5

NOTES. 417
therefore have intervened", before Britain, in literary attainments,
could excell the parent country, and so completely obscure and
pervert the history of Gaul, as to induce a belief, even amongst
the Gauls themselves, that they derived Drnidism from B»taia.
At any rate, it is certain that in Ciesar's time there were senflna.
lies of education both in Gaul and Britain |
that these semina.
lies were well attended; that the branches of education taught
were so numerous and complicated, as to require twenty years
Etudy ; and that the British schools had so far gained the ascend,
ancy, that the Gallic students resorted to Britain for the purpose
of perfecting their studies. The intercourse with Ireland was
equally easy; and it would be contrary to analogy and common
sense to suppose that it was destitute of similar institutions.
The
records of the Irish have, in some measure, been preserved, whilst
those of the other Celtic nations have been lost/ and when their
historians fix the first literary establishment in Ireland 800 years
before our sra, we are well warranted, from the testimony of
Csesar, and all other collateral and concomitant circumstances,
to reckon the date not greatly over,rated.i
The Irish historians mark the first century of our sera as a
Tery remarkable one. Thelrish laws, which had been preserved
only in traditionary poems, were, by the command of King Con.
covar, who died about the year 48,. committed to writing. The
reason assigned, for this measure is,, that the Druids and Bards:
had, from time immemorial, interpreted these traditionary laws
as they pleased.
This is said to have pcodufced an insurrectioa
of the people, by which the Druids and Bards were in danger, of
being exterminated^ They fled to Caiicovar, who, gave them
protection ; and,.in ordf r to quiet hia subjects, appointed a num..
ber of the:ni05t eminent Druids to compile an intelligible and
distinct, body of laws, and con^mit them to writing, that they
might be clearly understood, and no longer be submitted to the
arbitrary interpretation of the Druids. But what could have induced
the Irish, at' this particular crisis, to rise against a body,
of men whom they had always venerated, and to whose decisions
they had, from time immemorial, implicitly submitted ? The Irish