4i6 THE HISTORY Book L norant even among the Romans * The word appears eridentfy at the fir ft view to be as littler Roman in its origin a& thrvwy feme appellation of Piftooea in Gaul, Pifr in the fingiifa* form- ing Pi£t-i or Pi£t-on-es in the Plural ; which is equally feen in tke names of Allo-Brig-es or Brig*antHSs, Frif-ii or Fri£-on-es, Cang-i or Cang^an-i, Cea-i or Cen-onfr-es, and a theuftnd others. The name was not confined at all to the Romans and Roman Britons. It was ufed equally by the natives themfelm. The name-was not peculiar to the Caledonians. It was the appellation equally of them and of the Inftu The name is therefore absolutely Cel- tic, and was pronounced by the Britons of Scotland and Ireland Fi£t or Vift, the Caledonians calling themfelves the Fi<9t-ied, and the Hibernians denominating themfelves the Gathel Fi<3-ied. The name is evidently derived from the Britiih Guith or Gui&, the divorced or feparated.. Hence arofe the appellation of Ve<5Vis of the feparatcd region for the Ifte of Wight s *. And as the labials M, By P, V, and F are conftantly fubftkuted one for another in the Britiih language S4 , Gui<9: would be varioufly formed intaMift* Bi&, Pi&, Vift, and Fi£l. Thus we have Vent in the Venta Iceno-
- um of Norfolk, Gwent in Gaer Gwent the antient Venta Situ-
rum, Wint in Wintchefterthe Venta Belgarttm,Bint in the Bindo- gladta of Ravennas the Venta-Geladia of Richard, and in Viado- vium or Bintchefter, all four exaftly the fame word with Pendor Pent an Head. Thus we have Aval an Apple, Papyrus Papir or Paboor, Poptrfus Pobalf or People, Durobrovrs or Duroprovis, Menapia St. David's or Menevia, Btydham Frydhain orPrydhain for Britain, and an infinite variety of others 5 '. . And names tike thefe, names Signifying a feparated people, were vtry com- mon among the Celtae in general ; appear (as I have already Shewed si ) even in the name of the ifland, Britain ; appear alfb in the original and general appellation of all the iflands around it, which were all equally denominated Britains ; and are found in Veftis and Mi&is, the names of one or two of thefe iflands in particular, in the Veft-uriones of Scotland, in the Pi&ones of France, and in the Vettones of Spain * And the name of FiA x>r Pi& in our own country, being common to the Caledonians and
