a this translation is neither Hebrew or Chaldee, but a mixture of both languages, with some Samaritan words. Grotius agrees that the last six lines are a Lybian repetition. The Pæni, or_Carthaginians, Lybici, were bilingues. (Pæni, Feni, Pheni, Bearla-Feni, means the Phænic or Phænician dialect of the Irish.) Bochart's Hebrew version of the first ten lines of Plautus' Monologue. נא את עליונים ואת עליונות שכורת יסמכון זות: כי מלכי יתמו: מצליח מדברהים עסקי: לפורקנת את בני את יד ערי ובנותי: ברוח רוב שלהם עליונים ובמשורתהם: בטרם מות חנות אותי הלך אנטידמרכון: איש שידע לי : ברס טפל את חילי שכינתם לאופל: את בן אמיץ דבור תם נקוט נוה אגורסטוקליס: חותם חנוהי הוא כיור שאלי חוק זאת נושא: ביני עד כי לו האלה נבולים לשבת הם: בוא די עלי תרע אנא הנו: אשאל אם מנכר לו שם: To shew the difference between Bochart's version and pure Hebrew, we exhibit a translation of the same passage into what we believe to be pure and classical Hebrew, without any mixture of Chaldee or Samaritan ; as follows: Another version of the pure Hebrew. same, in אֶקְרָא לְאֶלֹוֹהִים וְאֶלוֹהוֹת מָגִינֵי אֶרֶץ הָאֵל למלֹא מִשְׁאֲלוֹת לִבִּי, וּלְהַצְלֵחַ מַחְשְׁבוֹתַי בְּכוֹחָם כִּי עָוּ, וּבְהַשְׁקָפָתָם נִשְׁגְבָה לגאולה בְּנִי וּבְנוֹהַיי מיד עוֹשְׁקֵיהֶם לְפָנִים אַנְטִידֶמַרְכוֹן הִסְכִּין לָגוּר אִתִּי , כְאִישׁ מוֹרָע לִי אַך הִתְחַבֵר אֶת לַהַק שׁוֹכְנִי חוֹשֶׁך יָצְאָה שְׁמיָּעָה כִּי בְּנוֹ אַגְרוֹסְטוֹקְלֶס בָּחַר לָשֶׁבֶת לוֹ שָׁם שוּלְחָנִי, בּוֹ אֶלוֹהַי חָרוּץ, אוֹת נוֹשֵׂא לִי לְהַכְנָסַת אוֹרְחִים עֵד הִגִיד לִי כִּי שָׁם זְבוּלוֹ בְאֲרָצוֹת הָאֵל אִישׁ בָא בְּשַׁעַר, אֶשְׁנָחֵהוּ. אֶשְׁאָלֵהוּ הָאִם יוֹדֵעַ אֶת שְׁמוֹי We omit the Hebrew translation of Petit, for the reasons assigned by Bryan Walton, (after Grotius) in the 17th and 18th pages of the third Prolegomena to his Polyglott, (vol. i. edition of 1657.) Much of the confusion in this passage of Plautus, is owing to the transcribers, (or perhaps Plautus himself) inserting the vowels or the vowel points, which, undoubtedly, was not the early custom of the Phænicians or the Hebrews; however convenient these points may now be, to fix the ancient traditionary reading and pronunciation, an use of them, which we are not at this day disposed to deny; but this would, undoubtedly, multiply the chances of error. The following is the version of Bochart, converted into pure Chaldee. To this, we have annexed, in the common character, the sounds of the words as accurately as we are able, that the reader may observe the variations. If he be acquainted with that oriental language, as good Hebreans generally are, he can do this better for biniself. Chaldee version of the same. אלהא ואלוהין רחצנא דארעא הדין קרם אצלי לקימא ית עשתונאי, בסעדיהון יתצלחא עובדי לשובון ברי ובנותהי מידוי אניסהון בחילהון עלאה וברוח סכלותנון דלית סוף מלקדמין אנטידמרכון אולפא לאתותב תותי כמיודעי, ברם אתחבר לחבורת שוכניא חשוכא נפקת שמעה סגי ארי ברְיה אגורסטוקלס שו תמן מדוריה פתורי המן נתרשמא אלוהי את הוא ארי רחימא גיוריא סהר חוי לי ארי אתיותב בארעיא תמן אנש על בתרע מגורתי, אסתכלוהי, אשאלוהי האתגלי ליה שמיהי boden diaro rachtsono vealoheen alobo caudom atsle anishoun medou oubonoussee beree lashazvoon yassvossee laeetousov ulpho Antidamarchon milcadmin chashocho shouchnayo lachboorass isschabar baram kimudoee maduri tamon shavee Agerstocles bri aray sagee shemo nafkas guraio rachimo ari hoo oss elohee nisrashmo tamon passouree tamon baaryo issyosuph ari lee chave sahad shemi li haisgalee eshalohee istachlohee magoortee betrah oll anash The pronunciation of the Hebrew of Bochart, given by himself, in the usual Roman character, is as follows. We have numbered the lines to assist the reader in comparing it with the Punic, as before given in the same character. 