approached nearer to the nature of God, which he held immutable. But those spirits that are next below them, he called angels, as being those that enunciate and declare unto us the rules of holy living.

The institute and way (continues Grotius) of the ancient angelici, was the same with the Judaical Cabalists, who agree with the Pythagoreans and Platonists, and suppose that by the inferior angels men ought to be recommended to the superior, and so by degrees to the highest, allotting the angels several names, offices and faculties, of dispensing benefits. These, their conceits touching angels, may justly denominate their cabalistic discipline an institution of the ancient angelici or angelita. And therefore it is reasonable to suppose, that the old angelici condemned by the apostle were of their order.

"Thus (says Parkhurst) Epiphanius, treating of the more ancient Gnostics, the predecessors of the Valentinians, says, that the Greek poets and their fables gave rise to all the sects; implying, no doubt that these elder gnostics borrowed the genealogies of their angels or Æons from the old poets, such as Orpheus, Hesiod, Antiphanes, Philistion, &c., who it is certain in their theogonies or genealogies of the gods, meant to describe the parts and conditions of nature."

We quote these passages to show what a high and mighty empire the angels held in the theology of the ancient world It is evident that their honours were by no means confined to the Jewish or Christian economy, but that they extended their name, renown and notification through all the classic nations of the Gentiles.

This extreme reverence and devotion for angels was carried so far in the early Christian Church, that it gave rise to the two notable sects of Angelics and Angelites. These, knowing of what great account angels were made by the inspired writers, honoured them with frequent addresses and eulogies, as we find was the prevailing custom with Origen and the Fathers of the three first centuries.

Some critics, however, have chosen to consider the Angelics and Angelites of antiquity, as heretics. Thus, says Mr. Bell, "we suppose the Angelics to have been the worshippers of angels, whom St. Paul refers to, when he cautions Christians against a superstitious reverence for these celestial agents of the Deity."

Of the same opinion is Parkhurst, "For Irenæus (says he) charges the Gnostics, particularly the Valentinians, with having stolen the genealogy of their Eons from the theogony of the heathens." Thus, then, the Gnostic doctrine of Eons or Angels making the world, and of the religious regard due to them, revived under other names the ancient errors of the Pagans.

Be this as it will, the Angelites maintained an amazing devotion for "St. Michael and all Angels." ." They regarded the Archangel St. Michael with the stronger reverence, because they supposed he was the immediate representative and agent of the divine Redeemer in his interminable war against the powers of darkness.

Now these Angelics and Angelites entertained the theory that we are now discussing. They supposed that such had ever been the influence and domination of Angels over the human race, that even among the Antediluvians both nations and individuals were found, who pretended to have sprung from Angels, whom they honoured as their ancestors, and consequently assumed the titles of Angels and Angelites.

"Thus" say the Jewish Rabbins, on what authority is best known to themselves, "When Moses tells us that the sons of God married the daughters of men, and giants were born unto them, we are not to understand, with the main body of divines, the Sons of Seth, or the religious people of that time, by this phrase the sons of God,' but we are to understand Angels or lapsed Intelligences."

This would be hardly worth noticing, had not the opinion been confirmed by the authority of the Septuagint, the book of Enoch, lately translated by Law

rence, and several of the Fathers, whose names are cited in the Poems of Byron and Moore, which have arisen from this fanciful representation.

Now as some truth lies at the basis and foundation of all fables, we believe the truth to be this;-that in these antediluvian times, a certain body assumed to themselves the title of Sons of God, or Angels, whether out of religion, mythology, astrology, or simple vanity; and thus gave rise to the confusion of interpretation among the ancient expositors.

This conjecture is rather confirmed by the other tradition of the Rabbins, that these Sons of God, or Angels, travelled west, and occupied the isles of the Gentiles, before the flood of Noah. One of the old writers goes so far as to suppose that Britain itself was inhabited before the Flood. If this theory were but true, it would explain better than any other, Plato's beautiful story respecting the Island of Atlantis, situated beyond the Columns of Hercules, or Straits of Gibraltar, whose noble population was destroyed by some overwhelming inundation.-Vide Baer, Eurenius, Tournefort, Rudbeck, Baily de Lisle, and other writers on the subject.

