and of Chaldee only so much as that it is a dialect of Hebrew in the
same character, and consequently anyone who knows Hebrew knows
something about it), as German to English, e.g., Bahlom (Arab.), Beel
(Syr.), Baal (Heb.), are the same word, as you can see, only written
in different characters, and all mean "a lord," so Baal, Beelzebub,
or Baalzebeb. Baal Peor, which means, literally, "the Lord of the
ravine," viz., the idol worshipped at the Pass in the wilderness.
Consequently, in reading any one of these languages, the same word
keeps on occurring in all; and the chief use is of course that often
a word which occurs only once or twice in Hebrew perhaps is in common
use in the others, and so its meaning is fixed. Add to all this,
that the Syriac version of the New Testament was made (as all agree)
early in the second century, if not at the end of the first, and thus
is the very best exponent of the New Testament where the Greek is
doubtful; and the additional fact, that though a mixture of Chaldee
and Syriac was the language of Palestine in our Lord's time, yet He
certainly sometimes spoke what is now our Syriac (e.g., Talitha cumi,
&c.), and the importance of it is apparent. Surely to read the
language that our Blessed Lord himself used is no small profit as
well as delight.

'So I think we may each go on in our several pursuits, each helping
each, and each trying to do so without a foolish affectation of
learning.

'My best love to dear Father and Joan,

'Ever your affectionate Brother,

'J. C. P.'