western Country of all Europe; whence it is tyled by the Poets Hefperia Ultima, and thereby diftinguished from Italy, which is always understood by the word Hefperia, when used without the addition of that Epithet. Thus Horace fpeaking of Spain, calls it Hefperia Ul tima: Qui nunc Hefperia Sofpes ab ultima *. Which Epithet he drops in mentioning Italy, as appears from his following Verses: Dii multa negletti dederunt Hefperia mala luctuofa +. And elfe where, Longas O utinam, Dux bone, ferias Our Author adds, and endeavours to prove, that the Name Italia is the most antient of any that Part of Europe bears; wherein he is guilty of a most notorious and unpardonable Blunder. His Words are as follow: Italia, fays he, unicum, fingulare, ac proprium eft bujus Regionis nomen, æque apud facros & prophanos auctores vulgatiffimum. Imo arbitror antiquius effe omnibus aliis. Illud quippe Moyfes omnium Scriptorum antiquiffimus expreffe exhibuit Numerorum cap. 24. ubi referens Balaami Prophetæ vaticinium, inter alia hæc ab ipfo prænuntiata tradidit: Venient in trieribus de Italia, fuperabunt Affyrios, vaftabuntque Hebræos, & ad extremum etiam ipfi peribunt. De Romanorum Imperio omnes facri Interpretes hoc vaticinium exponunt. Inde colligimus, Italiæ vocabulum omnium huic * Horatius, Carm. Lib. 1. Ode 36. + Idem, Lib. 3. Ode 6. ‡ Idem, Lib. 4. Ode 5. I regi regioni impofitorum esse antiquissimum. Nam ceterorum nominum, qui prædicantur, Auctores, Moyfis avo pofteriores funt. Cum igitur Moyfes Libri Numerorum, ac totius Pentateuci Auctor Italiæ nomen exprimat, evidens eft nomen iftud jam ante ejus ætatem huic Europa parti fuiffe inditum ; ac proinde omnium aliorum effe vetuftiffimum. One would hardly think it poffible, that any Writer fhould argue after fo prepofterous a manner. Because he finds the Word Italia in the vulgate Tranflation of the Pentateuch, he takes for granted, that the very fame Word was used by Mofes; and upon this Foundation grounds his Opinion touching the Antiquity of that Name. 1 am of opinion, fays he, That the most antient Name of this Country is Italia, because it is used in exprefs Terms by Mofes, the most antient Writer now extant: Venient in trieribus de Italia, &c. Should we not deserve to be feverely cenfured (or rather pity'd) if finding, for inftance, in an English Tranflation of Cafar's Commentaries, the Words Britannia, Gallia, and fuch like, rendered thus, England, France, &c. we fhould conclude from thence, that the latter Names were very antient, and had been used by Cafar? Had our Author recurred to the Original, which every Writer is indifpenfably bound to do on fuch Occafions, he would have found, that Mofes ufes not exprefly the Word Italia, but the Word na Chittim, which no more refembles his Italia, than it does Oenotria, Aufonia, Hefperia, Saturnia, &c. 'Tis true S. Hierome tranflates the Hebrew Words to a parte Chittim, thus, de Italia; but he might have as well used any of the above-mentioned Names as that of Italia, which he preferred to the others for no other other Reason than because it was the most common, and, confequently, the best known. Tho' S. Hierome translates the Hebrew Words abovementioned de Italia, yet it is not certain that the Word Chittim fignifies Italy or the Italians. The Greek Interpreters render it Κιτίες, Κιπες, and Kiraies, that is, according to Jofephus the Cyprians; there being a famous City in that Ifland, called Citium. In that City was born Zeno, the celebrated Stoic Philofopher, and from thence named Kirisus. Jofephus adds, that all Islands and maritime Places are called in Hebrew Xeliu; and on this falfe Suppofition renders the following Hebrew Words On 2 Reg. vii 6. into Greek thus rov (βασιλέα) - νήσων ; as if Chittim with a της Cheth, were the fame as Chittim with a Caph. Others tranflate Chittim Xias; and fome render it I'vdov ovn. The Author of the firft Book of the Macchabees by the Word Chittim understood the Macedonians; for he tells us, that Alexander the Great came out of the Land of Chetim ἐκ τῆς γῆς χεταμ +: and calls Perfeus, of whom the Romans triumphed, Kiriw Baordia ‡. 