fagetes, though the former of these names, at leaft, belonged only to the Celtes, as we fhall fhew in its proper place.

FOR these reasons, many learned men have chosen to reckon them as one people branched out into that variety of names and characters under which they are diftinguished in hiftory. Notwithstanding which, and the filence of the facred books, Jofephus's authority has been more univerfally received both by ancient fathers, and modern authors; who affirms the Celtes or Gauls to be defcended from Gomer, and the Scythians from Maggog, his next brother; and we think very justly too. As to the first, there is not the leaft reafon to doubt of it; for befides the teftimony of the Jewish hiftorian, we have this undoubted proof, that notwithstanding all the various denominations, which they have undergone, and which seem rather to have been given to them by other nations, than affumed by themselves (B); they have still preserved their original

i Antiq. 1. i. c. 7. Vid. HIERON. THEODORET. & al. in Genef. X. 2. BOCHART. Phaleg. 1. iv. c. 38. RAWL. ubi fup. p. 1. c. 8. fect. iv. JuN. LE CLERC. PATRIC. in Genef. x. 2. PEZRON. ubi fupra. c. iv. & al. mult.

(B) By these names we mean, not only those which were a palpable corruption of their original one, fuch as Cymbrians, Cym merians, Cammerians, and the like; but thofe of Celtes, Gauls, Galatians, Titans, Sacks, and perhaps alfo thofe of Scythians, Celto-Scythians, Celtiberians, and fome others; all which, if we may guess at them by their etymons, feem, at leaft the greatest part of them, to have been given to them, fome out of compliment, and on account of their valour, and others out

of contempt, and in revenge for their incurfions, plunders, and conquefts. Thus the word Celte, in Greek ushlar, or zehelo, fignifying horfemen in Homer and Pindar, might be given on account of their expertnefs in horsemanship(1).

Another author (2) derives that word, and that of Gaul from the Celtic, in which both fignify a warlike man. Bochart conjectures that they were called Gauls and Galatians from the redness of their hair (3).

That of Titans, may either allude to it, as it was a name of the fun, whofe etymon can no where be fo appofitely found as in the Celtic, in which Ti or Ty, fignifies a Houfe, and Tan, or Taen, Fire, and both together, The boufe of fire. Some however fetch it from the Celtic Tit,which in that as well as in the Hebrew, fignifies duft or dirt; fo that T.Taves fhall fignify the fame as terrigena, or children of the earth or dirt. This laft etymon, if admitted, may be fuppofed to have been given them in fcorn, and to imply the baseness of

(1) Vid. Goodwin. Not. in Comm, Cafar. lib.i. c. 1. Not. 3. van. Antiq. Nat. Celt. chap. 3. (3) Phaleg. lib. iii. c. 6,

their

(2) Pe

original name of Gomro, or Cymro, or defcendants of Gomer, and retain it to this day, in all thofe countries where the Celtic or Gomerian language is preserved; which is therefore called Gomeraeg or Cymbraeg, that is, the language of Gomer k

To all this we may add the concurrent teftimony of Ptolomy, Strabo, Pliny, Dionyfius of Alexandria, or rather Charax, Mela and others, who mention them under the names of Comarians, Camarians, Chomarians, Cymbrians, Cymmerians, and fuch like; all which do plainly appear to be a corruption of - their original name of Gomerians'. We have likewife the authority of fome ancient fathers, who agree that Gomer was the father and founder of the Gomerians, called afterwards Celtes, Galatians and Gauls m. And if all this be not enough to prove the Celtes to be derived from Gomer, we shall add another pregnant argument out of Cluverius, who proves that the ancient Celtic nation, which according to him included the regions of Illyria, Germany, Gallia, Spain, the Britannic, and other northern ifles, did all speak the fame language", which could be no other than the Gomeraeg, or the language of Gomer, which had been univerfally preferved among all his descendants, as we fhall fhew more fully when we come to speak of their language and hiftory. To all thefe we shall

