132 On the Ancient HELLENES. 



occurs in Homer, and indeed very ra rely in other Greeku- 

 thors. Aristotle, fpeaking of the inundation of TheflTaly 

 in the reign of Deucalion, is, I believe, the mod ancient 

 writer who mentions that name *. 



Pliny, in the beginning of his defcription of Greece, in- 

 forms us, that Graecia was the name given by the Romans to 

 that region. " Ah IJlhmi angujiiis Hellas incipit, noftris Graecia 

 " appellata f." The word Grtfcia was peculiar to the Romans ; 

 for we never meet with the word r^a<*<a in any Greek author. As 

 Homer never ufes the word Tgouzoi, we may juftly conclude, that 

 it was become obfolete in his days. Whence then did the Ro- 

 mans borrow this Gentile appellation ? According to Dionysi- 

 us of Halicarnaflus J, a coniiderable body of the Pelafgi, expel- 

 led from ThefTaly by Deucalion, after hovering fome time 

 about Dodona, crofled over into Italy, and pofleffed themfelves 

 of a coniiderable part of that country. Thefe Pelafgi carried 

 over the name Tgcunoi and T^xixta, into Italy at that early pe- 

 riod, and the Romans, a people by no means fond of innova- 

 tions, retained it to the laft. 



Hesychius informs us, that T^aiu fignifies the earth, and 

 like wife Ceres. Every body knows, that the ancient Heathens 

 looked upon the earth as the molt ancient of beings. By con- 



fequence, 



* Hty.ev yug »i HzMoi tirxvSu, xai *t xxXefAtvoi t«ts mi Tpuiy.oi, wt St 'EAAiju?. Meteor. 

 Lib. i. cap. 14. Ltcophron, an author who affedts the antique ftyle, calls Protesilaos 

 Tfctixav agi»Toc, Alex. 53 2, an d in another place he fays, — T^aiKOKrn, xftntfia^ n rots Ejs;^- 

 Swj. lb. 138. Upon this place Tzetzes has the following obfervation, — rgaixsi yx% 

 ireoTtpov o» t»s 'EX*a&5 txaXnire. Georgius Syncellus to the fame purpofe, — 'EaAjjh £»«{ 

 Aiv*.a.\twyo<; ey»«gi£«To atp' « *EA>>)ve$ 0/ T^atx-tt fttTUcM^riffat. Edit. Par. p. 153. Edit. Ven. 

 p. 122. Hesychius is of opinion, that the word was changed by the Romans. P*ik«j, 

 *£aa»f. Pa/juatoi h ro y 7r£oo§ivri<; Tjaixon <pa<ri. In voce P«»x©-. But this conjc&ure is 

 evidently falfe. See Alberti's Edit, of Hesychius, Vol. ii. p. 1098. 



•)• Lib. iv. cap. 7. 



% Lib. i. p. 13. Edit. Stbph* 