'Tis true, that moft Interpreters by Chittim understand the Romans, founding their Opinion on the following Words of Daniel; At the time appointed he (Antiochus) ball return, and come towards the South (that is, towards Egypt,) but it shall not be as the former, or as the latter. For the Ships of Chittim ball come against him; therefore be fhall be grieved and return, and have Indignation &c. | The Jofephus Lib. 1. Antiq. Judaic. Cap. 6, & 7. + Macchab. + Macchab, Cap. viii. v. 5. Daniel.Cap. xi. v. 29, & 30. Ships of Chittim, fay they, are plainly the Ships of the Romans, who under the Conduct of Caius Popilius, defeated the Defigns of Antiochus and obliged him to return home +. In the Vulgate instead of Chittim we read Romani: &venient fuper eos Trieres & Romani: & percutietur & revertetur; which Explanation is followed both by the Greek and Latin Fathers, and, among the Jews, by Jofeph Bengorion, Solomon Yarbi, R. Saadias Gaon, Aben-Ezra, Jofeph Fachiad. But allowing the Romans, or Italy, to be meant by the Word Chittim; it would be ridiculous to infer from thence (as our Author does) that Mofes ufed the Word Italy, when he faid, in relating the Prophecy of Balaam, And Ships fhall come from the Coast of Chittim, &c. Perhaps the Hebrew Word Chittim,fup pofing it to fignify that Part of Europe we call Italy, had been better rendered in Latin by Latium or Camefene, than by Italia; for Chetema in the Arabick Dialect, (which is a Branch of the Hebrew) fignifies to bide, and cheam, bidden, to which Latium anfwers, being derived from the Latin Verb lateo. As to Gamefene, feveral learned Writers will have it to import the fame as Latium; with this difference, that Latium is derived from the Latin Verb lateo, whereas Camefene, according to them, comes from the Hebrew camas, which fignifies to bide t. WHO were the firft Inhabitants of Italy, or when it began to be peopled, is a Question, which, for want of antient Records, cannot be determined. Some have faid, that Chethim, * Liv. Libr. 4 & 5. Decad. 5. Polyb. in excerpt. Legat. Cap. 92. + Johannes Jacobus Ofmannus in Lexico univer. Verbo Camefe; and Bochartus Geogr. Sacra, Libr. 3. Cap. 5. third third Son to Favan, who was Japheth's fourth Son, came and fettled in Italy. They found their Opinion upon the Romans being called in) the Scripture Chittim, which is but a fandy: Foundation. Annius of Viterbo is of opinion. that Noab himself, (whom he takes to be Janus) came into Italy; nay, that he failed, with his three Sons, round the World, and put each of, them in poffeffion of the Countries they and their. Defcendants were to enjoy. He adds, that, in this Partition of the World, Europe fell to Japheth and his Pofterity. The most common Opinion is, that Italy was peopled by Colonies from Greece, which paffed into Italy, according to S. Hierome and Eufebius, about, Mafes's Time. The moft antient Kingdom in Italy was, according to Trogus Pompeius, and, Livy, that of Tuscany, founded by Tyrrhenus, a Native of Greece. Jofephus Gorionides * and Vatablus + conjecture, that Tuscany was erected, into a Kingdom by Mofoch, Japheth's fixth Son. Others take the Kingdom of Latium to be the moft antient; which, if we give credit to Eufebius, was founded by Janus, a hundred and fifty years before Eneas arrived in Italy; that is, according to our Author's computation, feven hundred and eighteen Years after Noah's Death, and seven hundred and feventy three after the Confufion of Tongues. Our Author here gives us the Series of the Kings that reigned in Latium, from Janus to Numitor, Grandfather of Romulus, Founder of Rome: enumerates the various Nations that inhabited Italy gives an account of their Origin, and a geogra phical |