The Irish republic. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1867-18??, 1868-01-18

proved taking the date 1850 that in which the
languages called Caucasian attained maturity and at which
occurred the great separation of the human family in the
table lands of upper Asawhose Kettle the first
surge westwardhe allotment of thousand years for
settlement and the extension of the rudmentary civilization
which every people possessed of grammatical speech and
system of literal symbols must enjoy is sufficient to render
probable the statement of the Greek geogpher respecting
the Lustanians 1t is only indeed within the last quarter
of century that any serious efforts have been made here
the continent to look up such remains of Celtic literature
should form the basis of the history of many modern
nations An effort is being made in France in this
direction with what result have yet means of
judging Such specimens of the literature of Bretany
have been prnted-songs miracle plays etc., with
exception and that respecting warike hymnsdo not date
further back than the middle ages In ancient Britain the
Celtic literature preserved by the Druds devoted to
destruction by the Christian monks who in their laudabe
desire eradicate every relic of pagan destroyed history
BEFORE after us the deuge to have been their
motto Thus find ST. COLUMBIA burning heaps of Irish
books Iona and Geofry of Monmouts chronicle is
of the few memorials connected with ancient Britain which
possess and which he states the nature of its
substance tesies translation of ancient British book
which he obtained from Bretany-whee need not say
the greater part of the Celtic population of Britain proper
took refuge after the departure of the Romans in the be-
ginning of the fifth century, from the incursions of the Pics
(Scandnavians) and Scots Tor Dalaradans of Antrim
Thus that neither Spain, Portugal France Eng
land at the present day extensive materials in
the Celtic language which would form foundation for the
early history of any In the of England Hume Lin
gard Macauey derive the of their information
about the pre- Roman period solely from Latin and Greek
Sources their of the chvac epoch of the Celtic
Arthur canty regarding that parsonage myth,
because such details before them derived from
ballads of the same sort as those on which Lvy relied when
writing the early books of his history of the Romans most
such English writers being ignorant Of dsregardng the
fact that the first annals and laws of all peoples
posed mercay for the purpose of fixing them in their
memory, and that they written after the art of
writing had been introduced among them Whatever nfor
nation current researches may evolve respecting the history
of the continental nations whose orig Celtic during
the middle ages may be safely asserted that of
them possesses any materials except those derived from
classic authors which throw light their pre- Christian
condition.
How different is the case with Ireland 1t may now be
safely asserted that she is the only European country who
possesses materials for history only preceding the in
PRODUCTION of Christianity, but of which will yet illus
the m character and general history of the Celtic
during these Roman Pagan ages and illumination
the remotes traditional epochs of migration and colonization
In word when the history of Ireland is written will be
found be the oldest authentic detail of the career only
of European people, but very possibly of more prim
tive than that of the populations of Northern Hndoostan
Every has heard of the immense antiquity of the San
scr but although the substance of the Vedas which
prose translation of the versed hymns and laws composed
in the old Bactran-the origin of the Zend from which the
modern Persian is 400 B. c. Sanscr did
become grammatical language until $50 before the Christian
era In short, the Indian Arians comparatively
modern people compared with the Celts. The former mi
grated into the Indus country, modern Punaub about
1000 years Co. while the latter have sad had estab
hed themselves all the continent of Europe thou
sand five hundred years previous in all positions favor
ably situated such in the south of Span in Portugal and
other localities had preceded the progenors the Hndoos
in civilization Of this civilization the chief perhaps the
only remains to be found in the ancient literature
of ireland.
OCurys manuscript materials may be said to have for
the hr time dspeed the general ignorance the great