The word _Caer_ seems to have been a very ancient name for a city or town. We probably see this word in a great number of Welsh names, _Carmarthen_, _Carnarvon_, _Carlisle_, &c. This word seems also to be the origin of _Cairo_, in Egypt; _Carthage_ or town of the horse;[136] the _cirthe_ of the Numidians, and the _Caere_ of the Etruscan. "Inde Turnus Rutilique, diffisi rebus, ad florentes Etruscorum opes Mezentiumque eorum regem, confugiunt; qui _Caere_, opulento tum oppido imperitans--haud gravatim socia arma Rutulis junxit."--Liv. lib. 1. 2. Here we hear of the word before the foundation of Rome. But the affinity between the Hebrew and British is much more obvious, than that between the Hebrew and English. There are about one hundred and eighty British words in the foregoing table, which are clearly the same as the Hebrew; and there is no way to account for the fact, but by supposing them to be all derived from the same primitive tongue. The resemblance between the Welsh, Latin and English may be observed in the following. _Welsh._ _Latin._ _English._ Y'sgol schola school Y'spelio spolio spoil Y'sprid spiritus spirit Y'stad status state Y'stod stadium _furlong_ The old Britons however might have borrowed these words from the Romans, during their government of the Island; as the English did many of theirs at a later period. The same remark will not apply to the following: _Welsh._ _Latin._ _Irish._ _English._ Guin vinum fin wine Guyl vigilæ feil watch Gur vir fearr man Guynt ventus wind Gual vallum wall _Armoric_. Gosper vesper feaskor guespor _Eng._ Guedhar weather Guerth virtus worth Guylht wild In this table, we see the different nations begin the same word with a different consonant. The ancient Latin _v_ was pronounced as our _w_; vinum, _winum_; hence the English _wine_. So in the following: _Latin._ _English._ Via way Venio, ventum went Vellus wool Vespa wasp Volvo wallow Volo will[137] That the Welsh should pronounce _gu_, where we pronounce _w_, may seem strange; yet such is the fact, and an anatomist will readily assign the reason. The French, in the same manner, use _g_ where we write and pronounce _w_. _English._ _French._ War guerre Warrant garrant Ward gard Wise guise Wile guile Wage gage Wicket guicket William Guillaum Wales Gales, Gaul, Gallia[138]