UC-NRLF $B Sflfl ET? P G 57 R3 1853 MAIN Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2008 with funding from Microsoft Corporation http://www.archive.org/details/condensedhistoriOOradirich HISTORICAL NOTICE, Sro. CONDENSED HISTORICAL NOTICE OF THE LANGUAGES OF THE SLAVIC NATIONS. BY J. S. C. DE RADIUS, A NATIVE OF SOUTHERN RUSSIA. LONDON: PRINTED FOR THE AUTHOR, BY WILSON AND OGILVY, 57, SKINNER STREET. 1853. PRESERVATION COPY ADDED ORIGINAL TO BE RETAINED MAR 1 1994 PREFACE. With the view to initiate the reader into the general plan of this unpretending volume, it becomes necessary to mention that throughout the whole, one purpose has been kept in view, namely: — to give a condensed historical account of the Slavonic languages, excluding all matter not bearing upon the subject. The struggles, combats, and various events, which at one time or another have attracted VI PREFACE. the attention of other countries to the Slavic nations, appertain to a different branch of History, and have here been noticed only, when they exercised a certain influence on the Slavic languages. CONTENTS. PAGE Introduction 1 Russian Branch 6 Illyrico-Servian Branch 7 Czeko-Slovakian Branch 9 Polish Branch 9 Sorabian-Vendish Branch t 10 Notice of the Old Church Slavic Language 14 The Russian Language 18 Notice of the Illyrico-Servian Language 38 Notice of the Bulgarian Language 41 Notice of the Czekish or Bohemian Language 43 Notice of the Language of the Slovaks 53 Notice of the Polish Language 55 INTRODUCTION. Considering that nearly seventy millions of the inhabitants of the globe speak the same lan- guage, or at least dialects derived from a com- mon source, it becomes a matter of surprise, as well as of regret, that their early history should be involved in an obscureness which the most diligent researches have not been able to eluci- date. The analogy between the language of the Slavic nations and the Sanscrit, seems to indi- cate their origin from India ; but to ascertain the time when they first entered Europe, is now no longer possible. This event, in all proba- bility, took place seven or eight centuries before the Christian era, on account of the over- population of the regions of the Ganges. He- rodotus mentions a people near the Ister, whose Z SLAVONIC LANGUAGES. name resembles that of a tribe now in Eussia. Several other classical and a few oriental writers also allude to the Slavic nations occasionally ; the first distinct intelligence, however, is not older than the middle of the sixth century. At this period they are to be seen traversing the Danube in large numbers, and settling on both banks of that river. From that time, also, they frequently appear in the accounts of the Byzan- tine historians under different appellations, mostly involved in the wars of the two Eoman Empires, sometimes as allies, sometimes as con- querors; more frequently yet, notwithstanding their renowned courage, as vassals, but chiefly as emigrants thrust out of their own countries by the warlike Te atonic tribes. Prom the very nature of this information, it is impossible to expect any satisfactory knowledge. There are primitive traces of their fondness for music, and an early cultivation of the language ; still all this information is the more imperfect as it is collected from foreign authors, their earliest his- SLAVONIC LANGUAGES. 6 torians not beginning to write before the second half of the eleventh century. At this time the Slavic nations were already in possession of the whole extent of this vast territory which they now occupy. In the south, the Adriatic, the range of the Balkan, and the Euxine, are their frontiers ; the coasts of the Icy Ocean in the north. Their still greater extent in an eastern and western direction, reaches from Kamtschatka and the Eussian Islands of the Pacific, where many of their vestiges exist among scattered tribes, as far as the Baltic, and along the banks of the rivers Elbe, Muhr, and Eaab, again to the Adriatic. This immense extent greatly adds to the difficulties of a general survey of the dif- ferent affinities and connections of nations broken up into so many parts ; but a review of the language is the present object and purpose, and not the history of the people; other re- marks, therefore, will be introduced here only 4 SLAVONIC LANGUAGES. so much as seem to be requisite for the illus- tration of the subject. The remotest data for the history of the civilization of the Slavic race are to be found in their mythology : — and here the oriental origin again appears. The belief in a good and evil principle is met with among most of the tribes ; and even at the present time, in some of the Slavic dialects, every thing good, beautiful, and praiseworthy, is to them synonymous with the purity of the white colour. The custom among some, of females burning themselves with the corpses of their husbands, seems also to have been brought from India. There are other features belonging to them exclusively, which remind of the poeti- cal imagination of the Greeks, such as their attributing life to the inanimate objects of na- ture—rocks, brooks, and trees; and of peopling with supernatural beings the woods and moun- tains which surrounded them. The Eusalki of the Eussians — nymphs, naiads, and satyrs — are SLAVONIC LANGUAGES. 