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that the former possesses the means of expressing, with singular felicity, the peculiar phraseology of the Hebrew. And the verbal analogy of the two languages has been sufficiently proved as well by Rowlands in his "Mona Antiqua," where he has collected more than three hundred instances, as by some English writers, among whom the learned Holloway, in his "Originals," deserves particular notice for the rapturous strain, in which, although unacquainted with the Welsh tongue, he adverts to this striking affinity. To the mere classical scholar, whose philological learning is limited to the languages of Greece and Rome, it may appear somewhat bold to claim this distinction for the Welsh, which the ignorance and prejudice of ages on this particular point have conspired to sink in a sort of vulgar obscu rity. But the truth appears to be, that, however valuable, as it undoubtedly is in a general view, the knowlege of Greek or Latin may be, it affords but a feeble aid to the inquiries of the philologist, when compared with that, which he derives from a cultivation of those more primitive and more elementary languages, whose fountains are lost in the venerable gloom of antiquity. Of this character is the Hebrew, as admitted by universal consent; and, if a correspondence of particular features and of general properties be of any value in establishing a comparison, a similar claim must be conceded to the ancient speech of the Cymry.

It is still in contemplation, as intimated in an early number of this work, to offer some observations on the subject here noticed, without entering into that minute examination of it, which, to be satisfactorily accomplished, would occupy a distinct volume; and in the mean time, the following letter, although confined to one branch of the inquiry, cannot fail to be interesting. The mere modern Welsh scholar will, perhaps, find some diffi culty in adapting the instances, selected by Meirion, to his conception of the language; but he is not, therefore, to conclude, that those instances are not fully justified by the genius and character of the Welsh tongue.

The learned author, here alluded to, has, in the course of his two volumes, collected about thirty instances of this resemblance; and to which the writer of this note has added, from the same work, above forty more, and most of them unnoticed by Mr. Rowland in his Mona Antiqua. It is more than probable, therefore, that a careful collation of the two languages would produce far stronger proofs of this verbal correspondence than has resulted from any experiment hitherto made.

↑ Vol. i. p. 83.

VOL. II.

RR

AFFINITY BETWEEN WELSH AND HEBREW.

"To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine."

"SIR,-In the last paper, which I took the liberty of addressing to you, upon the structure of the Welsh tonguet, it was mentioned, that it had an affinity with certain other languages therein specified: I shall now lay before you a few particulars, in order to give some idea of its connection with the Hebrew.

"In the following comparison I have adhered mostly to the corresponding forms of expression; for it would exceed your limits to shew the identity between simple words, as they are so numerous; and this mode, too, if tolerably well selected, gives a much better illustration of the subject.

"BAN (Welsh) what is raised, reared, or conspicuous; raised, exalted, high.-Banau, heights, conspicuous things, or heads; Beni, raised, or reared ones.-Hebrew ‡, BEN, a son; BENI ELIM, sons of powers, i. e. mighty ones; Welsh, BENI ELYV, reared ones of powers.

"BANAU (Welsh) to raise, to rear, to erect, to make lofty or conspicuous.-Banu, to rear, to make lofty; to become high.— Hebrew, BANAH, to build; ABANAH, I may obtain children,'I may be built.'-Welsh, A-BANWY, that I may rear; Y-BANWY, be raised.

I may

"BEICHIAW (Welsh) to cry, to roar, to wail.-Hebrew, BECHAH, to weep.

"CAN (Welsh) with, or in possession:-CANIAW, to possess. -Hebrew, CANAH, to possess.

"CHWAI (Welsh) animal motion, activity;-quick, brisk.Hebrew, CHAI, life;-EL CHAI, God of life; Welsh, EL CHWAI, intellectual power of the quick.

"CHWEIAW (Welsh) to be brisk or quick; to make quick.Hebrew, CHAIAH, to live; Mechaieh metHIM, thou dost animate the dead ones; Welsh, MYCHWELI METHION, thou dost quicken those that have failed.

Vol. ii. p. 609.

† See CAMBRO-BRITON, No. 17. p. 198.-ED.

The Hebrew characters, which are adopted in the Monthly Magazine, are omitted here, as, from being understood only by the Hebrew scholar, they would be of no use towards that popular illustration of the subject, which is here contemplated.-ED.

"Sentences Compared."

"Hebrew.-Byllang adonai-eth cal nêoth Iangcob. "Welsh.-By-llwng adon-ydd holl neuodd Iago.

"The Lord has swallowed up-all the tabernacles of Jacob. "Hebrew. 1. Baruch attah eiâ eloeinu melech hangolam. "Welsh. 2. Barwch wytti iâ el-eini maelog y-hwyl-ma. "1. Blessed art thou, O Lord, our God, King of the world.

2. Seat of increase art thou, Supreme, our intellectual power, possessor of the space of revolution.-Literal.

"Hebrew. 1. Dareci sheol bethah ioredoth elchaderi mäeth. "Welsh. 2. Dyracei sál buth-hi ea-warededd il caderiau méth.

"1. The road of the grave her house, going down to the chambers of death.

"2. That leads to vileness is her abode, going the descent to the seats of failing.-Literal.

"Hebrew. 1. Derech bethah iitsengad.

"Welsh. 2. Dyrac buth-hi ai-i-sengyd.

"1. The road of her house he would tread.

