[Footnote 17: Their first mischievous exsultation into Alsace being invited by the Romans themselves, (or at least by Constantius in his jealousy of Julian,)--with "presents and promises,--the hopes of spoil, and a perpetual grant of all the territories they were able to subdue." Gibbon, chap. xix. (3, 208.) By any other historian than Gibbon, who has really no fixed opinion on any character, or question, but, safe in the general truism that the worst men sometimes do right, and the best often do wrong, praises when he wants to round a sentence, and blames when he cannot otherwise edge one--it might have startled us to be here told of the nation which "deserved, assumed, and maintained the _honourable_ name of freemen," that "_these undisciplined robbers_ treated as their natural enemies all the subjects of the empire who possessed any property which they were desirous of acquiring." The first campaign of Julian, which throws both Franks and Alemanni back across the Rhine, but grants the Salian Franks, under solemn oath, their established territory in the Netherlands, must be traced at another time.] Thus much, of their 'Salian' epithet may be enough; but from the interpretation of the Frankish one we are still as far as ever, and must be content, in the meantime, to stay so, noting however two ideas afterwards entangled with the name, which are of much descriptive importance to us. 32. "The French poet in the first book of his Franciades" (says Mons. Favine; but what poet I know not, nor can enquire) "encounters" (in the sense of en-quarters, or depicts as a herald) certain fables on the name of the French by the adoption and composure of two _Gaulish_ words joyned together, Phere-Encos which signifieth 'Beare-_Launce_,' (--Shake-Lance, we might perhaps venture to translate,) a lighter weapon than the Spear beginning here to quiver in the hand of its chivalry--and Fere-encos then passing swiftly on the tongue into Francos;"--a derivation not to be adopted, but the idea of the weapon most carefully,--together with this following--that "among the arms of the ancient French, over and beside the Launce, was the Battaile-Axe, which they called _Anchon_, and moreover, yet to this day, in many Provinces of France, it is termed an _Achon_, wherewith they served themselves in warre, by throwing it a farre off at joyning with the enemy, onely to discover the man and to cleave his shield. Because this _Achon_ was darted with such violence, as it would cleave the Shield, and compell the Maister thereof to hold down his arm, and being so discovered, as naked or unarmed; it made way for the sooner surprizing of him. It seemeth, that this weapon was proper and particuler to the French Souldior, as well him on foote, as on horsebacke. For this cause they called it _Franciscus_. Francisca, _securis oblonga, quam Franci librabant in Hostes_. For the Horseman, beside his shield and Francisca