5 still to be found in many tales and songs of several tribes. There are no very ancient remains of their language, except those words or phrases scat- tered through the works of foreign historians, — and these mostly perverted by a want of know- ing the language themselves. Besides these, the names of places, of festivals, still exist, as well as some songs of the Kussians, Bohemians, Servians, and several Slavic tribes, evidently belonging to the Pagan period; but having been preserved only by tradition, their diction has been changed in the same proportion as the language of ordinary life. It is, however, pro- bable that at least one Slavic idiom was culti- vated in very ancient times, from the circum- stance that Cyril's translation of the Bible, written in the middle of the ninth century, bears the character of almost perfection ; and thus this language must have been the means of expres- sion for more cultivated persons several centuries prior. b SLAVONIC LANGUAGES. Before taking notice of the different branches, it becomes necessary to direct the attention to the whole great source from which, in the most ancient times, the various branches appear to have ramified. A vast chaos, indeed, reigns in the classification of the Slavic nations : — with the view, therefore, to obviate this confusion, two divisions, according to certain affinities and dif- ferences, have been established, namely, the Eastern and Western, although the origin from the south is common to all. EASTEEN STEM. RUSSIAN BRANCH. 1. The Russians of Slavic origin form the bulk of the population of the European part of Eussia. All the middle provinces of this im- mense empire are occupied almost exclusively SLAVONIC LANGUAGES. / by a nation of purely Slavic extraction; and even those scattered through Asiatic Eussia are of the same race. To ascertain their exact number is exceedingly difficult. The statistical tables give the number of the Eussians proper at about 40,000,000 ; but it must be remarked, that these statistical assertions have met with contradiction. 2. The Eussniacks, or Euthenians, are found in Malo-Eussia, the south of Poland, Galicia, Eed-Eussia, the Bukovina, and also in the north- eastern part of Hungary, scattered over Walla- chia and Moldavia. The Kozacks, especially the Zaporogueans, belong chiefly to this race, while the Kozacks of the Don are more mixed with pure Eussians. ILUYRICO-SERVIAN BRANCH. The Illyrico- Servians, frequently called Eaitzi, comprise the following subdivisions : — 1, The Servians, between the rivers Timock, 8 SLAVONIC LANGUAGES. Drina, Save, the Danube, and the Balkan mountains. 2. The Bosnians, between Dalmatia, the Balkan, and the rivers Drina, Yerbas, and Save. 3. The Montenegrins, or Slavic inhabitants of the Turkish province Albania, among the mountains of Montenegro. 4. The Slavonians, or inhabitants of the Aus- trian kingdom of Slavonia and the Duchy of Syrmia, between Hungary in the north, and the south of Bosnia. 5. The Dalmatians, between Croatia and Albania, likewise belonging to the Austrian empire. 6. The Austrian kingdom of Croatia, divided with respect to the language into two parts ; one having affinity with the Servians and Dal- matians, the other with the Slovenzi of Car- niola and Carinthia. 7. The Slovenzi, or Yindes, comprise the Slavic inhabitants of the Duchy of Styria, Ca- rinthia, and Carniola. SLAVONIC LANGUAGES. THE BULGARIAN BRANCH. The Bulgarians occupy Turkish provinces between the Danube, the Euxine, the Balkan, and Servia; this remnant of a once powerful nation amounts to about three millions. WESTEKN STEM. CZEKO-SLOVAKIAN BRANCH. 1. Bohemians and Moravians. Both belong to the Austrian empire. 2. The Slovaks, inhabiting almost all the northern part of Hungary, speak different dia- lects. POLISH BRANCH. This comprises the inhabitants of the present c 10 SLAVONIC LANGUAGES. kingdom of Poland, of the since 1772 called Russian-Polish provinces, the Duchy of Posen, Galicia, and Ludomeria. In the Russian pro- vinces, formerly called White, Black, and Red Russia, and conquered by the Poles in remoter times, the peasantry are Russians and Ruthe- nians ; in Lithuania, Lettones, an entirely dif- ferent race, amongst whom, in some parts, a language exists, of which many words bear strong resemblance to the ancient Greek. SORABIAN-VENDISH BRANCH. These are remnants of the old Sorabse and several other Slavic races in Lusatia and some parts of Brandenburg. Besides the races enumerated, Slavic tribes are scattered through Germany, Transylvania, and Wallachia,— -nay, through the whole of Turkey; but to ascertain their number is a matter of impossibility, and in every respect of little consequence. May it suffice to remind SLAVONIC LANGUAGES. 11 the reader of the two great divisions which mark the distinction in the Slavic language. The almost endless dialects in use among the numerous races, must become without interest to the reader unacquainted with them; all which appears to merit notice is consequently the general character and genius of the lan- guage. The analogy between the Slavic and the Sanscrit consists, indeed, only in the similar sound of many words ; but the construction of the former is purely European. The Polish language is remarkably rich in every kind of flexion, not less so in these variations is the Eussian. From this it may be concluded of what precision, compactness, and energy, a lan- guage is capable, which has so little need of cir- cumlocution. It is true that in most of the Slavic dialects, with the exception of the