The PREFACE.
As to the Religion of the Malayo's, they are now Mahometans, but they ſeem to have been Anciently meer Pagans, having not in their Language, the name of God, or Angels, or Church, or Devil, except what's borrowed out of the Arabick Tongue, from whom alſo they have received many other Words. And thence it is, (viz. from the Alcoran) that they have their Letters, having had anciently none of their own, but have tried the Arabian Letters, excepting only ſuch as are Guttural, and of difficult found; the Malayo Language being of plain ſound and eaſie Pronounciation, and on the contrary, for ſome founds not in the Arabick, but proper only to the Malayo Tongue, they have bin forced to add ſome few of their own, as appears in the end of the Alphabet; ſome few words they have taken from the Indoſtan and Perſian; as for Wheat, Bread, &c. things not growing or made in their Country, but brought to them from Indoſtan, Perſia, or Arab and they together with the thing, received the Country-Name it came from.
But to return to my purpoſe; I am to tell you, that by Nineteen Years continuance in Eaſt-India wholly ſpent in Navigation and Trading in moſt places of thoſe Countries, and much of that time in the Malayo Countries, Sumatra, Borneo, Bantam, Batavia, and other parts of Java, by my Converſation and Trading with the Inhabitants of which places, I did Furniſh my ſelf with ſo much of the Malayo Language as did enable me to Negociate my Affairs, and Converſe with thofe people without the aſſiſtance of a Prevaricating Interpreter, as they commonly are.
In the Year one Thouſand ſix Hundred Eighty eight, I embarked Fort St. George, as a Paſſenger on the Bangala Merchant, bound for England, which proving a long Voyage, and I being out of Imployment, did at my leiſure time, ſet down all that came into my Memory of the Malayo Language; which together with ſome helps that I have attained ſince, has furniſhed me with ſo much of that Language, as I think may be of great uſe to Trade and Converſation in the Malayo Country, or am of the South-Sea Iſlands, in which Countries ſo great a part of the Trade of India is negociated and capable of being much Improved, eſpecially to this Nation, who I hope, will not be unmindful of ſo Valuable a part of that Trade; but as we may by convenientSettlements in thoſeSouthernSeas ſhare with the Dutch, the Profits thereof, and I finding ſo very few Engliſh Men that have attained any tollerable Knowledge in the Malayo Tongue, ſo abſolutely neceſſary to Trade in thoſe Southern Seas, and that there is no Book of this kind publiſhed in Engliſh, to help the attaining that Language; Theſe Conſiderations, I'ſay, has imboldened me to Publiſh the inſuing Dictionary, which I am ſenſibe has many Imperfections,
