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Article CHAPTER IX. ← Page 7 of 10 →
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Chapter Ix.
the Phoenicians they could , insulated here from commixture with all other states , have so foresworn their ancestors as to adopt a line of conduct diametrically opposed to all their settled usages . But the adjustment of the dispute is , that our language is not the Phoenician at all , but the primitive Persic , still perpetuated in Iran by the title of pahlavi , as it is in our Irin by pahlavcr ; that of this the Phoenician is hut a ramification , yet , as a ramification , retaining some resemblance . That our forefathers , by way of
distinguishing our mother-tongue from this dialect , had appropriated to this dialect a name of scorn or disrepute *; and , lastly , that no country , whither the Phoenicians had resorted , such as Cadiz , Spain , or Cornwall in England , & c , has ever had a structure in it akin to our Round Towers , whereas in Persia you will find them kissing the stars , as with us , and built there by the same people who built them with us , our Tuath-de-Danaan ancestors , before their migration hither . " " You astonish me . child !—these announcements are most strange!—¦ yet do I expect still greater things from you in time to come . At present I hear the dinner-bell sound ; let me therefore accompany you to our frugal board ; and remember , that to-morrow the monotony of our tete-a-tete will be relieved by the accession of a very pleasant and agreeable old gentleman . "
CHAPTER XII . The long-expected hour at which O'Neil had promised to favour O'Sullivan with his company , at length arrived . Having satisfied himself that O'Neil was already conversant with al ! the family history , as well as the pecuniary reverses which Thurlogh's father had encountered , O'Sullivan summoned forth the young enthusiast , and introduced his guests to each other with as much gravity of deportment as if they had been senators and coevals .
After a moment's pause , O'Neil , laying hold of Thurlogh ' s two hands within his own , said to him , " The descendant of needs no other passport than his name , to the heart and the protection of a legitimate Milesian . " The viands had been scarce removed after a cheerful and seasonable repast , when the " gude master ofthe house" bid his guests fill a bumper , as he had a toast to propose , " which , he doubted not , would be as acceptable to them as to him who offered it . You will drink , gentlemen , " says he , " to the happiness of youth : and may the observers of its innocence always be the guardians of its purity . " This toast gave a tone to the subsequent topics that diversified the
evening ' s entertainment ; during the whole progress ot which U Sullivan s meditations were continually reverting to the days of his own boyhood . " By the way , Con ., " says O'Neil , interrupting the thoughts of his host , " I have been often astonished at hearing of the marvellous escapes , and almost incredible adventures , of Charles Edward , after his untoward encounter at Culloden . Are they founded on truth ? You , of all men , must best know . " " Alas ! but too well founded . To omit other instancesI will relate to
, you an anecdote of what passed under my own inspection , and which would in itself be enough to the Chevalier ' s name to rank with that of any one of the heroes of antiquity . " After the memorable battle to which you just alluded , the insurgent army , as we were called , sought shelter in every quarter where they thought it attainable , never hoping , from the issue of the late defeat , that they would ever again be able to muster to the combat .
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Chapter Ix.
the Phoenicians they could , insulated here from commixture with all other states , have so foresworn their ancestors as to adopt a line of conduct diametrically opposed to all their settled usages . But the adjustment of the dispute is , that our language is not the Phoenician at all , but the primitive Persic , still perpetuated in Iran by the title of pahlavi , as it is in our Irin by pahlavcr ; that of this the Phoenician is hut a ramification , yet , as a ramification , retaining some resemblance . That our forefathers , by way of
distinguishing our mother-tongue from this dialect , had appropriated to this dialect a name of scorn or disrepute *; and , lastly , that no country , whither the Phoenicians had resorted , such as Cadiz , Spain , or Cornwall in England , & c , has ever had a structure in it akin to our Round Towers , whereas in Persia you will find them kissing the stars , as with us , and built there by the same people who built them with us , our Tuath-de-Danaan ancestors , before their migration hither . " " You astonish me . child !—these announcements are most strange!—¦ yet do I expect still greater things from you in time to come . At present I hear the dinner-bell sound ; let me therefore accompany you to our frugal board ; and remember , that to-morrow the monotony of our tete-a-tete will be relieved by the accession of a very pleasant and agreeable old gentleman . "
CHAPTER XII . The long-expected hour at which O'Neil had promised to favour O'Sullivan with his company , at length arrived . Having satisfied himself that O'Neil was already conversant with al ! the family history , as well as the pecuniary reverses which Thurlogh's father had encountered , O'Sullivan summoned forth the young enthusiast , and introduced his guests to each other with as much gravity of deportment as if they had been senators and coevals .
After a moment's pause , O'Neil , laying hold of Thurlogh ' s two hands within his own , said to him , " The descendant of needs no other passport than his name , to the heart and the protection of a legitimate Milesian . " The viands had been scarce removed after a cheerful and seasonable repast , when the " gude master ofthe house" bid his guests fill a bumper , as he had a toast to propose , " which , he doubted not , would be as acceptable to them as to him who offered it . You will drink , gentlemen , " says he , " to the happiness of youth : and may the observers of its innocence always be the guardians of its purity . " This toast gave a tone to the subsequent topics that diversified the
evening ' s entertainment ; during the whole progress ot which U Sullivan s meditations were continually reverting to the days of his own boyhood . " By the way , Con ., " says O'Neil , interrupting the thoughts of his host , " I have been often astonished at hearing of the marvellous escapes , and almost incredible adventures , of Charles Edward , after his untoward encounter at Culloden . Are they founded on truth ? You , of all men , must best know . " " Alas ! but too well founded . To omit other instancesI will relate to
, you an anecdote of what passed under my own inspection , and which would in itself be enough to the Chevalier ' s name to rank with that of any one of the heroes of antiquity . " After the memorable battle to which you just alluded , the insurgent army , as we were called , sought shelter in every quarter where they thought it attainable , never hoping , from the issue of the late defeat , that they would ever again be able to muster to the combat .