Scrieck's foundation for all his extravagant topographical derivations was the passage from Plato. Doctor Johnson seems to have been the Plato of these new etymological rambles; but we apprehend that neither the Greek nor the British philosopher would be much edified by the philological excursions of the Irish disciple. Nothing can be more perfect in its way than the dogmatic audacity with which he assigns his derivations; it is in the true vein of Bickerstaff, and a model to quacks of all classes. "Before we commence our examination into the geographical divisions of Italy, it is necessary to say something of that portion of the world with which the Phoenicians became for the first time acquainted after their settlements in Syria, since called _Europe_, by an accident as trivial and unlikely to happen as that by which the new world in modern times was denominated _America_, that is, by a blunder of the Greeks. The fable of the rape of Europa, &c., was a mere national allegory, of which the following is the substance. When the Phoenician Homeritae had discovered the Mediterranean, &c.--they sent out vessels to explore it, _e_, 'it,' _u_, 'from,' _ro_, 'to go,' _ba_, 'was,' _tur_, 'voyage,' _ros_, 'to the promontory;' I. E. _it was to go from a voyage to (Italy) the promontory_. This was, as usual of the Greeks taking sound for sense, made into a _lady_ and a _bull_--_tur ros_ must be the Greek [Greek: tauros], and the Lady Europa was to ride the bull to Crete, which was one of the first discoveries and settlements. Of the _children or results_, Minos has been already explained as _mian_, 'minis,' nos, 'knowledge,' or 'the art of mining.' Rhadamanthus means nothing more than that the voyage to Crete was the first great result of discoveries on this sea: _ra_, 'going,' _ad_, 'illustrious,' _am_, 'great sea,' _en_, 'the,' _tus_, 'first.' So simple is the explanation!--(Vol. ii. p. 244.) Scrieck had some remains of the modesty of learning, which prevent his becoming a complete master of this style. The Peloponnesus might perhaps possibly, he owned, have been derived from Pelops; though 'twas more likely it should come from _Pfel-op-on_, &c. &c. That admission was ill-judged: he ought to have denied that Pelops ever existed, and laughed at the blundering Greeks. But the Irishman is a deacon of his craft, and settles the point like an adept. "PELOPONNESUS, according to the Greek, the island of Pelops. But the name was of much greater antiquity than Greek civilization, and was, like all others, given by the Phoenicians. Pelops was an imaginary character. The meaning of the word is, _the promontory of the courteous people_; _bel_, 'mouth,' _aiobh_, 'courteous,' _a_, 'the', _neas_, 'promontory,' _aos_, 'community, race of people.'"--(Vol. ii. p. 254.)