Non-Hellenic Portion of the Latin Language. 547 



Avidus and Aveo, root Aw. Thus described in Owen's Diet. : " Aw, a fluid, 

 also a flowing. From this expressive root are derived all words that imply flui- 

 dity, or the motion or action of fluids, and also immaterial qualities, as the im- 

 pulse or emotion of the will, mind, or soul." Hence Awid, " an ardent desire, 

 eagerness, greediness," the undoubted source of the Latin " avidus/ 1 



Aurum, Cum. Aur (also Air and Oir), root Air, brightness ; which also produced the 

 Latin Aura, a gleam, confounded with the Greek word Avgcc, a breeze. Virgil, 

 who undoubtedly was acquainted with one form of the language called Celtic, 

 thus plays upon the source of the meaning of both words : 



1 " Discolor unde auri per Ramos aura ref'ulsit." 

 Hence also — 



Aurora, Cum. Gwawr, a compound of Aura, brightness, and hora, the hour or time 

 of splendour — " the golden dawn." 



Barba, a beard; Cum. Barv, Arm. Baro, the same. Root, " Bar" (see Ow. Diet.) 

 an excrescence, a bunch or tuft." 



Benna, a carriage, a van. Festus under the word writes : " Lingua Gallica, genus 

 Vehiculi unde vocantur combennones in eadem benna sedentes." Cum. Ben, " a 

 wain or cart ;" and Menwr, Men, " a cart ;" Gwr, " a man, a carter." Hence the 

 prolific term, Menare in Italian, and Mener in French, to lead or manage matters. 

 From Benna came also the British or Belgic Covinus or Covinnus. " Genus 

 Carri, quo in bello utebantur Britanni et Belgse." Now Cym, Cyv, or Cy is 

 the Cumrian form of the Latin Cum, and in composition Com. What would 

 be written in Welsh Cywain, or Co-van, a diipgos, would in Cornish be Coven, and 

 in Latin Covin-us. The English word Country would be written in Welsh, 



1 Servius, on the words " Auri, Aura," has this observation .- " Splendor auri," Horatius. " Tua 

 ne retardet Aura maritos," i. e. Splendor. Hinc et aurum dicitur a splendore qui est in eo metallo." 

 Thus Varro also seems to have had access to some source of knowledge afterwards shut, when, under 

 Aurora (Lib. vi. de Lin. Latina, cap. v.) he writes : " Aurora dicitur ante solis ortum, ab eo, quod ab 

 igne solis turn aureo, aer aurescit." Aureus is used to express brightness, without any reference to 

 gold, as in " aurea Phoebe," " aurea Venus." And Manilius has even, " Aureus olor" (Lib. v. 

 v. 383), " i. e." adds Forcellini, " Nitidissimi et candentis coloris," brilliant white. Perhaps also in 

 the famous passage (Hon lib. L od. v.) — 



" Heu, quoties fidem, 



Mutatosque Deos flebit ; et aspera 

 Nigris sequora ventis 



Emirabitur insolens, 

 Qui nunc te fruitur credulus aurea ; 

 - Qui semper vacuam, semper amabilem, 



Sperat ; nescius aurae 

 Fallacis," 

 aurea ought to be translated, " in all your brightness," the same as Aurea "Venus, " all smiles:" and 

 aura, "a gleam of light," the deceitful sunshine, ought to be contrasted with " aspera nigris sequora 

 ventis.'' 



VOL. XIII. PART II. 4 A 



