296 ESSAY ON THE ORIGIN AND CirARACTER 



Crc.k. ]V.]jh. ' _ P'"Z:'J}j. 



. f A pcupJc, a niiruber of 



Axo; Lios, Liaw s \ i • 1 



^ nicii, a miiilitude. 



Ma^oivi) Merwino To car.fc to decay. 



Mw Mo I.<.(1, ih:iL lUJt, uul 



Ni| N6s Miglit. 



Nfcj, vw Ni, nyiii W..-, ds two. 



Na*y, ;*ijv Nyeiu, nyn Ofuslwo. 



Oji) Oio 'L'o tliiiik, or Lear in niiiid. 



Tcix.-i 'R^cii A rake. 



If the Weirn language had its ongin in the He- 

 brew, of which, all circumftances confidered, there 

 can be little doubt, this analogy betwixt the Welfh 

 and Greek is only what might be expected. 



The ancient Welfn nir^nufcripts contain as many 

 as thirty-eight dili-brent letters, or characters. Thefe, 

 fmce the invention of printing, and the confequent 

 introduction of the Roman letters, have necelTarily 

 been reduced in number. Two, and even three 

 letters, are now, in fome inflances, adopted to ex- 

 prefs what had before a fmgle appropriate character. 

 — The uncompounded letters are A, B, C, D, E, 

 F, G, H, I, L, M, N, O, P, R, S, T, U, W, and 

 Y : the compounds are, Ch, Dd, Ff, Ng, LI, Ph, - 

 and Th. The vowels are fometimes lengthened by 

 an accent, marked thus, a, e, i, 6, u, w *. 



* V is fometimes ufcd in Read of F ; B and P, C and G, U 

 and Y, are alfo occafionally ufed for each other; as were alfo 

 formerly V and M. 



The 



