a vast portion of his subjects, and to take their direction according to the will of their gods. The leaders drew lots, by which Sigoves was commanded to conduct his followers towards the Hercynian forest, and Bellovesus to cross the Alps into Italy, of which the fruits and wines had already excited the cupidity of the Celts. They abandoned their country, each accompanied by 150,000 armed men, "trecenta millia hominum," besides a multitude of old men, women, and children; these directed their tardy march towards the Alps of Piedmont, but before they passed them, they halted to assist the Phocian colony to take possession of Marseilles; they then crossed over, and the plains lying between those mountains and the river Po were overwhelmed by Bellovesus, and his Biturigeans, Arverni, Ædui, Carnunti, Sennones, (the founders of Siena,) and other tribes. Through a false reading of Livy, it has been thought that Bellovesus, or at least a portion of his followers, took their way to Noricum, through Carniola; but Strabo clearly fixes the point of his passage, for, he says, he crossed where Hannibal did, “Την δια Ταυρίνων, ην Αννίβας διήλθεν.” At subsequent periods additional tribes quitted Gaul, to join their brethren in Lombardy, and in the space of four hundred years all the different states in Upper and Central Italy had been overcome by the Celts, or had been constrained to form alliances with them. In two separate attacks of Rome herself, they brought that haughty city nearer to destruction than Porsenna, Pyrrhus, or Hannibal were able to accomplish. The monuments of their power still exist in Milan, Brescia, Verona, Como and Trent; where first the few forefathers of a numberless posterity fixed their humble dwellings, which were afterwards converted into fortified and distinguished cities; "mediolanum metropolis, pagus olim, nam per pagos eâ ætate habitabant cuncti." (Cæsar.) The redundancy of population was the true cause of the Celtic invasion of Italy, and not, as attributed by fabulous tradition, to the display of fruits carried from thence by the Helvetian joiner Helico, or instigated by the revenge of Aruns, the instructor of an ungrateful prince. Perhaps to the increase of population, the cause assigned for these emigrations, may be added the spirit of enterprise and the ardent love of liberty, for which the Celts were remarkable, according to the universal testimony of ancient authors; for when one tribe, less powerful, was threatened by the oppression of another, they preferred the loss of home to the loss of freedom, "immo potius cum omni familiâ migrarent quoties ab aliis validioribus pellerentur."

In the same year, Sigoves marched with the tribes attached to him across the Rhine, and reached their destination before those of his brother. The exact spots of the immense and ancient ("congenita mundo") Hercynian forest occupied by them have not been transmitted to us by history, but we are told that these were the tribes that in subsequent ages extended on to Pannonia,

Thrace, Greece, and Lesser Asia. Pompeius Trogus says, "hortante dein successu, divisis agminibus, alii Græciam, alii Macedoniam, omnia ferro proterentes petivêre."

The Celts, at later periods, compelled by excess of population, for it is said by Strabo, "Mulieres eorum pariendo educandoque fœtu felices," or being stimulated by the hope of plunder, or the ambition of conquest, made farther important incursions. Pausanias informs us that the Celts, a nation inhabiting the uttermost parts of Europe, collected a vast body of men, (contractis undique copiis,) marched towards the Ionian Sea, and conquered all Illyria and Macedonia: "quidquid gentium ad Macedonicum usque nomen patet oppressere. The first successful invasion was undertaken against Thrace, under the command of their leader Cambaul; but want of confidence, from the smallness of their numbers, dissuaded them at that time from an attack on Greece. In the mean time another portion of the Celts had taken possession, after sanguinary conflicts, of Pannonia, "domitis ibi Pannoniis." Pausanias adds, that two hundred and eighty years before the Christian æra, being addicted to plunder, and impelled by a disposition for war, "externis nationibus bellum inferre," they collected a large force of horse and foot, "ingens manus peditum, neque multo equitum minor," which they divided into three columns, to invade Greece; one part of the army, under the command of Cerethrius, assaulted the Thracians and Triballi; another was conducted by Brennus* and Alcichor; and the third attacked the Macedonians and Illyrians, under Bolg. These armies did not, however, adhere to their original plan of a simultaneous irruption into Greece; for Bolg retired with his troops, after laying waste Macedonia; but Brennus, in the following year, with an army of 150,000 foot and 60,000 horse, overran Macedonia. Dissentions arose among his troops, and two leaders, Lomnor and Lutar, with considerable numbers, separated from Brennus, plundered Thrace, and forced their way to Lesser Asia, where they remained: these men were the founders of the kingdom of Gallatia, comprising Mæonia, Paphlagonia, Phrygia, and part of Cappadocia. Appian enumerates several of the tribes that formed that army, among which were the Trockmeri, Tolistoboii, Ambituri, and others; and Strabo makes mention of the tribe Tektosagi, as a part of Brennus's forces who plundered Delphi: but the greatest part of his troops perished in Greece, according to Polybius, as did also a reserve of 15,000 foot and 3,000 horse. Other detachments about to join Brennus returned to their native country, "per eadem vestigia quæ venerant ad antiquam Patriam." Justin particularly mentions a part of the Tektosagi as having reached their former dwellings near Toulouse; and Athenæus names the tribe of the Scordisci, under their leader Bathanatius, as having settled on their retreat

