Since even common fenfe tells us, that we ought ever to commence with things the most easy, and that what we know already should serve as a guide to what we know not; it is furely the right way to make use of our mother tongue, as a means to introduce us to foreign or unknown languages. If this be true in regard to adult perfons, fo far that there is no man of fense but would think we jefted with him, were we to propofe a grammar in Greek verfe, for him to learn Greek; how much stronger is the argument in relation to boys, to whom even the cleareft things appear obfcure, through immaturity of years, and weakness of judgment?'

Another advantage of the Port Royal method, is in the dif pofition of the rules; where the Author has taken particular care that his work fhould have every thing that can contribute to ease and perfpicuity. To each rule he has prefixed a cypher, with a title, fignifying its contents; that the fubject matter may be feen at once, and found with lefs difficulty. The large rules he has divided into two parts, to prevent their being tirefome, and and he has accented the Latin words, in order to accuftom young people betimes to the right pronunciation. The terminations, as VEO, BO, LO, and the like, are printed in capitals; the Latin words in a different type from the reft: and the annotations, containing what is not fo neceflary for beginners, in a ftill fmaller letter, that every thing may appear moft clear and diftinct, and whatever is difproportioned to weak capacities, may be overlooked. Therefore it is fufficient, he says, at firft for boys, to get their rules by heart; and afterwards they may learn the most familiar examples, with the fignification thereof, in their mother tongue; in fhort, they may occafionally be instructed in fuch parts of the annotations, or remarks, as are most neceffary, and beft adapted to their tender capacitics; fo that their inftruction fhall increase in proportion as they advance in maturity and judgment.

He has given a tranflation of all the fimple and compound verbs, the former of which are marked with capitals; he has likewife added their preterites, with a tranflation of the examples profufely fcattered throughout the work. This he has done, not only for the ease of young beginners, but moreover for the conveniency of thofe concerned in their inftruction; that they may have no occafion to look out for examples or illuftrations of those rules in any other book whatever. Satisfied with inferting what appeared to him moft difficult in the annotations, he hath often left out abundance of unneceflary matter in the rules, especially thofe of the heteroclites, which are apt to create the greatest difficulty to learners. For it was a constant maxim with him, not -to perplex the minds of youth with a multitude of particular

sules,

rules, often either erroneous or infignificant; but to make them pafs as quick as poffible through the moft general notices, and then to fet them upon the practical part, or the ufe of Authors, where they may with pleasure become acquainted with what they could not have otherwife learnt, without great labour and diflike. For as the rules are an introduction to practice, fo practice confirms these rules, and clears up every feeming obfcurity.

So much for the Author's method: the work itself is divided into ten books. The first treats of genders; the fecond of the declenfion of nouns; the third, of heteroclites; the fourth, of the conjugation of verbs; the fifth, of fyntax; the fixth contains particular remarks on all the parts of fpeech; the feventh treats of figurative fyntax; the eighth gives particular obfervations useful for the understanding of Authors; the ninth is a treatise of letters; the tenth of profody.

In regard to fyntax, the principal and niceft part of grammar, our Author takes notice, that he had been at the pains of perufing the best Writers, both antient and modern, who have treated of the subject. He beftows very high encomiums in particular upon Sanctius, a celebrated Profeffor in the University of Salamanca, who attempted to examine into the folidity of Ścaliger's reafonings on the Latin tongue, in his book, entitled, De Caufis Lingua Latina. Sanctius finding, that the above critic had omitted whatever relates to fyntax, undertook this latter province as the most neceffary, in a work alfo entitled, Of the Caufes of the Latin Tongue, and known by the name of Sanctii Minerva. From this Writer chiefly, and from Scioppius and Voffius, who follow his footsteps, our Author has extracted whatever he thought moft clear and folid; which he has inferted in the rules, and given after the syntax fuch remarks as are more general and extenfive. Purfuant to the plan of those celebrated Mafters, he explains whatever relates to this part of grammar, in the cleareft manner imaginable, reducing it to its first principles, and to reasons extremely simple and natural; fhewing, that expreffions which feem contrary to rule, and founded on the caprice of language, are eafily reduced to the general and ordinary laws of conftruction, either by fupplying fome word underftood, or by fearching into the ufage obferved by Writers of remote antiquity, of whom fome veftiges are to be seen in those of later date; and in fhort, by establishing a strict analogy and proportion through the whole language.

For it is obfervable, that the parts of speech may be connected together, either by fimple conftruction, when the feveral terms are all arranged in their natural order, fo as to fee at a fingle glance, the reason why one governs the other; or by a figura

tive

tive conftruction, when departing from that fimplicity, we use fome particular turns and forms of expreffion, on account of their greater concifenefs or elegance, in which there are several parts of fpeech not expreffed, but understood. The bufinefs, therefore, of an able Grammarian, is to reduce this figurative conftruction to the laws of the fimple, and to fhew, that thefe expreffions, which feem to have a greater elegance in proportion to their extraordinary boldnefs, may be defended, nevertheless, upon the principles of the ordinary and effential conftruction of the language, provided we are well acquainted with the art of reducing them to those principles.

This our Author has performed in the most masterly manner; and as he took particular care not to infert any thing in his work, that was not fupported by indubitable authority, and that did not appear conducive to the practice of the language; fo he has often reduced, within the compafs of a few lines, what others have fwelled into many pages. He avoided alfo fome observations that feemed of little utility, mindful of this excellent faying, It becomes an able Grammarian to know, that there are many things not worth his knowlege.'

