Epistolæ Ho-elianæ familiar letters domestic and forren divided into sundry sections, partly historicall, politicall, philosophicall, vpon emergent occasions / by James Howell.

LVIII. To the Right Hon. the E. R.

My Lord,

HAving in my last rambled through high and low Germa•…•… Bohemy, Denmark, Poland, Russia; and those vast North-Ea•…•… Regions, and given your Lordship a touch of their Languages, (fo•…•… 'twas no Treatise I intended at first, but a cursory short literall ac∣count) I will now pass to Greece and speak somthing of that large and learned Language, for 'tis she indeed upon whom the bean•…•… of all scientificall knowledg did first shine in Europe, which she af∣terward diffus'd through all the Western world.

The Greek tongue was first peculiar to Hellas alone, but i•…•… tract of time the Kingdom of Macedon, and Epire had her, then sh•…•… arrived on the Isles of the Egean Sea, which are interjacent and di∣vide Asia and Europe that way; then shee got into the fifty thre•…•… Isles of the Cyclades that lye 'twixt Negrepont and Candy, and so go up to the Hellespont to Constantinople; She then crossed over to Ana∣tolia, wher though she prevail'd by introducing multitudes of Colo∣nies, yet she came not to be the sole vulgar speech any where ther•…•… as far as to extinguish the former languages: Now Anatolia is th•…•…

most populous part of the whole earth, for Strabo speaks of sixteen severall nations that slept in her bosom, and 'tis thought the two and twenty Languages which Mithrydates the great Polyglot King of P•…•…ntus did speak wer all within the circumference of Anatolia in regard his dominions extended but a little further: She glided then along the Maritime coasts of Thrace, and passing Byzantium got into the out-lets of Danube and beyond her also to Taurica, yea beyond that to the River Phosis and thence compassing to Trebizond she took footing on all the circumference of the Euxine Sea: This was her course from East to North, whence we will return to Candy, Cyprus and Sycily, thence crossing the Phare of Messina, she got all along the Maritime Coasts of the Tirrh•…•…ne Sea to Calabria: she re∣sted her self also a great while in Apulia; Ther was a populous Colony of Greeks also in Marseilles in France, and along the Sea Coasts of Savoy: In Afric likewise Cyr•…•…ne, Alexandria, and Egypt with divers other, were peepled with Greeks: and three causes may be alleged why the Greek tongue did so expand her self, First it may be imputed to the Conquests of Alexander the Great, and the Captains he left behind him for Successors; Then the love the pee∣ple had to the Sciences, speculative learning, and civility wherof me Greeks accounted themselves to bee the grand Masters, ac∣counting all other Nations Barbarians besides themselves; Thirdly, the natural inclination and dexterity the Greeks had to commerce, wherunto they employed themselves more than any other Nation except the Phaenician and Armenian, which may be a reason why in all places most commonly they colonized the Maritime parts, for I do not find they did penetrate far into the Bowells of any Coun∣trey, but •…•…iek'd on the Sea side in obvious mercantile places, and accessible Ports.

Now many ages since the Greek tongue is not onely impaired, and pittifully degenerated in her purity and eloquence, but ex∣tremely decayed in her amplitude and vulgarnes: For first ther is no trace at all left of her in France or Italy, the Slavonic tongue hath abolished her in Epire and Macedon, the Turkish hath outed her from most parts of Anatolia, and the Arabian hath extinguished her in Syr a, Palestine, Egypt, and sundry other places; Now touch∣ing her degeneration from her primitive suavity and elegance, it is not altogether so much as the deviation and declension of the I∣talian from the Latine, yet it is so far that I could set foot on no place, nor hear of any peeple, wher either the Attic, Doric, Eo∣li•…•… or Bucolic ancient Greek is vulgarly spoken; only in som places near Heraclea in Anatolia and in P•…•…loponesus (now call'd the Morea)

▪hey speak of som Towns called the Lacocones which retain yet and vulgarly speak the old Greek but incongruously, yet though they cannot themselves speak according to rules, they understand thos•…•… that do: Nor is this corruption happened to the Greek Language, as it useth to happen to others, either by the Law of the Conque∣ror, or inundation of strangers, but it is insensibly crept in by their own supin•…•… negligence, and fantasticknes: specially by that common fatality and changes which attend time and all other sublunary things: nor is this ancient Scientificall Language decay∣ed only but the nation of the Greeks it self, is as it wer mouldred away and brought in a manner to the same condition, and to 〈◊〉〈◊〉 contemptible a pass as the Jew is: insomuch that ther cannot be two more pregnant instances of the lubricity and instablenes of man-kind as the decay of these two ancient Nations, the one the select peeple of God, the other the most famous, that ever was for Arts, Arms, Civility and Government; so that in statu quo nunc they who term'd all the world Barbarians in comparison of them∣selves in former times, may bee now term'd more than any other Barbarians themselves, as having quite lost not only all inclina∣tion and aspirings to Knowledg and Vertue, but likewise all cou∣rage and bravery of mind to recover their ancient freedom and ho∣nour.

Thus have you my Lord, as much of the Greek Tongue as I could comprehend within the bounds of a Letter, a Tongue that both for knowledg, for comerce, and for copiousnes was the principallest that ever was; in my next I will return nearer home, and give your Lordship account of the Latin Tongue, and of her three daughters the French, Italian and Spanish, in the interim you find that I am still

West. 25 Iul. 1630

My Lord,

Your most obedient Servitor, J. H.