elegance,) and carrying it down through the Obf. V. hiftory of its corruption: in affigning the causes and tracing the progress of which his Lordships good tafte cannot fail of affording many excellent lessons, and useful applications to the present state of our poetical and even historical phrafeology.

Of the utility of Etymological researches in the illustration of other sciences, of Phyfics, and Metaphyfics; of ancient History, and Mythology; the Prefident de BROSSES has spoken profeffedly in the fecond chapter of his Traité de la Formation Mechanique des Langues, et des Principes Phyfiques d'Etymo¬ logie, (Paris, 1765.) He defigned to have published two other Volumes in order to give a more extenfive and particular application of his Grammatical Theory to Geography, as far as the names of places are concerned; to Mythology, to the history of ancient nations, and to the history of the migration and tranfplantation of colonies. The different objects of this intended inquiry are thus briefly mentioned in the pre

liminary

"a cherché dans cette partie de l'ouvrage la "fuite des differens peuples, qui ont fuccef"fivement habité une region; les traces de "leur langage confervées dans les noms qu'ils "ont impofées aux lieux, lefquels ont prefque une force fignificative convenable a "leur pofition ; les langages anterieurs, dont

chaque idiome fubfiftant eft compofé en "différentes dofes. Il examine et explique "les noms anciens, tant des Rois que de Di"vinités de chaque pays, en faisant voir "combien l'intelligence de la fignification 66 propre de ces noms explique naturellement "les faits hiftoriques et les ufages; montre

l'origine des fables, que les défigurent, "et fait évanouir le faix marveilleux; fert, "en un mot, à lever ce voile obfcur que la "nuit des tems, l'erreur, et le menfonge ont jetté fur des événements tres ordinaires. "L'hiftoire des colonies et de leur parcours fur "la furface de la terre tient de fort près à l'hiftoire des langages. Le meilleur moyen de "découvrir l'origine d' une nation est de suivre,

<<en

me

inte

lque rapport."

alyfis of languages, and the inof their primitive Elements, fays IER, may ferve to diffipate by deobfcurity which involves the hifcient nations, and may enable us guish with greater probability the is of national occurrence from the Ffable and imagination. On fuch M. Bergier founded his Origine des Paganifme, et le fens des Fables: as a continuation of a system, which begun in his Elemens Primitifs des Paris, 1764.

e labours of the President de Broffes, Bergier, must be added Mr. BRYcelebrated Analyfis of ancient Mythowork full of extenfive learning, and as fpeculation, and founded in great on Etymological principles, and the evidence of Language. But of all

writers,

Obf. V. writers, who have endeavoured to explain history by the primitive fignification of words, and the names imposed on things, M. Court de GEBELIN feems to have made the most ftriking and extenfive application of Etymology to every part of remote Antiquity civil and domeftic, in his great and laborious work entitled, Monde primitif, analyfé et comparé avec le monde moderne, of which feven Volumes in quarto have already been publifhed. The ninth Volume is to contain a Dictionaire Etymologique de la langue Grecque. Some account of his system will be given at the end of the Specimen below mentioned. See alfo p.99.107.111. of thefe Obfervations.

The investigation of the original force of words leads us to the knowledge of primitive opinions and cuftoms to which the latent fignification alludes; and affords the most certain evidence of the progrefs of Ideas. Os av tas ovoμata cidy, (fays PLATO in the Cratylus, fpeaking of Etymology,) every xay si weayμara. The truth of this obfervation теазната.

has

has been, partly, illuftrated by Dr. PET- Obf. V. TINGALL, in his Differtation on the Gule of Auguft, ARCHEOLOGIA, Vol. II. p. 63, 64.

The influence of Language on Opinions has been profeffedly treated of by M. MICHAELIS in his Differtation on the influence of Opinions on Language, and Language on Opinions, Sect. II. p. 10, &c. of Bingley's Tranflation 1769.

Perhaps to this influence of Language on Opinions may in fome measure be imputed, that opinion fo univerfally established of the great veneration faid to be paid by the Druids to the Oak. The Greeks and Romans not fufficiently acquainted with the manners or the language of the Druids, derived the name of thofe venerable fages from Agus, an oak. But this notion has been rejected by our best Etymologifts. A late writer on Galic Antiquities feems to have offered a probable conjecture, that the Druids were fo called from DRUIDH, wife men. Of this word we have feemingly traces in trow, true, troth, truth, which,

I