Blair Collection > History of the Celtic language

38 HISTORY OF THE
to inspiration mfact — in substance — in truth ; not
to bona fide words employed to convey the narra-
tive to us, in condescension to our lame and limited
capacities. Instruction must be conveyed in an in-
telligible form — to that person in Greek, to this in
French, to us in Celtic, and so on. We shall see,
by and by, in demonstration of this, that the
exclamation est! is properly translated, "hold
thy peace ;" and ba ! ba ! an exclamation of fear,
rendered, also most properly, " great destruction."
We are too apt to forget that man was at first
nakedy and too apt to make the trappings and panoply
of a warrior of the nineteenth century a model of
the first man-slayer's armour ! So much for Mr
Huddles ton.
he would want no other proofs that it was an allegory he was
reading, and intended to be understood as such. Nor, if we
suppose him conversant with Oriental works of any thing like
the same antiquity, could it surprise him to find events of true
history in connexion with, or historical personages among
the actors and interlocutors of, the parable But,
perhaps, parables, allegories, and allegorical or typical appli-
cations, are incompatible with inspired scripture ! The
writings of St Paul are sufficient proof of the contrary." —
Aids to Reflection, p. 190.