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

THE BRITONS ASSERTED. 59
" from their territories. Balge or Balgen, ia
" the ancient Celtie fignifies a fpotted or party-
" coloured herd, and, in a metaphorical fenfe,
*' a mixed people, or an aggregate of many
*' tribes. The name alludes either to Belgium's
** being peopled promifcuoufly by the German
" tribes, or to the unavoidable mixture of the
*^ Celtic colonies beyond the Rhine with the
" Sarmatse of the Eafl: and North."
We are told before, in p. 10, " that the German
" Celtse re-paffed the Rhine, committed terrible
*' devaftations, and acquired a juft title to the
" name of Cimbri, which fignifies a band of
*' robbers." And we are here told, that the
Cimbri were diftinguilhed in Gaul by the name
of Belgse. The Gael, that had been expelled
from their own territories, mufl have been the
perfons that gave them the appellation of Cimbri
or Robbers. And yet they are here reprcfented
as giving them the name of Belgje. The former
was a ftrong.brand upon their national -charader,
and a lively mark of the refentment of the in-
jured Gael. And yet it is here fuppofed to have
been fuperfeded, foon afterwards, by a title from
the fame injured people, that carries little or no
reproach with it. — But this derivation of the
names of Cimbri and Belgse is all as imaginary,
as the reding a momentous point of hiftory
upon fuch precarious deductions is weak and
trifling. The German Celt^, as I have (hewed
7
before,