Page:The ancient language, and the dialect of Cornwall.djvu/24

 ^^A few years before this, Mr. Lhuyd visited this County, in order to make himself acquainted with its natural history and monuments, but more particularly so with the language of Cornwall which was rapidly on the decline. " But although nothing in the Cornish language was ever printed till the days of Mr. Lhuyd, several Cornish manuscripts have been preserved; but excepting one, none of any considerable age. This one according to Bishop Gibson, was written in 1036 in an old court hand on vellum. (This was ^ The History of the Passion of our Saviour.') ^' The Cornish language, it appears, was current in a part of the South Hams in the time of Edward 1st (1272 to 1307). Long after this it was common on the banks of the Tamar, and in Cornwall it was universally spoken. "But it was not till towards the conclusion of the reign of Henry 8th (1509 to 1547) that the English language had found its way into any of the Cornish churches. Before this time the Cornish language was the established vehicle of communication. "Dr. Moreman, a native of Southill, but vicar of Menheniot, was the first who taught the inhabitants of his parish the Lord's prayer, the Creed, and the Ten commandments in the English tongue ; and this was not done till just about the time that Henry 8th closed his reign. From this fact one inference is obvious ; which is, that if the inhabitants of Menheniot knew nothing more of the English than what was thus learnt from the vicar of the parish, the Cornish must have prevailed among