a few examples, to show how easily it may be done, and to tempt you to find others for yourself at a future time.

The word Aurum, Gold, is Latin; which can be traced up to no Latin original: but in Hebrew the word Aur expresses a kindred idea; it signifies Light, to which Gold is more nearly allied than any other substance, from its colour and its splendour; and, in the symbolical language of the chemists, Gold stands for the Sun. When we have once obtained a leading idea in Hebrew, it is pleasant to see how other words in abundance will fall in with it: for hence we have the word Aurora, for the light of the morning; Horus, a name of the sun with the Egyptians; Orion, the bright constellation, the brightest in the heavens; ωρα and ωραιος, beautiful; because the light is the most beautiful of all things; ovpavos, the heaven; and many others. So simple is the Hebrew, and so perfect in its construction, that even light itself is not an original sense; for 1 is from 8, a biliteral root, which signifies to flow; light being in perpetual flux, and the most perfect of all fluids; perhaps the only absolute fluid in nature.

Nothing is more common than for large families of words to arrange themselves under some simple root in the Hebrew. Thus the words fruit, fertilis, fructus, fero, in Latin, pepo in Greek, Freya the Northern goddess of fertility (whence our Fryday) all come from the Hebrew FeRA, to bear fruit. Even in the English tongue, where you would little suspect it, the Hebrew word will account for the English. What is the word Sweat but the ny Zet of the Hebrew? Cypher in English, is DD SePheR in Hebrew: Dumb in English, is to be still: Shiver in English, is in Hebrew a Sheber or Shever, to break in pieces:

Hush, be still, is from

HaSHAH, to be silent :

Track is from the Hebrew 777 DRACH, a way, which

AReTZ or Is in English,

in Arabic is taracq: Earth is from ERETZ, a word of the same sense. and EOT in Greek, and esse and est in Latin are all from the Hebrew Substance: Shed is from the Hebrew, to pour out. In Latin words, which have no affinity with any other word, the like agreement is frequently discovered with the Hebrew. The word Olim, hereafter, or long ago, is not a word of a Latin form, but is the same with by Olem an age, ever, &c. Thus in Greek the word xirov tunica, admits of no Greek derivation, but ¡n CheTeN in Hebrew has the same sense.

χιτων

In multitudes of Greek words, where the Lexicons force an etymology upon them, their deduction from the Hebrew is evident and natural. In their mythology nothing is more common than for the Greeks to use terms of which their own language knows nothing. Their religion was more ancient than themselves; and so has many names which their own language was not ancient enough to interpret; though they often attempt it in an absurd and ridiculous manner. What can we make of the word Zupηveç, Sirens, first mentioned by Homer, as Nymphs that enchant and destroy men with their singing? The Lexicons derive it from σepa a chain, which is nonsense; but go to the Hebrew, and you find that SYeR is a Song, and will therefore very naturally give a name to Singers.

σειρα

Mulciber, one of the names of Vulcan, the god of fire (the same in character with the Moloch of the East) which the Latins account for from mulcendo ferrum, because they will needs have it from their own language: but it is such Latin as never was used; and besides, ƒ never changes into b, in the syllable ber, but N

VOL. VI.

the change is the contrary way. All is plain enough, if we go back to the original Vulcan, which is Moloch; for then the word Mulciber becomes Melech 28 Abir, the Mighty King, which is Moloch. All the deities, which are many, whose names give them an alliance with Moloch, are from the Hebrew Melech, a king; such as Adramelech, Anamelech, Milcom, Milicus, &c. Melicartus, the Tyrian Hercules, is of no sense in Greek or Latin; but in the Hebrew it resolves itself into Melech Aretz, King of the Earth.

