[ 28 ] 
Our romantic hiftory is much later; almoft. every page in 
* Keating fupplies new proofs. Thus he informs us, “ when 
“ Milefius arrived in Spain he found the Spaniards in the 
“ moft deplorable circumftances, over-run by Goths, who with 
“ other foreigners ranfacked the whole country. He fummoned 
* all his Gadelians, defeated the Goths in fifty-four battles, and 
“ quite drove them out of the kingdom.” This perverted piece 
of hiftory evidently refers to the expulfion of the Saracens from 
Spain in the beginning of the fixteenth century. It admits of 
the cleareft proof, that the fifteenth and fixteenth centuries were 
the ages fruitful in fuppofitious writings. In thefe periods the 
celebrated literary impoftures of Berofus, Philo, Cato, Hector 
Boethius and others appeared. ‘Trithemius, an ecclefiaftic of 
fome learning in the fifteenth century, gives a plaufible lift of 
ideal French princes from their firft departure from Troy, which 
he affures us was taken from an ancient author named Huni- 
bald. Frederic, elector of Saxony, writ to Trithemius, requefting 
Hunibald might be fent to him, but Trithemius had no way 
to fcreen his forgery and evade a compliance, but by faying, 
he was not in pofleflion of the MS. having changed his refidence 
from Hitchau to Wurtzburg, fo that it was juftly concluded, 
“ Que cet auteur pretendu eft de la propre fabrique de Tri- 
“ theme.” t : 
Wuoever will confult Florian del Campo, Tarapha, Pedro Mexia, 
Pineda, and other Spanifh chroniclers, will quickly perceive that 
they 
* Supra, p. 43+ 
+ Recueil de diy. pieces par Leibulz; Clarke, &c. tom. II. p, 287. 
