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

THE BRITONS ASSERTED. 45
This irruption of the German Celtce is fixed,
as I have noted before, more than three centu-
ries prior to the Chriftian iera in p. 1 1 ; and in
p. 28, about half a century after the death of
Alexander, or about the year 273 before Chrift.
But, as a proof of the faft, Mr. Macpher-
fon quotes the well-known palTage of Plutarch,
that relates the (lory of a Gallic or Cirabric
horfeman being fent to murder Marius in the
prifon of Minturnce, and dropping his fword
with tei"ror at the appearance, addrefs, and name
of a man, that had made himfelf fo formidable
to his countrymen. iTTTrsvg— TocTKocjrig to ysvi^, v)
K/wSp^, (Xjjipoj^^cAjg yap igcp^Hjoci ^ And Valerius
Maximus in his account of this incident fays thus
Miffus ad Marium occidendura in privata domo
Minturnis claufum, fervus publicus, natlone Cim-
ber, et fenem et inermem et fqualore obfitum,
{Iridium gladium tenens, aggredi non fuftinuit,
fed claritate viri obcsecatus, abjeftoferro, attoni-
tus inde ac tremens fugit. Cimbrica nimirum
calamitas oculos hominis perflrinxit, deviftjeque
fuae gentis interitus animum comminuit : etiam
Dils immortalibus indignum ratis, ab uno ejus
Nationis interfici Marium, quam totam deleverat "-.
This palTage, therefore, evidently relates to that
incurfion of the Cimbri, which happened near
two centuries after either period, which was
* V. ir. p. 532. Bryan.
* L. ii, c. 10, § 6. Delphia.
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