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DEFENCE
OF THE

SCOTS HIGHLANDERS,
IN

GENERAL;
AND

SOME LEARNED CHARACTERS, IN PARTICULAR:


With
a

new and

fatlsfaftory

Account of the
his

PICTS, SCOTS, FINGAL, OSSIAN, and


As
alfo.

POEMS;

Of

the

MACS, CLANS, BODOTRIA.


And

Several other Particulars refpefting the

High

Antiquities

of Scotland.

By

the Rev.

JOHN LANNE BUCHANAN.

LONDON:
Printed for J. Eger TON, Whitehall j W. Stewart, Piccadilly; and W. Richardson, Royal Exchange.

MDCCXCIV,

UNTO THE MOST NOBLE

THE MARQUIS OF HUNTLY.

MY
'T^HAT

LORD,
I

Ihould be equally fond

and

proud of the honour of approaching


your Lordlhip in this manner cannot be accounted fmgular,
that your great
feeing
it is

well

known,
raife

name

will adorn

and

the

reputation of any book to

which it is prefixed;

more efpecially when your youth and fweetnefs of difpofition,

which have made you


than your noble
birth

no

lefs

amiable,

haBft.made you great, are alfo confidered.

On
that,

that

acount,
offering

I
it,

humbly acknowledge,
I
;

by

do not

at all

compliI court

ment your Lordfhip

much lefs

do

the publick into a good opinion of myfelf, a 2


bavins:

iv

having a

much nobler motive than


:

that inte-

refted one
juftice,

but I do, from humanity and

a tribute due to truth,

attempt to

vindicate

my

country and people,

who have

been

illiberally infulted

by the intemperate

rage of an unprovoked enemy, and prefume


to lay a fhort vindication of their character

before your Lprdfhip, in hopes

it v^^ill

meet

with your countenance, both from the conflan t regard

which your noble

anceftors ever

had, and the firm confidence your Lordfhip

has

all

along manifefled in favour of the

Scots in general, and Highlanders in particular.

This princely mark of efleem from


a perfonage

is

ex-

pe(fted

ofyour exalted rank;

and being

at the

fame time the reprefentawhich,


in point

tive of a noble family,

of

power and

antiquity,

is

equalled by few,

and furpaffed by none


fay, this

in

North

Britain; I

mark of elleem and

attention can-

not

fail

of being highly pleafing to a brave


people.

people,

who had

the advantage of being


its

born and brought up under

influence,

and

in its near vicinity,


tried,

where

their prowefs

have been

and their virtue amply re-

warded by the generous hand that led them


forth to

adion

in the

hour of danger.
Lord, thefe martial in-

To you,
protediion,

then,

my

habitants naturally look

up

for patronage

and

when

unjuftly

and

fo foully ca-

lumniated with fo much unmerited abufe and


obloquy, more particularly as your Lordfhip
is

Prefident of the Highland Caledonian Soci-

ety in

London j gentlemen who

alfo

con-

tribute liberally to encourage their country-

men

to

make

progrefs in the feveral kinds

of improvement and refinement of manners.


I fhall only farther obferve,
felf

that I feel

my-

moved by

inclination,

and encouraged
to dedicate the

by gentlemen of eminence,

following performance to the entertainment

of

vi
;

of your

leifure

hours

and

it is

hoped that
therein

the variety and novelty contained


will render
ing.
w^ill
it

equally agreeable as intereft-

Thefe
obtain

coniiderations, I flatter myfelf,

pardon,

for

what otherwife
and

would be conlidered
prefumption.

as a piece of vanity

have the honour to be, with profound

refpetft.

Mi-

LORD,

Your

Lordfiijp's mofl: obedient.

And

moft humble Servant,

JOHN LANNE BUCHANAN.

IT IS hardly
jedt of

neceffary to

make an apology

for the ftyle of the enfuing fheets.

The fubftudicd
all

them excludes every thing of


;

elegance, or ornament of language

that

can be looked for in them


perfpicuity
-,

is
it

plainnefs

and

both which

has been

my
as

greateft pains to endeavour after as


poffible.

much

If in thefe I have fucceeded fo as

to plcafe the fenfible reader, the

objed of

my

wifh

is

obtained

and

it is

hoped the

more candid of them


whatever
dropt from
cerity errors

will charitably excufe

may have

inadvertently

and

my pen, on account of the hone% of my intentions.

fm-

ADVERTISEMENT.
A
*-

Subjed

that

is

new and

ftriking, gene;

rally attrads the


is

minds of men

and

judgment

freely paiTed

upon

it,

as the in-

quifitive fpedators are

more or

lefs affedted

by the
with a

objecTt
is

expofed to their view.

If the

narrative

probable, and fortunately clothed


it

pleafmg garb, then


;

gains credit and

admirers

if

otherwife, the fubjed becomes

doubtful or infipid, and gradually finks into


its

original obfcurity.

How far the followas a

ing attempt, to throw light on a fubjed

which has hitherto been looked upon


kind of fable, will merit the
thefe decifions,
is

firft

or

laft

of

by

the

Author

left to

fland

or

fall

by the judgment of the impartial

Public, before

appearance.
felf,

whom it is now to make its He only has to fay for himaim


is,

that his fole

if poflible, to

fnatch
cir-

from oblivion, and bring into repute,

cumftances which to him appeared to have

been mifunderftood and neglected, in

fpite

of

the

"

the living language of an ancient people, that


plainly indicate rheir having had an exift-

ence.

Yet the many able and learned gentlehave unfor-

men, v^ho from age to age have laboured


to

do honour

to their country,

tunately been ftrangers to the language, and


refted

fecure

upon the

authorities

handed

down

by the old Greeks and Romans, as


it is

to infallible lidn.^ards of appeal, t]>Qugh

beyond a doubt that their own knowledge of the fubjett was but extremely imperfect,
and
their

information from fecond-hand be-

hoved

to be limited, or at beft but mifin-

formed authority.
feft

This
in

affertion

is

mani-

from

their very inaccurate account of

the geography of North Britain, as well as

from the forced garb


print,

which the Gaelic


their original

terms adopted by thefe ftrangers appear in

when compared with

manufcrlpts.

Their looks and founds are

{o extremely foreign

and antiquated, that


judge of the

even

knowing
them of

accurate

Celtic requires

great exertions of his fkill


their exotic

to ilrip
to

ma&s,
This
is

in order

make them

intelligible.

particularly

"1

larly the cafe

with regard to FIngal, OfTian,

the Pids, Scots, Bodotria, Grampiani


tes, Ocelli

Mon-

Montes, and many more, which

the Greeks and


original purity,

Romans have

ftript

of their
in

by tranfpofitions of letters
purely to

the middle, and taking

from and adding

letters to their terminations,

make
ears

them found agreeable


Vtithout

to

their

own

once

refleding

that a

language

fo tortured

was rendered

unintelligible to

the natives, and which they could not ap-

ply any longer to the different objeds to

which
ed
:

in

its

natural drefs

it

was

fitly

adapt-

while
left

the

new-modelled

expreffions

were

quite inapplicable to

any one pro-

per and fignificant objed, to fatisfy a refined ear, and

a real judge of that Celtic

tongue, to which thefe flrangers had applied them.

Of

this the

Author, without

vanity, thinks himfelf a competent judge,


as that language
his infancy,
feffion,

was

familiar to

him from
his pro-

and

alfo

from the line of

he was under a neceflity of improvboth as


it is

ing in

it,

fpoken in the Eaft and


This, with a
liberal

Weft of

Scotland.

coutfs

iv

courfe

of education,

and

the

additional

advantages

he

now

poffeffes,

of reading
as

the different opinions of fuch authors

have touched on th^ high antiquities


Britain, place
it

of

within his powder to eluas

cidate

the

fubjed in fuch a manner


himfelf will not only do
it
it

he

flatters

juRice,

hut render

entertaining, if not edifying

to the reader.

He
the

only regrets his ov/n inferiority to


able authors v^'ho

many

have handled

the fubjed, though unfortunately their ig-

norance of the Celtic has difquaUfied them

from giving
fuperior

that

fatisfadion

which

their

abilities

would

otherwife

have

yielded to the Public, and the honourably

point of view in v/hich they


placed their country and
its

would have
ancient
lan-

guage throughout
If the

all

Europe.

Author might indulge himfelf with


in the Gaelic language

the hope that the following fpecimen of his

knowledge

would

give any degree of fatisfadion to the judicious reader, he afterwards

would enlarge
on many

more

fully,

by making

a gloffary

more

\]
authors,
Britain, Caledo-

more of the unknown terms ufed by


Britain,

concerning the high antiquities of Great

fuch

as Alabin,

nians, Vediurioner, Ceks, Gaels, Attacotti,

Myeatti, Ireland, Thule, CaiTiterides, Trino-

bantes, Ludgate, &c.

all

of them well

known

to belong to the antiquities of the Celts.

He

expeds indulgence from

the judicious

reader refpedting his early and almoft un-

known
of the
ties will
critics,

account of the ancient inhabitants


Ifles,

and believes that

his authori-

defend him from the la(h of the


efpecially as

more

he arrogates no

praife to himfelf,
abilities did

and

is

only forry that his

not equal his fmcere defire to


juftice to a fiibjed

do more ample
of an abler pen.

worthy

Though the Author follows Mr.Pincarton,


he advertifes the reader, that
it is

not folely

with a view to defend the injured Highlanders and Learned Characters

which

fell

under

that gentleman's wrath, as he hiirifelf

hath fufficiently fecured them from danger,

from
rage,

his

own

intemperate and unprovoked


fufficienily

and has

damned

the credibility

C
blllty

vi

of his

own

works.

And

while

thj

Macpherfons

defpife the performance,

and

look on it as unworthy of an anfwer, much more ought the Author fo to do, being lefs concerned. But in regard Mr. Pincarton
has handled the Picf?, and other fubjels to

which he
poffible,

is

a ftranger, fo the

Author imif

proves the opportunity of following, and,

of convincing that enraged gentleopinion of the Highlan-

man of his miflaken


ders,

and of fome Learned Chara<Slers with


he has ufed too

whom
at the
trate a

much freedom
endeavour

and

fame time he few of thcfe

will

to illuf-

epithets that

have hitherto

laboured under a kind of mift, ^nd

make

them afTume an appearance


leaft

that will be at
;

new, and perhaps entertaining

and he

hopes they will be fortunate enough to meet

with the approbation of the impartial public efpecially of the Learned, where the
nature of the fubjed; leads
tical

him

to

make

criis

remark?, which, though necefHiry,


lefs

but a dry theme, and of courfe

pleafant

than a plain
interruption
career of the

fmooth
is

narrative,

when no

made

to intercept the rapid

more

fuperiicial reader.

DE-

DEFENCE
SCOTCH HIGHLANDERS.

AFTER
ed,and
illiberal

reading an enquiry into the


written by

Hiftory of Scotland,

Mr.

John Pincarton, and confidering

the afperitr

of that author, with the injurious, unfupportrefledions thrown out againft

the Highlanders in general,

and Learned
to

Charadters in particular;

was prompted
his

make

few remarks on
and
to ftate

acrimony a-

gainft them,

fads in their true

light, as far as confifts

with

my own

kno iv-

ledge,

and thefe fupported by the authority

of gentlemen of veracity and candour, in


favour of the injured country and people fo
outrngeouft-y infuited.

This

This fmall teftimony


nour ought

is

a tribute due to

Truth, and a duty which every


to

man

of ho-

pay

her.

The

writer,

though

not a native of the abufed fpot, had neverthelefs


full

accefs

of knowing
the

both

the

genius
claffes

and

difpofitions of

different

of people that inhabit thefe diftant

regions.

But

in order to

do juftice properly to fo

tender a fubjed, as cbaraders whether taken


in a general or

more

limited point of view,

it

will be neceilary to fullow

Mr. Pincarton

in a

few

particulars,

by way of giving a
;

fpeci-

men

of his

fpirit

for to attempt a
his

com-

mentary on the whole of


require
dilgufl

works would

two volumes, and even then but

my

readers.

And
is

fhould not this

fturdy aggrelibr be convinced of his error,

a circumiiance fas it yet the Author

ih(ugkt) beyond hope,

flatters

himfelf that the im^

partial Public will lend a favourable ear to a

plaufible n-jrrative,

and

fully fraught

with

veracity, offered

by one who had no olher


truth.
it

motivt but an honefi regard for

From

this

gentleman's enquiry

appears,
that

that he has a defign to obtrude the

Gothic
Scotch

Piks from

Scandinavia upon the

nation, as anceftors to the Pechs of


Britain
:

North

yet as the

two Macpherfons, Dr.


Skye, in his Criti-

John, minifter of
cal DifTertation,

Slate, in

and Mr. James Macpherfon,

in his Introdudion to the Hiilory of Great

Britain and Ireland, have effectually blocked

up

their entrance

fo

Mr.

Pincarton,

who

has v/ritten pofterior to them, muft firftdeftroy their credit, before

he can open a free


;

paflage for the Goths, hie favourite people

but his abufmg a v/hole nation of people,


learned and
illiterate, for their fakes,

appears

unhandfome and inhumane; however, of this


the reader will judge for himfelf.

CAMBDEN,

both the Welch Llhyds,

'

Innes, with the

two Macpherfons, and


Pids were
Celts,
infifts

others, maintain that the

'

and Mr. Pincarton

that they v/ere

Goths, and fpake the Gothic tongue, the


parent of the prefent

German, Daniih,
Celtic tongue.'

and Englifh

but

if

they were Celts, they

would fpeak the Camerag

Here

'o

Here he
the

betrays his ignorance, in faying


is

that the Celtic language

the fame with

Cumerag

or

Welch

they were not the

fame
fent,

in Csefar's days, nor fiijce, nor at pre-

and they were but


did they fpeak

lately arrived

in

Britain before that lime.

Where,

then,

and

when

the fame language

with the Scotch? Even the LIhyds grant


that the

Welch

is

not the original language

of Britain, but the language fpoke by the


Aborigenes,
Britain

who were

drove back to North


BelgGe.

by the Britons from

Without enquiring
of Mr. Pincarton's

critically into the truth

affertion,

whether or not

the Goths were anceftors to the Celts, fee-

ing

we know

it is

denied by

men

of learn-

ing and parts

yet w^e can affure the reader,


is

that the Gaelic

as diiFerentfrom the Gothic


is

language, as Greek
far the Gaelic agrees

from Arabic.

How

with the Scots Englifli

will appear, if

any

are curious of the expe-

riment, from a fpeech carried on by any

two men, one from each country, and each


ignorant of the refpe(^ive tongueof the other;

and whoever makes the


edification

trial will

reap

little

from tbe^dialogue,

As

As

for the people called the


is

Cumeras,
it is

their hiftory

not only very dark, but

extremely dubious whether ever fuch lived


in Scotland.

At
left

leaft

there are

no

veiliges

of their name

behind, to

make

it

appear

that they exiRed once there.


Ifles are

The Cumera

fpoken of by fome
as aifo
firll

as deriving their

names from them,


Gumbries
;

Comrie, and Mac^


of thefe take the

but the

name

from the confluence or conflud: of

two

ftreams of fea, the one from the Mull of

Kintyre on the North Weft,

and the other


of

from the

Irifli

Channel and

Ifle

Mann on

the Eaft, both ftreams in the flux ruftiing


violently into the

mouth of
Ifles

the Clyde, and


;

meeting

at

the

two

alluded to

Co-

ruidh confluence, or Corrag a conflid;, be-

ing the Gaelic


the
Ifles

name of
As
for
its

fuch jundions, and

very properly received their names

from thence.
Perthfhire,
it

Comrie

parifti

in

derives

name from

the con-

fluence of the rivers i?z.'6^i//// and Earn, wdiich

meet

at the

village

of Comrie

and from

thence

many

of the inhabitants receivetheir

12

their

names, Comries and MacComrles, or


are the

MontoGumbries, which
'

lame people.

*^

The two Macpheribns, led by the fame wife Celtic ideas, defire we fhall in future know the Pids to be Gaels, of hur aim dear
bind and bones; and they fay, Believe otherwife on your peril
in the old Celtic,
;

'

'

for are not

we

fkilled

and new in nonfenfeand


are Tacitus,
all

'

non-entity?

And what

and

'

Aramianus, and Bede, and


fools to us
?

the other old

Do

not

we know more
w^ife m.en,

than

'
'

them
of a

Are not

w^e
?^

two

and quite

new

fchool

One would expeQ that this rhapfody would


have been accompanied with
quotations

from Tacitus, &c.


and judge

to

lead
;

us to examine

for ourfelves

yet not one,

but
the

becaufe thefe authors

barely mention or

name, without
themfelves,
rived.

enquiring,

informing

whence

their language

was de-

Therefore Mr. Pincarton aflirms, that the

two Macpherfons
they

are in the

wrong, though

knew

the langu:^ge ki debate, and the


others

'3

Others in the right, though ftrangers to

it

ftrange

mode of forming

conclufions

Before he anfwers Cambden, Innes, &c.


thefe grave authors,

who
is,

maintain that the


the Ancient Bri-

Fids were Welch,


Macpherfons,
for,

that

tons from Belgre, he goes on to addrefs the


as

foon as laughter permits;


it is

continues he,

impoffible to preferve
witli

one's mufclcs

when he meets

utter

abfiirdity or ignorance in the garb of wif-

dom and
'
*

learning.
ailert,

The Dodlor and Mr. Macpherfon

that the Scotch Highlanders are the real

'

Caledonians, and the Fids a part of them,


the former living on the Weft, the latter
living

'

'

on the South and Eaft

fide.

Such

opinions mark the decline of learning in


Scotland, becaufe they are contradidory to
authorities

all

and fads.'

(Where

are thefe

authorliies

and fads to be met

witli,

except

the romantic intelligence of the Iriih and


their followers ?)
'

An

ignorant v/riter will advance any


v, ill

opinion that

footh his fickly fancy, or

gratify his prejudice, becaufe

he

is

ignorant

*of

(
*
*

'4

of

tlie

truth, ignorant of his danger, ignd'-s

rant of the contemptuous thoughts enter-

*
*

tained of

him by

others.

The

opinions

of the two Macpherfons are truly Celtic,


foclifh,

and ignorant in the extreme. Heafliould

*
*

ven forbid that a regular anfwer


given them
1

be

fuch

weak

vifionaries as are
reft

' *
*

five centuries

behind the

of mankind,
as Jeffrey

and not

fo

knowing now,
their

of

Monmouth,
'

brother,

was

in the

twelfth century.

The Cumeri
rivers

adually poffefTed Scotland

for centuries befoi'e the Pid:s

came in. The


as cities,

^
*
'

names of

and mountains, &c. are

perpetual; but the

works of man,

&c. are changeable."

