Page:History of Manchester (1771), Volume 1, by John Whitaker.djvu/469

 434 THE H I S t O R Y &x>k t. the dominion of the Belgfc, very naturally incorporated them* felves into one and the fame fociety, and were as naturally dif- tinguifhed among the Britons by one ahd the fame denomination, the appofite appellation of the Scuites, the Wanderers, or the Refugees of Britain ". The next colonies that were fettled in Ireland were in all probability the Damnii and the Robogdii, the name of the for- mer indubitably evincing its origin from the Damnii of Valfcntia* and both pretty certainly eroding the harrofr ftrak from Gal- loway and Cantire, The Epidii and the Damnii lying the neareft of any Britons to the ifle of Ireland, they muft therefore be fuppofed, after the extraordinary embarkation of the Scuites, to have been the firft of all the Britons that planted colonies within it. And tlte Damnii, who once owned all the fea-coaft from the borders of Galloway to the wall of Antoninus, and who had even fubdued both the Hdreftii fend the Albani beyond it, muft once (I apprehend) have undoubtedly pofleffed the whole extent of Galloway, and muft have willingly fefigned it up to the tribe of the Nou-ant-es or the New<*comers« This appears from its appellation to have been a nation of foreigners, and from its fi- xation muft in all probability have been derived from the neighbouring ifiorcs of Ireland. Arid this was very probably a body of the Irifli Damnii, that upon feme rencounters betwixt the Hobdgdii or the Voluntii and them had retired from the ifland about the period 4f Agricola's entrance into Lancaihire, had re-crofled the (ea to the dire&ly oppoftte coaft of Galloway, and had been allowed to fettfe peaceably in the country. They were nearly related enough td the Damnii to be admitted into a participation of their tferfitwtefc, and they had befcrt abfent long eliough from the country f$ be denominated Nouanfds or ftran- gers. And, what feerbs a ftrikiftg ewififnwtion of the opinion, an Irifh Regains appears ertprefsiy froto Tacitus to have becti ex- pelled from the ifiand ih fcine internal comnwtioii of it* who Was treated with a Very artful ftiertdlineis by Agricola* ifrho gave the ftomatas a vety juft 4ftd a very encouraging inforttaation tontetftmg the Wfcakt*& of the ft«%> «ad witk wintftt AgrfcoJa had