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whence it is concluded, that they formerly have had fome connection, and that one has borrowed from the other; as the Egyptians from the Chinese, or the reverse; nay, the English from the Eaft Indians.* The custom of marking the skin in figures was as much practised by our ancestors in Britain, as by the modern inhabitants of Otaheitee:† and Robert

* "From Tartary the Hindoo Religion probably spread over the whole earth; there are figns of it in every northern country, and in almost every fyftem of worship: in England it is obvious; Stonehenge is evidently one of the Temples of Boodh; and the arithmetic, the aftronomy, the holidays, games, &c. ancient monuments, laws, and even languages of the different nations, have the strongest marks of the fame original. The worship of the fun and fire; human and animal facrifices, &c. have apparently once been univerfal." ASIATIC RESEARCHES.

+ To which may be added, the North-American Indians, of whom Bartram fays, "their head, neck, and breast are painted with vermillion (colour) and fome of the warriors have the skin of the breast, and mufcular parts of the body very curiously

B 3

Robert Drury's account of the practice of ftealing cattle in Madagascar, differs in no circumstance from the Journal of a Focray, headed by Sir T. Carleton; as given in the Introduction to the Survey of the Lakes in the North of England.

It has puzzled hiftorians to account for this connection, which in most instances is difficult, and in many, impoffible. By adopting the idea, which it is partly the intention of this effay to establish, that man, in the fame ftage of society, is every where much alike;* and that ig

norance

curiously infcribed, or adorned with hieroglyphick fcrolls, flowers, figures of animals, &c. they prick the skin with a needle, and rubbing in a blueish tint it lafts for life."

* "The Egyptian, Hindoo, Moorish, and Gothic Architecture, instead of being copies of each other, are actually the fame-the fpontaneous produce of genius in different countries, the neceffary effects of fimilar neceffity and materials." HODGES.

The

norance of the arts, or knowledge of them, marks the character of ancient and modern states of nations-the difficulty vanishes.

A great refemblance may be obferved between fome characters and adventures in the Arabian Tales, and fome in the

old

The following quotation is of more modern application. "It is highly probable that many ceorls and burgeffes, who dwelt in or near the place where a wittenagemot was held, attended as interested spectators, and intimated their fatisfaction with its refolves by fhouts of applause-omnique populo audiente et vidente aliorumque fidelium infinita multitudo qui omnes laudaverunt."

HARDY.

This is a juft picture of the National Convention of France, and evidently fhews, that by reverting to first principles, they have also reverted to barbarifm.

The Mufcogulges (a favage nation in NorthAmerica) have the game of hurling, fo very like that of Cornwall, that the defcription of one would ferve for the other.

old Provençal Romances. reason for supposing that

There is no the works of either reached the other. Imagine only that fociety was in the fame ftate in both countries, and it naturally accounts for a fameness of character and incident.

The tumuli called, by the common people in the western counties, barrows, are to be found in every part of Europe, and even of Tartary. Before the art of building with stone exifted, or when it coft more than early ages could afford, the most natural monument, in any country, over a man who deferved remembrance, was a heap of earth. To this day, barrows are fhewn in Greece, as the tombs of Homer's heroes.

It would not be easy to trace any connection between the modern Irish and the ancient Greeks and Romans; yet, the former have, and the latter had, the fame custom of howling over the dead,

The

The lamentations over Hector's corpfe in Homer, and over Dido's in Virgil; which the latter calls Ululatus, fcarce differ from the Ulaloo of the Irish. It is faid by a learned traveller, "that the Irish are still in poffeffion of certain cuftoms utterly relinquished by the other nations of Europe”—if so, then it proves that they are still in a state of society which is congenial to such manners and customs, and that other nations have loft them because they are advanced into another Age,

Let thefe few inftances fuffice to eftablish my pofition; they might be much increased if more were neceffary.

The firft of the four Ages then, is man in his favage state, wherever found, and at whatever period; the fecond is when he has made fome progress towards civilization; the third is the ftate in which we are at prefent; and the fourth is that

to

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