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ness of imitation will have occafioned foon a change to traits more fimple, and more quickly traced. Of the entire figure of a man, little more than the lower extremities only continue to be drawn, by two lines forming an angle with each other. A faint refemblance, in fome few inftances, ftill remains of the original forms in the prefent hieroglyphic characters; and the gradation of their changes is traced in feveral Chinese books. Not above half a dozen of the prefent characters confift each of a fingle line; but most of them confift of many, and a few of so many as feventy different ftrokes. The form of thofe characters has not been fo flux as the found of words, as appears in the inftance of almost all the countries bordering on the Chinese sea, or Eaflern Alia, where the Chinese written, but not the oral language, is understood; in like manner as one form of Arabic figures to denote numbers, and one fet of notes for mufic, are uniform and intelligible throughout Europe, notwithtanding the variety of its languages.

"A certain order or connection is to be perceived in the arrangement of the written characters of the Chinese; as if it had been formed originally upon a fyftem to take place at once, and not grown up, as other languages, by flow and diftant intervals. Upwards of two hundred characters, generally confifting each of a few lines or ftrokes, are made to mark the principal objects of nature, fomewhat in the manner of bishop Wilkins's divifions in his in genious book on the subject of univerfal language, or real character. These may be confidered as the genera, or roots of language, in which every other word, or fpecies, in a fyftematic fenfe, is referred to its proper genus. The heart is a ge

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nus, of which the representation of a curve line approaches fomewhat to the form of the object; and the fpecies referable to it include all the fentiments, paffions, and affections, that agitate the human breast. Each fpecies is accompanied by fome mark denoting the genus, or heart. Under the genus hand,' are arranged moft trades and manual exercifes. Under the genus word,' every fort of fpeech, ftudy, writing, understanding, and debate. A horizontal line marks a unit; croffed. by another line, it ftands for ten, as it does in every nation which repeats the units after that number. The five elements of which the Chinese fuppofe all bodies in nature to be compounded, form fo many genera, each of which comprehends a great number of fpecies under it. As in every compound character, or fpecies, the abridged mark of the genus is difcernible by a ftudent of that language, in a little time, he is enabled to confult the Chinese dictionary, in which the compound characters, or fpecies, are arranged under their proper genera. The characters of thefe genera are placed at the beginning of the dictionary, in an order, which, like that of the alphabet, is invariable, and foon becomes familiar to the learner. The fpecies under each genus follow each other, according to the number of ftrokes of which each cou fifts, independently of the one, or few, which ferve to point out the genus. The fpecies wanted is thus foon found out. Its meaning and pronunciation are given through other words in common ufe, the first of which denotes its fignification, and the other, its found. When no one common word is found to render exactly the fame found, it is communicated by two words, with marks, to inform the inquirer thatthe confonant of the first word, and the

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vowel of the fecond, joined toge ther, form the precife found wanted.

"The compofition of many of the Chinese characters often difplays confiderable ingenuity; and ferves alfo to give an infight into the opinions and manners of the people. The character expreffive of happinefs, includes abridged marks of land, the fource of their phyfical, and of children, that of their moral enjoyments. This character, embellished in a variety of ways, is hung up almoft in every houfe. Sometimes written by the hand of the emperor, it is fent by him as a compliment, which is very highly prized; and fuch as he was pleafed to fend to the ambaffador.

"Upon the formation, changes, and allufions of compound characters, the Chinese have published many thoufand volumes of philological learning. No where does criticifm more abound, or is more ftrict. The introduction, or alteration of a character is a ferious un dertaking; and feldom fails to meet with oppofition. The most ancient writings of the Chinese are ftill claffical amongst them. The language feems in no inftance to have been derived from, or mixed with, any other. The written, feems to have followed the oral, language foon after the men who spoke it were formed into a regular fociety., Though it is likely that all hieroglyphical languages were originally founded on the priciples of imitation, yet in the gradual progrefs to wards arbitrary forms and founds, it is probable that every fociety deviated from the originals, in a different manner from the others; and thus for every independent fociety, there arofe a feparate hieroglyphic language. As foon as a communi. cation took place between any, two

