Page:The ancient language, and the dialect of Cornwall.djvu/40

20 there is found a remarkable likeness, as may be seen in the following extract. Punic. — Chim lach chunyth mum ys tyal mycthi barii im schi. /,-;.5^.__Chimi lach chuinigh muini is toil miocht beiridh iar mo scith, English. — A support of weak captives; be thy will to instruct me to obtain my children. Punic. — Lypho can ethyth by mithii ad cedan binuthii. Irish. — Liomhtha can ati bi mitche ad eadan beannaithe, English. — Let it come to pass that my earnest prayers be blessed before thee. Punic. — Byr nar ob syllo homal o nim ! ubymis isyrthoho. Irish. — Bior nar ob siladh umhal ; o nimh! ibhim a frotha. English. — A fountain denied not to drop to the humble ; Deity that I may drink of its streams." (From Polwhele^s Historical Views of Devonshire p. 187.) Pryce says, that "the dialect of Cornwall must cer- tainly have obtained that purity, for which it is celebrated, from its immediate introduction by the Phenician naviga- tors, especially as the character and orthography are so greatly softened, and the language is divested of that rough gutteral pronunciation, which is retained to this time by the Cambro-Britons. In fact, the Cornish, and the Armoric dialects are the most nearly allied in char- acter, orthography, and sound, of any two of the British dialects. The Welsh, Irish, and Erse differ from each other greatly ; and the two latter differ from the Cornish and Gaulish (Armoric) very much. Indeed the Welsh is closely related to us. " Hence we may easily account for the similarity existing between the Cornish and Armoric ; for the coasts of Bretagne (Brittany) are opposite to the shores of Cornwall.