Blair Collection > History of the Celtic language

74 HISTORY OF THE
last^ Him midst.'" We deem this the proper place
to set down our grand position : namely, that God
is the parent of Nature ; Nature the parent of
hieroglyphics ; hieroglyphics the parent of letters or
sounds ; and letters or sounds the fractions of
language. This proposition, taken in its most
extended sense, may be considered the text or
subject-matter of the following pages.
We count this a proper place also to impress
upon the reader's mind the following most im-
portant — most essential lesson, namely, " That a
root or radix can have hut one proper, natural,
literal meaning — one primary leading idea, every
other sense being secondary, consequential,
PROGRESSIVE, ALLUSIVE, FIGURATIVE, METAPHO-
RICAL, or ANALOGOUS." This is the golden key in
tracing roots. One word in a language may mean
twenty things, but after all, no radix has, properly
speaking, more than one sense or meaning — one
leading idea, and that radix may be in one single
letter.
If we take this key in our hand, it will lead us
through most of the mazes in language, and open
up to us such a view of things as will delight and
astonish ; it will give such a perspicuity and pre-
cision to our ideas as otherwise are unattainable.
Well; hiio, bua, or ho, a cow. This is a
root or radix founded in nature, namely, in the
note of the cow. A few of the branches or deriva-