Herodotus fays, that those who first conquered this Country, came from the borders of Strumon. Stephanus, that it was called Bebrycia from Bebryx, and Bithynia from Bithynus, who were both the Sons of Jupiter and Thrace. Solinus fays the fame; but Appian calls him Bios Bithus, by which he certainly refers to our Bith or Baoth. Arrian fays, that Thynus and Bithynus were the Sons of Phineus: whereas Phenius in the Irish Annals is the Son of Baoth. The River Biortonnis, (or the Waveful-Water,) feparated Bithynia from Paphlagonia; the Greeks named it the Porthenus, and there was the island Thynus at its mouth; hence the Tunny Fish, a name given it, from its rifing and defcending like waves, which probably gave the appellation of the Bior-tonnis and Ifland Thynus; Chalcedon on the Bofporus, was famous for the Pelamides or Tunny Fifh, as Gellius and Varro inform us.

Hefiod alfo makes Phineus the father of Bithynus and fo does Eufebius, if Salmafius conjectures right, for he obferves, that Author always fubftitutes Phenix for Phineus; but Euftathius contradicts them all and avers, these Princes were the Sons of Odryfes King of Thrace; he does not mention his authority. (h) However it is evident, that the Greeks carried the Genealogy of Bithus, up to the most remote times, and according to Custom, he was the Son of Jupiter.

(h) Pindar. Nomeor. Od. 11.-Prol. Hepheft.-Epicharmus. -Pifander.-Pherecydes as quoted by the Scholiaft of Appollonius mentions Amycus and Phyneus, as both reigning in Bithynia at the time of the Argonautic Expedition-in thort the Greeks. can carry no historical facts, beyond that Epoch.

By

By their fabulous Accounts the Bebryci inhabited Bithynia in the time of the Argonauts; Amycus, they fay, was King, and was flain in fingle combat, fome will have it by Pollux, others by Jason, and others that he was carried home to Greece in Chains. (i)

The Bebrycians and Cimmerians were Gomerites, and the Irish History infers that the Magogians were routed from this Country by the Sons of Gomer, and fome were constrained at length to *defcend the Euphrates, till they settled at the Borders of the Perfian and Arabian Gulphs, and along the Eastern Ocean in Oman, where we shall prefently find them under the name of Men of Oman, or Fir-D'Omanan.

These Bebryci and Cimmerii were in their turn driven Northward, and pushed up the Bolga or Volga into Germany, from whence they penetrated into Gaul. The Bebryci firft fled into Cyzicus, that is one part of the Kingdom of Priam:

40.

(i) See alfo Silius Italicus. L. 1. V. Tzetzes. Schol. ap. Lycophr. Feftus Avienus-Steph. Byzant-Euftathius, &c. I cannot agree with the Marq. de S. Aubin that the Cimmerii were fo named from Gomer; Cluverius, Grotius, Pontanus and I eibnitz, have fully proved in my opinion, that the names Cimmerii and Cimbri, are not fynonimous with Gomer though they were Gomerians. The Irish language affords a derivation adapted to their fituation, viz. Cummar, a Valley, Cummaraice, people living in a Country full of Valleys and hills, and I take the Arabic Kumra to have the fame fignification, though commonly tranflated Rocks tumbled from Mountains into Vallies.

Infernis preffas nebulis, pellente fub umbra
Cimmerias jacuiffe domos, noctemque profundam
Tartareæ narrant urbis.

SIL. ITAL. L. 12.

they

they were driven entirely out of Afia by the Colian Greeks under Oreftes, fome years after the taking of Troy. Here they mixed with fome fugitive Trojans, and together came into Gaul, as we collect from Timagenes, copied by Ammianus Marcellinus. Quidam aiunt paucos poft excidium Troja fugitantes Græcos ubique difperfos, loca hæc (Gallia) occupaffe tunc vacua.-Hence the tradition of some of the Gauls, of their being Trojans, and with them the idea came into Britain and gave rife to the Story of Brutus. They fettled in France about Narbon. Feftus Avienus

fays it was their Capital.

