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COXE’S TRAVELS IN RUSSIA. 845
On his return he was employed in arranging his papers; but before he could finith
them for the prefs, was feized with a violent fever, which proved mortal, and carried
him to the grave in the month of March 1781.
Cuap. VIIL.—Introduction of the Sclavonian Alphabet into Ru 1@.—Rife and Progre/i of
Ruffian Literqture.— Hiftorians.—Poets.—Digreffion concerning the Ruffian Stage.—
Ruffian Tranflations.—Claffical Learning.
THE invention of the Sclavonian characters is generally attributed to Conftantine, a
Greek philofopher, afterwards more known by the name of Cyril, which he aflumed
when he turned monk. About the middle of the ninth century, Cyril and his brother-
Methodius were fent from Conftantinople by Michael III. to plant the gofpel among the
Sclayonian nations inhabiting the countries bordering upon the Danube, now called
Hungary and Bulgaria, and thofe which were fettled in Bohemia and Moravia. As
thofe barbarous nations knew not the ufe of letters, Cyril compofed for them an al-
phabet, and tranflated feveral religious books into their tongue. The greater part of
the characters were the capitals of the Greek alphabet, the fame ufually employed in
writing ; to which he added a few others, in order to exprefs feveral: founds peculiar to
the Sclavonian language. Mot of thofe Sclayonian nations, who received chriftianity
from the Greeks, and have retained the Greek religion, ftill make ufe of thofé cha-
racters; while the other people of that tribe, who were either fir converted by the
Germans or Italians, or who afterwards adopted the Roman Catholic tenets, employ
either the German or Roman alphabet *.. ;
That tribe of Sclavonians called Ruflians, when they iffued from the banks of the
Danube in the ninth century, and laid the foundation of this empire, either brought
with them, ifthey knew the ufe of letters, the Cyrilian alphabet ; or afterwards adopted.
it, on their converfion to chriftianity, when the Sclavonian Bible, tranflated by Cyril,
was introduced among them. Thefe characters are occafionally written, like the oldeft
Greek and Roman manufcripts, of equal fize, at equal diftances, without connection or
ftops, and without diftinGtion of words. :
The earlieft Sclavonian book ever publifhed, was a Ruffian tranflation of the Penta.
teuch, printed in the Cyrilian alphabet at Prague in 1719} :: the fame letters were in-
troduced into Ruffia on the eftablifhment of the firft prefs at Mofcow, and continued
in ufe, not only for ecclefiaftical publications, but alfo for all others, until 1707, when
fome new Rufhan types, confifting of great and fmall letters, fimilar to thofe which are
now employed, were ca{t at Amfterdam for the printing-houfe at Mofcow {. Thelan-
* Befides the Ruffians, the Sclavonians dwelling in Dalmatia, andin the iflands under the dominion of
Venice, who are of the Greek religion, {till ufe the Cyrihan charaéters. The fame were employed by all
the nations of Hungary, Sclavonia, Croatia, Dalmatia, and others in the Aultrian territories; but as the
Roman Catholic perfuafion has gained ground amongit them,.they have lately begun to adopt the Roman
letters; while the Sclavonian people fubjeCt to the Turks, namely, the inhabitants of Albania, Servia, Bof-
nia, Bulgaria, who.are of the Greek religion, preferve the Cyrilian alphabet. The Bohemians, who foon
after their firft converfion quitted the Greek religion, and were afterwards turned by the Germans to the
Roman Catholic fe&, ufe the German or Gothic charaéters, which were alfo in ufe among the Poles, equally
indebted to the Germans for the firit introduction of chrillianity among them; but the Poles have lately, in
moft of their publications, adoptéd the Roman alphabet. ‘See the preface to the Neue Slavonifch und
Deutche Grammatik, printed at Vienna, 1774,
+ Effiifur la Bibliotheque, p. 92. :
£ See a Specimen of the Ruffian charaGters in vol. ii. book IIL, chap. 55
4 guage
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