ANCIENT AND MODERN CEJLT, 373 



aotlces of the Belgse and other continental tribes, seemingly most 

 nearly allied to others of south Britain, the Germanic or Celti-c 

 affinities of which have ifeeen made the subject of much controversy 

 among modern ethnologists. In the previous book* Caesar expressly 

 ■states that, while the inhabitants of Britain are regarded as a,borigineS5 

 the sea coast is occupied by tribes derived from the country of the 

 Belgas, and bearing names corresponding to those of the states they 

 ^came from. Strabo describes the Britons of about the commencement 

 •of the following century^ in part from observations made on some of 

 their young men seen by him at Rome ; and he discriminates between 

 them and the Gauls, assigning to the latter yellow-hair, a fairer com- 

 plexion, and smaller stature, than their insular neighbours.* This 

 suggests a comparison with the description of the Caledonians given 

 by Tacitus, in which he notes the huge stature and red hair of the 

 latter, and recognises in them an approximation to the German type.* 

 'The Silures, or West Britons, on the contrary, he contrasts both with 

 them and the southern tribes, as eolo7'ati vultus et torti plerumque 

 ^•erines^ they were of florid, or, rather in this case, dark complexion, 

 with abundance of curly locks ; and to this Jornandes adds that the 

 liair was black. They thus contrasted very strikingly both with the 

 siorthern and southern tribes ; and Tacitus, in referring to an Iberian 

 ■origin ascribed to them, adds the probable confirmation arising from 

 the position of their country, standing as it does opposite to Spain. 

 To the southern Britons alone, a common origin with the Gauls was 

 assigned 4 though Tacitus himself recognises the correspondence be- 

 !€ween the whole of those insular tribes and the continental Gauls, in 

 acustoms, language, and religious rites ; and obviously attaches more 

 importance to these points of agreement, than to those of physical 

 difference^ 



The allusions to varieties of physical character, are so far valuable, 

 though deficient in many important details. Virgil, Claudian, and 

 other poets repeat them, but without enlarging their details, or adding 

 to their credibility; and when every reference has been carefully 

 weighed, it is surprising how little that is definite can really be inferred 

 fceyond the one important fact that considerable diversity prevailed, 

 So vague is all that can be deduced from such references, that Nieb- 



* Bell. Gall. lib. v. c. 12. 



f Sirabo, lib. iv. 



J VM, Agricola^ c. zL 



