putting out colonies in almost every direction, which served them at 

 all times as magazines and retreats."* 



The period, however, of the above expedition, is of as little com- 

 parative consequence in the present inquiry, as whether the colony 

 should be called Scythian, ^Egyptian, Phoenician, or Milesian; it is 

 only required to establish, that Ireland was indirectly familiarized with 

 learning, arts, and sciences, as by reflection from the East, although 

 that irradiation might have gone forth at a time when even Phoenicia 

 Avas but in the twilight of her intelligence, might have been dulled by 

 the medium through which it was transmitted, the caste of merchants, 

 the/* intentos mercimoniis" of Ptolemy,-]- or more than all, might 

 have been obscured in its long progress through the barbarism of 

 Spain. That such was the source of illumination, has been (it is 

 thought) established to a certainty greater than could have been 

 expected in a circumstance of such remote antiquity. It is true, there 

 is a certain nebulousness in the regions of inquiry, a doubtful twink- 

 ling in the radiance that pervades it, a deceitful parallax that seems to 

 lead to error, but if antiquaries will apply the telescopic eye of science 

 to the research, they can pierce the element, define the light, and 

 determine the aberration to exactness. 



Yet, if even all these evidences of Phoenician colonization were 

 to fail, proofs can be given of such a subsequent or continuing inter- 

 course with Phoenicia, as might be supposed to exist with a mother 

 country, and would in themselves suffice for the purposes of the 

 alleged civilization. The first inferential testimony, that bears upon 

 this branch of the subject, is derived from the knowledge which the 



* " Us (les Pheniciens) parcoururent successivement les cotes de la Mediterranee, et 

 penetrerentj usque a I'ocean. lis jetterent presque partout des colonies qui leur Bervoient a 

 la fois de magazins et de retraites." — Hist. Ancienne, vol. 1. p. 40. 



f See the passage at the close of this introduction. ' 



