The Hiftory of the Scythians and Gomerians, their Migrations into Europe, under the feveral names the latter inferted in the Margin *. By Palmanazar. SECT. Maffagetes, &c. of Gomerians, CymmeriCel ans, tes, Gala An Inquiry into the Origin, Antiquity, Migrations, and tians, Settlements of the Scythians and Gomerians, confidered Gauls, as two diftinct Nations, by Way of Introduction to their Hiftory. T Titans, Sacks, and Celtiberi ans. HESE two nations make fo confiderable a figure in Celtes and ancient history, in fo many different parts of the world, Scythians and under fuch variety of names, that it would be next defcended to impoffible to affign their different territories, or give their from Jahistory with any tolerable clearness, without previously tracing phet. them to their diftinct originals, taking a cursory retrospect of their migrations and fettlements, and confidering each of them under those various names, by which they are mentioned by ancient historians. We have already feen at the beginning of this hiftory, that they were both defcended from Gomer t See before, Vol. I. p. 375. & feq. A 2 the the eldeft fon of Japhet. This laft we have alfo proved to the eldest fon of Noah*, and to have received this peculi bleffing from his father, that God would enlarge his borders upon which account Mofes obferves immediately after, th the ifles of the Gentiles, by which is understood Europe, we divided by, or amongst his pofterity. This perhaps is wh induced Berofus and thofe who have followed him, to mak fuch defperate hafte to fettle Gomer's children in Italy, Afturia Biscay, and other parts of Europe, even fo early as 142 year after the flood. Hence others, no lefs fanguine, have venture to bring Gomer into Gaul, Tubal into Spain, Afkenaz int Germany, and Magog into Sweden, or Denmark. Thefe pre mature and precipitate migrations ftand fufficiently confute by their palpable impoffibility (A), were there nothing elf to difprove them. But nothing appears more certain, thar that thofe patriarchs never came out of Afia. On the contrary, we find their defcendants making a confiderable figure in that cradle of the world, and fettling themselves as near as they conveniently could to one another, till fcantinefs of room, want of pafturage, fome accidental difcords, or fome other reafons, obliged them to branch out further on all fides towards Europe, and northern Afia, whilft the defcendants of Shem and Ham enlarged their territories in their several allotments, in the fouthern parts of Afia and Africa, as we have already feen in their feveral hiftories. d To make the fame appear the more clearly with respect to the fons of Gomer, let us now take a short retrospect of their first fettlements in Afia, their migrations thence into Europe, their fucceffive ftations before they came into those parts in which they settled themselves into regular kingdoms and governments; and from which fome of them returned again into Afia in b Ibid. x. 5. PEZRON. Antiq. Celt. hift. p. i. c. 8. fect. 3. BoPEZRON. ubi fup. *See Vol. I. p. 265. (A) Nothing indeed were I all the incumbrance of their families, cattle, and other luggage; for fo far Sir Walter Rawleigh has proved it to be by land, in the place above quoted; and it were ftill more monitrous to fuppofe that they could come into Europe by fea, with fuch a numerous retinue, fo long before any thing of navigation, even by coafting, was known. procefs procefs of time, when they gave names to countries, cities, mountains and rivers, which have caused such a confufion in ancient hiftorians, for want of rightly distinguishing between those two diftant epochs and migrations. This circumftance makes it very neceffary, to examine, in the first place, whether the Scythians and the Gomerians, properly fo called, were originally the fame, or two diftinct nations. Without fuch a previous inquiry, we fhall find their names, countries, and exploits fo confufed, that it would be next to impoffible to settle their geography, or understand their history with any fatisfactory clearness. We have formerly hinted at the different opinions of the learned concerning this point, which feems chiefly to be owing to these two causes. 1. That none of the facred hiftorians mention these two nations by any other names than that of their progenitor; and, 2. That prophane authors have been fo confounded by their variety of names, migrations and exploits in several parts of Afia, as well as Europe, and particularly by the affinity of thofe names which they gave in both places, to towns, rivers, mountains, and the like, in their driving one another out of their territories, which they often did by turns; that it is not easy to know whether they spoke of the fame nation, under different names, or of two diftinct ones. Sure it is, that if they meant the latter, they have most egregiously confounded them, by afcribing names," places, and exploits to the one, which belonged to the other, which makes it extremely difficult to discover when they speak of the Scythians, and when of the Celtes or Gomerians. At least it is evident that Herodotus, Ptolomy, and Justin f, to name no more, have called the Scythians, who remigrated into Afia, by fome names, and attributed fome actions, and places to them, which, upon clofer examination, are found to have belonged to the Celtes or Gomerians, whom they had driven thither out of their European territories. An accurate ancient geographer tells us %, that the old Greek hiftorians gave the name of Scythians and Celto Scythians, to all the inhabitants of the northern regions, though it is plain that a confiderablepart of them were properly Celtes or Gomerians h. And in the fame book he adds, that thofe people who inhabited beyond the Cafpian fea, which fhould be the Scythians, were by the fame Greek hiftorians, called fome Sacks, and others Maf *Vol. I. p. 375. & 377, e Vid. int. al. EZEK. Xxxviii. 2, 3, 6. f See PтOLOM. Geogr. lib. vi. c. 11. & 13. HERODOT. lib. i, c. 73. 103. & 4. c. 49-52. JUSTIN. lib. i. c. 8. & feq. STRAB.Geogr. lib. xi. p. 349. & 352. h Vid. GENEBR. fub A. M. 1949. LEWIS's Introduct. in Hift. Britain. cap. iii. PEZRON. ubi fup. JUN. in Genef. x. 2. A 3 fagetes |