Some enquiries concerning the first inhabitants, language, religion, learning and letters of Europe / By a member of the Society of Antiquaries in London [i.e. F. Wise].

Francis Wise

Date:: 1758

Credit: Some enquiries concerning the first inhabitants, language, religion, learning and letters of Europe / By a member of the Society of Antiquaries in London [i.e. F. Wise]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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$may be fafely comprehended under the common one of (1) Scythians, given by the ancient Greeks to all the Northern nations in general. Hiftory informs us that the (2) Scythians The Scythian were always reputed a moft ancient peo- “Age. ple; and that they difputed the prize of antiquity with other nations. §. Epiphanius, recounting the feveral inftitutions, tenets, and herefies that prevailed in the world, and reducing them to chronological order, three books of Arima/pian verfes, written by Arifteas the Proconnefian, who lived feveral hundreds of years before him, and was older than Homer; and by fome thought to have been his mafter: Strabo calls him a jugler, ayip wins ef 7s wax. Lib. XIII. p.589. be that as it will, he was the firft, that we can trace, who gave the Greeks any account of the Northern nations. The Cyclopes of the poets, were of the higheft antiquity, as being the Sons of Coelus and Terra. Vid. Hefiod. Theog. v.139. And Strabo tells us that Homer took his one-eyed Cyclopes from the Scythian Hiftory, and the Ari- mafpian verfes of Arifteas. Taje JY x4 Tes wovoppdres Kixawmas ix F Zxudiis iso- elas meTevivone’ TwsTEs Jap TIVES qs Aewuacnés Qua, és ty mols Aexuaareiaus ene tudido- ney Aecseas 6 TegxowinG. Geogr. Lib. I. pag.21. This fhews from what quar- ter the oldeft fables of the Greeks were derived. I am not ignorant, that Suidas brings Arifteas down to the time of Cyrus and Croefus; but chufe rather to abide by the authority of Strabo. (1) Tho y% per wesonyoetey aurav Aleplowos iuiv of merce opel SeToeSpcvow’ “Oump@r BP Kyxucerss outes ware’ Hegdores 9 6 re Pepa vyegrlapluos Sxudus marvedis’ 65 Xeupavevs Tawrapyos Kiubpss xg Teourevas. Niceph. Gregoras Hift. Lib. II. de Scy- this. Dypl a9 x7! nla a dpry ateoy Exley SiEav, Sarey Te awess Bopoay wepn Te ywoben ie iv) tvbuare SuuSas eygrsy, 1 Nouadus, ds OunpG, isee 3 xo T wess Eareoay yadeyrey, Kéazos %) ICnpes, i oupplurws Kearsbnges Ped) KeaTo-Swdeu @EIOUVORCNOV TO, up ey DvoLc Tey ya Sévase. éSvay qe Topwey ale tw aworey Strabo Lib. I. P:\33 A mreev Tees Ley Iu tes aregaCobess, Koos of merasol TW Elway ovyrgapers SwvSas %) Keame-SxuSag exgasy. Idem Lib. XI. p. 07. Timonax an ancient hiftorian, or geographer, reckoned Fifty different nations of Scythia, Tis 3 SwSias tn mevmjxovra Tiuavak dyaredot vy apdty «er Zxusov. Schol. in Apoll. Argonaut. Lib. IV. v. 320. (2) Fuere quidem temporibus [Nini] antiquiores, Vexores rex Algypti € Scythie rex Tanais. Juftin. Lib. II. Seytharum gens antiquifima femper habita: quan- as inter Scythas {8 E-gyptios diu contentio de generis vetuftate fuerit ~~ Idem ibid, begins$