Thus, for instance, _Scotland_, called _Escocia_ in Spanish, he asserts was so called from _escuocia_, a _cold hand_! Ireland, which is Irlanda in Spanish, means, in Basque, _Ira-Landa_, i.e., _meadow of fern_: and so on to the end of the chapter, in a strain which becomes highly comic.

Another writer followed in his steps,--Don Juan de Erro y Aspiroz,--who surpassed him in absurdity; proving to his own satisfaction, not only that the Basque is ancient, but that its alphabet _furnished one to the Greeks_, and that the same nation instructed the Phoenicians in the use of money; added to which, they passed into Italy, and _from them_ sprung the Romans--those conquerors of the world.
Certainly, etymologists do fall into strange errors; as when the forgery _pour rire_ of Count de Gibelin was taken for the Lord's Prayer in Celtic, and explained as such by the famous Lebrigant! Humboldt, in his "Researches" on the origin of the first inhabitants of Spain, falls into errors which are to be lamented; as his great name may afford sanction to the dreams of others.

He acknowledges that he is puzzled to find that there is no trace amongst the ancients of the term Escualdunac.

He does not go so far as Zuniga, who discovers in the name of Obulco, engraved on ancient medals, Tri-Gali, i.e."laughing corn" or Balza-Gala--"black corn:" that Catalonia (evidently a modern name) signifies, "The country of wild cats." Cascantum--"dirty place;" and Hergaones--"good place of the spinners!" Du Mege observes, that Humboldt has unfortunately followed former writers too much; and though all he writes is worthy of respect, he fails to convince, in this treatise, having begun on false ground.

Since then, M.de Montglave has "proved" a fact which is very startling, namely, that there is a great affinity between the Basque language and the dialects of the indigenous nations of South America![36] [Footnote 36: This M.Mazure will by no means allow in his "Histoire du Bearn et du Pays Basque."] This last circumstance, which new observations seem to render more and more probable, would at once put an end, if really proved, to all discussion, and open a new field for speculation.