Ser- vian, the consonants predominate; but consi- dering that in a language the consonants are the indication of ideas, and the vowels subservient 12 SLAVONIC LANGUAGES. to the consonants, the harshness of some of the Slavic dialects will appear less than generally represented. The euphony of single syllables is only par- tial; but the harmony of a whole language depends on the euphonic sounds of periods, words, syllables, and single letters. What lan- guage possesses these four elements in equal proportion ? Too many vowels sound just as unpleasantly as too many consonants ; an inter- change of both alone can produce real harmony. The pure and distinct vocalization, which does not leave it to the choice of the speaker to pro- nounce certain vowels or to pass them over, as is the case in German, French, and English, gives to the Slavic languages the advantage of a regular quantity of their syllables. The roughness of the Slavic idioms, of which fo- reigners have complained so frequently, is ex- clusively to be ascribed to inexperienced or tasteless writers, or to ridiculous mistakes of those unacquainted with the language. No SLAVONIC LANGUAGES. Vd wonder, therefore, if the richness, precision, and general perfectibility of the Slavic languages is completely marred by existing decided preju- dices. From these introductory remarks the atten- tion of the reader is directed to the historical part of the languages in use among the princi- pal Slavic nations. PART I. NOTICE OF THE OLD CHURCH SLAVIC LANGUAGE. It can hardly be doubted that, in very ancient times, the whole Slavic race spoke one language ; and if early it has been broken up into several dialects, such was the natural result of the wide extension of the different races ; but where the old Slavic was originally spoken, and which of the still living dialects has been immediately developed out of it, is a question which has caused many animated discussions. Formerly the general view was, that the ecclesiastical Slavonic must be considered as the* root of all the living dialects; this, however, . has been contradicted, and the Church Slavonic proved to be an older branch of the original Slavic. The circumstance that the language of the Slavic Bible was, in Russia until the reign of Peter the SLAVONIC LANGUAGES. 1 5 Great, exclusively the language of books, con- firmed the natives for a long time in the belief that the Old Eussian and the Church Slavic were one and the same language, and that the modern Eussian was immediately derived from the latter. Be this as it may, the Old Slavic has long since become the common property of all the Slavic nations ; and after having ceased for centuries to be a language of ordinary life, it has obviously lost that kind of pliancy and facility which only a living language, employed to express all the daily wants, can acquire. But, on the other hand, it has gained in so- lemnity and dignity. Imposing by its very sound, it seems to have become almost unfit for any trivial use, and only to be devoted to serious subjects. The domains of the Old Slavic, which seemed at first very great, were soon, by the jealousy of the Eomish Church, limited to Eussia and Servia; and in other parts the Sla- vonic worship was, after some struggle, sup- planted by the Latin. 16 SLAVONIC LANGUAGES. According to inquiries instituted into the Old Slavic literature, the history of the Old Slavic Church language may be divided into three periods. The first, from the ninth to the thirteenth century; the second, from the latter to the sixteenth century ; and the third, from the six- teenth century to the present time, — the last period comprising the modern Slavonic of the Church books in Russia and Poland. The most ancient documents of the Old Sla- vonic language are not older than the eleventh century* Besides such, are several inscriptions on stones, crosses, and ornaments of equal anti- quity. The number of monuments of the Old Slavic increases considerably in the second period ; amongst which Nestor's Annals, in the Old Slavic language, form the basis of Slavic his- tory, and are not without importance for the whole history of the middle ages. The third period begins with the sixteenth SLAVONIC LANGUAGES. 17 century. In the course of time, and after pass- ing through the hands of many ignorant copy- ists, the books relating to the Old Slavic Church language had in some parts become almost unintelligible ; the necessity of a revision was therefore strongly felt, and instituted in 1512, at the request of the Czar Basilius Ivanovitch. In modern times considerable attention has been devoted to the examination of the old Slavic language, and its relations to its affined dialects. PART II. EASTERN STEM. THE RUSSIAN LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE. The name of Russia and the Russians is not older than the ninth or tenth century. The northern part of that vast empire, however, was long before inhabited by Slavic nations, who seem to have been divided into small states, under chiefs chosen by themselves, and most of them tributary to more powerful neighbours. About the middle of the ninth century civil dis- sensions arose among the Slavi of Novogrod, menaced at the same time by the conquering Yaregians, a Scandinavian tribe, they therefore, 1 n b62, chose Rurick, the chief of the Yaregians, for their own head. Rurick founded thus the first Slavo-Russian state, and his followers set- tled down among the Slavic inhabitants of the country, imparting to them their warlike spirit. It is only since that time that the Slavi appear SLAVONIC LANGUAGES. 