Page 310 - Third Book of Reading Lessons

READING LESSONS. 309
to a peculiar style of expression. F. dialecte; G. dialektos, om
dia, through, or thoroughly, and Jego, I speak.
CoNTEST1ED, a., controverted, disputed. F. conteste, om contester, to
witness together, or to produce witnesses on each side,-or simply
to dispute, to debate. L. testis, a witness.
FFIN1ITY, n., connexion, similarity. F. a nite, L., a nitas, alliance,
relationship :- nis, limit, border, country.
D1FFu'sroN, n., the state of being scattered every way; dispersion.
F. d usion, om (L.) d undo,-dis, and fundo,-fusum,-I pour,
I spread abroad, disperse.
LIT1ERATURE, n., learning. F. litterature. See "Illiterate," p. 269. Fo "Basis," see_ p. 234; "Obliterated," p. 32; "Invade," p. 50; "Copious," P· 230 ;-and r deriv. of "Imported," see "Exporta­
1. THE language which is at present spoken throughout Great Britain, is neither the ancient primitive speech of the island, nor derived from it; but is altogether of reign origin. The language of the rst inhabitants of this island, beyond doubt, was the Celtic, or Gaelic, common to them with Gaul ; om which country, it appears, by many circum­ stances, that Great Britain was peopled. This Celtic tongue, which is said to be very expressive and co­ pious, and is, probably, one of the most ancient lan­ guages in the world, prevailed once in most of the western regions of Europe. It was the language of Gaul, of Great Britain, of Ireland, and, very prob­ ably, of Spain also; till, in the course of those revo­ lutions, which, by means of the conquests, rst of the Romans, and afterwards of the ,northern nations, changed the government, speech, and, in a manner, the whole ce of Europe, this language was gradua1ly obliterated, and now subsists only in the mountains of ales, in the Highlands of Scotland, and in Ire­ land; for the Velsh, the Erse, and the Irish, are no other than di erent dialects of the same tongue, the
ancient Celtic.
2. This, then, was the language of the primitive Britons, the rst inhabitants, that we know of, in our
tion," p. 18; and of"Revolutions," see "Revolve,'' p. 199.