1 it; it will foon give them a character analogous to its own: One of these two forces must unavoidably triumph over the other, and become both of them blended and combined together; as two rivers when united, form a common ftream, which rapidly bears down all oppofition. But in this multitude of Religions, all are not equally worthy of our research. There are, among fome barbarous nations, Creeds without ideas, and practices without any object; these have at first been dictated by fear, and afterward continued by mere mechanical habit. A fingle glance of the eye thrown upon such Religions as these, is fufficient to show us all their relations and dependencies. The thinking part of mankind, must have objects more relative to themselves; they will never put themselves in the place of a Samoiede or an Algonquin: Nor bestow much attention upon the wild and unmeaning fuperftitions of barbarians, fo little known and unconnected with themselves. But as for these parts of the world, which we ourselves inhabit, or have under our own immediate view; to know fomething of the Religions which once prevailed here and influenced the fate of these countries, cannot furely be deemed uninteresting or unimportant. 1 ! Two* principal Religions for many ages divided between them all these countries, which are now blessed with Christianity: Can we comprehend the obligations we owe to the Christian Religion, if we are ignorant from what principles and from what opinions it has delivered us ? I well know that men find employment enough in defcribing one of these two fyfstems; viz. that of the Greeks and Romans. How many books on their ancient mythology hath not that Religion occafioned ? There have been volumes written upon the little petty Divinities adored only in one fingle village; or accidentally named by fome ancient author: The most trivial circumstances, the most inconfiderable monuments of the worship prescribed by that Religion have occafioned whole folios: And yet we may perhaps, with reason affert, that a work which should endeavour to unfold the spirit, and mark the influence of that Religion in a moral and political view, is yet wanted. Nevertheless that Religion only extended itself in Europe over Greece and Italy. How indeed could it take root among the conquered nations, who hated the Gods of Rome both as foreign Deities, and as the Gods of their masters? That Religion then so well known among us, that even our children study its principal tenets, was confined within very narrow bounds, while the major part of Gaul, of Britain, Germany and Scandinavia uniformly cultivated another very different, from time immemorial. The Europeans may reasonably call this CELTIC * worship, the Religion of their fathers; fathers; Italy itself having received into her bosom more than one conquering nation who profefsed it. This is the Religion which they would probably still have cultivated had they been left for ever to themselves, and continued plunged in their original darkness: This is the Religion, which (if I may be allowed to say so) our climate, our constitutions, our very wants are adapted to and inspire: For who can deny, but that in the false religions, there are a thousand things relative to these different objects? It is, in short, this Religion, of which Chriftianity (though after a long conflict, it triumphed over it) could never totally eradicate the vestiges. " proceed, in my opi"nion, from men's not " understanding one an" other." [Thus far our ingenious Author, who having been led by Pelloutier and Keyslar into that fundamental error (which has been the stumbling-block of modern antiquaries) viz. That the CELTS and GOTHS were the same people, supposes that the Druidical system of the CELTIC nations, was uniformly the fame with the Polytheism of the nations of GOTHIC Race: Than which there cannot be a greater mistake in itself, nor a greater source of confufion in all our researches into the antiquities of the European nations. The first inhabitants of Gaul and Britain, being of CELTIC Race, followed the Druidical fuperftitions. The ancient Germans, Scandinavians, &c. being of GOTHIC Race, professed that fyftem of Polytheism, after wards delivered in the EDDA: And the Franks and Saxons, who afterwards settled in Gaul and Britain, being of GoTHIC Race, introduced the Polytheism of their own nation, which was in general the same with what prevailed among all the other GOTHICORTEUTONIC people, viz. the Germans, Scandinavians, &c. After all it is to be observed, in favour of our Author's general course of reasoning, that in Gaul and Britain, and in many other countries, innumerable reliques both of the CELTIC and GOTHIC fuperstitions, are still difcernable among the common people; as the prefent inhabitants of those countries derive their descent equally from the GOTHS and CELTS, who at different times were masters of these kingdoms, and whose defcendants are now so blended and mingled together.] Τ. We may reasonably inquire how it comes to pass that the Paganism of Greece and Rome ingroffes all our attention, while there are so few, even among the learned, who have any notion of the Religion I am speaking of? Hath this preference been owing to any natural fuperiority either in the precepts or worship of these learned nations? Or do they afford subjects for more fatisfactory researches than those of the northern nations? What indeed are they, after all, but a chaos of indistinct and confufed opinions, and of customs indifcriminately borrowed and picked up from all other religions, void of all connection and coherence; and where, amidst eternal contradictions and obscurities, one has fome difficulty to trace out a few bright rays of a4 reafor |