of them, each would hear names and founds not common to both. Each reciprocally would mark down fuch names, in the founds of its own characters, bearing, as hieroglyphics, a different fenfe. In that inftance, confequently, thote cha rafters ceafe to be hieroglyphics, and were merely marks of found. If the foreign founds could not be expreffed but by the use of a part of two hieroglyphics, in the mainer mentioned to be ufed fometimes in Chinefe dictionaries, the two marks joined together, become in fact a fyllable. If a frequent intercourfe fhould take place between communities, fpeaking different languages, the neceffity of ufing hieroglyphics merely as marks of found, would frequently recur. The practice would lead imperceptibly to the difcovery that, with a few hierogly phics, every found of the foreign language might be expreffed; and the hieroglyphics which answered beft this purpose, either as to exactnefs of found, or fimplicity of form, would be felected for this particular ufe; and, ferving as fo many letters, would form, in fact, together what is called an alphabet. This natural progreffion has actually taken place in Canton, where, on account of the vaft concourse of perfons, using the English language, who refort to it, a vocabulary has been published of English words in Chinese characters, expreffive merely of found, for the ufe of the native merchants concerned in foreign trade; and who, by fuch means, learn the founds of English words. To each character is annexed a mark, to denote that it is not intended to convey the idea, but merely the fo reign found attached to it. The habit of applying the found, inflead of the meaning of hieroglyphics, to foreign words, led to the applica

tion of them likewife as founds, to affift the memory in the pronunciation of other hieroglyphics in the fame language, but not in common ufe; and the repeated application of them for thofe purposes may be at length fuppofed to have effaced their original ufe. Thus the paffage from hieroglyphic to alphabetic writing may naturally be traced, without the neceffity of having 're'courfe to divine inftruction, as fome learned men have conjectured, on the ground that the art of writing by an alphabet is too re'fined and artificial for untutored reafon.' It is, indeed, equally natural to fuppofe that no fuch art could have preceded the establishment of hieroglyphic, as that a mixture of other nations fuperinduced the invention of alphabetic, language. The exclufive exiftence of the former ftill in China is a proof and an instance, that the number of foreigners who had ever found their way among them, as the Tartars, for example, however warlike and victorious, bore fo very small a proportion to the vanquished, that it introdudced no more a change in their language, than in their ufages and manners,

"The Chinese printed character is the fame as is used in most manufcripts, and is chiefly formed of ftraight lines in angular pofitions, as moft letters are in Eaftern tongues; efpecially in Shanfcrit, the characters of which, in fome inftances, admit of additions to their original form, producing a modification of the fenfe. A runping hand is used by the Chinese only on trivial occafions, or for private notes, or for the eafe and expedition of the writer; and differs from the other as much as an European manufcript does from print. There are books with alternate columns of both kinds of writing,

for their mutual explanation to a learner.

"The principal difficulty in the ftudy of Chinese writings arites from the general exclufion of the auxiliary particles of colloquial language, that fix the relation between indeclinable words, fuch as are all thofe of the Chinese language.The judgment must be conftantly exercifed by the ftudent, to fupply the abfence of fuch affiftance.That judgment must be guided by attention to the manners, customs, laws, and opinions of the Chinese, and to the events and local circumftances of the country, to which the allufions of language perpetually refer.

If it, in general, be true that a language is difficult to be underftood in proportion to the diftance of the country where it is fpoken, and that of him who endeavours to acquire it; becaufe in that proportion the allufions to which language has continually recourfe are lefs known to the learner; fome idea may be conceived of the obstacles which an European may expect to meet in reading Chinese, not only from the remoteness of fituation, but from the difference between him and the native of China in all other refpects. The Chinese cha racters are, in fact, sketches or abridged figures, and a sentence is often a ftring of metaphors. The different relations of life are not marked by arbitrary founds, finply conveying the idea of fuch connec tion; but the qualities naturally expected to arife out of fuch rela tions become frequently the name by which they are refpectively known. Kindred, for example, of every degree, is thus diftinguished, with a minutenefs unknown in other languages. That of China has diftinct characters for every modification, known by them, of ob. jects in the phyfical and intellectual HA

world.

