ENG 
hordes, which proceeding from the northern regions /of 
Afia^the wilds of Phrygia and Scythia, had dilfolved the 
petty dates which the primeval condition of fociety had 
formed, and made themfelves lords of Europe. Amid 
this.confufion, and cladiing interefts of nations, it is al- 
nioft impollible to trace any regular feries' of authenti¬ 
cated events, Yet, as the hiftory ( f ancient times is not 
wholly loff, and as the obfeure and imperfeft records in 
which it is preferved, may tlirow fome light on the tur¬ 
bulent t ran fail: ions of that rude and illiterate age, it may 
not be uninterefting thus to notice them. 
As in later times the Belgic fettlers in England were 
fubdned by the northern Saxons, fo the Celtic colony from 
the foutil was vanquished by the Cimbri of the north, the 
ancedors of the Weldv,- who ftyle themfelves Cymri, and 
their language Cymraig, to this day. The original Gaelic 
inhabitants appeal then to hwe almodentirely evacuated 
the country, and to have retired to Ireland, alfo originally 
peopled from Gaul. There, and in the Highlands of 
Scotland, to which a Gaelic colony palled from Ireland, 
the Gaelic dialed! of the Celtic language dill exids. Sec 
the articles Cert^e and Cimbri, vol. iv. p. i8>and 597. 
To the Celtic population of England fucceeded the 
Gothic. The Scythians or Goths, advancing from Ada, 
drove the Cimbri or northern Celts before them ; and, at 
a period dill preceding the Chridian era, had feized on 
that part of Gaul which is neared to Britain, where they 
acquired the provincial denomination of Be/ga, or men of 
tumult. Their padage to England followed of courfe : 
and when Caefar fird explored this ifland, he informs us, 
that the aboriginal inhabitants were driven into the in¬ 
terior parts, while the regions on the fouth-ead were peop¬ 
led with Belgic colonies. Tlmfe Belgae may therefore be 
judly regarded as the chief ancedors of the Englifli na¬ 
tion ; for the Saxons, Angles, and othemortliern invaders, 
though of didingnidied courage, were inconfiderable in 
-numbers, when compared with the Belgic fettlys. “ Till 
a recent period (fays Mr. Pinkerton), antiquaries had 
imagined that the Belgae ufed the Celtic language, and 
had execrated the "cruelties of the Saxons for an extirpa¬ 
tion which never happened. But as it appears that two- 
thirds of England were podeffed by the Belgic Goths, for 
fix or feven hundred years before the arrival of the Saxons, 
it is no wonder that no Celtic words are to be found in 
the Englifh language, which bears more affinity to the 
Frific and Dutch, than to the Jutlandic or Danidi.”—It is 
not decided, whether the Frifones of Procopius be the 
Saxons or the Belgae. The original documents evince, 
that all thefe northern colonies, while they conquered by 
fit per lor valour and hardihood, were far from being fuf- 
ficiently numerous to form even a femblance of popula¬ 
tion. Scarcely an inftance occurs of their being accom¬ 
panied by women ; and their invafions may, in part, be 
paralleled by the fubfequent conqueds of the Danes and 
Normans. Yet as the period was far more remote and 
barbarous, the changes ^vere greater; and the Belgic in¬ 
habitants, the genuine population, feem to have been re¬ 
duced to various degrees of fervitude, and to have confti- 
tuted thofe numerous flaves mentioned in the Anglo-Saxon 
times; while intermarriages, and other fortunate circum- 
flances, contributed to lighten the Norman yoke. Hence 
there feems little room to doubt that the Belgte conditu- 
ted the chief ancedors of the Englidi nation, and that their 
language gradually prevailed, though tinged in the north 
with the Anglic or Danidi, and in the foutli with the 
Saxon. This fubjeift has been the longer dvyelt upon, 
becaufe it is not only of eflential importance in itfelf, but 
becaufe it has hitherto been clouded with many erroneous 
aflertions and opinions. 
England, or South Britain, when fir ft invaded by the 
Romans, was divided into feventeen didinfl: nations, or 
feparate dates, whereof the inhabitants were called Dan- 
nionii, Durotriges, Belgae, Attrebatii, Regni, Cantii, 
Dobuni, Cattieuchlani, Trinobantes, Iceni, Coritani, 
L A N D. 535 
Cornavii, Silures, Dimetae, Ordovices, Brigantcs, and 
Ottadini. 
