74 



June, Weyd-monat ; because their beasts then did iveyd or feed 

 in the meadows, 



July, Heu or hcy-monat ; liay month. 



August, Arn-monat ; more rightly, barn-monat ; because they 

 then filled their barnes with corn. 



September, Erst-monat ; or barley month. 



October, Wyn-monat; because in this month they got wines 

 from foreign countries. 



November, Wint-monat ; wind month, when sea-faring men 

 usually shrowded themselves at home, (notwithstanding the little- 

 nesse of their then used voyages,) untill the blustering March had 

 bidden them well to fare. 



December, Winter-monat ; but, after the Saxons received Cliris- 

 tianity, they termed it Heligh-monat, or holy month. 



' Some of the Germans, in their several provinces, did somewhat 

 vary from the others, in some of these moneths appellations ; and 

 our ancestors came in time to imitate from the French the names by 

 us now used.' 



The numeral characters used by the Irish are Roman and Arabic, 

 and consequently derived from the Britons. 



The continued change of place to bua'ilies, and consequent un- 

 settled state of the lower orders ; tlieir ignorance of the Latin 

 language, which was anciently the only medium of instruction in 

 Irish seminaries ; their barbarity in the early and middle ages, 

 conjoined with idleness and other vices ; are adverse to the opi- 

 nion of education having been ever general in Ireland. 



The greater part of Ireland having been peopled before the 

 arrival of the Romans in Britain, we cannot suppose they were 

 distinguished by any higher degree of mental attainment than the 



