THE EASTERN ORIGIN OF THE CELTS. 307 



in ancient traditions. "' But Cimber was a distinctively Roman name, 

 and appropriately it appears in connection with. Metellns. The 

 Metelli, however, were Csecilian, and thus add Chalcol to Mahalah 

 and Zimran. It was Csecilius Metellus that threw himself into the 

 flames of the burning temple of the Vestals, and thus acquired im- 

 mortal fame. "° The name Yestal, derived from Hestia and supposed 

 to connect with the Persian A vesta, I have already associated with 

 Ishod. A famous Vestal was Emilia. Her virtue being doubted, 

 she threw her veil into the sacred embers, and the fire kindled of its 

 own accord."^ This fire, which was allowed to die away on the last 

 day of the year, is the fire in which the mother of Meleager consumed 

 the fatal billet and thus terminated his life. At Festi in Latiiim the 

 Sabine sacrifices called Ambarvia were ofiered, and these Strabo asso- 

 ciates with the story of Romulus the son of a Vestal. ''*^ Amulius, 

 another form of Mahalah, who caused his niece to become a Vestal, 

 cannot be foreign to our subject. The ^milian gens, although dis- 

 tinct from that of the Metelli, may have descended thi-ough another 

 branch of Mahalah's family. It was Sabine, and Mamercus, a name 

 derived from Mamers the Sabine god of war, was its ancestor."^ 

 Mamers or Mamercus is Mamre, the uncle of Zimran. Enyalius, 

 Milo and Thurius were other names of the Sabine Mars, indicating 

 that Mahalah and Darda kept up his martial character."* The stoiy 

 of Manlius Torquatus I have already referred to as connecting ver- 

 bally with other legends of a similar character. Manlius is a form 

 of Mahalah, and Torquatus, of Darda. ^*^ Dracon in Greek denoted 

 a necklace as well as a dragon. The Dracse or water sprites of 

 Gervase of Tilbury, referred to by Mr. Cox as enticing children into 

 their power by the semblance of gold rings floating upon the water, 

 may relate to the same word as torque and dracon."^ Sabinum 

 exhibited its Zimrite afiinities in Simbruinee, Vestini, Adria, Mesuia. 

 Mandela and Cucullum. In Samnium we find Imbrivium, Histonium. 

 Meles, Aquilonis, Eculanum and Aquilonia. 



133 iEueid, X. 391, ix. 6S5. He also meutions Tliymbris' and TliymbrKus, Trojans. 



1^0 Banier, ii. 569-70. 



"1 lb. 



3*2 Strab. V. 3, 2 



1*3 Festus, sub. voc, iEmil. 



1** Banier, ii. 319. 



i« It is not enough to say that the stories of Torquatus and Malachi belong to comparativeiy 

 late periods of Roman and Irish history respectively, in order to debtroy the foree of the con- 

 nection ; for the legend of Tell, and others which belong to the Christian era, have been proved 

 adaptations of old traditions. 



"5 Aryan Mythology, ii. 116 note. 