19 as conquerors; and their empire, as well as their power and external influence, rapidly extended. Jaroslav, the son of Vladimir the Great, at the beginning of the eleventh century, on his death-bed divided his empire among his sons. Owing to dissensions which followed, the Mon- gols broke into the country, and easily subdued the Eussians, and succeeded, in 1237, to make them tributary for 200 years. In the middle of the fifteenth century, Ivan Vasilievitch III. delivered his country from the Asiatic invaders, conquered his Russian rivals, and united Novgorod with his own princedom of Moscow. From that period the power and welfare of Russia have increased without inter- ruption, and rapidly, to the present time. The literary cultivation of its inhabitants has like- wise advanced. The history of Russian literature has five dis- tinct periods. The first comprises an interval of more than nine centuries, from the date of the first knowledge of the Russian Slavi, to the 20 SLAVONIC LANGUAGES. coming of age of Peter the Great, in 1689. This long period would easily admit of subdivi- sions ; but it is so, very sterile, that a few words will suffice to give a general survey. The second period extends from the coming of age of Peter the Great to the accession of Elizabeth his daughter, in 1741. The third period may be considered to begin with Lomonosoff to Karamzin. The fourth embraces the interval from Ka- ramzin to the accession of the Emperor Nicholas, in 1825. The fifth, from the Emperor Nicholas to the present time. Before proceeding, a few words relating to the characteristic features of the Russian lan- guage appear to be necessary. The principal dialects are : — 1. The Russian proper, the true literary lan- guage of the whole Russian nation : and here it must be mentioned, that on the banks of the Wolga, on the Oka, and on the Moskwa, the SLAVONIC LANGUAGES. 21 same pure Russian is heard in the drawing-room and from the pulpit, as well as in the most humble spheres. 2. The Malo-Russian, the language of the south of Russia. The principal difference be- tween this dialect and the Russian proper con- sists partly in the pronunciation of several let- ters, partly in many forms of expression, resem- bling the Old Slavonic. The influence of the Polish is still perceptible in the language. This dialect is especially rich in national songs, of which many are of peculiar beauty, touching naivete, and a poetical truth surpassing all arti- ficial decoration. The comic, for which it is admirably adapted, a foreigner is less able to appreciate, since indeed all excellence of a comic description can be felt only by those who are familiar with all those minute local and histori- cal circumstances, the allusions to which augment the ludicrous. 8. The White-Russian is the dialect spoken in Lithuania, and especially Yolhynia. All the 22 SLAVONIC LANGUAGES. historical documents of Lithuania are written in this dialect. The first Eussian translation of the Eible was written in it. Considering the Eussian language as a whole, its immense copiousness must strike the atten- tion. Having been in early times subjected to the influence of the Scandinavian, Mongolian, Tartar, and Polish languages, it is in this respect to be compared with the English, in which the ancient British, the Latin, the Saxon, the Danish, and the French are amalgamated. But the great pre-eminence of the Eussian appears in the use which it made of its adaptations. Another excellence is the great freedom of con- struction which it allows, without becoming unintelligible or even ambiguous. Its adapted- ness for poetry is undeniable ; of which the incomparable national songs afford numerous evidence. As to its euphony, what has been said before of the Slavic languages in general, may be applied particularly to the Eussian. SLAVONIC LANGUAGES. 23 First Period. The influence of the Varegians appears to have been inconsiderable, their idiom being soon absorbed by that of the natives. Rurick's grand- sons had already Slavic names. The principal event in those remote times, and one which manifested its consequences in respect to civili- zation there, was the introduction of Christianity towards the end of the tenth century. Vladimir the Great, the first Christian monarch, founded the first schools ; Greek artists were called from Constantinople to embellish the newly erected churches at Kief. Vladimir and his Knights are the Russian Charlemagne and his Peers, King Arthur and his Round Table. These deeds and exploits serve even now to give to the earlier age of Russian history a tinge of that romantic charm, of which the history of the middle ages in general is so void. On the whole, the Russians enjoyed at that early period as much mental cultivation as any 24 SLAVONIC LANGUAGES. of the other of the northern parts of Europe. Jarvslav, the son of Yladimir the Great, was not less active than his father had been in advancing the cause of Christianity, and all that stands in connection with it. The theological productions of this epoch are of less value than the historical, although the field was diligently cultivated. Most of the productions which be- long indeed more to the history of the Slavonic than of the Russian literature, perished in the devastations and conflagrations of the Mongols. From 1298 to 1462, the Eussian princes, as mentioned, were vassals of the Mongol Tartars. In the course of these two centuries, nearly every trace of cultivation perished. The Mon- gols set fire to the cities, sought out and pur- posely destroyed all monuments of national culture. The convents alone found a sort of protection ; hence science became more than ever the exclusive possession of monks. The re-establishment of Eussian independence in the middle of the fifteenth century had a SLAVONIC LANGUAGES. 