rebuses, leonine verses, &c. to be found in Sieur des Accords. But these and the like are to be looked upon, not pursued. Odd work might be made by such ways; and for your recreation I propose these few lines unto you.' Arcu paratur quod arcui sufficit. Misellorum clamoribus accurrere non tam humanum quam sulphureum est. Ne asphodelos comedas, phoenices manduca. Coelum aliquid potest, sed quæ mira præstat papilio est. Not to put you unto endless amusement, the key hereof is the homonomy of the Greek made use of in the Latin words, which rendereth all plain. More enigmatical and dark expressions might be made if any one would speak or compose them out of the numerical characters or characteristical numbers set down by Robertus de Fluctibus.** As for your question concerning the contrary expressions of the Italians and Spaniards in their common affirmative answers, the Spaniard answering cy Sennor, the Italian Signior cy, you must be content with this distich, Why saith the Italian Signior cy, the Spaniard Sy Sennor ? And because you are so happy in some translations, I pray return me these two verses in English, Occidit heu tandem multos quæ occidit aniantes, My occasions make me to take off my pen. * Tract 2, part lib. i. 1and, &c.] MS. Sloan. reads thus, "And I remember I once pleased a young hopeful person with a dialogue between two travellers, beginning in this manner: well drunk, my old friend, the famous King of Macedon; that is, well overtaken, my old friend Alexander, your friend may proceed. With another way I shall not omit to acquaint you, and for your recreation I present these few lines." 2 More enigmatical, &c.] These are more largely noticed in MS. Sloan. 1837 thus, "One way more I shall I am, &c. mention, though scarce worth your notice-Two pestels and a book come short of a retort, as much as a spear and an ass exceed a dog's tail. This to be expounded by the numerical characters, or characteristical numbers set down by Robertus de Fluctibus, and speaks only this text:-two and four come short of six, as much as ten exceed six; the figure of an ass standing for a cipher." 3 Occidit heu tandem, &c.] In MS. Sloan. 1827, is the following translation "She is dead at last, who many made expire Is dust to day which yesterday was fire.' TRACT VIII. OF LANGUAGES, AND PARTICULARLY OF THE SAXON TONGUE. SIR, THE last discourse we had of the Saxon tongue recalled to my mind some forgotten considerations. Though the earth were widely peopled before the flood, (as many learned men conceive) yet whether, after a large dispersion, and the space of sixteen hundred years, men maintained so uniform, a language in all parts, as to be strictly of one tongue, and readily to understand each other, may very well be doubted. For though the world preserved in the family of Noah before the confusion of tongues might be said to be of one lip, yet even permitted to themselves their humours, inventions, necessities, and new objects (without the miracle of confusion at first), in so long a tract of time, there had probably been a Babel. For whether America were first peopled by one or several nations, yet cannot that number of different planting nations answer the multiplicity of their present different languages, of no affinity unto each other, and even in their northern nations and incommunicating angles, their languages are widely differing. A native interpreter brought from California proved of no use3 unto the Spaniards upon the neighbour shore. From Chiapa to Guatemala, S. Salvador, Honduras, there are at least eighteen several languages; and so numerous are they both in the Peruvian and Mexican regions, that the great princes are fain to have one common. language, which, besides their vernaculous and mother tongues, may serve for commerce between them. 2 And since the confusion of tongues at first fell only upon those which were present in Sinaar at the work of Babel, 1 forgotten considerations.] "Both of that and other languages."-MS. Sloan. 2 angles.] "Where they may be best conceived to have most single originals." 3 of no use.] "Of little use."-MS. Sloan. whether the primitive language from Noah were only preserved in the family of Heber, and not also in divers others, which might be absent at the same, whether all came away, and many might not be left behind in their first plantations about the foot of the hills, whereabout the ark rested, and Noah became an husbandman, is not absurdly doubted. 4 For so the primitive tongue might in time branch out into several parts of Europe and Asia, and thereby the first or Hebrew tongue, which seems to be ingredient into so many languages, might have larger originals and grounds of its communication and traduction than from the family of Abraham, the country of Canaan, and words contained in the Bible, which come short of the full of that language. And this would become more probable from the Septuagint or Greek Chronology strenuously asserted by Vossius; for making five hundred years between the deluge and the days of Peleg, there ariseth a large latitude of multiplication and dispersion of people into several parts, before the descent of that body which followed Nimrod unto Sinaar from the east. They who derive the bulk of European tongues from the Scythian and the Greek, though they may speak probably in many points, yet must needs allow vast difference or corruptions from so few originals, which, however, might be tolerably made out in the old Saxon, yet hath time much confounded the clearer derivations. And as the knowledge thereof now stands in reference unto ourselves, I find many words totally lost, divers of harsh sound disused or refined in the pronunciation, and many words we have also in common use not to be found in that tongue, or venially derivable from any other from whence we have largely borrowed, and yet so much still remaineth with us that it maketh the gross of our language. The religious obligation unto the Hebrew language hath so notably continued the same, that it might still be under husbandman.] MS. Sloan. 