Page:The ancient language, and the dialect of Cornwall.djvu/33

13 In 1777 Mr. Barrington found another Cornishman called John Nancarrow, of Marazion, aged 45 years, and able to speak Cornish. John Nancarrow said, that "in his youth he had learnt the language from the country people, and could then hold a conversation in it ; and that another, a native of Truro, was at that time also acquainted with the Cornish language, and like himself was able to converse in it." This last, is supposed to be the Mr. Tomson to whom, says Drew, " the world is indebted for Dolly Pentreath's epitaph." It appears from additional testimony, that even up to the preceding dates the Cornish language had not entirely died out, and Dr. Pryce intimated that the language was known in Mousehole "so late as 1790." From the foregoing narrative it is clear that the Cornish language did not die with Dolly Pentreath, but lingered on, gradually becoming more and more forgotten. A language dies hard, and the gradual decay of the venerable language of the old people of Cornwall, resisted for centuries the ever advancing English tongue, the old Cornish receding from it towards the west, until, even in the extreme western end of Cornwall, it ceased to be a spoken language. It has been supposed that the bible Avas once written in Cornish, but this is very doubtful, if we may form an opinion from the following remarks by the learned author of the " Ancient Cathedral of Cornwall." In this work Mr. Whitaker, with his usual and emphatic manner, says (Vol. 2. p. 37. in a note) " the English too was not desirea