strangles her. This appears abominable to orderly persons, but the partisans of Shakspeare say, that it is a fine specimen of nature, especially in a Moor.*

When John Galeas Sforza was assassinated in the cathedral of Milan, on St. Stephen's day; the two Medicis, in the church of Reparata; admiral Coligni, the prince of Orange, marshal d'Ancre, the brothers De Witt, and so many others, there was at least no kissing.

Among the ancients there was something, I know not what, symbolical and sacred attached to the kiss, since the statues of the gods were kissed, as also their beards, when the sculptors represented them with beards. The initiated kissed one another in the mysteries of Ceres, in sign of concord.

The first christians, male and female, kissed with the mouth at their Agape or love-feasts. They bestowed the holy kiss, the kiss of peace, the brotherly and sisterly kiss, agion philema.' This custom lasted for four centuries, and was finally abolished in distrust of the consequences. It was this custom, these kisses of peace, these love-feasts, these appellations of brother and sister, which drew on the christians, while little known, those imputations of debauchery bestowed upon them by the priests of Jupiter and the priestesses of Vesta. We read in Petronius and in other authors, that the dissolute called one another brother and sister; and it was thought, that among christians the same licentiousness was intended. They innocently gave occasion for the scandal upon themselves.

In the commencement seventeen different christian societies existed, as there had been nine among the Jews, including the two kinds of Samaritans. Those bodies which considered themselves the most orthodox accused the others of inconceivable impurities. The

term

gnostic,' at first so honourable, and which signifies the learned, enlightened, pure, became an epithet of horror and of contempt, and a reproach of heresy. St. Epiphanius, in the third century, pre

* This criticism is altogether Gallic-a" telum imbelle.”—T.

tended, that the males and females at first tickled each other, and at length proceeded to lascivious kisses, judging of the degree of faith in each other by the warmth of them. A christian husband in presenting his wife to a newly-initiated member, would exhort her to receive him as above stated, and was always obeyed.

We dare not repeat in our chaste language all that Epiphanius adds in Greek.* We shall simply observe, that this saint was probably a little imposed upon, that he suffered himself to be transported by his zeal, and that all the heretics were not execrable debauchees. The sect of pietists, wishing to imitate the early christians, at present bestow on each other kisses of peace, on departing from their assemblies, and also call one another brother and sister. The ancient ceremony was a kiss with the lips, and the pietists have carefully preserved it.

There was no other manner of saluting the ladies in France, Italy, Germany, and England. The cardinals enjoyed the privilege of kissing the lips of queens, even in Spain, though-what is singular-not in France, where the ladies have always had more liberty than elsewhere; but every country has its ceremonies, and there is no custom so general but chance may have produced an exception. It was an incivility, a rudeness, in receiving the first visit of a nobleman, if a lady did not kiss his lips-no matter for his mustachios. "It is an unpleasant custom," says Montaigne,† “and offensive to the ladies to have to offer their lips to the three valets in his suite, however repulsive." This custom is

however the most ancient in the world.

If it is disagreeable to a young and pretty mouth to glue itself to one which is old and ugly, there is also

Voltaire, or the French editor, gives it in Latin; and as a proof of the rank imagination of the holy father Epiphanius it is a curiosity, but in every other respect execrably odious and disgusting, being one of the most revolting of the imputations built upon the silly doctrine of the real presence. Carnal ideas will be carnally prostituted.-T.

+ Book iii. 5.

great danger in the junction of fresh and vermilion lips of the age of twenty to twenty-five-a truth which has finally abolished the ceremony of kissing in mysteries and love feasts. Hence also the seclusion of women throughout the east, who kiss only their fathers and brothers-a custom long introduced into Spain by the Arabs.

Attend to the danger: there is a nerve which runs from the mouth to the heart, and thence lower still, which produces in the kiss an exquisitely dangerous Virtue may suffer from a prolonged and ardent kiss between two young pietists of the age of eighteen.

sensation.

It is remarkable that mankind, and turtles, and pigeons, alone practice kissing; hence the Latin word 'columbatim,' which our language cannot render.

