150 Mr. planta’s Account of 
of that name even after this aera, yet upon examining 
impartially what is given us for that language in this 
period, it will be found fo different from the Romance 
of the ninth century, that to trace it any further would 
be both a vain and an extravagant purfuit. 
Admitting, however, the univerfal ufe of the Romance 
all over France down to the twelfth century, which no 
French author hath yet doubted or denied; and allowing 
that what the writers of thofe times fay of the Gallic k 
to be underftood of the Romance, as appears from chro- 
nological proofs, and the expreflions of feveral authors 
prior to the fifth century who, by diftinguifhing the 
Gallic both from the Latin and the Celtic , plainly indi- 
cate that they thereby mean the Romance, thofe being 
the only three languages which, before the invafion of 
the Franks, could pofffbly have been fpoken, or even 
underftood in Gaul : admitting thefe premifes, I fay, it 
neceffarily follows, that the language introduced into 
England under Alfred, and afterwards more univerfally 
eftabliflied by edward the Confeffor, and william the 
Conqueror, muft have been an emanation of the Ro- 
mance, very near akin to that of the abovementioned 
oath, and confequently to that which is now fpoken in 
the Alps. 
The intercourfe between Britain and Gaul is known 
to have been of a very early date ; for even in the firft 
( u ) Fidei comm ilia quocunque Sermone relinqui poffunt, non folum Latino 
vel Graeco, fed etiam Punico vel Galllcano . Digeft. 1 . xxii. tit. 1. § 11. 
Tu autcm vel Ctltice, vel fi mavis Galilee , loqircre. si;lp. sev. Dial. i. § 6. 
filb fin. 
century 
