the affinity in the systems of the Scythians and Gomerians, in their notions of the theogony, lafted longer; for, when idolatry had overtaken them, the corruption affected them both alike, as they migrated weft and northwest upon the continent of Europe; but the worship of GOD was untainted in Britain, and Ireland many ages after its adulteration elsewhere.

Now whoever would endeavour to make the world believe, that Pythagoras first taught the immortality of the foul, will find it very difficult to prove that he was older than druid, Scythian, or Chaldean philofophers; and Clem. Alexand. informs us, that Pythagoras ftudied under both Celts and Brachmans, and therefore, instead of his instructing thofe druids, he was taught by them; wherefore Celfus accounts thefe druids of the Celts, among the most ancient that were famous for wifdom; and by Phornutus, according to Dr. Burnet, de Originibus Rerum, they were numbered among the founders of mythological theology, which was the first and most ancient of all; and the Doctor "makes no question, but the druids were of "the ancient race of wife men; not the Grecian (fays he) "whom Pliny, after the Oriental expreffion, calls the "magi of the Gauls." He concludes thus: "In fhort, "it is not an eafy matter to point out the rise and first ages "of the druids.' But their antiquity and rife from Gomer are, I hope, well marked in the progress of this work, as well as that of the Scythian philofophers, from the fame fountain, the house of Japhet, through the family of Magog, &c. Although many records, fuch as the Scythian archeologies, Abaris's oracles, and Icefius's book

I

concerning

concerning myfteries, mentioned by Clem. Alex. are loft, yet we have fufficient evidence, which I have often made. use of in this treatise, to prove the antiquity of both Gomerian and Scythian fages. In a word, all the Northern parts of Europe had their philosophy and learning gradually from the Scythians, as well as their defcent; and the Southern, from the Gomerians.

THEY taught the fame opinions of the renovated ftate of the earth, and of fouls, in both parts; and, Strabo fays, the Turditani, or Boetici, who were the wifeft of the Iberians, had commentaries of antiquity, together with poems, and laws written in verfe, feveral thoufand years old. Who these Iberians were, is explained in another place. Again, the Hetrurians of Italy were a fet of philofophers, who, according to Diod. Sic. applied themfelves to the study of nature, especially the phenomena of the atmosphere, portents and prodigies; befides which, they philofophifed concerning the origin and end of the world, and the time of its duration; infomuch, that upon every unusual appearance in nature, they were always confulted, even by the ftate as well as individuals, and their decifion was held facred, and their advice followed. Who were the Hetrurians, but a race defcended from the first Pelafgi, who went to Italy after the flood? And who were the Pelafgi, but Gomerians and Magogians, from the isles of Elisha and Iberia, which I have sufficiently proved elsewhere? And, in fine, who were these later Hetrufcan philofophers, but a select set of students taught by the druids and, in time, diftinguished by the name Hetrufci; but not till after the Latin language was formed.

IT

Ir would indeed be a fuperfluous, as well as unneceffary, part of this undertaking, to enumerate all the great philofophers, whofe names are to be found in the ancient records of Ireland, among the defcendants of Japhet, in the lines of Gomer and Magog, &c. Their appellations were various, and fo were the sciences they respectively profeffed. In the line of the former, they were poets, chronologers and genealogifts, or antiquaries, musicians, druids. In that of the latter, they were filids, fileas, poets, physicians, antiquaries, muficians, druids and compilers of laws: but yet it was manifeft, from good authority among themselves, as well as modern authors, that they taught other sciences befides these, in both islands, at all times; for they had them from the house of Japhet, their great ancestor.

Milton, an author, who was as full of learning, as he was void of illiberal prejudices, who was an enemy to low fervility, or partial narrow fentiments, and not at all addicted to credulity, tells us, "that learning and fciences were thought, by the best writers of antiquity, to have been flourishing among us, and that the Pythagorean philofophy, and the wisdom of Perfia, had their beginning from this island. So that the druids of the Gomerians, and the filids of the Magogians or Scythians, whether in these islands, or on the continent, were the original fages of Europe in all the sciences from Japhet." And if we pay an attention to what Cæfar afferts, we shall fee that, "in his time, these druids inftructed their youth "in the nature and motion of the stars, in the theory of "the earth, its magnitude, and of the world, and in the

"C power

66 power of the immortal gods," which would seem to imply, that the Romans were not much employed in fuch. fcientific ftudies in his time.

HOWEVER that was, the druids of all Europe grew into. fuch power and ascendency over the minds of the people, • that even the kings themselves paid an implicit flavish obedience to their dictates; infomuch, that their armies. were brave in battle, or abject enough to decline, even the moft advantageous profpects of fuccefs, according to the arbitrary prognosticks of this set of religious tyrants: and their decifions became at last peremptory in civil, as well as in the affairs of religion.

BUT this flavifh conceffion to the wills of the druids never prevailed in Britain or Ireland, notwithstanding the general efteem they were in with the vulgar, because they had schools of philosophy, and their princes were as well versed in the nature of things as their priests; and therefore science gave them liberty to think for themselves. They had always their diffenters from the polytheism of the druids, and their judges fuperintended in civil matters; fo that these had no power in the framing, or adminiftration of the laws; they had a peculiar clafs of men for thefe purposes, as well as for every other branch of science.

AMONG them, there was one in Ireland, fome centuries before. CHRIST, whose name was Conla, the judge of one of the provinces, Conaught, who wrote the hiftory of the whole system of the druids; but his works are lost, and as much to be lamented as any that ever escaped the hands of futurity. But there was one of the kings of Ireland, whofe fame is very great in the annals of that

kingdom,

kingdom, the learned Carmac o' Quin, great in the law and philofophy, who was not afraid to inveigh openly against the corruption and fuperftitions of the druids, and maintained, in his disputations against them, that the original theology confifted in the worship of one Omnipotent Eternal BEING, that created all things; that this was the true religion of their ancestors; and that the numerous gods of the druids, were only objects of abfurdity and superstition. This oppofition, glorious and spirited as it was, proved fatal to the monarch; for as they faw an impending danger of their diffolution, they formed a deep confpiracy against him, and he was murdered. Unhappy fate of good men! Have we not seen, in our time, like fortunes attend brave men, and from the fame kind of influence?

THE druids of the continent never committed their mysteries to writing, but taught their pupils memoriter : whereas, those of Ireland, the Scotif druids, wrote theirs, but in characters different from the common mode of writing: but these were well understood by the learned men, who were in great numbers, and had not only genius, but an ardent inclination to make refearches into science; and therefore they were the more ready to receive the light of the Gospel from Patrick, especially as great numbers continued diffentients, all along, from the fuperftitions of the druidical fyftem: and it was with a general confent, and the applause of the learned, that this apostle committed to the flames almoft two hundred tracts of the pagan myfteries. This was a noble example to the converts every where, who did not fail to follow it, till druidifm was quite extinguished. СНАР.