'un pathetique fort & violent vous tomberez dans une "petite affeterie de langage qui n'aura ni pointe ni eguil"lon; & que toute la force de votre discours s'eteindra "auffi-toft d'elle-mefme. Et comme il eft certain, que fi

*Platonic Questions. Amyot's Tranflation.

"on lioit le corps d'un homme qui court, on lui feroit "perdre toute fa force; de même si vous allez embarraffer "une paffion de ces liaisons & de ces particules inutiles, ❝elle les fouffre avec peine; vous lui otez la liberté de fa "course, & cette impetuofité qui la faifoit marcher avec ❝ la mesme violence qu' un trait lancé par une machine *.”

Take one more authority, better than either of the foregoing on this fubject.

"Partes orationis fimiles nexu indigent, ut inter fe "uniantur; & ifte vocatur Conjunctio, quæ definitur vocula "indeclinabilis quæ partes orationis colligit. Alii eam fub"intelligi malint, alii exprefsè & moleftè repetunt: illud, "qui attentiores funt rebus; hoc, qui rigorofius loquuntur. "Omittere ferè omnes conjunctiones Hifpanorum aut " vitium aut character est. Plurimæ defiderantur in Lu66 cano, plurimæ in Seneca, multæ in aliis authoribus. "Multas omitto; &, fi meum genium fequerer, ferè 66 omnes. Qui rem intelligit & argumentum penetrat, "percipit fibi ipfis cohærere fententias, nec egere parti"culis ut connectantur: quod, fi interferantur voculæ