* Probably not the real name but a title, Brenhin, king.

at the confluence of the Save and the Danube. Of these repeated warlike incursions of the Celtic nation, Justin remarks, "such was the multitude of their people that they were to be found dispersed over many parts of Asia, for the eastern monarchs would never commence any hostile operation without the aid of Celtic soldiers; and when they were expelled from their kingdoms, it was to that nation they fled for refuge: so great was the terror of the Celtic name, and such the confidence in their victorious arms, that kings relied on them as the only means of preserving their thrones, or of being restored to possession of them when lost, "tantus terror Celtici nominis, et armorum invicta felicitas, ut aliter neque majestatem suam tueri, neque amissam recuperare se posse, sine Celticâ virtute arbitrarentur." The first mention of their bravery as stipendiary troops, is that contained in the letters of Themistocles, respecting the battle of Salamis, "in navali pugnâ contra Xerxem præclare et fortiter dimicarunt."

According to Cæsar and Pliny, the Celts were divided into greater and lesser tribes, which preserved the distinguishing appellation wherever they emigrated, and settled apart from the parent stock. We have observed that part of the nation became possessed of the flat country about the Danube, and extended thence to the Alps and the shores of the Adriatic; the northern parts of which (the present Friuli and Carniola,) were occupied by the Carni or Carnuntes. At their appearance the Veneti, and the relicts of Tuscan colonies placed there, were compelled to recede, as well as Liburnians, early celebrated as a maritime and commercial people. The Carni were descendants of those whose settlements were on the Loire and about Paris, and of whom considerable numbers accompanied Bellovesus into Italy. The towns they founded in the neighbourhood of the Adriatic were subsequently named Forum Julium, Concordia, Aquileia, Tergeste, and Ocra: the clan contiguous to them were the Taurisci, inhabiting the Alps; but the Carni must have extended, at some period previous to the Roman conquest of these territories, to the northern side of the Alps, as the names of places indicate, viz. the Carnian Alps, Julium Carnicum, in the Geilthal; Pliny mentions "Julienses Carnorum," and Ptolemy the "urbes Carnorum Mediterraneæ;" but subsequently the political divisions and nomenclature of the Romans were substituted for the original Celtic names, and Carnia was lost in the "regio decima Italiæ;" however, the tribe of the Carni existed on the northern shore of the Adriatic as late as two centuries before Christ, which an inscribed monument found at Trieste attests, (Della Croce Hist. Trieste.) At last the general name of Noricum superseded that of the distinct clans; but, after the fall of the Roman empire, the ancient name of Carnia* has

This district is still remarkably rugged, the surface being in parts covered with heaps of rock and stones,-Carn, in Welsh.

been revived in the present Carniola. Part of this tribe founded Carnuntum, on the Danube; the ruins of this city, once celebrated for its commerce, still exist: Zosimus informs us it was the seat of a Celtic colony.

The Celtic Taurisci are called by ancient writers promiscuously Tauristæ, Teurini, Troii. It has been conjectured that the name of Stiria is derived from thence; the old Celtic word Tor, meaning a mountain or high place, is evidently the origin of this appellation, and bore this signification in oriental languages, as well as those of the west in Asia and Sarmatia there were mountains called Taurus. Stephanus of Byzantium says, the Taurisci are people living in the mountains, «Ταυρίσκοι, εθνος περι τα Αλπινα ορη.” Some authors, by Taurisci, would convey the idea of mountaineers, but Polybius and others mention the Taurisci or Teurini as the name of a distinct clan, inhabiting the Alps about Turin, and the mountains of Savoy. Strabo also places them in the neighbourhood of the Carni, in the eastern Alps, near Aquileia: "Kat Twv KaTa Ακυλείαν τοπων οικέσι Νωρικών τινες και Καρνοι των δε Νωρικών εισι και Oi Tavρioкoi." This tribe is also recorded to have had settlements in Thrace, “τοις Θραξι, τέτοις δε και τα Κελτικά, οι τε Ταυρισκοι.” The possessors of the Upper Alps about Mount Brenner* were the Breani; these were the "genus implacidum, devota pectora morti liberæ."

