150 



not only islands, strictly so called, arc to be understood 

 by that name, but Greece itself; for, being much intei- 

 sected by the sea, it was, in a loose sense, susceptible of 

 that appellation * Tharsis appears to have passed into 

 Thrace,f Chittim >in<to Macedonia- This is solidly proved 

 by Le Clerc:^ The author of the book of Maccabees 

 expressly says, Alexander came fi-om the land of Chittira, 

 cap. i. J. Dodanim seems to have passed into Epire. 



From the invective of Alexander against Philotas,|| one 

 would-be apt to imagine the Macedonian language was 

 different from the Greek; but it is evident, from Philotas's 

 reply, that the Macedonians understood it, and that Alex- 

 ander himself addressed the army in Greek. It was, certain- 

 ly, the language, introduced by Ptolemy into Egypt; and 

 exclusively spoken in the court of his succe&sors.§ How- 

 ever, from a mixture of several bai-bariaio. nations, the Ma- 

 cedonian dialect was much debased : besides^ as already 

 noticed, some diiference occurred in the languages spoken 

 by the families descended from the different sons of Javan. 



The Thracians and Epirots, being still more exposed to 

 the inroads of the neighbouring barbarians, many of whom 

 settled among them, difficultly retained any traces of their 

 original language; particulaiiy the former. However, it 

 was long retained in some parts of Thrace; as appears 



by 



* Greece is expressly so called,. 1 Maccab. xi. 38. 



t Le Clerc on Genes, x. 



t Ibid. 



II Quint. Curtius, Lib. VL cap. 2S. 



I 1 L'Archer's Herodot. 72. 



Ill 



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