they have formed a combination for imposing on credulous minds, and the secret junta, by false miracles, and ingenious prestiges, have set up a kind of sacred tyranny! Opportunity tempts, and the easiness of imposing increases the number of impostors. The example of ancient nations, I think,, might serve us for a warning. TW

or But should my fears be thought groundless, at least it is indisputably certain that the characteristic would extremely impoverish our mother tongues, and thus our losses would over-balance any gains it might bring to us.

Is the wish of seeing the sciences rescued from their servitude to the Latin tongue, and of hearing them speak the living language, well grounded? Whatever can be said in support of this wish makes equally strong for me.

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to I have intimated that the learned language must be unalterable; and, I imagine that they who flatter themselves that they would find that advantage in it, will be for asking me what equivalent I can contrast with it? But is not this really self-delusion? I should be very apprehensive that this language, as to its essential part, I mean the signification of the characters, would be more variable than any of the living languages. Nothing is more changeable than the technical language of philosophers; or indeed than technical terms in general. Every reformer of philosophy, every head of a sect, strikes out a new language, and prescribes new definitions, which is no less than changing the meaning of the established terms. It is natural, that he who imagines he has created ideas unperceived by any before himself, should, in expressing them, make use of words which before had appeared to him useless and superfluous. Now I say that, in a language governed by the learned only, these variations must be both more frequent and more abrupt, than in any living national language. These are entirely and absolutely democratical; words cannot be deprived of their received meaning, but by the consent of the people, and the gradual introduction of a contrary custom; whereas an author Itreats the technical language he makes use of, with all the arbitrariness of despotism. He says, This is the meaning I fix to this term, this is the definition I give of it: we then are all obliged to understand him as he has declared he will be understood, and as little can we contest that right with him, as prescribe to the algebraist what line he shall call A and what B. This writer's language, on such an increase of his readers and disciples as to form a numerous party for him, will become the idiom of a sect; and we may take it for granted that this is the case, at least once in twenty-five years in twenty-five years? ? Has not Germany, since the beginning of this century, already seen three heads of sects-I mean Thomasius, Wolf, and Crusius

and these geniuses of a very different cast? * One happy circumstance, however, in all this is, that these new idioms do not change the national language; and that those men of learning, who do not affect singularity and will not be led like scholars, persevere in a faithful attachment to the ancient language.

What can secure a characteristic, or a language known only to the learned, from such changes? unless all nations will come into the same sect, and adopt the like variations of the learned language, which is not to be expected. This language will soon split into as many dialects as there are nations; and the misfortune is, that the meaning of learned languages, when once lost, is much more difficult to recover than to revive the dead language of a whole nation. This is not the place for expatiating on the causes of this phenomenon; experience indeed sufficiently proves it. In explaining ancient monuments, is it not in the technical terms of philosophers that the greatest difficulty lies? And books full of these terms, are not they the first in growing obscure? Definitions are but a weak remedy against this obscurity, either being themselves obscure and defective, or the import of the terms of which they are composed having been likewise lost.

This new language will be no more secure against errors than our common language: every man of professed learning must be allowed to introduce his notions into this scientific idiom, or he will complain that everything cannot be expressed in it. Should he entertain chimerical ideas of things not existing, or which, being made up of contradictions, cannot exist, he will be for realising those nonenties, by a character of the learned language.

Will the learned language be so far indulged, as to characterise the nature of objects by means of some analogous combination of the signs; as some American languages, for instance, call the lion the great and mischievous cat? Then, as large a field will be thrown open to the man of letters for introducing his false notions into the language, as the people has at present by means of etymologies. Then may every one, according to his particular way of thinking, coin a new word; and this puts me in mind of the tower of Babel. I see all that confusion breaking in upon us, against which the democratic form of our languages is usually a preventive, by admitting no term till approved of by the people. Or, on the contrary, if every object is to retain its first denomination, who will warrant that denomination to be right? And if any errors had crept into it, still should we be deprived of the resource which our languages afford us in synonymes; these, if

To say nothing of the increase of the list of names, how is the argument strengthened by the changes which have been introduced into our philosophical nomenclature! Witness the system of Kant alone.-E.

VOL. II.

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I rightly understand the scheme, being excluded from the learned language as superfluities.

The want of synonymes would subject us to another loss. It often happens that, when deceived by the accessory ideas of a word, the synonyme undeceives us, or, at least, shows us the object in its true light. Synonymes farther serve to relieve both the ear, which monotony tires, and the mind, the attention of which it blunts. They therefore, who imagine that the exclusion of synonymes would embellish a language, seem not over-well acquainted with the organ of hearing, nor with the nature of the human heart.

This learned characteristic would be absolutely void of all pathetic terms and glowing expressions, and likewise of those inexact but most energetic terms, which often, by a bare com parison, throw both light and beauty on the whole of a subject. This language, therefore, would be extremely jejune, uniform, and disagreeable; as void of graces or ornaments as the signs of: algebra; whereas the beauty of language is of more importance to the sciences than would at first be imagined. Without it, attention soon drops into a languor, against which the love of science alone is not able to bear it up, whereas the beauties of language keep it awake. The agreeable ideas which, as I may say, play before our mind, serve to entertain it amidst the profound medita tions with which it is taken up. Further, the learned language would bring a double labour and trouble on us; the words requiring very nearly as much as things: and, for the reasons alleged in the preceding articles, it could never become so easy and familiar to us as our mother-tongues, nor even as the Latin; so that we should find ourselves in the difficult case of one who is to study or teach philosophy in a language with which he has but a very moderate acquaintance.

