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insular home of the Keltai or Celts. The sixth, the Armorican, belongs to Brittany, a country connected with Britain in history as

I may confirm the statements I have made, as to the survival of the Celtic element in our national life and literature, by a quotation from an author of merit, whose studies and whose subject would naturally incline him to give predominance to Saxon claims: 46 Nothing is more common or less true than the exaggerated account of total exterminations and miserable oppressions in the traditional literature of conquered nations; and we may very safely appeal even to the personal appearance of the peasantry in many parts of England as evidence how much Keltic blood was permitted to subsist and even to mingle with that of the ruling Germans; while the signatures to very early charters supply us with names assuredly not Teutonic (or Saxon), and therefore possibly borne by persons of Keltic race, occupying positions of dignity at the courts of Anglo-Saxon kings."*

In a list given by the very learned German philologist Adelung (Mithridates II., 40) of genuine Celtic words found gathered from very ancient sources, and found in Teutonic tongues, the following have representatives in the English of the present day:

Aber, as in Aberconway, and several other Welsh names, denotes the mouth of a river, the confluence of a river with the sea; and hence a bay or harbour; it is found in the French Havre (Havre-deGrace), and in the English harbour: Webster seems wrong when he gives harbour as from the Saxon here berga, the station of an army.

Alpes, the ancient Gallic designation for any high land; Lence our Albion, so called from its lofty cliffs.

Bard, the Gallic name for poet, singer, prophet.

Bastard, from the Welsh bas, low, and tardd, to come forth; hence, persons of low and unworthy birth.

Becco, Gallic, our beak.

Beria, a level field, a plain; hence, the numerous instances of bery as a termination of English names of places.

Braca, Gallic, a dam, a limit; Scotch, bray; French, braie, a hedge.

Braccae, Gallic, breeches.

Brace, i. e. corn; whence the Gauls made their beer; hence, the words brew, brewer, beer.

Bria, briga, perhaps from the Welsh brig, brigyn, a hill-top; briga itself signifies in the Celtic a town, as in Boroughbridge.

Carn, a group of stones or rocks; hence our Carn or Cairn and Cornwall (stony Wales).

"The Saxons in England," by J. M. Kenble, 2 vols., 8vo., vol. I., p. 21.

1849

Carra, a Gallic four-wheeled carriage, a car, cart, to carry, carter. Carruca, among the Gauls a convenient travelling carriage; French, caroche; English, coach.

Craig, in Welsh a rock, precipice; our crag.

Druid, the Gallic name for priest.

Dur, water, Welsh dur, as in Derwent, Derby, Dorchester, Foll, foolish, Welsh fol, French fou, Scotch fou (tipsy), English fool, German toll.

Lancea, Gallic for lance.

Marga, marl; whence Marlborough, and Albemarle.
Nant, water, river; whence Nantwich.

Pen, a summit, head; as in Pencraig in Hereford, and Pengover in Cornwall, Penistone in Yorkshire, Penrith in Cumberland.

Rit, a ford; hence the ending rit as in Camboritum, Cambridge. Soldurii (sol, bond, and wr, Latin vir) a man; boundmen, or men engaged to each other and to their leader in war, our soldier.

Spatha, a two-edged sword; whence through the German spaten, is our spade.

Tan, land, as in Britain (Brittania, the land of the Britti, or painted people; so we say the blacks, the whites, the fair).

The names father, mother, sister, and brother, are of necessity among the first, they are also the most enduring. Consult then this table :

Our words father and mother come to us from the IndoGermanic stem; but the cottage words, the nursery words, the words of intimate affection, dad, daddy, mam, mamma, mammy, are derived from our British or Celtic forefathers. The oldest forms of a language are found in the cottage and on the hill-side. In both those spots, and in the provincialisms which still in a measure survive (but, alas! are fast giving way before railroads, and commerce, and ignorant euphuists, that is, seekers after finery in language), a considerable number of Celtic words remain. These words are among the most expressive. Take the term mettle. Even Webster, after other great lexicographical authories, originally derived this from the Greek root which gives us metal, namely, metallan, to scrutinise, to seek for, by digging; as if a man of mettle and a man of metal, were not as much opposed to each other as a highspirited man and a money-grub. Turn to the Welsh and you find in meddwl, mind, courage, which by the vulgar is called pluck, the exact idea which mettle conveys, e.g.,

"The winged courser, like a generous horse,

Shows most true mettle when you check his course."-Pope.