25 reviving influence. Some of the Russian princes invited artists and physicians from Greece, Italy, and Germany into their country, and rewarded them liberally. Ivan IV. ordered schools to be founded in all the cities of his empire ; under his reign the first printing-office was established in Moscow, in 1564. The princes of the house of Romanoff showed themselves not less active. Alexis and Pedor, the father and brother of Peter the Great, appear as his worthy prede- cessors. During this whole latter period, the Polish language and literature exerted a decided influence on the Russian. The first germs of dramatic art were likewise carried from Poland to Russia. In Kief, the theological students performed ecclesiastical dramas, and travelled about during the holidays to exhibit their skill. Their renown penetrated from the con- vents to the court, where they performed before Czar Pedor. His minister Matveyef invited the first stage players to Russia, and at his instigation the first secular drama, a translation 26 SLAVONIC LANGUAGES. of Moliere's "Medecin malgre lui/' was played before the gratified princesses and their delighted maids of honour. The sister of the two Czars, the Czarina Sophia, composed several tragedies and comedies herself, which were acted before her by her ladies. The department of history was very produc- tive. Not only were the Annals of Nestor con- tinued with zeal, but a series of other annals, biographies of princes, and chronographies, were produced. The weakest part of the literature of this later portion of the period is the theolo- gical branch. The light of the Eeformation, at that time spreading its rays over all Europe, did not penetrate into the Eussian church, which, how- ever, has always distinguished itself by a spirit of Christian meekness. Second Period. The history of the genuine Eussian literature SLAVONIC LANGUAGES. 27 begins only with the adoption of the usual lan- guage for all civil writing and public business. Before Peter the Great was able to establish a Eussian printing-office in his own empire, in order not to lose time he gave a privilege for fifteen years to a Dutch printer for Eussian works. About the year 1704, the Czar in- vented himself some alterations in the Slavic letters, so as to make them more similar to the Latin, and the first Eussian newspaper was printed with them at St. Petersburgh in 1705 ; these letters are in use at the present time : in all theological writings, however, the ancient form of letters is preserved, and therein consists the difference between the civil and church alphabet. The energy with which Peter the Great pro- ceeded, caused Eussia to overleap a whole cen- ' tury ; the Eussian nation, susceptible of deep impressions, willing to be guided by a hand acknowledged as that of a superior. The only impediment in those innovations was an inex- 28 SLAVONIC LANGUAGES. perienced, apprehensive, and jealous priesthood. Whether the rapidity of the Czar's improve- ments was a real benefit, is not the place to examine here ; yet, with regard to the language, although it possesses all the elements of com- pleteness, it must be admitted that the, in some instances, vehement innovations, prevented its gradual development, by which it would have preserved its original peculiarity, — that wonderful blending of the east and the west, of Asiatic suppleness and European energy, of which the national songs give such affecting, and often powerful specimens. Books were ordered to be translated from the German, the English, the Erench, and the Dutch; the haste, however, with which this was performed, and the greater attention to the matter than to the form, had the natural conse- quence that most of these translations were inferior productions, executed without the least regard to the Eussian language itself. Beauties of style, and even mere purity of language, SLAVONIC LANGUAGES. 29 belong in a certain measure to the luxuries of literature ; the Czar thought only of utility. In historical contributions this period is not without interest ; but as not the slightest atten- tion was paid to style, and, moreover, those who wrote did not know from what principles to begin, the language remained entirely unculti- vated. Meanwhile the national songs held faithfully to the old Russian irregular, but highly musical numbers, so much charming the ear. Third Period, Prom this period the standard of Russian literature, as it appears at present, must be dated. It was the Emperor Peter's hand that unfurled it ; it was Lomonosoff who fixed it on Russian ground ; whilst the fortunate caprices and vanities of Elizabeth and Catherine made rally round it more admirers and followers than otherwise would ever have been the case. In 1758, the University of Moscow was founded, 30 SLAVONIC LANGUAGES. and other similar institutions were established by