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of the Gothick War; For where he defcribes the place where the Rhine falls into the Ocean; In thefe parts (fays he) there are great "Marfhes, where of old the Germans dwelt; a barbarous People, and at that time of small Reputation, which now are called Franks---. And Zonarus, in the 3d. Tome of his Annals, quotes this very Paffage of Procopius. Alfo Flavius Vopifcus, in his Life of Probus, tells us, That the Franks were discomfited by Probus in their inacceffible Marshes. ---Teftes funt Franci inviis ftrati paludibus. Alfo Sidonius Apollinaris fays thus;

"Francorum & penitiffimas paludes,
Intrares venerantibus Sicambris.

Now what we have faid concerning the Neighbourhood of the Franks to the Chauci, may be plainly proved by comparing of Places, and the Defcriptions of their particular Seats. Thofe of the Chauci are defcribed by Pliny, lib. 16. cap. 1. Thofe of the Franks by the Rhetorician Panegyrift, above-mentioned: For Pli ny fays thus, We have seen in the Northern parts the Nations of the Chauci, called Majores & Minores, where twice every 24 "Hours the Ocean is forcibly driven in a great way over the Land, thro' a vast Paf

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fage which is there, making it a perpetual "Controverfy. of Nature; and a Doubt, "whether it ought to be reckon'd part of the "Land or of the Sea.

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The Panegyrift fpeaks in these Terms

Quanquam illa Regio, &c. When thy noble Expeditions, O Cafar, have proceeded fo far, as to clear and conquer that Country,

which

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" which the Rhine runs through, with his cun ning Maanders or Windings, [Meatibus callidis, for fo it must be read, and not Scaldis, as in fome Copies, ] and embraces in his Arms a Region, which I can scarce call Land; 'tis fo foak'd with Water, that not only the Marshy part of it gives way, but cc even that which feems more firm, fhakes ແ when trod upon, and trembles at a distance "under the weight of the foot.

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We think therefore we have made it plain from what Seats the Nation of the Franks first came into Gallia; that is to fay, from that marshy Country which lies upon the Ocean, between the Rivers Elb and Rhine: which may be further confirm'd by this Argument. That the Franks were very well skill'd in maritime affairs, and fail'd far and near all about thofe Coasts: For fo fays Eutropius, lib. 9. where he gives a fhort Hiftory of the Emperor Galienus.. Af

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ter this time, when Caraufius had in charge to fcour the Sea-coafts of Belgia and Armorica, then infested by the Franks and Saxons, &c. The very fame thing Paulus Orofius mentions, lib. 7. Alfo what the Panegyrift, before cited, fays in a certain place, has reference to this.--"The Franks (fays he) are cruel above all

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others; the tide of whofe warlike fury furc mounting that of their very Ocean it felf, "carried them to the Sea-coafts of Spain, which

they very much infefted with their Depreda❝tions. And therefore the Emperor Juftinian, when he explains to the General Governor of Affrick the duty of his Office, makes mention of thofe Franks which were feated in a certain part of Gallia, bordering upon Spain.

But

But we find a very memorable paffage, which highly fets forth the great Glory of their warlike Atchievements, in another place of that Panegyrick; viz. That a fmall Body of Franks, which Probus the Emperor had overcome and carried captive into Pontus, feiz'd on fome Ships, wandred all about the Sea-coafts of Gracia and Afia, invaded Sicily, took Syracufa, and afterwards laden with booty, return'd into the Ocean thro' the Streights of Gibraltar. "Recurfa"bat in animos fub Divo Probo & paucorum ex "Francis Captivorum incredibilis audacia, & indigna fœlicitas: qui à Ponto ufque correptis navibus, Græciam Afiamque populaci, $6 nec impunè plerifque Lybiæ littoribus appulfi, ipfas poftremò navalibus quondam victo"riis nobiles ceperant Syracufas : & immenfo "itinere permenfi, Oceanum, qua terras rupit

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intraverant : atque ita eventu temeritatis "oftenderant, nihil effe claufum piratica de"fperationi quò navigiis pateret acceffus.

And, as farther Arguments of what I have been proving, may be added all thofe places in feveral Authors, which inform us that the Habitations of the Franks were Bordering upon the Batavians. The fame Rhetorician, in his Speeches to Maximianus and Conftantine, fays,--Many thousand Franks, who had croffed the "Rhine, and invaded Batavia, with other CounСс tries on this fide, were flain, driven out, or "carried away captive.

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Befides, there is a notable inftance in Corn. Tacitus, lib. 20. where speaking of the Neighbourhood of Frifia and Batavia to each other, he mixes the Caninefates among them, whofe cuftom in Electing their Kings was (as I fhall hereafter fhew) the very fame with that of the

Franks.

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Franks." Ambaffadors (fays he) were fent to the Caninefates, to perfuade them to enter into the Confederacy: That People inhabit r one part of the Ifland, equal as to their "Defcent, Laws and Valour, to the Batavians; "but inferior in number.And again---Brin"nio being fet upon a Shield (according to "the Cuftom of the Country) and hoisted up. cc on men's Shoulders, was chofen their Com"mander. Which words will prove of no fmall authority for us, when we come hereafter to that part of the Controverfy.

The cafe being fo; I cannot forbear wondring at the opinion of the learned Andreas Turnebus, who defpifing the Authority of fo many grave and ancient Writers, fays, that he thinks the Franks were originally of Scandinavia: becaufe in Ptolomy he finds the Phiraffi feated in that Peninfula, which word he will needs fuppofe to be corrupted; and that, instead of it, the word Franci ought to be there but brings no reason for his opinion more than his own mere guess, tho this opinion differs manifeftly from all other ancient Authors.

As to all those who are pleas'd with Fables, and have deduced the Original of the Franks from the Trojans, and from one Francion, a Son of Priam, we can only fay, that they furnish Materials for Poets rather than Hiftorians: And among fuch, William Bellay deferves the firft place; who, tho' he was a Perfon of fingular Learning and extraordinary Ingenuity; yet in his Book, which treats of the Antiquities of Gallia and France, feems rather to have defign'd a Romance, like that of Amedis, than a true Hiftory of the Françogallican Affairs.

CHA P.

CHAP. V.

Of the Name of the Franks, and their fundry Excurfions; and what time they firft began to establish a Kingdom in Gallia.

BUI

TI think it requifite that we fhou'd enquire a little more carefully into this Name of Franks; which, as we told you before, is not 'to be found in any of the ancient Descriptions of Germany. That I may no longer detain the Reader in fufpence, it must needs be, that either the Nation of the Franks, by which fuch mighty things were done, was at first very obfcure and mean, (as we fee in Switz, an ordinary Village;) yet because the first beginning of the Liberty of those Countries proceeded from thence, gave the name of Switzers to all the reft of the Cantons: Or (which feems to me moft probable) this Appellation had its Original from the occafion; viz. When those that fet up for the prime Leaders and Beginners, in recovering the publick liberty, called themselves Franks; by which name the Germans understood fuch as were Free, and under no Servitude; as the Writers of that Nation do unanimously hold: And therefore in ordinary Speech, by a Frank was meant a Freeman: by'a Franchife, an Afylum, or place of refuge; and Francifare fignified to reftore to liberty and freedom. The first proof we fhall give of this, is, what Procopius in his firft Book of the Gothick

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