The remarks

of a certain Baronet on

the fcurrility of O'Connor, in a fimilar cafe,


againft Jaihes Macpherfon, are pretty appli-

cable to the prefent, fo

we

fhall fuftain

them
laid

for a counterpoife, viz.


afide

" That he has

good

fenle

and argument for


It is,

fcurrility

and perfonal abufe."

however, to be

hoped, continues he, that Mr. Macpherfon


will not
'7

honour

it

with a reply.

Such an
illiberal

(
Illiberal attack
is
!

>5
is

which

as

impotent

as it

low and ungentlemanny.

When
a

man
and

appears extremely angry

upon

fubject,

which can only be fupported by


temperate difquiiition,
it is

a coel

a conclufive ar-

gument, that he

is

fenfible of the

weaknefs

of his caufe, or extremely diilident of his

own

abilities to

fupport

it.

" But

as the character

of modefly

is

not

very cGnfpicuous in Mr. O'Conner's w^orks,


it

would feem

to

me,

that his intemperate

rage proceeus from a narrow and irafcible


fpirit,

thrown into confufion by the

difco-

very made by Mr. Macpherfon of the Milefian fyftem."


fpirit

Nor
ftate

is

it

unlikely but the

of Mr. Pincarton was thrown into of confufion by the


their

fome deranged

fame Mr. Macpherfon and orhers, by

giving a probable account of the Scots Pechs,


different

from the fcheme given by him of


Piks.

the

Norwegian

But

as the

gentleman,

for his outrage againft

the vv^hole nation,

deferves an appellation which

may

not drop
tiie

from the pen of

a decent
if

waiter,

ge-

nerous reader may,

he pleales,

call

away
the

'^

the libel,

though the abundance of unplea-

fant fads will adhere to his


-

memory.
to

We

obferved above, that the Cumerse or

Welch, or Britons, according


and other Welch
Britain but a
hiftorians,

Gambden
to

came

Great

few centuries before Csfar's


-Pincarton, without autho-

time

yet

Mr.

rity, vj'iW place

them

in

Great Britain

many
by
en-

centuries before the Pid:s,

who

are faid

fome

to

have arrived about 300 years before

Chrift, as

imagined only, but on


;

ftridt

quiry, a grofs miflake


character,

and

as

no author of

before

Mr. Pincarton, has ever

attempted to publifh in oppofition to the


fentiments of the Macpherfons on that head,

why
and
I

might nor they

eftablifh fo

plaufiblc,

may

add, fo true an opinion, efpeci-

ally as they

were fupported by a living an-

cient

language,
rivers,

and

alfo

guided
fcraths,

by the
&c. the
writ-

names of
mod:

mountains,
all

infallible

of

guides,

when no

ten authority could be found, feeing their

thorough knowdedge of the Celtic language,

which gave them names

originally, deter?

mined the fc^e

in their favour

and Mr.
Pincartoa

t*mkerton had ferved


better,

his

purpofe

much
hur

had he fpared

his ribaldry (of

aun dear blud and bones), becaufe any


fenfible reader will perceive

malice

at

the
are

bottom,

and that

their

publications

written in a ftyle of Englifh language far


fuperior to his

own

for railing
;

and reafon-

ing are two diftindt things

and the mo-

ment

a writer lofes fight of his temper, or


fcurrilities,

defcends into

he defeats the very

.purpofe he wilhes to

ellablifh.

Mr. Gibbons
the
fays

gives a different account of

Dodor's
and

abilities.

" Dr. Macpherfon,


a minifter in the Ille

Mr. Gibbons, was


;

of Skye

it is

a circumftance

honourfo re^

able to the prefent age, that a


plete

work

with erudition

and

criticifm

fhould

have been compofed in the mofl remote of


the Hebrides."

This account in favour of the Doftor, by


an author incomparably more elegant and
able than

Mr.

P.

is

fufficient to

wipe away

the cruel infinuation againftthe merit of that

learned
parifon.

gentleman,

by

his

unjuft

com-

The

kind reader

is

defired to

pardon the
following

'8

following narrative and well-known fad,

namely

to

inform him, that in the whole


is

Ihire of Invernefs, Gaelic

the vernacular

tongue of the inhabitants, and fpoken there


in

the

grcateft purity

and yet that the


fpoken there more

Engliih language

is alfo

properly than in any other fpot in N. Britain.


it is

This

v/ill

appear
all

lefs

furprifmg

when
it

confidered, that
at
;

fuch as fpcak

are

taught

the

firfl

feminailes of learning in
as are

Scotland

and fuch

of inferior rank,
are

and

in

want of

better

opportunities,

more immediately taught from


of thofe inllrufted in
it.

the

mouths
an

At

Invernefs, in particular, there

is

eminent fchool,
falary of

endowed

with a yearly
for

60 or yo pounds,
;

the main-

tenance of an able mailer

and every gen-

tleman whofe
living,

abilities entitle

him

to fuch a

muft be accjuainted with the moll

approved modern authors, in order to put

them

into the hands of his pupils.

Thefe

authors are explained in a language as free

from provinciality of

dialed):

as

poffible.

Hence

it

happens that people from that


better underftood

(juarter are

in

London,
than

19

tKan thofe from nioH other parts of Scotland.

They muft
dialedls,

be allowed, therefore, to be

almofl totally ignorant of the old Scotch


fo much ufed in common converamong the vulgar in the South, where Allan Ramfay and Capt. William Hamilton's

fation

Colle<5lions of
rally

Old Scotticifms are


clafs

fo gene-

run upon by that

of people.

How
the

Mr.

P.

comes

to

fill

the
his

mouths of
jargon,

two Macpherfons with

own

a language
fhire, is

unknown

in

Skye and Invernefs-

a myftery he fliould explain to the

public.

Truth ought

to precede malignity,
;

with every
is,

fenfible writer

and certain

it

that

hur aun dear blud and bones are


;

not
that

much known over thefe countries fo Mr. P. may clap them into his pocket,
opportunity to difpofe of them
fall

until a better

to better advantage
'

in his

way.
it

The

reader will obfcrve, that

is

fmgular quality of the Celtic tongue, to


corrupt and debafe others to
its

own vague

'

form, efpecially by altering the beginning


of words, fo that
it

becomes

as difficult to
*

recognize

20

recognize them, as to
a

know

a perfon la

'

mafk.

A modern Englifli
and

word or name,
real Celtic

'

when

clothed in a Celtic habit, becomes


old-like, as a

'

as fingular

word of two thoufand

years (landing.*

The Hebrews and


did:

old Egyptians contra-

Mr.

flatly, for

they abufe the modern


their frequent ufe
letters, as

Greeks and Romans for

of tranipofitions and variations of

well as for their additions to the begin-

nings and ends of words, which have fo


mutilated and corrupted the
ancient lanquite unintel-

guages, as to render
ligible
;

them

while the Hebrews, Egyptians and

Celts

have handed

down

their

languages

unalterably the fame in fpelling and pro-

nunciation

fo that

the well-known

Mr. mode of
reality.

P. boldly reverfes

fpeaking and proit

nouncing Gaelic, by making


ferent

wear a

dif-

ma^k from

But the Gaelic,


ginal language, as

like the Chinefe, is

an

ori-

may

be inferred from the


it

fmall

number of words which


are, at lealt

contains,

and which
nofyllables,

many
at

of them,
firfl;

mo-

as language

naturally
eonfifts

^I

confifls of, almoft

every word being a radix,

and

in a great

meafure free from

many

de-

clenfions, conjugations,

which

all

moods and tenfes, of other more modern languages are


compounded.
Gaelic
is

more or
free

lefs

is

the

longeft preferved to this day, and

pretty

from mixture and corruption, notwithit

ftanding the difadvantages with,

had

to ftruggle

from the ftrong attempts made


it.

to

deftroy

And

the reader

may

fafely belate

lieve, that
is

any exotic word adopted of


to be foreign

well

known

by the natives
ftrangers
expeift

who
fo

fpeak the language

though

to that tongue

and people v/ould not

much Thus

difcernment
w^e

among them.

may

farther remark, that Jo-

fephus blames people for taking the liberty

of altering words, names, and terms of perfons and things to their

own

fancy, and

charges the Greeks

with the pradlice

of

changing names
the

to tickle the ear,

and carry
;

word

glibber off the tongue

but our

people, fays he, neither allow nor delight ia

fuch things.
into

Noachos

The Greeks have turned Noe but we keep by the fame fyl-

lable,

(
lable,

"

and never vary the termination j

as

do

alfo the Celts-.


'

TheWelfh, and Pids, and

Belgians,

had

their fhare in the Irlfh

tongue about the

birth of Chrift/ (from what authority pray?)

but

it is

as difficult to recognize the foreign

words

in Irifh

asintheWelfh, and morefo.'


grofsly ignorant cf

But

this

man, though

the Celtic tongue, marches on, in defiance

of fiiame and authority, to perfuads his


Englifh reader that the Gaelic debafes
other tongues, and fiamps age on
all

modern
old
it,

words,

like

young man under an

mafk

but, in return,
P.

we

abfolutely

deny

and challenge Mr.

to bring his art, to

forward a

few of
he can.
quires

thofe,

and try

impofe on
Celtic
if

any one competent judge of the

On

the contrary, the language reauxiliaries to help people to


it

no fuch

exprefs their thought?, as


copia vcrhorinn cf
tinent.
its

has a fufficient
lefs

own, and no

per-

The

language, indeed,

may
;

be cor-

rupted, and even loft altcgether


alterations
* Parfon's

but fuch
eafily

and extraneous materials are


Remarks on

the Antiquities cf Japhet.

known,

23

known,

as

they are frequently

little

adapted

tothe purpofc intended. TheWelfli andlrifli


writers might lead
fo

Mr.

P. to exprefs himfelf
;

unguardedly ignorant

but no

real

Scotch

Highlander would
'

believe him, or them.

Some

late

ruperficial

dreamers,

contl-

nues Mr. P. have


in Scotland,

afferted, that the Gaelic

among

the

Highlanders,
:

is

the purefl dialed of the Celtic

this opi-

nion was unhappily advanced by people

who tell

us, that poeiiiS yet repeated in ihe


as in the
!

Highlands are in the fame words


third century.

Au

miracle

au miracle

'

Immortal languages of the Greeks and


mans, what are your
the eternal
glories to thefe
?

RoAll

monuments of your authors


favages has

could not fix the fpoken languages half fo

long as that of thefe

flood

'

upon
where

its

own bottom the

favourite fpot

eternity has fixed

its ovv-n

ned

for

its

own
'

phoznix.' the mountains of Scotland, the

Among

'

mutability of

human

affairs

has no power.
Vv'ili

'

No

doubt a Celtic underftanding


a Celtic underftanding;

be

a!-

'

ways

and that foliy


'

C 4

imputed

in)

Imputed by the Greeks and Romans


this

to the

* *

GieHc Celts, remains unimpaired ; but of the Highlanders is undoubtedly more


corrupt than either the VVclfli or
Irifh.'

PaulPczeron
declares,
*'

flatly

contradids Mr. P. and

that the old Celtic tongue

was

the mother of the Greek, Latin, Englifh,


Gaulifli

and

Britifh

and

it is

well

known

that the
Cel'ic

Greek and Latin

are dead, and the


will
is

furvived them, and

remain in
alfo.'*

the mountains

when Mr.

P.

dead
;

This

man

is

very inconfillent

for one
is

while he allows that the Cumerag Celtic


fpoken, and here he makes
it

quite different

from Welfli, or even

Irifli,

totally corrupted;

though he knows nothing of the matter,


but impudently affirms
it,

as if well verfant,

by way of

take-in, that the fuperficial reader

may

look on him as a
fenfible
If

man

of learning,

though the more


very differently.
banter and laugh
racle

one fhould judge


to

one was difpofed

at this

gentleman's au mi-

au miracle, and his blind dependence

on

his

Wfhh

and

Irifh

intelligence

on a
of,

language he

is

not a competent judge

here

25

here

is

abundance of matter for that kind of


;

pailime

but the Author has neither time

nor inclination to employ his vein of hu-

mour
that

fo triflingly,

and affirms (brevi fnanu)


is

the above raillery

below contempt,

and a ftrong proof

that railing with this

man mull

be always poured forth, for want

of reafon, to miflead his reader.

When

his

argument
will

is

plaufible, a

con-

vincing return

be

always given to
'

fatisfy the reader,


*

otherwife none but


in

his
tell-

argumentum ad homifiem follows,


ing that the Dalreads
firft fettled

*
' *

& Tua

de

Dannaa

in Arguileihire.

In the year

258, the Scots and Attacotti were driven to


Ireland; yet, on their return in the year 50
3,

'

'

they retained the fame language they for-

merly had.'

One would imagine

that he

means

tlic

Celtic, if fuch people as the

Dalreads and
their
fettleis

Tua
ment
or
his

de

Dannan made good


nor

in Scotland,
;

which by the by
is
it

not

believed generally

at all

certain

very probable, except by Mr. P. and


Irilh

lucubrations.

But paffing

this,

he

26

he

tells

us afterwards,

It

muft have been

feme other language.

The Rev. Mr.


the
Britons,

Whitacre, in his Hifiiory

of ManchePier*, and Genuine Hiftcry of


has
afferted

that
;

the

Scots

are defcended

of the Irifh
that
in

yet he

muft

acknowledge

the

time

of

AmCale-

mianus MarcelUnus, A. D. 340, the Scots

were already
donia
;

fettled

in Scotland, or
alfo,

343, concluding a peace with Conftansj and broke it


in

he found them

in his brother's reign

and A. D. 360,

lie

found them

alfo in the fame country.

This

not only proves their being natives, but their


great

power long before the year 303, when

the Iriih Scots are foolilhly faid to arrive

with the

Tua

de

Dannan and
fo

Dalreads,

and Vvhofe numbers v/ere


to

few, according

Mr. Baxter,
the

as

hardly to be

known

until

the 7th century, as obferved alio by Rave-

nant

mcnk,

aaeo

ohfcitri

nomhiis

tit

j:im Jepthno exeunte Jccalo,


rant aut negh'cii.

aut ignoti fuc-

Surely thefe were

not

the brave people that ahnofc conquered the

powerful

PECRS themfelves,
"

to extend their

Vol

I.

p.

4vO.
territories,

^7

territories,

which they might have probably

accompliflied, had not the Picks called in

the aid of their Southern neighbours, anno


^^'j^
i.

e.

the Britons, and

Romans,

to help

them

to

expell thefe Scots

from Scotland

altogether:

And
Roman
;

Fergus

II.

was only

fuf-

fered to return
Befides,

anno 404.
authors do not afford any

hints of the Scotch

emigrations from any


re-

other country

and an able hiflorian

marks on

this head, that all fuch emigrations


afferted,

which have been


Irifh

or received

by

bards, Scotch

hiftorians,

or Englifh

antiquaries,
Stillingfleet,

(Buchanan, Cambden, Ufher,


&c.)
are
totally
tribes,

fabulous

that

three

of the Irifh

which

are

mentioned by Ptolemy, A. D. 130, were of Caledonian extraction that a younger


;

branch of Caledonian princes of the houfe


of Fingal acquired polTefTion of the monaftery of Ireland.
thefe concefTions,
Irifh

Even Whitaker makes


though a friend to the

romantic extraction of the Scots from

the

Irilli,

and following Richard of Cirencefter,

28

cefler,

credulous

author of

the

14th

century.

Dr. Macpherfon, fpeaklng of the fubjed:,


obferves, that

though

it

has been the general

opinion of

many

nations, that the Scots of

Britain have derived their origin from the


Irifli
;

yet, as the bare authority of a thou-

fand learned

men

is

not equal to the force

of one folid argument, nor the belief of


feveral

great nations more,

in

many
far

in-

ftances, than a

popular error,

it is

from

being impoffible that thefe


nations

vi^riters

and whole

may have been

miftaken in the preactually fo,


it is

fent cafe.

That they were

no crime
evinced

to fufpedt, nor an unpardonable

prefumption to affirm,
that
their

when
is

it
ill

can

be

belief

founded.

Upon
little

the whole,

we may

firmly believe

that the native Scots Highlanders

had too

room

for themfelves in Arguilefhire,


luffer flrangers

and would not


to creep into

from Ireland

the beft part of the country,

in fuch circumftances.

So then

it is

a truth

beyond doubt, accord-

29

ing to hlftory, that, in the year 357, the


Scots were very powerful, infomuch that

the Pids found


tons and

it

neceflary to call the Brito their aid, as above,


battle

Romans

when they
the

fought on that year a


to the Scots,

which proved ruinous

feeing
;

enemy

cleared

them out of Scotland


to return

and were permitted

from

their ba-

nifhment only under the conduct of Fergus


II.

who was

the fecond founder of the

Scotch kingdom, anno 404.

Thefe Scots
Irifli

were very powerful long before the

Scots were mentioned, and too numerous


to afford

to neft

room for, among them


It is

or even fuffer ftrangers


in the beft part of their

country.
that there

therefore abfurd to maintain,

were no Scots in N. Britain before


the

504,

when

Tua deDannan

& Dalreads,
have apafFeding

an imaginary people, are


peared on the ccafts.

faid to

It is truly

to read of the diftrefs of the Scots before

they yielded

to

the

fuperiority

of three

powers; when

their

king fays,

^od potui
as

fec'i^ quis tantts hojlibus objlet?

And

Johnacics^

fton of

Aberdeen writes, Conjurata

50

)
all

P/^/,

Britto,

Itala

Virtus-,

the three

powers were combined againft them, before


they were beat or banifhed, in which forlorn ftate they remained about forty-feven

years before they were recalled.

There
well as

are feveral other ancient writers, as

Ammianus

Marcellinus, of opinion,

that the Scots

began to make a confiderable

figure in the reign of Severus in Scotland.

Antoninus Caracalla, the fon of Severus,


put an end to the war in that early period,

by receiving hoftages from the Caledonians


and Scots,
It
is

as

remarked by Herodian.

certain that only a part of


called Scotland
;

N. Bri-

tain

was

and the name Scot

was not appropriated


till

to the

whole nation

after

Kenneth

II.

had, about the year of

Chrift 834, fubdued the Plds, and incor-

porated them into one nation with our anceflors.

Says Abercromby, " Ireland was

called Scotland,

and Scotland oftener

called

Ireland, lerne."
Sir

James Ware, though an Irifhman,


that

honeftly confefles,
tories
it

in the Iriih

hif-

there

is

much

falfehood.
their

That
origia

ie

probable the Iriih had

from

31

from

Britain, both

by

reafoii

of the viclmty

of Britain, and the eafinefs of the pafiage,


as

ahb from the conformity of the language

and Guftoms with thofe of the ancient Britons


;

and

if fo, for thefe

very reafons, that


neareil to Ireland,

part of Britain

which hes

whofe language they fpoke, and whofe cuftoms they followed, muft have been their
mother country; for, adds Dr. Mackenzie, though they would not venture from South
Britain,

on

fo

broad a pafiage, there

is

no

reafon

why

colonies might not pafs over


in their
little

from the North even


to the

currachs,

enjoyment of lands

that lay in their

view, either from Cantyre, Arran, Iflay, or


Portpatrick,

where

the

pafiage

is

only

twenty miles over.


