360 NATURAL HISTORY OF 



the Cresvaminam, or Brahmin distinguishing cord, as 

 likewise a decoration of the painted divinities. 



Few traces of Aramean, or Japetian languages, are 

 perceptible in the constituents of the ancient Egyptian 

 and modern Copthic. The Hebrew and Arabic are 

 comparatively of recent introduction. Originally the 

 Egyptian form was monosyllabic, essentially different 

 from both, though the Canaanite nations of the same 

 stock spoke a dialect of Chaldee, which in itself ap- 

 pears to be an evanescent tongue, and might have 

 been preceded in Syria by a different form, as it was 

 subsequently succeeded by others, since geographical 

 localities of ancient Palestine were constantly indi- 

 cated by two very different denominations. The 

 Egyptian, no doubt, consisted of a sacred dialect; 

 one which was used in all written documents, sacred 

 and legal, while very diverging forms of speech be- 

 longed to different parts of the kingdom. There was 

 particularly, one in the Delta, another in Upper Egypt, 

 and most likely the Cuthic above the cataracts. Uch 

 and Pharaoth, the most ancient words for king, may 

 nevertheless be both epithets, the first denoting high, 

 eminent;* and the second, a mutation of Phre or 

 Phra, recurs in the Pelhevic proper names of ancient 



* Uch. See Manetho. It may be remarked, that there 

 was a tribe of Uchii east of Persis proper, and that it 

 was, according to Volateranus, from among this people the 

 gipsey tribes first came forth. Uchii were therefore High- 

 landers. 