1. Na eth eljoniin oceljonoth secorath jismechum zoth T'he coincidence here is so striking as to leave the question out of doubt: except that as we know the Samaritan character and language to be more affianced to the Phænician than the comparatively modern Hebrew, a quære may suggest itself, why was this passage not rendered in Samaritan instead of the impure language employed by Bochart ? To satisfy the reader on this point, we furnish him with Bochart's Latin version converted into pure Samaritan, of which we have given the English pronunciation verbum verbo, as near as our hearing could catch, and our pens express the sound. But there is great difficulty and corresponding uncertainty in expressing an ancient oriental in a modern language. The Latin versions of Plautus and of Bochart are as follows: Latin version, in the common editions of Plautus. Eorundem versio ferè ad verbum : (that is, of Bochart's Hebrew.) 1. Rogo deos et deas qui hanc regionem tuentur 2. Ut consilia mea compleantur. Prosperum sit ex ductu eorum, negotium meum 3. Ad liberationem filii mei e manu prædonis, et filiarum mearum. 4. Dii (inquam id præstent) per spiritum multum qui est in ipsis, et per providen tiam suam. 5. Ante obvium diversari apud me solebat Antidamarchus 6. Vir mihi familiaris : sed is eorum cætibus junctus est, quorum habitatio est in caligine. 7. Filium ejus constans fama est ibi fixisse sedem Agarastoclem, (nomine) 8. Sigillum hospitii mei est tabula scripta, cujus sculptura est Deus meus: id fero. 9. Indicavit mihi testis eum habitare in his finibus. 10. Venit aliquis per portam hanc: ecce eum : rogabo numquid noverit nomen. Here follows the Samaritan version of a friend, with the corresponding English pronunciation of the words, and their meaning in our language. The Samaritan language is written from right to left like the Hebrew, the Chaldee, &c.: but in the following translation of the Monologue in Plautus, it has been deemed more convenient to write it over the English words in the usual direction of English writing. The letter h is strongly and gutturally aspirated as in the Spanish, German, and Irish. aro (Explanation of the engraved plate annexed.) eshal malobham vialoos houssa hodan I request of the Gods and Goddesses protectors of the country this leera heshbossi befeetsoosom leera oovdee to fulfil my design by their aid to fulfil my occupation lapoorkan bree oobrousi madou ketoolom for the liberation of my son and my daughters from the hand of their robber bareehom alono oobamisro almo by their influence high and by providence infinite Antidamarchoun tata haskal leesgar yasi Antidamas formerly used to dwell with me kaanash rahmoi shovak tofal yas goovrayo shohni hashiho as a man of my acquaintance, but he associated with people who dwell in darkness nefax sheemo boro halo bro Agorstocles shovou tamon goorto it is spread a report great that his son Agarstocles fixed there a dwelling pasouree tamon kova elohee oolfo-guveen savoul there is carved a token hospitality bears sahad havee baariyim tamon a witness informed me that he sat himself in the territories there gvar oaal beittaar etbounnou eshal han hakam yas-shmo somebody comes thro' the gate I observe him I will ask if he knoweth his name. seemon my tablet my God lee halo yosar N. B. To the Reader.-The last word of the ninth line in the engraved plate (beittaar) belongs and should be placed between the second and the third words of the tenth line, as it is in the translation. The word and the space where it ought to be, are referred to in the plate by two points. |