436 NATURAL HISTORY OF 



Romans, and the Pagan Reguli of native race, "brought 

 in the Caledonians and then the Saxons. So again, the 

 force of 12,000 Britons under Prothamus (Pritham ?), 

 which crossed over to Gaul in 457 to support the Em- 

 peror (Marjoriam ?), stripped the island of its trained 

 defenders, at the time the great Saxon invasion was 

 in progress ;* and lastly, we find the name of Sawel 

 "ben Uchel, with his supporters, probably Belgae, taking 

 part with the Saxons in the overthrow of their own 

 race. 



Language and religious doctrines were likewise 

 different in the three great national divisions of 

 the Celtse. In the north, the name of Druids, or 

 rather Drotne, was a title of civil authority, perhaps 

 even more than religious : the Belgae had no Druids, 

 but Seghers, speakers (sacerdotes of Tacitus) ; nor was 

 the order known in Cisalpine Gaul, nor in the Iberian 

 possessions of the race. Druidism seems to have been 

 evolved on the banks of the Loire, and acquired the 

 higher doctrines in the mining districts of Britain, by 

 intercourse with the Phoenician traders, until it was 

 ready to accept a modified Christianity, like that 

 Aurelius Ambrosius entertained, when he assumed the 

 civil and military authority, with the office of chief 

 Druid and that of Christian Bishop ! 



Though the French nation of the present time is in 

 its vast majority of Celtic origin, there remain only the 



* This expedition may have given rise to the fabulous 

 wars of Arthur on the continent. Prothamus is mentioned 

 by Jornandes, Freculphus, and Sigebert of Gembloux. 



