SACRED ISLES IN THE WEST, &C. Q7g 



The Sanscrit appellation of Purvam, for the 

 Eastern countries, is written Parvini in Hebrew 

 without points; but with points it becotnes Par- 

 vaim, which appears in a plural form. The Sep- 

 tuagint read Pharvaim; and, in that case, in the 

 singular number, it should be Parva or Pharva. 

 In the course of etymological enquiries^ I have al- 

 ways found it more convenient to read the Hebrew 

 without points, when the affinity is obviously 

 greater. Thus the word in question is written 

 without points P'r-v-i-m^ or with the vowel inhe- 

 rent to every consonant, as in Sanscrit, and the 

 common Nagri, Pa-ra-va-i-ma: the only diliiculty 

 in Nagri and Hebrew, is to find out, in a word, 

 what consonants are to coalesce. The words Se- 

 phar, and Se-pliarvaim, without the points, are to 

 be read Se-para and Se-parvim, 



The mountains of Se-phar seem to be that range 

 called Be-pyrrus by Ptolemy, and placed by him 

 to the North of India, answering to the first range, 

 or snowy mountains. This range, in Ptolemy, 

 begins at Hardzvar, and instead of Bepj/rrtis, seve- 

 ral authors read Sepyrrus. In Sanscrit, Su-para, 

 and Vi-para ox Bi-para, for thus it is generally pro- 

 nounced, are synonymous, and perfectly gramma- 

 tical, though perhaps never used ; and signify right 

 before, due East. Bi-para signifies also Eastern- 

 most ; and, in its first acceptation, is the same 

 with before in English, which is now synonymous 

 V7\t\-\fore, or ajore: yet there is no doubt but that 

 formerly it was otherwise, and that befoi^e signified 

 right aJore. It is true, that the particles su, and 

 bi like ge, in the dialects from the Gothic, are often 

 used without enhancing the signification of the 

 word they are prefixed to. Thus /ore and before, 

 para, su-para, bi-para, and su-miicha, or sho-mucha, 

 in Bengalee, signify the s;mie thmg. The t30steiirv 



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