But let us with Noah pass safely over the flood, and follow his descendants on dry land. It was God's especial promise that he would enlarge Japheth, and that among his sons the isles of the Gentiles should be divided.

Happily, there is a general agreement among the learned, respecting the descent of the early population of Germany and Gaul and ancient Britain: all allow that the descendants of Gomer occupied this western extremity of Europe.

The sentiments of antiquarians on this matter, are so well summed up by Dr. Wells, that we shall quote his words: "I suppose it will not be unacceptable to the reader, to say a little of the Colonies, which, coming from the nation of Gomer, in process of time spread themselves further and further, and settled themselves in severa! parts of Europe, particularly in our island. Herodotus then, as he tells us that a people called Cimmerii formerly dwelt in the tract of Lesser Asia, so he tells us withal, that these people sent a colony to Palus Mootis, and so gave the name Bosphorus Cimmerius to the Strait between the Euxine Sea and the Mootic Lake.

"This Colony of the Cimmerii increasing in process of time, and so spreading themselves still, by new colonies, further westward, came along the Danube, and settled themselves in the country which from them has been called Germany. For, as to the testimony of the ancients, Diodorus Siculus, as Mr. Mede observes, affirms that the Germans had their original from the Cimmerians: indeed they themselves retain plain marks of their descent both in the name Cimbri, and also in their common name Germans.

"But from Germany the descendants of Gomer spread themselves into Gaul or France. To prove this, Camden quotes the testimony of Josephus, where he says, those called by the Greeks Ga'atæ, were originally called Gomerites. Appian also, in his Illyrics, says expressly that the Celta or Gauls were otherwise called Cimbri.

"I have produced these testimonies in order to make it more plain, that the ancient inhabitants of this our island, the Britons, were also descendants of Gomer. For it is not to be questioned, but that this our island was first peopled from those countries of the European continent which lie next to it. Indeed to me there seems to be no need of adding any other evidence that the Britons were descended originally from Gomer, than the very name whereby their offspring, the Welsh, call themselves to this very day, to wit, Kumeri, or Cymri. And since it has been observed above, that the Germans were descendants of Gomer, particularly the Cymbri, to whom the Saxons, especially the Angles, were near neighbours; hence it follows, that our ancestors likewise, who succeeded the old Britons in our island, were descended from the same Son of Japhet, namely, Gomer."

We conceive these Angli formed one of the most ancient and powerful of all the German nations. They might have adopted this title, either from that

veneration for angels which prevailed to an incredible degree among the mythologic and astrological tribes of the West, or, because they recognised the propriety of a name, which, signifying enlargement, seemed to accord with their patriarchal blessing; a name which remarkably coincided with the bold and adventurous spirit, which induced them to extend their home, empire, and their foreign enterprizes: for the genius and temper of the Angles was ever free and unrestrainable as that of the Franks.

Be this as it will, we think it probable, that those Angles who were destined by Providence to traverse and sway the world, were as ancient and considerable as any German nation whatever. We conceive by the examination of ancient etymologies, that they had from time immemorial as large a share in peopling the isles of the Gentiles, as any of the descendants of Gomer. And we believe that traces of the presence and power of the Angles in this country may be found, which bear a much higher antiquity than those pertaining to the AngloSaxon conquest.

If we were inclined to indulge in conjecture, we might hint that the Angles settled themselves in the isles of Britain as early as the fabulous visitation of Brutus; that they were alluded to under that Scripture phrase, the "Isles of the Gentiles," and by classical writers were described in very poetic colouring, as the Elysian fields, happy islands, and Hesperian gardens of the western Atlantic, which have so often perplexed the criticism of our ablest scholars.

But be this as it will, and supposing such conjectures could be disproved, it does not prejudice the strength of our argument in the least degree; for this is founded on the plain, simple, undeniable fact, that Angels and Angles are one and the same word, and that they have one and the same meaning.