world. Abstract terms are no otherwife expreffed by the Chinese, than by applying to each the name of the most prominent objects to which it might be applied, which is likewife, indeed, generally the cafe of other languages. Among the Latins the abstract idea of virtue, for example, was expreffed under the name of valour, or ftrength (virtus), being the quality moft efteemed amongst them, as filial piety is confidered to be in China. The words of an alphabetic language being formed of different combinations of letters, or elemental parts, each with a diftinct found and name, whoever knows and combines thefe together, may read the words without the leaft know ledge of their meaning; not fo hieroglyphic language, in which each character has, indeed, a found an. nexed to it, but which bears no certain relation to the unnamed lines or ftrokes, of which it is com

pofed. Such character is ftudied and beft learned by becoming ac quainted with the idea attached to it; and a dictionary of hierogly phics is lefs a vocabulary of the terms of one language with the correfpondent terms in another, than an encyclopedia, containing explanations of the ideas themfelves, reprefented by fuch hieroglyphics. In fuch fenfe only can the acquifition of Chinese words be justly said to engross most of the time of men of learning amongst them. The knowledge of the fciences of the Chinese, however imperfect, and of their most extensive literature, is certainly fufficient to occupy the life of man. Enough, however, of the language is imperceptibly ac quired by every native, and may, with diligence, be acquired by foreigners, for the ordinary concerns of life; and further improvements muft depend on capacity and opportunity."

On the COALITION attempted by fome BRITISH ARTISTS, between POETRY and PAINTING.

[From the PHILANTHROPE: after the Manner of a Periodical Paper.]

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hibited in the Shakespeare gallery, realized by the pencil; and difplay ed, as it were, not only to mental, but actual vifion.

"But the observation is no lefs juft in criticism than in morals, that where we enjoy a great deal of pleafure, we alfo encounter a good deal of danger. Pleafing as on many occafions may be the effects of this combination between two of the moft elegant arts, it ought not to be attempted in any inftance

without cautious deliberation and acute difcernment. In particular, much difcernment and good tafte are required for afcertaining what paffages in a poem are proper fubjects for painting. Here the admirers of painting and the partifans of its alliance with poetry may be inclined to afk, are not alt fine paffages in a poem fit to be delineated by the painter? are not the arts con. genial, and are they not produced by fimilar energies? They are admitted to be congenial; but fome diftinctions must be attended to. Let it be particularly attended to and remembered, that what is highly poetical is not always picturesque. Many fine thoughts of the poet, and many objects prefented by him to the mind, cannot by all the creative power of lines, colours, and fhades, be rendered vifible. Can any grief be more natural than that of Corde

lia when he is informed how cruelly her fifters have treated their father? But who can portray the feelings that fhrink from notice, as the fenfitive plant from the touch; that veil themselves with referve; that fly even from confolation, and hide themselves in the secret mazes and myfterious fanctuaries of the heart?

Kent. Did your letters pierce the

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"In like manner, the fublime and awful vifion in the book of Job, the indiftinct form of the spirit, the portentous filence, and the folemn voice, fhake and appal the foul; but fet at defiance all the skill and dexterity of the moft ingenious ar tift:

"In thoughts from the visions of the night, when deep fleep falleth

queen to any demonstration of grief?on men, fear came upon me, and

Gent. I fay the took 'em, read 'em

in my presence;

And now and then an ample tear

trill'd down

trembling, which made all my bones to shake. Then a spirit paffed before my face; the hair ' of my flesh stood up; it stood still,

but I could not difcern the form 'thereof; an image was before rebel-mine eyes; there was filence, and 'I heard a voice.'

Her delicate cheek: it feem'd fhe was a queen Over her paffion, which, most like, Sought to be king over her. Kent. O, then it moved her. Gent. But not to rage. Patience

and forrow ftrove Which fhould exprefs her goodlieft: You have feen

"In fact, perfons of real can dour, who are capable of difcerning, and of giving attention to the beauties of nature, will acknow. ledge the existence of many fine and ftriking landfcapes which can..

not

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