Greeks and the T of the English, and is formed by application of the tongue to the teeth and roof of the mouth. Es fignifies literally, the first being. In like manner, the Venus of the Latins is a compound of Ben and Tus, which literally fignify the first woman. The letter B, in compounds and inflections, is always foftened into V; fo that, in Galic, the first woman is properly denominated Bhenus, pronounced as if written Venus. Edag and Edag signify food. These words are compounded of the Galic words Ed or Eid, and Ar: the former fignify food fimply, and the latter, ploughed land. The word Edap, in ftrict propriety of speech, fignifies that fpecies of food which is produced from the culture of the ground, or from ploughed land. It will readily fuggest itself to the learned, that the combined words of Edap form the roots of the Greek and Latin words Ed, edo, Agow, aro. Edga, which fignifies a feat, has an evident reference to food. The word is compounded of two Galic words, Ed and Tra, which literally

fignify meal-time: the T is loft in the compound. There is an intimate relation between the act of making a meal, and the place or feat where the early tribe or fociety affembled and fat down to eat. Ammianus Marcellinus fays of the Alans, "Cumque ad graminea venerint in orbiculatam "figuram locatis Sarracis ferino ritu vefcuntur." When the wandering fociety made a meal, they fat in the form of a circle; and though the author compares their manner of cating to that of wild beasts, yet regularity and order must have been obferved in the divifion and diftribution of their food. We fhall have occafion to confider in another place the manner in which that matter was regulated. Edos, which also fignifies a feat, derived its name from the relation between eating of food and the place where it is eaten. The Edis, or house, of the Romans, got its name from the important circumftance of its being the place of refort for the family or tribe at meal-time. Edva, which fignifies dona fponfalia, or prefents which a bridegroom made

to

to his bride, is a compound of two Galic words, Ed, and No or Nua, literally fignifying new food. This word has a reference to the condition of primeval society. When the objects of greatest value confifted of the means of fubfiftence, an article of fresh or new food must have been in a high degree acceptable.. When marriage came to be introduced, the presents made by a new-married man to his bride still retained the denomination of Edva.

FROM Ar there are many Greek derivatives. Appa fignifies ploughed land, alfo crop of corn. Αρτος fignifies bread. In Galic, a crop of corn, and bread, are expressed by Arbhar, commonly pronounced Arar and Aran; all being equally derivatives of the root Ar. So the Greek and Latin words, Aperos, arabilis. arable; Aporpov, aratrum, a plough; Apornp, arator, a ploughman; and many others, are evidently derived from the fame fource.

Ir has been obferved, that Re, in its primitive acceptation, fignifies divifion; in its fecond acceptation, concord, the confequence of divifion or diftribution of food. It alfo fignifies clear, without obftrullion, which is the effect of concord. Thus the English word Road fignifies, in Galic, clear turf; Re-od-contracted, Rōd— a compound of Re, clear, and Fod, turf. The letter F is quiefcent in the compound. It may be observed, that Pea in Greek fignifies eafily, and odor fignifies a way. Avmp vir, a man, is a compound of the Galic words An and Fer, which in the inflected cafes are pronounced Aner, the man. Fer in the plural is Fir. The Latins, for the fake of uniformity, changed the e in the fingular number to i, and in the nominative plural added their regular termination of mafculine nouns of the grammarian's fecond declenfion.

WE recollect to have read fomewhere a conjecture, that the hand was probably the first

comb

comb made use of in primitive fociety. The Greek word for hand, and the Galic word for comb, confirm the justness of that idea. The Greek word for hand is Xg; the Galic word for comb is Cir, and in the inflected cafes Chir; the Celts still applying the original word for hand, being the natural comb, to that artificial inftrument which was destined to be fo highly necessary to the decoration of both fexes in refined fociety.

THE varied terminations of the Greek and Latin nouns and verbs have much obfcured the roots and combinations of the original language, which was the subject of that artificial fuperftructure difplayed in fo admirable a degree by those most highly cultivated and refined languages. The groundwork, however, is not obliterated: the Celtic ftamina are vifible, and remain a monument of the Celtic parentage of the renowned Grecian and Roman people.