Part II. C. 13. the adjective, it might alfo have genders,

which is the cafe of the Hebrew and Arabic verb; and, as I am told by the learned in thofe languages, occafions no confufion or imbarraffment in them. 2dly, The verbs have more moods as well as tenfes; and to make the ftructure of the language complete, they fhould have at least one more. In order to explain what I mean, it is neceffary to premife, that every language that is in the leaft degree perfect, must have, befides the indicative, the imperative, and infinitive moods, a fubjunctive mood, which is, as I have obferved, a form of the verb, denoting that what is fignified by it is not affirmed abfolutely by itself, but relatively to fome other verb to which it is fubjoined, and upon which it is dependent. And it is a very great defect in our prefent English, (for it was not always fo), that this mood is very little ufed, or ufed indifcriminately with the indicative. In Latin they have but one mood of that kind; but in Greek they have two, viz. the fubjunctive, properly fo called, and the optative, which, as I have obferved, is likewise used as a fubjunctive. If the preceding, or prin

cipal verb, is in the prefent tenfe, the C. 13. proper mood of the depending verb is the fubjunctive; or if it be in the preterperfect, it is the fame on account of the prefent time, which is involved in it, as I have explained above: but if the principal verb be in any other past time, the proper mood of the depending verb is the optative. So far is very well. But fuppofe the time of the principal verb is future, ought there not to be a third fubjunctive mood for the depending verb? But this even the Greek language has not, but uses, in place of it, the fubjunctive mood properly fo called.

С НА Р. XIV.

Of participles, adjectives, prepofitions, conjunctions, and interjections.

THE

HE participle, though in our com- C. 14. mon grammars it be fet down in the conjugation of every verb as a part of it, yet is truly a separate part of speech; for it does not express any energy of the mind of the fpeaker, which, as I have faid, is effential

C. 14.

effential to the verb; but it denotes the action of the verb, not abftractedly as a verbal noun does, but inherent in, or belonging to fome indefinite fubftance; and therefore I have ranked it under verbs, in my large fenfe of the word, and not under nouns. It has however fo much of the noun, as to have numbers and cafes; and as it neceffarily refers to a noun, and may be conftrued with a noun of any of the three genders, it has likewife all thofe genders. It has alfo fo much of the verb, commonly fo called, that it is confignificant of time. Although therefore in my divifion of the parts of fpeech, it is ranked under the verb; yet, in the common divifion, it ought to be reckoned a part of fpeech by itself, feparate both from verb and noun.

The adjective, in the common grammars, is very improperly claffed with the noun; for it is not a noun, for the fame reafon that the participle is not a noun, viz. because it denotes primarily a quality or accident inherent in fome indefinite fubflance. It is therefore joined to any fubftance, with which it agrees, as well as the participle, in gender, number, and cafe; nor is there any difference betwixt the

two,

two, except that the participle is config- C. 14. nificant of time, which the adjective is not.

There are fome adjectives formed by the Greeks from verbs, which deferve a particular notice, as they fhew perhaps as much as any thing in the language, the accurate and philofophical genius of the formers of this language. But of thefe I will speak in the next chapter, under the article of derivatives.

Prepofitions I likewife clafs under verbs, as they denote relations of things; not abftractedly, for then they would be nouns, but inherent in their fubjects, fo that they are qualities which are not confidered as having a feparate exiftence. The chief use of them, as appears to me, is to exprefs relations, which could not be conveniently expreffed by the cafes of nouns, fuch as place, fituation, order, and many other connections of things, which are obferved by grammarians, in the fignifications they give to the feveral prepofitions. They are of very great ufe in fyntax, and govern a cafe, whereby we know the word to which they refer.,

To know the precife meaning of the prepofitions in the Greek language, and to be able to diftinguish the proper from

the

C. 14. the figurative fignification of them, is a matter of great nicety. There is fomething begun upon this fubject, by an author very eminent for his knowledge of the language *; but which I regret is not finished. The use of them in compofition, gives a particular beauty and accuracy of expreffion to the Greek language. They ufe commonly enough two of them, and fometimes three, in composition with their verbs, by which they describe fo minutely the action of the verb, that it is really a kind of painting. Thus Homer, in defcribing water coming out of the foot of a rock, uses the word ¿7-ex-¬po-peer, by which is defcribed, first its coming from below, then its coming out, or gushing, and laftly its running forward †.

The

* Dr Moor, Profeffor of Greek in the Univerfity of Glasgow.

The prepofition, though compounded with the verb, is often feparated from it in the arrangement, particularly by the poets; and this has fometimes led into miftakes. Thus thofe famous lines of Homer, defcribing Jupiter's nod,

Η, καὶ κυανέησι ἐπ' ὀρρυσι νευσε Κρονίων,

"He faid 1;

Αμβροσιαι δ' άρα χαιται ἐπεῤῥώσαντο άνακτος. 'are, in a late tranflation, rendered thus. "and with his dark fhaggy brows the fon of Sa"turn nodded above," &c. where it appears, that the tranflator

1