$00 
To the Editor us the Monthly pega 
SIR, 
S you allot a certain part of your 
interesting publication for the in- 
sertion of ancient inscriptions, I transmit 
you one, which no person has attempted 
to explain. It consequently opens a 
field for antiquarian research. 
1 she Editor of the Monthly Mocasine 
SIR, 
OUR Correspondent, Mr. Grant, 
has accounted forthe use of than 
after other, by exhibiting the construc- 
tion of sentences iuvolving the represen- 
tatives of those words in other languages; 
but, he has not attempted any analysis 
or definition of the words themselves: 
and, as the enquiry of “ Scrutator” 
seems to me deserving of attention, I 
venture to lay before you some further 
yemarks on that subject. 
The appearance of irregularity in the 
coustruction, is occasioned by tliat visio- 
nary classicfiation of speech, which the 
Greeks, ignorant of all foreign languages, 
and totally unacquainted with the princi- 
ples of general grammar, first devised; 
and, which the Latins, with the modera 
nations of Europe, implicitly adopted.. 
The word other is enough to demonstrate 
the absurdity of this arrangement; for, 
as Johnson observes, it possesses at one 
time, the property of the pronoun, at an- 
other, that of the noun, and at another, 
that of the adjective; consequently, it 
Shews that the distinctions we have ima- 
gined, exist not in the organization of 
language, But system is adhered to in 
spite cf every impediment. Our gram- 
imarians and lexicographers, instead of 
Inscription at Listleigh.—Analysts and Explanation [July 1. 
It is to be met with in the church of 
Listleigh, in the county of Devon. 
Should your correspondents be able to. 
throw any light on a subject involved in. 
great obscurity, it. will lead to another 
communication from 
Your's, &c. 7 
R. ScaMMELL. 
Plymstock, November 18, 1807. 
searching for the cause of this anomaly, 
have idly given the word various names, 
as if it had diiferent. meanings. Had 
they extended their acquaintance be- 
yond those neighbouring dialects, which 
are just as much confused as their own 3. 
had they, instead of contenting them- 
selves with the tongues of Furope, ven~ 
tured to penetrate the Asiatic regioms of 
speech, they might have discovered the 
roots, and ascertained the true import of 
many words, which, by much circumlo- 
cution, they have vainly laboured to ex- 
plain. 
All the dialects of the civilized nations 
of the earth seem to proceed from one _ 
source, though by two channels ; namely, 
by the Arabic and Indian or Tartar: the 
first, as a vernacular tongue, prevails in 
the peninsula of Arabia with some ad- 
joining countries, and in a great part of 
Africa; whilst, the latter has occupied 
the residue of Asia and the whole of Eu- 
rope. Itis, therefore, by a survey of the 
Indian, with the dialects derived from it, 
that we shali make the most satisfactory 
discoveries on the first principles and 
composition of the English language. 
The verbs first used in-the infancy of 
speech are those of motion, such as come, 
go. In the Indian and Persian, the par- 
ticle ef exclamation is the root of the 
former 
ry 
