Italians consulting softness and sweetness of found, more than ftrength and expreffion, have industriously avoided double and treble confonants in the formation of their fyllables; and the French have carried the matter fo far, that in reading they never found the final confonant of a word at all; as it is always mute before a following word beginning with a confonant, and is tranfferred to the first fyllable of the next word when it commences with a vowel. They plume themselves upon this as a piece of reformation that has turned out much to the advantage of their feveral tongues; and are apt to charge ours with barbarism on account of the number of confonants that fill are retained in our fyllables. But in making this charge, they, in many cafes, judge by the eye, not the ear. Several of our fimple founds being marked by two letters, are counted as fuch by them, though

fb, and

in reality they have the power only of one; fuch as the two founds of our th, that of ng. The conjunction of gb, which makes fuch an uncouth figure to a foreign eye, is always filent, except when it takes the found of f; and in the junction of gn in one fyllable the g is always filent; with many more of the fame nature. Through the want of inquiring into the true genius and powers of our own tongue ourselves, we are too apt to admit whatever criticisms foreigners are pleased to make on our language, and to acquiefee under whatever cenfures they throw out. Nothing is more

common than to hear natives of this country acknowledging the juftnefs of the charge which foreigners make against the English tongue, that of abounding too much in consonants: and yet upon a fair examination it would appear that we have no more than what contribute to ftrength and expression.

If the vowels be confidered as the blood, the confonants are the nerves and finews of a language; and the strength of fyllables formed of fingle confonants, like fingle threads, must be infinitely inferiour to fuch as have feveral as it were twisted together. On fuch an inquiry it would be found that probably in no language in the world, have the vowels, diphthongs, femivowels and mutės, been so happily blended, and in fuch due proportion, to constitute the three great powers of speech, melody, harmony, and expreffion. And upon a fair comparifon it would appear, that the French have emafculated their tongue, by rejecting such numbers of their confonants; and made it refemble one of their painted courtezans, adorned with fripperies and fallals. That the German, by abounding too much in harsh confonants and gutturals, has great fize and ftrength, like the ftatue of Her

cules

cules Farnese, but no grace. That the Roman, like the bust of Antinous, is beautiful indeed, but not manly. That the Italian has beauty, grace, and fymmetry, like the Venus of Medicis, but is feminine. And that the English alone resembles the ancient Greek, in uniting the three powers of ftrength, beauty, and grace, like the Apollo of Belvedere.

But all the powers of found muft remain in a state of confufion, or impenetrable darknefs, while the cuftom continues of applying ourselves wholly to the study of the written language, and neglecting that of speech. When the art of reading with propriety fhall have been established and produced its effects, a new field will be opened to our writers, unknown to their predeceffors, for compofition both in poetry and prose, which will display in a new light the vast compass of our language in point

of

How

of harmony and expreffion, from the fame caufe which produced fimilar effects at Rome in the writers of the Ciceronian or Auguftan age. For it was at that period that the Romans first applied themselves to the cultivation of the living language, having before, like us, employed themfelves wholly about the written. is it poffible indeed that the compass and harmony, whereof an inftrument is fufceptible, can be perceived, if the keys are either touched at random, or only a few fimple airs played upon it learned by ear. But to return to my fubject. I have given many inftances of the power of expreffion in multitudes of our words, and fhewn the caufes of it. But this power does not refide in the mere letters which compofe the words; it depends on the due force given to them in utterance. No letter so harsh, which may not be softened;

fo