The genuine history of the Britons asserted against Mr. Macpherson ...

TOO THE GENUINE HISTORY O?
plied to the Small Pox in Armoric ; and Breok,
Brethal, Erethil, or Brethel, are ufed for 2
Mackerel, Brethyl for a Trout, and Brag-ado
for a pied ox, in the Manks, the Cornilli, the
Armoric, the Welili, and the Mountain Spanifh.
And hence it came to fignify a Painted objecl,
but fuch an one only as was coloured merely
by parts. This deduction plainly evinces the
original and primary idea of the word, and
lliows from the current meaning of it in all
its derivatives, and from the regular analogy of
all languages, that it could never have fignified
Tainting, if it had not firfl: imported a Divifion.
This then is the true meaning of the word Brit.
And it leads us dire£lly to the natural appella-
tion of a people, that had migrated from their
brethren, and were divided from them by the
lea.
The original word appears above to have beeii
equally pronounced Brift, Brit, and Brioth,
Breacl, Brcac, and Brig; and from the Gallic
Brefche and the Scotch Bris a Rupture, the Iriih
Bris. to Break and Brifead a Breach, the Welfli
Briwfion Fragments, and the Armorican Breizell,
as well as Brethel, a Mackerel, appears to have
been foraetimes foftened into Bris or Breis,
And it occurs with all this variety of termina-
tions in the IriHi Breattain or Breatin, Britain^
.iVid in Breathnach, Briotnach, and Ereagnach,-
a Briion; in the Armorican names of Breton,
Breiz,