Page:Essays ethnological and linguistic.djvu/30

18 and verbs, as well as many of their primitive words, so as to make the Breton, as before observed, an intermediate language. Hence it happens in the present day, a Welshman and Irishman speaking their vernacular tongues cannot understand one another in the least; but the former can understand the Breton with little difficulty, and the Irishman can understand him also, though with greater difficulty. This circumstance shows there has been a great commingling of the two nations at some former time; and we know historically it cannot have occurred within at least a thousand years, so that occurring so long since, and remaining so distinctly to be noticed, it must have been of the most intimate character. This can only be accounted for by the hypothesis of the two families having lived close to each other in Gaul for a very long period of time; which consideration leads us to the next question, whence we draw this conclusion, that the Aquitani, their neighbours of the South of France, were Gaelic.

The language of the Aquitani is as much a matter of discussion as either of the others. Had we any considerable data respecting any of them from which to deduce a decided opinion, these would necessarily form a part of their history, and not leave us any question for argument as a problem to be solved. As it is, we must be content with what few hints have been afforded us, combined with the probabilities of the case to support our theory. Of Gallic or Celtic words we have many notices in ancient writers to have them identified with the living languages; but the real question is, how to connect them with any particular part of Gaul. The names of rivers or places here assist us a little, on account of the number of words, as above mentioned, common to both the Cymric and Gaelic languages. Hence it is we find so many of the rivers of the Peninsula, Abono or Avono, the Douro, the Duero, and others apparently of the same common origin. There is, however, one termination connected with different divisions of the country deserving of our notice,—Tan or Tania, common to the Aquitani and many of the tribes of Spain; Lusitani, Laretani, Cosetani, Varetani, Edetani, Contestani, Bastatani, Orretani, Turdetani. This termination seems to have been unknown in mid-Gaul, with the exception, perhaps, of Pliny's 'Britanni,' and it has no meaning in Cymric. But it has a significant meaning in Gaelic, tan, tana, tania signifying a district or country; so that Aquitania may thus be understood as the country of the Aqui, whatever might be the origin of that name. This, however, like most national