into different quarters of the world, when they degenerated from a state of high civilization into barbarians, savages, and almost mere brutes, confined to a few objects, and expressing their feelings and wants by natural signs, and a few monosyllabic cries, having lost the habit of dividing their voice.*-After all these convulsions, Dr. Jamieson must, if any faith is to be placed in the laboured and farfetched inferences of etymology, trace the language of the Caribs and the Otaheiteans to the names given to things by Adam [GENES. xi. 19.] But there is no necessity of tracing the names of creatures, either living or dead, to Adam. Even children give names to things very naturally. They call a cow Mue, a lamb Baa. So also, it would appear, the Greek children probably did. The ocritus tells us, that the sheep B Βῆ Δερονίες βαδύιον. A crow in like manner is called in Greek Κοραξ. An ass in Spanish, is called, in imitation of its braying, Borachos. -But the origin of language has been treated in a satisfactory, as well as ingenious manner, by many writers. Bishop Stillingfleet, speak ing of divers attempts to interpret antient allegories and enigmas, says, that there is but one certain truth or conclusion to be drawn from the whole, and that is "labour lost," we may say the same in general of etymological labours. The vagaries of etymologists were properly noticed, in antient time, by Quintillian; and, about a century ago, by a very learned Englishman, Baker, in his Reflexions on Learning. The labours of Perzon

Pelletier, sir Wiliam Jones, Maurice Pinkerton, David Macpherson, Macfarlane, George Chalmers, &c. &c. about Gog, and Magog, Cushites, Celtæ, Belgæ, &c. &c. have never produced any thing approaching at all to a serious conviction of their respective conclusions. If the fanciful or conjectural science of etymology would indeed elucidate and prove the affinity of nations at a very remote period, and trace their descent from Adam and Eve, or from preAdamites, if, as some suppose, there were any, there would be something sublime in such studies, something highly gratifying and consolatory. But to this, etymological researches are wholly inadequate. And as to the disputes about the peopling of the Lowlands of Scotland, whether from the southern parts of the kingdom, or directly from Germany, or Scandinavia, they are of very little consequence. It is quite apparent, even from names of persons or places, that there are in Scotland the descendants of antient Britons, who, we think, with Buchanan, were of the same nation or origin with the Picts, descendants of Germans, descendants of Flemings, and descendants of Anglo-Saxons and Anglo-Normans.-The story of the key with a leather thong in Gil Blas, which gave to wine, according to the perception of some, the taste of leather, and according to that of others, the taste of iron, is quite applicable to the wranglings about the origination of the Lowland Scots, Celts, Goths, or Germans. Even from etymology it appears

appears that they are sprung from all of them. As professor John [not James] Playfair in his illustrations, &c. says of the leading sects of geologists, the systems of the wranglers in Scottish etymologies "accord better with each other than they do themselves." But let us hear Dr. Jamieson: :

"It is surprising, that no one has ever attempted to rescue the language of the country from oblivion, by compiling a dictionary of it. Had this been done a century ago, it would most probably have been the means of preserving many of our literary productions, which it is feared are now lost, as well as the meaning of many terms now left to conjecture.-Till of late, even those who pretended to write glossaries to the Scottish books which they published, generally explained the terms which almost every reader understood, and quite overlooked those that were more ancient and obscure. The glossary to Douglas's Virgil formed the only exception to this observation.

"Within these few years, a taste for Scottish literature has revived both in Scotland and England. Hence the want of an etymological dictionary has been felt more than ever, and it may well be supposed that all who possess a genuine taste for the literary productions of their country, must feel disposed to encourage a work which is necessary, not merely for illustrating their beauties, but in many instances even for rendering them intelligible. The use of such a work is not confined to our edited books, but may in a great measure prove a key to our ancient MSS. It must facilitate the progress of those, whose studies or employments lay them

under the necessity of investigating the records of antiquity; and who, especially in their earlier years, are apt to be disgusted at their professions, from the frequent occurrence of terms, at the meaning of which they can only guess.

"It is undeniable, indeed, that from the strange neglect of our vernacular language, the signification of some of our law-terms is already lost; and that the meaning of others, on the interpretation of which not only private property, but public justice depends, is so doubtful, as to leave room for almost endless litigation.

"Even these invaluable remains of antiquity, which record the valiant deeds of our ancestors, delineate their manners, or exhibit their zeal for religion, excite little interest in our time, because they are in a great measure unintelligible.

"Those who possess old libraries, that have been handed down, perhaps through many generations, must be convinced of the necessity of a work of this kind; because the books which were perfectly familiar to their fathers, and which communicated instruction to their minds, or kindled up the flame of patriotism in their breasts, are now nearly as completely locked up to them, as if they were written in a foreign tongue.

"Such a work is necessary for preserving, from being totally lost, many ancient and emphatic terms, which now occur only in the conversation of the sage of the hamlet, or are occasionally mentioned by him as those which he has heard his fathers use. It may also serve to mark the difference between words which may be called classical, and others merely colloquial;

and

and between both of these, as far as they are proper, and such as belong to a still lower class, being mere corruptions, cant terms, or puerilities.

