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CHAP. II.

I. Concerning the various changes and corruptions to which all vulgar Languages are obnoxious.II. Particularly concerning the changes of the Englih tongue.III. Whether any Language, formerly in ue, be now wholly lot.IV. Concerning the firt rie and occaion of new Languages.

Here are three Queres which may deerve ome farther diquiition.1. Whether the puret of thoe Mother-tongues, which yet remain, be not now much changed from what they were at the firt Confuion.2. Whether and how any of the Mother-tongues have been quite lot ince the Confuion.3. Whether and how other new Languages have ince arien in the world.

I. To the firt, Beides the common fate and corruption to which Languages as well as all other humane things are ubject, there are many other particular caues which may occaion uch a change: The mixture with other Nations in Commerce; Marriages in Regal Families, which doth uually bring ome common words into a Court fahion; that affectation incident to ome eminent men in all ages, of coining new words, and altering the common forms of peech, for greater elegance; the neceity of making other words, according as new things and inventions are dicovered. Beides, the Laws of forein Conquets uually extend to Letters and Speech as well as Territories, the Victor commonly endeavouring to propagate his own Language as farre as his Dominions; which is the reaon why the Greek and Latin are o univerally known. And when a Nation is overpread with everal Colonies of foreiners, though this do not alwaies prevail to abolih the former Language, yet if they make any long abode, this mut needs make uch a coniderable change and mixture of peech as will very much alter it from its original Purity.

Thoe learned Languages which have now ceaed to be vulgar, and remain onely in Books, by which the purity of them is regulated, may, whilt thoe Books are extant and tudied, continue the ame without change. But all Languages that are vulgar, as thoe learned ones formerly were, are upon the fore-mentioned occaions, ubject to o many alterations, that in tract of time they will appear to be quite another thing then what they were at firt.

The Liturgies of S. Bail and S. Chryotom, which are yet ued in the Greek Churches in their publick worhip, the one for olemn, the other for common days, have been a long time unintelligible to that people; o much is the vulgar Greek degenerated from its former purity.

And Polibius tetifies, that the Articles of truce betwixt the Romans and Carthaginians could carce be undertood by the mot learned Roman Antiquaries 350 years after the time of their making.

If any Englih man hould now write or peak as our forefathers did about ix or even hundred years pat, we hould as little undertand him as if he were a foreiner; of which it were eaie to give everal proofs Rh