* LLUID, PEZRON. LEWIS, & al. ubi fupra. ProLOM. lib.vi. c. 11-13. MEL. ubi fupra. PLIN. lib. vi. c. 16. DION. per. v. 700. HIERON. tradit. hæbr. in Genef. EUSTAT. Com. in examer. ISIDOR. orig. lib. ix. c. 2. ZONAR. BED. & al. " Antiq. German. lib. i. c. 6, & feq. & Introd. ad Geogr. 1. ii. c. 5. & feq.

add at the bottom fome authentic monuments, which the warlike defcendants of Gomer, and his brethren, have left in their various fettlements, which ftill more corroborate what we have faid concerning their origin, migrations, and fettlements (C).

WERE We all as well acquainted with the Scythian nation, with respect to these two particulars, it would not be difficult to trace it to its fountain-head, and to dispel that obfcurity which we find in ancient authors concerning them, who, as we hinted before, have too much confounded them with the Gomerians. However, we are not without fome additional proofs to the teftimony of Jofephus, who affirms them to be defcended from Magog above-mentioned, and in which he hath been followed by many of the fathers, and by a great number of moderns". For fir, we find fome ancient monuments of that patriarch, and of his two brothers Meshech and Tubal in the neighbourhood of his brother Gomer, in the regions of leffer Afia, where they planted themselves after the difperfion (D). Secondly, as they spread themselves towards Eu

• HIERON. AUGUST. EUSTAT. THEODOR. BED. JOSEPH. BEN-GOR. Judæi fer. omn. JUN. BOCHART. RAWLEIGH. MUNST. HEYLIN. PATRIC. & al, innum,

(C) Thus the Gomerians left their name to the Albanian mountains, when they exchanged them for the more pleasant plains of Phrygia ; and to a city of this province, which in Pliny's time was ftill called Cimmeris, Afkenas, Gomen's fon gave his to the Sinus Afkanicus, to a lake and river of the fame name; and in the leffer Phrygia, to a city and province, and to the Infula Afcania.

From Riphath, another of his fons, we have the Riphean nation and country, fince called Paphlagonia, and from Togarma, his youngest fon, whom the Greek verfion calls @ogyaua and Togγαμα, Trogmans or Trocmans of Cappadocia and Pontus; all these the reader may further fee. in the learned Bochart (5).

the

In like manner Magag, Mefbech, and Tubal, whose bands are joined together by the prophet (6) have left their names to several countries, bordering upon those of Gomer; as Magog to the Gogarens, Meshech, or, as he is called by the ancients, Mofoch, to the mountains Mofchici, between Colchis and Armenia; and mentioned by Ptolemy, Pliny, and Mela; as the reader may fee it further proved in Bochart above quoted.

(D) Of this kind are the provinces of Mongog or Mongug, Congigo, Gigi, and fome others; and the cities of Gingui, Angui, Gorgangoi and Goigui in Tartary t.

Rawleigh, Heylin, Pezron, & al, Vid. & fup: (6) Ezek. xxxviii. 2. xxxix. I. + See Bochart.

(5) Phaleg. lib. iii. c. 8. & feq. Vol. 1. p. 375. & feq. ubi fupra, & al. fup, gitar,

rope,

rope, and Gomer's defcendants turned towards the northweft, fo thofe of Magog may be reafonably fuppofed to have spread themselves toward the north-eaft into both Scythias, where we find fome plain footsteps of their progenitor, befides the name of Mogli, which was that of the ancient Mofcovites and Tartarians (E); and feems only a corruption or abbreviation. of Magogli, the fons of Magog. To thefe we may add, Thirdly, That there is fcarce a nation under heaven that fo fully answers the warlike, bloody and dreadful character, which the fcriptures give us of Gog and Magog, as that of the barbarous Scythians; upon all these accounts therefore we hope we may venture with Jofephus to derive them from that patriarch.

