352 



HISTORY OF MEXICO. 



Thofe Europeans who have learned the Mexican 

 tongue give it the higheft praifes, and equal it to the 

 Latin ; fome to the Greek, as we have already obferv- 

 ed. Boturini affirms, that in urbanity, politenefs, and 

 fublimity of expreffions, no language can be compared 

 with the Mexican. This author was not a Spaniard, 

 but Milanefe, learned and critical. He knew at lead 

 the Latin, Italian, French, and Spanifli, and of the 

 Mexican fo much as to be able to make the comparative 

 judgment. Let M. de Paw, therefore, obferve his er- 

 ror, and learn not to decide on matters of which he is 

 ignorant. 



Among the proofs on which count de Buffon would 

 reft his fyftem of the recent organization of the matter 

 of the new world, he fays, that the organs of the Ame- 

 ricans were rude, and their language barbarous. " Ob- 

 " ferve," he adds, " the lift of their animals, their 

 " names are fo difficult to be pronounced, it is wonder- 

 " ful that any European ever took the trouble of writ- 

 " ing them but we do not fo much wonder at their 

 taking the trouble of writing them as at their negligence 

 in copying them. Among all the European authors 

 who have written the natural and civil hiftory of Mex- 

 ico, in Europe, we meet with no one who has not fo 

 much altered the names of perfons, animals, and cities, 

 that it is impoffible to guefs at what they mean. The 

 hiftory of the animals of Mexico paffed from the hands 

 of Hernandez to N. A. Recchi, who knew nothing of 

 the Mexican ; from Recchi, to the Lincean academicians 

 at Rome, who have published it with notes and di flir- 

 tations ; and count de BufFon made ufe of this edition. 

 Among the hands of fo many Europeans ignorant of the 

 Mexican language, the names of the animals could not 



at 



