And it is no libel upon those classes to assert that they have been too ready on many occasions to believe what they might have known to be false, and to follow thoughtlessly where men of "cunning devices" led the way. History records instances of brave princes and benevolent rulers dispatched by the murderous hands of the lowest assassins, whereby whole nations were thrown into confusion, and a shock was given to trade and commerce which was felt in every corner of the land. From these considerations we infer that it is of the highest importance to the well-being of a country, that its inhabitants, from the highest to the lowest, should be taught to regard PATRIOTISM as the fruitful source of unnumbered blessings, and a virtue that carries with it its own reward.

We should not consider this part of the argument in support of Patriotism as a duty to be complete, if we omitted to add that any proceeding on the part of man by which the State sustains an injury must be regarded as an offence against Almighty God. It is distinctly alleged in Holy Scripture, once and again, "that the Most High ruleth in the kingdom of men;" in other words, that he is a God of providence, "who doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth." He superintends the affairs of states and kingdoms in order to give them solidity and make them prosperous, as the learned Grotius has well argued in the following passage:-Si recte consideretur multitudo malorum hominum, et quæ extrinsecus nocere possint, et agnatæ quasi rebus vicissitudines, non videtur tam diu imperium aliquod posse subsistere, nisi peculiari quâdam divini numinis cura; that is to say, if it be duly considered what multitudes of wicked men there are in a state, and how many injuries can happen. to it from without, and the changes which are inseparable from human affairs, it does not appear that any form of government could very long subsist except by a kind of peculiar care on the part of the Divine Being. "God is not the author of confusion, but of peace." The regu

larity, the harmony, and the good order of human governments may therefore be said to be blessings immediately emanating from his gracious superintendence; and the parties who labour to produce a disruption in the nation's brotherhood, by creating discontent and raising tumults among the people, do what lies in their power to counteract the beneficent designs of Divine providence, and to displace him from the seat of supreme control, to which he has an inalienable right. This must be a heinous sin. Let not the guilt of it rest on the heads of British subjects.

And may we not lastly advert to the ingratitude involved in any offence committed against the State? Offences against private members of society, however culpable, may be exempt from this "the worst of all crimes," but no offence against the State can possibly be free from it. Let us take a cursory glance at the obligations under which we all lie to our fatherland. It is the land that gave us birth, and smiled with satisfaction on our tender years. It is the land over whose green fields we rambled in youth, enjoying the charms of spring and the full bloom of summer. It is the land that gave us companions of kindred thought and feeling at every stage of our progress up to manhood. It is the land in which we formed the dearest friendships, and entered into engagements which carried captive every feeling of the heart. It is the land in which we have followed our various avocations amid hopes and fears, successes and disappointments, that taught us the highest value of human life. It is the land in which we look forward to a peaceful old age when our work for God and our generation is done. And lastly, it is the land in which we trust our mortal remains will find a resting-place in the house prepared for all living, and there repose until the trumpet sound which shall wake the dead. And when that period shall arrive, may we all find in our dear native land a joyful resurrection!

In view of these affecting considerations we cannot conceive how any man can pursue a course of life that is

injurious to his country without being guilty of the deepest ingratitude!

May that God by whose wisdom "kings reign and princes decree justice" sustain our gracious Sovereign on the throne, and bless the land in which we live; may He baptize the nation with the spirit of love, contentment, and gratitude; and let no member of the community ever forget the exhortation of Scripture, which saith, My son, fear thou the Lord and the king, and meddle not with them that are given to change."

66

In concluding this treatise, the author desires to express his own feelings on the subject in the words of Canon Bowles,

"O yes, I have felt a proud emotion swell
That I was British born; that I had lived
A witness of thy glory, my most loved
And honoured country; and silent prayer

Would rise to heaven that fame, and peace, and love,

And liberty, would walk thy vales, and sing

Their holy hymns; whilst thy brave arm repelled
Hostility, even as thy guardian rocks

Repel the dash of Ocean."

311

THE OLD NORSE AND KELTIC LANGUAGES.

By JOHN DAVIES, M.A., Member of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland, &c., and Rector of Walsoken,

Norfolk.

"IN the Norse language," says Professor Leo," there is decidedly a larger number of words agreeing with the Keltic languages than in any other German language whatever." I had noticed an affinity in many words of these languages in the course of some researches in the Scandinavian tongues, and commenced a list of corresponding terms. About a year ago a paper, entitled "Norsk og Keltisk," by Professor Holmboe, of Christiania, fell into my hands, and led to more extended research in the same field. The results were entirely in accordance with Professor Leo's opinion. A comparison of these results with the lists of words in Professor Holmboe's treatise showed that the subject had not been exhausted by him, but that, on the contrary, many affinities had escaped his notice, which are interesting from their bearing on some questions in Comparative Philology, and the state of civilization among the Keltic and Scandinavian races at a remote age. In the following Paper I propose to lay before the students of Comparative Philology the more important words and grammatical forms that are related to each other in these languages.

The comparison will be interesting to the linguistic student for two reasons. (1.) It will strengthen the

1" Einmal nämlich finden sich im altnordischen dialekte bei weitem mehr mit Keltischen übereinstimmende worte (gerade auch bei bezeichnung der terranformen, und der gegenstände auf die sich ländliche lebensweisen hauptsächlich beziehen), als in irgend einem andern deutschen dialekte."-Leo, die Malb. Glosse, i. 12.

2 I am under obligation to Professor Holmboe for a part-about a third-of the words in the following lists.

argument for the admission of the Keltic languages into the Indo-European or Aryan family. Their right to this admission, though now generally conceded, was strongly denied for a long time, even by some of the most eminent of the German philologists. The lists of related words which will be presented to the reader will show that the connection of the Keltic and Teutonic languages is closer than philologists have hitherto supposed. (2.) The comparison will show that, as we ascend to the older forms of a related class or family of languages, we find a closer relationship than in more modern forms, indicating by the converging lines a primitive unity in some pre-historic age.

It may be necessary to premise, for the information of the general reader, that the old Norse, with which we are at present chiefly concerned, is the language of Iceland, whither a large body of Norwegians migrated in the ninth century, to escape from the oppression of Harold Haarfagr. The language of Norway, which is now receding before the advancing Danish, is still substantially the same; but the insular position of the Icelanders, and the preservation in their literature of the old national songs, some of which may perhaps be referred to the seventh century, have led to the retention of many words and forms which have become obsolete in their native country.

The old Norse has retained rs as the sign of the nominative, in which it agrees with the Sanscrit.

The genitival form sonar-sonas, neut. fats, bears a closer relationship to the Sanscrit s'ivasya than the Irish