PROLOGUS IN EUNUCHUM, AB ALUMNIS SCHOLE REGIE WESTMONASTERIENSIS SALVERE jubeo spectatores optimos, Vel qui Terenti, vel qui nostri gratiâ Et advocati partes agite, haud judicis. Et vos præsertim, siqui nunc demum hospites Monitique oportet sitis, ut prorsus nihil Nihil populare nostrum est: vix quicquam quidem Hic nulla causas insipiens plebecula Fingit, cur miseris obstrepat histrionibus : Recens Theatri decoloretur nitor. Tum porro nostrum nobis inventum dedit Nec esse nos, nec esse velle, Roscios. Artem Grammaticam discimus, non Scenicam : Quid multa? vestrâ nitimur clementiâ, EPILOGUS. THRASO, GNATHO, SANGA, SOPHRONA, SANNIO. Gnatho. Nempe accepta Thraso quo penset damna, triumphi Dein verbis ornare, atque addere rebus honorem Hostiles crepuere fores. Procedite, et omnes So. Parce, oro, vitæ, cape cetera. G. Quin age, trade nobis Quin canimus Pæana. T. Satin' rectè omnia? G. Pulchrè. T. Omnem rem narra. Rescribam cuncta necesse est: G. Gloriam enim partam magno sudore alieno Quis nisi tu?-T. Verum. Quin age, fare. G. Lubens. Omnem militiam veteranam fudimus: armis Sivimus exutis ire, datâque fide. Vexilla, inquepedimenta omnia, conquemeatum (Quod valde mirum est,) quam solet esse domi. T. Horribile! atque incredibile! G. Inspice. T. Fœdum ego vidi Compositus, nisi fallor, hic est è pulvere vitri, Helleboroque gravi, Sandapilâque putri. G. Dii meliora piis! T. Quid nunc agimus? G. Redeamus. Nimirum hic homines frigent: atque omnia, fortes Ceu decet, bortantur nos meminisse foci. Visendum est quoque, sintne domi satis omnia salva. T. Sannio sed properans quid venit? Sann. Occidimus. Lictores accivit anus. Tu poscere: notos Esse diu fures teque tuosque fremunt. Diripuere domum cives: mala mille minantur. Suadeo quisque sibi consulat. Sang. Ipse mihi. T. Ibo ipse, et memet rebus servabo secundis ; Extreinum scabies occupet. Gn. Atque ducem. Siccine agis? valeas. Sic transit gloria mundi! Rerum ad me solum denique summa redit. Prospiciam ipse mihi: atque animus, nam vera fatebor, Immo animi, credo, vestri quoque: meque putatis Me, scio, personæ pertæsum est. Hactenus usque Hoc me adeo, nam nemo hodie fit transfuga gratis, IN ON THE ANCIENT LANGUAGE OF EGYPT. N some of my former letters to you, I stated it as my belief, that the ancient language of Egypt, in the time of the Patriarchs, must have been considerably different from that, which was afterwards spoken in the same country under the Ptolemies, and under the Cæsars; and I further contended, that the most ancient Egyptian and the Hebrew were probably cognate dialects. I have been led to hold these opinions from various considerations. First, because it seems highly improbable, that any nation should preserve its language unchanged during a period of fifteen or sixteen hundred years, which may be reckoned from the time of Moses to the second century, when, if I do not err, the earliest specimens which we have of the Coptic were written: Secondly, because Egypt had been successively subdued by the Persians, the Greeks, and the Romans, before these specimens existed: Thirdly, because the Egyptians, during this period, had ceased to be the most philosophic and scientific people of antiquity their laws and usages had been altered--and their religion, once sublime, had degenerated into the vilest superstition.-It can scarcely be imagined, that their language alone remained unchanged: Fourthly, because, as it is certain that the Coptic language is inundated with Greek vocables, it may be presumed that between the conquest of the country by Cambyses, and its subsequent subjection to the dominion of the Greeks, many ancient Persian words and idioms may have been introduced into Egypt: Fifthly, because the last-mentioned conjecture seems to be strongly corroborated by its being undeniable that the Persian theology was, at least, partially introduced into Egypt, and that the Egyptians occasionally wrote in the arrow-headed character of the ancient Persians: Sixthly, because it appears to me, that the names of the Egyptian Deities can be better explained in most instances by the Hebrew than by the Coptic: Seventhly, because the Coptic is extremely