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266 Scythian invasion of Asia, which is the earliest inroad of the nomadic race that history records. The first, as far as we can conjecture, in respect to the time of their descent, were the Finnish and Ugrian tribes, who appear to have come down from the Altaic border of High Asia towards the north-west, in which direction they advanced to the Uralian mountains. There they established themselves; and that mountain-chain, with its valleys and pasture-lands, became to them a new country whence they sent out colonies on every side; but the Ugrian colony, which, under Arpad, occupied Hungary, and became the ancestors of the bulk of the present Hungarian nation, did not quit their settlements on the Uralian mountains till a very late period, and not until four centuries after the time, when Attila led from the primary seats of the nomadic races in High Asia the host, with which he advanced into the heart of France. That host was Turkish: but closely allied in origin, language and habits with the Finno-Ugrian asttlers on the Ural.

Attila's fame has not come down to us through the partial and suspicious medium ofchroniclers and poets of his own race. It is not from Hunnish authorities that we learn the extent of his might;