170 UNIVERSAL ERUDITION. 



Middle Age, and that of Modern Germany. 

 The firft period comprehends the origin of the 

 Germans, whom they fuppofe to be defcended 

 from Tuifcon, or Teuthon, otherwife called Af- 

 canes, the ion of Gomer, the grandibn of Japhet, 

 and great grandfon of Noah. This chief, they 

 lay, began his reign in the year of the world 

 iSi2. It feems likely enough that thefe people 

 took their German name Teutfche from Theuton, 

 and that of Germans, or Gerrnani, appears to 

 be derived from the old German word Gerr, that 

 is, war, and from the word Man, by which they 

 were diftinguifhed as men addicted to war. 

 Their name of Allemands came doubtlefs from 

 Allemannus Hercules, prince of Snabia, who 

 reigned they fay about the year of the world 2399. 

 It is eafy to conceive that all this ancient hiftory 

 muft be obfcure, uncertain and fabulous. The 

 people who inhabited thefe countries ^knew 

 not the ufe of letters : they tranfmitted to their 

 pofterity the memorable aclions of their founders 

 and of the heroes of their country, by hymns 

 and fongs. In the Greek hiftorians, theie na- 

 tions are always confounded under the name of 

 Scythian?, Celts, &c. and it is impoflible to 

 diftinguifh them. The firft knowledge we have 

 of them muft therefore be from the Romans ; 

 who thought them worth the trouble of con- 

 quering, and had connexions with them : and 

 confequently all that we can learn of them muft 

 be drawn from Strabo, Ptolemy, Casfar and Taci- 

 tus : and thefe authors did not even underftand 



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