perplexed and anomalous in its structure, which seldom occurs in an original tongue: Eighthly, because there were only 25 letters in the ancient Egyptian alphabet, and there are 32 in the Coptic: Finally, because there was scarcely time, according to the received chronology, from the death of Ham to the birth of Abraham, for the formation and completion of a new language. Upon the whole, then, I am inclined to think that the Coptic, though it may contain many vocables belonging to the ancient idiom of Egypt, is not much nearer to it than the English of the present day is to the Saxon. It must be admitted by every person, that a large proportion of Coptic words has been taken from the Greek; but still it may be justly urged, that this no more proves the Coptic to be sprung from the Greek, than a similar mode of reasoning could demonstrate that our language had its origin in Latin, or in French. In a future letter, I shall inquire how far there may be reason to suppose, that the Coptic has been supplied from the ancient Persian. At present, I will admit that its principal basis, (though this has been much narrowed by the influx of foreign words and idioms,) is the old Egyptian; but if in examining those words which are to be referred to the ancient dialect, I find that many of them are nearly allied to the Hebrew, I think I may conjecture with some probability on my side, that the languages of Palestine and Egypt were originally cognate dialects. There is a difficulty of which I think it right to take early notice. Most words in the Coptic language are so involved in letters which are mere signs-in prefixes, suffixes, &c. that it is not possible for a stranger to the language to perceive how the etymology in many instances can be made out. Thus the Hebrew scholar might be startled at being told, that such words as ПРЕЧЩЕЙШІ the minister, TOYWCBI retribution, 21xOP to rail at, upbraid, or speak contumeliously, could possibly bear any analogy to, or be in any way connected with, the dialects of Syria and Chaldea. But ПIРечшeшWI is composed of III the definite masculine article. PЄ the sign of a concrete noun (Gramm. Æg. p. 13. and weuшI ministrare. Now I derive WGUI, ministrare, from the Chaldaic w ministravit. TOYWEBIш is compounded of T, the definite feminine article,-OY the indefinite article incorporated into the word, (Gramm. Eg. p. 17.) and WEBIш. Perhaps this last word may be referred to a restituit, redire fecit. 21xOP is evidently a compound word,-21 being a preposition signifying super. I, therefore, refer the word 81xOP, objurgare, to objurgavit. These examples have been taken nearly at random; but I shall seek for others which can be made more obvious to the Hebraist. Before I proceed further, however, I shall mark the letters which answer to each other in the Hebrew and Coptic alphabets; and in doing so I shall be chiefly guided by the authority of Woide. 1. It is obvious that the Coptic answers to the Hebrew and y. 2. Every one knows that B and II are letters easily convertible. Consequently the Coptic B is occasionally converted into II, and vice versa. Heb. 1, 3. The Gamma,, is not found in original Coptic words. 4. The Dalda, A, is likewise only to be met with in words of foreign extraction. 5. G. Heb. N, 'N, Y. 6. So,-only employed as the sign of the number six. 7. Z. Zida, used in foreign words. 8. H. Hida. Heb. N, 1. 9. . Heb. O, N. 10. I. Heb.. 11. R. interdum pro Gamma ponitur. Heb. 2, p. 12. λ. Heb.. 13. U. Heb. D. 14. H. Heb. 2. 18. P. Heb.. interdum pro x ponitur. 19. C. Heb. 1, D, Y, W. This letter seems often to be employed as a mere aspirate. 20. T. Heb. O, M. 21. T. Heb. 1. 22. . Heb. -convertible with II. 23. X. Heb. 2, П, J. 24. Ul. Heb. y. 25. U. Heb. v. but convertible with . This Coptic letter Schei often takes the sound of a harsh aspirated guttural, and answers to the Hebrew and J. The Latins, it will be remembered, often changed the Greek aspirate into an S-as sex for, &c. But see Woide's Coptic Lexicon. 26. I. Phei. Heb. 5, perhaps it occasionally was sounded like Q. Compare it with this letter in the Etruscan alphabet. 27. b. Heb. П, J. 28. 2. Heb., 17. |