OF

CRITICISM.

BY THE HONOURABLE

HENRY HOME OF KAMES,

ONE OF THE SENATORS OF THE COLLEGE OF JUSTICE, AND ONE OF THE
LORDS COMMISSIONERS OF JUSTICIARY IN SCOTLAND.

THE EIGHTH EDITION,

IN TWO VOLUMES.

VOL. II.

EDINBURGH;

PRINTED BY NEILL AND COMPANY,

FOR BELL & BRADFUTE, AND WILLIAM CREECH;
AND T. CADELL AND W. DAVIES,

ELEMENTS

OF

CRITICIS M.

CHAPTER XVIII.

BEAUTY OF LANGUAGE.

OF

An

F all the fine arts, painting only and sculpture are in their nature imitative. ornamented field is not a copy or imitation of nature, but nature itself embellished. Architecture is productive of originals, and copies not from nature. Sound and motion may in fome measure be imitated by mufic; but for the most part mufic, like architecture, is productive of originals. Language copies not from nature, more than mufic or architecture; unless, where, like mufic, it is imitative of found or motion. Thus, in the defcription of particular founds, language fometimes furnisheth words, which, befide their customary power of exciting ideas, resemble by their foftnefs or harfh

nefs the founds defcribed; and there are words which, by the celerity or flownefs of pronunciation, have fome refemblance to the motion they fignify. The imitative power of words goes one ftep farther the loftinefs of fome words makes them proper fymbols of lofty ideas; a rough fubject is imitated by harfh-founding words; and words of many fyllables pronounced flow and smooth, are expreffive of grief and melancholy. Words have a feparate effect on the mind, abstracting from their fignification and from their imitative power: they are more or lefs agreeable to the ear, by the fulness, fweetnefs, faintnefs, or roughness of their tones.

These are but faint beauties, being known to thofe only who have more than ordinary acuteness of perception. Language poffeffeth a beauty fuperior greatly in degree, of which we are eminently fenfible when a thought is communicated with perfpicuity and sprightlinefs. This beauty of language, arifing from its power of expreffing thought, is apt to be confounded with the beauty of the thought itself: the beauty of thought, transferred to the expreffion, makes it appear more beautiful*. But thefe beauties, if we wish to

think

* Chap. 2. Part 1. Sect. 5. Demetrius Phalereus (of Elocution, fect. 75.) makes the fame obfervation. We are apt, fays that author, to confound the language with the fubject; and if the latter be nervous, we judge the

fame