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160 whence cynical. The Gaelic for John is Jain, the Gaelic for Jean or Jane is Sine, with which I equate shine, shone and sheen, all of which have respect to the sun, as also had the Arabic jinne, genii, and Gian Ben Gian, a title of the fabulous world-ruler of the Golden Age.” “The name China, French Chine, is John, and Japan or Yapon, the hand (sic) of the Rising Sun, whose cognisance is the Marguerite or Golden Daisy, whose priests are termed bonzes, and whose national cry is banzai, is radically the same as the British Eubonia or Hobany, La Dame Abonde, the Giver of Abundance.” The derivations of synagogue and demagogue are interesting: “It may reasonably be assumed that synagogues were prayer-meetings in honour primarily of San Agog, St. Michael, or the Leader and Bringer together of all souls.” Of demagogue we are told: “This word meaning popular leader is attributed to demos, people, and agogos, leading, but more seemingly it is Dame Gog or Good Mother Gog.” Discussing the tale of Baucis and Philemon, the author stops to remark: “The name Philemon is seemingly philo, which means love of, and mon, man or men, and at the time this fairy-tale was concocted love of man, or hospitality, would appear to have been the motif of the allegorist."

Gems such as these, and perhaps even more precious, might be produced from every chapter, if not every page. It is true that symbolism, coins, rustic ritual and other things get their turn; but the connecting threads are supplied by philology (dare we call it jig-saw philology?) of the kind I have quoted. The gist of the work, as far as I can make out appears to be summed in a paragraph of the final chapter, thus: “On re-reading my in as far as possible a detached and impartial spirit, there would appear to be much prima facie evidence in favour of the traditional belief that these islands once possessed a very ancient culture, and that the Kimbri, or followers of Brute, were originally pirates or adventurers who reached these shores ‘over the hazy sea from the summer country which is called Deffrobani, that is where Constantinoblys now stands.’” In other words, Britain derived its population and a high civilization in