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Wars relates. The Franks (fays he) were anciently by a general name call'd Germans; but after they exceeded their limits, they obtain'd the name of Franks: Of the fame opinion I find Gregory of Tours, the Abbot of Urfperg, Sigi bertus and Ado of Vienne, and Godfrey of Viterbo to have been; viz. That they had the name of Franks from their freedom, and from their ferocity, (alluding to the found of the words Francos Feroces,) because they refused to serve as Soldiers under Valentinian the Emperor, and to pay Tribute as other Nations did. A fecond proof may be that of Cornelius Tacitus, who in his 20th Book, fpeaking of the Caninefates, whom we have formerly demonftrated to have been the very next Neighbours, if not the true Franks themselves, and of their Victory over the Romans, he has this expreffion: Clara ea victoria,&c. That Victory (fays he) was of great reputation to them immediately after it, and of great profit in the fequel, for having by that means got both Weapons and Ships into "their poffeffion, which before they were in great want of; their Fame was spread over all Germany and Gaul, as being the first begin ners of Liberty; Libertatis Auctores celebrabantur. For the Germans thereupon fent Ambassadors, offering their affiftance. May the Omen prove lucky! and may the Franks truly and properly after having fhaken off that Yoke of Slavery, impofed upon them by Tyrants, have thought fit to preferve to themfelves a commendable liberty, even under the Domination of Kings: For to obey a King is not fervitude; neither are all who are govern'd by Kings, prefently for that reafon to be counted Slaves, but fuch as fubmit themselves to the unbounded

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deferve that name; whe

bounded Will of a Tyrant, a Thief, an Executioner, as Sheep refign themselves to the Knife of the Butcher. Such as thefe deferve to be called by the vile names of Servants and Slaves.

Therefore the Franks had always Kings, even at that very time when they profefs'd themfelves the vindicators and affertors of the publick liberty: And when they conftituted Kings, they never intended they fhou'd be Tyrants or Execu tioners, but keepers of their Liberties, Protectors, Governors and Tutors. Such, in fhort, as we fhall defcribe hereafter, when we come to give an account of the Francogallican Government.

For, as to what a certain, foolish and ignorant Monk, called John Turpin, has wrote (in his Life, or rather Romance of Charlemagn) concerning the Original of the word Frank, viz. That whoever contributed Money towards the Building of St. Denis's Church, fhou'd be called Francus, that is, a Freeman; is not worthy of being remembred, no more than all the rest of his trifling Works, ftuff'd full of old Wives Tales, and meer Impertinencies.

But this may be truly affirm'd, that this name of Franks, or (as Corn. Tacitus interprets it) Authors of Liberty, was an Omen fo lucky and fortunate to them, that through it they gain'd almoft innumerable Victories. For after the Franks had quitted their ancient Seats upon that glorious defign, they deliver'd not only Germany, their common Country, but also France from the Tyranny and Oppreffion of the Romans; and at laft (croffing the Alps) even a great part of Italy it felf.

The firit mention made of this Illuftrious. name, we find in Trebellius Pollio's Life of the Emperor Gallienus, about the 260th Year after Chrift.

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СС Chrift. His Words are these :

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Cum, &c. Whilft Gallienus fpent his time in nothing "but Gluttony and Shameful practices, and govern'd the Commonwealth after fo ri"diculous a manner, that it was like Boys

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play, when they fet up Kings in jeft among "themselves; the Gauls, who naturally hate "luxurious Princes, elected Pofthumus for their "Emperor, who at that time was Gallienus's "Lieutenant in Gaul with imperial authority. "Gallienus thereupon commenced a War with