The Danmonii were fituated in that part of Britain 
which dands a confiderable way toward the wed, and is 
bounded by the Severn fea on the north ; by the Britilh 
ocean .on tlie fouth ; and by St. George’s channel on the 
wed. In the trad! now comprehending the counties of 
Cornwall and Devon, Ptolemy notices the eduary Vex- 
alla, formed by the confluence of the two rivers Pedredtts 
and Ivellus, now the Parrett and the 111 ; the promon¬ 
tory of Hercules, and the promontory Belerium, which 
is the mod wedern part of the ifland, now known by the 
name of the Land’s End. The principal places, men¬ 
tioned by the fame geographer, on the fou them coad, 
were Voliba, now Falmouth ; the mouth of the Tamara, 
on which is now fituated the town of Plymouth ; and the 
mouth of the Ifca, now the Ex. The chief inland towns 
were Ifca-Danmoniorum, Exeter; Tamare, Tavidock ; 
and Uxella, according to Camden, Ledwithiel. 
The Durotriges were feated to the ead of the Dan¬ 
monii, in that tradl which is now called Dorfetlhire. In 
this part of the county Ptolemy notices one place only, 
which he calls Dunium. It is, however, generally agreed 
among the learned, that, indead of Dunium, we fliould 
read Durnium; and that this was the ancient name of 
Dorcheder, the principal town in the county of Dorfet. 
The Belgae appear to have occupied Somerfetlhire, 
Wilt(hire,.and Hamplhire. Ptolemy notices, among their 
mod condderable towns, thofe of Magnus Portus, Portf- 
mouth; Trifantonis Portus, Southampton; Ven;a Belga- 
■rum, Wincheder ; Aquae-calidae, Bath; and Ifculis, now 
Ilcheftcr. 
The Attrebatii, or inhabitants of Berkfliire, are faid 
to have come originally from Belgic Gaul, and to have 
retained their ancient name in their new fettlement. Their 
chief city was Catena, now Wallingford. Antoninus men¬ 
tions another place Called Spinse, Speenhamland, the 
fauxbourg- of Newbury. 
The Regni inhabited a tradt of country comprehending 
Surry, Sulfex, and part of the fea-coad of Hampfhire. 
Ptolemy mentions only one city, viz. Noviomagus, in this 
part of the ifland ; but Antoninus notices Othpna, the fite 
of the prefent Hadings ; Portus Adurni, now the fmalL 
village of Ederington ; and Regnum, now Ringwood, 
whither the Regni are faid to have fled for protection 
from their invaders. 
The Cantii inhabited that portion of country, on the 
ead of the Belgae and Attrebatii, which is now diftin- 
■ guidied by the name of Kent. Their chief towns appear 
to have been Durovernum, Durobrivis, Durolenum, Por¬ 
tus Dubris, Regulium, and Portus Lemunis; now Canter¬ 
bury, Rochefter, Lenham, Dover, Reculver, and Lime. 
The Dobunii are placed, by Ptolemy, on the nofth dde 
of the Thames, in the counties of Gloucefterfhire-and 
Oxforddiire. The principal places in this diftridt were 
Durocornovium, which dood on the die of the prefent 
town of Cirencefter; Altone, Alvington or Abingdon; 
and Glevum, now Glouceder. 
The Cattieuchlani feem to have podefled the greateft 
part of Buckinghamdiire, Bedfordlhire, and Hertford- 
diire. Antoninus mentions the following places as be¬ 
longing to this people : Lactodormn, Bedford ; Magio- 
vinium, Adiwell; Durocdbrivis, Hertford ; and Verula- 
mitim, the ruins of which, near St. Alban’s, are dill 
culled Verulam. Before the arrival of Julius Caefar, tie 
Cattieuchlani had fubjugaied a condderable part of the 
country belonging to the Dobuni, and were conftantly 
engaged in hodilities with their neighbours. 
The Trinobantes inhabited the prefent counties of Mid- 
dlefex and Elfex, and polfelied the city of Londinium, or 
London, which feems to have been founded about the 
time of Claudius, and is mentioned by Tacitus as a place 
famous for trade and the concourfe of merchants, though 
not drftinguilhed with the title of colony. The other 
principal towns of the Trinobantes were Durolitum, Cre- 
laromagus, . 
