It may be supposed, that epifcopus is a modern word, and as it is, by modern lexicographers, derived of ì and ozonew, fome think it to be no older than the first creation of bishops in the Chriftian church; but the words, eafbog, or eafgob, which are the very fame, with only the transposition of the last fyllable, is an ancient Pelafgic compound word, and fignifies an overlooker, one that had the infpection, and fuperintendency of men or things: es, eas, and uas, for they are wrote either way in ancient manuscripts, fignifies above, over; and bogagh denotes a viewer, efpyer, or examiner. These are, undoubtedly, the roots of epifcopus, which was afterwards the appellation of the rulers of the church and clergy, and, at prefent, in no other acceptation. Now, great numbers of fuch will occur, in the course of the lift I promised, which will, in a great measure, reconcile the languages to their original parents; although the corruptions arifing from the changes made by the common people, in different parts of their respective countries, are, in each, fo very many. AGAIN, Gomer. Taad. AGAIN, it will be curious to examine the mutilation of fome other principal words, which, one would imagine, could hardly be liable to fuch changes, and yet are so varied, that they would even appear ridiculous. The first we shall take notice of, is father: Mag. Nathair. ALL these are derived from the Magogian nathair, changing only the initial; and this was the original Gomerian, the present tad is of later date. The Manx ayr is fpelt as the Magogians commonly pronounce it; for, in speaking, they neither use the initial nor middle confonant, though it is always written as above; for their orthography never changes. Thus, the unlearned would write furgeon for chirurgeon, Ci Greek Πατήρ. Port. Pae. Manx Ayr. citer for Cirencester, &c. THIS is mutilated by the Germans, and other Northern nations, in chufing another initial letter, and varying it otherwise also: and we have adopted their mode in our English tongue. Some of those countries fay, fader, faeder, phadaer; fome, fater, fatter, bader, bater; others, feer, veer, vayer, vader; others, haita, heite; and we, in England, have had it from the Saxons four different ways, in a course of years, thus: fadiir, fadir, fader, and now father. THESE are the variations in the Weft and North-west of Europe; and it is very remarkable, that, of all the Eastern, nations, not one but the Perfian has a word agreeing with this. The Perfians have Pader and Peder; and this they L12 had, had, with hundreds of words, from thofe Scythians, who were the iffue of Togarmah, as it is confirmed in other places in this work. Most others of the people of Afia feem to follow the Hebrews, in the title for a father: thefe and the Samaritans fay ab; the Rabins, av; Chaldeans, abba; Syrians, aboh; Arabians, aba and abu; and, as a proof that the iffue of Ham, who first established kingdoms in Africa, spoke no other than the Hebrew language, we find feveral nations of this Southern world ufing the Hebrew word for father: the Ethiopians fay, abi; others, aba; others, baba and abba; and these were established before the confufion happened to Nimrod's people, in Shinar. This is further proved, by several of the Africans having the fame word for heaven that the Hebrews used: they call it fchamaim; the Rabins and Samaritans, the fame; the Chaldeans, fchmaia; the Syrians, fchmaio and femaia; the Arabians, fcemavati, and vulgarly, fcamvat: thus, the Æthiopians, Amharics, and others, fay famai and fhamai. THE reader might thus be led to know the origin of most nations, by tracing words to different places, and thereby find out the fource of their languages also, which would be a very desirable and useful research for the learned. Now, befides all these causes for the changes in language, there are others, which may very well be added; and which proceed from the different manner of living, and other accidents of people in different climates. These I find fo aptly enumerated by Henfelius, for which he quotes Olaus Borrichius, in his Synopfis Univerfæ Philologia, page 30, that I fhall give it here, in his own words: "Inftrumenta "rent. “Inftrumenta ordinaria (loquendi) cum plura fint, pulmones, thorax, arteria trachea, &c. Fieri non poteft " ut non hæc ipfa climatis variatione afficiantur, alibi ex frigore, alibi ex calore, humore, ficcitate, aliifque locorum proprietatibus, in peregrinitatem quandam degeneDiverfitatis caufa non refidet in folis parentibus, "fed et in cibo, potu, aëre, aquis et locis, quod craffiora "hæc omnia, obtufiores plerumque reddant fenfus, hebe" tiora organa, impeditiorem linguam, fubtiliora, his conHinc experimur: populos climatibus fepten"trionis fubjectos, ad duriufculas, tardas atque afperas in"clinare dialectos, ex oppofito autem alios; qui in me"ridiem vergunt, ad molliora atque celeriora loquendi ge દ "traria. nera, magis propenfos effe." That is: "the organs of fpeech being many, as the lungs, thorax,, trachea, &c. it is impoffible that they should not be affected by the difference of climate, and degenerate into fome alteration; in fome places, from heat; in others, from cold, moisture,, ficcity, and other natural properties of places. The caufe of this diversity is not in parents alone; but in meat, drink, air, water and fituation; for, when all these are of a more dense nature, they make the fenfes duller, the organs heavier, and the tongue more flow: and, when more refined, produce contrary effects. And hence we find, that thofe people which are fubject to the northern climates, are inclined to a hard, flow, and rough manner of fpeaking; whilst such as are under fouthern climates, on the contrary, have a tendency to a more foft and quick mode of fpeech.' BUT, however languages may be changed or polished, the true root is only to be found in the original; and all etymological etymological refearches are to be made there: and that the Gomerian and Magogian language, or, in other words, that of Japhet, their father, is the fource of the European tongues, I believe, muft be allowed me, from what has been faid all along; nor am I alone of that opinion; for the learned Stiernhelm speaks very positively to this, in the following words: "Lingua Hetrufca, Phrygia, et Celtica, "affines funt omnes; ex uno fonte derivatæ. Nec Graca longe diftat; Japethicæ funt omnes, ergo et ipfa Latina. "Non igitur mirum eft innumera vocabula dictarum linguarum, communia effe cum Latinis." And, indeed, feveral other ingenious men have leaned much to this notion, without having even as much affiftance as was fufficient to confirm them in their fuggeftions upon it. But, if there were none to agree in this fentiment, yet the connexions I have made between the first inhabitants, after the deluge, and my pursuit of them in their migrations, from the most cogent authorities; joined to the undeniable confpicuous affinity and agreement in the languages of Europe, will eafily lead the impartial student to fee which was the original, and which the fucceeding tongues, notwithstanding the many ages that have paffed, and the numberlefs alterations introduced into every one of them. To these fentiments of the learned Stiernhelm, we cannot avoid adding the opinion of the famous Leibnitz, upon this subject, published in the Mifcellanea Berolinenfia, page 5, in his own words, viz. " Quicquid linguis "Septentrionalibus commune eft Japeticum appellare poffis, foleo et Celto-Scythicum vocare. Huc ergo refero quæ 2 "Germanis |