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

THEPREFACE.
in Infcriptions and Manufcripts for fiich Obfervations. And as to Places, tho' their Towns^
Villages and Brooks, may tor the niofl: part have New Names, yet their Cities and other places
of the ^o;«<:« Geography, and {dism England) their Greater Rivers and Mountains whether
tnention'd by the Ancients or not, may be well prefiim'd to retain either intirely or in pare the
fame they Originally had. Some other Particulars relating to the Ulefulneft of preferving ( at
leaft in Writing) thcle rnoft Confiderable Remains of the Ancient Celtic, I have propoied in
the Epiftle before the Britijh Etymologkon, and in the Preface to the Irifl} 'DiSlknary.
The Reafbn for publifliing this Volume firft, will be I prelume Obvious to every one; as
well in regard a frequent ufe ol Britip and Iripi Words, falls in of Courfe, in the Remainder
of the Work ; as that 'twill be indifpenlably Necellary towards the better underftanding lome
Manufcripts in each Language, out of which the Materials thereof are chiefly fupplied.
TIT. I. The Comparative Etymology which is the Fuji Title ( or SeiElion ) of the follow-
ing Ghjfo^aphy-i conmts wholely of Parallel Obfervations relating to the Origin of DialeitSj
the Affinity of the Britip with other Languages, and their Correfpondence to one another.
What I aim'd at therein, was the fiiewing by a Colleilion of Examples methodized, that Ety-
mology is not, as a great many till they have confider'd it with fome Application, are apt to
be perfwaded, a Speculation merely Groundlefs or Conjedtural. And becaufe we have hitherto
nothing elle in this kind relating to thele Languages, nor to any other in the fame Method; I
have been more Copious in Confirming the Obfervations with Examples than had been Ne-
cellary, had there been any fuch Rudiments of Etymology before, or that fort of Study more
Generally known. As for thofe Variations of Orthography I have inffanced in out o'i Roman
Infcriptions ; I have made ufe of none, but where the fame occurr'd frequently. I am not
Ignorant that Divers of thofe Examples were no other than the Erroneous Orthography of the
Vulgar ; but in regard they are common, they confirm neverthelefs for being fo, the Particu-
lar Obfervations they are applied to ; fmcc a Change of Letters is but a Confequence of a Change
in the Pronunciation. I have commonly inferred, though nothing Neceflary as to the Examples,
either the whole Infcriptions, or as many of the Words as made Senfe; to the End that fome
few Notes of Reading intermixt, might render the Examples the lefs Tedious. And I was the
more willing to infert the Various Orthography of Roman Infcriptions, becaufe a Competent
Knowledge thereof may be fbmetiraes Ufeful m the Reading fuch as are Obfcure.
TIT. II. The Comparative Focahulary does not fo much Anfwer it's Title as was at firfl
intended. What I once propofed was only a Table of fuch IriJ}} Words as agreed with any
Diale(5l of the BritiJh ; but afterwards refledling on tfie Scarcity of Ur. 'Davies\ T>tElionaiy and
the Great Ufe a Latin-IriJ}j Focahulary might be of; I concluded 'twas likely to prove much
more Acceptable, if more Copious ; and therefore ( having leifure enough on Account of the
Printer's being otherwifc employ d ) improved it to a fort of LatmCeltic 'Difiionary., taking in
only the Common Latin Words and omitting the Participles, Adverbs deriv'd of Adjedives;
and very frequently other Derivatives and Compounds, as unneceliary in any Diilionaries ex-
cepting fuch as are intended for the tranflating of Latin.
TIT. III. IV. The ^rmoric Grammar and Focabukry were written in French h^ Julian
Mamir Jefuit, about jo years fince; and publifli'd by Order of the Bilhop of ^emper. The
Author was one of the Maf lers at the Jefuits School in that Town, and afterwards a Famous
tSMiffionaire in Bafs Britany, where he gain'd that Reputation, that his Life has been elegantly
written by one of his Order. His Vocabulary tho' not very Confiderable, was yet fb far as
I could learn, the moft Copious extant ; and fb fcarce that 'twas my Fortune to meet but with
only two Copies, and thofe in Con-vents. The Tranflator has every where retain'd the Author's
Orthography, as moft ufeful to fuch as fhall perufe any of their Books; though in order to our
Readier Pronunciation, I had in the foregoing Vocabulary, ufed the General Alphabet laid
down in the Second Page.
T I T. V. There being at prefent no Profpedl: of reprinting Ht.'Davies'i Diflionary ; I thought
it not amifs to infert after the Armoric Vocabulary out of fome Notes of the DoiSor's own, Mr.
H. Salesbur/s Manufcript Didionary ' and fome other Papers, ' a Colk&ion of ^fords omitted m
that Book. It's not fo valuable as 'twould otherwife have been, in regard thofe that are Ob-
folete are not exemplified. However many of them being Words well known to be Authentic,
and all coming from fuch Hands, I thought this Opportunity of Preferving them was not to be
omitted.
TIT. VI. In the Co>«?^ Grammar I thought it Pertinent to premife fome Direiflions towards
the reading Britijh Manufcripts in General ; and have given the befl Account I could of the
r Author of the Latin-WeiP} Grammar. Lond. izmo. IJ9J. i Communicated iy the Reverend Mr. H.
Foulks Prebendary of St. Afaph, /tfr. Jones cf LLza Gower, and Mr. William Baxter
Alteration