2. Which are the kinds of poetry most in use?

A. The kinds of poetry are various: the most considerable sorts are 1st, Pastoral, which describes a shepherd's life, or that of rural nymphs and swains. 2d, Elegy, is a mournful poem, or funeral song. 3d, Lyric Poetry, is generally used in the composition of songs and odes. 4th, Pindaric ode (so called from its inventor Pindar) is a species of poetry which consists of loose and free numbers, and unequal measures.

5th, Satires, are free, jocose, witty, and sharp poems, severely inveighing against vice and all corrupt manners and persons; all measures are employed in satirical verses. 6th, Comedy, is an agreeable imitation of the actions, humors, and customs of common life. 7th, Tragedy, in which the calamities of virtuous and illustrious persons are represented, to excite the sympathy of the spectator, constancy, patriotism, and the social and heroic virtues. 8th, Epic or Heroic Poetry, is a poetical narration of some illustrious and important actions of the hero celebrated in the poem; as the great exploits of Achilles in the Iliad of Homer. 9th, Epigram, is an inferior sort of poem, whose peculiar character is brevity, beauty, and a sharp turn of wit at the end.

As to the Acrostic, Rondeau, Charade, Echo,. Rebus, &c. they are trifling pieces of art, adapted to mirth and innocent amusement.

CLASS II....LESSON IIL

OF LANGUAGES.

2. What is language?

A. It is the speech or tongue of one nation, distinguished or differing from that of another.... Or it is the set of words made use of by a people to communicate their ideas to others; the act of communication is called speaking, or the speech of the individual.

2. Upon what principles is language formed? A. All languages in their beginning appear to have been produced from the first efforts of man to make known his wants and his affections to his fellow creatures. It must at first have been very simple, and composed but of few words, parts or members.

2. What is most necessary to the acquire ment of a correct knowlege of language?

A. The only true and certain method is by acquiring first a correct idea of natural objects, each individual thing separately; and to consider the names as only signs of each particular; after which an acquaintance with the rules of those languages in which the things are spoken of.

Q. Are there fixed rules by which a language is regulated?

A. Among rude and unlettered people it is withoutrules; but civilized nations have reduced their several languages to systems; but generally there are too many rules that are useless.

2. Are more than one language necessary ? A. Not in the first instance; the language of your country is the most essential, and in it is to be found as much knowlege as in any other; but

a correct knowlege of other languages is always of great use.

2. Whence has it arisen that there are various languages?

A. The same causes which gave rise to the number of nations produced this variety; climate and the natural productiveness or sterility of the soil, have had their influence on language, because neither the same objects were to be seen, nor the same wants, nor the same passions equally felt every where; the inhabitants of the torrid zone never see snow, ice, nor frost, they of course require no words to express these ideas; the inhabitants of the frigid zone have no words to express the idea of an elephant, a pine-apple, or a crocodile. Besides language was first only spoken, ages must have elapsed before arbitrary signs or letters came to be invented, and an original language written.

2. How are the rules of language regulated? A. By the system called grammar, from the Greek word grammata, which means letters.

OF WRITTEN LANGUAGE.

2. What is Grammar?

A. It is the art of expressing intelligibly and correctly our thoughts, by words written or spoken.

2. Is grammar reduced to written rules?

A. Like other sciences, it has been divided into parts.

2. Which are they?"

A. There are four; 1. Etymology, or the derivation of words, so as to shew their original signification. 2. Orthography, the proper manner. of using letters to signify words; 3. Syntax,

the right arrangement of words in speaking or writing; 4. Prosody, or the proper pronunciation and accent of speech.

2. Are there not other principles of grammar? A. There are certain principles of grammar which are called universal, and in which all nations and languages agree; but the rules of grammar not only differ in different languages, but very perplexing differences exist among those who speak the same language, which contribute to render the knowlege of its true principles uncertain and difficult to acquire.

2. Whence have those differences arisen? A. From mistakes very natural to the human mind; for example, language was formed only for the communication of thought, and has been considered singly in that view; words, therefore, were taken to be no more than the signs of things, and thence that there must be as many words as things. While this notion prevailed, there were only two or three parts of speech.... first, nouns, which denote things, as food; and verbs which denoted ideas of actions or of wants; to these were soon added what have been called particles by some, and connectives by others. This was in the infancy of grammar.

2. What was the next stage?

A. Aristotle added a fourth part of speech this was called the definitive or article; it was presumed that all words must belong to one or other of these four classes; but it was soon found that some words would not enter into this association; and this caused the first suggestion that the system of as many sorts of words as sorts of things must be abandoned.

2. What was the effect?

A. Making what was bad worse; instead of taking signs or words as the representatives of things, they travelled backward, and made things the representatives of signs or words; or in other terms, they said that there must be as many different things as there were signs....and soon from four, the parts of speech were extended to 20 and to 30; those who acknowleged the fewest admitted 8 parts; and this was long a favorite number; though some who rejected the article still counted 8; and those who admitted the interjection still counted 8; but in what the difference consisted that entitled those words to be ranged in one or other of the eight classes, was never explained. 2. Was there no light shed upon it?

3

A. Aristotle had held words to be the signs. of ideas, and ideas the signs of things....but this had its opponents; at length it was found that words were the signs or representatives both of ideas and of things; and that there were words formed or abbreviated, which became the signs of other words, and that the use of dispatch in language which had been lost sight of, caused abbreviations.

2. How were abbreviations introduced?

A. In three ways....1. In terms. 2. In sorts of words. 3. In construction.

2. What is the best work on this subject? A. Locke's third essay on the use and signification of language, is the best work existing on the first branch; Tooke's diversions of Purley, has shed still greater light; but the other ..branches are yet to be completely illustrated.

2. Are there none of those, universal rules allowed by good writers, and speakers?

A. There is a tacit agreement in this principle, that the whole of grammar may be reduced