It is
afiTert

acknowledged that

mofi; antiquaries

that the Scots

came from

Ireland

but
as

their opinions are

vague and uncertain,

Dr. Abercromby remarks that fome declare


the
Irifii

came from Spain, and

thefe again
;

partly

from Greece and Egypt

but

mo-

dern authors, foreigners efpecially, are for


the mole part of opinion that the Scots are

nearer

r-

nearer a-kin to their

now
that

neighbours, the

Englifh, French, and Spaniards. Dr.

George

Mackenzie
originally

believes

the Scots
to

came

from Scythia
and

Norway, from
Britain.

Norway
Bede

to Scotland,

alfo that the Scots

in Ireland

went from North

places the Scots juftly


Ifles.

among
had

the

old inhabitants of the

It is plain, ac-

cording to

him,

that

the

Scots

being in Scotland before the time of Julius


Csfar.

Nay, Galcacus, than

whom

no Pa-

gan Prince made ever a more fhining figure


in the

Roman

Hiftory, fought at the head


at

of the Scots and Picls againft Agricola


foot of the

the

Grampians, near Angus and


at laft

Mearns

though

the Scottifli fiercedifcipHne, and that

nefs gave

way

to

Roman
call

not long after theChriftian cera; fothatBede

might with propriety


denters in Scotland
prifci incolcc.

them ancient

refi-

or, iu his

own

words,

Caxton, in his Old Chro-

nicle of

England, writes, that the king of


aflifted

the

Scots

Caffibelan

king of the

Britons, againft Julius Csefar, long before

the Chriftian acra.

In fhort, Baleus,

who
is

(
$8

33

)
is

miich admired by many,

To jiift

aij

to

acknowledge that the Scots wrote


rupta annaliumfide^
i.

ex imor-

e.

faithfully
fo

from undif'-

torrupted annals.
ferent opinions,
is it

Among
not

many

fafeft to rely

upon
thefe
?

the language that fixed the

name of
failors

people from their profeffionas

even
does

from the word

fcode^

which then,

as

it

now^
are

fignified a fail, as the failors in Engliili

named from

the fame occupation, and

ivhich',

among
;

the iflanders, was of

muck
all

older ftanding

though the Romans never


a

heard of

it till

much

later

period,

of

tvhich circumfiances place

them

in

Scot-

land long before the Irifh Scots are foolifhly


faid to arrive in the

South corner of

AN

gyle

and

that

long after the Scots wei*e

banifhed the kingdom, and the return of

Fergus the Second,

who

coUedled

home
mature
nor

that fcattered nation again.

In one w^ord,

the Scots will finally appear, on


confideration,
to

be

neither

moi;e

kfs than the offspring of the Pids or Caledonians.


*For, faysMr.P. the

Norwegians

fettled in

the

34

the Hebrides, in the ninth century, for 400


years.

'

(He means only


Iflcs

a part of that time,

'

and that the

were not conquered, but

'given up vohmtarily we fuppofe.)


*

And

it

is

perfeclly

known,

that the prefent Gaelic


is

of theHighLmders of Scotland
of Norwegian v/ords. (By

quite full

whom is all this


muft be

known

fo well

That

is

a fecret that

'

concealed carefully by Mr. Pinkerton from


the penetrating readers.) Hence,this fpcech
is

'

much more

corrupt than any other Celtic

dialect, in as

much

as its written

ments are

five centuries

monumore modern for


:

in the Iflands of the Hebrides, the Celtic

* *
*

tongue had a

much

better chance than in

the Highlands of Scotland, where conftant


intercourfe with the Lowlanders or Picls

on the one hand, and the Norwegians on the other, muft have totally changed it.'

Not
do
fo

fo

bad

it

is

to be hoped, feeing

no

violence extraordinary w^as ever offered to

much

mifchief to

it

no

even

if fome

kind of force had been ufed, which was


never the cafe, to bring about fuch a revolution.

Though feme conquefts may

alter a

language,

i5

language, yet

many do

not.

Indeed, fays

Mr. Webb, when an invader conquers a


country, and carries off the old inhabitants,

then his ov/n people eflablifhes his

own
Ca-

country language,

as the Ifraelites did in

naan, after expelling the old inhabitants;

and the Jews that were carried


loft their

to

Babylon
they did

own, and adopted the language of


;

the neighbouring nations

fo that

not even

know

their

ov;n language, but

by an

interpreter. *

On the contrary, when a conqueror mixes


with the natives
j

if fmaller in

number, then
;

they adopt the language of the natives


equal,
it

if

becomes a mixture of languages.


a

Thus the Lombards brought


into
Italy
j

new language

and the Saracens and Moors

brought a new language into Spain.

And

when an
view

invader conquers a country with a

to exat tribute in token of their fubit

jeO:ion, and immediately quitteth

again,

the language remains as formerly unchangeable.

Thus Alexander

the Great never

eftabli(hed his

own

tongue in the kingdom


in,

of Porus, becaufc he only leapt


* Neh.
cap. 8.

and im-

medi-

36

mediately departed.

Neither did

tlie

coil-

queft of the French in Italy, alter the lan-

guage of Italy-no more than the invafions of the Romans and Danes made any change in the Celtic or
in Scotland

the Gaelic,

the language of the country, particularly of the Scots and Pids.

Sometimes the conthe

querors are allured to copy the manners

and language of the conquered,

as

Greeks did of the Pcrfian luxury, and Ro-

mans of the Grecians,


writes, that moil
their Belles Lettres.

particularly

of

its

language, as Plutarch in the Life of Cato

of the

Romans

fludied

Now

the

Ifles

were not conquered, but

given up by Donald Bane to the Goths,

and that on condition that

the

natives
dif-

fhould neither be removed nor

much

turbed, but be at liberty to keep poffeffioii

of their lands and properties as before under the Kings of Scotland, and only pay
tribute to the

King of Norway, and acknow-

ledge

him

as their lawful

King

in

room of

the other.
the Gaelic
all
is

Hence

are the reafons

why

the

not in the

leaft adulterated
;

over

the Uiils and Barray

and the continual


feuds.

37

feuds kept alive by the natives and foreigners,

preferved the language


as

more

free

from
call*

mixture, or corrupiion,
it.
'*

Pinkerton

It

fometimes happens," fays Dr. Johnthat,

fon, "

by conqucft, intermixture, or

gradual refinement, the cultivated parts of


a country change their language.
taineers then

The moun-

become
their

a diftind; people, cut

off

by

diflimilitude of fpeech
v^rith

from conver-

fation

neighbours.

Thus

in

Bifcay the original Cantabrian, and in Dalecarlia the old Swediili,


ilill

fubfifts.

Thus
(Ah

Wales and the Highlands of Scotland fpeak


the tongue of the
firft

inhabitants

where
guage)

is

Mr. Pinkerton's changeable


Englifli.

lan-

of Britain, v/hile the other parts

have received the

That primitive

nianners are continued where a native lan-

guage
dcfire

is

fpoken in a nation, no one will


to fuppofe
;

me
;

for,"

adds he,

**

the

manners of the mountains are commonly


favage

but they are produced rather

by

their fituation, than derived

from

their an-

cedors."

Hcfurther remark?, thattheGothic fwarms

bore

38

bore no proportion to the inhabitants in

whofe country they


too

fettled.

This

is

plain

from the paucity of Northern words

(this is

much

for

Mr, P.

to bear patiently)

now

found in the provincial languages, and in th^

fame proportion thofe Goths were


in

in the Hebrides

comparifon to the multiplicity of the

natives.

Thefe Norwegian words made no

knpreffion on the language of the inhabitants, as


is

too well

known

to be debated

with feeming advantage by any gentleman,

though difpofed

to be of a contrary opinion.
is

Mr. Pinkerton's tautology


and
is

difguftingj

alfo mofl;

unlucky

in going, like the


;

flioemaker, beyond his


fee that the

laft

in regard

we

very reverfe to the principle


is

he wifhes

to eftablilh,

the cafe relative to

the Ifles and Scotland.

As

the

Romans
in

could not
fo

fix their

own

language in Britain,

neither could the


for,

Norwegians

the

Hebrides;

except in a few names of ifles,


forts,

landing places,

and

little

bays or towns,

not one veftige of their language remains, or


is

fpoken even there, where the proprietory


ilill

were Norwegians, and fonie of them


Cpntinue
fo,

The

39

The

natives,

who have

the advantage of
cff

trading with the Danes, and

frequently

boarding

their veflels, are after all free


:

from

the dialed

and the Author

is

bold to fay,

with

all

their ignorance, that they

know

as

much of

the

language as Mr. Pinkerton

does, notwithftanding his

pompous parade

of words and vocables produced to convince the ignorant of* his exteniive
ledge of that language.

knowfpent

For one

who

near nine years of his time in thefe very


illes
is

entitled to

know

the

firft,

and Mr.

Pinkerton's grofs mifapplication of vocablcii

encourages him to affirm the

laft.

In Scotland, on the Eaft fide in particujar,


the Gaelic
fide
is

on the decline, and on the coaft

mollly forgot, arifmg from a different

caufe,

and not from their intercourfe with

the Norwegians.

But

as

he affirms that no

fragment
tury,

is

older than the fourteenth cen-

and maintains, with Dr. Johnfon, that


for a

no evidence,

hundred

lines,
it

is

older

written than a century back; fo


fufpe5lthat

makes one

he was one of thofe v/ho milled

that learned

man, feeing he himfelf acknowfrom information.

ledges that he fpoke

D4

Wq

40

) to the

"We mufl then


Rev. Mr.
old

refer

Mr. Pinkerton

Mac

Nicol,

who
;

has troiinfed the


will

man

very foundly

and he

conin

vince him, that Gaelic was well


Scotland long prior to
this

known

foolilh

date.

There

is

an old

woman

of

my acquaintance

inHerries, aged upwards of a hundred years,

and fpeaks only the Gaelic taught her by


her mother,
death
;

who
this

alfo

was aged before her


ftill

and

woman,

alive,

rememfaying,'^

bered her grandmother, and her old

which

flie

rehearfes to the youngfters in the


\\;ay

family by

of advice. Surely the grand-

mother was cotemporary with King James


the Sixth of Scotland,

more than two hunthe ground.

dred years back


affertion

of courfe Mr, Pinkerton's


to

muft

fall

This

clergyman, however, will teach him more


than reading the thoufands of volumes he

announces

to the public as a neceflary

qua-

liiication before

any perfon fhould venture


their bar for their

to lay his

works before
HvaW inform

judgment.

Then we
the

him from Mr. Mac


from
tliat,

Nicol's knowledge, or, if he pleafes,

Authors own reading,

anno 1249, a High-

41

a Highland bard,

at the

coronation of Alex*

^nder the Third, pronounced an oration on


the Genealogies of Kings, prior to the de-

ftrudion of any of the records by


the Firft of England.

Edward

The

bard behoved

to be well verfed in his account before fo

many
redted

learned judges,

who

could have cor-

him had he erred in his narration. In King James the Sixth's time, two phyficians of the name of Bethune were educated in Spain
;

and one of them,

who was
Both of

phyfician to the King, wrote a learned treatife

on

Phyfic, in Gaelic chara(5ters.


well verfed in

them were

Greek and Latin,


;

and took quotations from Hippocrates


did not under ftand a w^ord of Englifh.

yet

The

one was named 011a

Illach, the other 011a


Ifles

Mulich, from the two


lived

where they
All their

(011a fignifies a Doctor).

pleadings in Courts of Juflice were in Gaelic

and there
late as

is

undoubted teflimony, even as

the old Parliament held at

Ard Chattheir de-

tan in Arguilefliire, in Robert Bruce's time,


that Gaelic

was the language of


it

bates

of cpurfe

could not be an adulterated

4i

)
lefs

rated language,

much

alterable,

when

known now,

as well as then.

Mr. Innes mentions an old from Kenneth Mac Alpin's time

chronicle
to

Ken-

neth the Third, the fon of Malcolm, before


the year 1291, that was evidently wrote in
Gaelic.

And he moreover
in

adds, that Gaelic

was fpoken
It is to

Galloway

in his

own

time.*

be wi(hed that Mr. Pinkerton

may

preferve his gravity on finding his friend

Innes fupporting the old Gaelic of his country


:

but what

fhall

he

fay,

when

told that
Jirone,

the aged bard's wifh,

and cochag na

or night owl, go as far back as the ages of

hunting, as they contain not the fmalleft


veftige of hufbandry, or allufion to agriculture, or

any of the modern


it ?

arts

of

life,

can

be produced on

Thefe Scots or Caledonians

in

Galloway

remained longer unfubdued by the Scotch

Kings than any other people among the


fubjels of the
diffatisfied

Kings of the Fids


late

being

with the

overthrow, they re-

tired into the

remote corners in the South

qf Scotland.
*"

i727

Andrew,

43

Andrew,
the

blfliop

of Rofs, fpeaks of a hif-

tory wrote by a cotemporary writer, under


title

of Chronkus Antiquorum

hi Gejiis

&

A?tnalibus Aniiquis
is
flill

Scotorum Brittoftum,
alfo

This

extant,

and he mentions

the annals of the Pidts and Scots, and thefe

of fo long a date, that they were cfteemed


old then^ that
is

ancient,
1

by an author who
,

died before the year

185. *

Nay,
tongue.

St.

Gildas was born in Scotland, at


his

Dumbarton, and Gaelic was

mother

Cumineus, and Adamanus, both

abbots of lona, wrote, befides the Hiftory

of

St.

Columbus, other Hiftorical Treatifes


thefe

and we know that


years
ago,

flourifhed
in
for
;

11

00

and they
will be too

\^^rote

Gaelic,

f
is

The above
no help
of his
for

much

Mr. Pin-

kerton to bear with patience


it.

but there
little

We

fhall

hear a

more

own

account, no

lefs

difagreeable to

the ear of the fenfible reader, than Innes's


jremarks in favour of the Gaelic, are to
felf.
'

himand
ages,

The

Celts being natural


all

favages,
all

regarded as fuch by

writers of

* Innes's Critical Effay, &c.

f Ibid.
'

their

44

'
*

their

tongue v/as fo fimple whence they


all

borrowed of
logifts,

others

our Cehic etymofact?, derive

ignorant of thefe
Celtic,

many

*
*

words from

without fufpeding the

real truth, that

the Celtic words are de-

^
*

rived from them.

Without

a complete

acquaintance with the Gothic dialect, no

'

one ought to meddle with the Celtic ety-

mology,
nefs;

elfe

he will blunder in utter dark-

And, pari pajfu^ one would


think that the

as naturally

man who
Celtic,
it

pafTes

judgment

fo

roundly on the
quainted with
is

ought

to be better ac-

than Mr. Pinkerton,

who

grofsly ignorant

of what he condemns

fo unmercifully, being literally ignorant of

the very meaning of the w^ord Celt, as well


as

moft other writers,


;

as will

appear on fome
ea tu ne

future occafion

quce culpare foles^


is

feceris ipfc, befides the account


fary, as to the Celtic, feeing the

unnecef-

Gothic bears
fenfe.

no

fimil^irity to

it

either in

found or

And Mr. John

Tolland, in his colledion of

feveral pieces, obf^ry^s, that without a tho-

rough knoY^'ledge of

t|:ie

Celtic language

and

bocks, the Gaelic antiquities can never be


fgt

45

'

either ill any tolerable light with regard words or things, and that many words to
let

in

Greek and Latin


laft

are illuftrated

by

it.

This

remark adds an additional fplencon-

ilour to the fo long defpifed Gaelic.

Mr. Thomas Innes candidly enough


feffes, that his

ignorance of the Celtic lan-

guage

difqiialifies
its

judge of
*

antiquities.
*

talk,' fays he,

him from being a proper That being a to which I mufl acknow'

*
<

ledge

myfelf very unequal,

and which

none

but the natives, thofe of

them who
more au-

'
'

are learned and fiilled In their ancient Ian-

guage, (with the help of what


the?itic

is

in

their

hijhryj could, with any

'

hopes of fuccefs, undertake.'


all
liis

And

yet
is

Mr. Plnkevton, with


tongue,

ignorance,

bold enough to decide on the merits of this

though truly

as infufficient,

but

more impudent than Mr. Innes was.


*

But, fays

Mr. P.

the Celtic

is

a favage Ian-

guage, or mixture of

many

others, fo fofc
that, as

and undetermined in orthography,

'

Buchanan
what vou

fays of the

etymology of his time,


//,

ex quo lihtt

quod

libet

you may m.ake


pleafe.'

pleafe of

what you

That

46

That gentleman did not fpeak of the


Celtic,

but fuch

languages

as

he himrdf
to fpeak of

knew

and had too much fenfe

a language of which he had but an imperfed:

knowledge

and of courfe

it

is

great pre-

fumption to make ufe of lo high an authority to fupport

an opinion fo injurious to a
the Gaelic.
there never
to poetry

tongue
*

fo

truly expreflive as
fays

Perhaps,'

Mr. Smith,

'

was a language
and

better adapted
all its

'

than the Gaelic, as almoft


energetical

words are

* '

defcriptive of the objeds


alfo,

they reprefent, and are


part,

for the

mod

an echo to the

fenfe.'

Harih ob-

jeds are denoted by

harili founds, in
;

which

confonants greatly predominate

whilft fofr

and tender objeds and palfions are expreffed

by words w^hlch bear fome analogy


in found.

to

them

The

Gaelic language confifts,


;

for the greatefl: part, of vowels

hence, in

the hands of a fKilful poet, the found varies


perpetually

with the fubjed of difcourfe,

and
is at

afliimes the tone of

whatever paffion he
;

the time infpired with

and any perfon

acquainted w^ith the Gaelic, will acknowledge the juftnefs of Mr. Smith's remark.

Let

47

Let us

now
it,

hear Mr. M'Nlcol, a perfed:


opinion

judge of

as his
'

may

alfo
'

be dea flight

pended upon.
guages

I have,'
leaft,

fays he,

acquaintance, at
;

of fome ancient lan-

underftand a few living tongues,


for truth,

and

can aver,
that

before

the

world,

the

Gaelic
lefs

is

as copious as

the Greek, and not

fuited to poetry

than the

modern

Italian.'

Things

of

foreign and of late invention

may

not pro;

bably have obtained names in Gaelic

but

every objed of nature, and every inftrument

of

common and

general ufe, has


it,

many
the

vova^-

cables to exprefs

fuch as

fuit all

rious changes that either the poet or orator

may

choofe.

To
it

prove the copioufnefs of


is

our language,
public, that

fufficient to alTure the

Vv-e

have a poetical

dialedl,
;

as-

well as one fuitable to profe only

that the

one never encroaches on the other, and that


both are perfedly underftood by the moft
illiterate

Highlander.

