ANCIENT GAUL comprehended the whole country be tween the Pyrenees, the Alps, the Rhine, and the Ocean ; it was therefore of greater extent than modern France, as it existed previously to the Revolution; for to the dominions of that kingdom must he added, to form an accurate and complete estimate of the size of ancient Gaul, the duchy of Savoy, the cantons of Switzerland, the four electorates of the Rhine, and the territories of Liege, Luxemburgh, Ilainault, Flanders, and Brabant. Gaul was added to the dominions of the Roman empire, principally by the valour and talents of Julius Cxsar ; but it was not divided as a portion of that empire, till the reign of Augustus. This monarch introduced a division equally adapted to the course of the rivers, the progress of the legions, and the most prominent national distinctions, which had compre hended above 100 independent states. The colony of Nar bonne gave its name to the sea coast of the Mediterranean, Languedoc, Provence, and Dauphine ; the government of Aquitaine extended from the Pyrenees to the Loire ; the celebrated colony of Lugdunum or Lyons bestowed its ap pellation on the country between the Loire and the Seine, which, however, was originally denominated Celtic Gaul. Beyond the Seine the Belgic division lay : this portion of Gaul, in more ancient times, had been bounded only by the Rhine ; but a short time before the conquest of Gaul by Julius Caesar, the Germans being superior to the Gauls in number and valour, and like all savage nations, and too many modern ones, regarding this as a sufficient reason for attacking their less powerful neighbours, had seized on a considerable part of the Belgic territory. The Romans gave to this portion the names of Upper and Lower Ger-. many, for no other reason but because it was inhabited by people who had passed into Gaul from Germany. From this sketch of ancient Gaul, as compared with modern France, it will be seen, that the latter comprehends the whole of the Narbonnese, Aquitaine and Celtic, or Lyonese divisions of the former, and part of the divisions which were called the Belgic and the two Germanies.
The modern name of France is derived from the Fr4nks. About the year 240, a confederacy was formed uncle? the name of Franks, by the inhabitants of the lower Rhine and the Weser, wno, in the time of Tacitus, passed under the appellations of Chauci, Cherusci, Catti, Sze. The first, in
their inaccesible morasses, had long defied the Roman arms; the Cherusci were proud of the fame of Arminius; and the Catti were formidable, on account of their firm and intrepid infantry. In the reign of Gallienus, they threat ened Gaul ; but at this time their ravages took another di rection, and Spain and Africa trembled at their presence. For a great number of years afterwards we lose sight of the Franks, but when the throne of Valentinian was pow erfully assaulted by Attila, they gained possession of part of Gaul, a small village between Louvain and Brussels, having been the residence of Clodion, the first of their kings mentioned in authentic history. Even before this conquest, they had established the right of hereditary suc cession in the noble family of the Merovingians. The symbol of military command was a buckler, on which the princes of this race were elevated : and the royal fashion of long hair was the exclusive mark of their birth and dig nity ; while the rest of the nation were obliged, either by law or custom, to shave the hinder part of the head, to comb the hair over the forehead, and to content themselves with two small whiskers. The Franks were distinguished from the inhabitants of the country in which they had now fixed themselves, by their lofty stature, and blue eyes ; by their close apparel; their weighty sword suspended from a broad belt; a large shield; and their expertness in running, leaping, swimming, and darting the javelin or battle-axe with unerring aim.
01' the particular circumstances attending the extension of the conquests of the Franks, little is known : their re gular and connected history begins with Clovis, in the year 481. This monarch achieved the conquest of Gaul, by the defeat of the Roman governor ; and by his marriage with Clotilda, added Burgundy, of which her father was sovereign, to his dominions. Clotilda converted her hus band to Christianity, and the conversion of his subjects followed. Clovis conquered Aquitaine, but retained it but a short time ; he died in 511. In the last year of his reign, he reformed and published the Salic laws ; a few lines of these, which debarred women from inheriting what were called the Salic lands, have been applied as precluding females from the succession to the French throne.