350 UNIVERSAL ERUDITION. 



from the confufion at Babel without any alters^ 

 tion : No , we have already fhown, in the pre- 

 ceding chapter, of what languages the Latin was 

 formed. With rCgar^ to the German, it may 

 be very juftly fuppoied to have been the ancient 

 language of the inhabitants of Germany, as the 

 names of their divinities and heroes (Mann, Erta, 

 Hermann, &c. appellative names, which ftil! 

 fignify Man, Earth, Chief of an army) kern 

 to confirm that opinion. But it is indubitable, 

 that the antient German has been mixed and 

 corrupted by the languages of thofe northern na- 

 tions which in the fourth century deluged Eu- 

 rope : and who, when they penetrated Italy and 

 Africa, did not merely pafs through Germany as 

 an army that marches in regular order, but re- 

 mained there a confiderable time, and mixed 

 with the natives of the country. All thefe Scy- 

 thian or Celtic people acquired likewife in Ger- 

 many the name of Allamands or Germans; 

 fome were called Goths, that is, good ; others 

 Quades, or bad ; others Huns, or dogs ; others 

 Normans, Or men from the north ^ and fo cf 

 the reft. And thofe nations were from that 

 time known and diftinguilhed by thefe denomi- 

 nations. 



II. With regard to the Sclavonian, it is to 

 be fuppofed that it is in part the antient lan- 

 guage of the Celts or Scythians, mixed with 

 fome particular dialefts of different eaftern na- 

 tions. But be that as it may, thefe three lan- 

 guages 



