To these other well-known words may be added, which all philologers allow to be originally Oscan, but which have been incorporated with the Latin-such as, for example, Brutus, Cascus, Catus, Foedus, Idus, Porcus, Trabea; and names of deities, such as Fides, Terminus, Vertumnus, Fors, Flora, Lares, Mamers, Quirinus, &c. THE ETRUSCAN LANGUAGE. The difficulty and obscurity in which the Etruscan language is involved are owing to the nature of the inscriptions and monuments which have been discovered. Those records, to which reference has already been made when speaking of the Umbrian and Sabello-Oscan, were of a ceremonial or legal character; they therefore contained connected phrases and sentences, varied modes of thought and expression. Monuments such as the Eugubine or Bantine Tables contribute not a little towards a vocabulary of the languages, and still more to a knowledge of their structure and analogies. This, however, is not the case with the Etruscan monuments of antiquity which have been hitherto discovered. They are, indeed, numerous, but they exhibit little variety. They are sepulchral records of a complimentary kind, or titles inscribed on statues and votive offerings. Hence the same brief phraseology continually recurs, and the principal portions of the inscriptions are occupied by proper names. The most important, because the largest, Etruscan record which. has been hitherto discovered, is one which was found near Perugia, A. D. 1822. This inscription contains one hundred and thirtyone words and abbreviations of words, and of these no fewer than thirty-eight are proper names. Of the rest, a vast number are either frequently repeated, or are etymologically connected. These have not proved sufficient to enable any philologist (although many have attempted it) to give a satisfactory and trustworthy explanation of its contents. A comparison of the Perugian with the Eugubine inscription shows the existence of similarity between some of the words found in both of them; and this is exactly what we should à priori expect to result from the theory of the Etruscan being a compound of the Pelasgian and Umbrian. In the Perugian inscription, words which resemble the Umbrian forms are more numerous than those which seem to have an affinity for the Pelasgian. Indeed, the language in which it is written appears almost entirely Micali, Tav. cxx. ETRUSCAN INSCRIPTIONS. 47 to have lost the Pelasgian element. The same observation may be made with respect to the Cortonian inscription:1— Arses verses Sethlanl tephral ape termnu pisest estu; i. e. Avertas ignem Vulcane victimarum carne post terminum piatus esto; Avertas ignem Vulcane in cinerem redigens qui apud terminum piatus esto. Probably, therefore, both these belong to a period at which the old Umbrian of the conquered tribes had been exercising a long-continued influence in corrupting the pure Pelasgian of the conquerors. 2 One example of the Etruscan alphabet is extant. It was discovered in a tomb at Bomarzo, by Mr. Dennis, inscribed round the foot of a cup, and probably had been a present for a child. The letters ran from left to right, and are as follows: 8YOVYEDMICE F 3 ph ch thutsrspn mith hz ve ca It will be seen from this specimen that the Etruscan language was deficient in the letters BгAEY HON. The following is a catalogue of those Etruscan words which have been handed down to us, together with their Latin interpretation. The list is but a meagre one, but valuable as containing some which have been admitted into the Latin, and as exhibiting many affinities to the Pelasgian: The discoveries of General Galassi and Mr. Dennis at the Etruscan city of Cervetri have shown to what an extent the Pe 1 Orellii Inscr. 1384. 2 Cities of Etruria, i. p. 225. * See Etrusc. Alphabet, Lanzi, Saggio di L. E. i. 208. lasgian element prevailed in the old Etruscan. Cervetri was the old Care or Agylla, which was founded by Pelasgians, maintained a religious connection with the Greeks as a kindred race,' and remained Pelasgian to a late period. In the royal tomb discovered in this place the name of Tarquin ZANYAAT occurs no less than thirty-five times. On a little cruet-shaped vase, like an ink-bottle, was found inscribed the syllables Bi, Ba, Bu, &c., as in a horn-book, and also an alphabet in the Pelasgian character. These characters are almost identical with the Etruscan. Again, General Galassi found here a small black pot, with letters legibly scratched, and filled with red paint. Lepsius pronounced them to be Pelasgian, divided them into words, and arranged them in the following lines, which are evidently hexametrical:Mi ni kethu ma mi mathu maram lisiai thipurenai Ethe erai sic epana mi nethu nastav helephu. Mr. Donaldson has offered some suggestions, with a view to explaining this inscription, and has clearly shown many close affinities to the Greek; but there is another which he quotes, and which is pronounced by Müller' to be pure