another. So there are several words common to the Turks, Germans, Greeks, French, sometimes of the same, and sometimes of several significations; which is not sufficient to argue that all these were of the same Original.

Besidès these European, is likewise great variety of Languages in other parts of the world. As for the Hebrew Tongue, which is by many learned men supposed to be the same that Abraham learnt when he came into Canaan, to which that expression I ai. 19. 18. The language of Canaan, is thought to allude; this is supposed to be the first Mother tongue amongst all those that are now known in the world, from which there are sundry derivations, as the Chaldee, Syriac, Punic, Arabic, Persian, Æthiopic.

When the Jews were in Captivity at Babylon, mixed with the Chaldeyans for 70 years, in that tract of time they made up a Language distinct from both, which is sometimes called Syriac, and sometimes Chaldee, and sometimes Hebrew. Thofe paíTages in the Gofpel, which are laid to be in the Hebrew tongue, as Talitha Kumi', Elohi, Elohi, Lamina jiibachthani, john 5. a. 8e are properly Syriac5 onely they are called Hebrew, becaufe that was the fás‘î’lflg_ Language which the Hebrew: then ul'ed. A great part of this Syriac Botbmßcog;

tongue is for the jitbßance of the words Chaldee, and Hebrew for the fa- 1- M‘P- l5 ßrion , To degeneratin much from both. ‚ After the Captivity ‘ the pure Hebrew cea ed to be vulgar , remaining onely amongft learned men , as appears by that place in Nehem. 8. 7, 8. where we find

the Priefis, upon reading of the Lawto the people after their coming‘out of Babylon,were fain to ex ound it diliinůtly to them, and to make them underíiand the meaning о it 5 the common people,by long difufe, being grown {lrangers to the Language wherein ’twas written. So in our Sa viour's time, the unlearned угли, whofe vulgar Tongue the душ was, could not underfiand rhofe partsyof` Mofa: and the Prophet: read to them

in Hebrew every Sabbathday; Which was the reafon of thofe public fpecches and _declarations of any learned men , who occafionally carrie

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into the Synagogues, after _the reading of the Law: though neither Lukemr; Priefls, nor Levites, nor Scribes, yet was it ordinary for them to expound iff-,s ‚ unto the people the Vmeaning of thofe portions ol Scripture that were ц‘ т appointed to be read out of the Hebrew , which the people did not un

derfiand 5 and to render their meaning in Syriac, which was their ш! „gar Tongue,

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As for Го much of the pure Hebrew as is nowin being, which is onely that in the old Teftament , though it be fuliicient to exprefs What is there

intended, yet it is fo exceedingly delec’tive in many other words requi Íite to humane difcourfe , that the Rabbins are fain to borrow words

from many other Languages, Greek, Latin, Зина/1, Sic. as may appear at large in Buxtorf’s Lexicon Rabbinicum, and a particular Difcourfe

written to this very purpofe by David Cohen de Laraa And, from the Íeveral defetfts and imperfeftions which feem to be in this Language , it _

may be guelled not to be the fame whichwas con-created with our firlì' Parents, and fpoken by Adam in Paradijê. What other varieties of Tongues there have been,or are, in ‘феи/Не, or America, l lhall not now enquire,

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