228 



The Picts. 



our Chronicles do testify, how that the Britaynes had always great 

 familiarity with the Northern Germans, as it is like enough that 

 the British Cymbri passed over into Denmark, whereby it was 

 called Cymbrica, and so joining with the Almayns, made war upon 

 the Romans, &c, &c. And to confirm all this, I read late, in a 

 most ancient fragment in the British tongue, how that, long since, 

 there departed a very great army of Britayns into Denmark, which 

 after many valiant wars, in most parts of the worlde, never returned 

 again. " This hypothesis would seem to indicate that Britain had 

 been peopled at some very early period by a race which had at the 

 same time colonized Germany, from which great seat of the Teu- 

 tones, and particularly Denmark and Jutland, emigrations took place 

 to the Northern and Southern divisions of Britain, long previous 

 to the invasion of the Saxons under Hengist and Horsa. 1 



From the former or Caledonian Cymbri, in whom we are at pre- 

 sent more particularly interested, were derived the Welsh, the 

 Cornish, and the Armoricans or Britons, a race still inhabiting 

 Brittany and speaking a language of a nature kindred to the 

 Welsh. These Cymbri having been compelled to forsake Jutland 

 or the Cymbric Chersonesus, owing to an irruption of the sea 

 which devastated their country, seem to have divided into two 

 great bodies, the one of which attempted a settlement in Italy, 

 from which they were driven by Marius, and afterwards obtained 

 some footing in Gaul, while the other division landed in Britain, 

 then or more probably at a much earlier period, and became the 

 principal opposers of Caesar after he had triumphed over the Belgae 

 or Silures, an Iberian race, who inhabited the Southern Maritime 

 districts, These Silures or Belgae are usually considered to be a 

 Celtic race, closely connected with the Gauls or Celts on the oppo- 

 site coast, and may in all probability have been a detachment of 

 Phoenicians, who at an early period discovered and subsequently 

 colonized the more Southern districts of Britain. They were of a 

 dark olive complexion and curly hair, the reverse of the Cimbri 

 or Teutonic races, who were of a lighter hue and had fairer hair. 

 Tacitus' remarks are as follows : — 



1 Sir W. Betham, p. 387. 



