cavity occasions a high found; a large cavity a low found. The five vowels accordingly, pronounced with the same extension of the windpipe, but with different openings of the mouth, form a regular series of founds, defcending from high to low, in the following order, i, e, a, o, u*. Each of these sounds is agreeable to the ear: and if it be inquired which of them is the most agreeable, it is perhaps the safest side to hold, that there is no universal preference of any one before the rest: probably those vowels which are the farthest removed from the extremes, will be the most relished. This is all I have to remark upon the first article: for confonants being letters which of themselves have no found, serve only in conjunction with vowels to form articulate sounds; and as every articulate found of this kind makes a syllable, confonants come naturally under the second article; to which therefore we proceed.

All confonants are pronounced with a less cavity than any of the vowels; and confequently they contribute to form a found still more sharp than the sharpest vowel pronounced single. Hence it follows, that every articulate found into which a confonant enters, must necessarily be

* In this scale of sounds, the letter i must be pronounced as in the word interest, and as in other words beginning with the syllal le in; the latter e as in perfuafion; the letter a as in hat: and the letter u as in number.

double, though pronounced with one expiration of air, or with one breath, as commonly expreffed: the reason is, that though two founds readily unite, yet where they differ in tone, both of them must be heard if neither of them be fuppreffed. For the fame reafon, every fyllable must be compofed of as many founds as there are letters, supposing every letter to be distinctly pronounced.

We next inquire, how far articulate sounds into which confonants enter, are agreeable to the ear. With refpect to this point, there is a noted observation, that all founds of difficult pronunciation are to the ear harsh in proportion. Few tongues are so polished, as entirely to have rejected founds that are pronounced with difficulty; and fuch sounds must in some measure be difagreeable. But with respect to agreeable founds, it appears, that a double found is always more agreeable than a fingle found: every one who has an ear must be sensible, that the diphthongs oi or ai are more agreeable than any of these vowels pronounced fingly: the fame holds where a confonant enters into the double found; the fyllable le has a more agreeable found than the vowel e, or than any vowel. And in fupport of experience, a fatisfactory argument may be drawn from the wisdom of Providence: speech is bestowed upon man, to qualify him for fociety; and the provision he hath of articulate founds, is proportioned to the use he hath for them:

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them: but if sounds that are agreeable singly, were not also agreeable in conjunction, the neceffity of a painful selection, would render language intricate, and difficult to be attained in any perfection; and this selection, at the fame time, would tend to abridge the number of ufeful founds, so as perhaps not to leave sufficient for anfwering the different ends of language.

In this view, the harmony of pronunciation differs widely from that of music properly fo called: in the latter are discovered many founds fingly agreeable, that in conjunction are extremely disagreeable; none but what are called concordant founds having a good effect in conjunction: in the former, all founds singly agreeable, are in conjunction concordant; and ought to be, in order to fulfill the purposes of language.

Having discussed syllables, we proceed to words; which make a third article. Monofyllables belong to the former head: polysyllables open a different scene. In a cursory view, one will readily, imagine, that the agreeableness or difagreeableness of a word with refpect to its found, should depend upon the agreeableness or difagreeableness of its component fyllables: which is true in part, but not entirely; for we must also take under confideration, the effect that a number of fyllables compofing a word have in fucceffion. In the first place, syllables in immediate fucceffion, pronounced, each of them, with the fame or nearly the fame aperture of the mouth, mouth, produce a fucceffion of weak and feeble founds; witness the French words dit-il, (says he); pathetique, (pathetic): on the other hand, a fyllable of the greatest aperture fucceeding one of the smallest, or the opposite, makes a succession, which, because of its remarkable disagreeableness, is distinguished by a proper name, viz. hiatus. The most agreeable fucceffion, is, where the cavity is increased and diminished alternately within moderate limits. Examples, alternative, longevity, pufillanimous. Secondly, words confifting wholly of fyllables pronounced flow, or of fyllables pronounced quick, commonly called long and short fyllables, have little melody in them; witness the words petitioner, fruiterer, dizziness: on the other hand, the intermixture of long and short fyllables is remarkably agreeable; for example, degree, repent, wonderful, altitude, rapidity, independent, impetuofity *. The cause will be explained afterward, in treating of versification.

Diftinguishable from the beauties above mentioned, there is a beauty of some words which arifes from their fignification: when the emotion raised by the length or shortness, the roughness

* Italian words, like those of Latin and Greek, have this property almost universally: English and French words are generally deficient; in the former, the long fyllable being removed from the end as far as the found will permit; and in the latter, the last syllable being generally long. For example, Senator in English, Senator in Latin, and Senateur in French.

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or smoothness, of the found, refembles in any degree what is raised by the sense, we feel a very remarkable pleasure. But this fubject belongs to the third section.

The foregoing observations afford a standard to every nation, for estimating, pretty accurately, the comparative merit of the words that enter into their own language: but they are not equally useful in comparing the words of different languages; which will thus appear. Different nations judge differently of the harshness or fmoothness of articulate founds; a found, for example, harsh and disagreeable to an Italian, may be abundantly smooth to a northern ear: here every nation must judge for itself; nor can there be any folid ground for a preference, when there is no common standard to which we can appeal. The cafe is precisely the fame as in behaviour and manners: plain-dealing and fincerity, liberty in words and actions, form the character of one people; politeness, referve, and a total disguise of every sentiment that can give offence, form the character of another people: to each the manners of the other are difagreeable. An effeminate mind cannot bear the leaft of that roughness and severity, which is generally esteemed manly when exerted upon proper occafions: neither can an effeminate ear bear the harshness of certain words, that are deemed nervous and founding by those accustomed to a rougher tone of speech. Must we then relinquish all thoughts of compa