This fact is thus stated by Lloyd in his learned Lexicon Geographicum. "Auctoritas est Gregorii Pontificis, qui Anglos dixit angelicos esse; nam Engel est Angelus, et Engelsch Angelicus Teutonice. Hinc Anglum alludendo engelisce i. e. angel-like vocavit. Nam et Anglus Teutonice est ein Engelschman." We have the authority of Pope Gregory the Great (by the by, the best Pope that ever sat in St. Peter's chair), who says, that the Angles should be called Angels. For engel is angel, and engelsch, angelic in German. Thus alluding to England, he called it angel-land; for an Englishman, in German, is an angel-man."

Now, if as Lloyd seems here to suppose Pope Gregory knew German when he uttered his famous speech,"NonAngli sed Angeli si forent Christiani: we would not call them Angles, but Angels, if they would become Christians," the speech would possess more point and more propriety. It is certain, that Egbert understood the Pope to signify that Angli was the most honourable title his people could bear, and greatly preferable to that of Saxons. And Verstegan, in his Restitution of decayed intelligence, has evidently adopted the same view of the case, regarding the name of England as the most honourable a nation could acquire.

We leave it to the reader's judgment, whether all things considered in the foregoing view of the etymology of England, is not more noble and rational and answerable to history, than those vague conjectures which derive our name from angles and corners, and elbows and anchors, and fish hooks and fishermen, and pirates and plains, et id genus omne.

We conceive that the Angli or Angeli derived this title, in their primitive residence among the other tribes of Cimri or Gomerians, in the west of Asia, or east of Europe. They bore this name, which we believe is identical with Angeli or Angels, in the very commencement of their history, buried as it is, in the very depths of antiquity; and they left numberless traces of it in the names of places that lay along their route from east to west long before they arrived at their last settlement in Jutland, before they passed over into Britain, We cannot, therefore, possibly agree with those who suppose that this people first received the name of Angles, when they came into Jutland, because that country happened to form an angle of land (Angulus Terrarum). This appears to us, a very ex post facto style of etymologizing.

The places that lay along the route of the Angles as they advanced from the east, very naturally borrowed the names of this powerful tribe. Such names are numerous, very numerous. Just, for example, we may mention Angleria in Italy; Engelrute, Engelburg, Ingolstadt, in Germany; Engelheim, the country of Charlemagne; Engelhartzell, a town in Upper Austria, on the Danube; Engelhausen, a town in Bohemia; Engelsburgh, a town in Austria; Engelweis, a village in Swabia; Engelstelen, a river in the Canton of Berne, Engelholm, a sea-port in Sweden, besides all the Ingles, Engels and Angles, which form so many geographical names in the West.

Now we can perfectly understand, according to the general analogy of the Gomerian or Cimmerian tribes that came originally from the East, how the Angles should have thus left their name to many places as they travelled westward; and that they did thus travel westward, is allowed by all. But we should find great difficulty in agreeing with those antiquarians, who, against the whole analogy of historical facts, reverse the order of this march of the Angles, and suppose that it was in travelling from West to East, that they gave their names and titles to so many places through the whole Continent of Europe.

The authority of Camden is, on the whole, strongly in our favour, and we shall quote him accordingly.-"The etymology of the Angli or Angles, says he, I do not presume to assign. As to Angulus son of Humble, and Queen Angela, I have nothing to do with them. Now are we to suppose the name derived from Angulus as being a corner of the world, as that well-known line pretends;

"Rich Anglia, fruitful corner of the world.

So self-supplied, as scarce the world to heed."

Anglia terra ferax, et fertilis angulus orbis,
Insula prædives, quæ toto vix egel orbe."

