by this glorious means, enlightened and upright senators can expose the petty, dirty tyranny of despotic power, and defend the liberties of a people. Indeed, it is through this medium the Deity himself has deigned to make known as much of his will as it befits us to know; and by which his ministers console and instruct us in the way to that better world, where language, divested of all its imperfections, shall not a little contribute to the perfect, pure, and interminable happiness of the blissful inhabitants.

In Institutions of this nature, these advantages are known, appreciated, and exemplified; and it is no trifling recommendation of them, that they afford so, many opportunities of cultivating the native language. In the favoured hours of improving conversation, we are forcibly reminded of the prince of Roman orators, and fancy ourselves partakers of a portion of the feeling which inspired him when he said, "Nothing seems to me more truly excellent than to be able, by the powers of language, to engage the attention of public assemblies,―to captivate their minds,-to drive the passions where you will, and bring them back at pleasure. This art alone has ever flourished, and supremely triumphed, in all free states, especially in periods of peace and tranquillity. For what can so justly excite our admiration as that one man of a million should, either alone, or at least with but few others, be able to do that which nature seems to have put into the power of all men? What can afford such pleasure both to our ears and our understanding, as a graceful and elegant oration filled with sentiments of wisdom and expressions of dignity? What can present an instance of such real power and greatness as that popular commotions, the sacred opinion of judges, and the majesty of senates, should be swayed by the oratory of a single person?

"Besides, what so noble-so generous-so kingly, as to relieve the suppliant, to raise the afflicted, to be the dispenser of safety, the deliverer from danger, and the means of preserving its members to a community? What so necessary as to be always prepared with arms by which you may defend yourself, set your enemies at defiance, or take vengeance when provoked? But farther, that we may not confine this point to the forum, the bench, the rostrum, or the senate-house,what in the retirements of private life can give more delight, or more properly belong to civilized humanity, than the pleasant and polished discourse, free from all marks of rusticity? For in this alone consists our chief pre-eminence over brute beasts that we can converse together, and, by speech, express the sentiments of our minds?

"Who, then, shall not think this an object worthy his ad

miration, and deserving his severest labours, to be able, by that very means in which men excel other animals, to excel all other men?"

On the other hand, it does not seem unfair to give importance to our subject, by a glance at some of the disadvantages under which the neglecter of language cannot fail to labour. He is debarred that powerful means of advancement in life which the skilful use of language so readily and constantly affords. Or, if respectable in his circumstances, character, and talents, as far as wealth, virtue, or nature, can make them so,-yet is he occasionally and proportionably the subject of embarrassment and pain,―of exposure, ridicule, and disgrace,-from his inability to express his sentiments with clearness, correctness, and perspicuity, or from his misapplication and misunderstanding of terms, of which it would not be difficult to give many ludicrous instances: which predicament, if the individual be possessed of any natural acuteness of feeling, must induce him to neglect the society of the elegant and accomplished, or to sit in silence when accidentally thrown in their company. This subject will appear more serious, if we reflect that misunderstandings have often arisen, offences have been frequently given, and the worst of passions excited, encouraged, and exemplified, from the ignorant application, not merely of phrases, but words.

From the preceding remarks, it appears that the study of the national language cannot be unimportant to any individual; it may, therefore, be worth while to inquire what may have caused the neglect of attention to the English language, which so lately generally prevailed, and even now considerably exists?

When this is the case with any language, a variety of causes must be concerned in the effect. In this instance, they may be considered few; nor shall we attempt more than a consideration of the most powerful of them; namely, the notion that the study of the learned languages supersedes the necessity of a distinct attention to our own.

It is true that the knowledge of the Greek and Latin must give a correct idea of the etymology of words derived from those languages-of which we have many, and also greatly assist in understanding the nature of derivation in general,-must afford luminous views of the acceptation of those words, which, in passing to us, have not lost their original meaning; but these, perhaps, will be found somewhat fewer than we have been accustomed to consider. Doubtless, the Latin and Greek syntax will thoroughly teach the nature of concord and government; but an exclusive attention to these is likely, as it has often done, to divert the mind from the real genius and striking

simplicity of our language; and to induce the desire and habit of burdening and disfiguring it with all the forms and technicalities of a classical syntax. Similar remarks will, in some degree, apply to our prosody.

It is granted, the plan is venerable from its antiquity, and important from its patronage and support. It, nevertheless, occasions an irreparable loss of time. Human life is proverbially short; the stores of knowledge already boundless; and the discoveries of science unceasing: and yet, almost a third part of the threescore-years-and-ten is devoted to these languages; for it is not enough that the student should acquire an ability in translating, he must read the round of authors, whatever be his ability, taste, or destiny; and the only use it is often to him, is to translate a learned note or illustration, should he have had sufficient industry to preserve his acquaintance with the renowned authors, or to bedeck his own speech or composition with a few learned scraps, rather to display his education than illustrate his subject.

