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.
Alteration in Onhography of feveral Centuries i'o far as I could trace it. And because the Great
Number of Oblblete Bni/J)} Words is a Dilcouragemcnt from perufing our MSS. I have in-
lertcd a Table of ilich as occurr mof I commonly in the Hiltorits or Romances according to the
Orthography of the Thirtecnih and Fourteenth Centuries ; and have added at the end a Parallel
of the Modern Coifj//)} with that lVe//?j (whether any where Ipoken at prelent or in Manulcript)
which comes ncaiclt to it.
TIT. VII. Having feveral years (incc written the Catalogue of BrKiJh Manu(aipts in Wellh
and Latin\ the Engiilhing ot it on this Occalion leem'd Unnecellary ; and 'tis therefore printed
as 1 had it by mc, with the Additions that occurr'd, inlerted. The MSS. in that Language
being not very Numerous, I thought an Alphabetical Method, with References by Abbrevia-
tions to the Studies where they are now extant, and often to the Particular Titles or Pages of
Miicellanies, the molt ulcfal. The Abbreviations are explam'd at the ikginning ; and tho' the
Particulars of Milcellaneous Volumes are cnter'd in their Places ot Alphabet ; the Volumes thcm-
lelves are alfo inlerted with (orae General Account of their Contents. The Initial and Final
Words are frequently added, and Ibnietimes other Particulars that feem'd Remarkable with oc-
calional Notes.
TIT. VIIT. The Author of the EJfAy towards a Br'tt'ijh Etymologkon having every where
travell'd with me, had acquir'd a more than Ordinary Knowledge m the Diaieds of his Native
Language ; and leem'd otherwile well qualified for hich an Undertaking. I have in the Epiftle
before it, mcntion'd the Convenicncy of printing ( in an Eiymologicon ) the Greek in Latin
Charaders, and of uting indifferently any Cale or Tcnfc. And the fame Reafon holds for his
having Recourfe fometimes to any Oblblete Orthography. The Reader is not to cxoed that
the leading EtighJ}) Words, are conflantly render d by the Proper W<;ljl) now in ule, that being
not requilite in an Etymologicon ; and therefore in luch Cafes the Lutin-Celtic or Comparative
Vocabukry is the rather to be confulted. He is alio dcfircd to take notice that by the Abbrevia-
tion 'Dial. C. is not always intended that there are fuch Words in the CormJ]}, but iometimei
only that the Welfi Words would be fb according to the CorniJ}} Idiom, and that they are in-
ferted only as Tranlitions. In Etymology, fuch Readers as arc not acquainted with each Lan-
guage, are apt to fufped the Derivations from Compound Words; but it often happens that
there IS an Analogy betwixt each word out of which they are compounded, as for inflancein
thefeOw^and iriljh words; Euplek^s, /•/i^'% ; hho\\\h, y^mhujU ; Euboulos, Hybuyll, Sec.
To this Etymologicon he has added for the Satufaction of the Curious in fuch Studies a fhort
Appendix, confilting of fomc fuch common words, in mofl of the Languages of Europe as may
be prefumed to be of the mofl Ancient ufc; as the fitteft Subjeit of Etymology.
TIT. IX. Tlje IntroJu&ion to the rrip; is an Extrad of a Latin Irijlj Grammar piibiifh'd
at Rome by F. 0. Molloy An. id-;^. tho' compofcd by fome one elle as 1 found by com-
paring It with a MS. Grammar tranfcribed (or perhaps Originally written) at Lovaiti in the
year 1669. for the ufe whereof as alfo of feveral other Irtfh MSS. 1 gratefully acknowledge my
OhVxgzuonioM.^. Jeremiah Tepy at, Bookfeller at Dublin. This Grammar oi Molloy i is the
.mofl com pleat extant; but is yet Imperfcdl as to Syntax, and the Variation of the Nouns and
Verbs; which Deled will 'tis hoped be fupplied by a ^Stt/z/Z; Gentleman who has fbme thoughts
of publifliing another Grammar.
TI T. X. Having written a Preface before the Irijh Di&ionary, there remains little more to
be faid of that Part, but the Informing fuch as are altogether Strangers to the Language, that
'tis not any Difficulty of its Pronunciation that makes it appear fo Singular, but our not having
at the Prels, thofe Auxiliary or 'Pointed Letters they ufe in Writing; and their retaining in
their Orthography on Account of Etymology, more Confonants than they ufe in Reading; a
Particular Account whereof is given at the Beginning of the />//!) Grammar. One mam Diffi-
culty to Learners, and what may fometimes frullrate their finding out words m the Didionary,
is their ufing indifferently a, 0, or « ; e ox i\ b ox p \ bh or w/6; a' or / ; and dh oxgh In the
old Manufcripts the Letter c occurrs liequently where they now ufe^; as cc eijieachd Yox ag
eifdcacht Attending:, ocus i^and) where now agus ox agas, ike. And where according to their
modern Orthography (which is that I have foliow'd ) they write ao, they uied anciently rf; fbr
Laochzxi6. Caotach were written Z,^c^ and Carach, and ib in molt if not all other words The
ufing lo many Letters indifferently proceeds partly from the Several Dialctib, but chicHy bc-
caulc there are lb few Books publifh'd. The fame words are on this Account, becaufc ufefid
to Learners, Ibmetimcs inlerted as the Alphabet required, in Different places; but to have had
regard always to the Variety of Orthography would have been a neecilels and too expenfive a
Trouble. When I had tranlcribcd this Part for the Prefs, I was very Delirous the Sheets
fliouln have been peruled before Printing, by lome Native of Ireland or Scotland, well ac-
quainted with the Language ; but not hearing after long Enquiry there was any Pcrlon fo qua-
lified m England; ail that could be done was the fending Tome Copies of the D;.^:ouary when
c Prin'ed,