Specimen of an etimological vocabulary, or, essay, by means of the analitic method, to retrieve the antient Celtic / By the author of a pamphlet entitled, The way to things by words, and to words by things [i.e. J. Cleland].

John Cleland

Date:: 1768

Credit: Specimen of an etimological vocabulary, or, essay, by means of the analitic method, to retrieve the antient Celtic / By the author of a pamphlet entitled, The way to things by words, and to words by things [i.e. J. Cleland]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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$r \96 ] As to tlie names of Hellas and Hellenesy though there is an antient word Hellan for an infular land, I rather think they are antithetical to the Felafgi, Nothing more frequent, or more natural, than fuch a divifion of country into Highlaiids and Lowlands ; when the predominant name for the whole will be taken .from that fai't of which the inhabi¬ tants make the principal figure. Thus the Felafgi prevailed at one time, and the Hellenes at another : till at length the very name of Felafgi became ob- folete. For the name then of Hellejiesy it is cer¬ tainly as cheap and eafy to refer it to fome ima¬ ginary Helenusy one of thofe perfonages who gave his name to Greece, about as jufily as one Brutus did his to Britain. Certain however it is, that by far the greatell number of geographical names draw their origin from the nature and fituation of the places indi¬ cated by them, and few indeed from the proper names of perfonages, fabulous or hiftorical. Italy has been faid to receive its appellation from one Italics. Let us a little examine whether it may not be more fatisfaclorily traced to a geographical circumflance ; confidering the fubjefl, it will hard¬ ly appear adigrefiion. On defcending the Alps, the vales of Italy would naturally prefent the idea of Tdaley the dale or Greece, but for that the coafts of Italy, whrich were the neareft to Greece, having the fame caule of appellation from their maritime •fituation, belonged to an incomparably larger track of country. IViany parts of Italy, in fad, received their name from their lying on the water. Tufcany was from the antient Ofc or Uifc^ with the prepofitive /, T’Ofcania. Etrufci fignifies the inhabitants of the Bthir Jhore, whatever that was, fuch appellations being relatives. Thus the Eufcans of one fide would be Etrufcans to the other, till Tubfequent ages fixed their names. Uria (Ora) was another word for Jhorey whence Liguria^ Etruria, &c, I valley^ f$