Genfque Bebrycum prius

Loca hæc tenebat: atque Narbo civitas
Erat ferocis maximum regni caput.

The name Bath in Irish is fynonimous to Cutha or Scutha, and implies a Seaman, a Navigator. It is remarkable that the Claffic Authors have made Amycus, the firft King of Bithynia, the Son of Neptune by the Nymph Mexia Melia, that is, the Sea (k). Appollodorus calls her Bithynis,—and the Son of Amycus was Butes,—βύτα, βοιωτα, βατέ, for the Greeks write the name variously, and he was beloved by Venus; from whom came Eryx, who afterwards reigned in Sicily. He and many of the Princes of Afia, are faid to have come to the Affistance of King Priam. In fine, the Greeks seem to have had fome knowledge of our Irish Baith Phenius and Magog, and to have ground

(k). Melah from whence Malah a Sailor in Irish. See No. 14, Coll.

ed

ed their fable on the Irifh Story, true or falfe: it muft furely appear to every impartial Reader, that this hiftory of Ireland is not the fabrication of illiterate Monks of the 9th and 10th Centuries; but that it was the hiftory of the people from whom they defcended in Afia, and the tradition brought with them into this Country.

Nec mora: continuò vaftis cum viribus effert Ora Dares, magnoque virum fe murmure tollit: Solus qui Paridem folitus contendere contra: Idemque ad tumulum, quo maximus occubat Hector,

Victorem Buten immani corpore, qui fe Bebrycia veniens Amyci de gente ferebat, Perculit, et fulvâ moribundum extendit arena. Virg. Æneid. 5. V. 364.

The learned Bochart, happy in moft of his derivations, has certainly failed in that of Bithynia; he derives it from beten, interior; whence it fignifies the womb as the most interior part. The Geographical fituation of Bithynia will not allow of fuch an Etymon, two Sides of it being washed by two Seas, the Bofporus and Euxine.-We must not pass over the City of Pronectus in Bithynia, which Stephanus informs us, and Bochart con. firms, to have been a Colony of Phænicians.--Pronectus he derives from the Syrian Biranta, which is the Irish Bronteach, or Brainteach, a palace.рovxT Prone&tus Urbs Bithyniæ prope Drepanem, quam extruxêre Phænices. (Stephanus.) Socrates writes the word Prenetos. Cedrenus makes it Prainetos. Factum videtur nomen ex Sy

ro

ro No

Biranta; quod pro Caftro vel Palatio paffim occurrit in Paraphraftis. Sed et Hebraicè Birnajot funt Arces aut Caftella (1). Bronteac is compounded of two Scythian words, viz. Bran Princeps, Teach Domus; whence Brainteach a Palace. Arabicè Tekht, the Royal Refidence. Tak an arched Building, Tawkia roofing a house; whence the Irish teach a house.

Some of, the Perfian Writers fay, that Agamon was the first King of Perfia, the name in Irish fignifies excelling in battle; and fo Capellus has tranflated it. Achaemenes ipfo interprete, bellator bonus (Reland de vet. Ling. Perf. p. 109.) Aghimy, Perfam notat, aghim, Perfiam, unde Perfo. Aghemian et Azjemian et Achemonii, Romanis Achaemenii.

Alter Achaemenium fecludit Zeugmata Perfan. (Statius.) Videtur itaque quod apud antiquos Perfa dicta fuerit Achæmenia ut diftingueretur a Partia dicta Erak. Perfia a Sinu Perfico orientaliter, apud Autores alios vocari folet Achæmenia & Perfæ Achæmenes. (Hyde. Vet. Rel. Perf P. 416.)

Bochart derives the name from N Achiman, ad verbum Quis frater meus?-idem potuit effe cognomen primi Regum Perfæ quem Græci vocant Achæmenem. Achiman, frater præparatus, vel frater dexteræ, aut frater quid? filius Enac, Numb. 13.

Emir-glun Finn. Emir glaf. &c. Arab Amer a great man pl. Omra, kai is Synonimous whence Kai-Sru, Kai-Eafru, &c.

(1) Bochart Geog. Sacr. L. 1. C. x.

Glun,