"And David faid, whofoever getteth up to the gutter (aquæduct or fewer) and fmiteth the "lame and the blind that are hated of David's foul, "he fhall be chief and captain".

The text has y aor and no phiffach, tranflated blind and lame, and inftead of Phiffach, the Chaldee has Chaker. Aor fignifies to watch, as well as to be blind, whence y Air, Vigil, Angelus perpetuò vigilans, nunquam dormiens: hence Aire in Irish is a chieftain, an officer, a guard, and we have Caiker and Fiofache fignifying the war priest or prophet: thefe, probably, were mounted on the walls of Jerufalem encouraging the foldiers and bidding defiance to David, and not the blind and lame; for, why fhould the blind and lame be hated of David's foul? (a) Or how could David diftinguish the lame and the blind, from able men, when posted on lofty walls?

P Chaker in the Chaldee is to prædict, to inveftigate, to fearch into nature.-Sephiri ha'm' Chakar D Libri fcrutationis, i. e. Phyfici, which perfectly correfponds with the office of our Caicer, who was not only a prieft, but an officer; for, in the clofe of this part of the hiftory, we are told, that the principal commanders in this voyage were Ealloid, Lamhfionn, Cing and Caicer. That in their voyage to Guthia, they met with Murdbuchon (Syrens) who fung the officers to fleep, and would have killed them, had not Caiker given them a charm (b).

(a) And the Inhabitants of Jebus faid to David, Thou shalt not come hither. The fucceeding words of Samuel are very difficult. (Kenniott.) Diff. p. 33.

with a -inftead of a, in the Chaldee is חבר & חוכר (5)

conductor. The Irish, at least the modern Irish, can make no diftinction, the C being always founded as K, and this letter they have not in their alphabet.

MILES.

MILESPAIN or MILESIUS.

CHAP. VIII. PART I.

The Voyage of the MILESIANS from Guthia to An Spain, i. e. The Spain, i. e. The Ship Country.

B

RATHA, fon of Deaghatha, was the principal commander in this voyage and conducted the Gaduli from Guthia (Sicilly) to An Spain, Spain. The officers under him were Oige, Uige, Mantan, and Caiker. They failed from Guthia, (i. e. Sicily) leaving Catria on their left hand, and keeping the S. West Coast of Eorp (or Europe,) landed in Spain.

The pofterity of Tubal the grand fon of Japhet, were the inhabitants of the country at that time, and with them the Gadelians fought many defperate engagements (c). Bratha had a fon born in Spain, whom he called Breogan: he built the city of Breogan near Cruine.

The famous Gallam, who was called Miles and Milefpain (d), was the fon of Bille, fon of Breogan.

(c) Tubal five Jubal, quinto.genitus Japheti filii Noe, dictus Attalus, & ab eo quod in Mauritania obierit. Atlas Mauritanus, primus Hifpaniæ regnum obtinuit, ut ex Latinis afferunt Eufebius & Hieronymus, ex Hebræis Jofephus, & ex Chaldæis Berofus. (Tarapha, Hift. Hifp. p. 8).

The Spanish writers fay that Tubal was called Tarfis; that that he was the grandfon of Japhet, our Irish history informs us that the fons of Tarfis accompanied them to Ireland and were always diftinguished not to be of Gadelian race.

(d) Goles, the old Spanish name of Hercules. (De Lastonofa on ancient Spanish medals).

T 2

This

This family had almoft made a conqueft of the country, and obtained fome of the principal officers in the government. Gallamb or Milefs or Mile-Spain at length refolved to vifit his relations in Scythia and accordingly fitted out 30 fhips, and fteering for Crete, he paffed it by and ascending to the Euxine fea, entered the Biortannis.

The King of Scythia received him kindly, made him chief commander of his forces and bestowed his daughter Seang upon him. By the continued courfe of his victories he became the darling of the people, which raised a jealousy in the king, who refolved to crush his greatness. Miles informed of this base design, affembled the Gadelian officers, and they came to a refolution of forcing their way into the palace and killing the king, which they immediately put in execution. They then retired to their fhipping, and embarking in the Biortanais (or Partheneus) failed through the Euxine & Ægean feas into the Mediterranean, and fteering for the Nile landed in Ægypt.