Pelasgian, which even in its Pelasgian form is almost Greek: Mi kalairu fuius. ἐιμι Καλαιροῦ Γυιός. It would be impossible in this work to attempt the analysis of all the known Etruscan words, and to point out their affinities to the Pelasgian, the Greek, or the Latin; but a few examples may be given, whilst the reader, who wishes to pursue the subject further, is referred to the investigations of the learned author of the "Varronianus." Aifil, age, is evidently from the same root as the Greek ar, the digamma, which is the characteristic of the Pelasgian, as it was of the derivative dialect, the Eolic, being inserted between the vowels. Aruns, an agriculturist, contains the root of apów, to plough. Capys, a falcon, that of capio, to catch. Cassis (originally capsis), that of caput, the head. Lituus, a curved staff, that of obliquus. Toga, that of tego, the dress, which was originally as much the Etruscan costume as it subsequently became characteristic of the Roman. Lastly, it is well known that, whereas the 1 Herod. i. 167. 4 Ibid. ii. 53. 7 Etrusk. i. 451. 2 Virg. En. viii. 597. 6 Ibid. ii. 55. 3 Dennis, ii. 44. THE OLD LATIN LANGUAGE. 49 Greeks denoted numbers by the letters of the alphabet, the Romans had a system of numeral signs. This was a great improvement. The Greek system of notation was clumsy, because in reality it only pointed out the order in which each number stands. The Roman notation, on the other hand, represented arithmetical quantity, and even the addition and subtraction of quantities; and this elegant contrivance the Romans owed to the Etruscans. Their numerals were as follows: I. II. III. IIII. A. AI. AII. AIII. IX. X... T. ↑... This system is identical with the Roman, for A inverted became V, and T,, D, and became respectively L, C, D, and CIO, for which M was substituted in later times. From the few examples which have been here given, it is evident that the Pelasgian element of the Etruscan was most influential in the formation of the Latin language, as the Pelasgian art and science of that wonderful people contributed to the advancement and improvement of the Roman character. THE OLD LATIN LANGUAGE. The above observations, and the materials out of which the old Latin was composed, have prepared the way for some illustrations of its structure and character. The monuments from which all our information is derived are few in number: the conflagration of Rome destroyed the majority; the common accidents of a long series of years completed the mischief. Almost the only records which remain are laws, ceremonials, epitaphs, and honorary inscriptions. An example of the oldest Latin extant is contained in the sacred chant of the Fratres Arvales. The inscription which embodied this Litany was discovered A. D. 1778,' whilst digging out the foundations of the sacristy of St. Peter's at Rome. The monument belongs to the reign of Heliogabalus; but although the date is so recent, the permanence of religious formulæ renders it probable that the inscription contains the exact words sung by this priesthood in the earliest times. The Fratres Arvales were a college of priests, founded, accord Schoell. Hist. de Lit. Rom. i. p. 42; Orell. Insc. 2270. 2 Circ. A D. 218. ing to the tradition, by Romulus himself. The symbolical ensign of their office was a chaplet of ears of corn (spicea corona), and their function was to offer prayers in solemn dances and processions at the opening of spring for plenteous harvests. Their song was chanted in the temple with closed doors, accompanied by that peculiar dance which was termed the tripudium, from its containing three beats. To this rhythm the Saturnian measure of the hymn corresponds; and for this reason each verse was thrice repeated. The hymn contains sixteen letters: s is sometimes put for r, ei for i, and p for f or ph. The following is a transcription of it, as given by Orellius, to which an interpretation is subjoined: Neve luaerve Neve luem Marmer sins incurrere in pleoris. Nor the pestilence O Mars permit to invade plus. more. berber. Solis sta fervere. Satiated with fury, O Mars, the light of the sun stop from burning. alternei advocapit conctos. Semunis Triumpe, triumpe, triumpe, triumpe, triumpe. Of the Salian hymn (Carmen Saliare,) another monument of ancient Latin, the following fragments, preserved by Varro,' are all that remain, with the exception of a few isolated words:(1.) Cozeulodoizesa, omina vero ad patula coemisse Jam cusiones, duonus ceruses dunzianus vevet.' This has been corrected, arranged in the Saturnian metre, and translated into Latin by Donaldson,2 as follows: Choroi-aulodos eso, omina enim vero Ad patula' ose misse Jani cariones. Choroio-aulodus ero, omina enim vero ad patulas aures I will be a flute-player in the chorus, for the priests of Janus have sent omens to open ears. Cerus (the Creator) will be propitious so long as Janus shall live. 1 De L. L. vii. 26, 27, or vi. 1-3. 2 Varronianus, vi. 4. |