1827, adds here the following clause; "whether in that space of 150 years, according to common compute, before the conduct of Nimrod, many might not expatriate northward, eastward, or southward, and many of the posterity of Noah might not disperse themselves before the great migration unto Sinaar, and many also afterwards; is not, &c." stood by Abraham, whereas by the Mazorite points and Chaldee character the old letter stands so transformed, that if Moses were alive again, he must be taught to read his own law,5 The Chinese, who live at the bounds of the earth, who have admitted little communication, and suffered successive incursions from one nation, may possibly give account of a very ancient language: but, consisting of many nations and tongues, confusion, admixtion, and corruption in length of time might probably so have crept in, as, without the virtue of a common character and lasting letter of things, they could never probably make out those strange memorials which they pretend, while they still make use of the works of their great Confucius many hundred years before Christ, and in a series ascend as high as Poncuus, who is conceived our Noah. The present Welch, and remnant of the old Britons, hold so much of that ancient language, that they make a shift to understand the poems of Merlin, Enerin, Telesin, a thousand years ago, whereas the Herulian Pater Noster, set down by Wolfgangus Lazius, is not without much criticism made out, and but in some words; and the present Parisians can hardly hack out those few lines of the league between Charles and Lewis, the sons of Ludovicus Pius, yet remaining in old French. The Spaniards in their corruptive traduction and romance, have so happily retained the terminations from the Latin, that, notwithstanding the Gothic and Moorish intrusion of words, they are able to make a discourse completely consist 5 law.] In MS. Sloan. 1827, the fol- biguous, that translations so little agree; lowing additional paragraph occurs;- and since, though the radices consist but "Though this language be duly magni- of three letters, yet they make two sylfied, and always of high esteem, yet if, lables in speaking; and since the pronunwith Geropius Becanus, we admit that ciation is such, as St. Jerome, who was tongue to be most perfect which is most born in a barbarous country, thought the copious or expressive, most delucid and words anhelent, strident, and of very clear unto the understanding, most short, harsh sound. or soon delivered, and best pronounced with most ease unto the organs of speech, the Hebrew now known unto us will hardly obtain the place; since it consisteth of fewer words than many others, and its words begin not with vowels, since it is so full of homonymies, and words which signify many things, and so am 6 they are able.] "This will appear very unlikely to a man that considers the Spanish terminations; and Howel, who was eminently skilful in the three provincial languages, declares, that after many essays he never could effect it."-Dr. Johnson. ing of grammatical Latin and Spanish, wherein the Italians and French will be very much to seek." The learned Casaubon conceiveth that a dialogue might be composed in Saxon, only of such words as are derivable from the Greek, which surely might be effected, and so as the learned might not uneasily find it out. Verstegan made no doubt that he could contrive a letter which might be understood by the English, Dutch, and East Frislander, which, as the present confusion standeth, might have proved no very clear piece, and hardly to be hammered out: yet so much of the Saxon still remaineth in our English, as may admit an orderly discourse and series of good sense, such as not only the present English, but Ælfric, Bede, and Alfred might understand after so many hundred years. 8 Nations that live promiscuously under the power and laws of conquest, do seldom escape the loss of their language with their liberties; wherein the Romans were so strict, that the Grecians were fain to conform in their judicial processes;' which made the Jews lose more in seventy years dispersion in the provinces of Babylon, than in many hundred in their distinct habitation in Egypt; and the English which dwelt dispersedly to lose their language in Ireland, whereas more tolerable reliques there are thereof in Fingall, where they were closely and almost solely planted; and the Moors which were most huddled together and united about 7 seek.] The following paragraphs consent and study of all ages since, it had occur here, in MS. Sloan. 1827. found the same fate, and been swallowed "The many mother tongues spoke in like other languages; since, in its andivers corners of Europe, and quite dif- cient state, one age could scarce underferent from one another, are not recon- stand another, and that of some generacileable to any one common original; tions before must be read by a dictionary whereas the great languages of Spain, by a few successions after; as, beside the France, and Italy, are derivative from famous pillar of Quillius, may be illusthe Latin; that of Greece and its islands trated in these few lines, Eundo omfrom the old Greek; the rest of the fa- nibus honestitudo præterbitunda nemo mily of the Dutch or Schlavonian. As escit. Quianam itaque istuc effexis hausfor the lingua Fullana, spoken in part of cio, temperi et toppertutemet tam hibus Friuli, and the lingua Curvallea in Rhæ- insegne, quod ningribus potestur aut tia, they are corruptions of the Italian, ruspare nevolt. Sapsam saperdæ seneas that of Sardinia is also of the Spanish. ciones sardare nequinunt cuoi siemps et "Even the Latin itself, which hath socienum quissis sperit?" " embroiled so many languages of Europe, if it had been the speech of one country, and not continued by writers, and the 8 to conform in their, &c.] "To conform, and make use of Latin in their, &c." MS. Sloan. |