incautiously adopted by Keysler[1] and Pelloutier[2], the latter of whom has, with great diligence and skill, endeavoured to confirm it. In short, so much learning and ingenuity have scarcely ever been more perversely and erroneously applied, or brought to adorn and support a more groundless hypothesis. This mistake the Translator thought might be easily corrected in the present work; and by weeding out this one error, he hoped he should obtain the Author's pardon, and acquire some merit with the English Reader[3].
And that it is an error he thinks will appear from the attentive consideration of a few particulars, which can here be only mentioned in brief: For to give the subject a thorough discussion, and to handle it in its full extent, would far exceed the limits of this short Preface.
The ancient and original inhabitants of Europe,
according to Cluverius and Pelloutier, consisted only
of two distinct races of men, viz. the Celts and
Sarmatians; and that from one or other of these, but
chiefly from the former, all the ancient nations of
Europe are descended. The Sarmatians or Sauromatæ,
were the ancestors of all the Sclavonian Tribes, viz.
the Poles, Russians, Bohemians, Walachians, &c.
who continue to this day a distinct and separate people,
extremely different in their character, manners, laws
and language from the other race, which was that of
the Celts; from whom (they will have it) were
uniformly descended the old inhabitants of Gaul,
- ↑ Antiquitates Selectæ Septentrionales et Celticæ, &c. Autore Joh. Georgio Keysler, &c. Hannoveræ 1720. 8vo.
- ↑ Histoire des Celtes, et particulierement des Gaulois et des Germains, &c. par Mr. Simon Pelloutier. Haye 1750. 2 Tom. 12me. This learned Writer, who is a protestant minister, counsellor of the Consistory, and librarian to the academy at Berlin, is descended from a family originally of Languedoc, and was born at Leipsic, 27 October, 1694. O. S. (v. France literaire, Tom. I.)
- ↑ Though the words Gothic or Teutonic are often substituted in the Translation, instead of the Author's favourite word Celtique; yet care has been taken to represent the Author’s own expression in the margin. Sometimes where it was not needful to be very precise, the word Gothic has only been added to the Author's word Celtic; but the insertion is carefully distinguished by inverted commas.
