Blair Collection > Archaeologia Britannica, giving some account additional to what has been hitherto publish'd, of the languages, histories and customs of the original inhabitants of Great Britain

THE
PREFACE.
THE Languages whereof you have Iiere an Account, being thorc of Nations con-
qiier'd long before the Relbration of Polite Literature, can be but little knou'n or
regarded beyond the Limits ot their Refpe6tive Territones. And iincc Divcrfity of
Languages is Generally granted to be rather an Inconveniency than the Contrary,
'twill be expeiled I Ihould here give fome Account of the End I propofed in this
Defign. I {liall therefore offer in tew Words the Reafons that induced mc to an Undertaking
io Laborious, fo little Diverting, and fo much out of the Common Road.
Having engaged to Add rome Account of our Bnii/h Antiquities to what had been publifh'd
by others ; Nothing alter fome Conlideration, feem'd more proper to begin with, than an Eifay
of tracing out the Original Language, beyond what had been hitherto attempted ; nor any
means likelier to prove Effeilual therein, than the adding an Account of the Ancient Languages
oi Scotland and Ireland and the other Diale6b of the Britijh, to that Excellent Di(5lionary of
the WelJ}}, publiQi'd long lince by Dr. 'Dwies. This proceeded not from any conceited Opinion,
as fome might be apt to imagin, of the Plauliblenefs of thefe Languages. Moll of us commonly
hear or read too much to be Ignorant that the Generality of People are rather difpofed to a Ri-
diculing than a Favourable Reception of any Thing in that kind. This did not I own in the
leall dil'courage me, as well knowing that the fame prejudice in the like Cafe, prevails in all
other Great Governments ; and that in any uncommon Undertaking, the Judgement of Men of
Diftindlion ( or at leail particular Experience in the Subjedt propoied ) is to be only regarded.
The Inducement I had, was no other than a feemmg Probability that fuch an Ellay might in
this Curious Age, contribute not a little towards a Clearer Notion of the Firfl: Planters of the
Three Kingdoms, and a better Underltanding of our Ancient Names of Perfons and Places. And
that the few Britij\:i and /r///j Manulcripts yet remaining, fome whereof have not I prefume
been throughly underdood in thefe Latter Centuries, would thereby be render'd more Familiar
to fuch as are willing to beftow on that Study, fome part of their leifure Hours. Another
Profpeil was, that fuch a Work would be an Acceptable Service, to all that are Curious in the
Antiquities of the Ancient Gauls \ whofe Language will I prefume, upon a diligent Examina-
tion, be found to be in a great meaiiire retriev'd in the Second Title of this Volume, or Com-
parative Focahukry. By an Examination is here only intended a Comparing of the Gaulijh
Words colleiiled by Ticardus ' and publifh'd by leveral others fince, with that Vocabulary. I
lay no Itrels herein, on the ArmoriQ Words, becaufe we cannot dillinguifh what they may
have borrow'd from the French. The Reader may confine himfelf to the Welp and Trtp only.
I am fenfible Mr. Camden, Boxhornius and others have long fince taken notice of the Affinity
of our Britip with the Chic; but there being no Vocabulary extant of the IriJI} (or Ancient
Scotijh) they could not collate that Language therewith, which the Curious in thefe Studies,
will now find to agree rather more than ours, with the Gauhjh. I own that the Gatd/Jh Words
out of Ancient Writers might have been liable, becaufe unintelligible, to Alteration by the fe-
veral Copyifls by whom thole Books have been tranfcrib'd till their Publifhing in Print; and
we are further to confider, that as the Gauls were a People that confifted of three leveral Na-
tions, ot fo many different Languages *, fome of thofe Words attributed to them in general,
might have been Celtic properly fo called, fome ^juitanian and others Bel^ic ; and therefore
not to be all deriveable from any one or two Languages now extant. All this 1 fay I Ihall rea-
dily acknowledge ; but 'Fontanus's Celtic Glojfary is not the only Medium we have for tracing
out the Remains of that Language. An Etymologilt that's Mafter in fome meafure of the Britiflj
and Irijh, will find it a Nearer and a more Satisfaitory method, to pcrufe ihe Learned Menage's
EJymologicon., taking Particular Notice of the Words he candidly owns, he knows not whence
to derive-, and of a great many others which he fetches much further off, than he would ( I
prelume ) had he been acquainted with either of thofe Languages. A Third Means which
might prove no lefs ufeful, is a comparing of the Proper Names of Pcrlbns and Places amongft
the Gauls with thofe in Britain and Ireland. For though the Generality of the Former be now
either Scripture Names or mixt and ufed indifferently amonglt the Inhabitants of Neighbouring
Countries, yet there are bclides what the Romans have mention'd, ffan///^ Names enough extant
1 Joawiis Ficardi Toutreriani <Jc prifca Cekopedia Likri y. ad Humtertum a Ftatiera Camtanitt Pro-
regem. Parif. .{to. i)-^^. z C Jul. C^/arit Comment. De hllo Gallico. L. I.