he like Mischance in _Pliny_,
_lib._ 7. _cap._ 57. where 'tis thus written,--"_Gentium consensus
tacitus primum omnium conspiravit ut_ IONUM _literis uterentur_." And
afterwards,--"_Sequens gentium consensus in tonsoribus fuit._" And
again,--"_Tertius consensus est in Horarum observatione._" Now who is
there that sees not plainly the Word IONUM ought to be left out, as well
because 'tis apparently unnecessary, (for _Pliny_ had no farther Design
than to let us know, that Men first of all consented in the Writing and
Form of their Letters) as because 'tis false, that the _Ionian_ Letters
were the first invented; as _Pliny_ himself in his foregoing Chapter,
and _Tacitus_, _lib._ 11. have told us? I have observed however two
Places, (_Gregorius Turonensis_, lib. 5. and _Aimoinus_, lib. 3. cap.
41.) wherein 'tis intimated, that the _Gauls_ used the _Forms_ of the
_Greek_ Letters: For where they speak of King _Chilperick_,--"_He added_
(say they) _some Letters to our Letters_; and those were, [Greek: o,
ps, z, ph]; and sent Epistles to the several Schools in his Kingdom,
that the Boys should be so taught." _Aimoinus_ mentions only three
Letters, [Greek: ch, th, ph]. But we must understand, that these were
_Franks_, not _Gauls_; or rather _Franco-gauls_, who made use of their
own native Language, the _German_ Tongue; not that ancient Language of
the _Gauls_, which had grown out of use under the _Roman_ Government:
Besides, if the _Francogalli_ had made use of the _Greek_ Letters, how
came they at first to except these, when they made use of all the rest?
But we have said enough, and too much of this Matter. As for their
Opinion who believe that the _Gauls_ spoke the _German_ Language,
_Caesar_ confutes it in that single place, wherein he tells us, that
_Ariovistus_, by Reason of his long Conversation in _Gallia_, spoke the
_Gallick_ Tongue.

Now for two Reasons their Opinion seems to me to be most probable, who
write, that the _Ancient Gauls_ had a peculiar Language of their own,
not much differing from the _British_: First, because _Caesar_ tells us
it was the Custom for these _Gauls_ who had a mind to be thoroughly
instructed in the Learning of the _Druyds_, to pass over into _Britain_;
and since the _Druyds_ made no use of Books, 'tis agreeable to Reason,
that they taught in the same Language which was used in _Gallia_.
Secondly, because _Tacitus_ in his Life of _Agricola_, writes, that the
Language of the _Gauls_ and _Brit