"Many ancient customs, otherwise unknown or involved in obscurity, come also to be explained or illustrated, from the use of those words which necessarily refer to them. The importance of any thing pertaining to the manners of a nation, as constituting one of the principal branches of its history, needs not to be mentioned; and, as the knowledge of ancient manners removes the obscurity of language, by a reciprocal operation, ancient language often affords the best elucidation of manners.

"Such a dictionary, if properly conducted, should not only throw light on the ancient customs of Scotland, but point out their analogy to those of other northern nations. So striking indeed is the coincidence of manners, even in a - variety of more minute instances, between our ancestors, and the inhabitants of Scandinavia, as marked by the great similarity or absolute sameness of terms, that it must necessarily suggest to every impartial inquirer, that the connexion between them has been much closer than is generally supposed.

"Language, it is universally admitted, forms one of the best criterions of the origin of a nation; especially where there is a deficiency of historical evidence. Our country must ever regret the want, or the destruction, of written records. But an accurate and comparative examination of our vernacular language may undoubtedly in part repair the loss; as well as throw considerable light on the VOL. L.

faint traces which history affords, with respect to the origin of those, who for many centuries have been distinguished from the Celtic race, as speaking the Scottish language.

"I do not hesitate to call that the Scottish language, which has generally been considered in no other light than as merely on a level with the different provincial dialects of the English. Without entering at present into the origin of the former, I am bold to affirm, that it has as just a claim to the designation of a peculiar language as most of the other languages of Europe. From the view here given of it to the public, in the form of an ETYMOLOGICAL DICTIONARY, it will appear that it is not more nearly allied to the English, than the Belgic is to the German, the Danish to the Swedish, or the Portuguese to the Spanish. Call it a dialect, if you will; a dialect of the Anglo-Saxon it cannot be: for from the dissertation, prefixed to the Dictionary, it must appear to the unprejudiced reader, that there is no good reason for supposing that it was ever imported from the southern part of our island."

If the only end of writing were to promote the advancement and diffusion of general knowledge and general entertainment, to make learned men and philosophers, and to present a species of entertainment worthy of learned men and philosophers, accomplished citizens of the world, the republic of letters would not suffer any great detriment though the Scottish language and Scottish literature were consigned to everlasting oblivion. But this is not the only end of literature. An end of equal, and,

R

in

in a moral point of view, perhaps greater importance, is the tendency It has to wean men from the gross ness of sensual appetites and desires, and to improve their social sympathies and sensibilities, to snatch them from the imperious importunity of present objects, and to enlarge, as it were, the sphere of their existence, by extending their views over the remote and the past, as well as the near and the present. Whatever is fitted to allure men into such paths is highly beneficial. The span of life might be better employed by Scotchmen, were their only object advancement in knowledge, in reading books written in other languages than their own. But since for one Scotchman inclined to read such books, there must be an hundred at least more inclined to read books in their own or the language of their forefathers, and relating to their own country, and who, if Scottish books were not unfolded to them, would not read at all; except the Bible with Commentaries, Boston's Fourfold State, the Pilgrim's Progress, and histories of the persecutions of the Kirk.-Since the sphere of the mere Scotchman's reading must be vastly enlarged, and the number of Scotch readers vastly increased by so masterly a key to the language of his forefathers, Dr. Jamieson, in his Etymological Dictionary, has done a very great, and, we presume a very acceptable service to his countrymen. The AULD SCOTTISH language is very expressive, as indeed every language is to those who are intimately acquainted with the customs, manners, and allusions in which its peculiar idioms are found ed. And the old Scottish writers,

particularly the poets, as abundantly appears from Dr. Jamieson's quotations, cannot but afford to all who readily enter into the language, and fully understand it, a very high degree of entertainment. The Lowland Scots, even the lower classes, or what in France and other countries are called peasants, have a great turn for reading. It is very common now, or certainly it was so about 30 or 40 years ago, when any very striking occurrence happened in the neighbourhood, particularly if it was of a ludicrous kind, such as an ill-assorted or ludicrously conducted marriage, for even the women to make verses on the subject. One woman, sitting at her spinningwheel, would make one or two verses or rhymes. These were repeated to others, who would add one or two couplets more, and so on, till, at last, a piece was produced little less droll than the famous ballad of "Fie, let us all to the Wedding," &c. This may, perhaps, be considered as a kind of argument, though not indeed a very strong one, of their affinity to the Scandinavians, who have a great turn this way, as all writers agree. Some very curious specimens of Finnish poetry, by rustics, or common people occupied in rural affairs, are to be found in Signior Giuseppe Acerbi's Travels to the North Cape, translated into English, and published by Mawman. The Swedes too, of all ranks, have a very great turn for literature. Parochial schools were established in Sweden long before their establishment in Scotland: nay, even schools of a higher order in the different districts, to which the youth repaired, from the parochial

school,