[1] [2] I finde it ſolemly aduouched, aſwel in ſome of the Iriſh pamphlets,Camb. lib. diſt. 3. rub. [...] as in Giraldus Cam|brienſe, that Gathelus or Gaidelus, and after him Simon Breck deuiſed the Iriſh language,The foun+der of the Iriſh lan|guage. out of all other tongues then extant in the worlde. And thereof, ſayeth Cambrienſe, it is called Gaydelach, partly of Gaidelus the firſt founder, partly for that it is cõpounded of all languages. But conſidering the courſe of en|terchaunging and blending of ſpeaches togy|ther, not by inuention of arte, but by vſe of talke, I am rather led to beléeue (ſéeing Ire|lande was inhabited within one yeare after the deuiſion of tongues) that Baſtolenus a braunche of Iaphet,Baſtolenus who firſt ſeized vppon Irelande, brought thither the ſame kinde of ſpeache, ſome of the 72. that to this familie befell at the deſolatiõ of Babell. Vnto whom ſuccéeded the Scitians, Grecians, Egiptiãs,Epiphan. cõt. har. lib. 1. tom. 1. Hiſpainyardes, Danes, of all which, the ton|gue muſt néedes haue borowed part, but eſpe|cially retayning the ſteps of Hiſpaniſh, then ſpoken in Granado, as from their mightieſt aunceſtours. Since then to Henry Fitz Em|preſſe the Conquerour, no ſuch inuaſion hap|pened them, as wherby they might be driuen to infect their natiue language, vntouched in maner for the ſpace of ſeauentéene hundred yeres after the arriuall of Iberius. It ſéemeth to borow of ye Hiſpaniſh the commõ phraſe, [page 4] Commeſtato, Cõmeſtato. that is, how doe you? or howe fareth it with you? It fetcheth ſundry words from the Latine, as Argette, of Argentum, money: ſallẽ, of Sal, ſalt: Cappoulle, of Ca|ballus, a plough horſe, or according to the olde Engliſh terme, a caballe, or caple: Birreate, of the olde motheaten Latine worde, Birre|rum; a bonnet. The tongue is ſharpe and ſen|tencious, offereth great occaſion to quicke a|pothegmes and proper alluſions. Wherefore their common ieſtours & rithmours, whome they terme,Bardes. Bardes, are ſayde to delight paſ|ſingly thoſe that conceyue the grace and pro|pertie of the tongue. But the true Iriſhe in déede differeth ſo much from that they com|monly ſpeake,The ob| [...]ritie of [...]e true Iriſh. that ſcarſe one in fiue hundred can eyther, reade, wryte, or vnderſtande it. Therfore it is preſerued amõg certaine their poetes and antiquaries.The diffi|cultie. And in very déede the lãguage caryeth ſuch difficultie with it, what for the eſtraungeneſſe of the phraſe, and the curious featneſſe of the pronounciation, that a very fewe of the countrey can attayne to the perfection thereof, and much leſſe a for|reinner or eſtraunger. A gentleman of mine acquaintance reported that he dyd ſée a wo|man in Rome, which was poſſeſt with a bab|bling ſpirite, that coulde haue chatted any language ſauing the Iriſhe, and that it was ſo difficult, as the very Deuyll was grauey|led therewith. A gentleman that ſtoode by, aunſwered, that he tooke the ſpeache to be ſo ſacred & holy, that no damned fenne had the power to ſpeake it, no more then they are a|ble to ſay, (as the reporte goeth) the verſe of ſ. Iohn the Euãgeliſt.Iohn. 1. [...]rſ. 14. Et verbũ caro factũ eſt. Nay by God his mercy, mã, quoth the other: I ſtande in doubt, I tell you, whether the A|poſtles in theyr copious marte of languages at Ieruſalem, coulde haue ſpoken Iriſhe, if they were oppoſed, wherat the company har|tily laughed.The want [...]f the I| [...]he. As fluent as the Iriſhe tonge is, yet it lacketh diuers words, & borroweth thẽ, verbatim of the Engliſh. As there is no vul|gare Iriſh word, (vnleſſe there beſome odde terme) ye lurcketh in any obſcure ſhrowds or other of their ſtorehouſe) for a Cote, a Gown a Dublet, an Hatte, a drinking Cup; but on|ly they vſe ye ſame words wt a little inflexion, they vſe alſo ye contracted engliſh phraſe, god morrow, yt is, God giue you a good morning.