Non-Hellenic Portion of the Latin Language. 517 



name for a stone, and ««»», to work, to dress with care. These 

 two words would form neXao%os, which, by the slightest change in 

 pronunciation, would become Kikwyog. The common name for a 

 Pelasgian fortress was Larissa. " Seventeen places (writes Fynes 

 Clinton) bearing this name may be traced, most of which, pro- 

 bably all, were founded by the Pelasgi." Perhaps it would have 

 been better to have said " built, rather than founded, by the Pe- 

 lasgi." For the general name Larissa, there ought to be as gene- 

 ral a reason, and this the meaning of the term seems to supply 

 xa- as a stone, and V w V /<rw to hammer or hew. Larissa would 

 thus signify the fortress of " dressed stones," in opposition to the 

 Cyclopian masses which were superseded by the Pelasgian style 

 of building. This view of the subject is rendered more probable 

 by the only account of Pelasgi which can be regarded as histori- 

 cal. According to Herodotus, in a well-known passage, certain 

 Pelasgi had agreed, for a stipulated reward, to surround the Athe- 

 nian Acropolis with a wall. They performed their bargain, but 

 were afterwards expelled by the Athenians, first to Lemnos, 

 and at a later period from Lemnos to the Hellespont. Now, it is 

 from the language of these Hellespontian Pelasgi that Herodotus 

 drew his conclusions as to the original dialect of the older Pe- 

 lasgi. But Pausanias 1 informs us, that he had ascertained that 

 they were originally Siceli, and had passed over into Acarnania. 

 The leaders of these erratic stone-masons are called by the 

 same author AygoXag and t^/3/os : 2 literally, " stone-griper," and 

 " very strong," names, which betray their fabulous origin and 



1 Paus. lib. i. cap. 28. 



Ty ht axgOftoXu ttX^v baov m/j,wv ui-/.odo/j,r}Gsv a\flr\go Mikriadog, ff£g//3aX«n to Xoiirov rov 

 Tii%pvg UsXaeyovg. oi%t\6a,{\ag <jrdlt vtto t%v aKgoirohiv (pudi yag Aygohuv xa/ vnri^iov. mivOotvofievoc 

 61 oiling fiSav oudiv aXXo idvva/irjv fia6av 7) 2ixiXoug ro s^a^rig ovrug Axagvaviav (nloix^aai. 



2 Ayga-captura, e. g. irvg-agya., a smith's forceps, and Xu.ag, a stone, 

 iweg, exceedingly, and B/a, force. 



3u2 