To fettle, is in the genuine Lancashire dialect a very expressive word, giving rise to the general idea of making a thing good, excellent, delicious; and occurring in such instances as to fettle a horse, means to restore him to soundness

to fettle a wife, means to put her to rights; fettled ale, means ale warmed with spice, spirits, eggs, &c. The word, together with our common term fat, of which fettle is a diminutive verbal form, has its origin in the Welsh Ffaeth, luxuriant, ripe, rich.

We have cast our eye down a page or two of an Irish Dictionary and found these coincidences :

Irish or Fenic words identical with English.

German.

Bainis, a wedding, the bans.

Bairghin, a son, bairn.

Bairile, a barrel.

Baitselear, a bachelor.
Ball, a ball, globe.
Bann, a band of men.
Baran, a baron.
Barc, a boat, barque.
Bard, a poet, bard.

Barra, a bar.

Be, life, being.

Be, is, be.

Beach, a bee.

Bear, a bear.

Ball.

Bande.

Baron.

Barke.

Barde.

Barre.

Bien.

Bär.

Barbieren.

Bearim, I bear, carry, bring forth.

Bearbaim, I shave the beard (Latin barba).

Bea hach, a beast, French, bête.

From the Welsh the following among other instances have

been given by the Rev. R. Garnett.*

Coincidences between the Welsh and the English.

Basged, a basket.

Bottwm, a button.

Bran, skin of wheat, bran.

Brat, a clout, a brat or pinafore.
Brodiaw, to embroider (Fr. broder).
Bwyell, a hatchet, a bill (Germ. biel).
Cab, caban, a hut, cabin (Fr. cabane).
Cae, an enclosure, quay (Fr. quai).
Ceubal, cobble, a boat (Sax. cuople).
Crochan, a pot, crockery (Sax. crocca).
Crog, a hook, crook (Celt, crok).

"Proceedings of the Philological Society," vol. I., p. 171. In these and the preceding examples, we have appended the corresponding words in German, French, and Saxon, in order to enable our readers to judge for themselves. It is more than possible that many of these words in the Welsh are borrowed from the English. It is a very difficult matter to sepa rate the original words from those that are borrowed.

Coincidences between the Welsh and the English.
Dantaeth, a choice morsel, dainty
Darn, a patch, darn (Sax. dearnan).
Fflasged, flasket (Fr. flasque).
Fiaw, a shiver, flaw.

Ffynel, a funnel.

Gwichet, a wicket (Fr. guichet).
Hem, a border, hem (Sax. hem).
Llath, a lath (Sax. lalta).
Matog, a mattock (Sax. mattuc).
Мор, а тор.

Paeol, a pail.

Pan, a bowl, pan (Sax. ponne).
Parc, an inclosure, park (Fr. parc).
Pelen, a little ball, pellet (Fr. pelote).
Piser, a jug, pitcher.

Rhail, a fence, rail (Germ. ralle).

Rhasg, a slice, rasher.

Soch, a drain, sough.

Tacl, instrument, tackle (Germ. takel).

Tasel, fringe, tassel.

A knowledge of the laws which affect the permutation of letters in words as they appear in different languages or dialects would disclose to the student many Celtic terms in English, of which otherwise he would have no suspicion. I have given clear examples. Other very clear examples could be added. I shall for exercise subjoin a few Celtic words with their several meanings, leaving the student to discover the corresponding English terms.

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