ANCIENT HISTORY. 137 



and diflfolution, in particular, it is indiipenfably 

 neceflary to acquire fome knowledge of thofc 

 ferocious people, who, in the fourth and fifth 

 centuries, over-ttn all Europe, and penetrated 

 even into Africa. But as all thefe people were 

 ins, a kind of favages, without arts or 

 icience, even ignorant of the ufe of letters, and 

 who had always been in a manner vagabonds 

 upon the earth, without city or country, it is 

 evident that they could have no annals, and that 

 all we can lay of their origin and their hiftory 

 muft be a mere collection of conjectures. It is, 

 moreover, impofiible for us to enter here into 

 the labyrinth of learned inquiries ; we mud 

 therefore content ourfelves with piving the names 

 of thcfe people, and merely informing our readers 

 nat they ought to inquire after in this parr 

 of u. 



XV. The great and men \itlon of 



people happt;. .rtl the clofe of the fourth, 



and in the fifth centuries of the Chriitian era. 



A numerous of unknown and barbarous 



nations came, in part from the norrh, partly from 



..Mocotis, and partly from the Kail, by 



^ary and 1'annonia, and entered the pro- 



,at formed the dominion of the empire. 



\\ on each other, to ufe 



the cxprefllon, conflantly impelled all that were 

 TC them, till they at Ufl penetrated the 

 Ibuthern confines 01 



, '-, a weak refinance only, 



put 



