"Eivin, Ossian, is my name, I moved from the "howls of dogs; many a fine haired youth of most "beautiful complexion, of yellowest golden hair " and bluest eye, I left on the hill of boars, who "would this night give food to my dog."

We shall conclude these observations as to the similarity of the stature and colour of the ancient Gauls and Gael of Britain, with the words of Ammianus Marcellinus: "Celsioris staturæ "et candidi pene Galli sunt omnes, et rutili.”. "The Gauls are almost all of a fair complexion, "red haired, and of a larger stature," it may be added as the author's meaning, "than the Ro"mans."

IDENTITY OF PEOPLE INFERRED FROM THE
USE OF WARLIKE WEAPONS.

THE armour of the ancient Gauls is described by Strabo and Diodorus Siculus. The similarity of weapons carried by the ancient Caledonians to those of the Gauls is remarkable: The swords used by both were large without sharp points, and their shields were similar. There are enumerated a variety of warlike instruments which

* Lib. xv. c. 12.

the Gauls used in battle; among these was the lance, which, according to Diodorus, they called lonchoi or lankia. The original word is still preserved by the Gael. Lann signifies now commonly the blade of a sword, though it appears that was not its original and only signification, for a pikeman was called lannsaighe or lannsaich, which expresses literally a pike pusher or thruster. Lannadh is significant of the exercise of warlike instruments for destruction, implying what is in English understood by the expression put to the sword. An arrow is saghit: The Latins preserved the Gaelic name in their sagitta. Sath signifies to thrust or push; giota signifies appendage or addition.

Ancient authors have communicated the names of warlike instruments used by the Gauls, which seemed to be peculiar to them. The Gallic name for a sword is not mentioned in any author, so far as we know. The Roman gladius is the claidh of the Gael. Varro derives the word gladius from clades, slaughter: both bear a close affinity to the Gaelic words for sword and slaughter or conquest. Claoidh is to vanquish; cloidhte, overcome, vanquished. In making remarks upon the names which occur in ancient authors for the warlike weapons of the Gauls, we shall take the aid of that most respectable and learned antiquarian Camden, who, in support of his opinion respecting the descent of the Welsh people from the Gauls, directs attention to a variety of

words used in the Welsh language, as á proof of the ancient Britons being of Gaulish extraction. It is curious to observe, how much the Gaelic language, as spoken in the Highlands of Scotland and in Ireland, aids and illustrates the learned Camden's observations drawn from the Welsh language.

CAMDEN'S Brit." Servius tells us, that valiant "men were by the Gauls called gessi;* and guass"dewr among the Britons signifies a stout and "valiant man." Camden's Annotator remarks, that givas signifies a servant, and guasdewr, a

stout servant.

We are told by Servius, that the Gauls called brave men gasi: "Gæsos quoq. Galli appella"bant viros fortes." VIRG. Æn. viii. 662. What sort of weapon the gæsum of the Gauls was, whether a spear or a missile weapon, it is not agreed among the learned. These words of

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Cæsar, "Hostes ex omnibus partibus, signo dato, "decurrere; lapides, gæsaque in vallum conji"cere," seem to decide the question in favour of the opinion, that gæsum was a missile weapon, having been thrown, as were stones, into the trenches of the enemy. Livy distinguishes this weapon from the spear, when he describes the

Gauls as "gæsis binis armati." The circumstance of being armed with two missile weapons

* GÆSUM.

+ Bell. Gal. B. iii. c. 4.

B. viii. 8. B. ix. 36.

excluded not the use of a spear or sword in close fight. Hand-grenades communicated the name of grenadiers to a certain portion of the modern armies of Europe, though soldiers of that description were not limited to the use of those missile weapons.

It is to be presumed, that with the establishment of the Roman government in Gaul, the use of the Gailic warlike weapons gave way to those of the Romans. That, however, the Gael of Albion were well acquainted with the instrument called by the Romans gæsum, the Gaelic language furnishes ample testimony. It may be observed, that the Greek authors called this weapon gaisos and gaison; and there can be no doubt with respect to the Roman pronunciation of the word, the difference of the Greek and Roman pronunciation consisting only in the termination of the word. The two vowels a e, though written commonly in Latin as the sign of a diphthong, imply not necessarily that they were pronounced as a coalition of vowels forming one sound. In the gaison of the Greeks and the gasum of the Latins, there is reason to infer, that the vowels a e in the one, as well as a i in the other, were both equally heard in pronunciation.

It is not to be doubted, that both the Greeks and Romans, in pronouncing Gallic words, preserved, as nearly as their organs of speech, accustomed to the pronunciation of their own languages, easily admitted, the Gallic sound of the

word attempted to be imitated, with the addition of their lingual terminations. Hence, suppose the word in the language of the Gauls was gaise, the Greeks would call it gaisos or gaison, and the Latins gæsum. The Gaelic word for that warlike weapon was lost with its use, but its name is preserved in a variety of words. Gaisge signifies valour; gaisgeach, a valiant man ; gaisgeal, gaisgeanta, in a valiant manner, valiantly. Thus, then, it is evident, that at some remote period the Cimmerich of South Britain, the Gael of North Britain, and the Gael of Ireland, used the Gallic warlike weapon called by: the Greeks gaison, by the Romans gæsum; and that it was known among the ancient Britons universally by the same name as was applied to it by the continental Gauls.

CAMDEN'S Brit." As phalanx was the proper name of a legion among the Macedonians, so was caterva among the Gauls, as you may see "in Vegetius. Nor is this word yet out of date among our Britons, who term a troop caturfa, "and war, kad, and the warlike strength of a "legion, caderne; in some copies of Vegetius "it is read caterna."

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Annotator." To this kad may not improperly "be referred cateia, which was a sort of warlike weapon among the Gauls, as you have it in "Isidore. Katyrva, or katerva, at this day "denotes in British an infinite number: but for

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merly, it is probable, it signified a vast army;