riety of opinions upon this head ferve to prove the futility of all. It will, therefore, be fufficient to obferve, that this beautiful ifland, by fome thought the largest in the world, was called Britannia by the Romans long before the time of Cæfar. It is fuppofed, that this name was originally given it by the merchants who' reforted hither from the Continent. Thefe called the inhabitants by one common name of Briths, from the custom among the natives of painting their naked bodies, and small shields, with an azure blue, which in the language of the country was called Brith, and which ferved to distinguish them from thofe ftrangers who came among them for the purposes of trade or alliance. The Britons were but very little known to the reft of the world before the time of the Romans. The coafts oppofite Gaul, indeed, were frequented by merchants who traded thither for fuch commodities as the natives were able to produce. Thefe, it is thought, after a time, poffeffed themfelves of all the maritime places where they had at first been permitted to refide. There, finding the country fertile, and commodioufly fituated for trade, they fettled upon the fea-fide, and in troduced troduced the practice of agriculture. But it was very different with the inland inhabitants of the country, who confidered themfelves as the lawful poffeffors of the foil. These avoided all correfpondence with the newcomers, whom they confidered as intruders upon their property. The inland inhabitants are reprefented as extremely numerous, living in cottages thatched with ftraw, and feeding large herds of cattle. Their houses were scattered all over the country, without obfervance of order or distance, being placed at smaller or greater intervals as they were invited by the fertility of the foil, or the convenience of wood and water. They lived moftly upon milk, or flefh procured by the chace. What clothes they wore to cover any part of their bodies, were ufually the fkins of beafts; but much of their bodies, as the arms, legs, and thighs, was left naked, and thofe parts were usually painted blue. Their hair, which was long, flowed down upon their backs and shoulders, while their beards were kept close fhaven, except upon the upper lip, where. it was fuffered to grow. The drefs of favage nations is every where pretty much the fame, being calculated rather to infpire terror than to excite love or refpect. The commodities exported from Britain were chiefly hides and tin. This metal was then thought peculiar to the island, and was in much requeft abroad, both in nearer and remoter regions. Some filver mines were alfo known, but not in common use, as the inhabitants had but little knowledge how to dig, refine, or improve them. Pearls alfo were frequently found on their fhores; but neitherclear nor coloured like the oriental; and therefore in no great no great esteem among ftrangers. They had but little iron; and what they had,, was used either for arms, or for rings, which, was a fort of money current among them.. They had brass money alfo, but this was all brought from abroad. Their language, cuftoms, religion, and government, were generally the fame with thofe of the Gauls, their neighbours of the Continent. As to their government, it confifted of feveral finall principalities, each under its refpective leader; and this feems to be the earlieft mode of dominion with which mankind is acquainted, and deduced from the natural pri-. vileges of paternal authority. Whether thefe fmall principalities defcended by fucceffion, or were elected in confequence of the advantages of age, wifdom, or valour in the families of the princes, princes, is not recorded. Upon great, or uncom mon dangers, a commander in chief was chofen by common coníent, in a general affembly; and to him was committed the conduct of the general intereft, the power of making peace, or leading to war. In the choice of a perfon of fuch power, it is easy to fuppofe, that unanimity could not always be found; whence it often happened, that the feparate tribes were defeated one after the other before they could unite under a fingle leader for their mutual fafety. Their forces confifted chiefly of foot, and yet they could bring a confiderable number of horfe into the field upon great occafions. They likewife ufed chariots in battle, which, with fhort fcythes faftened to the ends of the axle-trees, inflicted defperate wounds, fpreading terror and devastation wherefoever they drove. Nor while the chariots were thus deftroying, were the warriors who conducted them unemployed. Thefe darted their javelins against the enemy, ran along the beam, leapt on the ground, refumed their feat, ftopt, or turned their horfes at full speed, and fometimes cunningly retreated, to draw the enemy into confufion. Nothing can be more terrible than the idea of a charioteer thus driving furiously in the midft of dangers; but thefe machines feem to have been more dreadful than dangerous, for they were quickly laid afide, when this brave people was inftructed in the more regular arts of war. The religion of the Britons was one of the moft confiderable parts of their government; and the Druids, who were the guardians of it, poffeffed great authority among them. These endeavoured to imprefs the minds of the people with an opinion of their skill in the arts of divination; they offered facrifices in public and private, and pretended to explain the immediate will of Heaven. No fpecies of superstition was ever more horrible than theirs; befides the fevere penalties which they were permitted to inflict in this world, they inculcated the eternal tranfmigration of fouls, and thus extended their authority as far as the fears of their votaries. They facrificed human victims, which they burned in large wicker idols, made fo capacious as to contain a multitude of perfons at once, who were thus confumed together. The female Druids plunged their knives into the breafts of the prifoners taken in war, and prophefied from the manner in which the blood happened to ftream from the wound. Their altars confifted of four broad ftones, three fet edge-ways, and the fourth at top, many |