those born in a more cultivated age. The convulfions of a civi-
lized state usually compose the most instructive and most inte-
resting part of its history; but the sudden, violent, and unpre-
pared revolutions, incident to Barbarians, are fo much guided
by caprice, and terminate so often in cruelty, that they disgust
us by the uniformity of their appearance; and it is rather for-
tunate for letters that they are buried in filence and oblivion.
The only certain means, by which nations can indulge their
curiosity in researches concerning their remote origin, is to
confider the language, manners and customs of their ancestors,
and to compare them with thofe of the neighbouring nations.
The fables which are commonly employed to fupply the place
of true history, ought entirely to be difregarded; and if any
exception be admitted to this general rule, it can only be in fa-
vour of the ancient Grecian fictions, which are fo celebrated
and fo agreeable, that they will ever be the objects of the at-
tention of mankind. Neglecting therefore, all traditions or
rather tales concerning the more early history of Britain, we
fhall only confider the ftate of the inhabitants, as it appeared
to the Romans on their invasion of this country: We shall
briefly run over the events, which attended the conqueft made
by that empire, as belonging more to Roman than British story ?
We shall haften through the obfcure and uninteresting period
of Saxon annals: And fhall referve a more full narration for
thofe times, when the truth is both fo well ascertained and fo
complete as to promife fome entertainment and inftruction to
the reader.
ALL antient writers agree in reprefenting the first inhabitants of Britain as a tribe of the Gauls or Celta, who peopled that island from the neighbouring continent. Their language was the fame, their manners, their government, their fuperftition;