HAVING thus far cleared the way, and difentangled, as much as poffible, the intricacy of ancient authors concerning these two nations, we fhall now proceed to add fomething of

(E) Accordingly, we do fcarcely find any part of Europe in which fome of thefe are not mentioned by ancient geographers and (7) hiftorians, under the names of Gomerians, Cymbrians, Celtes, Celtiberians, Celto Syrians, and fuch like, as we fhall more fully fee in the fequel.

As for Iberia, or Spain, foSephus doth indeed affirm, that it was firft peopled by the Thobalines, or fons of Tubal or Thobal, as he calls him (8), who was the fifth fon of Japhet (9). On the other hand Sir Walter Raleigh thinks it more probable, that it was first inhabited by the Africans, who did from thence conceive fuch fondness for it, that they have been ever fince ftriving from time to time to regain it (10). But we see no reafon for preferring either of thefe opinions to the concurrent teftimony of the authors above quoted; to which we may add that the furname of Celto, given

to that province, and that of Celtiberians or Célto-Iberians, to its inhabitants, doth make it much more probable, that the Celtes were the first peoplers of it, especially if we confider that the name of Iberia fignifies in the old Celtic and Teutonic, over, or on the other fide, as we hinted in a former note. So that the Celtiberians might mean only the Celtes, on the other fide the Pyreneans, to diftinguish them from thofe on this fide (11).

It is likewife more natural to fuppofe, that the warm fituation of Spain, might invite the Celtes thither from the more northern climates of Europe, than that the Africans could go thither fo early by fea; unless we can fwallow the ridiculous Spanish tradition, which makes Tubal to have croffed over thither, and to have built the town of St. Vaal. which is ftill standing at this day (12).

their different migrations from Afia into Europe, which will still give further light to what has been faid already. The reader may remember that we formerly fettled Gomer, their common progenitor, with his defcendants about him, in the province of Phrygia P: Afknenaz his eldest fon, or, according to the Armenians. Togarmah his youngest, or, it may be, both of them, in Armenia; and Riphath the fecond fon in Capadocia; or, in fome province, in the neighbourhood of Phrygia". For the condition the young world was then in, would not permit them to go far from each other at firft; and when their increase made it afterwards neceffary to enlarge their territories, it is reasonable to fuppofe, that they kept a correfpondence with each other, by means of thofe rivers, along whofe banks both they and their descendants were forced to pitch their tents, for the convenience of pasture for their numerous herds. And even when they began to fspread themfelves further and wider into Europe, they seem to have moved regularly, and in columns, without interfering one with another, and as it were by a fettled contract.

proportion to their advancing northward, we find the Gomerians, who had taken the left hand, infenfibly spreading themselves weftwards, towards Poland, Hungary, Germany, France, and fo quite up to Spain, whilft the Scythians or defcendants of Magog, moved to the right eastward, towards Mofcovy and Tartary, as far as the borders of Cathai, if not beyond.

THUS was all Europe, and the far greater part of Afia, their utmost extent northward, peopled by thofe two famous nations, the former almost wholly by the Celtes or Gomerians, that is, from the utmoft parts of Spain to Scythia Europeana, eastward, and the latter from thence almoft to the territories of China, as we shall fee in the sequel. So that the whole extent of these two nations reached from the 10th degree weft, to the 8th eaft longitude, and in latitude from the 40th degree quite up to the artic circle.

UPON the whole then, it appears, that the first rank belongs to the noble Celtic nation, as defcended from the elder brother, tho' the preference has been given to the Scythians by the univerfal vote of profane authors, who were unacquainted that their progenitor was Gomer's younger brother. Scytharum gens antiquiffima was even a proverb among them; upon which account we gave them the firft rank in the plan of this hiftory. But being now convinced of the contrary,

P See before Vol. I. p. 376. & feq. Vid. EUSEB. Loc. Hebr. & BOCHART. ubi fupra. 1, iii. c. 8. See RAWL. Hift.

ubi fup. fect. vi.

and