The

chief defedt in our language proceeds


is

from what

reckoned the greateft beauty


;

in other languages

it

has too

many vowels
fuitable to

and diphthongs,

vv'hich,

though

poetry,

48

)
lefs difr

J)oetrjr,

renders the pronunciation

tindt

and marked, than happens

in lefs har-

monious, and confequently, more barbarous


tongues.

Some
late,

ignorant
it

writers

of

the

Gaelic of
theii*

is

true,

biriftled

over

compofitions with too


;

many

confd^
iii

nants

but they are generally quiefcent

the beginning and end of words, and are

preferved only to
' '
*

mark
'

the etymon.

Yet

ftill,'

adds P.

every

name

that

is

thought to fpring from the

Celtic,

may,

with equal propriety, be applied to others

'

and

fhall
fitnefs,

engage to derive them with

equal

from any tongue in the

v*rorld,

'

with the help of a didionary.'


let

tured,

us hear
'

him

Fairly ven-

'

Suppofe,' (conti-

nues he)
'
'

we fhould
names

take the SpsLmdifoNada^

chanca

& ardid iov a fpecimen,


take fofiachan
ftart
firft

and apply

them
fhire
;

to

in the Highlands, Arguile-

'
*

^ crdmaliiox inftance,
my
;

which

to

eye, viz. fonada a

*
*

tune, and chanca a jeft


place

(fonadachanca^) a
to

where they ufed

'

ardld^ a ftratagem, and

mal.,

fmg and play ; HI, where a


was
defeated.*

confpiracy ag^inft Fingal

Where

49

When

it

fuits his

purpofe, he allows Fingal


in other refpeds,

to have

had an exiftence;
lived,

no fuch perfon
hero
is

and the ftory of that

a falfehood of Macpherfon's fabri-

cation.

Here, however,

this

ambidextrous gentlefirft trial

man
Ikill,

has failed in the very

of his

becaufe both the found and fenfe dlf;

agree with thefe names in Gaelic


lignification of his
fignifies a plaee for
firft

for the

Italian

word, which
is

fmging and dancing,

not more adapted to that agreeable piece of


entertainment, than to
all

other parts over the

North-weft Highlands, mufick and dancing


being a great part of their paftime
real Englilh
is,
:

but the
field,

a fortunate held; ach^ a

zvidfonn lucky or fortunate.

He

is

equally
;

unhappy
is

in aird

nial'iy

for a plain field

a'lrd

high, and mali the fummit or face of that

apex, and there \%2idaUmhaU2X the bottom of


that eminence,

where

a parifh

church ftaads.

A
*

Is a river in

the old

German

language,

*
'

and he applies

this exotic

ach to Auchter-

tool, Auchinfleet,

and Auchinleck.'

This

may be

true

Vv'ith

regard to the

German ach
iut

so
is

but ach in the Gaelic

invariably applied

to a plain cultivated field, and never once to

a river, as his

Germans

do.

Who

knows

but Mr. Pinkerton will be more happy in


his choice of

Gothic words

Let us try his

the

' ARAN, name of a man, in Torfxi, Aroe an

ifle

in the Baltic'

But Aran
rives the
Inni/Jj,

in the Weft of Scotland dename from lar weft, and Inn^ or


ifland,

an

larinn

or,

from bread,
fertile

Jlrafi

in Gaelic,
:

the

ifle
its

being

in

corn
lirft

it

however

takes

name from

the

of the two.
'

MULL,
But,
that in Scotland has the
coiledlat

'

From Mol,
a

found in Norway.'

on the contrary,

name from

bank of fand or gravel


is

ed by the fea billows, and

dry

ebb,

where people may land from their boats. And the whole ifle takes the name from a
part,
as Scotland
its

is

foolifhly faid to

have
that

derived

name from

the

few men of

appellation,

who

landed from Ireland in the


iotoj,

fouth corner of Argylelhire, (pars pro

'HARRIS,

(
*

SI

HARRIS,
;

'

From Haar, high

or Heroe, an

ifle ii^

'

the (Baltic) coaft of

Norway.'

But Heu-

ruibh^ a hill,

gave the epithet to Harris


is

and

that country in Gaelic


all

always termed

Heuruibh, by

the people in Scotland

who

underftand that tongue.


*

LIEWIS,

'

From
had

the Lees, or Icwefi part.'

But

this

its

name from

Sorrachadh^ Sarah, a
a

woman's name, and


tian

is ftill

common
;

clirif-

one there, perhaps

as old as

Abraham's
that

time, whofe wife bore that

name

was
the

originally the appellation given to the


Ifle in

Long

Scotland.

It is

known now by

word Leofe.
*

SKIA,

Corruptedly called Skye, from Skua, one


ifles.'

of the Ferroe

But that

ifle

in the

weft of Scotland derived the

name from

SKIA
and
thefe

a fhield,

ski an a dirk or a fword,

NEACH

a people, i.e.

Skian-neach;
drefs of the

arms making up part of the


of
this
ifle

inhabitants

in

hoftile

times,

when arms and war were

the daily employ-

ments of thefe warlike people, and fo might

well

5^

well be called

skian and NEAch

the peo

ple with the dirks or fwords, fkian-neach

and by no means from theAlatis of Buchanan

and

others,

account of the

who called it the Winged Ifle, on many inlets of fea-lochs for


ifle

very other

or coaft-fide

is

equally fubjet

to thefe with Skye, though

no people were more formidably accoutred with arms than


the

Skian-neach were; becaufe they had not only their own feuds, but alfo the inhabitants of the Long Ille, ftretching along
en the Weft, North Weft fide, and of Scotland on the Eaft, to guard againft, who were ready to break in upon their rich ifle
from every quarter
an opinion of
to plunder
it

And Mr.

Pinkerton does not explain his Skua to form


it

properly.
'

'

Is a

DEE Cumerag name, from

water, and
reftore
it

is

Welch.'

Mr. Pinkerton may

back to the Welch when he


is

pleafes, as there

no

river of that
at

name

in Gaelic

but
river

Diann^ a river

Aberdeen, from the fwift-

nefs or rapidity of the ftream

and another,
*

JDonn^

from deep, a heavy running

within a mile of the Diann in North Britain.

SUTHER-

(
*

Si

SUTHERLAND
But Sutherland
it

Is

Gothic, becaufe the Goths lived in


Orkneys.'
is

'

the

not

in the Orkneys, neither does

derive that

name from
and but
that

the Goths, as ihall appear

more
of

fully elfewhere

nor

was

it

the original

lately the prefent Gaelic

name

country: but GalUbh and Cattibh or

Cattee\ in Englilh, Caithnefs andSutherland:

this laft derives the

name from

the excel-

lent

Spearmen,

/. e.

Saor Latinkh or Eall

Lannies of Strathern (or Stirling{hire)of old.


'

TAY
;

by Tau, Au,
*

Is

all

appearance Gothic
is

Tavus,
It

or Aa,

a river in

Germany.*
deep

is

acknowledged that

I'ainh, is the

fea,

or main ocean in Gaelic, and the flow deep

running river from Loch Tcimh,


derive
its

Tay may

feeking

name from that after it in Germany.


is

fource without

Forth
This
is

perfect Gothic, Fior^a, a Firth.


is

granted him, for Forth


it

not Gaelic;

he may referve
they arrive.

for the Gothic Piks,


this betrays

when
name
lowers

But

Mr. Pinkeris

ton's ignorance.

For Bodotria

the

given to that river by Tacitus, and the fol-

54

lowers of the Roraans, from hod a boat, and


otter a

colledlion of

mud

and

dirt caft into

foft

heap, either by the Tea or rivers, into


loch,

any quiet corner of a

bay, or river,

over which no boat can pafs, nor

man walk

upon

at

ebb fea or low water.


is

And

the

bottom of the Forth

perfedly impaffable

either for horfe or footmen, in mofl: parts of


it,

owing

to the deep clay

channel of 50

odd miles through which


and when and
it

that water runs

overflows

its

banks, there

is

hardly getting to a boat through the


dirt left

mud

behind

it.

So

much

for the

Forth.

But indeed Tacitus writes about


dotria in fuch dubious terms,

this

Bo-

arifmg, both

from

his ignorance of the country,

and want

of accurate information of the true name of


that

famous

river

that

one

is

at a lofs to

know whether
as the Forth,

he means not Clyde as

much
that

from the narrow iiihmus

almoft joins the two.


that,

For though he writes

in

the

fourth

fummer of Agricola's
d'lverfi

command,

Ghttrt

& Bodotria

niarh

aj^u per immenfum reveal anguflo ierrarurn


Jpatio dlr'imuntur^ quod turn frajidiis firm abaiur^

55

fur, aique omnis propior finus tenebatur, fum-^

moth

velut in al'iam,

&c.

the Bodotria

and

Glotta

being

feparated

by

a peninfula

yet on the thh'd fuinmer, he

writes that
genies

he met with new nations


aperu'it vajlo.tis ufque

Novas
6cc.

ad T^aum^

which he

laid wafte as far as the

Tay

river ( MJluarlo

nomen eJl)nationibus^c. and whatisfurprifing,


it is

only in the lixth

fummer

that
:

we

find

him oppofed by
ajfate quafextiim

the Caledonians
officii

Cctcrum
ani"

ammm

ifichoahat,

plas civitates iransBodotriamfitas^^c.


hof^ili exercitu
itifte?'a

Infejia
clajfe

exploravit^ ^c.

Ad manus ad anna
&c.
angujiiis
tul'iffie

timebanturf prius

Cakdoniam
in ipjis

incolentes populi,

Fuit atrox
op em
;

convsrfi

portarum

pr^sUum, donee pulfi


lUis

hojics utroque exercitu^ his ut

ne

eguiffie

auxilium viderentur^qiiid nifi paludes


tcxijj'ent

^Jilva Jugientcs
ria foret.

debeliatum

ilia

vidio-

But though the barbarians were


in this hot

worded

engagement, they were

not diflieartened, as might well be expected

from the bold unconquered Caledonians,


fo

in

much

that Agricola

found

it

convenient

to go cautioufly to

work

againft

them

after-

wards, as

we may

gather from what he re-

E4

marks

56

marks of their prudence, caution, and loud


boafting
:

^tqui

il!i

modo
ac

cauii^ ap fapientesy

prompti pojl eventum^

magmloqu't
far

erant
di-

Thus

it

Teems they were

from being

fpirited

by

their late misfortune.


is,

The

only difficulty

to find out the pro-

per place where this engagement happened,


Boetius,

who

follows and agrees with

Camb-

den, draws a wall between the Efk to the

mouth of
Tacitus

the river
it

Tweed, which,

fays he,

calls

Tatim 'Mfttiarium.
affirms, that

But

Sir

James Dalrymple

the learned
fays

Cambden

has been miftaken,

when he

that Tweed
called T'aiis^

was the fame


fmce
it is

river

which Tacitus

plain

from Tacitus his

account that Taus w^as near the Grampian


hills

in

Perthfhire,

whither the

Romans,

after

they had beat the enemy, carried their

arms through the country of Perthfhire and


Angus, and ordered the
the
ifie.

fleet to fail

about of

Sir

George MacKenzie

is alfo

this lafl opinion.


It
is

however no unpardonable crime

to

differ in

fentiments with thefe two learned


;

baronets

efpecially

when we fmd

the

firfl

engagement with the Romans, the

fixth

Summerj

57

)
fide

Summer, to have happened on the South


of the Forth,
cola
citra Bodotriam^

and that Agri*

drew up

his forces oppofite to Ireland,

which muft be underftood


Arran^ or Bute
illes,

either to be Jura^

for he could not

mean

the prefent Ireland, becaufe the neareft to

Scotland being 20 miles, too great a diftance


to ftrike terror into the inhabitants

of

it,

while the other


the

ifles

were within view of


and the peofight.

army drawn up

in Airfhire,

ple might juflly be alarmed

by fuch a

Yet though the


the fiKth year,

firft

{kirmifh happened on
off his troops,

when he drew
in the

and

crofTed

Clyde

firft

boat that he

iret with, and then paffed into a country un-

known

before,

he fays, ^into anno nave

p-'ima tratifgrejfa^ ignotas

ad

id lempus gent e

crebris Jhnul ac projperh prceliis domuit\ that


is, after

paffing over at

Bad

Otth\ near

Dun-

barton, or the Clyde, he was then literally

entered
to the

among the nations before unknown Romans and after fecuring himfelf
;

from the inhabitants


on

as well as

he could, he

might be engaged on the fixth Summer, not


the fifth,as above,almoft inthevery mouth

of the harbour, by

the fierce people,

who had
colledled

58

colleded their forces to prevent his marching

through their country.


I

am therefore more inclined to join Camb;

den, than the learned Baronets


is

becaufe

it

not probable that fo cautious a General as


firft

Agricola would venture his forces at

in-

to the heart of a ftrange country, in the

mod

dangerous part of

all

Britain,

and

fo far re-

moved from
enemies
donians
:

anyaffiftance

from

his friends in

cafe of a defeat, or deftrudion of his fleet,


fo terrible as the

by

unconquered Cale-

he being about So miles in that cafe

from the provinces, and on the North of the


Forth, with almoft impaflable forefts,
tainSjfvvamps,andrivers,all within the

mounpower

of the enemy,
in his

who would throw

every block
their boats

way, and even remove

from the Forth,

to render their paffage

over

that large river impradicablc,


impoflTible, in cafe

and almoft
;

of misfortune

a thing

naturally to be expedled

when

encounter-

ing the high-fpirited Caledonians.


his

bading

his troops at the

Whereas Tweed, or radid,

ther farther

up the Forth, though he Ihould


as

meet the enemy,


3

we

find

he

and even be

59
;

be vvorftedbythem

yet he

was

in Valentia,

where the Romans had

friends,

and where
as his land-

he might recover himfelf without running


the rifque of total deftrudion
;

ing

at

the Firth of Tay, between

Angus and

Fife,

might be attended with.

Befides his advancing up to the ifthmus

near Stirling, along the river Forth, while

he was
pians,
ders,

fafe,

he was

alfo as near the

Gram-

much

nearer Air, to frighten the illanat the

and in fad

mouth of
rivers

the Tai-

chica Vallis, or Montelth, called in Gaelic

Stra Taukh,

where the

Teith and

Forth join, and gave a name to the whole valley

on the

fides

of the Forth ; whereas the

Strath above the


Vallis Ernica, a

well as then.
this,

Tay is called Strathern, name well known now, as Fiad the above Baronets known

they certainly would not imagine that

the General would ad: fo inadvertently, and

even foolifhly, by landing fo far North,


then marching his troops loo miles to the
South, to Airlhire, and the year after return

back

to

Strathern to fight with Galcacus


fhirc.

about Stonehive in Angus

No,

6o

No,

furely

he certainly landed on the

South of the Forth, and gradually marched

Northward by Camelodiinum, and


or Alloa;
writes
:

Stirling,

thefe

large

cities,

as

Tacitus

then
and

to Ardoch,

where he made a where

camp
rofs

afterw^ards to Strathern,

he made another on the plains of Dealgen;

and from thence towards the Eaft Sea,


his
fleet,

where he might meet


with Galcacus
'

on board

of which he placed his forces,


at the foot

after fighting

of the Grampians.
after this digref-

But we
And

fhall return

back

fion, to enquire into the true

name of

the

Forth.

the real

name of that

river was,

and

is flill,

in Gaelic,
its

and derives
charges
its

Foull, Uisg a Phuill name from the fource it dif*


;

waters into another river at jdb"


in Perthfhire well

herfoHy a parifh

known

by

that

name.

And

feveral

gentlemen's
it
j

feats receive their

names from

from the

fource

aimed

to

Edinburgh.

About 14

miles below the above parifli


;

ftands Wefter Poull Aird

four miles farther


;

down, we meet with Eafter Poull Aird

be-

low

6i

!ow

this,

one meets with a Mid Poull Aird.


fignifies a

This [Aird)

houfe of entertain-

ment

or hofpitality for paiTengers, in cafe


late,

they were
the ferry

Or prevented from pafling

by

times.

About
called

four miles
lies

weft of Stirling, befide the river Poull,

Loch T^aohh Phuill,

Lochtafill.

There

tw^ty-four miles of water between the caftle of Stirling and the town
are

of Alloa, a fpace of four miles only by land.

The
fcape

meanders or links of the river Forth

prefent the eye with the moft beautiful land-

on earth from

that caftle.

Among the
a deep

gentle heavy windings and turnings of that


large river,
lake,

FaWhuy or Poull Lmnidhy

and Cook's Povvs, or Poull, are two

famous places well known to have derived


their

names from the

river Po////;

and be-

low

Falkirk, another gentleman's feat of the


ftands,

name of Bruce
or in Gaelic,
all

and

called Bofoulls,
riverj

Bo

town, and Poull the

thefe

on the bank mark the

name of

the river, and are fads that cannot be controverted, at leaft overturned

by Mr. PinBoetius

kerton.

6^

Boetius remarks, that the

genuine reading
of Tacitus.
fita
:

is

found

in

more pure and an old copy


Badofriam
free

Ampla chit as
is

trans

this

the

hteral

Gaehc,

from

corruption, Bad-ottir\ and very probably Ca-

melodunum on

the South of the Forth

was
not

the city alluded to, for the

Romans had

then crofied over the river Forth, or Poull.

Therefore

Stillingfleet calls

Clyde the Otter,


there
is

which

is

more probable, becaufe

by Dunbarton called Otter Ferry Bad Otter, over which Agricola with or his Romans paffed, after he had drawn off
ferry-boat
his

army from the

coaft of Air,

where they
of

were drawn up
'

as if to terrify the people

Ireland with an invafion, or rather the


Ifle

little

of Arran or

Ilia,

(for

it is

impoffible as a-

hove he would mean

to frighten the inhabi-

tants of the prefent Ireland, anifland at a dif-

tance of

more than 20

miles from the nearefl

part of Scotland,

from whence the eye could


:

not fee a

man nor an army)

and by

this

ferry-boat there ftands a


a
little

hill called Z)/v;/~0///r

way from

the caftle of Dunbarton.


three miles

There is another Bad-Ott'ir about

from

63

)
in

from the mouth of Loch-finn,


with

Cowal,

many more

that

might be

fpecified,

had not thefe been

fufficient

to convince

Mr. Pinkerton,

that

the

name

In

every

point of view has been mifuncierftood and

mifappUed by others

as well as

by himfelf

fo that here he has erred in


fo

good company,

much
*

for his comfort


'

GRAMPIANUS,
Gram,
!

Surely from

town

in

Norway.'

Worfe and worfe


the

for inftead of a

town,
/.

Grampians of Scotland

are

hills,

e,

Garabh-Bheantibh^ rugged

hills.

OCHILL,
*

This name

is

Welch, from High

Ochill.*

But thofe

in Scotland receive their


hill hill

names
uchdan^
it is

from wood, and


applies to a

uchdan wacher, always


;

little

d'rreadh

re

mounting the
clear

hill

or eminence.

