Page:AnEssayTowardsARealCharacterAndAPhilosophicalLanguage.pdf/34

 8 About two hundred years after this in the time of Henry the VI. (as appears by a large manucript Velume Bible in the Oxford-Library, aid to have been this Kings, and by him to have been given to the Carthuians in London;) It was rendred thus.

Oure fadir that art in hevenes, halewid be thi name, thi kingdom come to thee, be thi wil don in eerthe, as in hevene, give to us this day oure breed over othre ubtanc, and forgive to us oure dettis, as we forgiven oure dettouris, and lede us not into temptation, but delivere us from ivel. Amen.

In another M.S. of Wickliffes Tranlation, who lived in Richard the 2$ds$ time, it is rendred with very mall difference from this.

About a hundred years after this, in a Bible et forth with the Kings licens, tranlated by Thomas Mathew, and printed in the year 1537, it was rendered thus:

O oure father which arte in heven halowed be thy name. Let thy kingdome come. Thy will be fullfilled, as well in erth, as it is in heven. Geve us this daye oure dayly bred. And forgeve us our treapaes, even as we forgeve oure trepacers. And lead us not into temptacion, but delyver us from evyll. Amen.

After the ame manner it is rendered in the Tranlation of William Tyndall, with ome little differences in the pelling.

This one intance may ufficiently manifet by what degrees this Language did receive its everal Changes, and how much altered it is now from what it hath been, and conequently what is to be expected in future times. Since Learning began to flourih in our Nation, there have been more then ordinary Changes introduced in our Language: partly by new artificial Compoitions; partly by enfranchiing trange forein words, for their elegance and ignificancy, which now make one third part of our Language, and partly by refining and mollifying old words, for the more eaie and gracefulfound: by which means this lat Century may be conjectured to have made a greater change in our Tongue, then any of the former, as to the addition of new words.

And thus, in all probability, mut it have been with all other vulgar Languages. So that ’tis not likely that any of thee Mother-tongues now in being, are the ame that they were at the firt Confuion. So true is that of the Poet:

And a little after,

2. As to the econd Quere, Whether any of the Ancient Languages be now quite lot, it may be anwered, That if in ome few hundreds of years a Language may be o changed as to be carce intelligible; then, in a much longer tract of time it may be quite abolihed, none of the mot radical and ubtantial parts remaining: For every change is a gradual corruption. Rh