dead language, first spoken in Latium, and afterwards at Rome; and still used in the Romish church, and among many of the learned.

This language is principally derived from the Greek, and particularly from the Eolic dialect of that tongue, though it has a great number of words which it borrowed from the languages of the Etrusci, Oici, and other ancient people of Italy; and foreign commerce and wars, in course of time, added a great many more.

The Latin is a strong nervous language, perfectly suitable to the character of the people who spoke it; we have still works of every kind admirably well written in the Latin, though there are vast numbers lost.

The Latin tongue was for a while confined almost wholly within the walls of Rome; nor would the Romans allow the common use of it to their neighbours, or to the nations they subdued: but by degrees they in time became sensible of the necessity of its being generally understood for the convenience of commerce; and accordingly used their endeavours, that all the nations subject to their empire should be united by one common language; so that at length they imposed the use of it by a particular law for that purpose. After the translation of the seat of the empire from Rome to Constantinople, the emperors of the east, being always desirous of retaining the title of Roman emperors, appointed the Latin to be still used; but at length neglecting the empire of the west, they abandoned all care of the Latin tongue, and used the Greek. Charlemagne coming to the empire of the west, revived this language; but at length it gave way, and the French took place of the Latin; it was, however, prodigiously degenerated before it came to be laid aside, in which condition it was found at the time of the Reformation, when Vives, Erasmus, &c., began to open the way for its recovery: since which time the monkish latinity has been declining, and all endeavours have been used to retrieve the pure language of the Augustan age. See LANGUAGE.

Latin Church. See Church.

ancient nation of Italy. See Latium.