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Gracas literas.

3

words literis Græcis in that place, are not to be
taken for Writing Greek, but only for the Cha-
racters of the letters; I can lefs approve of this
Explanation than the former
; because tho'
many ancient Writers (as we juft now faid)
frequently used the expreffion Uti litteris for
Scribere; yet I never obferv'd that any of them
ever ufed it to fignify the forms and fashions of
the Characters. Neither does it make at all for
their opinion what Cæfar fays in the First Book
of his Commentaries, viz. That there were
found in the Helvetian Camp, Tablets, literis
Græcis confcriptas; as if the fame perfon, who
had learnt to make use of the Greek forms of Cha-
rachers, might not as eafily have learnt the Greek
language; or as if there might not be among
the Helvetii, Priests or Gentlemens Sons, who might
then have learnt Greek, as our's now learn La-
tin; Greek being at that time a Language in
vogue and efteem. The very neighbourhood
of the School of Maffilia is fufficient to confute
that opinion: And therefore Cæfar, when he
fpeaks of his own Letter to Cicero, tells us, he
fent that Letter written in Greek characters, left
(in cafe it were intercepted) his designs fhou'd
he discover'd by the enemy. Juftinus, lib. 20.
fays, there was a Decree of the Senate made,
that no Carthaginian, after that time, fhou'd ftu-
dy the Greek language or writing, left he fhou'd
be able to fpeak or write to the Enemy with-
out an Interpreter. Tacitus, in his Book de mo-
ribus Germanorum, tells us, that feveral Tombs
and Monuments were yet to be feen in the
Confines of Germany and Swifferland with Greek
Infcriptions on them. Livius, lib. 9. fays, The
Roman Boys formerly ftudied the Tufcan Lan
guage, as now they do the Greek. And in his

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28th Book, "Hanibal erected an Altar "and dedicated it with a large Infcription of all his Atchievements, in the Greek and Punick Tongues. Item Lib. 40. Both Altars had "Infcriptions on them in the Greek and Latin

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Tongues. Laftly, I cannot imagine, that Cæfar wou'd have expreffed himself, (if he had meant, as these wou'd have him) Græcis literis fcribere; but rather, Græcarum literarum forma, as we fee in Tacitus, Lib. 11. Novas literarum "formas addidit. He added new Characters of Letters: Having found, that the Greek Lite"rature was not begun and perfected at once. And again,-"Et formæ literis latinis que CC.. rimis Græcorum, &c.

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Now left any body fhou'd wonder, how the Word Græcis crept into Cæfar's Text, I will inftance you the like Mifchance in Pliny, lib. 7.. cap. 57. where 'tis thus written, "Gentium confenfus tacitus primum omnium confpiravit ut IONUM literis uterentur. And afterwards,

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Sequens gentium confenfus in tonforibus fuit. And again, "Tertius Confenfus eft in Horarum obfervatione. Now who is there that fees' not plainly the Word IONUM ought to be left out, as well becaufe 'tis apparently unneceffary (for Pliny had no farther Defign than to let us know, that Men firft of all confented in the Writing and Form of their Letters) as becaufe 'tis falfe, that the Ionian Letters were the firft invented; as Pliny himfelf in his foregoing Chapter, and Tacitus, lib. 11. have told us. I have obferved however two Places, (Gregorius Turonenfis, lib. 5. and Aimoinus, lib. 3. cap. 41.) wherein 'tis intimated, that the Gauls ufed the Forms of the Greek Letters: For where they fpeak of King Chilperick, He added (fay they)

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they) "Some Letters to our Letters; and those were,,,,; and fent Epiftles to the fe"veral Schools in his Kingdom, that the Boys "fhou'd be so taught. Aimoinus mentions only three Letters, X,, . But we must underftand, that these were Franks, not Gauls; or rather Franco-gauls, who made ufe of their own native Language, the German Tongue; not that ancient Language of the Gauls, which had grown out of ufe under the Roman Government: Befides, if the Francogalli had made use of the Greek Letters, how came they at first to except these, when they made ufe of all the reft? But we have faid enough, and too much of this Matter. As for their Opinion who believe that the Gauls fpoke the German Language, Cæfar confutes it in that fingle place, wherein he tells us, that Arioviftus, by Reafon of his long Conversation in Gallia, spoke the Gallick Tongue.

Now for two Reasons their Opinion feems to me to be the most probable, who write, that the Ancient Gauls had a peculiar Language of their own, not much differing from the British: First, becaufe Cafar tells us it was the Cuftom. for thofe Gauls who had a mind to be thoroughly instructed in the Learning of the Druyds, to pass over into Britain; and fince the Druyds made no ufe of Books, 'tis agreeable to Reason, that they taught in the fame Language which was used in Gallia. Secondly, becaufe Tacitus in his Life of Agricola, writes, that the Language of the Gauls and Britains differ'd but very little neither does that Conjecture of Beatus Rhenanus feem unlikely to me, who be lieves the Languge which is now made use of in Baffe Bretayne Britones Britonantes] to be

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the Remains of our ancient Tongue. His Reasons for this Opinion may be better learn'd fron his own Commentaries, than told in this place. The Language which we at present make use of, may eafily be known to be a Compound of the feveral Tongues of divers Nations: And (to speak plainly and briefly) may be divided into four parts. One half of it we have from the Romans, as every one that understands Latin ever fo little, may obferve: For befides, that the Gauls being fubject to the Romans, wou'd naturally fall into their Customs and Language, 'tis manifeft that the Romans were very induftrious to propagate their Tongue, and to make it universal, and (as it were) venerable among all Nations. And to that end fettled Publick Schools up and down, at Autan, Befancon, Lyons, &c. as Valerius Maximus, Tacitus, and Aufonius tell us. The other half of it may be fubdivided thus. One third of it we hold from the Ancient Gauls, another from the Franks, and the last from the Greek Language; For it has been demonftrated long fince by many Authors, that we find innumerable Frank (that is, German) Words (as we fhall hereaf ter prove) in our daily Speech. And feveral learned Men have fhewn us, that many Greek Words are adapted to our common ufe, which we do not owe to the Learning and Schools of the Druyds, (who I believe spoke no Greek); but to the Schools and Converfation of the Maffilians, whom we formerly mentioned.

CHAP.

CHA P. III.

The State of Gaul, after it was reduced into the Form of a Province by the Romans.

TIS

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PIS very well known to all learned Men, that Gaul, after having been often attempted with various Succefs, during a ten Years War, and many Battels, was at laft totally fubdued by Cafar, and reduced into the Form of a Province. It was the misfortune of this most valiant and warlike People, to fubmit at length, to the Great Beast, as it is called in Scripture, with which however they fo ftrove for Empire for eight hundred Years, (as Jofephus informs us) that no Wars with any other Nation, fo much terrified Rome. And Plutarch in his Lives of Marcellus and Camillus; Appian in his 2d Book of the Civil Wars; Livius, lib.8.

10. have recorded, that the Romans were fo afraid of the Gauls, that they made a Law, whereby all the Difpenfations (formerly granted to Priefts and old Men, from ferving in their Armies) were made void, in Cafe of any Tumult or Danger arifing from the Gauls: which Cicero takes notice of in his 2d Philippick. Cefar himfelf in his 6th Book, and after him Tacitus, lib. de moribus Germanorum, do teftify, That there was a time wherein the Gauls excell'd the Germans in Valour, and carried the War into their Territories, fettling Colonies (by reafon of their great Multitudes of People) beyond the Rhine.

Now

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