SCYTHIANS. 



monly, though crroneoudy, called, Tartars. (See Tar- 

 tars.) With regard to the etymology of the name of 

 Scythians we have many different conjeftures. Pliny feems 

 to intimate, that this appellation is derived from Sacai, a 

 people known by a fimilar name to the Greeks and Per- 

 fians. Bryant deduces it from Cuthia. Colonel Vallancey 

 traces its origin to words denoting navigation : others de- 

 rive it from the Greek word ctxi/^-j-jki, which exprefies the 

 fiercenefs of their countenance and natural temper ; and 

 others again deduce it from the Teutonic word fcheten or 

 Jhuten, to fiorjt, in which art this nation is faid by Hero- 

 dotus, Lucian, and others, to be fo expert, that the name 

 is given them on that account, the word Scytliian properly 

 fignifying a great Jhoolcr or archer. As the Tartars and 

 Mufcovites called themfelves Mogli, fuppofed to be an ab- 

 breviation of Magogli, the fons of Magog ; that of Scy- 

 thian might be either given to them by other nations, or 

 perhaps by the Celtes, whofe language did not originally 

 much differ from the Scythian or Teutonic. Sir WiUiam 

 Jones obferves, that neither Scythian nor Tartar is a name 

 by which the people now under our confideration have ever 

 diftinguifhed themfelves. 



The Scythians have been confidered by fome writers, 

 with regard to their antiquity and origin, as the fame 

 people with the Gomerians, and as being the defcendants of 

 Gomer, the eldeft fon of Japhet. To this purpofe Hero- 

 dotus, Ptolemy, and Jullin have called the Scythians, who 

 emigrated into Afia, by fome names, and attributed fome 

 aftions and places to them, which, upon clofer examina- 

 tion, are found to have belonged to the Celtes or Gome- 

 rians, whom they had driven out of their European terri- 

 tories. Strabo informs us, that the old Greek hiftorians 

 gave the name of Scythians and Celto-Scythians to all the 

 inhabitants of the northern regions, though it is plain that 

 many of them were properly Celtes or Gomerians. And 

 he alfo adds, that fome of thofe people who inhabited 

 beyond the Cafpian fea, which fhould be the Scythians, 

 were, by the fame Greek hiftorians, called Sacx, and 

 others Maffagetae, though the former of thefe names, at 

 leaft, belonged only to the Celtes. Hence many learned 

 men have chofen to reckon them as one people, branched 

 out into that variety of names and charafters, under which 

 they are diftinguiflied in hiltory. See Celts. 



Jofephus, who affirms the Scythians to be defcended 

 from Magog, the next brother of Gomer, has been fol- 

 lowed by many of the fathers, and by many moderns, be- 

 caufe they could find no better authority. In the migra- 

 tion of thefe ancient tribes into Europe, if Gomer's de- 

 fcendants turned towards the N.W., thofe of Magog may 

 be reafonably fuppofed , to have fpread themfelves towards 

 the N.E. into both Scythias, where we find the ancient 

 Mufcovites or Tartarians ; diftinguifhed by the name of 

 Mogli, corrupted or abbreviated poffibly from Magogli, 

 the fons of Magog. To thefe conjeftures it may be 

 added, that there is fcarcely a nation under heaven, that 

 fo fully anfwers the fierce and dreadful charadter which 

 the Scriptures give us of Gog and Magog, as that of 

 the barbarous Scythians ; though in faft this charafter 

 was too applicable to their neighbours in thofe early 

 ages. 



Sir Ifaac Newton is of opinion, that both the Celtes 

 and Scythians had fpread themfelves over Leffer Afia and 

 Europe, before the year of the flood 1220, that is, about 

 the latter period of the Ifraelitifh judges. How foon the 

 Scythians began to eftablifh a regular government, and 

 what kind of government it was, it is impoffible even to 

 conjefture. It appears, however, from the teftimony of 



Herodotus, that one or two tribes at leaft, that is, the royal 

 and free Scythians, were under a kind of monarchy, and 

 that thefe two diftinguifhed themfelves more than all the 

 others. Herodotus informs us, that in procefs of time, 

 when the .Scythians were likely to be invaded by Dariu?, 

 their king, dreading the invader, invited all the Scythian, 

 princes, i)/z. thofe of the Taurians, Agathyrfians, Neu« 

 rians, Androphagi, Melanchlxnians, Budiaris, and Sarma- 

 tians, to unite in giving him aflillancc. All thefe tribes 

 feem to have been branches of the fame flock, but differing 

 much in their manners and cuftoms. In confequence or 

 this application, the three laft named nations joined with 

 the king of Scythia, but the others refufed to fuccour him, 

 alleging that he was the firll aggreffor. Hence we may 

 conclude, that they had emancipated themfelves from the 

 yoke of the royal Scythians fome time before. As to what 

 the laws of the royal and free Scythians were, we may form 

 fome judgment from the excellent character that is given of 

 them by ancient hiftorians. Juftin (lib. ii. cap. z.) gives 

 the following account of them. The Scythians were a 

 nation, which, though inured to labour, fierce in war, and 

 of prodigious ftrcngth, could neverthelcfs fo controul their 

 paffions, that they made no other ufe of viftories than to 

 increafe their fame. Theft among them was reckoned fo 

 great a crime, and was fo fevercly punifhed, that they could 

 let their numerous flocks wander from place to pl.ice without 

 danger of lofing tliem. Thefe they eUeemed their greateft 

 wealth, living upon their milk, and clothing themfelves 

 with their llvins. Inftead of houfes, they ufed to convey 

 their wives and children about in covered waggons, drawn 

 either by horfes or oxen, and made capacious enough to 

 carry all their other furniture. Gold, filver, diamonds, 

 pearls, and other coftly ftones, were as much defpifed by 

 them, as they were eftecmed by other nations, fo that they 

 could not covet that which was of no ufe. What is ftill more 

 wonderful, thofe virtues, which the Greeks in vain endea- 

 voured to attain by learning and philofophy, were natural 

 to them, and they reaped thofe advantages from their igno- 

 rance of vice, which the others could not derive from their 

 knowledge of virtue. A nation of this charafter and way 

 of life could therefore want but few laws to fccure their 

 property ; fome others tlicy had with relation to religion, 

 cuftoms, and polity, which forbade, under pain of death, 

 any alteration in either ; which excluded their women from 

 the benefit of marriage, and every man from allifting at 

 their royal feaft, till he had killed an enemy. Some other 

 of their laws we fhall have occafion to mention in the fequel. 

 Upon the whole, what appears of them feems wholly cal- 

 culated to prevent luxury, fraud, and covetoufnefs, and to 

 chcrifh that martial fpirit, for which they are fo Juftly famed 

 in hiftory. 



Some of the Scythian tribes, indeed, bear a quite dif- 

 ferent charafter, being reprefentcd of fuch fierce and cruel 

 dilpoCtion, as even to eat the flefli of their enemies. Thofe, 

 if under the fame government, were at fuch great dittance 

 from the centre of it, as to be out of the reach of its laws. 

 As the inclemency of the air in thefe remote regions might 

 probably incline them to cruelty ; fo the diltance and bar- 

 rennefs of their country might make them lefs heeded, and 

 probably more incapable of being reftrained by the com- 

 mon regulations of fociety. However, it muft be owned, 

 with refpeft to the warlike temper even of the true Scy- 

 thians, that it was not without a mixture of cruelty, if 

 they have not been wilfully raifreprefented by the Greek 

 hiftorians. 



If we may reafon from fome fuccellions we find men- 

 tioned in hiftory, it feems their crovra was hereditary, and , 



9 y^^ 