In the country about Salzbourg where the salt mines exist, which it is known were worked formerly by the Celts, lived the Alaunoi, and the town close to the mines is now called Hallein: halan is the Celtic for salt. Noricum was celebrated in those days for its iron: Clemens, of Alexandria, states that the inhabitants manufactured brass, and were the first to purify iron: "Nwpikoι kaтεipyaσavтo χαλκον, και σιδηρον εκαθηραν πρωτοι.”

THE WEAPONS, &C. OF THE CELTS.

The authors of antiquity unanimously ascribe to the Celts the advantages of a comely appearance: they were of robust and hardy frames, Viros et flore ætatis et corporum forma præstantes, immania, membra procera corpora," of fair complexions, "lactea colla;" from whence some have supposed they were called Celts, (Galatai,) "Gallia a candore populi nuncupata," yaλa being the Greek for milk, (St. Jerom. præfat. ad epist.) They wore long hair, (hence gallia comata,) which was generally of a reddish cast, "promissæ et rutilata comæ," and they adopted artificial means of tinging it of that colour: "Inde truces flavo comitantur vertice galli; comas habent naturâ rufas studio tamen augent naturæ colorem." Pliny also says they coloured their hair, "prodest et

*As this mountain is the summit of that side of the Alps, it probably was called Brenner from Bryn-or, Celtic for cold ridge.

sapo, Galliarum hoc inventum rutilandis capillis." Their countenances were animated; their eyes blue and of a fiery expression, as if each contained two pupils, "truces et cærulei oculi pupillas in singulis oculis binas habere videntur." (Aulus Gellius.)

Hunting and fishing were their favorite occupations; they delighted in warlike expeditions, in which they were conspicuous for impetuous bravery, carried even to rashness; but in war they were stained with cruelty, the companion of uncivilization. Justin says, "universa hæc natio bellicosa est, et ferox ad pugnam prompta, gallorum gens aspera." Florus describes them as "animi ferarum." Some of the tribes were more distinguished than the others for their warlike disposition. Cæsar speaking of the Tektosagi, “habet gens ista summam bellicæ laudis opinionem;" but of the Celts in general, being inclined to warfare, it is needless to say more than to cite the words of Livy, "natio pervagata bello prope orbem terrarum." They appeared in battle with iron or leathern breastplates; in helmets of steel, on which were sometimes plumes of feathers, or horns; menacing crests, representing fierce animals: some were armed with crooked thin sabres, (spatha,*) adapted for rapid cutting; others used long, straight, pointed swords; they also had long iron spears, javelins, battleaxes, and slings, and were celebrated for their swift arrows.† Sometimes, with a fatal temerity, they devoted themselves in battle to certain death, fighting nearly naked; but in general they carried long narrow shields, on which were painted the figures of ferocious wild beasts, or the representation of some memorable action. They fought on foot, or in warchariots occasionally, though they preferred being on horseback: on their cavalry they principally relied for victory, it was renowned in contests with the Romans; Strabo says it was more brilliant in action than the infantry, and that when subsequently their troops were incorporated with those of the Romans, that the flower of their army consisted of Celtic cavalry, "optimam equitatus sui partem Romani ab his habent." The nobles, and those invested with command, shone in armour inlaid with gold or silver, or wore over ordinary armour, quilted cloth of various bright colours; on their necks they had chains of gold, and they wore armlets (torch, in Celtic,) of precious metals set with coral. Silius says of them,

"Colla viri fulvo radiabant lactea, torque,

Ex auro et simili vibrabat crista metallo

Auro virgatæ vestes, manicæque rigebant."

Diodorus and Polybius state that their arms were ornamented with gold: "cum auro pugnare Torquatus indicio est, quippe tota acies torquibus aureis et virgatis sagulis fulgebat."

* From hence, perhaps, the verb spaddu.

+ Giraldus Cambrensis mentions the excellence of the bows of the Silures in later days, which, he says, were of witch-elm.