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Pofthumus; and Posthumus being affifted by CC many Auxiliaries, both of the Celte and the Franks, took the Field along with Victorinus.-By which words we may plainly perceive, that the Gauls crav'd the affiftance of the Franks; that is, of these Authors or Beginners of Liberty, to enable them to shake off the Tyrant Gallienus's Yoke: Which fame thing Zonaras hints at ἐπολέ in his Life of Gallienus, when he fays, imINJE de gás 2015, &c. We find another mention made of the fame People in Flavius Vopifcus's "At Ment Life of Aurelian, in thefe words: --"the Tribune of the 6th Legion discomfited the "Franks, who had made Incurfions, and over

fpread all Gallia; he flew 700, and fold 300 "Captives for Slaves. For you must not expect that our Franks, any more than other Nations in their Wars, were conftantly victorious, and crown'd with fuccefs. On the contrary, we read that Conftantine, afterwards call'd the Great, took Prifoners two of their Kings, and expofed them to the Wild Beafts at the publick Shews. Which Story both Eutropius in his 9th Book, and the Rhetorician in that Panegyrick fo often quoted, make mention of.

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And because the fame Rhetorician in another place fpeaks of those Wars in the Confines of the Batavi, which we have fhewn not to be far diftant from the Franks, I will fet down his Words at length. Multa Francorum millia, &c. "He flew, drove out, and took Prisoners many thousand Franks, who had invaded Batavia, and other Territories on this fide the CC Rhine. And in another place fays, He clear'd "the Country of the Batavians, which had "before been poffefs'd by feveral Nations and

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Kings of the Franks; and not fatisfied with c only overcoming them, he tranfplanted them

into the Roman Territories, and forced them CC. to lay afide their Fiercenefs as well as their CC Weapons. From which place we are given to understand, not obfcurely, that Conftantine, (being conftrain'd to do fo by the Franks, granted them Lands within the Bounds of the Roman Empire. Ammianus, lib.t. writes, that the Franks, during the Civil Wars between Con ftantine and Licinius, fided with Conftantine, and fought very valiantly for him. And in other places of the fame Book he records, that during the Reign of Conftantine, the Son of Conftantine, great numbers of Franks were at that Court in high favour and authority with Cafar. "Afterwards, fays he, Malarichus on a fudden

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got power, having gained the Franks; whereCG of at that time great numbers flourish'd at "Court. During the Reign of Julian, call'd the Apoftate, the fame Franks endeavour'd to reflore the City of Cologne (which was grievously opprefs'd by Roman Slavery) to its liberty: and forced it, after a long Siege, to furrender thro' Famine; as the fame Ammianus tells us, lib. 12. And becaufe one Band of thofe Franks fix'd their

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Habitations upon the Banks of the River Sala, they were thereupon called Salii; concerning whom he writes in the fame Book." Having

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prepar'd these things, he first of all march'd CC towards the Franks; I mean thofe Franks "which were commonly called Salii, who had formerly with great boldness fix'd their Ha"bitations within the Roman Territories, near CC a place called Toxiandria. Again, in his 20th Book he makes mention of that Country poffefs'd by the Franks beyond the Rhine, and called Francia." Having on a fudden pafs'd the

Rhine, he enter'd the Country of thofe "Franks called Attuarii, a turbulent fort of Сс People, who at that time made great HaCC vock on the Frontiers of Gallia.---- And in his 30th Book, where he speaks of King Macrianus, with whom Valentinian the Emperor had lately made a Peace on the Banks of the Rhine, in the Territory of Mentz,--- He died, fays he, "in Francia, whilft he was utterly wafting CC with Fire and Sword all before him, being CC kill'd in an Ambush laid for him by that va

liant King Mellobandes. Now of this Mellobandes, King of the Franks, the fame Author in his following Book gives this character; "That he was brave and valiant, and upon "the score of his Military Virtue conftituted

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great Master of the Houfhold by the Emperor Gratianus, and Lieutenant-General (in conjunction with Nannienus) of that Army which was fent against the Leutiates, a People of Germany. Afterwards, by virtue of a Treaty concluded between the Franks and the Emperor Honorius, they defended the Frontiers of the Roman Gallia againft Stilicon: For Orofius tells us in his laft Book, "That the Nations.

of

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