THEIR BOLDNESS AND CONFIDENCE IN SPEAKING
NATURE hath given not only to the highest, but also to the inferior,
classes of the people of this nation, a boldness and confidence in
speaking and answering, even in the presence of their princes and
chieftains. The Romans and Franks had the same faculty; but neither the
English, nor the Saxons and Germans, from whom they are descended, had
it. It is in vain urged, that this defect may arise from the state of
servitude which the English endured; for the Saxons and Germans, who
enjoy their liberty, have the same failing, and derive this natural
coldness of disposition from the frozen region they inhabit; the English
also, although placed in a distant climate, still retain the exterior
fairness of complexion and inward coldness of disposition, as inseparable
from their original and natural character. The Britons, on the contrary,
transplanted from the hot and parched regions of Dardania into these more
temperate districts, as
“Cœlum non animum mutant qui trans mare currunt,”
still retain their brown complexion and that natural warmth of temper
from which their confidence is derived. For three nations, remnants of
the Greeks after the destruction of Troy, fled from Asia into different
parts of Europe, the Romans under Æneas, the Franks under Antenor, and
the Britons under Brutus; and from thence arose that courage, that
nobleness of mind, that ancient dignity, that acuteness of understanding,
and confidence of speech, for which these three nations are so highly
distinguished. But the Britons, from having been detained longer in
Greece than the other two nations, after the destruction of their
country, and having migrated at a later period into the western parts of
Europe, retained in a greater degree the primitive words and phrases of
their native language. You will find amongst them the names Oenus,
Resus, Æneas, Hector, Achilles, Heliodorus, Theodorus, Ajax, Evander,
Uliex, Anianus, Elisa, Guendolena, and many others, bearing marks of
their antiquity. It is also to be observed, that almost all words in the
British language correspond either with the Greek or Latin, as ὑδωζ,
water, is called in British, dwr; ἁλς, salt, in British, halen; ονομα,
eno, a name; πεντε, pump, five; δεκα, deg, ten. The Latins also use the
words frænum, tripos, gladius, lorica; the Britons, froyn (ffrwyn),
trepet (tribedd), cleddyf, and lluric (llurig); unicus is made unic
(unig); canis, can (cwn); and belua, beleu.