WestwardoftheGoths，thenumeroustribesoftheVandalswerespreadalongthebanksoftheOder，andthesea—coastofPomeraniaandMecklenburgh。Astrikingresemblanceofmanners，complexion，religion，andlanguage，seemedtoindicatethattheVandalsandtheGothswereoriginallyonegreatpeople。^17ThelatterappeartohavebeensubdividedintoOstrogoths，Visigoths，andGepidae。^18ThedistinctionamongtheVandalswasmorestronglymarkedbytheindependentnamesofHeruli，Burgundians，Lombards，andavarietyofotherpettystates，manyofwhich，inafutureage，expandedthemselvesintopowerfulmonarchies。
[Footnote13:Tacit。Germania，c。44。]
[Footnote14:Tacit。Annal。ii。62。IfwecouldyieldafirmassenttothenavigationsofPytheasofMarseilles，wemustallowthattheGothshadpassedtheBalticatleastthreehundredyearsbeforeChrist。]
[Footnote15:Ptolemy，l。ii。]
[Footnote16:BytheGermancolonieswhofollowedthearmsoftheTeutonicknights。TheconquestandconversionofPrussiawerecompletedbythoseadventurersinthethirteenthcentury。]