Catherine's unbounded liberality. It was in an obscure family that Lomonosoff, the creator of Eussian prose, was born in 1711. Fortunate circumstances made him find patrons and means to follow an ardent desire for mental cultivation, and subsequently to visit foreign countries, where he improved the knowledge acquired at home. At his return he was honourably employed by the Government, and died in 1765, although in the enjoyment of general esteem, but not with that degree of reputation awarded to him by a more judicious posterity. He first ventured to draw a distinct line between the old Slavic and the Eussian languages, and laid down fixed rules for the general compass of the language. None of his productions are without merit, but he possessed more sagacity and innate talent than genius. The first Eussian theatre was instituted in, Jarvslav, in 1746. The foundation of a national stage at Moscow, in 1759, served much to SLAVONIC LANGUAGES. 31 awaken the dramatic talent of the Eussians, — a faculty in which they are perhaps incomparable. The partiality which caused the Eussians ever to pay attention to their national history, de- serves the highest commendation ; as for theo - logical and biblical literature, scarcely any thiDg interesting meets the observation. Fourth Period. The number of Eussian writers during this period increased considerably, owing to the zeal shown by the Emperor Alexander, during the first years of his reign, for the mental cultivation and enlightenment of his subjects. Besides the universities, eight in number, of which the Emperor Alexander founded five, an Institution for the study of oriental languages was established at St. Petersburgh in 1823, and in 1829 a similar one at Odessa, a city which has by its position more natural advantges for the learning of Asiatic languages than any other. Although the object of the oriental schools in Eussia was 32 SLAVONIC LANGUAGES. originally to educate translators for diplomatic missions, they proved very useful in general, foreigners having availed themselves of opportu- nities for studies which their own countries could not offer. The field of Russian literature extended itself during the course of the Emperor Alexander's reign, or rather from 1800 to 1822, with most remarkable rapidity. In the year 1787, the number of books in the old Slavonic and Eussian dialects did not exceed 4000 ; before 1820 twice that number was counted ; the year 1820 alone produced 3400 works, 800 of them trans- lations from the French, 483 from the German, and more than 100 from the English. But at this time literature in Eussia appears to have reached its height, in respect to productiveness, but retrograded also with still greater rapidity. Three hundred and fifty living authors were enumerated in 1822, mostly belonging to the nobility, their literary activity being chiefly con- fined to words of fiction. SLAVONIC LANGUAGES. 33 Nicholas Karamzin, from the commencement of whose influence this period of Russian litera- ture is dated, was born in 1765. In spite of an early development of his literary predilection he entered the military service, which was then considered as the most honourable in Eussia. After two years spent in travelling through Europe, he opened his literary career with the publication of a periodical called the " Moscow Journal/' which exercised a decidedly favourable influence on Eussian literature ; a certain senti- mentality pervades these productions, which evidently bear the stamp of the author's youth. He showed more maturity and energy in his second periodical, the "European Mes- senger." But his principal reputation rests upon his history of the Eussian empire. In the com- position of this work Karamzin was much favoured ; all the archives were opened to him, all documents delivered into his hands, and when it was completed, rewards and testimo- nials were heaped upon the author with impe- rial munificence. The beauties of Karamzin's 34 SLAVONIC LANGUAGES. style are so entirely idiomatic, that no one who is not perfectly acquainted with the language is able to appreciate them. Over the barbarism of ancient times, he dexterously throws a veil of embellishment, and lends a spirit of chivalry and romantic charm to historical persons and deeds, where all the circumstances of place and time appear in absolute contradiction ; so far that the reader thinks to peruse a novel. In spite of those deviations and unhistorical colour- ings, Karamzin's History of Eussia will remain a standard work in Slavic literature, partly on account of the copiousness of its sources, partly in consideration of the amazing diligence therein displayed. In respect to Karamzin's innova- tions, he considered the French and English mode of construction as better adapted to the Russian language, than the imitation of the classical structure. He adopted with ease and gracefulness the peculiarities of the modern languages; but a portion of his imitators, misin- terpreting Karamzin, introduced Gallicisms. This caused an opposition to be formed, insist- SLAVONIC LANGUAGES. 