Encyclopaedia Britannica; or, A dictionary of arts and sciences, compiled upon a new plan … > Volume 2, C-L

LAN ( 871 ) LAN
the Greeks ; which no doubt contributed its fhare to
promote that general elegance and harmony of proportion
which prevailed in all their arts. The original founds
and fundamental tones of that language are the mod har¬
monious, and the mod agreable to the ear, of any that
have hitherto been invented ; infomuch, that from this
principle alone the found of their language is agreeable
to every nation who have heard it, even when the mean¬
ing of the words are not underdood ; whereas almod all
other languages, till they are underdood, appear, to an
ear wrhich has not been accudomed to them, jarring and
difcordant. This is the fundamental excellence of that
judly admired language ; nor have the people failed to
improve this to the utmod of their power, by many aids
of their own invention.—The Greek language is of the
tranfpofttive kind : but a people fo lively, fo acute, and
fo loquacious, could ill bear the ceremonious redraint
which that mode of language naturally fubjedted them to;
and have therefore, by various methods, freed it in a
great meafure from the diffnefs which that produced.
In infledfing their nouns and verbs, they fometimes pre¬
fix a fyllable, and fometimes add one ; which, befides
the variety that it gives to the founds of the language,
adds greatly to the didindtnefs, and admits of a more na¬
tural arrangement of the words than in the Latin, and
of confequence renders it much fitter for the esfinefs of
private converfation : and indeed, the genius of the peo¬
ple fo far prevailed over the idiom of the language, as to
render it, in the age of its greated perfedtion, capable of
almod as much eaie, and requiring almod as little tranf-
pofition of words, as thofe languages which have been
called analogous. But as thofe nations who fpoke this
language were all governed by popular aflemblies, and as
no authority could be obtained among them but by a
(kill in rhetoric and the powers of perfuafion ; it became
neceflary for every one, who wifhed to acquire power or
confideration in the date, to improve himfelf in the
knowledge of that language, in the ufe of which alone he
could expedt honours or reputation. Hence it happened,
that while the vivacity of the; people rendered it eafy,
the great men dudioufly improved every excellence that
it could reap from its powers as a tranfpojitive lingungz;
fo that, when brought to its utmod perfedtion by the a-
mazing genius of the great Demodhenes, it attained a
power altogether unknown to any other language.—Thus
happily circumdanced, the Greek language arrived at
that envied pre-eminence which it dill judly retains.
From the progrefs of arts and fc.ences ; from the gaiety
and inventive genius of the people ; from the number of
free dates into which Greece was divided, each of which in¬
vented words of its own, all of which contributed to the
general dock; and from the natural commutation which
took place between thefe dates, which excited in the drong-
ed degree the talents of the people ; it acquired a copiouf-
-nefs unknown to any ancientlangsage, and excelled by few
of the moderns.—In point of harmony of numbers, itis al¬
together unrivalled ; and on account of the eafe as well as
dignity which it admitted of from the caufes afligned above,
it admits of perfection in a greater number of particular
kinds of compofition than any otker language ever known.
—The irrefidible force and overwhelming impetuofity of
Yoi. II. No. 63. 2
Demcjlhems feems not more natural to the genius of the
language ; than the more flowery charms .of Plato’s cairn
and harmonious cadences, or the unadorned fimplicity of
Xenophon ; nor does the majedic pomp of Homer feem
to be more naturally adapted to the genius of the language,
than the more humble drains of Theocritus, or the laugh¬
ing fedivity of Anacreon: Equally adapted to all purpofes,
when we perufe any of thefe authors, we would ima¬
gine the language was mod happily adapted for his par¬
ticular dyle alone. The fame powers it likewife in a
great meafure poffeded for converfation ; and the dia¬
logue feems not more natural for the dignity of Sophocles
or Euripides, than for the more eafy tendernefs of Menan¬
der, or buffoonery of Aridophanes.—With all thefe ad¬
vantages, however, it mud be acknowledged, that it did
not poffefs that unexceptionable clearnefs of meaning,
which fome analogous languages enjoy, or that charadter-
idic force which the accent has power to give it, were
not thefe defeCfs counterbalanced by other caufes which
we fhall afterwards point out.
The Romans, a people of fierce and warlike difpofi-
tions, for many ages during the infancy of their republic,
more intent on purfuing conqueds and military glory,
than in making improvements in literature or the fine
arts, bedowed little attention to their language. Of a
difpofition lefs focial and more phlegmatic than the
Greeks, they gave themfelves no trouble about render¬
ing their language fit for converfation; and it remained
drong and nervous, but, like their ideas, was limited
and confined. More difpofed to command refped by the
power of their arms than by the force of perfuafion, they
defpifed the more effeminate powers of fpeech: fo that,
before the Punic wars, their language was perhaps
more referved and uncourtly than any other at that
time known. — But after their rival Carthage was de-
droyed, and they had no longer that powerful curb upon
their ambition; when riches flowed in upon them by
the multiplicity of that conqueds;—luxury began to
prevail, the dern auderity of their manners to relax,
and felfifh ambition to take place of that difintereded love
for their country fo eminently confpicuous among all or¬
ders of men before that period.—Popularity began then
to be courted: ambitious men, finding themfclvesnotpof-
feffed of that merit which infured them fuccefs with the
virtuous fenate, amufed the mob with artful and fedi-
tious harangues ; and by making them believe that they
were poffeffed of all power, and had their facred rights
encroached upon by the fenate, led them about at their
pleafure, and got themfelves exalted to honours and riches
by thefe infidious arts. It was then the Romans fird
began to perceive the ufe to which a command of language
could be put.—Ambitious men then dudiedit with care,
to be able to accomplifh their ends ; while the more vir¬
tuous were obliged to acquire a flrill in this, that they
might be able to repel the attacks of their adverfaries.
—Thus it happened, that in a diort time that people,
from having entirely negle&ed, began to dudy their lan¬
guage with the greated afiiduity; and as Greece hap¬
pened to be fubje&ed to theRoman yoke about that time,
and a friendly intercourfe was edablifhed between thefe
two countries, this greatly confpired to nourilh in the
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