When Melefius and his party landed, they fent meffengers to Pharaoh Nectonebus the Ægyptian king, to notify their arrival. He welcomed them to his Court and affigned a tract of land for the fupport of the Gadelian forces.

Egypt was at this time engaged in a defperate war with the Ethiopians: Pharaoh finding Milefius to be an expert foldier, made him general of his forces. Milefius engaged the Ethiopians with fuccefs, and at length brought them under, tribute to the crown of Egypt. Upon this, Pharaoh gave his daughter Scota in marriage, (by her he had two fons Heber-Fionn and Amergin) (e). When

(e) We have already explained the allegory of Scota; and fhewn it fignified his fleers, his fhips. Heberñonn and Amergin he made Commanders of the fleets.

Milefius

Milefius arrived in Egypt, he appointed twelve of the most ingenious youths that attended him, to be instructed in the fciences of Egypt, with a defign of teaching his countrymen the trades and myfteries of the Ægyptians (f).

When he had been feven years in Ægypt, he recollected the remarkable prædiction of the Caiker, the principal Draoi, who had declared that the pofterity of Gadel fhould find no reft till they came to a western Island. He therefore fitted out fixty fhips, and failing from the Nile into the Mediterranean, landed in Thrace: leaving that foon after, he came to the western Island, viz. GUTHIA, which lies near a Frith or narrow fea, that extends northwards. Here he dwelt fome time, and in this Ifland his wife was delivered of a fon, whom he called Calpa; they next failed up the narrow feas that divide Afia from Europe, keeping Europe on their left or weftward. They

(f) The Greek hiftory informs us, that Miletum in Ionia, was first colonized by Phænicians from Crete-that this colony was attacked by the Perfians and tranfplanted into Perfia-that the Phænicians and Milesians joined with the Perfians against the Ionians, at the battle of Mycale, and that they were made flaves by the Perfians, but kindly treated by Alexander :—and in the time of Pfamiticus a colony of Milefians fettled in Greece. The Sacæ joined the Perfians at the battle of Marathon and broke the centre of the Athenians.

The Liber Lecanus, an ancient Irish MS. informs us, that one colony of the Milefians arrived in Ireland in the last year of Cimbaoth or Cambaoth, (i. e. Cambyfes) fon of Ciras (i. e. Cyrus)—it then describes the divifions of Alexander's empire among his Generals, and fays, another colony arrived in Ireland in that very year wherein Alexander defeated Daire, i. e. Darius.(Leab. Lecan. fol. 13).

then

then returned to Croton (g), or the country of the Crotoni, at a place called Alba, (i. e. Albeftum) and voyaging from thence leaving the greater Brutii on their right, they came to Erotha, (Cadis), keeping the S. Weft coaft (of Spain) on their right till they arrived in the harbour of Biascan, (Bifcany) (h).

REMARKS.

We have already fhewn the epithets Miless and Milefpain, fignify the hero of the fhip; a naval commander. Mil is a champion, hero, officer, the fame as Mal or Malc, Chald. N malca, Rex. Efs and Spain fignify a fhip, from y Es, lignum; or No Spina or Sapina, navis magna & tecta, whence Do Span or Sapan, Nauta. See i Kings Ch. 9. 26. Ch. 10. 22. Ez. Ch. 29. 29. &c. &c. Milefpain is then fynonimous to the Chaldean ND 27 Rab Spania, i. e. Magister Nautarum, Jon. Ch. 1. 6. Again mallach in Hebrew and Melach or Melachoir in Irish, fignify a failor: Nauta, remex, qui mare feu aquas remo mifcet & vertit, fays Schindler. In Arabic Mullah is a failor and Sufina a fhip; the Efs of the Irish, they have converted into Ajuz. The Chaldee Nifa and the Syriac Noufa, a fhip derive from this root, whence vaus & vnus.

(g) The reader will recollect that Nil or Nilus, the son of Fenius was the Hercules who founded Croton Sir I. Newton calls him the Egyptian Hercules, (Chronol. p. 181). See Ch. 4th.

(h) Albiftrum, oppidum Brutionum. Ptolem. Ferrarius.

Tuatha