The graces of language elevate genius, whereas it is cramped by jejuneness; and most discoveries are rather the fruits of genius, than the result of forced meditations, or systematical demonstrations. A happy association of ideas lays open enlarged views; and it is not till we have been struck with them, that we employ ourselves in search of arguments for supporting and realising them. Thus Archimedes, amidst all his unwearied endeavours, could not solve his own problem; not even when the whole strength of his mind was bent on it. He goes to refresh himself in the bath, and at the very instant of his plunging into the water, the solution rose into his mind of itself. Had he been thinking of it at that juncture, it certainly would have escaped him. It was to his thinking on something else that he owed the transporting discovery. Genius-which seems a ray from heaven, and which, amidst a thousand paths, all leading to different truths,

hits precisely on that leading to the truth in question-genius, I say, is rendered more lively and active by pleasure and beauty: whereas it is benumbed by abstractions and profundity. From no other source can be deduced those new thoughts which the philosophie poet brings forth, as it were, fortuitously, in the fits of his enthusiasm, and which, however, stand the most rigid tests, and may be accounted oracles.

I can here scarce forbear vindicating the amenities of style from the unjust contempt of that saturnine philosophy, which calls them trash, fit only for the futile tribes of poets and wits, and evincing how much that universal instinct, which forms the language of nations, adapts itself to the wants of human nature, and, in a word, shows how much the variations of sounds, harmony, imagery, and figures, interweaving in the discourse pleasurable ideas, favour meditation, and elevate the genius. But I am within sight of my conclusion; and this would be launching out into fresh matter, which would carry me little short of that which was the formal subject of the discourse.

A science laid down to us in the language of common life will be always better learned than when delivered in a technical language; and the best teachers of philosophy are they who bring all notions to the level of common sense. But it is manifest that this is an advantage quite incompatible with the learned language. Lastly, I am persuaded that a characteristic of a new invention would, in point of utility, be inferior to the common languages of nations, in a thousand respects, which I cannot previously determine. The discovery must however be undertaken only by one single scholar, and, consequently, his decision must be absolute : but whoever this inventive scholar be, I shall not lay such a stress on him as on the democracy of a whole nation. The metaphysics of language is not yet sufficiently cultivated; and were it carried as far as possible, very few would understand it so as to be able to make use of it. Besides an accurate knowledge of man, it supposes a very extensive acquaintance both with philosophy and philology; and these are qualities not easily found in one person; as the Academy itself has observed in the summary of the discourse, on which it was pleased to confer the prize.

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VIII.

MONTHLY DIGEST OF RELIGIOUS INTELLIGENCE. I

I. EVANGELICAL ALLIANCE.-The meeting of the British members of the Evangelical Alliance, in order to the formation of a British Organisation, took place in the Mechanics' Institution, Manchester, on Wednesday, November 4, and was continued on the three following days. It was attended by about five hundred persons. The same devotional feelings which had characterised the previous meetings were experienced and manifested; and the same gracious sense of the Divine presence, and even a larger measure of the spirit of concord and unanimity, were realised. Without a dissentient or doubtful voice, it was agreed, on the first day, to form 'the British Organisation in connexion with the Evangelical Alliance,' and the remaining sittings were occupied in arrangements respecting the membership, the committees, the financial economy, and other details respecting the working of the Organization.

The subject of greatest interest to the public mind in connexion with this meeting was the course that might be adopted in reference to slavery: and the resolution of the Conference on this matter is one which must give entire satisfaction to the Christian public. The following is the deliverance of the body on this matter:

That whereas the provisional committee, during its session at Birmingham, resolved that no slave-holder should be invited to attend the meeting which was to be held in London for the formation of the Evangelical Alliance and whereas it is known that some British subjects are holders of slaves: the British Organisation, in pursuance of the course adopted by the provisional committee, and upon mature deliberation of the whole case, but without pronouncing any judgment on the personal Christianity of slave-holders, agrees to declare that no holder of a slave shall be eligible to its membership.'

We hope that the Alliance will now quietly pursue its object, and that the God of love and of peace may render it an extensive blessing to his whole church. In the course of the week it was resolved to form seven divisional committees, to whom separate objects were confided to be carried

out.

The conference adjourned to Monday, at which ninth session it was resolved that the divisional committees shall originate sub-divisional committees in such places as the following:-London, Norwich, Bristol, Birmingham, Lincoln, Leeds, Sheffield, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Liverpool, Manchester, Derby, Chester, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen, Dublin, Belfast. Such committees to consist of not more than fifty members. The following important resolution was carried unanimously:That in the admission of members, regard shall be had not simply to an intellectual assent to the summary of doctrines enumerated in the basis, but also to the practical exhibition of their influence upon the conduct and temper of the individual. And therefore, that it be an instruction to the several committees to provide a rule that no member shall be admitted except he shall be recommended by two members of the committee to which his name shall be proposed, as being in their judgment and belief, a person of Christian spirit and deportment.'

And also the following