Would it not appear then, that in those first centuries B. C. when Celts and Teutons were emerging into historical notice, the Teutons were coming out of a long period of subordination, in which they had learnt strength—­the Celts out of a long period of ascendency, in which they had learnt other things?  The Teuton, fresh from his pralayic sleep, was unconquerable by Rome.  The Celt, old, and intoxicated with the triumphs of a long manvantara, could not repel Roman persistence and order.  Rome. too, was rising, or in her prime; had patience, and followed her material plans every inch of the way to success.  Where she conquered, she imposed her rule.  But whatever material plan were set before the Celt, some spiritual red-herring, some notion in his mind, was sure to sidetrack him before he had come half way to its accomplishment.  He had enough of empire-building; and thirsted only after dreams.  Brennus turned from a burnt Rome, his pride satisfied.  Vercingetorix, decked in all his gold, rode seven times—­was it seven times?—­round the camp of Caesar:  defeat had come to him; death was coming; but he would bathe his soul in a little pomp and glory first.  Whether you threw your sword in the scales, or surrendered to infamous Caesar, the main thing was that you should kindle the pride in your eye, and puff up the highness of your stomach. . . .  So the practical Roman despised him, and presently conquered him.

Here is another curious fact:  the greater number, if not all, of the words in the Teutonic languages denoting social order and the machinery of government, are of Celtic derivation.  Words such as Reich and Amt, to give two examples I happen to remember out of a list quoted by Mr. T. W. Rollestone in one of his books.

And now I think we have material before us wherewith to reconstruct a sketch or plan of ancient European history.  Let me remind you again that our object is simply the discovery of Laws.  That, in the eyes of the Law, there are no most favored nations.  That there are no such things as permanent racial characteristics; but that each race adopts the characteristics appropriate to its stage of growth.

It is a case of the pendulum swing, of ebb and flow.  For two thousand years the Teutons have been pressing on and, dominating the Celts.  They started at the beginning of that time with the plebeian qualities—­and have evolved, generally speaking, a large measure of the patrician qualities.  The Celts, meanwhile, have been pushed to the extremities of the world; their history has been a long record of disasters.  But in the preceding period the case was just the reverse.  Then the Celts held the empire.  They ruled over large Teutonic populations.  Holding all the machinery of government in their hands, they imposed on the languages of their Teuton subjects the words concerned with that machinery; just as in Welsh now our words of that kind are mostly straight from the English.  It does not follow that there