47 



Whatever may be the refult of Le Clerc's rhimes, it Is neceffary to ob- 

 ferve, that the Africans of the prefent day rhime their verfe, whether that 

 ratio be continued to it from the Phoenicians, through their Carthaginian an- 

 ceftors, or of later introduftion by the Arabians. The former, I am inclined 

 to think, the African tongue being found to partake more of the Tyrian 

 than Moorifli dialeft. The Maltefe is a fuppofed dialeft of the Phoenician 

 or Carthaginian; which is extremely probable, theiltuation of Malta hav- 

 ing rendered it a port of great convenience to the trade of Carthage, 

 that fubdued and colonized it : and I am well afllired, notwithftanding the 

 ifland has fo of tenchanged its mafters, that the language of the aborigina 

 natives, while it refembles the African, pofleffes a venerable air, being per- 

 haps the old Carthaginian fomewhat corrupted, or a dialeft compounded 

 of Hebrew and Phoenician. And indeed, the fame learned friend before- 

 mentioned tells me, that the language of the natives has a ftrong tinc- 

 ture of the Hebrew ; adding, that he has known an ordinary Maltefe 

 and an Irifliman converfe with as little difficulty as a Connaught and 

 a Munfter-man. The conclufion I would draw is this, that the two 

 tongues being fo near a-kin, let their prefent deflexion arife from what 

 it may; and the oldeft Irilh poets we know of having compofed in 

 rhime, Le Clerc was not miftaken, when he alTerted that the Phoeni- 

 cians rhimed their poetry. 



While on this fubjeft, the academy will, I truft, allow me one or 

 two fhort obfervarions, that arife out of it. The moft learned Grono- 

 vius has given us a tranflation of the lines in queflion from Fetitus, 

 {Mifcel. L. 2. c. 3.) fomewhat diifering from that of Flautus. With- 

 out detaining the academy by going into the whole of the lines, the 

 remark I wguld offer fliall be confined to the Mi, as it ftands m Pc- 

 titus. 



" Ythalonim, voalouoth G chorithiunu comfyth." 

 , TJiis Qrouovius reads and flops thus, ,,..., 



