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

THE BRITONS ASSERTED. 21^
along the whole compafs of the Gallic coaft from
the Bay of Bifcay to the Rhine. In the days
of Casfar, it comprized a variety of dates in
Weftern Gaul '. In the days of Pliny, it reached
from the Pyrenees to the Garonne *. And in the
days of Sidonius Apollinaris it was carried much
farther to the North-Eaft, and included, and even
feems to have been reftriflied to, the compafs of the
prefent.Bretagne
-'. In this general acceptation
of the word, the Britons were certainly derived
from Armorica. And at the eaftern point of
the Gallic coaft, and dire6lly oppofite to the great
Angle of Kent, even Bede places the Morini, a
name exaftly the fame as Ar-Mor-ic-i, and feem-
ingly the continuation of it 4,
Whether the Britons ever re-migrated into
France, and fixed the appellation of Britanni
on the continent, has been much difputed.
But, I think, it may be fatisfa£loriiy decided.
That they actually tranfmigrated, is evident from
hiftory. They paffed into Gaul under the con-
duft of Maximus, and fettled afterwards in Ar-
morica, as is afferted by Llowarch Hen and
Nennius s. And they fettled in Gaul upon the
firft invafion of the Saxons, as is affirmed by
Gildas, Bede, and Eginhard ^. But in both
' P. 108 find 47. * L. iv. c. 17. ' Carte, v. I. p. 7.
a note. "^ L. i. c. i ^ Carte, v. I. p. 1 69. a
note, and Nennius, c. 23. * Gildas, c. ^5. alii tranf-
P 4
thefe