Note 308 — LETTER XXV. TO MR. HECKEWELDER.

M. Raynouard, in his excellent Researches on the Origin and Formation of the corrupted Roman Language, spoken before the year 1000, has sufficiently proved that the French articles le, the Spanish el, and the Italian il, are derived from the Latin demonstrative pronoun ille, which began about the sixth century to be prefixed to the substantive. Thus they said: Illi Saxones, “the Saxons;” Illi negociatores de Longobardia, “THE Lombard merchants,” &c. So natural is the use of the pronominal form to give clearness and precision to language. Recherches, &c., p. 39.