The daily intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Territory [i.e. Wash.]) 1876-1881, 1878-02-22

the variety of languages Is to be found
/ in the Bible-that treasury OF fact Is
/ we'll as of faitb-the history. there
given, of the confusion of tongues while
/ the Tower Of Babel was building. The
date Of this is fixed at about b. G. 2.247
that is, in round Numbers, over four
thousand years ago.
Sacred writ informs us that, about
that period, when the pride of men
began TO execute the idea OF erecting a
tower whose top might reach into
language and of one speech La the
midst Of their presumptuous work, the
Almighty 1--WE are told) went down "a
'contound their language, that they
may not understand one another
speech.
Moses calls this incomplete edifiee
the Tower Of Babel and Biblical
scholars derive the word not from Belus
(if such ever existed. but from 'Balal,
70 confound. contracted from 'Balbal,
confuss0n. In the Speakers Commen-
tary on the Bible now publishing,
this Mosaic derivation has been prefer.
entially adopted.
1t may be mentioned here, though
do not adopt the idea, that this ancient
confus1on OF tongues is to be regarded
as typical of what happened in Europe
when the Roman people endeavored TO
establish their dominion. by means oi
their language, over all the lands
they bad conquered, which was to be the
social cement of the whole nationality
Early in the fifth century OF the
christion era, the empire of the Caesars
had become, like Babel, a vast ruin
The Latin language, which had largely.
spread into and through most countries
of Europe. was invaded by barbarian
tongues. as the soil was by savage
hordes from the heart of Asia, the ex-
tremity OF Germany, and the then
scarcely known regions of the North.
The origin of the languages of
modern Europe. compounded from the
Latin tongue aud those of the invaders,
dates from this time. Latin was too
firmly rooted to be wholly extirpatcd.
The higher classes used the language of
Levy aud Tacitus, Cicero and Sallust,
but the other classes spoke in rustic
dialect, called the iingua RomaRia, a
very homogeneous mixture.
Caesar was one of the first, after his
invasion of Gsui and Britain. to state
the tact that the people of these eoun-
tries spoke In dialects of the Celtic
languages. As they were subdued, these
dialects borrowed good deal from the
Latin language, which became exclu-
sively the official or political language
OF the Roman COLONY. just as, in the
of Orientals are governed by very
small minority of English-speaking
coloaists in India.
In France, under the Roman Empire,
the language of the conqusrors was
adopted largely, and to the present day
prevails, with some notifications
French, like Italian aud Spanish, is es-
sentially a Latin tongue. Very few
Celtic derivatives remain In it. The
Lingua Romahia was in general use after
the Druids and their barbaric religion
passed away. Ii. in that vulgar Lam
guage. poetry or prose were written,
:hey perished ages back.
French. as now spoken and written,
is composed of three perfectly distinct
elements-Celtic. Ger,nsnic and Latin,
the latter predominating.
Down TO the time Of Charlemagne.
who built up the great empire of the
Franks in the eighth century, the true
Latin 6egenerated, and mongrel Latin
and Latinized Germanic tongue in
creased in use by tho Franks. From
its origin. they came to be cal led the
Romance language The stories aud
ballads written Iii this dialect were
called Romaaces.
In the middle of the eleventh centu-
ry. when William, Duke of Normandy,
invaded and conquered England. he
introduced this Romance or vulgar
tongue He dccreed that the British
laws should be written in Norman
French "a dialect of the Romance Ian
gusge.) aud that French should be
taught in schools before Latin.
1t is common to speak, in the words
of Spenser, the poet, of the well of En-
glish undefyled.' but this is an error
Our language, however expressive now.
is veritable mopgrel, mainly consist
ing of Saxon words, with large infns-
ION Of French, rather Latin, and a
smaller number of Greek, Hebrew and
other words
The literature of the Romance Ian
guage began some seven centuries ago
- first in pious poems, and soon after
In odes and chaaDas. In which war and
love were made much of. The French
language of the present time was crea-
ted slowly. AMI is constructed very
much on the grammatical rules of the
Latin.
After the old French poems came
the great romances of chivalry. Tales
and satirical epigrams, humber in
character and talent, followed In due
The trouoadours, dreamy and
pensive rhymesters. were addicted To
aud singing Ito the lascivi.
ols pleasing of lutte. a. Richard III
would say soft songs about love. pretty
women. sweet-smiling flowers, and
earthly pleasures.
The trouyeres, on the contrary, We're
poets who. in short and sharp pieces.
gave u,terance TO the witty sarcasm
which, better than any other language.
the French conceiyes and expresses.
The first historical work of aoy value
was a narrative of tue conquest of Con.
stantipopie, by De Villehardouin,