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

62 THE GENUINE HISTORY OF
under the name of Cimbri, and the other under
the appellation of Belgse. The exiftence of the
former incident I have already demonftrated to
be merely vifionary. But the latter is real.
Mr. Macpherfon however, in dividing one mi-
gration and one colony into two, has even thrown
an air of fiflion and falfity over the truth.
As the Belg£e were broken into various tribes
when they crofled the Rhine, they muft already
have formed a variety of petty ftates. And
this is confirmed by Csefar's account of them.
When he enquired of the Pvhemi concerning
their neighbours the Belgs, quiE civitates, quan-
tseque in armis effent, et quid in beilo pofTent,
fic reperiebat, plerofque Belgas effe ortos a Ger-
manis, that mod of their civitates or tribes were
derived from Germany, the Bellovaci, the
SueiTiones, the Nervii, and the Attrebates, the
Ambiani, the Morini, the Menapii, and the Ca-
letes, the Velocaffes, the Veromandui, and the
Atuatici ; and that the other ftates were native
Germans, Condrufos, Eburones, Ceeraefos, Pa?manos,
qui uno nomine German! appellantur ^
There was no need therefore of any interval of
time after the invafion of Gaul by the Belgse,
to reduce them into various ftates. Already re-
duced, they therefore ranged as diftinft tribes
in Germany, and therefore fettled as diftind
» P. 33 and 34.
communities