We cannot decorously dwell longer on this interesting subject, although Montaigne says, "It should be spoken of without reserve; we boldly speak of killing, wounding, and betraying, while on this point we dare only whisper."

LANGUAGES.

SECTION I.

IT is said that the Indians commence almost all their books with these words: "Blessed be the inventor of writing." In the same way we might begin conversa→ tion with blessing the inventor of language.

In the article ALPHABET we have premised, that there was never any primitive language from which all others are derivable.

We see that the word Al' or 'El,' which among some orientals signified God, has no relation to the word 'Gott,' which expresses God in Germany. House,' 'huis,' can scarcely be derived from the Greekdomos.'

Our mothers, and the languages called mother tongues, have much resemblance. Both have children, who marry into neighbouring countries and alter their languages and manners. These mothers have

7

other mothers, of whom genealogists cannot discover the -origin. The earth is covered with families who dispute for nobility without knowing whence they came.

Of the most common and natural Words in all Languages.

Experience teaches us that children are merely imitators; that if nothing was said to them, they would not speak, but would content themselves with crying.

In almost all known countries, the first things they say are 'baba,'' papa,' 'mamma,' or such other words, easy to pronounce, which they continually repeat. However towards Mount Krapak, where it is known that I live, children always say 'dada' and not papa. In some provinces they say 'mon bibi.'

6

A little Chinese vocabulary is placed at the end of the first volume of the Memoirs on China. I find by this abridged dictionary, that fou,' pronounced in a manner different from ours, signifies father; and that children, who cannot pronounce the letter f, say 'ou.' There is a great difference between 'ou' and ' рара.'

Let those who would know the word which answers to our papa in Japanese, in Tartar, in the jargon of Kamschatka and Hudson's Bay, travel in these countries to instruct us.

We run the risk of falling into great mistakes on the borders of the Seine or Soane, when we give lessons on the language of a country in which we have never been. In that case we should say, I have read thus in Vachter, Menage, Bochart, Kircher, and Pezro, who knew no more of it than myself. I doubt much, I believe, but I am much disposed to believe no longer, &c. &c.

A recollet named Sagart Theodat, who preached for thirty years among the Iroquois, Algonquins, and Hurons, has given us a little Huron dictionary, printed at Paris by Denis Moreau, in 1632. This work will not hereafter be of much use to us, since France is relieved from the burthen of Canada. He says, that in Huron father is 'aystan,' and in Canadian notoui.' Notoui and aystan are very far from 'pater' and ' papa.' Take care of your systems, I tell you, my dear Celts.

Of a System on Languages.

The author of the Mechanism of Languages thus explains his system.

The Latin termination'urire' is appropriated to design a lively and ardent desire of doing something— 'micturire,'' ensurire;' by which it seems to have been fundamentally formed on the word 'urere,' and the radical sign ur,' which signifies fire, in so many languages. Thus the termination 'urire' was well chosen to designate a burning desire."

con

We do not however see how this termination in ire' can be appropriated to a lively and ardent desire in 'ire,' 'exire,' abire,' to go, to go out, and to go away; in 'vincire,' to tie ; 'scaturire,' to scatter; dire,' to season or preserve; 'parturire,' to bring forth; and 'grunnire,' to groan, to grunt, an ancient word which very well expresses the cry of the pig.

It must above all be confessed, that this 'ire' is not appropriated to any very lively desire in 'balbutire,' to stammer; singultire,' to sob; and 'perire,' to perish. No person wishes either to stammer or to sob, much less to perish. His little system is very faulty— a new reason why we should distrust systems.

The same author appears to go too far in saying— "We protrude and purse our lips, if we may so express ourselves, to pronounce the u, a vowel peculiar to the French, which other nations possess not.'

It is true, that the preceptor of the Bourgeois Gentilhomme teaches him to make a wry face, in pronouncing the u, but it is not true, that the other nations do not make wry mouths also.

Without doubt, the author speaks neither of the Spanish, English, German, nor Dutch; he alludes only to the ancient authors who knew these languages no more than those of Senegal and Thibet, which however the author quotes. The Spaniards say 'su padre, su madre,' with a sound which is not quite the u of the Italians; they pronounce 'mui,' approaching nearer to

* The president De Brosses.