By the Rev. J. L. Ross. 



233 



Wales, after the withdrawing the Roman legions from Britain. 

 The chapter on the Oymbri shews the strong probability, if it does 

 not demonstrate the fact, of their being the same people as the 

 Cimbri who inYaded Gaul ; if they lose anything by being deprived 

 of their supposed Celtic ancestry, they acquire as ancient and glo- 

 rious a one. Their ancestors, the Cimbri, were always illustrious in 

 arms ; often a terror to the mistress of the world, and, eventually, 

 one of her conquerors. It will give them what their triads claim 

 for them — the honour of being the first settlers in Britain ; it will 

 restore to them the undisputed possession of their cherished hero 

 Arthur; it will shew that the existence and acts of that illustrious 

 champion of his country were not fabulous ; in short, it will give 

 the Cimbri an existence in real history, while it only deprives them 

 of an imaginary position which they never occupied. If they were, 

 in a very early age, conquered and expelled from the Southern 

 parts of Britain, and driven to the Northern extremity of the island, 

 by the intruding Phoenician Gael, who, in their turn, were sub- 

 dued and amalgamated with their conquerors the indomitable 

 Romans, they had the honour of resisting, with effect and success, 

 the invincible legions of that haughty and encroaching people, 

 and preserved their independence by their vigorous arms and un- 

 conquerable hearts; and when the time of retribution arrived, 

 their descendants rushed on the Roman province — extended the 

 bounds of Pictavia beyond the wall — re-conquered a part of their 

 ancient possessions, Cumberland, the northern part of England, 

 the beautiful and romantic Cambria and Cornwall, and even secu- 

 red a part of the province of Gaul, which their descendants have 

 kept to this day, from them called Britanny." 



It would appear from Mr. Skeen's elaborate account of the "High- 

 landers of Scotland," that this annihilation of the Picts, if it really 

 occurred to the extent here related, had reference merely to the 

 Vecturiones or Southern division of that race, who under the name 

 and the designation of Piccardach had been long separated from 

 the Northern Cymbri or Picts, known generally as the Dicaledones 

 or Cruithni. This Northern division of the Pictish race, had, we 

 learn from their Chronicles, been for ages at variance with the 



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