1843.] Tables of Comparative Philology. 839 



3. I allow in the tables of those languages being cognate which 

 have, in addition to an analogy in grammatical forms, a large number 

 of original words expressive of the most natural and simple ideas, 

 terms for family relations and the objects of visible nature, and verbal 

 roots of the most frequent occurrence. This excludes all those words 

 which commercial or literary intercourse might introduce. 



4. Words, which in their primary signification denoted the properties 

 of objects of sense, are applied to express the analogous mental qualities. 

 Thus the words, a sanguinary man and a man of sanguine temper- 

 ament are both derived from sanguis, blood. They are sometimes 

 restricted in meaning; thus rector in Latin signifies a ruler, but in 

 England it is limited to a clergyman of a certain official dignity, and 

 in Scotland to the head-master of a classical school. Corps in Latin, 

 signifies the body, the English words derived from it are — corpse, a 

 dead body ; corps — a body of soldiers ; — corporation, a municipal body. 

 We use villain in the sense of a wicked person, formerly it meant only 

 a villager. 



The languages of which I have given specimens for comparison in 

 those tables belong to the Indo-European class, and have been spoken 

 in a range of country extending from the Indian Ocean to the Atlantic, 

 and from Ceylon to Iceland. The chief branches, are, 



1. The Persian, denoted by (P) ; its primitive form was the Zend, 

 the sacred language of the Magi, adopted by Zoroaster, and spoken by 

 the ancient Persians ; the Pehlvi, a cognate tongue, was spoken by the 

 Medes and Parthians. Persian is incorporated very largely into Urdu. 



2. The Hebrew, denoted by (H) ; the notion is now exploded that 

 this was the parent language. Its cognates are Arabic, denoted by 

 (A), Syriac, Chaldee and Phenician. 



3. The Germany denoted by (G) ; the Dutch bears a close affinity 

 with German. 



4. The Gaelic, denoted by (Ga) ; it is cognate with the Erse or 

 Irish. 



5. The Welsh, denoted by (W) 



6. The Cymraig, denoted by (C) ; it is cognate with the Welsh, 

 Cornish, and Armoric, and belongs to the Celtic family. 



7- The Russian, denoted by (R) ; it differs little from the Sclavo- 

 nic, which is the ecclesiastical language of Russia. 