And

that the beautiful Ochil-hills in Scotis

land were covered over with wood, as

known from
hill
;

the veftiges of

it

to this day.

Wachd-Coill, contraded Ochil, the


for caill
is

woody
hill,

wood, and uchd an


is

uchd-coill \

and there

town

in

its

vicinity

named

^4

)
is,

named
tifing

Ochterarder^ that
the

wach ar ardan,

town on

fummit of an eminence or
Perthfhire.

ground in
'

LONDON,
a.

'

From Lond^
it ?

grove, the

grove/

Why not
as

town in a name that was ori/.

e.

ginally given

lon and Dun


faid ftore

the

firfl

fignifies a ftore

of proviiion, and the

latter

the

hill

on which the
at

was

laid

out

of the boat, either


ftreet hill
;

Tower-hill, or Fleet*
is

for

Ludgate

precifely

lod or
;

FLOD
and

a fleet, Siud geott an inlet of the river

it is

well

known
is

that the fleet pafl^ed

up

to the head of Fleet-market once,

though

now

the geoll

covered over with an arch,

over which the market ftands.

Edward Llhyd and


met with
in the

others are too honeft

to arrogate to themfelves

names not

to be

Welch

or Englifh language,
to belong to

and acknowledge thefe names


the original inhabitants,
Gaelic, as the above

who

certainly fpoke

names

are well

known
to this

by

the inhabitants of

North Britain

day, and

many more

fuch to be met with


totally

over

all

England and Wales, and


to the prefent inhabitants.

un-

known

ABBIR,

(
*

6s

)
:

ABBIR
a

Here

follows

world of Abers,

as
j

Aberfoil, &c. both in Scotland,

Germany

*
*

and Gothland,
his

(and Mr. P. has exerted

ingenuity to

make them anfwer


tells

other
^

purpofes, than their meaning in


laft

Gaelic

of

all,

he gravely
it is

his

Englifh

reader,

for

impoffible he fhould ima-

'

gine that any judge would believe him,)


this

poor Aber, which has been tortured

into fo

many meanings, is abfolutely the German Ubber, beyorid, and means a


a river.'

town beyond
it

After fo decided a
in

judgement,
this

would be

vain

to

tell

pragmatic gentleman, that in Gaelic

Aber uniformly lignifies the mouth of a river where its waters are 4ifcharged into
the
fea,

loch,

or

fome other

river,

and

not once ufed for the prepofition beyond.


*

BAL

*
<
*

As Balmerino, Balcaras. This i^ another word that would puzzle the mofl
*

profound etymoiogifts, fays he, to deter-

mine if really Celtic or Gothic. is more certain than that the

Nothing
Icelandic,

*or

66

or Gothic,

is

a town or village'.
fee

This
for

is

granted

him

but we
own,

no reafon Bay

borrowing from the Goths, as the Celtic


is

fo

compleatly fupplied with


their

Bo,

and Bal of
countries.

as well as of others,

without calling in foreign aid from thefe

*
*

DAL

Seems

to

be equiv^alent to Bal in Scot-

land, as Dalrymple,

^fo

alfo in

Norway

'

and Denmark.'

But though Mr. P. mifreader,


I

leads his EngliOi

defy
is

him

to

do

fo

to

a Highlander,
is

who

certain

that

Da/

not

once applied to a town


field

but always to a beautiful plain

at

the

head or end of a promontary, or angle cut

by a

river, as

Dal can
where
'

Ross
a

Dealgin-

rofs in
is

Pertfliire,

Roman camp

to be fcen.

KIN,

in

As Wales

KinhU'y thefe are not fimilar to names


or
Ireland, and will of

themway.

'

felves turn this point quite the other

*
*

For there

are

30 of them
all

in

England, and

only Khifak in

Ireland, as

may be

i^tvk
*

in

(
*

6;

in the Iiidex Valaris.

This was the place

from whence formerly the king failed.' Ay, where is Kinfburrow, near Cork ? and Kin, a burrow of Carrig, and another Kin, of
'

Boyle?

and

Kinlis,

/.

e.

Cean

Lise,
in

the head of a garden,

or fertile

field

Meath

This Fickle Index has betrayed


a
fnare,

poor P. into

and no wonder by
it,

placing fuch confidence in


fall

he

iliould

into the ditch

as

his
as

leader

was

as

ignorant of this Kin,

he
is

is

himfelf.

Wo
own
kell

is

me, then, the

fcale

turned upon
his

himfelf, like a man's


ftaff,

head broke by
fignifies

for

Kin and fale


fait
is

the

head, or end of a

water loch, and A7;zthe end of a wood,

Scotland,

Cean-coill.

*ERSKIN
'

Is

the very fame thing, with Kin fale


fo,)

is

fuppofed

but

it

is

/ (it no fuch matter


and Ski an, a
wolf,
;

in

fad; but Ar, upon,

dirk or knife, the head of a

upon

the point of a dagger, or fword

and few

kings

ever failed
;

with pleafure on fuch


ail

a vehicle

and

put together expofes


2

Mr.

68

Mr. P. the more,


higher
pears,
it

like the

monkey, the
its

climbs,

the barer

tail

ap-

and of courfe the more laughable

to the fpeclators.
*

FORK

This word
in Gaelic

is

uncertain

as Fordiin/

But

it is

by no means uncertain,

being equivalent ro

Faridh, watch, and


hill to

Dun,

a hill, a

watch

fpy the ene-

my, fomething like the Norwegian Gok man on his watch tower.
*

Two thirds

of the names of the Ebud^e


infallibly

Iflands

and Highlands, are

Gohis

thic'

Here Mr. P. thought

that

going to the remote Ebuda? would infallibly fcreen

him from dete^ion


is

but he
-,

happens

to

be unfortunately milkken
abfolutely denied,

for

the allertion

and the

author ouo-ht to

know

better

than Mr.

Pinkcrton, or even his Atlas,


-Pidionaries
the countiy,
;

and Gothic

for

he not only was long in

knows the language, and was

born in Scotland, where the Gothic is unknown, but the Gaelic perfedily familiar to every ear there, v.'here the lan-

guage

69

guage

Is

fpoke, and ought, on that account,

to gain
is

more

credit

than any
it,
j

man who
P.'s

a perfect Granger to

however imand Mr.

pertinently

preflimptuous

placing
Ifland

Sky

among

the 5

Ebudes

an
Ifles,

36 miles
are

diilant

from thefe

which

another,

known to be contiguous to one may latisfy any difcerning reader, how much he takes upon him above his
knowledge, or any good authority which
is

fufficient to

convince people of his grofs


further, the author,

miftake.
his

And

from

own knowledge,
Mr. P.
iJleSf

maintains,

in diredt

Oppolition to
ler

that except the fmal-

forts, hays

and landing-places, there

are few, if any Gothic words ufed in

comif

mon who
io

converfation, even

among

the vulgar,

could not conceal, nor equivocate,

any fuch were mixed


that the

v/ith their language

Danes,

though

they

reiided

long there, have made no alteration in their


language, or the names of mountains, rivers,
firaitbs, valleys,
fait

and
and

rocks,
lochs,
is

with

frefli

and

water

lakes
-,

which

alfo are

moftly Gaelic

and

this
-i

aiTuredly the cafe


i\\

[(

70

in Scotland,

and more particularly,


nor Romans,

when

neither

Danes,

nor EngUjJj

woiild be allowed to keep pofleffion by force

of arms, to adulterate their

ton!2:ue.

Thus

Mr.
he
his

P's

I2O0O names

in Scotland,

of which

fays

Irifi,

30 only zvQJ-Felch, and not above 50 on the north, fouth, and cajl, with
G(?/i'/r

2000

words

in the ivcjl

may

in

a great meafurc be laid


until the

up

in the great Atlas


fully eftablifhed

Gothic Fiks are


ufe of them.

there to

make

We
*

ihall follow

him fome
is

farther to be in*

formed that he dwelt on


caufe Celtic etymology

this matter,

be-

become the
I fliall

fren-

zy of

this

fhallow age
it,

and

remark,

*
'

before quitting
I

that

by Gothic names,
is

mean,

fays he,fuch

whofe form

Gothic,

and

may be

traced in the northern king-

doms, Germany and England;'' and he con-

cludes with a hope that he has fatisfadorily

anfwered the whole arguments.


does not
tell

Here he

us whofe arguments he thuj?


it is

belabours, only
thofe of the

to

be fuppofcd he means

two Mr. Macpherfons, and


of

thinks his Englifl:i readers, becaufe ignorant

71

of the

CeltlCy will reft as

much

fatisfied,

though
after

as little edified, as

any old

woman

is

hearing mafs performed in Latin, and

yet fhe feals the fervice with an

Amen.
worded

We
more

venture to affirm and predid:, unlefs

his promifed hiftory of Scotland be


cautioufly and fupported
is,

by better authat he will

thority, than his enquiry

gain few profelytes

among

readers of tafte

and learning, to adopt

his principles,

even

with

all

the aid that his atlas and lexicons


afTillance.

can bring to his

And tho' we
bles of his
j

are heartily lick with follow-

ing this ftrange medley of impertinent

oca-

yet the kind indulgence ot -be

reader

is

folicited,

while an attempt

is

made

even without the aid of didlionaries and lexicons to fhow

Mr. P.

that Celtic

names

might with
from the

as

great propriety

be quoted
the

ChiJiefe,

Japanefe,
aS*.

Tartarsy

wild inhabitants of AT", and


bia,

America, Ara-

as

or even from the Greeks and Romans, from the Goths, &c. as we are a little

better acquainted with the


tioned,

two

laft

than with any of the others,

menwe
fliall

F 4

72

(hall

venture to

make

the

trial,

by wg.y of

experiment between the Latin and Gaelic,


then take the fame method with the Greek
5

and

after

comparing a few vocables with a


it

fentence from each,

is

to be

hoped

that

the found and fenfe, and almoft the fpelling,


will be

more adapted

to each other than eiis

ther the Gothic or

German

to the Celtic,

As we have already remarked that mountains, rivers

and proper names, are allowed

to be the mofl unalterable,

we

fliall

begin

therefore with the


Latin.

74

)
Englijh,

Greek.
HfjiTop,
ni/Ao7j-5,

Gaelic.

Eachan^
Penelope
ElleUy

a Trojan hero^.
a

HfAfv,

rAaTca,

CalcUeay

woman's name. woman's name. a wanton girl,

He6tor, advifing the Grecians and Trojiins to

allow Paris and Menelaiis to decide

the controverfy by fingle combat, addrelfcs

them

thus
//.fj

KfKXsuTf

TnoYjCy

v.xi

BVxvytuiSsc

Ayccioi.

Ch:rtii'ibmi'Th-aeri!!cuoig?ia!!2incbos'fnbielfPya,i.e.M.''K.?y^s.

Ilearkcn to me, Trojans, and ye well-booted, or limb'd

Greekns.
Ojcsavo?
@cc\cc(r(rx,

?iCua7i

Sallach^

or (boif-

lerous) ocean.

Was

I to

look into Didionaries and Lex-

icons, perhaps Virgil or

Homer might
fpecimen,

be

introduced fpeaking Gaelic in the

^neid
it

and
is

Iliad

but from

this hafty

referred to any
to

judicious reader,

nay,

even
rallel

Mr. P.

himfelf, whether the pa-

^Iven has not a more ftrikinfr likencfs


;

than any of his names


tured on a whole

and had he ven-

fentence of his Gothic


it

language, to compare

with

Gaelic

or

Englilh,

>

Engliili,

he certainly

would cry out Pec^

caviy
rity,

after

expofing the fhocking diffimila-

as well in fenfe as in found.

And though

the

Romans
it

refided in Bri-

tain for four centuries,

would be thought

impertinent, was an attempt

made

to

con-

vince the reader, that either borrowed their

whole language from the other, becaufe a few vocables and fentiments are alike in fenfe and found.

Mr. P.
*
*

ilill

goes on in his
Celts.

of railing againft the

own humour ' The Celts

being indeed mere favages, and worfe than


the favages of America, and remarkable

'

even

to

our

own

time,,

for a total negled:

*
*

of agriculture themfelves, and for plundering their neighbours.'


is

That

this out-

rage

no

lefs futile

than fallacious will be

obvious to any perfon

who

travels either

by land or
ifles

fea along

the weft coaft or the

of Scotland, where

many

ftately

edi-

fices

have been

raifed

by the induftrious

inhabitants, both on the coafts as well as in

the

ifles,

where

alfo

every other fpecies of

improvement.

('

76

improvement
and
taile.

is

carried on with judgment

And

their great

improvements
in

in agri-

culture are

known

London from Dr.


even
in the
firfl

Johnfon's account of the improvements he

faw

in the Ille

of Coll

weftern

EbudiE j one or two of the

farmers in

North
excel,
larnds,

Britain refide,

Mac Donald of Borf-

daky whole polite accomplishments few can


fupports 60 or 70 families on wafle
that formerly did not yield ten

marks
elegant

Xo his father pf yearly rent ^ beiides he has

much
ther.
tineil:

lands inclofed within his

own

policy,

which was equally

ufelefs to his faraifes

This gentleman not only


wheat, but makes
it

the

into flour in his

own
bates

niill.

Even Mr. Knox,

in his tour,

alfo repro-

Mr. P. refpedting the great improvements made every where over the Well Highlands and Illands,
the foolifh afiertions of

and writes from his own knowledge, and


not from information, which
certain of any.
fallads,
is

the

m.oil:

Roots, fays he, vegetables,


fruits

and

common

can be raifed on
the

77

the weft coafts

and

iflands

of North Britain

in any quantity.

Their

kail

and cabbage

are only exceeded in delicacy by their turnip,

which
grain

for
is

its

flavour,

and the finenefs


at genteel ta-

of

its

prefented

raw

bles,

with

fruits,

wild berries,

with

fine

dulce,

flack,

admirably well drefled by


Potatoes are very plenty

way of

defert.

through the whole highlands.

fmall

portion of lime, orfiielly fand, where cut,


or
cafl:

ware cannot be had

for

manure,

brings

forward a plentiful crop, and of a

quality greatly fuperior to thofe that are


raifed

on richer

foils.

In the iflands and on the weft coafts of


Scotland^ great quantities of kelp are

manufurely

fadured by theinduftrious inhabitants, (thefe


are not the indolent favages of

Mr. P.

not, he muft

mark out
and the

their lurking places


profits arifing

of abode
the kelp

;)

from

made

by thefe induft^rious people,

are extremely advantageous to the pofleftbrs

of thefe coafts, whether proprietor or tackf-

men.

And

78

And

fuch of them as anfwer the favage

defcription given
ral, if he

by Mr. P.

fo foully illibe-

means the better


few of
that clafs.

fort,

are limited

to a very are

It is true

there

feme thieves of

cattle in thefe extenfive


fo

countries;

but not numerous, nor

dan-

gerous, as in other places, either about large


cities in Scotland,

and through m.any parts


Ileal

of England
a purfe,

but few pick-pockets to


life for
it,

or take a

refide there.

That
at the

lov7 pradlicc a highlander

would fpurn

thought of: and Mr. P. might travel

over

hills

and dales in

,the

highlands,

and
fide

deep
there,

in

the defarts,

or by the
after

and he would

way he awoke

find

that his purfe was fafe, and his perfon un-

touched by the favages he


this is

calls plunderers
tell

more than he can

where he

is;

nay,
there.

nor at

Edinburgh, though he refided


to brand a

And
in

whole people
is

for

the crimes of a few only


iniquity

a. cruel piece

of

any author.

Whoever

reads

Lanne

B.'s travels in the Hebrides,

there

he will find the moft indnftrious commoners


in

79

in Britain, without exception or difparage-

ment
* *

to others,

fully defcribed.

Again Mr. P.

feizes the
collars

two Mr. Macfor

pherfons

by the

confidering
race,

themfelves of

the
their

old

highland
like

'
*

and
Pids
and

opening

mouths

leana-

chies as they are, and fvvallowing


at

up the

one mouthful with their hiftory,


Cc/ts-^

* ' *
*

and converted them into Scots and

alfo denied all the Pidifli hiflory:

but
to

the grand charafteriilic of the Ce/ls

is

put falfchood
hood.
nity,

for truth,

and truth ^ovfrJfca

This man was


and yet
if

Dodior of Divili-

he had ufed the fame

berty in private bufinefs,

which he has done in his hiflory, he would have been fet in the pillory, and no wonder, thouo-h
he widies the defirudion of Innis's hiftory, to

*
*

make

Offia?22iTidfalfebood

triumph.
againll

In anfwer to this abufe of

Mr. P.

the Macpherfons and the Celts, I muft apply

fcourge

Mr. Mac Nicol's rod of corredtion to him into good manners, as iie did
to confider

to Johnftone on a fimilar occafion, and leave

with him

of his danger.

Such
an

8o
as

an invidious charge

fymg

is

the

laft

thing

that a gentleman fliould be abufed with.

And

to bring forward fach an accufation


it,

without proof to eflabUfh

is

a ruffian

mode of impeachment.
fon

Dodor Macpher-

was incapable of ading fo bafely, tho' Mr. P. is void of candor, and good manners.
indelicacy of fuch language
is

The

obvious

a gentleman, fays

Mr. Mac
a

Nicol, would

not have exprelTed himfelf in that manner


for his

own

fake

man

of prudence would

not have done fo for fear of giving juft offence to

Mr. Macpherfon.
carelefs

He

feems to

have been
the
firft

about the reputation of

of thefe charad:ers, and the malig-

nity of his difpofition feems to

have made

him overlook
nexed
to

the forefight generally an-

the fecondj though he was bold

in his affertions,

he was not equally cou-

rageous in their defence.


tion

His mere allega-

on

a fubje(fl

he could not underftand


the notice of the gentle-

was unworthy of

man
who

accufed

but the language which he

expreffed deferved chaftifement.

And men,
manners.

break in upon the laws of good

8i

Hers,

have but a fcurvy claim to the pro-

tection of

any other laws.

Mr. P. has thert

exhibited this

fpecimen of his rancour tQ


either to gratify the

no other purpofe, than


dulous.

prejudiced, or impofe on the

weak and
P.'s great

cre-

Saxo Grammaticus,
vourite,
in

Mr.

fa-

dired: oppofition, gives a

mofl

favourable account of the honour of the

Gaels, and their extreme reludance to falfify,

or break

their

word, and narrates a

melancholy account given of a murder committed in miftake by a tender hufband on


his deareft lady,

and the
to,

difficulty to

which

the King was put

both to keep his word


life

and oath, and preferve the


rably

of a mifefays

unhappy fon-in-law.

Nothing,

he,

but violence makes a King of the Scots


is

break his oath, for every tye

on him

T!rahebat itaque rege?n hinCy in filiam pietas,


in

generum amor,

inde

charitas in

ami^
ipja

cunty

preterea juris jurando firmitas,

quoque
*violare

mutuce

obligationis

religio,

quam
find a

nefariiim
real

erat.

