A Brief History of the English Language and Literature, Vol. 2 | Page 9

and the Romans at one time were masters of the whole known world. No wonder, then, that they influenced so many peoples, and that their language found its way-- east and west, and south and north-- into almost all the countries of Europe. There are, as we have seen, more Latin than English words in our own language; and it is therefore necessary to make ourselves acquainted with the character and the uses of the Latin element-- an element so important-- in English.[3] Not only have the Romans made contributions of large +numbers+ of words to the English language, but they have added to it a quite new +quality+, and given to its genius new +powers+ of expression. So true is this, that we may say-- without any sense of unfairness, or any feeling of exaggeration-- that, until the Latin element was thoroughly mixed, united with, and transfused into the original English, the writings of Shakespeare were impossible, the poetry of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries could not have come into existence. This is true of Shakespeare; and it is still more true of Milton. His most powerful poetical thoughts are written in lines, the most telling words in which are almost always Latin. This may be illustrated by the following lines from "Lycidas":--
"It was that fatal and perfidious bark, Built in the eclipse, and rigged with curses dark, That sunk so low that sacred head of thine!"
[Footnote 3: In the last half of this sentence, all the essential words-- necessary, acquainted, character, uses, element, important, are Latin (except character, which is Greek).]
16. +The Latin Contributions and their Dates.+-- The first contribution of Latin words was made by the Romans-- not, however, to the English, but to the Britons. The Romans held this island from A.D. +43+ to A.D. +410+. They left behind them-- when they were obliged to go-- a small contribution of six words-- six only, but all of them important. The second contribution-- to a large extent ecclesiastical-- was made by Augustine and his missionary monks from Rome, and their visit took place in the year +596+. The third contribution was made through the medium of the Norman-French, who seized and subdued this island in the year +1066+ and following years. The fourth contribution came to us by the aid of the Revival of Learning-- rather a process than an event, the dates of which are vague, but which may be said to have taken place in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. The Latin left for us by the Romans is called +Latin of the First Period+; that brought over by the missionaries from Rome, +Latin of the Second Period+; that given us by the Norman-French, +Latin of the Third Period+; and that which came to us from the Revival of Learning, +Latin of the Fourth Period+. The first consists of a few names handed down to us through the Britons; the second, of a number of words-- mostly relating to ecclesiastical affairs-- brought into the spoken language by the monks; the third, of a large vocabulary, that came to us by +mouth+ and +ear+; and the fourth, of a very large treasure of words, which we received by means of +books+ and the +eye+. Let us now look more closely and carefully at them, each in its turn.
17. +Latin of the First Period+ (i).-- The Romans held Britain for nearly four hundred years; and they succeeded in teaching the wealthier classes among the Southern Britons to speak Latin. They also built towns in the island, made splendid roads, formed camps at important points, framed good laws, and administered the affairs of the island with considerable justice and uprightness. But, never having come directly into contact with the Angles or Saxons themselves, they could not in any way influence their language by oral communication-- by speaking to them. What they left behind them was only six words, most of which became merely the prefixes or the suffixes of the names of places. These six words were +Castra+, a camp; +Strata+ (via), a paved road; +Colonia+, a settlement (generally of soldiers); +Fossa+, a trench; +Portus+, a harbour; and +Vallum+, a rampart.
18. +Latin of the First Period+ (ii).-- (a) The treatment of the Latin word +castra+ in this island has been both singular and significant. It has existed in this country for nearly nineteen hundred years; and it has always taken the colouring of the locality into whose soil it struck root. In the north and east of England it is sounded hard, and takes the form of +caster+, as in +Lancaster+, +Doncaster+, +Tadcaster+, and others. In the midland counties, it takes the softer form of +cester+, as in +Leicester+, +Towcester+; and in the extreme west and south, it takes the still softer form of +chester+, as in +Chester+,