of the five dialects, or manners of speaking, which obtained among the Greeks.

It was first used by the Lacedemonians, and particularly those of Argos; thence it passed into Epirus, Libya, Sicily, the islands of Rhodes, and Crete. In this dialect, Archimedes and Theocritus wrote, who were both of Syracuse; as likewise Pindar.

In strictness, however, we should rather define Doric, the manner of speaking peculiar to the Dorians, after their recess near Parnassus and Alopus; and which afterwards came to obtain among the Lacedemonians, &c. Some even distinguish between the Lacedemonian and Doric; but, in reality, they were the same; setting aside a few particularities in the language of the Lacedemonians; as is shown by Rulandus, in his excellent treatise De Lingua Graeca ejusque Dialectis, lib. v.

Beside the authors already mentioned to have written in the Doric dialect, we might add Archytas of Tarentum, Bion, Callinus, Simonides, Bacchylides, Cypselus, Alcman, and Sophron.

Most of the medals of the cities of Graecia Magna, and Sicily, favour of the Doric dialect in their inscription: witnes, AMBRAKION, APOLLONIATAN, AXEPONTAN, AXYPITAN, HRAAXEPTAN, TRAXENION, OEPITAN, KALOANITAN, KOPITAN, TAYPOMENITAN, &c. Which shows the countries wherein the Doric dialect was used.

The general rules of this dialect are thus given by the Port Royalists.

D'a Hra d'au grand, d't do et d'u l'a fait le Dore. D'u fait era; d'u, o; et d'au av fait encore. Offre de l'infini: et pour le singulier Se fert au feminin du nombre pluriel.

But they are much better explained in the fourth book of Rulandus; where he even notes the minute differences of the dialects of Sicily, Crete, Tarentum, Rhodes, Lacedemon, Laconia, Macedonia, and Thessaly.

The a abounds everywhere in the Doric; but this dialect bears so near a conformity to the Æolic, that many reckon them but one.