Thus we

fample of

honour between

pity

to-

wards

82

wards

his daughter,

and love to

his fon-in-

law, from thence charity to his friend, befides the ftrength

of an oath, which religion

herfelf delires not to violate, (being an obligation that


is

mutual,) and makes a breach


:

truly nefarious

had Mr. P. known the


lefs violent.

better part of thefe people, his rage againft

them would become


deration arifmg from

And mowould

known

truths

have rendered his writings more admired *.


After defcribing the difference between
the highlanders and lowlanders,
adds,
is
*

Mr. P.

in

mind and manners the diftindion


lowlanders are acute, adlive, infree;
flavifh,
fliort

marked/
*

The

duftrious,

the highlanders ftupid,


foolifh,

indolent,

fawning

the

former

in

have every attribute of a


the latter are abfolute
fo
till

civilized people,

favages,

and will continue

the race

be

lofl

by mixture.

In vain do

we dream
peoin

of building towns

in the highlands, if

pled with highlanders,

they will be

'

ruins in lefs than a century.

Had
*

all

the

* Gaudentius Morula dc Galloram Autiq. 1538.

Celtic

83

Celtic cattle

emigrated fome^ centuries ago,


it

how happy had


All

been for that country.


to plant colonies

we can do

is,

among

'

them, and by encouraging emigration try


to get quit

'
*

of the breed.

The

Celts are

mere
will

favages,

moll tenacious of their

fpeech and manners.

Mr. Macpherfon

have

it,

that Saxon merchants intro-

* *
*

duced the Englifh tongue ; what a bull


no, nor the nobles that followed

Malcolm

3d

nor the

many prifoners
anno 1070J
it is

taken by him,

'

nor the 50 boroughs erected for the Englifh


in

*
*

Scotland,

even though

every family had one or two fervants from

England
truth,

but

the trade of all the Scots


all
:

Antiquijis to fight againfl:

authority,

and

common

fenfe

one would

*
*

have thought that fome one of them


vv'ould

have ftumbled on the truth

'
*

have already fhewn that the PiSh were a Gothic


people.'

Then he

goes on to

Ihew the

fuperiority of the

Gothic tongue,
five fentences

though he does not know


it.

of

But nothing

is

too arduous for him,

provided the mobile vulgus do but applaud

him

him

for his ability at railing,

(an excellent

quality

commonly
as
this

acquired at Billinfgate

and fuch other excellent feminaries of polite


learning;)

gentleman hardly prois

duces any thing that


dull
ears
;

new, but the fame


in

tautology
fo a

conflantly ringing
is

our

man

afhamed

to nieriCe

him
no

by urging always the

like ufelefs
;

round of

tautological arguments

a circumftance

way

pleafant to the judicious reader.


a

We
man
but

muft then only obferve, that whea


traduces a whole nation,

he ought to ftand

upon hrm ground,


there

for fear

of a

fall

amidll: fuch fcurrility


is

of incoherent words,

not a fmgle faft advanced to con-

vince any

man own

of the juflnefs of thefe un;

mannerly
out of his

aflertions

but what he produces,

purfe, and therefore

unworpoured

thy of a folid anfwer.

But

as thefe fcurrilous eftulions are

out upon a whole nation, by way of revenge


againft the

two Macpherfons,

tlie

kind

reader

is

again intreated to indulge the au-*

thor a

little,

while he rehearfcs the ad-

vantages which the Rev. Dr, had from the


earliefl

85

carlleft period

of

life,

refpeding his educahis

tion.

As

for

Mr. James,

works can
in his fa-

fpeak for him, and bear teftimony


vour; and
a
if

he thinks that his charader, as


be afFeded by Mr. P.

man
is

of

letters, will

he

alive and able to anfwer for himfelf.

But

as the

Dr.
to

whom

a worthy clergy-

man
and

teflifies

have been a moft learned

polite

gentleman, whofe knowledge as


re-

a fcholar, and elegance as an author,

much honour on his country, feeing the Dr. I fay, is now dead, and cannot retort on this enemy, the public may depend on
fieds

the following account to be

ftri<flly

true.

This gentleman was born in Skye, fucceeded


and
in his

charge by his fon,

who

is

the 7th

generation of minifters out of that family,


I

have authority to

fay, that the iirft

of

them ranked among


Skye,
is

the Scottish Bifhops.

an

ifland v^ithin

one quarter of a

mile of Scotland, and not one of the 5 Ebuds, as Mr. P. gives out. It is 54

computed, or 81 meafured miles


and about 22
in breadth,

in length,
fertile,

extremely
finefl

and beautiful j flored with the

marble
aboy^

86

above ground, marls, minerals,

fofnls, coals,

and

fuller's

earth,

as

remarked by John

Smith, in his memoirs of the woollen


iiufadlury in the fixteenth century,

ma-

and

may

be dug 5 or 6 feet under the earth and


fandy hillocks.

There
ifle,

are

two great proprietors over


fine families

this

with many

of great

vaiTals,
ille

that in point of antiquity in that

will

almoft vie with the Lords or Lairds to

whom
Riif

it

belongs.

Such

as the leafeholders
UjiiJJ?,

of Elean Riabhocb,

Cor Chatchariy

N-Dtman, Tti/ifgear, Balmeanach, TJlmipjy and many more. Some of the


Majors, Captains, and
are feven large parifhes

vaflals are Colonels,

Lieutenants.

There

fupplied by able clergymen.

And even

within
ifle,

ten miles only of this very populous

one m.eets with two


8 or 9 Juftices of
Bajllie, to

*S/6d'r^-deputies,

and

the Peace, and a Baron


ftridt

keep up
is

order

and the

reil

of the

illand

equally well regulated.

The
many

inhabitants, without exaggerating,

are the moil hofpitable,

converfable, and

of them the moll learned of any

men
of

of equal number, from any country of the

fame extent
cities.

in

Great Britain

excluiive of

It therefore

can hardly be fuppofed

that in fuch a fociety books


ing.

would be wantproprietors' li-

That independent of the


braries, fine

they have, at leaft moft of them,

coUedions of books, which the author

affirms,

from

his

own knowledge, and


libraries.

well

chofen too, in their private

Mr.
Great

Macpherfon had
uncle

his education in the

academy of Skye, and was taught by his ; who then had no fuperiors, and but
few equals
Britain.

in claffical

knowledge

in

North

And

not a few of his old pupils, to Ibme

of them Dr. Johnfon bears teflimony of


their abilities,

would compofe Latin

verfes

that

would not difhonour Buchanan, and an


is
flill

epigram wrote by the Dr.

extant,
It

that will almoft equal that gentleman's.

cannot then be once imagined that the Dr.

with thefe early advantages on his

fide,

in

the happy neighbourhood of fo genteel and


learned
a
fociety of gentlemen,

together
v.ith

88

with his
deen,

vicinity to Invernefs

and Aberall

and the friendfhip which


for fo learned a

the

Synod had

man, wouLJ v/ant


call for;

any book he judged convenient to and having


at the

fame time the


with that of

libraries

of

his predeceffors,
his uncle's,
at hand.

his father's,

and his

own

coile<5lion

of books

Thefe

are only a

few of the advantages


pofieiTed;

which the learned Dr.

and yet

Mr. P. has repeatedly told his readers, that his library was fmall, and his chance of acquiring knowledge limited.

The

malicious

treatment given to
is

all

the other highlanders

beyond defcription erroneous.


as

true,

For it is Mr. James Macpherfon and every

gentleman,

who

have travelled that country,

acknowledges, that the extreme defire of


acquiring knowledge, even from travellers,
is

perfectly ju ft.

They
fee

will follow for a mile

any ftranger they

on the road, and the


turn back with his

author has feen one of thefe farmers, even


in the midft of harveft,

horfe and fledge, enquiring after news, and


j-^turned perfedly fatisfyed with the infor-

mation

89

mation given him, though

at

the expencc

of his time,

which might have been em;

ployed to better advantage


nefs in alking and giving

and

this frank-

news

is

accompa-

nied with extreme


ners,

mode fly and good man-

and they are cautious of giving offence

to the ftrangers.

Even the weft Hebridians


ately

will

go on board every

veflel that

immedicomes

into an harbour.
veffels in their

And

if

long without feeing

harbour to bring news, they


to fea, aftei* veffels that

will at times

go out

are paffmg by their coafts, for information

and as molt of thefe poor men have fpent

much of their

time either in the army, navy,


;

or mercantile line

fo it renders their

con-

verfation both agreeable and edifying;

and

all thefe things principally arife from their

acute penetrating difpofition.


I

am

certain that

it is

not only invidious,

but dangerous, to run comparifons between


nations, and

few men of real prudence


fo obnoxious.
is

will

be guilty of an offence

Here,

however,
a ftretch,

the author

provoked

to

make

which otherwife

his natural difpofition

90

pofition

would

revolt at the veiy

thought
fight

of.

Then, though he was born within


Edinburgh, and of courfe
lander,
as

of

much

of a low-

as a highlander, he avers that the

inferior clafs of lowlanders,

whom Mr.

P.

{o defignedly extols for their fuperiority, will fneak off the road to avoid a travelling

ftranger
fulnefs,

and fometimes, from blunt bafh-

they will conceal themfelves behind


until

a park, or hedge,
their reach

he

paiTes

beyond

and
is

if

he wants information,
them.
that the writer

he muft follow

after

And

it

a certain fad,

met with one man of


in Fintry,
2.

this lafl defcription

few miles from Kippen,

in

Dunbartonlhire,
diredl

who

could not inform, or

him
that

to the houfe of a

gentleman of

note,

had flood

for ages within fix

miles of the place


clared that

of his birth; and de-

he never heard of fach a gentletold at parting,

man, and bluntly


circle

that the

of his acquaintance had never ex-

tended beyond the narrow limits of the


parifh,

church,

and market.

It

is

true,

the commoners in general are more

know-

9i

ing than this

laft

mentioned, but

ftill

they

have not the pleafing infinuating manner of


the highlanders,

much lefs

their hofpitality;

and had not Mr. P. been too much confined within the

narrow walls of fome town


to ex-

or other, his ideas of the couiitry people

and their manners would lead him


prefs himfelf

more guardedly, and meafure


real,

merit more from the


actions of

than imaginary

men.
in his youth,

In fupport of the advantages which Dr.

Macpherfon received
tion one Campbell,
cofempoj'aryy

we men-

from Harris, who was


to vifit
trial

and probably a clafs-compaof

nion.

This gentleman happened

Edinburgh a few days before a great

candidates for filling a vacant chair in that

renowned Univerlity came on. Many learned

men came
by high
a prize.

forward, and thefe

recommended
Campbell,
friends,

intereft,

to difpute for fo valuable


in fleps

Among others,

though a mere ftranger and without

having only his Univerfity credentials to

recommend him.

One would imagine

his

chance was but fmall under thefe circumflances;

92

ftanccs

',

and yet

how

will
is

Mr. P.

ftare,

when

told that

Campbell

reported to have

gained

the

gown?

Nem'ine Contradicente.

And

yet his volatile unfettled

mind would
drud-

not be bound

down

to the conftant

gery of attendance.

He
him

therefore

imme-

diately refigned the office to the candidate,

whofe

m.erit placed

the next as beft

qualified, faying, that the

honour of (liewail

ing what he could do, was

he required.

This fad

is

faid to hz undifputedly true.

Nay,

this

fame Campbell and another


attempted boldly to intro-

fchool-fellow,

duce a new language in Skye, and they

would converfe with each other


in
it,
it.

for

hours

And doubtlefs, h:.d the people adopted we would be tald by Mr. P. that it was
learned

the Pikifh tongue of old Scandinavia, which


thefe

men had
tiie

preferved

from

oblivion.

This then was


Macpheribii
;

country of Doftor

thefe

were his advantages.

Thefe

alfo are the

accomphlhmcnts of the

Gentlemen,

with the natural fagacity of

the comm.oners, or favages of

Mr, P.

in the

high^

93
j

highlands and

ifles

and

challenge any
to
It

man
is

of honour,

if

acquainted there,

contradict the general truth of them.

granted there

may

be a few of Mr. P.'s


there, as well

defcription, to be
as elfewhere
;

met with

but fuch unprincipled ex-

ceptionable charad:ers are


privately defpifed

marked

out,

and

among
wcards

the Gentlemen.
alone decide this

But

let

not

my

matter.

We

fhall

hear what Dr. Johnfon,


to be

and others,

who were known


wrote on

im-

partial critics,

this head,

and their
Dr. John-

teftimonies cannot be doubted.

fon

met with none of Mr.


fays,

P's. favages,

when

he

that a longer journey than to the

highlands mufl be taken by the man, whofe


curiofity pants for favage virtues

and bar-

barous grandeur.

Such a
of images

feat

of hofpitality as Raarfay,

fills

the imagination with a delightful contrariety


;

without

is

the

rough ocean,

the rocky land, beating billows, and howling florm


;

within

is

plenty and elegance,

beauty and gaiety, the fong and the dance.

Our

reception at Raarfay exceeded our expectation.

94

pedation
elegance,

we found
and plenty.
;

nothing but

civility,

The

carpet

was

rolled off the floor

the mufician was called,

and the whole company


dance
;

was invited to
with greater

nor did ever


;

fairies trip

alacrity

the general air of feftivity which


this place, fo far

predominated in

remote

from

all

ufed to

which the mind has been contemplate^ in the manlions of


thofe
that

pleafufe, ftruck the imagination with delightful furprife, analagous to


is felt

which
to fup,
ta-

at an

unexpected emerlion from dark-

nefs
fix

to light.

When

it

was time
to

and thirty perfons

fat

down

two

bles, after

which began the Er/e

fongs.

More

gentlenefs of manners,

nor a more
is

plealing appearance of domefcic fociety,

not found in the moft poliilied countries.

In Raarfay,

if

Mr. Johnfton could have


J

found an UlylTes, he had fancied a Phseacia.


In (hort,
iiles,

fays he,
I

faw not one


to

in all the

whom

had reafon

think either
life,

deficient in learning,

or irregular in

but found feveral with

whom

could not
refpedts

converfe, without williing as

my

increafed.

95

increafed,
terians.

that they

had not been


of the Iflanders

Prefl^y-

The converfatlon
ofFenlive,

Is

in-

and there

is

no difafFedion

at their

tables

never heard a health offered by a


circulated

highlander, that might not be

within the precinfts of the king's palace.

We

ihall

now

hear Mr.Bofwell's account


.

of the highlanders.

He

tells us,

that

when

Dr. Johnlbn was fo delighted with the


fcenes

of elegance and entertainment he


at Raarfay,
fliall

met with
not

that he faid,

know

how we

get away.

Here both make honourable mention of Mr. Murchifon, fador to Mac Leod at
Glenelg.
noticed
bottle of

When they
by
that

pafled his houfe,

una

gentleman,

he fent

rum and
at

fugar to Dr. Johnfon and

Mr. Bofwell,
provided for

as they could not be fo well

the ferry-houfe,

they

put

up,

and

acquainted

where them in

his polite card, hovv^ forry

he was that he
tlicy

did not hear of

them

till

had pafled

his houfe; otherwife


fifled

he would have in-

on their paffing that night there.

Such

96

Such extraordinary
gentleman

attention

from thk
moft
with

to entire flrangers

deferves the

moft

honourable
in the

commemoration;
difpofition

gentlemen
are of the

north-weft of Scotland

fame generous

this honourable

man
are

refpedling hofpitality

nay,
pafs

and

they

hurt

when

ftrangers

by without giving them an opportumarks of


friendfhip

nity of difplaying
attention.

and

Dr. Johnfon was equally well pleafed


with his entertainment at Ms.
non's in Corichatchan in Sky, at
donald's, Kingfborrough, at

MackinMr. Mac-

of

Ulinifli,

and

at

Mr. Mac Leod's Dunvegan Caftle i and


and the gaiety of the

faid

there feemed to be no jealoufy, nor

difcord at Raarfay,

fcene was fuch, that

Mr. Bofwell himfelf

doubted for a moment, whether unhappinefs had any place in that family.

Nor were
liigear
:

they

lefs

fatisfied

at

Ta-

Colonel

Mac Leod
;

being bred to

phyfic, had a tindure of learning

which

pleafed Dr. Johnfon

he had fome very found

good books

he remarked, that he had

^7

found a library in his room at Talifgear

and obferved, that

it

is

one of the remark-

able things of Sky,

that there

were

fo

many books
in that
ifle,

in

every houfe he had vifited

and Colonel

Mac

Leod's lady

had

all

the polite refinement of the conti-

nent.

We
on

fliall

next hear the remarks

made

their learning.

Being informed, fays

Mr. Bofwell,

that the

Rev. Mr. Donald

Mac Queen was


pherfon
;

the moft learned

Sky, and a cotemporary with Dr.

man in Mac-

we were
;

favoured with a letter

of introdudlion to him by the learned Sir

James Fowlis

man, with
fible,

his

we found him a decent old own black hair, cautious

and rather (low of fpeech, but candid, fenand well informed, nay, learned. Dr,
faid,

JohnfoB was pleafed with him, and


this
is

a critical

man.

Sir, there

muft be great

vigour of mind, to

make him
it.

cultivate learn-

ing fo

much

in the iile

of Sky, where he
It is

might do without

wonderful

how
His'

many of the new

publications he has.

brother v/as the fourth generation of mini-

flers

/ters

of his familiy in the parifh of

Snifort^-

and both of them joined and bought books

from time
putation.

to timej fuch

books

as

had re-

Mr. Mac Queen


fian,

repeated palTages of Of-

out of the original,

and told Dr,


had a

Johnfon that he heard

his grandfather

copy of

it

but that he could not affirm


all

that Offian had compofed


it is

that

poem,

as

now

publiihed

but Johnfon contended


it,

tgainfi:

the authenticity of

and main-

tained that as good an epic ode could have

been compofed out of the old fongs of Robinhood, as out of Offian's


;

fuch was

his-

prejudice againft the production,

that he-

would rather allow Macpherfon


to

to pofTefs-

the honour of that performance, than agree


its

antiquity, a

few paffages excepted.

At

Oftig,

the Rev. Dr. Macpherfon's

own
lilh

houfe, he found a clofet flored with'

books, Greek,

Latin, French, and

Engmart-'

belonging to the learned dcftor, a


;

of diftinguiOied talents
alfo at a

Dr. Johnfon looked

Latin paraphrafe of the Song of Mofcs written by him, and publifhsd 1747
in-

99

In a

Magazine of June, and

faid

it

does

him

great honour, he has a great deal of Latin,

and good Latin


read

too, continues he.

The Dr.
refided

another

Latin ode which he wrote

when
for
alive

minifter of Barra,
years,

where he

fome

and thought himfelf buried


ille

among

barbarians, efteeming that

inferior to Sky, his natalefolum, that

he Ian-

guiHied for

its

blefied mountains.

Hei

mihi',

quantos patior dolores,

Dufii proculfpeSio, juga ter beata

Diimfcsrce Barrce Jlertles arenas


Solus aberro.

