Mr. Lhwyd to Mr. Ray. 



Honoured SIR, 



COnfidering your Local Words fince I read your 

 Letter, I find fome amongft the North Conn- 

 trey Words to bear Affinity with the Weljh, both in 

 Sound and Signification, which poffibly may be fome 

 Remains of the Britifh Tongue continued ftill in the 

 Mountainous Parts of the North. Of thefe (if you 

 pleafe) I fhall hereafter fend you a Catalogue 3 but 

 in the mean time I muft confefs, that altho' they may 

 agree in Sound and Senfe, it will yet be difficult to 

 diftinguifli whether they have been formerly borrowed 

 from the Britains, or whether they are only an Ar- 

 gument that the ancient Britifh Language had much 

 Affinity with thofe of Germany, Denmark, &c. I o- 

 mit the Suppofition of the Weljh borrowing them 

 from the Englijh, in regard I find them not, (at leafl 

 but very few of them) ufed by the Borderers of both 

 Nations 3 and the Britains might leave them in Weft- 

 norland^ Cumberland, &c. having heretofore lived 

 there : But the Engtijh of thofe Parts could commu- 

 nicate nothing of their Language to the Weljh, in re- 

 gard they have never liv'd in Wales, nor have border'd . 

 on them. Moreover, fome of thefe Words are in 

 the Armorican Lexicon, and the Britains that went to 

 Armorica left this Countrey before the Saxons came 

 in. 



The PeBinites Amphiotis latiufcule julcatus, and the 

 Echini tes rctularis minor angujliclavius, (with fome o- 

 thers) are commonly found in Beds of Sand, which 

 lie under the Vein of Stone at the Bottom of the Pits, 

 tho' fometimes I have found the former in the Stones 

 by breaking them 3 but thofe ufually of a different 



Colour 



