Page:Proofs of the Enquiry into Homer's Life and Writings.pdf/109

Rh Proofs os the Enquiry into



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The Greek Language is generally allowed to be the Child of two very ancient Tongues, which were broken into several Dialects ; the old T»racian (spoke by the Thracians, the Pelafgi andfirst Inhabitants of Greece,) and the extensive Aramean Tongue that prevailed over the greatest Part of the East : The four Dialects of it were, the Egyptian, the Hebrew, the Arabic and Phenician. p. zgy (d) C6ncerning the Peloponnesus, Hecatœus 3°s- (.P) the Milesian says, ' That before the Greeks came ' there, it was wholly inhabited by barbarous 1 Nations (Egyptians, Asiatics and Thracians) ' and in a word, that almost all Greece was ' anciently a Settlement of Barbarians! Yet I know not with what Justice these first Inhabitants of Greece are called Barbarians by their Succeflbrs ; since to them they owed their Instruction in many of the Arts of Life, par ticularly in Mufic ; and to say the Truth, in Religion and Humanity. lhl3; (c) 'The greatest Proficients in the ancient Muc sic, fays Euftathius, were Thracians ; Orpheus, ' ' •

MuJ'œus and Thamyris. This Thracian Thamyris reigned in the Country about Mount Athos, a Man of the same Manners and Designs with his Neighbour, the Ciconian Or* pheus. Rh