20 



over those countries had eftecled, that even iL-j Ciuibiic dia- 

 lects, used by the Danes, Norwegians, Swedes and Icelanders, 

 had not crept into the Irish language, during the attempts of 

 these rovers to subjugate Ireland. And it seems even the more 

 wonderful that it had continued pure, when we take into view 

 the vicinity and long residence of several Belgic tribes on the 

 south-east and west coast of this island. 



On the other hand M. Pezron, in his antiquities of nations, 

 savs that ' tiic Teutonic language hath borrowed much from 

 the Celtic' And in answer to his sixth chapter, in which ho 

 says, ' the Persian language hath borrowed much of the Teu- 

 tonic,' I may apply to IMessrs. Pinkerton and Ledwich the opi- 

 nion of Verstegan, ' by this it may seem, especially to such as 

 have any knowledge in the Dutch tongue, that between that and 

 this, there is no neerenesse of affinitie at all, but as much far- 

 nesse as needeth to be.'^'- 



I have noticed and admitted the residence of Teutonic or Bel" 

 gic tribes, which probably arrived in Ireland soon after the In- 

 carnation •*''■ but that the Gaoill or Britons, who occupied the 

 centre of this island, were of Gothic origin, or, that the Belgse 

 of our coasts had emigrated from the north, I deny. 



With the assistance of an able Irish teacher I have examined 

 the British etymons in Baxter's Glossary from the letter A to 

 E ; the comparison has convinced us, that both languages, the 

 Irish and British, were originally the same ; that the present 

 British in his opinion, the present Irish in mine, have been greatly 

 corrupted from the primitive Celtic. I am also confident that 

 the words, their combination, construction of sentences and idioms 



47. A Restitution of decayed Intelligence in Antiquities, by II. Verstegan, p. 20. 

 •+8. The History of Manchestei^ by tlic Uev. Mr. Whitaker, vol. 2. p. 2il. 



