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"Germanis Græcisque communia funt, fed ab antiquo, nam quæ feriùs per commercia literafque Gallorum et "Romanorum, intervenientibus ftudiis et facris, a Græcis "ad Germanos pervenere, non funt hujus loci, fed huc "etiam refero quæ Germani cum Sarmatis, Fennis, Tar"taris communia habent. Sane fi ratum eft homines Europæ ex Oriente, quafi folis motum, fecutos veniffe; apparet hominum examina inftar facri veris, ex Scythia progreffa, Tanai, Iftroque tranfmiffis, partim in occi“ dentem, id est in Illyricum, Pannoniam, Germaniamque penetraffe, unde tandem in Italiam, Galliam, Hifpa“niam progreffi funt posteri: partim ad meridiem flexos "in Thraciam, Macedoniam, Græciamque vertiffe; ubi “ferius ex Phænicia et Ægypto coloniæ fupervenere; unde "literæ Græcorum Pheniciis, facra Egyptiis debentur. "Sed Scythe fundamentùm (ut fic dicam) jecere gentis "Græcorum; ut Celta Italorum." That is: "whatever is common to the Northern languages, may be deemed Japhetic; I always call them Celto-Scythic. To this I refer what are common to Germans and Greeks; but this is to be understood of the most ancient; for, whatever was communicated, of later date, to the Germans from the Greeks, by the commerce, or letters of the French and Romans, with intervening ftudies and facred rites, has nothing to do here. But I mean, in this place, what the Germans have in common with the Sarmatians, Fenni and Tartars. Indeed, if we may fuppofe that men came into Europe from the Eaft, as if they followed the courfe of the fun, it appears that their fwarms, like the fpring, moved from Scythia, paffing over the rivers Tanais and

Ifter, partly weftward, penetrating into Illyrium, Pannonia and Germany, from whence their offspring migrated to Italy, France and Spain; and, partly turning fouthward, proceeded to Thrace, Macedonia and Greece, where colonies of Phoenicians and Egyptians came down upon them in later times: and hence, the letters of the Greeks are owing to the Phoenicians; but their facred matters to the Egyptians. But the Scythians (if I fay may fo) laid the foundation of the Greek nation; and the Celts, of the Italians."

Ir is certain, that etymologifts have been very loose in their derivations; and, for want of a due knowledge of the Gomerian language, have been but too apt to seek for the origin of moft Western tongues in the Greek and Latin. But we are to confider, that even these have been often, and very rapidly, new modelled and altered, from commercial correfpondence, wars, the mixture of different people together by invasions and incurfions upon one another, and by the formation of new rules and modes by grammarians, who frequently differed in their sentiments from each other in these matters. And, indeed, it must be allowed, that the more luxurious, opulent, and polite any nation is, the more it is exposed to such changes in its language. We are also to confider, that there were languages previous to these two mentioned; where then, are we to look for the true roots of words? must it not be in those recesses, to which the original people retired; places remote from those busy nations upon the continent, who were often driven out, and replaced, by enemies and invaders? And these originals have been best preserved in

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iflands and mountains, which were hard of accefs, and whose situation was not fo convenient for the frequent intrufions of ambitious enemics, as other countries of the continent. It is for these reasons, the early inhabitants of the British ifles have preserved the language they brought with them, to this day; whilft, all over the continent of Europe, the iffue of their brethren, ever fince, have been changing their language, from time to time, into an infinite number of fubdivifions and mixtures, as we see them now in the neighbouring kingdoms. And therefore we may, from what has been offered, pretty nearly guess what are now the constituent parts of moft languages of Europe.

In order, therefore, to give the reader an idea of my conjectures concerning the present state of the European tongues, I shall lay down the following summary account of feveral :

It appears to me, that the Greek was formed out of the Pelafgian or Gomerian, Phænician and Egyptian tongues, in the several invafions that happened by the offspring of Ham, of which there were many, and these pretty early, into the ifles of Elisha, which were afterwards called Greece. The Latin was not formed, till the colony of Grecians intruded themselves upon the Umbri, or Gomerii, the Pelafgii of the Greeks, who were the Aborigines of Italy, where they fettled about the end of the fecond century after the flood, and were fubdivided and spread into feveral parts, under different appellations, as mentioned above. These Greeks fo far prevailed, where they fettled, as to model, by degrees, the mixture of their own and the Gomerian nearly upon the plan of the Greek, in the formation of moods

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and tenfes, &c. whilft the ancient Gomerian was fpreading itself over the continent, in the fame ftate it was in when they first left the country of their fathers: and it was now, the Greeks began to call them Keltai and Galatai, and the Latins Celta, and Galli, Galls.

DURING thefe tranfactions, the fons of Magog, Mebech and Tubal, migrating north-weftwards, were now called Scythians by Greeks and Latins; and, as they increased, sent their swarms fouthward, who, mingling with the Celts, made a fubdivided mixture of their languages, which, by this time, had undergone various alterations, fuch as I have laid down before, by the changes of letters and deviations, various pronunciations, and the like; from whence the Gothic, and other Northern dialects, enfued. And these again, came, in time, to have additions from the Latins in their wars and conquests, and these were the fources. of all the German dialects; but the differences that appear between these, and thofe of Ruffia and Poland, were occafioned by mixtures, of later times, from the Greek, and its corrupt dialects, spreading to those regions, and, together with the others, forming the Sclavonic, Hungaric, Polif and Ruffian tongues. Now, it appears, that whenever the first Scythians migrated fouthward, they conversed with the Galls, or Celts, understanding one another well; and this caused a better reception, than they would otherwife have had, if their language had been much alienated. So, when the Milefians invaded Ireland, they spoke the fame language with the inhabitants, who had been there very early after the deluge; and fo did every colony that went afterwards thither, and into Britain, from the Euxine Sea, and from Greece, as it is mentioned before.

LET

LET us now take a view of the French, Italian and Spanish, each in its present state:

THE moft part of the French language, except that immediately from the Latin, is Celtic, which, before the invafions of the Latins, was intire and pure; but the conquefts made by the latter, reduced the two into a tertium quid, which is the prefent French tongue. The French have adopted a pronunciation of their own, which differs from that of every other nation in the world, and there is so great a fimilarity between it and the Spanish and Italian tongues, that it might deceive judicious ears, if the pronunciation was not so peculiar to them. Formerly, they used many more letters in writing their words; but they have, of late years, much abridged their manner of fyllabication; infomuch, that unless one had a competent knowledge of both Celtic and Latin, the roots of the words would be loft: but they are easily found by etymologists thus properly qualified.

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WHILE Gall enjoyed its own original Celtic language, that of Italy was Latin; and as the Galls had theirs changed by the Latins, these had theirs gradually changed into what it now is, by the intrufion of a great number of words from the Carthaginian, and other African dialects, of the Phoenician and Egyptian; for, while the Romans were spreading themfelves in Africa, they had great commerce with the conquered nations, and having adopted many words from them, and fallen into much effeminacy afterwards, the whole order of the language was changed, with the lofs of their terminations, and the old formation of their conjugations, moods, tenfes and declensions ; though

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