Page:The Journal of Classical and Sacred Philology, Volume 1, 1854.djvu/420

 410 Journal of Philology. out illustrations of the original affinity between it and the languages of southern Europe. This indeed may bo regarded as one of the most interesting features of his work. The following specimen is extracted at random (p. 83) : "Camozza, it., sp. camuza, gamuza, pg. [Portuguese] camuca camurca, dxgl. masc. it. camoscio, fr. chamois gemse ; ohne zweifd gleicltes ursprungcs mit mkd. [Middle High-German] gam-z. Sottte etwa rm sp. pg. gamo damhirsch, fern. g.-una. das einfache wort enthaUen sein ? Aber freilich, entstellung desselben aus lai. dam a ist als moglich anzunekmen : stekt dock auch golfin ncben dolfin delfin, gragea ntben dragea, gazapo mvthmasslich fur dasapo. Ubrigens ist das wort alt, z. h. in port, foral v. j. 1186 de corio de cervo vel de gamo S. Rosa 11, p. 126." We cannot help thinking, however, that in this example and many others like it, the true mode of dealing with cognate words, which meet us in the vocabulary of countries historically independent, is to refer them all to some common parentage no longer traceable, instead of searching for their etymons in what are called the ' classical' languages. An illustration of our meaning is furnished by the variations under which different branches of the great Indo-European family present the namo of ' goose', in strict analogy to those adduced by M. Diez in the abovo extract. Sanskrit hans-a, Greek xv v (Dor. x" v > crude form xt"*)* Latin ans er [cf. Germ, g'dnserich and Engl, gander] Gorman gans (fem.), Ice- landic gds (fem.), Danish gaas (fem.), Anglo-Saxon gus (fem.), Welsh gwyz, Russian gus, Bohemian hus. The aboriginal form in all proba- bility began with a guttural ch or gh, which after being softened into g in some cases, and into h in others, disappeared entirely in the Latin language.] C. H. Herodotus, with a Commentary, by J. W. Blakeslet, B.D., late Fellow and Tutor of Trinity College, Cambridge. 2 Vols. 8vo. London, 1854. [This work forms the third volume of the Bibliotheca Classica, edited by Messrs Long and Macleane. Mr Blakesley has adopted the text of Dr Gaisford as the basis of his edition, slightly altered occasionally by including within brackets words or clauses which ho supposes to have been cither inserted by the historian himself from time to time in u an interleaved copy of his book," or subsequently foisted in by booksellers anxious to give to the ancient world a "latest edition, improved and enlarged," of their author. This is certainly a very compendious method of disposing of awkward or difficult passages : it must be said, however, that Mr Blakesley has been caroful to give the principal MS. readings where the text is doubtful, and has generally not used the liberty, which he has allowed himself, without discretion. His commentary contains, in his own words, " not so much illustrations of the text of Herodotus, as illustrations, through his text, of tho time in which he lived and the influences under which his work would necessarily be composed." Accordingly there arc but scanty notices of tho language throughout: