a houfe; the earth, from ERETZ; to babble, from BABEL, alluding to the confufion of tongues; CIST, from Cis, a cheft; DAGGAR, from DAKAR, a fhort fword; the British KERN, or CORN, a horn, from KEREN; CROMLECH, a facrificial ftone of the Druids, from CÆREMLUACH, a burning ftone; and SARPH, an old British word for ferpent, from the Hebrew SARAPH. These, and a great variety of other terms, there enumerated, though coming to us more immediately through a Celtic or Gaulic medium, it is impoffible to deny, must have a radical connection with the facred dialect. Of the preceding affertion made by the grammarian Junius, viz. that of Hebrew, or the old Syrian, being radically interwoven in all the Eastern tongues, very decided and numerous inftances may be found, so far as refo gards the Perfians and Arabians, in Walton's Preface to his Polygott, and fo far as the Phoenicians and their Affyrian neighbours are concerned throughout the whole of Bochart's Phaleg. With respect to the Indian or Sanfcreet language, though hitherto very little investigated, we find the traces of it in the very name of their firft grand deity Brahma, the Creator, which is, doubtlefs, connected with, C 3 with, if not immediately derived from, the Hebrew Bra, or Bara, created, occurring in the firft verfe of Genefis, BERESCHITH BRA ELOHIM, In the beginning God created. Alfo in their great divinity, Ifa, the goddess Nature perfonified, we find the Hebrew Ichfa, the first exiftent, or grand parent, which the Rabbins affert to have been the original name of Eve, the great mother of mankind, and, probably, the genuine Ifis of the Egyptians; at least such is Stillingfleet's very rational conjecture.* Surya, the Sun, that object of fupreme reverence in India, has probably very near affinity to the Suria of the Chaldaic, a language which fomé eminent critics conceive to be the most ancient dialect of the Hebrews; and when it is confidered, that in Suria, or Syria, was first practised the Sabian superstition; that the Egyptians, according to Eufebius, called Ofiris, Surius; and that, in Perfia, Sure was the old name of the Sun; the fuppofition may be thought to approach near upon certainty. The Hebrew word RACHAV, great and powerful, may be radically connected with the Sanfcreet Rajah. In Celtic, Orch, Arch, and Rich, derived from the fame root, are used as initials * See Stillingfleet's Origines Sacræ, p. 551. or or terminations to names of diftinguished eminence; and here we find the probable etymon of the Greek terms apx" and apxar, chief or governor. We are certain, however, that the ancient name of that race of kings, written in Sanfcreet Roy, bears as near affinity to the Gaulic Roi, as that of Ranna, a race of Indian queens, to the Spanish Renna, and the Gaulic Rein; both used in exactly the fame fignification, though in countries fo extremely remote from each other. It is remarkable, that the Sanfcreet word GATE, or GAUT, a barrier or paffage, is to be found in the fame fenfe in Ramfgate as in Bafagate, and the most natural derivation I know for the word Age, is the Sanscreet Yug, or Period. The term Div, in Welch, God, and in Cornish, DIU, is the very fame word used in India for the celestial deities, who are called Dives and Devatas; and the reader's furprize will, perhaps, be not a little excited, when I inform him that Colonel Vallancey, well known for his researches into old Irish literature, told Sir William Jones, that Crishna, the name of the Indian Apollo, is actually an old Irish word for the SUN.* It will not lefs * Confult Afiatic Researches, vol. i. p. 2629 excite excite that furprize to hear, that according to Dr. Parfons, in his Remains of Japhet,* Colonel Grant was enabled, folely by his knowledge of the old Irish language, to decipher the Thibetian characters on the Siberian medal above alluded to, and the explanation of which was given in the Indian Antiquities. Baal, or Bel, feems to have been equally known as an appellative of the Sun in Britain as in Afia; for Toland, in his History of the Druids, (and the fact has been fince confirmed to me by intelligent natives, as well of South as North Britain,) tells us, that the fires which flamed on May-eve at the top of the ancient Carns, or Druid-heaps of ftone, in honour of the Sun, were called BEALTINE, or the fires of Belus. The term DRUID itfelf is, doubtless, derived from the Celtic Dru, or Deru, an oak; and it is remarkable, that, in Welch, Deruen and Derwen still preserve the fame fignification. These particular appellations immediately direct our attention to the Sanfcreet name of the old Brahmins, of the foreft of Gandharvas, which occurs fo See Parfon's Remains of Japhet, p. 186. + Toland's History of the Druids, p. 67. often 66 often in the Sacontala. Who, like the choleric DERVASAS, has power to confume, like raging fire, whatever offends him?” The Dervifh of the Eaft, therefore, and the Druid of the Weft, are the fame character, under names but little varied. Indeed Keyfler expressly affirms this Sacerdotum genus apud Turcas ab antiquiffimis temporibus confervatum DERVIS, et nomine et re DRUIDIS. * The Auruna, alfo, or day-ftar of the Indians, like the god Horus, or light perfonified of the Egyptians, may be without violence derived from the Hebrew AUR, lux, or, if the reader pleases, from OR, gold. Adam, the great progenitor of mankind, in Sir William Jones's opinion, may be found in the Sanfcreet Adim, the firft; and Nuh, or Noah, is plainly recognized in their celebrated Menu, who, after the flood, repeopled the renovated world. In fact, the name and hiftory of Noah and of his three fons are precifely the fame in the Sanfcreet as the Hebrew Bible. In the ancient geographical records of India, we find the whole country denominated after Cufh, the eldeft fon of Ham, its domeftic appellation being Cufha-Dweepa, and we know that the Keyfler's Antiquit. Septentrion. p. 36. inhabitants |