"2. The avenue of her dwelling he would go to tread.-Literal.

"Hebrew. 1. Tithbârach tsoreinu.

"Welsh. 2. Ti-haedd-barwch saer-ei-ni.

"1. Be thou blessed, our former.'

"2. Thou take to thyself the state of increase, our former.

Literal.

"Hebrew. 1. Mageni ngal elöim. "Welsh. 2. Meigen-i hwyl elyv.

"1. My shield is from God.

"2. My protection is from the intelligences.-Literal.

"Hebrew.-Me hua ze malec hacâvodh Jehovah tsebâoth hua

malec hacâvodh.-Selah!

"Welsh.-Py yw-o sy maeloc y-cavad 1-A-YW-vo savwyod yw-o maeloc y-cavad.—Sela.

"1. Who is the King of Glory? The Lord of Hosts, he is the King of Glory.-Selah.

"2. Who is he, that is possessor of attainment? I THAT AM HIM of hosts, he is the possessor of attainment.—BEHold.—Literal.

"The following are some more Welsh words, similar in sound to the name, Jehovah.

"Wyvi, I am.-A-vu-yw-a-vo, that was, is, that shall be.Wyv-a-wyv, I am that I am.-Wye-i-o, I am him.-Ia-yw-ve, Supreme is he.-Ia-yw-vo, Supreme is him.-E-yw-vo, he is him.-Eve-yw-vo, he is him.-E-yw-a-vu, he is that was.Ie-yw-ve, that is is he. &c. &c.

"Many remarks might be made to give a clearer view of the above comparisons, but I must conclude for the present." "Your's, &c., MEIRION."

MONUMENTAL INSCRIPTIONS.

ST. MARY'S CHURCH, SWANSEA, GLAMORGANSHIRE, Pray for the Sowle of Sir Hugh Johnns, Knight, and Dame Mawde his wife, which said Hugh was made Knight at the Holy Sepulcre of oure Lord, thu Ihu Crist, in the City of Jerusalem, the xiiij day of August, the yere of oure Lord Godę mt. ccccxl; and the said Sir Hugh had cotynuyd in the Wears ther long time before by the space of fyve yere, that is to say, Amynst the Turkis and Sarsyns in the - of Troy, Greece, and Turky, under John, that time Emproure of Constantyenople, and after that was Knight Marchall of Ffrance under John, Duke of Somset, by the Space of ffyve yere, And in likewise aftyr that was Knight Marchall of England, under the good John Duke of Norfolke, which John gyave unto him the manor of Landymor, to hyme and to his heyre for evr more, upon whose Soullis thu hav mercy. IEUAN DDU O LAN TAWE.

LLANGWSTENYN, CARNARVONSHIRE.

In Llangwstenyn Church, near Conway, are some fragments of elegantly painted glass. The first figure is our Saviour, the second St. George and the dragon, the third Justice with her balance, in one end of which is represented a sinner, and in the other his sins, and the Devil underneath pulling down the latter, to make it preponderate. In the south window of the chancel of the same church are the following: in the centre Sanctus Petrus with his keys, on his right Nicolaus, on his left Sancta Catherina, and underneath Orate pro animabus, &c.

CONWAY CHURCH.

1. In Hookes's Chapel, on the south side, is the following incription,

Johannes Hookes, Arm: hunc tumulum fieri fecit in memoriam celeberrimi viri, Hugonis Hookes, Arm : patris sui, qui obiit 27. die Julii, A. D. 1600.

And on the same side are the following Latin lines,

Impiger errantes oculos converte viator,

Funera lamentis spargere nostra piis;
Hic tua res agitur, mortalia funera cursu
Volvere precipiti pulvere disce meo.

2. In the same Church is the following inscription,

Here lieth the body of Nicholas Hookes of Conway, Gent., who was the 41st child of his father William Hookes, Esq. by Alice, his wife, and the father of 27 children,-who died the 20th March, 1637. P. B. W.

The following inscriptions are extracted from among several others in the Harleian Collection of MSS. in the British Museum, and are stated to have been copied by Hugh Thomas in the year 1700:

LLANVRONACH CHURCH-YARD.

Here lieth the body of Thomas ap John, ap Thomas, ap Rosier, ap John, ap Ievan, ap Philip, ap Howel Gam, paternally deseended of Brychan, Lord of Brecknock, who married Chrisly, daughter to Jenkin ap levan, ap David, of Neath, paternally descended of lestin, Prince of Glamorgan, They had issue, children living, 8, viz.-John, Jenkin, Roger, levan, Llison, Margaret, Alice, and Joan. He died the 9th day of Oct. A. D. 1616*.

LLANSAINTFFREAD CHURCH.

1. Heare lieth the body of David Watkin, late of Shethrock, who died the 22d of Nov. 1618, aged 88, and left issue 3, viz.— William, who married Elinor, daughter to Rd. Herbert, Esquier, Gwladis, married to Thos. Madock, one of the Lords of Sheth

The following note is in the hand-writing of Mr. Hugh Thomas." This parish is called Llanvronach from the parish church, which is dedicated to St. Brenac, (whose feast is solemnized the 7th of April,) and, therefore, more properly Llanbrenac, or Lian Brenacus,-whose feast, happening commonly at Lent or Easter, is never observed by the Roman Church, from whence the parish wake came to be wholly neglected, The Latins call him Bernacus."

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