35 ing upon preserving the influence of the Church Slavonic upon the Eussian language, and result- ing in two parties dividing, in some measure, the field of Eussian literature. To foreigners, the travels of the Eussians by sea and land must become more interesting and instructive than any other part of their literature. The regions of Malo-Eussia, the Caucasus and Taurida, of which previously little was known, were explored by Eussians, and described in valuable volumes. An account of China was translated in 1827 into the English. The works of the head of the Eussian Ecclesiastical Mission at Pekin, published in 1828 to 1832, are of great im- portance for the knowledge of China, Thibet, and the* country of the Mongols. The national feeling of the Eussians has led them, during the period of their literary history, to examine the nature of their language ; and all the researches which could throw additional light upon the past have been favoured and advanced by per- sons of distinction and influence. 36 SLAVONIC LANGUAGES. Fifth Period. This period opens with a tragical catastrophe, by which several literati of fame and distinction fell victims to their imprudence. It was evi- dent that the Russian muse was no longer satisfied with the limits hitherto observed ; she was no longer the shepherdess who inspired so many with sweet yet tame verses ; she had by pernicious influences gradually become meta- morphosed, and efforts therefore were necessary to arrest eccentricities, and to make Eussian literature w r hat it had been before. The spirit of historical researches, as well as the interest for the stuay of the Slavic languages, was already awakened in the preceding period. Everything was done to favour it, and to nou- rish that zeal which tries to penetrate the past in order to search for those links which connect it with the present. In reference to the critical researches through all branches of history, the present may be ap- SLAVONIC LANGUAGES. 37 propriately called the historical period. The examination of manuscripts and historical docu- ments was not confined to the libraries of the Empire; researches were instituted in Paris, Germany, Denmark, Bulgaria, and among the Eussian tribes of Northern Hungary, by persons sent thither; and a general interest was thus awakened among the higher classes of society. The treatment of modern history in Russia has its difficulties, which easily may be compre- hended; and in no department has Russian literature remained more behind than in the treatment of foreign, and especially European, history. The series of publications relating to it consist almost exclusively of defective trans- lations, or feeble imitations. In respect to the history of several Asiatic nations, other countries almost entirely depend on Russian writers. The literature of travels to foreign lands is at the present period not rich ; travels in the inte- rior even are not very easy. Two collections of old travels, one to foreign countries, another 38 SLAVONIC LANGUAGES. comprising the accounts of foreigners who tra- velled in Russia in olden times, have, however, recently been published. The department of belles-lettres generally distinctly characterises the genius of a nation. The tendencies which in Russia prevail in the other branches, viz. a revival of interest for all that is native, Slavic, or relating to the past ; the reaction from a period of predilection for all that was foreign, is Very clearly perceptible in this portion. After this remark it cannot sur- prise that towards the close of the last, and especially at the beginning of the present period, the historical novel was cultivated with parti- cular fondness, and almost exclusively devoted to Russian history. As to poetry, Russian critics consider the short-lived productiveness in this department as being apparently on the de- cline ; solitary voices are heard, and these voices seem to be exhausted almost as soon they are heard. The more exuberant, however, appears the dramatic department, where the reverential SLAVONIC LANGUAGES. 89 attachment of Eussians to their monarch is exhibited in the very titles chosen by several dramatic authors. In the different branches of natural science, the progress in Eussia has recently been im- mense. In regard to periodical literature, the number of journals is obviously limited. That which most favourably speaks of the merits and exploits of the nation, is always considered as the best. The recent events in Europe have of course, more than ever before, provoked measures to exclude the influence of foreign literature, although the merits of foreigners in relation to Eussian history, &c, and their labours in relation to the language, must be acknowledged as most distinguished. NOTICE OF THE ILLYRICO -SERVIAN LANGUAGE. The literature of the western Slavo- Servians has hitherto been altogether treated as a distinct branch, separated from that of their brethren of the oriental church. Their language, however, being essentially the same, and a difference 40 SLAVONIC LANGUAGES. merely existing in the letters, the separation is not sufficiently established. The Servian language is spoken by about five millions. The southern sky, and the beauties of natural scenery, so favourable in general to the development of poetical genius, appear also to have exerted a happy influence on this language. While it yields to none of the other Slavic dialects in richness, clearness, and precision, it far surpasses all of them in euphony, being decidedly the most melodious of the Slavic languages, rich in vowels, and abounding in soft and powerful accents. The ancient Illyricum comprised all the countries situated between the Adriatic and the Black Sea, and along the Danube. Towards the middle of the seventh century, this vast country appears occupied by a Slavic people, of one and the same race. An impenetrable night rests on the early history of these regions, originally divided into six king- doms ; and although some light has been thrown on this general topic, the investigations have been of little consequence for the history of the SLAVONIC LANGUAGES. 