382 



and the crimes of rulers; and to these may be added others productive of 

 an unusual calamity — a great drought, which lasted twenty-six years, 

 during which time no rain fell.-'" 



The holy King Abidis," as he is designated by Pra Greronimo in his 

 work, " Cadix lUustrada Emporio de el Orbe" (foL, Amster., 1690, 

 p. 16), is said to have succeeded the King Gargaris, and to have occu- 

 pied the throne of Spain to the year 1122 before the Christian era. . . . 

 *'It was after his death took place the great drought for the space of 

 twenty-six years, during which time reigned David in Jerusalem. I^o 

 rain having fallen in Spain during this time, all the rivers were dried 

 up, with the exception of the Ebro and Guadalquivir. The calamity 

 having ceased, the people who had fled returned, and came back accom- 

 panied by people of several countries, attracted by the rumours of pre- 

 cious metals having been found in the Pyrenean mountains, in which 

 great conflagrations had occurred at that time, and left the ore ex- 

 posed in the burned soil."| 



The Annales de El Eeyno de Gallicia," by Don Francisco 

 Huerta y Yega (4to, Santiago, 1733), contains the history of Gallicia 

 from the entrance of the Eomans into Spain to the end of the domina- 

 tion of the Suevi, and commences at the period that the chronicle of 

 St. Isidore terminates. Strange to say, this author discards in toto the 

 fabulous Berosus and Manetho of John Annius de Yiterbo. His work is 

 the most valuable of all the Spanish chronicles. 



" We have here," says Huerta y Yega, " to point out a grave error 

 of Hector Boetius, historian of the Scots, who states that a certain 

 Gatelo, son of Cecrops, King of Athenas, having come into Spain, had 

 established himself at Braga, which he called Porto Gatelli, thus desig- 

 nating it as being the place of his arrival; from which name that pro- 

 vince and the rest of Lusitania in subsequent times was called Portugal. 

 Gatelo founded the city of Brigantia and ^^ovio, which the same author. 

 Hector Boetius, further proceeds to inform us, is now named Compos- 

 tella.+ . . . 



"On the subject of the colonization of Escocia (Ireland), various 

 fabulous relations have been put forth by Hector Boetius (lib. i., ''Hist. 

 Scot."), who asserts that a certain Gatelo, son of Cecrops, King of Athens, 

 had gone into Egypt, and from that country had passed into Spain, ac- 

 companied by his wife, Scota, daughter of Pharoah, King of Egypt. 



''This writer, Hector Boetius, says, 'that the people of Gallicia having 

 chosen Gatelo for their king, he governed with great rectitude; and that 

 the said Gatelo having two sons, Emeco and Ihero, he sent them into Ire- 

 land, in which country Emeco remained, and Ibero returned to Spain to 

 succeed his father, then recently deceased.' He adds, moreover, ' that to 

 Ibero succeeded his son Metelo, who had two sons, one named Hermoneo 



* Quintana, "Plist. de I'Antiquedad de Madrid," p. 5. 

 t "Cadix Illustrada," par Fra Geronimo, p. 16. 

 X Huerta y Vega, " Annales de Galicia," p. 7. 



