416 NATURAL HISTORY OF 



if we judge the affinity of nations by their mode of 

 building with huge stones, even the Etruscans were in 

 part of this stock, the rest being Illyrian or Finnic, as 

 we have already noticed. The Pelasgian element, no 

 doubt, furnished the basis of all the arts and legends, 

 which we find they possessed in an eminent degree ; 

 and the huge stone built ramparts of many cities in 

 Italy, as well as Epirus, Greece, Crete, and Asia 

 Minor, attest the work of kindred civilization. Among 

 these, Rome itself was a frontier fortress in the Cam- 

 pania, not improbably known by a name equivalent to 

 Valentia, before it received the present denomination, 

 which, it may be observed, means the same thing in 

 one of the dialects spoken among the Latin tribes. 

 Valentia was probably derived from the same root as 

 Vallum and the Teutonic Walle. The Pelasgians left 

 also colonies at Norba, and among the Volsci, Hernici, 

 Marsi, and Sabini, tribes having all names and cha- 

 racteristics of a Getic infusion in their dialects, and 

 indications which show, like the first named in parti- 

 cular, affinity with the Belgic Gauls, chiefly with the 

 Volsci, Tectosages, and Arecomici. The word Volsci, 

 Velkoa, Wilci, Teutonic Volke, is generical for people ; 

 and the different tribes had each a particular designa- 

 tion. That of Italy was known by the appellation of 

 Aurunci, from Awe, the Vale, or open country ; and 

 the two others, as above, had names equally resolvable 

 into Teutonic meanings. Nor is this singular, since 

 Teutames is the oldest known hero of the Pelasgian 

 race who ruled on the coast of Caria ; and Hera, a 



