1797°] 
was pleafed to find it poffefs allthe fup- 
pofed requifites of originality. Henext 
compared it with the French, and other 
languages, which he underftood; and 
perceived, that in words ef a phyfical 
fenfe, and of the firft neceffity, it had 
fo remarkable an affinity toeach of them, 
that he concluded it to be the parent 
ftock whence all the reft had fprung.— 
Nor did he find the refemblance fail him 
in any one of a great variety of lan- 
guages, which he proceeded to learn, 
with furprifing avidity and fuccefs, till 
the number feemed to exceed the capaci- 
ty and powers of retention of the human 
mind. The refult of all this ftudy and 
erudition was a fixed opinion, that when 
the globe was firit peopled, a fingle lan- 
guage prevailed over the whole face of 
at ;—that the Celtic was that language ; 
—and that all the others were only dia- 
leéts of the fame, differing from it, more 
or lefs, in proportion as they had been 
more or lefs disfigured by weology, cor- 
ruption, and barbarous modes of {peech. 
With this opinion, and with very flen- 
der pecuniary means, M. le Brigant came 
to Paris, and publithed a fmall wok, 
which, if I recolleét right, contained the 
grammatical rudiments, and his leading 
ideas, of the Celtic language. In the 
capital, every thing extraordinary was 
fure to make a_ confiderable, though 
generally but a momentary impreliion ; 
this M, le Brigant experienced. - For a 
fhort time it was quite the fafhion to talk 
of his difcovery; the French beaux 
e/prits, who were accuftomed to put 
every thing into the moft magnificent 
drefs, ufed to fay that it was only necet- 
fary to learn the Bas- Breton to under- 
ftand all the languages of the univerfe ; 
and M. de Calonne, who, unlike certain 
minifters, equally profufe, was the friend 
of literary attainments, ordered two 
thoufand copies of a larger publication 
to. be printed at the Royal Prefs, and at 
the public expence, for the benefit of the 
author. The work in queftion was a 
complete diétionary and graminar of the 
Celtic language, in which M. le Brigant 
brought forward many proofs and argu- 
ments in fupport of the pofitions he 
maintained. : 
But unfortunately, at-that very mo- 
ment, the deficit in the French finances 
was expofed to the public eye; M. 
Necker was recalled to the treafury,. and 
under his more economical adminiftration, 
the printing of M. Je Brigant’s work 
was countermanded or poftponed. Soon 
ater followed the party rage, and polis 
5 Nee 
| Phiblogical Refearches of M. le Brigant. 
Al] 
tical difcuffions, thar led to the Revoln- 
tion; and in the violent agitation of the 
public mind, M. le Brigant, and his 
book, both funk tothe bottom. 
Jt was at this time that I became ac- 
quainted with him.—In the almoft total 
oblivion into which he was fallen, he was 
happy to find any.body who would liften 
to him while he defcanted on his fayou- 
rite fubje&t; and I lifttened to him with 
pleafure, my tafte for languages being 
at that time as great as my knowledge 
of them was fmall. In one of our con- 
verfations, the old gentleman produced a 
book, in which he had arranged, in oppo- 
fite columns, afentence of the Bas- Breton, 
with words of a correfpondent fenfe ‘in 
almof all other known languages, even 
in thofe of feveral American hordes. 
This fentence implied the very-propofi- 
tion he meant to prove, namely, that in 
the beginning one fpeech prevailed over 
the whole world. In expreffing it, he 
ufed words fometimes of a direét fenfe, 
and fometimes of a figurative meaning; 
and by fo deing produced, in fome cafes, 
a ftrongly marked refemblance, and in 
others, an approach to identity that wag 
altogether aftonifhing, and gave a great 
degree of plaufibility to the opinions he 
entertained. 
The extraordinary nature of thofe opi- 
nions, and his fame asa linguift, recom- 
mended M. le Brigant to the notice of 
Louis the Sixteenth, and not unfrequent- 
ly he was a viGtor“at Verfailles. It was 
his cuftom to walk the four leagues be- 
tween Paris and that place, and to pre- 
fent himfelf-in the Royal Apartments, 
drefied in a whitifh coat, wailtcoat, and 
breeches, the crdinary drefs of a French 
peafant, with his fhort grey locks untied, 
and with no previous preparation, except 
wiping the duft off his thoes. On feeing 
him approach ‘all travel-ftained,” and in 
‘this queftionable fhape,’”’ the king ufed 
to turn to his courtiers, and fay, Vozld le 
plus favant homme de mon royaume*.—M. 
le Brigant, faid he, one day to the old, 
man himfelf, I hear that you underftand 
thirty languages.—If your Majefty had 
{aid twice that number, anfwered the 
Bas- Breton, you would have been nearer 
the mark “1? 
But ‘the man whom the king thus 
delighted to honour,” found Royal 
munificence but a feanty refource in the 
hour of diftrefs. In bringing up twelve 
children, he had fpent almoft the whole 

* Here comes the moft learned man in my 
dominions, m2 
of 
