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Men, who formed their Ideas and words Obf. V.

that nuptia dicta, quia flammeo caput nubentis obvolvatur, quod antiqui obnubere vocarunt. But this is a custom evidently pofterior to civil fociety, when ceremonies were instituted to give fanction and permanency to a rite, on which fo much depended the good order and happiness of civil life. The union, which was the origin of fociety, muft have been antecedent to the rites ordained to make it legal. We must therefore fearch higher for the primitive fignification of Nubo. Dr. TAYLOR on the Civil Law, p. 287, mentions an Hebrew radix, confifting of the fame elements, which fignifies procreation, birth, &c. which he thinks bids fairer for the Etymon, than any other that can be affigned. But, with deference to fo excellent a writer, I think that even this does not fatisfy. To effect this union, there must have been fomething prior to the liberos procreare. For though the ftipulation of the political contract was liberorum quærendorum caufa; yet it is expressly mentioned in a law which TAYLOR quotes before, and afterwards enlarges upon, that nuptias non concubitus, fed confenfus facit: a law founded on the very effence, and natural principles of marriage. And this fignification, if we can discover it in Nubo, will perhaps have the fairest claim to our preference: which I think we may be able to do, by fhewing that nubo originally fignified to assent, and is really the fame as Nuo. It is well known that the Æolic, the parent, or perhaps rather, the fifler dialect of the Latin, made. ufe of the Digamma F, (which as well as the Latin V, was pronounced like our W,) between two vowels: and thus nuo, NUFO, i. e. nuvo; as from pluo came plui, PLUVI, in the old Latin writers, in the fame manner as they said fuvisti for fuisti, luvit for luit, &c. But the Digamma, from the affinity of its found, often became B, as there has been occafion to observe, more than once, in the Appendix to DAWES : thus nuvo, nubo, as vado, Bada; uro, (pronounced Furo,) baro, mug with which may be compared our burn, and fire, anciently written fuyr. Though nuo does not exift by itself at prefent in the

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suggested: by a relation, which was obviously noted, and easily retained. By means of this relation, from thofe primary general Ideas, were as eafily formed new Ideas, and at

Latin language, it remains in its compounds ANNUO, RENUO, &c. as buro, in amburo, comburo, and buftum.

It has been given as a reafon for nubo's being not spoken of the man, viz. because it was the virgin only who veiled her head. But if there is any probability in what has been before propofed, this reafon will fall to the ground. We may account for it otherwife, and confiftently with the fignification attributed to nubo. Viri eft petere; virginis eft assentiri, annuere, NUBERE. This priviledge allowed to the delicacy of the fex, is exprefled by MILTON, (Parad. Loft, L. VIII. v. 502.)

Her virtue and the confcience of her worth,

That would be woo'd, and not unfought be won.

If we add, that connubium implies the ratification of the union in the confent of both, it will confirm the obfervation, that nube properly and originally fignifies annuo, assentior; and therefore that connubium is confenfus.

*See Harrifes Hermes, p.269. Thus alfo the very learned Author on the Origin and Progrefs of Language; "The first "clafs of ideas is produced from materials furnished by the "fense; the second arifes from the operations of the mind 46 upon thefe materials: for I do not deny, that in this our present state of existence, all our ideas and all our know"ledge are ultimately to be derived from fenfe and matter," Vol. I. p. 44. ed. fecond.

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ult have been the cale, unlels we hat Man received a language ready rom his Creator; which it seems ry to suppose for two reafons: First, He who created Man, and gave him ties of thinking and speaking, might to Man's free will the application faculties. He furrounded him with which to a thinking being must led forth those faculties into energy, gefted Ideas, to which he would naaccommodate the words, by which nt to denote them. He might thus, ng to his own ideas, derived from with which he was daily conversant, from the beginning, converfed with and given to each animal its particular -And secondly, because such a supon is actually inconfiftent with the eviof the origin of our Ideas, which

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in Language. For as the origin of our Ideas

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of Language is referable to the fame fource from whence our Ideas are derived, namely, natural and external objects.

VI.

There is not perhaps a fubject more curious, or which affords more interesting fpeculation to the mind, than the origin of language. Nor is it a theory merely amusing to the imagination; but at the fame that it pleases the fancy by abstracting it from prefent modes and habits, it may be attended with confequences very beneficial to the practical. knowledge and acquifition of the nobleft dialect of human fpeech. With the history of language in general fome writers have connected the hiftory of the human mind, and the origin of its ideas; which has been executed in fome measure by the French writers on this subject, and more especially by Lord

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MONBODDO; but no writer, that I know, Obr. VI. has profeffed to trace the origin, progrefs, and connexion of Ideas, through the medium

of

any particular language, in which they are expreffed. To attempt this is the fubject of an Inquiry founded on a grammatical Analysis of the GREEK Language; of which inquiry it is the purpose of this Obfervation to give some account; after having premised a few words on the origin of Language in general, and having taken a nearer view of that fubject, than was done in the preceding Obfervation.

Man, we are told, had a language from the beginning for he converfed with God, and gave to every animal its particular name. But how came man by language? He must either have had it by Inspiration, ready formed from his Creator; or have derived it, by the exertion of thofe faculties of the mind, which were implanted in him, as a rational creature, from natural and external objects, with which he was furrounded. Scripture is filent on the means by which it was acquired. We

are

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