"The conjecture of Goropius, is fitter to be laughed at than credited, who derives Angli from Angle, a fishing rod or hook, because says he, they hooked in every thing to themselves, and were, as they say, 'good anglers.' But whoever conjectures the etymology of Engelbert, Engelhard, and such like German names, will probably likewise find the meaning of Angli. It may seem from Procopius, that the Frisones came along with them into Britain. But as the book is not extant, I shall not think my time mis-spent, to insert the Greek passage here, at large, as copied for me, from the King's library at Paris, by that worthy and complete antiquary Francis Pithæus; of which Greek passage this is the translation ;-‘The Island of Britain is inhabited by three very numerous nations, each governed by their own king. They are called Angeli Frisones, and from the island, Britons. There seems to be such a number of inhabitants that they yearly pass over from thence in large bodies, with their wives and children, to the Franks, who receive them into their waste lands. Hence they pretend a claim to the island; and not long since, when a king of the Franks sent Ambassadors to Justinian, at Constantinople, he affected to send with them some of the Angeli, as if this island was subject to him. At length, Egbert, king of the West Saxons, making himself master of these kingdoms by conquest, about the year 800, in order to unite under one name kingdoms fallen under one sovereign, and to preserve the memory of his own nation, issued an order for calling the Heptarchy, which the Saxons had held, 'Angle-land.' Hence, in Latin it is called Anglia, a name formed from the Angles, who were the largest and bravest of these three peoples." So far Camden.

"The Angles are

In Rees' Cyclopedia, we find the following testimony. said to have been a tribe of the Suevi, who, in the time of Cæsar, were the greatest and bravest of all the German nations. This tribe, after various adventures and migrations settled in that part of the Cimbric Chersonesus, which 4 x

VOL. II.

now forms the duchy of Sleswick, where some vestiges of their name still remain in the district of Anglen. The reason, it is said, why the name of Angels was preferred to that of Saxons, seems to have been because it was more distinctive and more honourable."

Such is the evidence to us convincing and irrefragable, of the identity of the names Angeli and Angli. Such is the evidence, that the Angli bore this name from time immemorial, during their earliest settlements in eastern Europe, and that they left it to many places on their route as they travelled westward.

Nor do we mean to renounce this theory, respecting the name and history of the Angles, till a full and satisfactory confutation of our arguments has been produced by antagonist antiquarians. Till then we shall take full advantage of our own position; and consider the Angles as the great medium of communication, by and through which the English derive their title to the name of Angeli.

But even if we were driven out of this position, if it were proved, as we are sure it never will be, that the Angli of Germany had no claim to the angelic epithet: it would not materially shake the right of the English to this very agreeable etymology, and very many arguments are advanced in its favour, by the author of the pamphlet.

We are rather confirmed in this theory, by a very remarkable passage in Old Verstegan's restitution of decayed intelligence, respecting British antiquities, it is as follows: page 162. "The name of Saxons was by the ordinance of noble King Egbert, about the year of our Lord 800, brought under the general name of Englishmen, which, being a name of such glory, as the derivation sheweth it, ever may they with all increase of honour therein continue."

This idea would receive further illustration from the history of the famous English coin, called the Angel, which was a favourite with the English, as early as the time of Edward the Third. The antiquarians tell us it was coined in commemoration of that honourable name of angels, which Pope Gregory had applied to our English people; and it represented St. Michael, the Patron Saint of entire Britain (as St. George, St. Andrew, St. Patrick, and St. David, are of its provinces) contending with the powers of darkness, and defeating them. This theory has fully been brought forward, and learnedly illustrated by the author of the work under review. It was," says he, " in travelling in the north of Europe; in Germany, Holland, Norway, Denmark, and Sweden, that this etymological conjecture arose in my mind. Wherever I travelled among the northern nations, I found them calling England, Angel land, and the English, Angelic men. Such a perpetual coincidence of names, must surely be something more than accidental."

ADDRESS TO OUR READERS ON COMPLETING OUR FIRST VOLUME.

DEARLY BELOVED,-We have now had some experience of each other, since the "New Year's Greeting" with which the first number of the New Series of THE MONTHLY MAGAZINE commenced under our editorship. Certain promises were there made, which we have done our best to carry out; and, in which, if we can trust