Ingemo, indignor, crucior quod inter

Barbaras Hhulen

late

am

colentesi.

Torpeor languens, mqriorfepultus

Car cere
After wiihing for wings to
dear country

ccbco.

fly

over to his

which was

in

his view,

from
and
the

what he
tern
ifle

calls Thiile, as

being the mofb wefSt,

of Scotland, except

Kilda

-,

after defcribing the pleafures

of fociety, and

100

the miferies of folitude, he at

laft,

with a
corda^

becoming propriety, has recourfe


fure relief of thinking

to the only

men; Jurfum

the hope of a better world, and difpofes his

mind

to refignation.

Interim fuit fua, rex, voluntas

Erigorfurfwn quotiesfubit fpesy


Certa migrandi foliniam fuper?iam,

Nummis

aulam.

And he

concludes with a noble flrain oi

orthodox piety.

Vita

dum demum
licet

vocitanda vita

eji

Tunc

gratos focios habere

Seraphim etfanSlos triadem verendam,


Concelebrantes.

it is to

be feared that Mr. P. even with,

the aid of Jeffrey of

Monmouth, would
!

not half equal this beautiful Saphic ode

Ah

Pinkerton, Pinkerton
is

for

fhame

here

much more

learning than exped:ed.

The

101

The Dr. when


ple,
faid

taking leave of thefe peo-

he (hould never forget Sky, and


all

^returned thanks for

their

civilities

to

Mr. Buchanan regrets much that Mr. P. was not of that party; in which
him.
cafe,

he believes,

we would have

heard no-

thing of Celtic favages.

The

friendly attention paid to

them by

the young Laird of Coll,

who accompanied
arrived at his

them from Sky, when they


kind.

houfe, in the ifland of Coll, was fingularly

The Dr. paid a vilit to the Rev. Hedor Mac Lean, of Coll and Tyree. This

decent ecclefiaftic, drefled in a


black, and had as

gentleman being about jj years of age, a full fuit of

much

dignity as the

Dean

of a Cathedral in his appearance;


learned,

he wa&

and had a valuable

library, as tha

Dr.

writes.

The
lands,
juftly

minifters in the iflands,

and high-

had attained fuch knowledge as may


be admired in
ftudy;

men who have no mo-

tive to

but generous curiofity, or

what

is flill

better a defire of ufefulnefs,


as fo 3

with fuch politenefs

narrow a

circle

of

converfe

102

converfe could not have fupplied, but to

minds difpofed

to elegance.

Says Mr. Bofwell,


ly entertained at the

we were a night elegant-

houfe of the Rev. Mr. NielM'Leod, inMull; and Dr.Johnfon faid,


that he was the cleareft headed

man

that

he

had met with

in

the weflern

ifles;

even

though they had from time


telligence facilitated,

to time their in-

and

their converfation

enlarged by the

company of the
minifter in Slcye;
politenefs gave

learned

Mr. M'Queen,
knowledge and
the

whofe
a
title

him
'

equally to kindnefs and refpedl.


civilities,'

Indeed,

fays the

Dr.

that

we met

with
omit,

at

every place would be ungrateful to

and tedious to repeat, during the

courfe of our travels in the Hebrides.'

So

much

for the better fort

of the natives

we

(hall

take the Dr.'s opinion of the infeeing that alfo


his

ferior clafs,

may

be de-

pended upon, from

mouthj being natu-

rally difpofed againft partiality in their favour,

without juil reafon to prompt him


the highland fervants

to

it.

Both
and

whom we

hired from
civil

Invernefs gave fatisfadtion,

being

ready--

103

ready-handed.

Civility,'

fayshe/feems part
-,

of the national charader every chieftain is a monarch; and politenefs, the natural

produd of
from the

royal

government,

is

difFufed

laird to the
I a

whole chn.
I

Were

chief,

would

drefs

my

fer-

vants better than myfelf, and

knock

a fel-

low down, if he looked faucy to a Mac Donald in rags but I would not treat men I would let them know why all as brutes.
;

my clan were to have attention paid to them; I would tell my upper fervants why, and
make them
would
nity;
tell it

to others.'

Here the Dr.


Mr. P. had not

ad: like a

man of honour and humaa pity that

and

it

is

difcovered the fame benevolence to the clans


fo

much

injured by him.

The

above,

it is

hoped,

is fufficient

to convince

him of
it,

his

ill-judged afperity, and in

fome future perand

formance

v/ill

force an apology for

impute the whole to his ignorance of their


real

worth.

We

now

leave with any gentleman of

candour and humanity to judge of the man,

who would

out-face truth fo unguardedly

H4

by

104

by

his abufe

of a whole people, fo brave as

the highlanders are

known

to be,

and that

without provocation given.


*

In the cold climate of Scandinavia,' fays P.


*

Mr.
' ' * *

the people did, as they


:

ftill

do,

delight in gutturals and dentals

the cli-

mate has rendered their organs rigid and contracted ; and cold makes them keep
their

mouths fhut
is

as

much

as poffible.'

This
Piks i

flrange

account given of the

if true,

they remind us of the Tro-

glodytes mentioned

byXenophon, who bur-

rpv/ed under ground, and fpoke through


their throats like fea-gulls.

TJiat fame account

is

fufficient to

con-

vince people that the Scots

PECHS

had

not the moil diflant connexion with fuch


beings.

On

the contrary, Tacitus

tells us,

that, after the learned

and eloquent fpeech


fo far

delivered by Gcilcacus,
their

from keeping
Excipere ora~
ct

mouths

iliut,

they opened them with a


:

mighty

fliiout

of applaufe
et

tioncm alacrasy

barbari mores cantu


dijjonis.

frcwitu clamorihiifqne

Here

the

whole mouths of thefe formidabh%

fierce.

105

jarring people are widely opened, finging

and fhouting aloud, and no


air

fear

of cold

among

thofe brave hoftile heroes.

Be-

fides,

they received the epithet


their labour

PECHS
appeared

from from

and induftry,

as

their

workmanfhip.

But the country

of Scandinavia
tion of the

w^as fo barren, that cultiva-

ground did not employ any part


fo early.
fail

of their time

In every point of

view Mr, P. will

in his

attempt to

make

the knowing world believe the Scots PECHS

were defcended from thefe Piks.

Mr.

P. leaves people in the dark with

regard to the origin of the

name

Pik.

But
la-

we

can affure the reader, that the


their

PECHS

from Scotland received

name from

bour and induftry, and by no means from the

Roman

FiBi-, for painting the fkin

was pe-

many other nations under different names. Nor did they derive their Agnomen
culiar to

from the

Pichtidh of
j

Dr.

Macpher-

fon, or plunderers,

for that epithet in all

confcience was more applicable to the Scots

(than to the PiBs)


himfelf,

who,

according to

thought no (hame of the profeffion.

io6

feffion,

provided they had the judgment to


fi;irit

form, with the


it

and addrefs to execute

with

fafety.

The
all

nanie

was

ironically given

them by

their Scots neighbours,

v/ho looked upon


as

kind of manual labour


;

unworthy of
of the
fruits

gentlemen

and

oft preferred the plunder-

ing of the induftrious

PECHS

of their labour, to the hard drudgery of


earning their
their brows.

own

bread by the fweat of

In

common

converfation they are called

PECHS
name
this

(not FiS}s)

Scotland,

the very

in Gaelic given to

working people to
no

day.
?

CaiJ

'rnibhel

PEICH,

or

PEICHIN
workers
?

Where

are the labourers, or

Garlm no

PEICH
way
5

Call the labourers

this

nfaobh fio.
is

the lanall

guage of a mailer, or overfeer, through


the north-weft Hebrides
fo that the

name

PECH

is

always

known
is

to fignify workers,

where the language


derftood.
is

well

known and unfure te-

As when

a poor drudge in Harris

wore out with labour, the only

nure by which he can be allowed to keep his


little

107
in

little

roof over his head

one place, he be^

moans his own cafe by faying, chd nurni fa pheigh mi ni sfaid I am incapable to labour any longer. Ha m-peigh ar mo chuir a

dhi'

the

fa pheigh
to

work has killed me. Co heafas as mo leidh Who will ftand out

work

for

me

The
is
'

firfl

natural implement of hufbandry

the

Pi^

axe to dig up ftones, and clear

the ground of trees and roots, and to level


heights and rugged fpots.
this tool
is

called

Pechd

or
it

And in Gaelic, Pechad, and


are

thofe

who work with


Peigharin.

nominated
day in
it

Peichs,

And

to this

Harris, the poor labourers

make

ufe of

being themfelves almoft


ture,

in a ilate

of nain

and their plantations nearly


ftate.

the

fame

And

with

this rude
is

implement
carried

almoft every fpecies of work


j?y thefe people.

on

With Pechd,

fmall

and

lighter

kind

of
in-

their potatoes are digged

up

ftead of uling fpades, the rue for dying red

colour, and the tonnentil roots for barking

and tanning

their leather are picked out

of

the

io

the ground
raile their

with the fame inftrument they


fill

dung, and

their panniers

and

creels

out of their houfes, with a fimilar


in

implement
ware
is

one hand commonly the fea

raifed,

and

they

hand
carry

it

into

their panniers,

which they
;

from the
natives

ihore to their fields


Brifgian, Maftroot,

and

alfo a root called

which the poor

frequently ufe inflead of potatoes in time of


fcarcity
;

in fme,

with

it

they fharpen their

querJi Jlonesy

with many other purpofes to


employed,
juft
as

which

it

is

the old

Pecks

on the eaft of Scotland did

the fame infancy of hulbandry, as


traced from analogy
juftly
;

when in may be

and therefore might

be named, thougli ironically, from

their

implements of firming by

their Scotch

neighbours,

who had
to plant

not
their

in

thefe early

times begun

ground with

corn or barley for the fupply of the neceffaries

of

life.

This

is

the true and moft

rational origin

of that name, and not Fiilsy


il-;ins,

from painting their

a cifcumftance

common

to

them with many other other


people

^09

people as well as the Scots, though not lb

named, from

their not uling the

Pechd.
were
to Bri-

Some
tain

are of opinion, that the Pidls

originally

Germans, that they came


others derive

from Denmark,
in

them

from the FiBones


others contend,

France; others from


;

the Scythians, or Thracians

and

in fine,

with more propriety, that


that they they fpoke

they were Britons,

the fame language, had

much
*

the

fame

laws, cuftoms and manners, and were by


foreigners only called Pitfi,

For,'

(^.y-'i

Abercromhie,
'and he

what

appellations they took

to themfelves before then,


lates
;

no author

re-

is

of this opinion himfelf, and


that

firmly believes,

the

Scots and

Irifh
alfo

were

alfo Britons,

and that they, as

did the Pidis, came, but in after ages, by


their denominations, becaufe the Scots high-

landers to this day, neither defign


felves,

themlower

nor thofe

that

inhabit the

parts

of the country, Scots (though fire


true

enough

Scotch.)
recited nor current

But the name was not


till

the days of Claudian, or rather before


his

(
Ills

"
it

time, as he flourifhed about the year

390.

And he

takes

for

granted that

they were the lame people, though they


Xvere divided

by

factions

and

tribes,

and

gave obedience to different Princes, with


their various

and ever jarring

interefts.

The Scots and PiBs* continues


author,
*

the fame

were

fo nearly allied to

one ano-

ther by blood, religion, lawsj language, and

neighbourhood, had,

while they dreaded

any danger from the South Britains or

Roand

mans, continued to cultivate a


inviolate friend(]:iip,
till

ftridt

the reign of Cra-

thiiinthus king of the Scots, in

whofe time
or retinue of

they quarrelled about a hunting dog, which

fome Pic7s of the


the king

doirjeftics,

Thelargus, had

ftollen

from a

domeftic fervant of Crathilinthus.


this trifling circumftance, fays

From

Buchanan, a

bloody national

war broke out between

them.

This happened anno 273.


mediation of
Caritfiiis,

But by the
but

and fome others, a


;

peace was made at this time

it

broke
again

111

again in the year 348, and thus both nations continued quarrelling until the grand

Revolution, or rather total eclipfe of theScottifli

Monarchy was

ciffed;ed

about the

year 359, as obferved elfewhere.

This being 689 years


Firft,

after

Fergus the

413

after

the

firft

entrance of Ju-

lius Csefar

into the ifland,

and 275 years

after the full conquefl

of South Britain by

Agricola in the days of Domitian.

James Lauderdale remarks, that the Scots alfo were underflood by the name
Sir

Piclsy

whom

king Kenneth had fubdued

anno 875, in Cumberland, efpeciaily when he aiferts, that Edward the Firft, fon to
king Alfred, had the kings of the Cem.brians,
to

Scots,

the

Streg-welfli

fubjecls
(o

him

as their

fuperior

Lord;

that

thofe v/ho in king Alfred's tim.e v/ere called


Plots,

were
Sir

in

king Edward's time called


ftrains

Scots.

James

every

nerve to
it

annihilate the nam.e of the Picfs,. though


is

certain

from other
fenfe,

hiftorians, as well

as

eommon
not Scots,

that they v/ere PiBs,

and
the

who

inhabited Cumberland. For

"2

the Scots had no time to fettle in that country fo early after


quefl:
;

Kenneth M'Alpin's conbenefadlor

and

if

they had, they would not


a

have

rebelled againft their


after tailing

few years only


fpurned
at the

of his favours;

but they were the difcontented

PiBs who

government of the Scots king


part the

over them.

And whatever
fell to

PiBs

had

in

Cumberland

the Scots, by the

deed of king Edmund's to Malcolm in 945 ; being only a confirmation rather than a new
grant, efpecially feeing Ingulphus, in his

account of the battle of Brunford in 938, among thofe who fought with Conftantine

king of the Scots, againft king Altheftane,

he mentions Eugenius king of the Cembri,

which was
land, and of

a very

common name

in Scoti

which we had many kings

and there never have been any Welch king


of that name
certain

known

to us.

It is

almoft

that

Bede thought the PiBs and


or at leaft nearly
nations,

Scots

were one people,

connedted.
againft

Thefe unconquered

whom

Severus built the wall be-

twixt Clyde and Forth,

whom

he reckoned
the

113

the ancient inhabitants of the ifland, before

the arrival of the Rontians, and did not think


their firfl arrival in the ifland was, (as others
fooliflily

do) in the time of

Maxim us

the

tyrant,

v/hen the nvR of the three vaftations


:

of the Britons began

but as thefe vaftations


;,

ended the war with the Scots, and Pidls

when

the Britons were expelled the north

asfoon as the
Scots and

Romans
v/ere

left it^

So that the

Pids

no otherwife T^rans-

marines^ but as they were feparated from the

Britons,

by the Forth, and Clyde Friths^


as it

with the wall of Severus^ which made>

were, a kind of ifland, as Tacitus remarks*

Bede

calls

both indomite genfes, unfubdued

people.
calls

Nennius

alfo,

fpeaking of them;
Scots jointly;

them PiBs and

quia

FiSii ab aquilone^

et Scotit

ab occidente una-

nimiter pugnabant contra Britones.


Pi(^s
tlie

The

from the north, and the Scots from


this clearly points out their

wefl, fought unanimoufly againfl the


;

Britons

natu-

ral connedlion,

and
the
I

their antiquity in Scot*


in

land

fo

that that

Bede was

the right in

writing,

all

inhabitants of Britain

were

114
is,

were
try
'j

indigenes, that

fprungup

in

thecoun^

and none of them either PiSis or Scots^


as

lately arrived,

feme vain

fanciful hiftoalTert-'

rians have, without

good authority,

ed

omnem aquilonarum extremam


indigenis

infulce

partem pro
Jiinty

ad murum

ufqiie capef-

namely, that the northern inhabitants,


Pi<fts

whether
as far as

or

Scots, both being

from

the fame origin, feized upon the country,


the wall,

meaning the wall of


by
Sir

Hadrian,

as juftly obferved

James

Lauderdale, feeing that of Severus confined

them within
fouth^

the

ifle

but now they are broke

out beyond thefe limits and advanced farther


indeed the confufed account,

which

Camden

gives us the country of the Pidts,


their profeffion

and Scots, not only marks


as farmers or

Peichs, but alfo their affinity with the Scots i and Sir James Lauderdale
iikewife
writes,

that the Pifs

pofTefTcd

from Galloway
Shetland
the Pifs
tion

to Lothian,

and from thence


(from

over Forth and Tay, to the Orkney and


iiles,
y)

called Pentland Firth

and when the limits of the naextended


in

were

Northumberland,
the

115

the

Picfts

went

into the fouth,

and inhabi-

ted moft parts of the conqueft towards England,

(leaving

the northern parts to the

Scots) as being

more

fit

for labour,

having
left

their royal feat at

Abbernethy.

They

the Scots to enlarge their polTeffions, as far


as

the

weftern fhires of Galloway,

and

and northwards in the highlands towards


Invernefsj lands only
fit

for pafture.

Thus

we

find that the richeil countries are allow-

ed to be the property of the Pi^s, becaufe


hufbandry was their profeffion, from which
the AgJiomen was given them, and
fo
it is flill

applied in Gaelic
to live

while the Scots are


cattle,
lifliing,

faid

by pafturage of

and hunting, a profefHon more adapted


their genius,

to

and from which they


Scode,
it

alfo

de-

rived the

nick-name

As

the

Pidts

had always the country,

evidently points

out that they were the oldeft, or parents,

and the Scots, the younger people, and defcended from them.
Sir

Robert Sibbald,

who

wrote about the


alfo give his

beginning of

this century,

muft

opinion of the Pidts and Scots,


I

although
equally

ii6

equally ignorant of the Celtic tongue witK

moll other authors


order to

and his fentiments in


to

make

the Pids a Gothic people, he


firft

draws

in

Buchanan among the

aflift

him

The
that the

opinion of Buchanan, fays he

was

Pids were Goths,

efpecially

that tribe of them,

of which Argachocoxus

was the chief;


of Fife
:

for

he poffefled the country

but

we

iind that

Buchanan only

imagines they were Scythians or Germans,


not Goths, as at that time the inhabitants

of Scandia were underftood tobe; curnPiBi


ferre ciitem variarent, ac diverforiim animaIhim Jiguris i?ifcriberent veriis erit qucerere

qua gentes
gionibtis,

vel in Scythia, vel Germania re^

&c.

It

is

admitted, that in a

more cxtenfiye
included

point of view, fome have maintained that

Denmark and Norway were


that does

but

not prove that the Pids were

Goths, unlefs the whole Germans were


fuch,

which proves

too

much.

On

the

contrary, the language fpoke by both dif-

proves the aflertion.

