The triumphs of the reformed religion in America the life of the renowned John…

The First step which he judged Necessary now to be taken by him, was to learn the Indian-language; for he saw them so stupid and senseless that they would never do so much as enquire after the Religion of the strangers now come into their Country, much less would they so far imitate us as to leave off their beastly way of living, that they might be partakers of any Spiritual Advantage by us: unless we could first address them in a Language of their own. Behold, new difficulties to be surmounted by our indefatigable Eliot! He hires a Native to teach him this exotic language, and with a laborious care and skill, reduces it into a Grammar which afterwards he published. There is a Letter or two of our Alphabet, which the Indians never had in theirs; tho there were enough of the Dog in their Temper, there can scarce be found an R in their language; save that the Indians to the Northward, who have a peculiar Dialect, pronounce an R where an N is pronounced by our Indians; but if their Alphabet be short, I am sure the words composed of it are long enough to tire the patience of any scholar in the ⟨p. 86⟩world; they are Sesquipedalia Verba which their Linguo is composed of; one would think, they had been growing ever since Babel, unto the Dimensions to which they are now extended. For instance, if my Reader will count how many Letters there are in this one word, Nummatchekodtantamooong anunnonash, when he has done, for his reward I'll tell him, it signifies no more in English than, our Lusts; and if I were to translate, our Loves, it must be nothing shorter than, Noowomantammoo•nkanunonnash. Nor do we find in all this Language the least Affinity to, or Derivation from, any European speech that we are acquainted with. I know not what thoughts it will produce in my Reader, when I inform him, that once finding that the Daemons in a possessed young woman, whereof I have heretofore given the world some account, understood the Latin and Greek and H brew Languages, my curiosity led me to make trial of this Indian language, and the Demons did seem as if they did not understand it. This tedious language our Eliot quickly became a master of; he employed a pregnant and witty Indian, who also spoke English well, for his assistance in it; and compiling some discourses by his help, he would single out a Word, a Noun, a Verb, and pursue it through all its variations:

The First step which he judg'd Necessary now to be taken by him, was to learn the Indian-language; for he saw them so stupid and senseless that they would never do so much as enquire after the Religion of the strangers now come into their Country, much less would they so far imitate us as to leave off their beastly way of living, that they might be partakers of any Spiritual Advantage by us: unless we could first address them in a Language of their own. Behold, new difficulties to be surmounted by our indefatigable Eliot! He hires a Native to teach him this exotick language, and with a laborious care and skill, reduces it into a Grammar which afterwards he published. There is a Letter or two of our Alphabet, which the Indians never had in theirs; tho there were enough of the Dog in their Temper, there can scarce be found an R in their language; save that the Indians to the Northward, who have a peculiar Dialect, pronounce an R where an N is pronounced by our Indians; but if their Alphabet be short, I am sure the words composed of it are long enough to tire the patience of any scholar in the