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Rh of the Italian, population was Teutonic. Nor are we certain that such Teutonisms may not also have been Umbrian or Oscan.

On the other hand the difficulty would be extreme of judging, from internal evidence, whether many Greek words in Latin are native or imported; as Ovis, Ovum, Ager, Bos, Ago, etc. Here, especially since the grammatical systems are more akin, we have to abide by the rule of regarding common words as original to both tongues, except where the contrary definitely appears. Indeed, since we otherwise know that Greeks did settle on the coast of Etruria and Latium before the population of historical Rome was formed, we are not here tempted to lean on the evidence of language in proof of that fact. Nevertheless, we have no ground to think that any masses of Greek population went deep into the country, so as to affect the names by which the peasants called homely things and to speak generally, the Greek influence was probably confined to matters of Religion and of Art.

The Latin talked in the Punic wars is known to have had Oscan peculiarities which were afterwards lost, especially d final annexed to the ablative. This circumstance suggests that, besides the languages already named, there was an Oscan element in the early Latin. Some inquirers indeed treat the Oscans as the "Aborigines" of Latium, who were never exterminated by the various tribes superimposed. c 2