Saturnus, the god Saturn, and the Satyri of the woods, are names to which the Latin can give no interpretation: but if Saturn, according to his physical character, be taken for that secret first matter of Nature, out of which all forms arise, and into which they are again resolved; and if Satyrs are considered as beings hiding themselves in woods and mountains; then they are all accounted for from the Hebrew D SaTaR, to hide : and even the discourse called a Satire, in which the meaning is always obscure and hidden, is best derived from the same word D SaTaR, to hide; as I remember I once mentioned to Dr. Johnson, and he affirmed the derivation to be right. Near of kin to this is the Egyptian Isis, the first matter of the world, from the Hebrew, substance. This first matter is concealed under the forms or species of things, and never to be discovered as it is in itself; to signify which the image of Isis had a veil on.

They, who have no practice in the pursuit of etymologies, will hardly believe with what reason and certainty a derivation may be hunted down, which at first sight appears very wild and remote.-, Ash or Esh, in Hebrew signifies burning fire (whence our word ashes). Now it seems rash to say that the Latin Vesta

is from the Hebrew Ash; but it is plainly so for from the original Ash is the dialectical Chaldee Xnx Ashta, whence the Greek Eoria, and thence (with the soft F prefixed, as in vinum from owoc) is the Latin Vesta.

In accounting for customs which we find in antiquity, we shall often be much at a loss, unless we are prepared to have recourse to the Hebrew. When you read in Xenophon, that the war-shout or signal for battle was Eλλedev, this word being not Greek, you may take it for an unmeaning barbarous outcry, like the war-whoop among the American Indians: but it is no other than the ancient Hebrew acclamation Hallelu, so often repeated in songs of praise. It is also written adaλev; and was probably the customary acclamation for mutual encouragement in the wars of the Hebrews with the Heathen nations of Canaan; from whom the later Heathens took it.

The Phoenicians spoke very nearly the same language with the Hebrews; and Virgil acted with judgment in giving Phoenician names to Phoenician people in his poem. The name Dido is the beloved one, from the same root with 77 DUD or David; her other name, Eliza, is one of the Hebrew names of the New Testament; and her sister Anna, is the Hebrew Hannah of the Scripture. In Sallust, &c. the famous name of Hannibal is Hebrew, and signifies Gracious Lord, or my gracious Lord: Hiempsal is Ime

shal, he shall reign, or be a Ruler; and there are other like names which can only be interpreted in the same way. In one of the plays of Plautus (the Poenulus) a Carthaginian is brought upon the stage, as we should bring a Frenchman, to laugh at his broken English. The language he is there made to speak was taken for unmeaning gibberish; till Bochart was able, by a

most happy stroke of criticism, to interpret it throughout, from the affinity of the Carthaginian to the Hebrew. As the antiquity which is most remote brings us nearer to the time when all men spoke some dialect of the Hebrew, it is impossible to interpret the ancient names of persons and people, but from a familiarity with the Hebrew. The Greeks derived themselves from a most ancient ancestor by the name of Japetus: and who can he be, but their real ancestor Japhet? Their Letters were derived to them from the East; and the tradition is preserved under the fabulous person of Cadmus ; which is from 7p Cadom, the East, or, a man of the East. Every body knows there was such a city as Babylon; but the Hebrew reader only knows it had its original from the word Babel, which being interpreted means in confusion, because language was there first confounded: and, to this day, a man that talks unintelligibly or nonsensically, is said in English to babble.

In Divinity it often happens, in particular cases, that you cannot so well judge what is right or what is wrong, nor detect the perverse glosses of wanton or evil-minded critics, unless you are well enough acquainted with the Hebrew to use some critical judgment init: of which Mr. Parkhurst's pamphlet against Priestley is a remarkable instance, and opens a mine of evidence, which that juggler knows not what to make of. We live in an age fond of novelty; when literary adventurers are rather too free and bold in their experiments upon the Sacred Text. Dr. Kennicott promised great things, and raised the expectations of the public. His pretensions were examined and disputed by some persons who were learned in the Hebrew; and we narrowly escaped the danger of a new text and new version. On any future occasion