183 



over again, even to the present day, both in notes in modem editions of 

 the classics, and popular books on etymology. It is perhaps less 

 remarkable that the second numeral, identical with the second personal 

 pronoun, or as Mr. Donaldson calls it the second element, should be 

 found in one of its forms (du, two, hi, ve, or zwei,) in words expressing 

 doubt, division, dis-agreement, dissension, and so forth, as in the 

 Greek Sii^uv, Latin duhiio, our English ** doubt,'* and the German 

 zweifeln.* 



But not merely for the purposes of metaphysical and antiquarian 

 science, is an insight into the niceties and intricacies of language 

 valuable ; in reading history also, philology will throw light upon many 

 facts. Take as an instance that story of Herodotus about the Egyptian 

 king, who wishing to ascertain which was the most ancient nation, caused 

 two new-born infants to be brought up without hearing the voice of 

 man ; and then finding their first word was Bc'-koc, the Phrygian term 

 for bread, concluded that the Phrygians were the most ancient nation. 



Now without drawing from this narrative the same conclusion as 

 Psammitichus did, it is useful and interesting as an additional confirma- 

 tion of the fact observed by almost all nations, that be or ba, or its 

 cognate forms pa and ma, in fact one of the labials, f and generally a 6 or 

 ■p sound, are the first articulations of infants, and being used by them to 

 express the things and persons more immediately about them, are 



and ofioioQ. Instances of perpetaal false derivations are by no means nnconimon. Mr. 

 Trench has remarked on some of these in his " Study of Words;" but he himself falls into 

 the common error with regard to the words simple and sincere; moreover, he derives 

 London from two Celtic words meaning the " city of ships," Now it seems much more 

 probable that London was Llyn Dinas, the hill or town on the Llyn (Grk. Xifivrj,) or pool ; 

 just as we have Zin-coln, Lynn, Dub-/m (the black pool), Tal y Llyn (the head of the Lake), 

 Cora Linn, the river Lune, <&c. Another very widely spread false derivation is that of 

 Albion from albus, white. Now the term Albion was used by Aristotle long before the 

 Romans were aware of the existence of the island, and it, too, as well as Britain and Ynia 

 wen, is Celtic, and means "hilly-land," "alp" being the Welsh for a "hill," and that 

 nation to this day call Scotland Albain. The same root is found in the name Alps, which 

 also has been erroneously supposed to mean " white," whereas it is of the stem al-o, to 

 raise up or nourish ; al-a, that which raises, a wing ; aMus, raised, high. In a book called 

 " PuUeyn's Etymological Compendium," October is actually derived from Octavias Ctesar, 

 December from the decemviri, and the author professes himself at a loss to discover the 

 derivation of November. Of what an admirable mode would he deprive himself of teaching 

 the Latin numerals, Septem-her, Octo-her, Novem-her, Decem-her. 



* It is well worthy of observation that the second numeral, in almost all its forms, 

 gives a deteriorative sense to words compounded with it. This is the case with the SvQ, fta^ 

 and ^a of the Greeks ; and that it is so with the dis and the vi of the Latins, we saw when 

 comparing ri-ginti with i»e-cors, rchemens and vesanus, to which we might add vanus. i. e. 

 ve-an-is, " having a bad essence (ens) or being;" compare " in-an-is," "haring no easence, 

 or reality," and id-on-eus, " having the same essence." 



f Dentals and gutturals children of coarse cannot prononnce. 



