The Phœnician origin of Britons, Scots & Anglo-Saxons : discovered by Phœnician & Sumerian inscriptions in Britain, by preroman Briton coins & a mass of new history : with over one hundred illustrations and maps

158 PHGINICIAN ORIGIN OF BRITONS & SCOTS

also sighted by Aineas on fleeing from Troy to the Tiber, according to Virgil's tradition, this suggests that the Trojan (and Pheenician?) sailors, in voyaging westwards along the Mediterranean, were in the habit of sailing due south until the coast of Africa was sighted, and then coasting along that sea-board, guided by its well-known rocky headlands as landmarks.

The time taken for the first stage of the voyage, from the mouth of the Acheron or the city up that river to Leogecia, the ancient Leugas and modern Leucas, (which is south of Corfu), that is, a distance of about 35 miles, is stated to have been “ two days and a night.” This seems quite probable in view of the difficulties in starting off such a large fleet of small boats and the necessity for them keeping together. The second stage from Leogecia to the coast of Africa at Philznon, which is in a direct line due south only about five hundred miles, is stated to have taken “ thirty days.” This long period may have been due to contrary winds, or the “ thirty days’’ may perhaps refer to the whole time under sail from the re-embarking at Leogecia till the next landing in Mauretania (see Map).

The “ Vision’ of Brutus at the temple of Diana may or may not have really happened. It is only said to have occurred in a dream. The mere offering of worship to the popular goddess of the Chase and of Destiny, with a cup of wine and few drops of hart’s blood poured upon the altar fire, was a very probable occurrence, especially as Brutus was bent on a “‘ chase,”’ and was begged by his men to make the offering as we are told. Similar and more bloody sacrifices were often made by Alexander-the-Great—coming from the land of the same Parthini tribe in Epirus—at popular native shrines. And it was the usual practice amongst sailors to worship the local divinity on starting on voyages, and we have seen that the goddess called “‘ Diana” by Geoffrey was a form of the Phcenician tutelary Britannia.

The account of this “ Vision’’ occurs in a fragmentary portion of the lost earlier version of the Chronicles by Prince

1 One of 32neas’ ships was manned by Orontes, presumably named after the river of the Hitto-Pheenician port Kadesh,