278 REV. W. S. LACH-SZYRMA ON 



Besides these remains we have the dictionaries and the 

 grammar. 



Of dictionaries, the first place must be given to the ancient 

 Coi-nish vocabulary of the middle ages, intended to teach 

 Cornish boys Latin (at least apparently so). 



Williams's Lexicon Cornu-Britannicum is the best work yet 

 out on Cornish words, though unfortunately having been pub- 

 lished before the valuable discovery of the Beunans Meriasek, 

 in 1869, and the later researches of Mr. Jenner, Dr. Jago, and 

 others into modern Cornish, is necessarily imperfect. It was 

 printed too soon. 



In Pryco and Lhuyd you will also find Cornish dictionaries, 

 beside which we have Andrew Borde's quaint glossary for 

 Cornish tourists, in the reign of Henry VIII. 



Of grammars, the most ancient I am aware of is Lhuyd's, 

 which was composed prior to the extinction of the language. It 

 is contained in his valuable ArchcBologia Britannica. It was 

 published before the death of the language in 1777, when it 

 was still used along the sea shore from Land's End to S. Kevern. 



Pryce's grammar of the end of the last century is excellent, 

 but the literary history of the work is rather peculiar. We 

 have no time, however, now to go into that matter. 



The best modern grammar is by Norris, of the British 

 Museum. It explains most of ihe peculiarities of the language. 

 It was printed in L859, and also bound up with his edition of 

 the Cornish dramas. 



Zeuss Grammatica Celtica also contains valuable matter on 

 Cornish. 



Cornish Names. 



These are the most familiar and best known of the forms 

 of relics of the Cornish language. No one can pass the Tamar 

 and not be struck with the curious sound of Cornish names. 

 Let us quote a few instances. 



Even in East Cornwall there are hundreds of interesting 

 Celtic names of places. Wherever we go in Cornwall, indeed, 

 we are reminded that although among an English speaking 

 people, we are in a county where a few centuries ago, English, 

 if not unknown, was not the language of familiar intercourse, 



