generally, and especially those Northern Baltic countries, were
left comparatively vacant; so that new immigrating populations
from the East, all of Sclavic origin, easily obtained footing and
supremacy there. In the Northern parts, these immigrating Sclaves
were of the kind called Vandals, or Wends: they spread themselves
as far west as Hamburg and the Ocean, south also far over the Elbe
in some quarters; while other kinds of Sclaves were equally busy
elsewhere. With what difficulty in settling the new boundaries,
and what inexhaustible funds of quarrel thereon, is still visible
to every one, though no Historian was there to say the least word
of it. "All of Sclavic origin;" but who knows of how many kinds:
Wends here in the North, through the Lausitz (Lusatia) and as far
as Thuringen; not to speak of Polacks, Bohemian Czechs, Huns,
Bulgars, and the other dim nomenclatures, on the Eastern frontier.
Five hundred years of violent unrecorded fighting, abstruse
quarrel with their new neighbors in settling the marches.
Many names of towns in Germany ending in ITZ (Meuselwitz,
Mollwitz), or bearing the express epithet Windisch italic> (Wendish), still give indication of those old sad
circumstances; as does the word SLAVE, in all our Western
languages, meaning captured SCLAVONIAN. What long-drawn echo of
bitter rage and hate lies in that small etymology!

These things were; but they have no History: why should they have
any? Enough that in those Baltic regions, there are for the time
(Year 600, and till long after Charlemagne is out) Sclaves in
place of Suevi or of Holstein Saxons and Angli; that it is now
shaggy Wends who have the task of taming the jungles, and keeping
down the otters and wolves. Wends latterly in a waning condition,
much beaten upon by Charlemagne and others; but never yet beaten