548 Rev. Mr Williams on one Source of the 



Cyv-dre, a evvor/.ia, from Cyv, and Tre, a residence ; but in Cornish it is Contre. 

 Hence Contrevak, Anglice, a countryman. It is to be remarked that the first 

 meaning of Country is the Latin Patria, and that its use to represent Rus is se- 

 condary. 



Bestia, a wild beast. Ulpian (Dig. lib. 3, tit. 1, et Lib. 9, tit. 1, Leg. 1) tells us : 

 " Bestia sunt omnia animalia qua? natura fera sunt et hominibus noxia, ut Ursi, 

 Leones, Apri, Tigres, item canes feri, serpentes, venenati aranei, et hujuscemodi 

 alia quae aliquo in modo in hominem sasviunt." The root is the Cum. bwyst — 

 " wildness, ferocity"' (see Ow. Diet.) as an adjective, 1 wild, ferocious, or savage. 

 In common language, it is joined to Mil, an animal, as Bwystvil, a ferocious, no- 

 xious beast. 



Brassica, a cabbage — Cum. Bresych ; From Bar-aisg, " head-spreading." The ad- 

 jective is Braisg, " gross, thick. 11 



Ceres, first, corn, secondly, the goddess — Cum. Ceirch. In Corn, cerh signifies oats. 

 Among the Sabines, as we are told by Servius (1 Georg. v. 7), ceres meant 

 bread, as in Scotland to this day, meal means oatmeal. From Ceres comes 



Cervisia, " a drink (writes Forcellini) made from various kinds of corn mace- 

 rated and bruised, but principally from barley. It was formerly much used by 

 the Gauls, therefore its origin ought to be looked for in their language. For 

 what some say is not probable, that it is formed by syncope from Cereres vis, 

 because the strength of corn is concentrated in it.' 1 The roots are — Cerh, oats, 

 and probably all other grain ; and Wys, water. Those who claim distillation as 

 a modern discovery, forbid us to consider this Celtic drink to be whisky, the 

 strong water of the Celts of Scotland and Ireland. But in Celia, or Ceria, its 

 Spanish name, we recognise Cooroo, the still existing name of ale in Wales. I 

 have written it as it is pronounced, as its true form Cwrw, has often been quoted 

 as an instance of the impossibilty of pronouncing Welsh names. Such persons 

 forget that the Greek w is a vowel, and that it was used long in England to do 

 the same service which it still performs in Wales. 



Catena, a chain. This the etymologers would fain extort from the Greek xu.$ h, 

 one by one, linked together. But both the quantity and meaning reject this de- 

 rivation, as catena signifies any 2 restrainer. Vitruvius 3 says, " Hique asseres, 

 catenis dispositis ad contignationes crebriter clavis ferreis fixi religentur. 11 Here 

 they must be translated, " bands, pins, wooden brackets, or cramps. 11 Again, Pal- 

 ladius 4 has a passage of a similar kind, " Asseres, catenis ligneis ex junipero aut 

 cupresso factis ad contignationes suspendemus. 11 Here, also, catenae ligneae must 

 be translated " wooden cramps or knees. 11 But no abuse of metaphor could have 



1 Once again let the reader be told, that the favourite vocal sound of the Cumri is that represent- 

 ed by wy, or oo-ee pronounced as diphthong The same word Bwyst, is in Corn. Buest, Ang. Beast. 



- Forcellini, under the word, " Sumptum etiam pro quovis nexu, quo aliquid conjungitur aut ligatur." 



3 Lib. vii. cap. 3. 4 Lib. i. tit. 13. 



