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HALF-YEARLY RETROSPECT OF FRENCH LITERATURE. 
HISTORY. 
SS ISTOIRE des Gaulois depuis leur 
Origine jufqu’a leur Melange avec 
Jes Francs, & jufquw’ aux Commencemens 
dela Monarchie Frangaife, &c.’—A Hil- 
tory of the Gauls, from their Origin un. 
til their Mixture with the Franks, and 
the Commencement of the French Monar- 
chy ; accompanied with Details relative to 
the Climate of Gaul, the Nature of its Pro. 
duétions, the CharaSter of its Inhabitants, 
their Manners, Ufages, Government, 
Laws, Religion, Language, &c. &c. By 
Joun Picor, of Geneva, Profeflor of 
Hifory and Statifiicks in the Academy 
of that City. 3 vols. 8vo. 
Moit of the writers of antiquity have 
mentioned the Gauls, and confidered 
them asa brave and warlike race ; yet 
they have told us but little of their man- 
ners, and cuftoms. The modern authors 
who have treated on thefe fubjects, are 
Mezerai, Lauteau, Pelloutier, du Buat, 
and le Brigant ; but it {till remained to 
write a hiflory of France anterior to its 
conquelt by the Franks, towards the mid- 
dle of the fifteenth century. | 
Phis tafk is now undertaken by M. 
Picot, who has divided his work into two 
parts. The firft is purely hiftorical 5 while 
the fecond ts dettined to reprefent the pri- 
vate and public life of the Gauls; to detail 
their phyfical and moral qualities, their 
ufages, laws, religion, opinions, language, 
the nature of their foil and territory, &c. 
A variety of fyfiems have been adopted 
relative to the origin of the Gauls. Some 
grave authors have attually endeavoured 
to point out which of the chidren of Noah 
was their progenitor, and in their reveries 
fixed on the individual with no common 
fhare of difcrimination. M. Picot, on the 
contrary, is content with detailing the opi- 
nions of others without prefuming to add 
his own to the catalogue. 
But little certain is known of this peo- 
_ ple, until the epoch when a colony of Pho- 
cxans eftablifhed themfelves, at the place 
now known by the name of Marfeilles, 
about fix hundred years anterior to the 
epoch of Jefus Chrift, and founded that 
city. Nearly at the fame time, a Gallick 
chief, called Sigovefus, at the head of 
150,000 men, made an irruption into Pan- 
nonia, (now known by the appellation of 
Fingary) ‘penetrated as far as Greece; 
and: after a variety of good and bad 
fortune, formed eftablifhments in Thrace 
aod Aha. 
- Another body equally confiderable, 
croffed the Alps, under the orders of Bel- 
lovefus, and in the heart of Italy, laid the 
foundation of that nation, which the Ro: 
mans called the Cifalpine Gauls, and 
which Marcellus cither exterminated or. 
expelled a few centuries afterwards. One 
of the French writers has obferved on this 
occafion, that Italy bas avenged herfelf 
-for all the evils conferred on her by France, 
aod quotes Marcellus who exterminated 
them, Mazarin who governed them with 
cruelty. and injultice, together, with an 
hundred fimilar inftances. 
From the expedition of Bellovefus until 
the famous invafion and capture of Rome 
by Brennus, but little certain is known; 
but, pofterior to this, the Gauls acted fuch 
a confpicuous part in the annals of Rome, 
that the induftrious hiftorian is enabled to 
offer a variety of interelting fats relative to 
the ftruggles for their iodependence, the frit 
conquelts of the Romans, the vi€tories of 
Celar, and finally the invafion of thofe 
Germans called Franks, who re-plunged 
into barbarity a province which the inha- 
bitants of Italy had civilized. It is here, 
properly fpeaking, we-are to difcover the 
crigin of the prefent French — nation, 
wuich proceeds from an admixture of the 
Gauls and Celts with the Germans and 
Italians, but appears to have retained more 
charaéteriftic traits of the Gauls, than of © 
the Franks, or Italians. 
«¢ The Gauls,’’ fays our author, *€ were 
fickle, inquifitive to excefs, unfteady in 
their councilsand fond of novelties. They 
often affembled in confequence of vague 
rumours; and decided publicly, and with 
precipiiation, on the moft important affairs. 
It accordingly happened, not unfrequently, 
that after fuch inconfiderate decifions, 
they repented of their conduét, when it 
was too late to remedy their errors. 
«They were arrogant, when, favoured by 
fortune, they had acquired the fuperiority 3 
on the contrary, they fell into the moft 
bitter defpair, whenever they were van- 
quifhed. The Gau's, during the Macedo- 
nian war, without any ceremony pillaged 
the tombs of the kings, and carried away 
the. treafures contained in them; they 
were not reftrained by the conliceration, 
that thefe fepulchres were confidered by 
the people as facred and inviolable afy- 
lums ; while, on the contrary, they them- 
felves were fuperftitious to an excels. , 
«¢ They are defcribed to us,”” adds he, 
‘¢ as being giants in point of hze; their be- 
dies 
