E G K O DE Adverfæ valetudinis causâ ULYSSIPPONEM adituri A Ad clariffimum virum G-P— RBORES ortæ meliore cœlo, Dulcibus manat quibus unda gemmis, Ducar in fylvam Cypreamque myrtum, Fructuum cernam novus aureorum Copiam, miffus patria, Fadique Fluminis hofpes, Tu meis clarè celebrandus olim Mox ruituræ. END of the first Number. THE STUDENT, OR THE OXFORD MONTHLY MISCELLANY. NUMBER II. February 28, 1750. 米米米米 Of the ARABICK LANGUAGE. T HE great and almoft general purfuit of Oriental Learning in this University, the encouragement it meets with, and the light of late thrown upon the Hebrew Bible by it, have afforded a very fenfible pleasure to all those who have the honour of God and religion at heart, But it has been at the fame time a matter of fome surprize to fee with what warmth and violence one, and that an eminent branch of it, has been exclaimed against; I mean the study of the Arabick Language. This has been fo much depreciated and argued against by fome who have been of true service to the world by preffing the importance of the Hebrew, by defending the Mofaic inNUMB. II. ftitutions F ftitutions from the low cavils of infidels, and above all by inculcating with fo much pious and neceffary zeal the peculiar doctrines of Chriftianity, that the Arabick Language fhould hardly be thus publickly recommended without fome previous apology. One would be apt to imagine at first view from the oppofition that is made to this language, that its defenders had fome black defign in promoting the further knowledge of it. But for ought I fee to the contrary, they are as good Chriftians as the most violent Anti-Arabians, and that with them they believe the inspiration of the Old Testament; only they would propose to the world another Sifter Dialect as an additional improvement to the Hebrew: which whether it be the fame now as it always was, or whether it be not changed from the Samaritan, as fome have afferted, I fhall not take upon me to determine. The Phil-Arabians think that, as theirs is ftill a living language, it may be made very inftrumental in illuftrating the prefent Hebrew text; fince fo many of the Radixes, which are loft in the one, are ftill preferved in the other. The high antiquity of it is much difputed: the present Hebrew Profeffor has been imagined to banter and deceive his audience by feeming to lay fome ftrefs on the account which Ebn Shodna and Abulfeda give of the original of their name and language. But he is not fingle in this particular: Pococke, Bochart, and others before him, have placed it as high. Primus (fays Dr. Pococke) qui poft confufionem Babylonicam dialecti Arabicæ fundamenta pofuerit, fuit Yarabus Kahtani filius. Hic omnium Arabiam Felicem incolentium parens perhibetur. Is eft Jerah Joctani filius, (Gen, C. x. V. 26.) Hujus et Jothami fratris pofteri Arabes genuini dicti. Now, Ferah by a very fmall alteration allowable in different dialects * Vide WALTON'S Prolegomena. p. 93. BOCHART. Phaleg. L. ii. C. 15, 19, 30. is is Farab. 'Tis true the pofterity of Ifmael are Arabs: but then they are particularly called Arabes adscititii, fuit enim Ifmael ortu et linguâ Hebræus. And his defcendants are to this day particularly diftinguished by the name of Wild Arabs. As to the opinion that the Arabick is a language of but a bout 1100 years standing, it is rather too trifling to be ferioufly argued. For as * Mahomet found most of his laws already prepared to his hands by the long pre-continued obfervation of them, fo he certainly found a language, which may have been improved in and fince his time; for there were before him many excellent poets, hiftorians, and philofophers. There is mention made of some Arabians at Ferufalem, men perhaps of fome trade and confequence, who amongst others were witneffes of the effect of the Holy Ghoft's defcent upon the Apoftles and Difciples. And they were filled with the Holy Ghost, and begun to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. And there were dwelling at Jerufalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation, under heaven. Now when this was noifed abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language. -Parthians and ElamitesCretes and ARABIANS. Acts ii. 4, 5, 6, 9, II. Nor can it be proved, that thefe Arabians did not speak the same language that their children do now. Mahomet was in himfelf too illiterate to attempt a thorough reformation: he brought them indeed from idolatry or the worship of the ftars, for they were Sabaans, and by his courage and insinuating addrefs procured to himself followers, and was thereby the better able to carry on his schemes. But furely an alteration in language is not neceffarily connected with a reformation in religion. And that we in these western parts of * Vide Millii differtationem primam de Mahommedifma ante Mahommedem. the world were not fooner acquainted with the Arabick, wa not owing, as is alledged, to their ftupidity or the novelty of the tongue itself; but is rather to be accounted for, partly from the little commerce that fubfifted between them and us thro' their diftance from us, and partly thro' the want of learning in our own countries. The most violent Anti-Arabian cannot but acknowledge of what service this language is in explaining those words but once ufed that occur in the Holy Bible. Nay if we even look into the derivation of many of those words that fre quently occur, and whofe Radixes are ftill pretended to be preferved in the Hebrew, how forced are they, and often how contrary to the conftruction of the word. Some instances of which we have in Ockley's Introduction to the Ori ental languages, p. 119. And many more may easily be brought by any one, who is but a little converfant in these tudies. From what Hebrew Root for inftance will you derive the famous word SHILOH? To go no farther, most of those words that we meet with in the first chapter of Genefis have their power ftill preferved, and are to be derived from words of the fame fignification in the Arabick. The Hebrew Bible is the only pure Hebrew now remain→ ing. Words therefore of a dubious or obfcure fignification are to be determined by the analogy they bear to other dialects. And where can we better apply ourselves in these cases than to the Arabick, which still retains fo many of them unchanged and uncorrupted. The Hebrew language boafts of the uniformity and easinefs of her Grammar Rules: but with much greater reafon may the Arabick pride itself on that score; there being fewer exceptions to general rules in that, than in any other * Perhaps this argument, when fully confidered, will, if it proves any thing, prove too much. About the year 1610 Pope Pius's Bull informs us of the neglect of all Oriental learning, even in the feveral Univerfities of Europe. language |