a r t s temper of their inhabitants, give them a general turn for fenfual
.-s c i e n c e s pleajfures: t^ie happy occurrence in life:is fufficient to infpire
Them with a high degree o f glee., which fets their whole body in
motion: they begin to frilk and d a n c e , this makes a cadenced or
meafured breathing nacelfary.;. i f in this fituation man wiihes to
communicate his ideas to the by-ftanders, he will naturally give his
words that kind o f meafure or cadence, which he has adopted
with his breathing, this, together with the voice o f exultation
may be coniidered,as the firft origin o f linging and m u s i c : i f the
ideas he wants to exprefs by words, are the true feelings o f the
man, they will o f courfe be more animated ; the images ruth forth
with uncommon rapidity, he has not time to exprefs the idea itfelf,
he fubftitutes therefore any thing nearly related or limilar to it,
he purfues every lively quality o f the thing or perfon he ipeaks of,
and thus gives rife to p o e t r y , its imagery, metaphors, fimiles,
and the frequency o f epithets.. When thefe arts have fubfifted in
a country for fome time, the inhabitants find likewife a pleafure in
reprefenting by mimic actions and words certain well known fcenes
o f life, interfperfed with fome coarfe jokes, and fome ftrokes o f
unpoliihed wit. T h e better they are able to imitate the true
characters, the ftronger they exprefs the difharmony or difproportion
o f thefe actions or characters, and the greater is the pleafure
they procure to their audience; and thus do they give life and
•exiitence
I I U M A N S P E C I E S.
evidence:to the-pRAMA; a;new kind o f diverfion. After thefe
arts have'once , been applauded and-become falhionable in a nation,
it,is very natural that either. parents or fome other perfons, who
have-attained, tp feme ,degree, o f -perfection in thefe arts, fhould
communicate to the riling generation the principles upon which they
aCted in,order to obtain.fome eminence in their profeffipn: and thus
the f e c u n d part o f education is carried -on among the more poliftied
nations, o f .'-the South,$ea, ..T.hek danees,-,. .poetry, mufic, and
dramas; are however by . no means to-be confideredas. performances
which have any degree of^perfeCtion-.or excellence ; they are the
•firft Irude beginnings of arts, and-for, that-very reafon.they are ip
-mote general ufe, than the fame arts are among u s fem a le s commonly
dance at Tnheiteeand.the Society-ifles, andmen but feldom;
ho-yveyer,thqy are-all acquainted with the fteps and motions ufual
in, this diverfion. Evqry; individual can c-omppfe ver-fes extemparl,
-and fing them at the fame time; and their dramatic performances
are commonly. extemporaneous .pieces, and a mixture o f mufic,
paetry; and-dancing,,; fo that the Imfromfadores might here find
-in:- the oppontc hemifphere people poffefied o f this admired
qualification.
- . 'T h e meafured fteps o f their women, keep excellent time with
.their drums, which are beaten by fingers briikly and loud, and
commonly accompanied by fongs. Th e drefs o f the women in
O -o o the
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