to the further elucidation of what is intended in this work.

THUS far, I flatter myself, this end is thoroughly answered, as to what regards the first patriarchs; and it would feem fufficient to fatisfy every candid enquirer into antiquity, that the connection I have made, in this arduous research, is unravelled in a manner, which indeed is hardly to be doubted; because the authorities are good, and the deductions from them natural and easy. But as, in matters of fo high antiquity, too much cannot be faid in confirmation of the above chain of hiftory, there is yet a number of anecdotes concerning fome of the fucceffors of the first patriarchs, which I fhall now draw from both facred and profane hiftory, of no lefs credit than those I have already produced, on their accounts.

Ir will, however, be neceffary first to return to our enquiry after the Pelafgians, fince we have begun with them in this chapter. Too much cannot be offered to the reader upon their account, because they will become principal evidences, for the truth of what we imagine to be the state of the cafe, with respect to the origin of the languages of Europe: and by proving that both Celts and Scythians were first Pelafgians, we fhall be able to ascertain what is offered in a future chapter, that the Gomerians and Scythians or Magogians spoke the fame language, though there is now fome fmall difference in its prefent ftate in Ireland, Scotland and Wales.

THE Phænicians and Egyptians began very early to attempt fending colonies to neighbouring countries; and as they both fprung from the fame ancestors, the fons of

Ham, they must have had much the fame œconomical dispositions to improve their commercial and other interefts. Maritime countries feem to be the first objects of their intentions; and where could they find any places so likely to answer their ends, as the ifles of Elifba, Greece, now inhabited by the Pelafgians, the iffue of Gomer, and many of the defcendants of Magog.

WE are informed, by Strabo and Dion. Halic. that they sent colonies thither, and began to disturb the Pelafgians two generations, or fixty years, before the wars of Troy; and from that time continued to intrude, by fucceffive numbers, till they had well nigh replaced the original inhabitants, and had fubdued the maritime parts. It was then they became a mixed people, confifting of Pelafgians, Phoenicians and Egyptians; and from that time the era of the Greek tongue may be dated. All was Pelafgian before the incurfions of Phoenicians and Egyptians, and the gradual combination of the languages of these with the Pelafgian begat the Greek, called afterwards the Helenian tongue, in complaifance to Deucalion's fon, who, at his arrival there, found this language forming; while the Pelafgians enjoyed their own, unchanged, in the other parts of Greece, Afia Minor, in the country of the Trojans, Scythia, and all the neighbouring islands in the Mediterranean Sea, and all over Thrace, &c.

IT

may, from hence, be eafily feen, that the people of all these countries were the fame, defcended from Japhet, through Gomer, Magog, and his other fons, and spoke the fame language wherefoever they dwelt, until the incurfion mentioned into Greece, which was, in time, called Celtic, Gaulish, &c.

Thucyd.

Thucyd. fays, that the Pelafgians were a numerous people, spread far and near before the age of Hellen, the fon of Deucalion, and Strabo fays the fame; Theffaly was first called Pelafgia, fays Steph. de Urb. and Scholion Apollon. that the Pelafgians were a barbarous nation, who inhabited Theffaly and Argos; Hefychius fays, the Pelafgians are Theffalians, and Homer places this people in Thessaly.

THE teftimonies are innumerable that argue for the univerfality and antiquity of the ancient Pelafgians, not only in Greece, but in every country round them, as well iflands as on the continent; that the Thracians were inhabitants in Greece from the very beginning, and the people which were called the Bifaltes, Creftones, Edones, and particularly the Pelafgians, were counted Tyrrhenians, fome of whom dwelt in the ifle of Lemnos, and in the territory of Athens; and as the three first of these were Thracians, the Pelafgians, who were forced away by the Phoenicians from the maritime places, retired to them as to their own friends and relations. Strabo has it, that the Thracians were the firft inhabitants of the ifle of Lemnos, and that they paffed over from the continent; indeed he might have as well called them Pelafgians, for they were the fame people, fpeaking the fame language, though they were called Sintiens upon that island; nor was there any other island of any note in that part of the Mediterranean Sea but was firft peopled by the Pelafgians; and these were the inhabitants that occupied the island of Crete, even when Lycurgus went thither to collect his laws, and all these were afterwards called Celts in the fouthern and fouth-weft quarters of Europe, to which they migrated,

3

whilft

whilft those of the northern and north-weft quarters were afterwards known by the name of Scythians, &c.

BUT the Pelafgians, in fome time, returned and regained a part of their ancient country, fettling themfelves in Peloponefus, according to Herodotus, and were then called Dorians, and the most famous of them Lacedemonians, whom Pexron mentions as Celts. Strabo fays, that a great part of Greece, especialy Macedonia and Theffaly, was inhabited by the Barbari, particularly Thracians, Illyrians and Epirotians; and Herodotus fays, that the Macedonians were refused admittance in the Olympic, games, because they were of the Barbari..

WHEN the Greeks became a nation of fome power, though they first were but inconfiderable, (which I fhall. endeavour to fhew in a future chapter from Herodotus) they always were fo extreamly partial to themselves, that they took every step in their power to distinguish themselves as a superior people, and to disgrace the neighbouring nations, who were all Pelafgians, though under different denominations. This appears ftrongly in Homer's catalogue of the allies of the Trojans, who were all Pelafgians of feveral denominations. These were Dardanians, Theffalians, Thracians, Peonians, Paphlagonians, Enefians, Myfians, Phrygians, Meonians, Carians, &c. and fought for the Trojans, their ancient relations and fellow Pelafgians; and their enemies were the new inhabitants of Greece, a mixed people, who made war with them, not more on account of the rape of Helen than to get poffeffion of the territories of Troy (which was fo well fituated for commanding the paffage from Europe into Afia,

7

and

and claiming the dominion of the fea) and to confine the Trojan fhips in the Pontus Euxinus.

THESE notices, from fo many ancient authors of great credit with the learned, would perfuade us that the Greek tongue is a mixture of Pelafgian, Phænician and Egyptian languages: but if these were not fufficient for our purpose, we do not want many others, as powerful anecdotes, to prove it in the fequel. However, we are joined in this opinion by Pelloutier, an author of note and refpect, who, in his first volume, page 80, rejoices that M. Fourmont, the elder, a man well qualified for judging of matters of this kind, is of the fame opinion, from whom he quotes the following paffage, fpeaking of a Greek lexicon composed by him: "I feek (fays he) "the origin of the Greek tongue in this work, that is, "the Greek words which are truly primitive, by which "I reduce this language to lefs than 300 words, fome "of which are of Thrace and other neighbouring people, " and others of the Phenicians, or, in general, of Oriental tongues; all by an easy derivation, and to be under"stood by the whole world."

CHAP.