Non- Hellenic Portion of the Latin Language. 497 
on index-hunting alone, and consists in the juxta-position of words 
similar in form, and casually, perhaps, in sense, is more likely to 
lead to error than to the truth. What would be thought of a 
person, who, without a knowledge of the grammar and construc- 
tion of a Greek verb, should, from a Greek index, attempt to find 
the various forms in which the word sews is found in Grecian li- 
terature ? What guide could he have in placing rerayou as its per- 
fect passive, or eraéyy as its historical tense, in the same voice ? 
But it may be said that such knowledge as is required must be 
beyond the reach of any individual, and can scarcely be attained 
in the course of along life. This is, I fear, too true, although it is 
only of late that I have been compelled to adopt the conclusion. 
The Greek and Latin language and literature, I must, from 
my situation, be supposed to understand. The Cumrian’ or 
Welsh was known to me from my childhood, both colloquially 
and as the language of popular poetry, and of the public service 
of the Church. But there exists a long series of literary works, 
extending from certainly the seventh to the fifteenth century, to 
which an acquaintance with the colloquial popular and ecclesi- 
astical dialects furnished no sufficient key. To master these the 
study of more than one form of the language was necessary, and, 
to a certain extent, the task was achieved. The prose style of our 
most ancient chronicles, triads, and laws, is familiar to me, and I 
can read with satisfaction most of the works of the bards, as far 
back as the twelfth century. But there remains a body of poetry, 
ascribed to AnEuRIN, Tavirssr1n, and other well known names, 
which, if Cumrian, is Cumrian in a very suspicious form. This 
language I do not altogether understand, nor, according to my 
belief, is it completely understood by any man living. The 
1 Much error, both in History and Geography, would have been avoided, had 
the names by which nations denominated themselves been alone used to designate 
them. Welsh was the general name by which the German tribes designated all the 
Roman provincials whose territories they invaded, but especially the Italians. 
