even with BOOKS gratis*! They were, at this time, emi. nent in fculpture, painting and mufic, and poffeffed the sciences in an exalted degree! Could they have bor. rowed thefe from Rome? They had little connection with her. Would not the technical terms in arts and fciences favour of the country from whence they acquired them? They are all pure native Irish! But if the Romans gave arts and fciences to the Irish, why did they with-hold them from the rest of Europe? Or why pitch on a people, as the conveyancers of them, fo remote, and with whom they had no friendly correspondence? The truth is, Rome had not thofe arts and fciences, in an eminent degree, at this time; and the inundations of different enemies. pouring into the empire will explain it.

If then Ireland, in thefe early days of Chriftianity, became fo renowned for arts and fciences, that when a lettered man of Britain, or of the continent, was for any time absent, it became a common proverb-Amandatus eft ad difciplinam in Hiberniâ !-Is it not a strong prefumptive proof that she must have poffeffed them before this period, even though our hiftories had been filent on this head, which we fee was not the case? But the truth is, our history is the only means left to

* Hiftor. Ecclef. Brit. lib. iii. cap. 27.

arrive

arrive at any tolerable knowlege of the ancient state of Europe, and the true commentary to the Greek and Ro man accounts of it. Modern vifionaries tell us, that all Europe was in a ftate of barbarity til reclaimed and civilized by the Romans; and yet the early Greek writers confefs, that from the Celta they borrowed many things, both in theology and philofophy, and even adopted the very terms of thofe people! Cæfar, from his own knowlege, proclaims the flourishing state of letters in Gaul, and the great immunities enjoyed by its literati.

As much have the moderns been in the dark with refpect to the feodal government that prevailed over Europe. They have reprefented it as a barbarous custom, which originated after the deftruction of the Roman empire; but it was certainly far removed from this. By the feodal conftitution, places, honours, and employments were hereditary in certain families, and the knowlege of these ranks could only be preserved by letters. What government could bid fairer for durability than where fubordination wae established? and had we wanted other inftances, the Irish history would fufficiently prove this; where we behold it to flourish from the reign of Heber to the decline of the twelfth century, including a fpace of 2437 years; and it continued in Thomond, and in parts of Conaught and Ulfter to near the middle.

6

of

of the laft age !What a contraft between it and that of ancient Rome under her emperors! There we behold often the vileft of the people, without regard to blood or rank, raised to the purple! What were the confequences? Intrigues, confpiracies, profcriptions, deftruction of all fubordination, and, in a fhort time, a final period put to the most powerful and extensive government in the world!

The feodal fyftem, to demonstration, was neither barbarous nor impolitic: it was revived on the continent after the annihilation of Roman tyranny; and this furnishes us with a strong proof how little the Celta were improved by the Romans, fince neither their laws or customs were adopted by any of the nations fubdued by them, which shews in what an abject state they were held. But though they endeavoured to re-establish that mode of government which their ancestors enjoyed in happier days, yet the deftruction of their annals and literary foundations, made it impoffible for them to bring it to that perfection, in which it flourished among a people unacquainted with fuch hardships. Such was the Irish nation! Here feodal government flourished in full luftre, and arts and sciences were eminently protected. The crown was hereditary as to blood, but elective as to the perfon; and this nomination was confined to the chiefs of the people. No female could be vefted

VOL. I.

d

vested with fupreme command; and the iffue of the female line had no pretenfions to the fucceffion. Public employments of every kind were hereditary in families; and no overt-act of the prefent poffeffor could injure the claims of his fucceffors. People were fet apart to attend to the genealogies and exploits of different great families, whilst an higher order took care of the actions and pedigrees of the blood royal. The literati preceded the nobility, and preferved always those privileges and immunities which Cæfar tells us the literati of Gaul poffeffed in his days. On the revival of letters on the continent, and the establishment of fchools, we read that doctors in different fciences difputed even with the equeftrian order for precedence, and it was in many inftances granted to them. not this a manifect allufion to earlier periods? this time, the kings of France and emperors of Germany received the equeftrian order before their coronations, and in Ireland a prince was incapable of command, who had not been entered into the military school at feven years old, and received the Gradh-Gaoifge, an order of knighthood, at eighteen! Though it be univerfally agreed on, that the equfterian orders of Celtic Europe were not taken from the Romans, yet writers are by no means in accord as to their origin, fome dating them from the Crusades, others from an earlier period; but all in unifon, that their commencement was after the deftruction of Rome.

Has About

However,

However, Cæfar is pofitive that they flourished in Gaul in his days; and three hundred years earlier Manlius got the furname Torquatus, from wearing the gold Torques of a Gaulish knight, whom he had killed in battle, and which our Irish knights, by public decree many centuries prior to this epocha, conftantly wore!

Thus the laws and cuftoms which prevailed in Europe in the middle ages, and which in fome inftances operate at this day, have a manifeft allufion to remoter periods; and the accounts which Cæfar and Tacitus have given, prove they have. But where fhall we look for an elucidation of fubjects fo interesting? not amongst fucceeding Roman writers; this people fo much venerated in modern days have deftroyed every other veftige of Celtic civilization! But Ireland, free from the incurfions of that rapacious and oppreffive people only can illuftrate by her hiftory, their relations, and rescue the credit of Cæfar as a writer, from the fpecious objections of moderns. He fays, that the letters and religion of the Gauls came from Britain, or more properly the British isles *; and that in every thing but their Druid myfteries, they ufed a Greek letter. But most moderns, as if better acquainted with these matters than a living witness, affirm, that letters must have been rather brought

De Bello Gallico, lib. vi. cap. 13, 14.

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from