ly verfed in the Language; and are therefore usually omitted in all their Dictionaries, where only the radical Confonants, which are rarely more than three (Vowels in this Cafe not being minded) are alphabetically fet down. All these Conjugations have each their determinate Sense; tho' perhaps in every Verb not just those which I have already specified.

The Chaldean and Syriac Languages form their Verbs much after the fame Manner; only they have but fix of these Conjugations, whereas the Hebrew has feven.

The Arabians e have diverfified thefe Conjugations to the Number of thirteen. These all vary in Signification, and are not, no more than the Hebrew, all used in one and the fame Verb, but fome in one Verb, and fome in another. It may not be unpleasant to see the Manner of them, as it is defcribed by their Grammarians, in the Conjugations of the Verb Phabala, he made, which they usually make their Paradigm, as our Grammarians do Amo, Doceo, Lego and Audio.

Here then I, The Root it self Phabala, fde

These Conjugations are as radical Notes in Mufick, which are 13 in Number, as in this Arabic Verfe.

بلاغ فـتـنـت والاص

Wàlàmà phàtànàtsà Bèlâdsà Ælàhò.

f It may be queftioned whether our Fa-la- in Mufick comes not from the Arabic Phaala Jas to make, and fo

notes the bare Action without any Reference or View to any Thing elfe, He made. II, Phabbala, and IV, Aphhala fignify a Change of an abfolute Verb into a tranfitive one. Thus Hhazana is He was forry. But Hhazana and Abzana are, he made forry. In Verbs that are originally Tranfitives, thefe Conjugations make the Signification more intenfe than it was at firft. So dharaba, he beat with a Cudgel; Dharraba, and adbraba, he caufed to be beat with a Cudgel. III. Pháhala, implies Reaction, and fuppofes two Subftantives, as, Batrofo dharaba Baulofa, Peter beat Paul, and was beaten again, where Peter is fuppofed to ftrike firft. So in Neuters, Batrofokábada Baulofa. Peter fat down by Paul, and he fat down by Peter. VI. Taphábala fignifies fuch a Cooperation as the Latins exprefs by the Prepofition con, as Tadbaraba Batrofo wa Baulofo, Peter and Paul beat one another. V. Taphahhala. VII. Inphahala. VIII. Iphtahala, are abfolute Paffives. The V. and VII. come from the II, as Hallamtoho, wahowa taballama, I taught him, and he was. taught. The VIII. from the I. as Katfarto dalika phaktatfara, I fhortened this, and it was fhortened. IX. Iphhalla, and XI. Iphhålla relate to Intenfion of Colours; as, Itfpharra, he was very yellow; Itfphárra, he was most extra

owe its Rife to the Arabic Conjugations, which are Mufical Notes. And in their Dirges they often ufe the Mufical Note lil Hazana to mourn,

ordina

ordinarily yellow; and to Verbs of Deformity, as Idhjamma, and Idhjâmma, his Mouth was awry more or less. Iftaphhala relates to begging any Thing. As, Iftathama, he asked for Food, from tabama, to taft. XII. Iphhauhala, and XIII. Iphbawwala, which are very rarely used, fignify great Intenfion; as Ihlaulata, and Iblawwata, from Halata, he adhered strongly.

This is the Method by which all their triliteral Verbs are formed. For here alfo as in Hebrew, the Confonants only are regarded. They have also a quadrilateral Form, whofe Conjugations are altered after this Manner. I. Phablala. II. Taphablala. III. Iphhanlala. VI. Iphhalalla. Every one of these Conjugations has its own Preterperfects, Futures, Imperatives, Participles and Infinitives.

Now as the English Verb Drub, comes from the Arabic Dharaba, fo we form it our own. Way; to drub, to be drubbed, drubbing, and the like. And if there were fuch a Latin Verb as darabo, the paffive would be darabor; and it would be formed accordingly. In fhort every Nation takes the Word which it adopts into its own Language, and alters and forms it after its own Model; and from that Model, more than from the Words which it has in common with other Languages, we are to judge of its Original, and perhaps of its Antiquity. In a Word, the effential Difference of one Language from another, is to be taken from

their

their refpective Grammars, rather than from their Vocabularies.

These are some of the principal Characteriftics, by which the Hebrew and its KindredTongues differ from the Greek and the Latin, and the Languages that are derived from the Teutonic Stock.

Another Mark of Distinction, in which the Eaftern Tongues all agree, is, that they have no Verbs, that are compounded with Prepofitions in fuch a Manner as to accompany them in all their Moods and Tenfes by which their Signification may be vary'd. Their Verbs are all fimple, and though they may, and very often have in Arabic especially, many and thofe very different Significations; fome literal, fome figurative; yet ftill the Verbs themselves are not compounded; and the fame too holds in the Nouns, whereas in the Western Languages it is quite otherwife. An Inftance in both fully explain my Meaning. In Hebrew Satabb is the Verb which is used in your Specimen of the Lord's Prayer, for forgiving. Shabak in Chaldee. The fame in Syriac. Giafara in Arabic. These are all original and uncompounded Verbs. On the contrary in Greek, the Verb for forgiving is doinui, from in, to fend, and do, away. To fend away, to difmifs, and metaphorically to forgive. In. the modern Greek it is the fame, only in fome Dialects, it is σuyxwgev, which is com

pounded

pounded from rw and xwgéws. In Latin to forgive is exprefs'd by dimitto, and remitto, both compounded from mitto, to send, and re, which in Compofition fignifies back; or di a Contraction of dis, which in Compofition fignifies fomething that may be divided in order to parting asunder, which by an easy Metaphor will agree with our Notion of forgiving. Purfuant to this Pattern, all the modern Languages which come from Latin, ufe compounded Verbs upon Occafion, as readily as they do fimple Ones. The Word Pardon, which runs through most of them, comes from Perdonare, which is compounded of donare, to give, and per, which in Compofition often fignifies throughly, and thereby heightens the Sense of the fimple Verb. In Languages derived from the Teutonic, it is the fame; in the AngloSaxon, it is forgyf. In Islandish, Fiergeff. In Junius's Golpels (which you know the great Reftorer of the Northern Learning in Europe, Dr. Hickes, thinks was written in the Lan

In the Collection of: Lord's Prayers, which was printed at London by Mr. Motte, in the Year 1700, I find a Copy of the Lord's Prayer which he calls Graeca Barbara, which is different in many Things from the others in the modern Greek, which he there produces. There auxere is put for forgive; and Cxoegécoule for we forgive. Allowing it to be truly printed, though there must be a Fault in one of them, then Coe, or Cuxoegev muft have been corrupted from the common Word rufwgav.

guage