Published online by Cambridge University Press: 03 May 2010
LOQUENDI cognitio quali est natura? Socratem Menoni dixisse Plato uerba huiusmodi finxit:
immortalis enim mens esse et saepe regigni
fertur, et hic illic conspexisse omnia quot sint,
omnia item didicisse: ergo aequom si bona norit
uirtutemque recordatam si discere possit
rursus, et omne aliud quoduis; quin cuncta propinqua
natura, cuncta ut mentem didicisse sit aequom.
at orationem discere parentium imitatione uidemur. uerba tamen simul unum quidque legimus simul quo disponi soleant ordine acquirimus; mox sponte ea dicimus quae numquam dici audiuimus. unde haec uis tam praematura puerorum? quid consili subest ut uerba quo sint ordine adstringenda uel prius apprehenderint quam recte ex ore pronuntiant? mentis alibi peregrinantis huic est ratio nulla, sed uir praestans in mathematica primus rationem edidit et mathematicis probabilem et quae non modo uim nouandi puerorum explicaret sed etiam conexus uerborum quot quales sunt complecti posset. quae prima opinatus est iam multum Platonico more mutauit, sed hanc ferme intellegamus opinionem: hominem natura linguae capacem in eam loquendam annis crescere; non enim tam discere quamlibet linguam quam linguae maturescente ui potentem fieri. ita dicendi facultatem tamquam corporis membrum habendam, et dictorum ordinatione definita ingeni partis imaginem ostendere.
huius rationis nondum omnes sunt explicati nodi. scitote tamen hunc neque in ea altius exploranda taciturum neque in docendo quid in re publica debeat sapiens, unde est altera eius fama uolgata.
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