204 Essay Introductory to the Archaeology of the JVesl of England. 



The words of the first class are supposed to be derived immediately from 

 the same source with those of the early settlers in Italy. They express 

 the elements, the geographical features of the country, the necessaries of 

 life, cattle, domestic instruments of tlie rudest kind, and the ordinary ac- 

 tions and passions of the mind j terms which every language must have 

 possessed from its commencement. 



The words of the second class, introduced from the Latin, express ideas 

 connected with the arts and sciences, the habits of social life, the refine- 

 ments of mental operations, and, above all, terms in Theology, all plainly 

 incongruous with the liabits of savage life, and introduced, together with 

 the words tliat express them, at a later period. 



The words of the former class we should expect to find in every dialect 

 of the Celtic ; those of the latter would vary according to the degree of the 

 subsequent intimacy between any particular branch and tlie Romans : and, 

 accordingly, tliese Latin introductions are said to be more abundant in 

 Cornwall, because the southern and south-western tribes of Britain were 

 earlier subdued by, and more intimately conversant with the Romans, 

 than the rest. 



There are some few words of a mixed character, the date of whose in- 

 troduction it is not easy to determine. 



Thus we have the Latin Cams, dear, and the Welsh Kar, a friend, and all 

 its derivatives, such as Kariad, a mistress, etc. U'lien, however, as in the 

 present instance, a corresponding word occurs in the Erse, the presumption 

 is in favour of its being primitive. 



It is obvious that the influx of a later upon an earlier branch of any 

 language, must be productive of considerable etymological confusion. 



Our knowledge of the Celtic language is derived cliiefly from its extant 

 dialects ; these are, principally, the Cambro-Celtic, Cymraig, or Welsh, 

 and the Iberno-Celtic, Erse, or Irish : and the differences between these 

 dialects are considerable, and evidently have not sprung up at a late pe- 

 riod, but have existed from a remote age, when their stock was in its 

 infancy. It will be seen presently, that each possesses many primitive 

 terms, of which the other is destitute.* The Erse was indeed formerly 

 supposed to be Celtic, with an infusion of Basque. 



Of the Cambro-Celtic, the Cornish and the Armoric or Bas Breton are 



* The following words, expressive of primitive ideas, and selected from the five 

 Celtic dialects, will shew the different form under which similar words exist ; and, 



