BARBARIC PERIOD.
The Romans speak of numerous nations, in addition to those that have been already described, with whom they had come into hostile or friendly contact, and of whose existence, in some cases, we should otherwise have remained ignorant. Representatives of such nationalities are even depicted on monuments or otherwise portrayed. On the other hand, we are not able in every instance to bring description and pictorial representation into agreement. An illustration of the destruction of a Daciau pile-village, for example, is shown upon the celebrated pillar of Trajan; among the fugitives we meet with the figure of a man, repro duced on Plate 34 (Jig. 1o), who may be regarded as a representative of this oft-mentioned nation. An illustrated copy of Virgil from the first century of our era shows a battle between Romans and barbarians; the artist had doubtless drawn the latter from contemporary inhabitants of distant countries who had served him for models. Figure 9 is taken from this manuscript, but we are unable to say positively to which nationality it belongs; if we have regard to written remains, the illustration most nearly corresponds with Caesar's description of the Gauls.
The is probable that the earliest inhabitants of Northern and Western Europe, traces of whom occur back in the Glacial Period, were overcome by the Iberians, a black-haired race, who, coming from the south, probably Africa, across the Strait of Gibraltar, occupied Spain in particular, but also pushed into more northern countries—namely, France, the British Isles, Switzerland, and Southern Germany. The Basques, who dwell in certain valleys of the Pyrenees, are pure descend ants of this race. (See Vol. I. pp. 371-373.) Mikration of the :Juan Iberians gave way in turn before the steady encroachments of the Aryan stream of migration which moved from Asia, and which gradually divided into three main branches. The first branch, or the vanguard, was composed of the Celts. These drove back the Iberians from the North-east, if they had reached that far, and eventually intermingled with them, forming in Spain the Celtiberians, in Northern Italy and France the Gauls, in England the Britons, etc. The
vacated regions of the East and North were next occupied by the pure blooded Teutons. The Slats formed the rear of the migratory column. Their seats had probably been in the extreme East, and they had there become intermingled with those Mongolian and Tartar elements which even yet distinguish them into North and South Slays. The Lithuanians are a separate people. Their language is the most closely related to the Sanskrit of all the European tongues, but their origin and history are shrouded in obscurity.
The characteristics of the Celtic nation, which preceded the Teutons on the field of history, but whose individual development was hindered by the Roman conquest, are described by Cato in such unmistakable terms that we readily recognize in them the modern French people. There are numerous evidences that the Gauls possessed not only the native capabilities of the Aryan family, but even its peculiarities. The special bent of their national character, though influenced somewhat by interminglings, is to be attributed chiefly to their unpropitious for tunes. It must be remembered that the Gauls languished for centuries under the yoke of foreign conquerors who in vain attempted to subdue the Teutons.
The phantom of glory deluded the Celtic race with the promise of a :ligher destiny, and occupied their imagination to the injury of their mental powers. Individual tribes among them sank into lethargy, while others went astray in the wildest fanaticism. Inclined to credulity and self-deception, they lost the true basis of moral growth. They accom plished extraordinary results when, as in all matters of taste, only a light and formal realization of the ideal was required, but they were no longer qualified to carry out the fundamental principles of human culture.