Blair Collection > History of the Celtic language

26 HISTORY OF THE
— the affections refined, and the recipient raised in
the scale of moral being. This can only be true, how-
ever, of 07ie language ; and that the one which shows
natural roots — the only lasting materials of a lan-
guage — roots too so natural as to be identified witli
the efforts of infant humanity in reflecting Nature,
and in giving ideal life to action and passion. This
is the only way to the citadel of the judgment, and,
therefore, the only way to make us sincere worship-
pers of Truth. The undertaking, we are aware, is
bold — the task one of no ordinary magnitude : others
have preceded us in the awful path, and found it
expedient to stop short. Of all this we are aware :
but as no performance of man is perfect, and be-
lieving, as we do, that knowledge, like science, is
progressive, we trust, by making the discoveries of
these forerunners subservient, to add our tribute
also of discovery ; as meaner minds, under more
favourable auspices, have improved upon what a
Galileo or a Newton alone could have projected.
We lay no small stress upon the advice of Bildad,
which we use the freedom to adopt as our motto :
he would not have Job stop short at the age imme-
diately preceding him, but sends him to the search
of their fathers, which must have referred to a
period long prior to the birth of Moses — ay, to the
first ages of the world !
In an age like this, when the Celtic language is
under-rated, and when the olive branch of peace is