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

no THE GENUINE HISTORY OF
Bede then has not cdmmitted, as Mr. Macpher-
fon afferts, " a very effential miflake " here.
He has commkted none at all. He deduces the
original Britons from Armorica, perhaps ex-
tending that name along the whole coaft of
France, and being then right in his deduclion.
One of his reafons was the continuing appella-
tion of Britons in Gaul, perhaps in Flanders or
Picardy, and certainly in Bretagne. And the
other was the general tradition of the times. But
he gives us all with a ftrong note of diffidence,
referring us to his fingle authority, and declaring
that to be only the popular opinion. By his
afcribing the name of the Infular to the Conti-
nental Britons, he plainly fliews that he con-
lidered the name as exifting in Gaul, many ages
before the invafion of the Saxons or the rebellion
of Maximus. And we have feen above, that
the name was aftually prior to both.
I have entered the more fully into this argu-
ment, becaufc it might feem to carry feme de-
gree of force with it. And I was defirous to
afcertain the trifiingnefs of the Britifli migrations
into Gaul, which had been confiderably heigh-
tened, to point out the exiftcnce of the name of
Britons theie before them, and to lay open the
grounds and reafons of the name confidently with
the etymology of Britain before. Mr. Carte,
purfuing the fleps of Bcde, had endeavoured to
derive