The affinity which exists between such of the vernacular languages of India
as are offshoots of the Sanscrit, as the Hindostanee, Mahratta, Guzeratee,
&c., and the Greek, Latin, German, and English languages, is now well known
to European scholars, more especially since the publication of the
researches of Vans Kennedy, Professor Bopp of Berlin, &c. Indeed, scarcely
a day passes in which the European resident in India may not recognise, in
his intercourse with the natives, many familiar words in all those
languages, clothed in an oriental dress. I am inclined also to think that
new light may be thrown upon some of the impracticable Greek particles by a
reference to the languages of the East; and without wishing to be
understood as laying down anything dogmatically in the present
communication, I hope, through the medium of your valuable publication, to
attract attention to this subject, and invite discussion on it. Taking, as
an illustration, the 233d line of the first book of the _Iliad_, where the
hero of the poem is violently abusing Agamemnon for depriving him of his
prize, the fair maid Briseis, he says,
[Greek: "All' ek toi ereô, kai epi megan horkon homoumai."]
What is the meaning of [Greek: ek] in the above line? It is commonly
construed with [Greek: ereô], and translated, "I plainly tell thee--I
declare to thee;" [Greek: exereô], "I speak out--proclaim." But may it not
be identical with the Sanscrit _ek_, "one," a word, as most of your readers
are doubtless aware, in universal use throughout India, Persia, &c; the
rendering literally running thus:
"But _one_ thing I tell thee," &c.
That this is the original sense of the line appears probable by comparing
it with line 297. of the {419} same book, where in the _second_ speech of
Achilles, that _impiger, iracundus, inexorabilis, acer_, chieftain _again_
scolds "the king of men,"--
"[Greek: Allo de toi ereô, sy d' ene phresì balleo sêsi.]"
"And _another_ thing I tell thee."
This rendering receives additional confirmation by a comparison with the
following:
"[Greek: Touto de toi ereô.]"
_Il._ iii. 177., and _Od._ vii. 243.
"[Greek: Panta de toi ereô.]"
_Od._ iv. 410., and x. 289.
In the last three lines [Greek: Allo], [Greek: Touto], and [Greek: Panta]
stand precisely in the same relation to [Greek: ereô] that [Greek: ek] does
in the first, [Greek: All'] merely taking the place of [Greek: de], for the
sake of versification.
"But _one_ thing I tell thee.
And _another_ thing I tell thee.
But _this_ thing I tell thee.
And _all_ things I tell thee."
It is not impossible that [Greek: exereô] may be a compound of [Greek: ek],
"one," and [Greek: ereô], "I speak." There is in the Hindostanee an
analogous form of expression, _Ek bat bolo_, "one word speak." This is
constantly used to denote, speaking plainly; to speak decidedly; one word
only; no display of unnecessary verbiage to conceal thought; no humbug; I
tell thee plainly; I speak solemnly--once for all; which is precisely the
meaning of [Greek: exereô] in all the passages where it occurs in Homer:
_e.g._ _Il._ i. 212. (where it is employed by Minerva in her solemn address
to Achilles); _Il._ viii. 286., _Od._ ix. 365. (where it is very
characteristically used), &c.
The word _ace_ (ace of spades, &c.) I suppose you will have no difficulty
in identifying with the Sanscrit _ek_ and the Greek [Greek: eis], the _c_
sometimes pronounced hard and sometimes soft. The Sanscrit _das_, the Greek
[Greek: dek-a], and the Latin _dec-em_, all signifying _ten_, on the same
principle, have been long identified.