The object he more especially feems to aim at in this work, is gradually to lead his pupils, by means of an exact knowlege of grammar, to understand the best and pureft Authors; to the end, that by a judicious imitation, they may form to themfelves an elegant ftile, and rife at length to a noble and manly eloquence, the great end of grammatical inftitution. Hence he has endeavoured, not only in the fyntax, but in the remarks that come after it, to omit nothing that might be conducive to this purpofe; and he has likewife thrown into the other parts of his work, whatever might be of moft advantage, in regard to the analogy of the language. To the remarks he has fubjoined a book of obfervations on the Roman names, on their figures, of arithmetical characters; on their manner of counting fefterces; and on the divifion of time; because thefe things are ufeful for understanding Authors, and may be eafily explained to boys, as occafion offers. After thefe felect obfervations, he has added a treatife on letters, which may ferve as a groundwork to account for a great many things in the language, and efpecially relating to quantity, which are afterwards more particularly explained. In the fame treatife he has demonstrated the antient manner of pronouncing the Latin tongue; and he takes occafion to point out alfo the right manner of pronouncing the Greek. He fhews likewife the genuine orthography that ought to be obferved at prefent; and from the whole we learn the etymology of feveral terms, with the reafon of a great many chan

ges

ges, which happen in words communicated from one language

to another.

His treatife of profody is admirable in its kind; nor is there perhaps any thing equal to it in the writings of modern Grammarians. He divides it into three fections; the first treats of quantity, fhewing the right meafure of fyllables, in order to make verfes, or to pronounce profe in a proper manner, by preferving the tone and accents. The fecond treats of Latin accents; where he demonftrates, in a few words the fundamental reafon of the rules of pronunciation, and of the differences ob. ferved therein by the antients, befide thofe fubfifting to this day. In the third, which concludes the whole work, he gives an excellent differtation on Latin poetry, or rather on Latin verfification; and reduces the moft agreeable forts of verfe to three, fhewing their feet, their figures, and their feveral beau ties, in the cleareft order.

As the Author himself obferves, the great advantage of his method will be more fenfibly felt by thofe mafters, who will follow his advice in making their pupils join the ufe of Authors to the rules, and not detain them fo long in thefe firft principles, as to prevent their afpiring to higher attainments. For it would be equally a miftake, as he fays, either if we wanted entirely to dispense with the rules and maxims of grammar, or if we chofe to go no further than these inftitutions, Non obftant hæ difciplinæ per illas euntibus, fed circa illas hærentibus.

For which reafon he advises those who have the care of the inftruction of boys, to put into their hands, as foon as poffible, that is, as foon as they begin to have a fmattering of thefe rules, fome of the eafieft and pureft Writers, as Phædrus's Fables, Terence's Comedies, and Cæfar's Commentaries; and to make them tranflate into their mother tongue, part of Cicero's easiest Epiftles, in order to learn both languages at the fame time, re-, ferving to compofe in Latin till they are more advanced; this being, without doubt, the moft difficult part in learning a language.

And here our Author thinks proper to obferve, that there are three things to which, he apprehends, it is owing, that boys, or even adult perfons, after having spent many years in learning Latin, have nevertheless but a flender and incompetent knowlege of this tongue; particularly to be able to write it, which ought to be the principal aim of their ftudies. The first is, that they oftentimes content themfelves with not committing any error against their rules, or as we commonly exprefs it, with making no falfe grammar: this, as Quintilian obferveth, is a very great abufe; because there is a vaft difference betwixt fpeak

ing according to the rules of grammar, and according to the purity of the language, aliud eft grammaticé, aliud Latine loqui. We ought, indeed, to follow thofe rules; but afterwards we fhould proceed to the knowlege of things, to which that of words is only an introduction. We fhould begin with laying the foundation, before we can build a house; but if we only lay the foundation, the houfe will never be finished.

The second mistake of which fome are guilty, is, that to remedy the foregoing evil, they apply a cure as bad as the disease. For, in order to enable boys to write, not only according to the rules of grammar, but to the purity of ftile, it has been the practice to make them read books of phrafeológies and idioms, and to accuftom them to make use of fuch as are the most elegant, that is, fuch as appear the fartheft fetched, and leaft common. So that, to render the verb, to love, they will be fure not to fay, amare; but amore profequi, benevolentia complecti; whereas the plain verb has frequently more force and beauty than any circumlocution whatever. Thus they form a ftile entirely variegated with those elegancies, and ftudied turns of expreffion, which may impofe upon uperficial perfons, but muft appear ridiculous to those who are thoroughly acquainted with the language.

And this corrupt ftyle, we obferve, not only in young people, but in perfons of riper years, who betray it even in their public discourses, because they had imbibed it in their earlier ftudies. Not but that we are allowed to make use of those phrafes which are, indeed, the great ornament of language; but we ought to know when, and where, and in what manner, we should apply them which is not to be learnt by thofe rhapsodies, but by a diligent reading of the best and pureft Authors.

Hence the third miftake our Author obferves in thofe who want to learn Latin, is their not making a proper choice of fuch Authors as have written with the greateft purity; but indifferently reading the first that comes into their head, and generally pitching upon the worft; by which means they form an irregular and unequal ftyle, compofed of a medley of ill-patched phrases, and founded rather on their own caprice and whim, than on the authority of the beft mafters of the language.

In order therefore to make this choice of Authors, he thinks that those on whom we ought to ground our knowlege of the Latin tongue in its greatest purity, are, Terence, Cicero, Cæfar, Virgil, and Horace, whofe Latin, exclufive of a few poetic expreflions in the two laft, may be perfectly reconciled. Horace particularly, in his fatires and epiftles, writes in the strictest purity; his verfes being rather profe than metre, as he fays himself. All the reft, among whom Quintus Curtius, Salluft, and

Livy,

4