ofilie Greek Language, 



238 



<?- 



an equivoque that would be endured even by the gross ear of a 

 foreigner, as Cicero was in respect to the Greek language. That 

 there was such a resemblance can now be more satisfactori- 

 ly shown; than it could have been at the time when Martin wrote ; 



)bably must have consisted in this, that 



pr 



let 



« 



the Roman B and the Greek j8 were sounded rather like the 



ter V^ than the Bp of modern languages. That the Roman B had 

 that sound for a long period^ is manifest from its heing perpetual- 



ly confounded with it in writing. Martin, indeed;, intimates that 

 he thought something of this kind probable — " Superest alia con- 

 jectura (says he) quando jam ista necessario confuudeiwla sint, 

 ut dicamus h olim priscis Romanis aspirate raagis sonuisse quam 

 nunc : non tamen ut in Fconsonante fit, labiis valde apertis, sed 



mag 



mpressis, ut sit quasi hvini 



quod hodie quoque apud Burgenses fit 



H 



qui vestia 



pro bestia, vene pro bene exiguo admodum vocum discrimiue pro 



nunciant." 



.¥iA 



If Martin had been in possession of all the information 



the researches of later scholars have broug 



he 



uld 



have expressed himself with so much hesitation on this point 



He might have stated it not merely as a "conjecture 



an 



opinion supported by very strong evidence, that the 

 for a long period pronounce their B so nearly like F, 



Romans did 



gen- 



be distirjguishabl 



the 



of 



the case with the Spaniards at the prese 



day.* In proof of this, it will suffice to refer 



the authorities 



were a 



» I have often thouglit it probable, tbat tlie Spaniards and Forti^uese, who 

 Roman colony, may have retained more of the ancient masculine pronuncia- 



tion of the Romans, though tinctured perhaps WxWx^ provincial rusticity, than is 



3^ 



