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duals and nations feek for honour and unfading remembrance by: 
perfonal defert and patriotic exertion. 
A 
Fama manet fatti: pofito velamine currunt : 
-Et memorem famam, quod bene ceffit, habet. 
Britons, at this day, arrogate no pride from being defcended 
from Trojans, and yet it is a curious and no ufelefs fpeculation to 
inveftigate the origin of that notion, for its developement and 
dete@tion are ftrong and flattering proofs of the good fenfe and 
extenfive erudition of the prefent age. Mr. Warton has fuccefs- 
fully * inftituted fuch an inquiry into the fabulous Antiquities of 
England : Nor are the principles he lays down and the arguments 
he ufes lefs applicable to Ireland, for the fame {pirit of romantic 
fiGion. pervades the early hiflory of each country. Encouraged, 
therefore, by his example, and countenanced by his refpetable 
authority, I fhall endeavour to deduce our Bardic tales and hif- 
torical romances from fources which he has happily opened. How 
imperfect foever thefe obfervations may be, fome of them, per- 
haps the whole, may fuggeft to fuperior abilities a more perfe@ 
plan for future execution. If they in the leaft contribute to 
remove vulgar errors, I fhall fully attain the obje& of my 
withes. 
Wuen the Saracens entered Spain in the beginning of the 
eighth century, with the revival of Greek literature they intro- 
duced a knowledge of. the fciences and arts before but little 
ftudied, in many places not heard of, in Weftern Europe. From 
the 
* Hiftory of Englith Poetry, Vol. I. Diff 1. 
