Non-Hellenic Portion of the Latin Language. 505 



double testimony by his statement, " The Umbrians are a na- 

 tion of Italy, but the offspring of the ancient Gauls." 



The opinion of these learned men that the Umbri were the 

 descendants of the Galli Veteres cannot, of course, be wrested to 

 prove that some very ancient preoccupation of Italy by Gauls took 

 place at a period antecedent to history. The only legitimate 

 inference to be drawn from such a statement is, that they were 

 convinced by some evidence which has not reached us, that the 

 Umbri and " Galli Veteres" were one and the same race. 



It thus becomes an important question to inquire who these 

 " Galli Veteres" were. They certainly could not be the Cisal- 

 pine Gauls who, within the historical period, had crossed the Alps 

 and taken possession of the greatest part of the Vale of the Po. 

 Originally, as we have already seen, the plains of modern Lom- 

 bardy were in the possession of the Umbri. The Tuscans dis- 

 possessed them, and, in their turn, were exterminated by the 

 transalpine invaders. But Ravenna and its vicinity, and the 

 whole of the ancient Venetia, escaped both the Tuscan and Gal- 

 lic yoke. The very same position which made them the last re- 

 source of the Romans of the western empire, defended these for- 

 tresses amongst lagoons and marshes from the assaults of more 

 early invaders. According to Strabo, 1 Ravenna was built by 

 Thessalians, and surrendered to the Umbri. Hence it is called 

 by Pliny 2 a Sabine, that is, an Umbrian town. That Venetia 

 was not conquered by the Tuscans is evident from the fact, that 

 the Veneti were a powerful tribe as late as the year 390 a. c. ; 

 for in that year they made so vigorous an incursion into the ter- 

 ritories of the Gauls, the invaders and captors of Rome, that, 

 according to Polybius, 3 Brennus was induced by this powerful 

 diversion to grant terms to the Romans besieged in the capitol, 



i Strabo, book v. p. 214. 2 Ibid. p. 217. 



2 Strabo. — To h Agi/Aiw OfAfigixwv ufli xaloixia. xa&a. <xeg xai rj Faovevva. 



3 Book xi. cap. 18. 



