( 2g ) 



Great Britain, Ireland, and the Orcades, appear 

 alfo to the learned Fleming, extremely proper for 

 founding a like conjecture in favour of North Ame- 

 rica ; he relates on this head, what is recorded in 

 the hiftory of Wales, written by Dr. David Powel, 

 under the year 1 1 70. Madoc, fays this hiftorian, 

 one of the fons of prince Owen Gwynnith, being 

 tired and difgufted with the civil wars which broke 

 out between his brothers after the death of their 

 father, fitted out feveral veiTels, and after providing 

 them with every thing neceffary for a long voyage, 

 went in queft of new lands to the weft ward of Ire- 

 land •> there he difcovered very fertile countries, 

 and deftitute of inhabitants ; wherefore, landing a 

 part of his people, he returned to Britain, where he 

 made new levies, and afterwards tranfported them 

 to his colony. Laet feems to rely much on this 

 ftory, and concludes from it, that the like enter- 

 prizes might poffibly have been carried into execu- 

 tion from all the Britannic iflands. It were to be 

 wifhed, adds he, that fome perfons had applied 

 themfelves to compare the languages of fome parts 

 of America with thofe of Ireland and Wales. 



From thence he comes to the Scythians,, and 

 draws a parallel of their manners with thofe of the 

 Scythians; firft, he proves, by the teftimony of Pliny, 

 that this name was formerly common to all the na- 

 tions living in the north of Afia and Europe ; that 

 it was even fometimes given to the Sarmatians and 

 Germans, although it was afterwards reftrained to 

 the nations inhabiting the northern extremities of 

 the two continents, where feveral of them have 

 been for a long time unknown to the reft of the 

 world. Fie pretends, that amongft thofe, many 

 were Anthropophagi, that all of them might have 

 fent colonies into America and that if it be object- 

 ed, 



