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ON THE B \TTLE OF VTTTORt…

To the Editor of the Worth…

To the Editor of the v oi-th…

-TO THE EDITOR.

To the Editor of the Mo, f…

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To the Editor of the Mo, f h fFales Gazette. „ I DUMBER x. j 1t i riot in partinalar parte that Gildas is j followed by succeeding historians. A verv | 'del le- considerable portion of Ihe Chronicle and l,c- j clesiastical History of Bede is a mere Iran j script from (he History of Tildas, with very j few variations, and, therefore lo attack the J cr(-dibility of the .)iie, is toc!ief;iloii the ,(ttlio- I rity of the other. But, ilihough Bed.* ap- j pears occasionally in the ighl of. a Plagia j rist, jet in the 22nd Chap-. B. 1 whore he j makes large quota!ions fion. it, he expressly | acknowledges thai lie gol his information j f*iolll Cild;is. the oiiiy ;oqfiiice iii which he mentions him by name Quas historic us J eorutn Gildas flebili sernnne describil Can I any stronger proof be inquired to shew, that I this history is reilly ',)lid ([)',I[ the supposition of its b- ing he production of Aid- hem is without the slightest foundation ? Bede It (:all and Aldlielm were contemporaries, and it can not be supposed that tie former would have shade that Ihe groundwork of his History, which he knew to be a fabrication. Several entire chapters are taken from Gildas, but some particular variations made in the ex- tracts shew that Bede was unfavourably in dined towards the Urilons. while at flit- same time they afford ihe most satisfactory proof lhat there really did exist m his time the very history which now passes under the Hame of Gildas. He softens the asperity of his lan- guage when speaking of the Saxons, and omits altogether those parts in which their barba- rities are detailed. A comparison of the 23rd and the following chapters in Gildas, wilh the 15th and the succeeding ones in the first book of Bede's History vuli convince any one of this. On the contrary he applies more de- grading terms when speaking of the Britons. | Thus for instance the following passage from Sictil. agni a hmiollihus, tU deflendi I' cives discerpwnlur," is thus altercd hy Bede, Sirut agni a teris ita miseri cives dissipau tur Again, cruentipreedones is changed in- to infesti pradof* 'and. miserrimi cives, i. c. i Britanni, i!ito valgus. Netiiiiti.,i had the history of Gildas he- fore him in compiling his Hisioriuntula, is very evident by comparing his introduction I to lhat of Gildas, of which it is a striking imitation. Again with respect to Ihe Bri- tish embassy to Rome, m describing the Am- bassadors he uses these words. (urn sab- tone super capita sua," whIch is borrowed from the following words of Gildas,—opertis- que sab lone capitibus. In imitation of him likewise he applies the term Ckiula to the iia vy ofJ. CEesar, aiid corroborates his history so far as to acknowledge the treachery of the Britons to the Romans. NelllJius IJjlOll the whole wishes to itnpres his readers with an un- favourable opinion of the Romans, and throughout the whole there i9 a studied at- tempt to exculpate the Britons. Hence he carefully omits mentioning that the Saxons were invited over by Vorligern, and insuni ales that they came over by chance. To prove the credulity of Nennius, and conse- quently how little he is to he depended upon, I need only refer to theSOih and following chapters, in which he appfars more in the light of a superstitious monk than lhat of a taitliftil litstoriaii. His book abounds with (lie most extravagant tales and absurd Genea logics, probably the production of bis own brain, which Geoiftv-y of Moninoufb found of inestimable service in making them the foundation of his historical Romance. Respecting tile genuineness and authentici- ty of the ihstory of Gilda, I trust I have I proved lhat there cannot he a reiiiiiii- ing. riie ei,i.4tic i,,ic! iijiii,ir at- ter the most diligent perusal of it, to be a 11 vv mere Farrago of calumny. |-j»>vv well found- ed these supposed calumuie* are, will appear by recurrinj; to tfie characters of the Princes of Ills tillie. Gildiis in Ins history in^iiuiatejj lhat the posterity of Ambrosius was much de. generated, al1^ ot this the character of Mor- dred is a convincing example. Those whom he particularly animadverts upon are record ed it, history as guilty «,{ the crimes of which thej are accused by Gildas, except (uneg iase who is not mentioned by any other Historian Malgo, King of Veuedotia, is attacked by Ta;<esiu in terms more severe than he is by Gildas. and C'nttantinus King of Cornwall,' who 8 accused of murdering two intauts at the Altar, is expressly said to have beeu guilty of these crireies «y Matthew of Westminster, L. 11-4. These together with Vortiporin,l King of Demetia and Aur. Ceiiauus King Pcfwisia, who either reigned at the same time, nr followed in rai)id sti,-cessit)ii,aretl)e Princes, whose vices are exposed by Gildas nor can any stronger confirmation be wanting foshew the justice of his rea ctions, than the crimes imputed to sonic of titeitt, parlit-iiiiirly to Malgo, by the generality of Historians. He anticipates the objections thai might be made against him, for the boldness and asperity of his attack He vvis -tirge(I to it bj the magni Hide of their crimes Cumulo malorum compul ms. The conduct of his countrymen was too flagrant for a calm, dispassionate address: He concludes his epistle in a feeling manlier, hy impressing upon the minds of the remaining lew of Ins friends, who withstood the general corruption, the h ipes of an eternal reward, He appears throughout a siretitiotis and zea lous advocate for the pure and uncorrupted doctrines of Christianity, and addresses to his countrymen such passages of the old Testa- ment, where Providence visibly interposes, and where the moral government of the sti- preme being is exerted in the punishment ot the wicked, and the protection of the good. Bangor, J.J.

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