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

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NOTES. 345vould have remained. But if <strong>the</strong>y <strong>the</strong>mselves were <strong>the</strong> Aborugincs, <strong>the</strong>re was nobody to stru^^gle with.Of all <strong>the</strong> post-diluvian languages, <strong>the</strong> Chaldaic bns <strong>the</strong> fairestclaim to antiquity. Abraham v^as called from Ur <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>Chaldecs, and must have carried that language along with him.The Hebrew lauiiuage is, <strong>the</strong>refore, only a dialect <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Chaldaic.That <strong>the</strong> Celtic is a dialect <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> same language, is highlyprobable. Nations have, in all ages, been extremely solicitousto preserve <strong>the</strong>ir own name and <strong>the</strong> names <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>ir gods. TheChaldaic, Chaldach, and tlie Gaelic Caltach^ (a Celt) are exactly<strong>the</strong> same. That <strong>the</strong> same god, Bel., was <strong>the</strong> chief object <strong>of</strong> worshipin both nations, is beyond dispute. From <strong>the</strong> same source<strong>the</strong> Bramins, <strong>the</strong> Phcenicians, and <strong>the</strong> Hebrews, &c. borrowed<strong>the</strong>ir language and <strong>the</strong>ir god, Bel or BaaL The most probableetymon <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> word Qelt^ or Caliach^ is Cealtach (Latine Qceles-Ics)—i. e. " men addicted to <strong>the</strong> study <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> heavens.'' Ceal,or Cal, in <strong>the</strong> Celtic, signifies heaven, and its regular adjectiveis Cealtach, or CaJtach, The Chaldeans, from <strong>the</strong> most remoteages, have been famed for judicial astrology, and <strong>the</strong> Celts,while <strong>the</strong>ir Druids remained, were equally celebrated. Chasdimwas <strong>the</strong> original name <strong>of</strong> Chaldea, but this was soon lost in <strong>the</strong>empire <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Babylonians, Medes, and Persians, under whosedominion <strong>the</strong>y alternately fell. Chaldach.^ which <strong>the</strong> Greeksrendered Chaldaioi, and <strong>the</strong> Romans Chaldcei, is merely an a/?-'peUalive expressive <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>ir attachment to <strong>the</strong> study <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> caelestialbvdies. I shall revert to this subject when I treat <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>antiquity <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> use <strong>of</strong> letters among <strong>the</strong> Celts,Note LXX.—Page 20G."Borcadcs is merely a derivative from V>oreas^ and signifies <strong>the</strong>sons or descendants <strong>of</strong> Boreas, in <strong>the</strong> same manner as Velides isderived from Veleus. \joireadhach literally signlties strong, orpozicrful. It is <strong>the</strong> same with <strong>the</strong> Crrcck Boreadcs. Hjjperbo^reans (flt/perboraioi), as Mr. Toland well remarks, is a naraoexpressive <strong>of</strong> a people living very far north. Its proper significationis, above or beijond <strong>the</strong> North Wind, As both <strong>the</strong>se are

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