It is, moreover, injurious to the English language. First impressions are confessedly the strongest. Not only is the student first familiar with the structure of those languages, but taught to admire all that is Greek and Roman. These languages are perpetually extolled, and often compared with the supposed poverty of his own; and thus an early and often invincible prejudice is formed against it. Instead of a fair and impartial comparison of their respective merits, our language is tried at a Grecian or Roman tribunal, and pronounced defective; as if those tongues, rich and polished, harmonious and elegant, as they are, were the standards of what language should invariably be, as if they, above all others, had proceeded from above, by some mighty inspiration, or had been sent directly from heaven by some angelic teacher. As well might we, on a sudden, disown that language possesses characteristics of the people who speak it: as well may we be insulted by the opinion, that the British character is in no respect equal to that of the Greeks and Romans.

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"The practice of excluding from our grammar-schools," says the great Mr. Locke, "the study of the English language, is one of the most absurd that could be adhered to.. That boys who are daily to use the English language should be able to write better Latin than English, requires no reasoning among the unprejudiced to expose it; and, to adhere to a system because it is an old one, is weak."

"The true way," says Sheridan, when treating of this subject," of imitating the wisdom of our forefathers, is not to tread exactly in their steps, and to do the same things in the same manner, but to act in such a way as we might

with reason suppose they would, did they live in these days, and things were so situated as they are at present.'

That our forefathers should have paid so decided an attention to the learned languages, and so effectually secured their acquirement, by devoting the exclusive attention to them in the grammar-schools they founded, is less surprising the more attentively the subject is considered. It was not until the Reformation that it could be said that a regular system of education was formed in Britain. The priests seemed previously to have monopolized the little learning which was to be found; and the colleges were chiefly visited by them. The laity were lamentably ignorant: it was not uncommon to meet with a nobleman who could neither read nor write. It must be expected that our language was then as rude and imperfect as the people who spoke it. Little inducement existed to the study of it; and, of the few who were capable, no one thought it his business to improve it, or, if he had any thing of importance to communicate, would have thought it proper to waste it in the neglected language of his country. Indeed, but for the Latin of the monks, we should scarcely have had a vestige of our early history preserved.

The arts and sciences had revived in Europe, and the Greek and Roman languages had reached their purity and perfection. The Barbarians and Turks, overrunning Greece, dispersed the learned, who ever seek the regions of peace, and thereby provided Europe with able masters. Henry the Eighth, and the contemporary monarchs, displayed a glorious rivalry in welcoming the illustrious strangers: they were received at the various courts with the attention to which their talents and acquirements entitled them. Our ancestors were not unmindful of the advantages with which they were thus favoured, but set about the study of the classics with vigour, and adopted measures to secure their offspring from the miseries of so degrading an ignorance as that with which they were so familiar.

In addition to these remarkable circumstances, the minds of men had begun to be exercised upon subjects of the highest importance; and knowledge could only be obtained through the medium of the Latin language. Luther and Calvin, those distinguished men to whom the people were indebted, not only for information on the theological subjects on which they treated, but for the excitation of a spirit of inquiry, at once more daring and liberal than had hitherto prevailed, these, and other distinguished writers, had no other security of being generally read and understood than by writing in Latin: hence the desire for a classical education soon became general among persons of respectability,

and essential to persons of distinction. Our countrymen, happily just emerging from the fetters of a cruel superstition, began to exercise their reasoning powers, and to examine the great matters of religion for themselves; to do which, it became indispensible to be able to read the language in which inquiries, investigations, and discussions, were written.

It is very gratifying to observe, that this general and unavoidable fashion of the day had the happiest effect on our language, imperceptibly leading to the incorporation of a variety of terms adapted to the new topics of discourse, and thus increasing its copiousness and harmony. This was particularly the case during the glorious reign of Elizabeth, as a careful comparison of her authors with those of preceding reigns will show. Of this opinion was Dr. Swift, who makes this remark in his letter to the Lord High Treasurer,--" The period wherein the English tongue received most improvement I take to commence with the beginning of Queen Elizabeth's reign, and to conclude with the Great Rebellion in 42." It would be a waste of time to show that neither the same necessity nor inducement now exists for the exclusive study of the learned languages. On what subject can we obtain information in the learned languages, in which we are altogether deficient in our own? or who has vanity and pedantry enough to urge to classical pursuits, that our language may be further enriched from those sources? Let us close this part of our subject in the expressive words of Locke:-" I am not here speaking against Greek and Latin; I think they ought to be studied, and the Latin, at least, understood by every gentleman... But, whatever foreign languages a young man meddles with, (and the more he knows the better,) that which he should critically study, and labour to get a facility, clearness, and elegancy, to express himself in, should be his own, and to this purpose he should daily be exercised in it."

It is interesting and instructive to trace the progress of language from reign to reign, from age to age,—to mark, through this safe medium, the state of civilization, the improvement of the national taste, and the march of mind among them; and this, it is proposed, in a future essay, to attempt.

An examination of the popular orations of the ancients will convince us that their authors were masters of the languages they employed; and the impressions those compositions made, abundantly show that, elegant as they are, the ear of the people to whom they were addressed must have been finely tuned to harmony and purity of style, although it is not insinuated that they could have been acquainted with the principles on which that style was formed. This conclusion is fully confirmed by historical anecdotes: witness the