41 language. As early as the seventh century, a part of these nations embraced Christianity, which, among the remainder, found a ready reception in the eighth and ninth centuries. The partial revival of Servian literature in 1758 produced a considerable number of works, among them not a few, notwithstanding the mixed and , unsettled idiom in which they are written, attest the general capacities of the nation. This de- partment would have become more accessible to foreigners, did the great variety of letters and forms of writing not discourage to penetrate into a structure where so much confusion is encoun- tered at the first step. This notice concerning the language of the Illyrico- Servian branch must be considered as very superficial, inasmuch as the dialects and literature of some of the nations, mentioned at the beginning of the subdivision, are exceed- ingly attractive, and in some instances quite original and distinct. Details, however, would scarcely interest the general reader. 42 SLAVONIC LANGUAGES. NOTICE OF THE LANGUAGE OF THE BULGARIANS.. According to certain opinions, Bulgaria, and the adjacent regions of Macedonia, are the real home of the old Slavic language. No other dialect, however, has been so much affected as the Bulgarian, by the course of time and foreign influence ; Bulgaria having been for centuries the great thoroughfare of other nations. The history of this country is a series of continued warfare with the Servians, Greeks, and Hunga- rians on one hand ; and, on the other, with the Turks, who subdued them, and put an end to the existence of a Bulgarian kingdom in 1392. The feeble germs of cultivation diffused there by two or three of their princes, perished during the Turkish invasion. There is no trace of a literature, and the only point of view from which the language, uncultivated as it is, can excite a general interest, consists in the national songs, in which this dialect is said to be exceedingly rich. PART III. WESTERN STEM. NOTICE OP THE CZEKISH OR BOHEMIAN BRANCH. Of all the Slavic languages, the Bohemian dialect and literature is the only one which, to the Protestant reader, must be of more than general interest; — not so much by its own character, in which it differs little from the other Slavic languages, but from those remarkable circumstances which more or less affected almost every part of Europe. The names of Huss and Jerome of Prague, and the events which rendered their names conspicuous, are familiar. The Bohemians having become ready to maintain their convictions not less with the pen than with the sword, the theological literature of the fifteenth, sixteenth, and the first twenty years of the seventeenth century, is of an extent with 44 SLAVONIC LANGUAGES. which that of no other Slavic language can be com- pared. Most of these productions bear decidedly the stamp of the period, dictated by the polemical spirit of the age, and for the most part directed by one party against another ; but on the other hand, while the theological literature of all the other Slavic nations is almost exclusively limited to sermons and devotional books, among the Bohemians alone researches and interpretations are met with, of theological matters of a higher sphere. There are few branches of science or art in which the Bohemians have not to boast of some eminent name. The talent, however, for which this nation is the most distinguished, is that of music. A fondnessfor music, and a natural gift to execute it, are indeed common to all Slavic nations ; but the talent of the Bohemian is of a superior order. He unites the spirit of harmony, characteristic of the Germans, with the gift of melody belonging to the Italians ; and there is hardly anything which strikes the English and SLAVONIC LANGUAGES. 45 American traveller more than the prevalence of musical genius in that beautiful region. The Bohemian language is spoken not only by the Bohemians and the Moravians, but by nearly two millions of Slovaks, those venerable remains of the ancient Slavic settlements between the Carpathian mountains and the rivers Theiss and Danube ; yet the latter have a dialect, or rather dialects, essentially different frcffn the language in Bohemia and Moravia, According to old chronicles, there were even some regular schools erected in early times, — one near Prague, and another, later, in Prague itself, where Latin was taught : thus the Latin and German languages had an early influence on the formation of the Bohemian. It yields neither in copiousness nor in pliability, neither in clearness nor in precision, to any other Slavic language. In respect to sound, however, the reproach of harshness and want of euphony has been made with justice, although it appears that this is more a production of modern times than an ~ OF THE ^A UNIVERSITY 1 46 SLAVONIC LANGUAGES. ingredient of the original language; for the ancient Bohemian, in legends and national songs, sounds by far more melodious. After this re- mark it seems singular that in a country where such an extent of musical talent prevails, a lan- guage shoul