r, that practically they may be considered as
uttered at the same moment; and that on hearing the phrase, "a horse
black," there is not time to imagine a wrongly-coloured horse before the
word "black" follows to prevent it. It must be owned that it is not
easy to decide by introspection whether this is so or not. But there are
facts collaterally implying that it is not. Our ability to anticipate
the words yet unspoken is one of them If the ideas of the hearer kept
considerably behind the, expressions of the speaker, as the objection
assumes, he could hardly foresee the end of a sentence by the time it
was half delivered: yet this constantly happens. Were the supposition
true, the mind, instead of anticipating, would be continually falling
more and more in arrear. If the meanings of words are not realized as
fast as the words are uttered, then the loss of time over each word
must entail such an accumulation of delays as to leave a hearer entirely
behind. But whether the force of these replies be or be not admitted,
it will scarcely be denied that the right formation of a picture will
be facilitated by presenting its elements in the order in which they
are wanted; even though the mind should do nothing until it has received
them all.

Sec. 14. What is here said respecting the succession of the adjective and
substantive is obviously applicable, by change of terms, to the adverb
and verb. And without further explanation, it will be manifest, that
in the use of prepositions and other particles, most languages
spontaneously conform with more or less completeness to this law.

Sec. 15. On applying a like analysis to the larger divisions of a sentence,
we find not only that the same principle holds good, but that the
advantage of respecting it becomes marked. In the arrangement of
predicate and subject, for example, we are at once shown that as
the predicate determines the aspect under which the subject is to be
conceived, it should be placed first; and the striking effect produced
by so placing it becomes comprehensible. Take the often-quoted contrast
between "Great is Diana of the Ephesians," and "Diana of the Ephesians
is great." When the first arrangement is used, the utterance of the word
"great" arouses those vague associations of an impressive nature with
which it has been habitually connected; the imagination is prepared to
clothe with high attributes whatever follows; and when the words, "Diana
of the Ephesians," are