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A new edition of Toland's History of the druids: - Free History Ebooks

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276 NOTES.Cocli dicant ; sa7nanquippe apud eos CcelumappeUataj^i. e. "Itis a name given by <strong>the</strong> Tyrians to Jupiter. For <strong>the</strong> Pho?iiiciansseem to call Baal a lord or ruler, whence BaaLsaman, a phrase<strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> same import as if<strong>the</strong>y said, <strong>the</strong> lord <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> sky, for <strong>the</strong>sky is by <strong>the</strong>m called Saman.'*^ We need not be surprised atfinding a Roman mistaking Baal for Jvpiter.Pliny also confounds<strong>the</strong>m. When speaking <strong>of</strong> Babylon he says— " Dnratadhuc ibi Jovis Belitemplum, i. e. " There remains still <strong>the</strong>re atemple <strong>of</strong> Jupiter Belus.—Nat, Hist, lib, 6. cap. 26.The Phoenician Sa?nan, (he Hebrew Semin, and <strong>the</strong> GaelicSamajiy are ail so similar in sound and signification, that <strong>the</strong>recan be no doubt <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>ir having been radically <strong>the</strong> same. Sawyin <strong>the</strong> Gaelic, signifies <strong>the</strong> Sun, and Saman is its regular diminutive.When <strong>the</strong> Celts call Beal by <strong>the</strong> name oi Sam, or SaviariyIbey only use <strong>the</strong> same eliptical mode <strong>of</strong> expression which <strong>the</strong>Romans do, when <strong>the</strong>y call Apollo hilonsns^ Jupiter Olympivs^&c. It is only substiuting <strong>the</strong> epi<strong>the</strong>t or attribute, instead <strong>of</strong><strong>the</strong> name.In <strong>the</strong> county <strong>of</strong> Aberdeen <strong>the</strong>re Is a parish named Culsalmond,hut pronounced Culsamon, This is merely a corruption <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>Gaelic Cill-saman, and signifies <strong>the</strong> temple <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Sun. The IndianGymnosphistce were subdivided into BrachmanncE, and Sa.manaei, <strong>the</strong> former being hereditary and <strong>the</strong> latter elective philosophers,Vide Strahonem lib. 15, The afSnity between <strong>the</strong> Braminicaland Druidical philosophy is so great, as to leave nodoubt <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>ir having been originally <strong>the</strong> same. Samanai ismerely <strong>the</strong> Gaelic adjective Samanach (descended <strong>of</strong>, or belongingto <strong>the</strong> sun), grsecized Samanaioi, and <strong>the</strong>nce latinized Sama.noi, in <strong>the</strong> same manner as Judach and Chaldach are renderedJudcEi and Chaldcci.Doctor Smith in his <strong>History</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Druids, (page 16) with hisusual Celtic furor, tears <strong>the</strong> monosyllable Beal to pieces, andetymologizes it Bea"* nil, i. e. <strong>the</strong> life <strong>of</strong> all things. No philolo-£;ist should venture to blow up a monosyllable, unless <strong>the</strong>re are<strong>the</strong> most unequivocal marks <strong>of</strong> a Crasis. Here <strong>the</strong>re are none,and <strong>the</strong> import <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> word both in <strong>the</strong> Hebrew and Phosniclan Ian.

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