Alfo

117

Alfo, Buchanan's argument of the Pids

cutting figures on their bodies,


applicable to the Goths, than to
nations
;

is

not more

many other

neither

does

Mr. Maule's Coch,


add ftrength to
to the

that
it
',

Is,

red, in argtintocoxus^

becaufe the
J

word was unknown

Vi5is
lic,

for

the red colouj^ is expreffed in Gae^-

(the language of the PiBs) by the epi-.

that dearag, or nio,


idea of the colour
5

which

fully expreffes

the

thus Sir

Rob ^rt
-,

Sibbald

thinks he has fully proved his point


finds himfelf

but he

oppofed by

Sir

Will.

Temple

concerning the origin of the PiBs, in regard

he brings even the Scots from Scythia, which Sir Robert denies, in as much as moft of the ancient and modern hiftorians agree,
that the Scots

came from
is

Spain, and not

from

Scythia, and

offended with Sir

WilL

Temple,
Pi(fts
J

for miftaking the Scots


Sir

for the

but

Wiliam's argument proves


;

the affinity between thefe people


alfo maintains,

and he

that the north weft of Scot-

land,

as well as Ireland,

were called Jerne,


tv/q

and that the Scots afterward divided into


nations
5

thpfe of the eaft called themfelves


I

Scots

118

Scots Alabinich, and the reft

who

polTefled

the weft
at

iide,

were

called Scots Erin;


it

and

whatever period

was,

it is

agreed that

they fubdued moft of the country on their


firft

entrance into Caledonia,


reft

and mingled

with the

of the native Pidls.

They
Britain,

both continued long


parts of the

to infeft the frontier

Roman

colonies

with great fiercenefs; and many


events
;

various

and would probably have made

much

greater noife, and impreffion on the

Romans, if the greater number had not been drawn over to Ireland by fo great a
drain,

which they
William
and

totally

conquered, and

long poffelTed,
Sir
differs quite

from others reno Wife impror

fpeding the Scots, and the population of


Ireland;
his conjecture
is

bable, nor impoffible to be nearer the truth

concerning Ireland than Sir Robert's, with


ancient and niodern hiftorians,
fentiments with him

who join in
Mr.

From

all
is

of which

it

appears, that

Pinkerton

not fmgular in his conjecture

concerning the Fids of Scandinavia being


the

1^9

the anceftors of the Scots Pidls, and he only joins

them

in their miftake.

When

undifputed authority cannot be

produced, every

man

is left

at hberty to

form

conjedlures for himfelf 5 and each generally


define fueh epithets as they handle according
to the language beft underftood

by them,

whether agreeable
ginally give

to the fubjedt
birth, or not

which ori;

them

thus the
like

Romans knew of no word more

Pecbs

than PiBi, and Mr. P. knows of no Gothic

term more anfwerable than Piks, yet without


once informing
in that
us,

what

thefe Piks

meant
it

language, or anfwering

why

was

applied to fuch people, he gives out that


thefe

were anceftors of the Pechs.

am

well aware that the fame objedlion


ilated againft

may be
as

my own account alfo,


^

being

only a conjedlure

but

affirm that the


I

living language places

what

have

faid

be-

yond a conjediure, and


proof of its certainty

eftablifhes a pofitive

and had other comit

petent judges of the Gaelic language reflecited ferioufly,

they had made the fame remarks


as

on the expreffion,

marks out

in forci-

ble

J4

t20

ble terms the very objecl

which gave
as

rife

tQ

the

agnomen,
is

particularly

the

Celtic

tongue

unalterable,

and the terms ufed by

the Romans,

are as well

known now,
;

as

they were then to the natives

and

it is

weakargument which
Goths

Sir

Robert Sibbald ufes

to convince the inquifitive reader, that the


v/ere the Pidts,

merely becaufe old


are to be

Anglo-Saxon Scoticifms
the fouth of the

met with
coaft,

through Fife, and along the German


,on

Humber.

derived firom Fifus, or

For the ward Fife itfelf is Gaelic, and is not Veach and moil
-,

names of ancient

places over

all

Fife

is

well

known
fore
his

to be Gaelic, and were affixed long

there; and in

moft places over


the
laft

all

Britain be-

ODIN,

king of that name, with


is

Goths came

to Scandia, as that time

pretty well

known,
of.

or even before the Saxons


alfo,

were heard

Procopius

who

writes

the hiftory of the Goths, gives an account

of a conference between

Bell/ariiis

and fome
fent

of the Gothic amballadors,


to

who were

him, and from

this

fpeechSir Robert Sib-

bald takes occasion to announce, that the


.Pias

121

Pids were Goths, but with


reafon, as appears
felves.

little

(how of
tant

from the words themfay,

The Goths
njobis

Siciliam

am
'

tamque dhitem

permittimus,

infidam^
fojfe/jio,

fine qua ne qiiidem,

Affrica tuta

Nos

inqiiit,

BdifarkiSy lero Britanicum


Sicilia

hand

paiilo

majorem

et

Romani

antiquitas

juris largimur Gothis.

Now,

fays Sir

Robert

Sibbald, where were the Goths

in Britain

which

Belifarius fpeaks of, if they


?

were not

the PiSfs

Here the Baronet,

to

ferve his

purpofe,

makes
for,

a large ftrlde in favour of the

Goths
be

largimur

Gothis

may
is

rationally

taken in the lame fenfe with


mittimus Romanis, that

Siciliatn per^

to fay,

we Goths

make

over Sicily to the Romans, or to you

in their

name

and the general, on the other

hand, beftows Britain on the Goths,


the ambaffador reprefented
;

whom

not that the

Goths were then

in pofleffion,

but might
;

come

after the

agreement was
only
it

ratified

be-

fides Belifarius could

mean

a part, not

the whole of Britain, as


to imagine
that the

would be abfurd
over

Romans would make

122

over two kingdoms


Sicily,

for the paultry

iflc

of

he therefore only means the Ork-r

ney, or

Long

Illand in the Hebrides,

either
ifle

of them were equal in extent to the


Sicily,

of

and which

the Goths frequently

invaded, and fometimes polTelled


a time
;

them

for

neither of which, properly fpeak-

ing were valuable to the Pids, and not fo

much

occupied as the eaft were by thefe

people.

Hence we may
is

conclude, that Sir

Robert

in a miftake refpedting the mear-

ning of the fentence, and that the Picls are


not underftood to be Goths by this tranfaction of Belifarius,

much

lefs

did they fpeak

the fame language.

And

this is not the firft inflance

which

might be pointed out, v^^here authors, ancient


as well as

modern, have either perverted,

or mifunderftood the fubjefts they handled.

For

Tacitus,

who

is

almoft looked upon

as the fure ftandard to

be depended upon by

moderns,

hath erred, from mJfmformation,

or ignorance, as already in part remarked

above,

when

treating of the expedition of

Agricola, and even confefled by himfelf; he


tells.

123

tells,

cap. 45. that Agricola was dead


bef'.ue

foui*

years

he wrote his account of the

iixth year's expedition of his father-in-law


into Caledonia,

and that he had his informa-

tion

from thofe who ferved under him, and

had not marked the circumftances of time


exadlly.

For Agricola,
battle

in his

fpeech before the laft


it

with Galgacus, fays, that


j

was the

eightli year

Oaavus annus eji

commilliones,

&c.
iighi:

oi his expedition;
ill

and therefore the


on the

his

camp, behoved to be on the


it

feven- a year, yet Tacitus places


iixth year, cap. 26.

cum

z?iterim,

&c.

This

marks out how


his followers in

cautioufly
all

we ought to read points, when he himfelf

hath been mifled.


Agricola, being apprehenfive of a general
infurre<Stion in this large

and remote counfleet,

try

beyond the Forth, fent forth a

as

above remarked, to try the creeks and havens of that extenfive country, on the fixth
year of his lieutenancy, where the amplas
(hitates were (arifmg fecretly from the antiquity of its inhabitants,

who had long time


to

124

to enlarge

them)

and Julius Caefar confirms

this truth in his Gallic war, lib. 5.

when he

mentions the antiquity of the inhabitants of


north Britain, who, he fays, were fo ancient
that they thought themfelves

they

were
in his
:

the Aborigines,
Bibliothecay is

Diodorus Siculus,
of the fame opinion

and

Eumeneus
ploits

the panegyrift, preferreth the ac-

tions of Conftantine in Britain, to the ex-

of Caefar.

He dieweth that the


7iatio

Pids

were

in Britain long before Ceafar's time,


:

in thefe words
li

etiam adbuc rudis etfoet

Brita7iniy

PiBis modoy

Hibeniis ajjueta

hofiibus

adhuc feminuAisy &c.

When

Be da

writes that the Picts

came from

Scythia,

and
bald

this affirmed

by Mathew of Weftminiyet, fays Sir

Aer and many others,

Robert Sib

we are

to

underftand the European, and


;

rot the Afiatic Scythia


it this

the Baronet gives

term,

left

the

PECHS
;

ihould be ol-

der than the late Goths

but

we muft

allow

Beda

to

mean

the northern Afiatic Scythians;


lib. 6.

feeing,

according to Pliny,
aqiiilone is

cap. 13,
lib.

ab extrimo
cap.
1

mentioned, and

2.

he adds, that the Ga3t^, Daci, and


Sarmata*

<

J25

Sarmatae, and- even the


led Scythians,

Germans, were
is

cal-

and

it

not doubted but


-,

thefe

came from Alia

originally

in

one

word, the more one fearches

after the truth

among
the
leave

the different, difigreeing authors,


himfelf, and

more he perplexes
others uncertain
fo

muft

who
on

to

rely
;

upon
it

among

many

diverlified opinions

is

therefore

more fafe

to rely

common

{enfc,

the conftant practice of both PicJs and Scofs^

who

agree in their manner, in almoft

all

cir-

cumflances, with a flrong fupport of a living ancient

language to
lie

illuftrate

what
arc

otherwife might for ever

buried in obli-

vion

before

we depend on men who


real

ftrangers to that tongue, without

which we

cannot hit upon the


thefe ancient people.

truth concerning

Befides, no other confiflent account can

be agreed upon

among

hiftorians,

nor the

place from v/hence fuch people could


to north Britain,
tainty, as mofi: of
ticuiar
:

comq

with even probable cer^

them

difagree in this par^

for

we have already

feen

what Bed^
tory

and others fay. Beda,

in his ecclefiaitical hif-

126

tory maintain?, that they


firft

came from

Scythiai

to Ireland

Tacitus conjed:ures they


;

came from Germany


Origin

Stillingfleet, in his

of

Britain

*',

pretends to bring
Scandinavia
;

the Caledonians

from

and

Camden

himfelf differs fi-om Bede

faying, that the language of the

by "f-, P^^s was

a daughter of the Germans, and


brings

Mr. P,
In

the

Pih

of

Norway

(inftead of the

PECHS)

from the northern country.

the midfl of fuch. jarring diverfity of opinions, and each partyjudging themfelves in

the right, though

all

of them equally re-

mote from
is it

certainty,
fafefl

whether

in this cafe

not the

mode

(as above)

to rely

on the firm fupport, the prefent


living language

pra(5lice

and

of a people,

who moil un;

doubtedly derived both from their anceftors,


the ancient

PECHS of Caledonia

for thefe
as

were not named PiBs, but PECHS, they ftill are from their implements of
bour, the above
rather than

la^

Pech DAD

in particular

hunt up and down, through


in fearch of to

all

Europe, and Alia,


ry people,

an imagina-

no v/here

be met with any


t Page 1468.

* Page 446.

degree

1^7

degree of probability,
that can afford a
fitive

much

lefs

of certainty

fatisfadion to an inqui-

mind
as

in fearch of truth to reft upon.

The Agathyrji from


fkins,

Scythia painted their

did the Ariiy

the

Geloni,

the

Scythiy yet

none of them were called Pidts; cceterum Artiqiie, &c. *


Camden'^
at length, thinks that the Fiefs

were the fame people with the Britons.


he does not mean the Welch, he
right,
is

If

in the

for the language

and native hatred

which formely
parate people

fubfifted

between the Welch

and native Pids plainly indicate them a fe;

and Father Innis attempts to


(/. e.

prove that they are the fame people

the

PiCTs) with the ancient Caledonians. Nay, among the vulgar, common tradition
confirms this
;

they imagine that the Pechs,

though

invifible

by day to men, could peras thrafliing,

form any hard piece of labour,


cult job,

or building walls, and houfes, or any diffi-

by day
little

light, only for the paultrv

reward of a

food

left for

them

in

fome

* Tacitus, Cap. 43.

fecret

128

fecret place,

with proper Inftrudions, and


5

fuppofed to be heard by the poor Pechs


this faint idea

of their ingenuity goes a great

length to eftablifh the above fads,

even

though none of
times.

their labour

had reached our

In

latter

times the Pechs were called


in Gse-lic Broinechy J(Ily people,

Brownies,

a kind of Sorners (Ce?-nac/js), for concealing

themfelves under caves like foxes, that infefted the country,

and forcing honefl

men

to feed

them with the beftprovifion


;

in their

houfes

and on that account were a terror


Hebrides thefs
hai-

and the name, though corrupted, continued


to alarm the vulgar
;

in the

are called G?^uagmchs Gruagfeachd, a

ry-headed banditti, or a force of men, without caps or bonnets,


felves in fecret glens

who

concealed themall

and woods

day,

and

broke

in

upon

defencelefs inhabitants to prey


as opportunity offered
is
;

on their means,
the

and

name of

that band of robbers

a ter-

ror even to this day,

and the credulous af-

frighted perfon gives out that the


\s>

Gruagach

ftiil

at times i^Ti in v/ild

dangerous defarts,

Mr,

159

Mr. Martin

calls thefe

Browniesy fturdy

fiiries, who, if they were fed and kindly treated, would do a great deal of work; * but now,' fays Johnfon, * they pay them no wages,

they are content to labour for themfelves.'

Along with
lic,

thefe different

names they

were, in after ages, called Gr/zV^, in GaeCriiinmach, affemblies, from their meet-

ing together at
ther for war,

any publick occafion


or any other neceffary

ei-

em-

ployment
flill

thefe appellatives were, and are

given to the

PEIGHS,

according to

the countries they relided in, and the neeeffitous circumftances they

were forced

to

affume

if

they

became

ufeful

met with friendfhip, they members of fociety, if not,


hoftile.

they were forced to become

The PEICHS,
are
ftill

at leaft their defcendants,

in

North

Britain,
j

and they were ne-

ver totally deflroyed


ly affirm

as

fome writers foolifhall

them

to

have been

cut off

by

Kenneth Mac Alpin,

who

fiibdued thefe

people, and united them,

and

their

king;

dom

to that of his original Scots

dominion

but the

PEICHS

v/ere a formidable people

long

130

may be feen from what they fpake at the battle of Standard, from the following account: About the
long after this period, as
year
1

138 old Robert the Bruce, grandfa-

ther to Robert, the king of Scotland, was


fo

hurt at the dreadful ravages, which the

country people fuftained by thefe wars, that

he melted

into tears,

when

pleading with

the king, to

companionate the melanchoand


to

ly circumftances of hisfubjedls,

put a

period to

it,

infomuch that king David


interceffion

himfelf was

much moved by his

before the battle of Standard

was fought,

and almofl dreaded the confequences of a


fhameful
retreat,

in cafe

he was worfted by

the enemy, which adually happened as the

good old gentleman forefaw.


maintain that
all

Thofe who
circumftance
if true,

the

Pi(5ts

were deftroyed be

hy Kenneth

Mac

Alpin,

very improbable,

and would,

equally impolitic in a wife conqueror, they

do not advert that the Pidts of Galloway

were

fo

powerful at this period, (near 200


the overthrow of the Pidtifh
that they infifted

years after

kingdom)

on the right-

hand

131
it

hand, and claimed

as their right over the

Scots, being ahvays their right according to


their ancient cuftoms
;

but though the king


their

was obhged
they
loft

to grant

demands, yet

the vidory, becaufe they were fo

much
own

elated after their fuccefs at the battle

of Clitherow, that they over-valued their


prowefs, and defpifed the
It
is

enemy

too

rafhly.

remarkable,

fays

Dalrymple,

that the different Englifh hiflorians calls


thefe

men
.

of Galloway, PiBi,
in

Scotiy
belli

Galcrant

wenfis,

Loenenjis *,

fronte

PiSli -f*

Acres hoenenjium qui gloria??! p?'c~

mi Jit us
re?it

a rege

Scoto?'u??i

i?2vito p?'cripue-

J.

Thus we

find that

David king of

the Scots, was forced againfl his inclination


to yield their ancient right of leading the ar-

my

into battle, a plain proof that the Pidts


at that

were very powerful

time, and that


Pi<fts,

the Scots* were only mixed with the

who

flill

remained

in their old pofTeilions in

T.

Haguftald, page 262.

t P^gc 322.
j Huntington, page 288.

the

132

the fouth, and by no means totally diftroyed

by Kenneth
83^.
^
*

Mac

Alpin, about the year

Mr. P. maintains

that no Druids inha-

bited

beyond the prefent north Wales on the

*
*

north, and the Garone, the boundaries of


the Celtic Gauhy in the fouth/

He

mufl

not however imagine that people will be fo

condefcending as to believe his


alone, againft all traditions,

ipfe dixit

and the prefent

common

language of Scotland, that

men-

tion the large

and leller

circles

of large erect-

ed mafly ftone temples of the Druids; and even the prefent Chriflian churches in the
highlands are
ilone

named

Clachinn, after thefe

buildings
;

called

Druidical places
is

of worfhip

and going to church


in

comto the
(J,
e

monly
flones,

exprefled

Gaelic,
are

bhel u dol don

Chlachan,

literally,

you going

and not bhel u dol don Eaglaijh,


P.

church).

Had Mr.
certainly

feen and heard the awful

refpedl paid to thefe noble

monuments, he
Tacitus

would have exprefled himfelf lefs

dogmatically on that head.

mentions

'33

)
ifle

tions the
is

Druids of the

of Mann, and

It

certain the

fame

religion

extended over

all

the other

Hebrides, of which

Mona

was the fouthernmoft.


the

Tacitus reprefents
the part of furies in
:

women,

as

addling

defence of their religion and temples

in

mo~

dumfuriarum
diras

'vejliferali crinibus

dejeBisfa-

cas preferebanty Druideque

circum preces
;

ad

coehim manibusfublatis, fundentes

and had Tacitus feen the four grand temples


at Callarifh in Lewis,

he would have

left

an elegant defcription of thefe unequalled


piles.

But
tain,

it is

a great misfortune to

North Briall

that there, as well as in all other pla-

ces

on the north-weft, almofl

the au-

thors

who

have attempted to hand

down
mif-

this hiflory to pofterity,

were ftrangers to

the places, and depended too

much on
-,

informed authority, and of courfe the whole


of them have fallen fhort of the truth
nay,

even the Welch, and


li{h

Irlfli,

as well as

Eng-

have failed egregioullyin this particular.


to give an

Thefe indeed attempt


of the
eafl fide

account

where the fcene of at^ion

lay.

134

Uy

',

biit for
is

the north-wefl, their inteli-

gence

uncertain, and equally inaccurate,

owing
try,

to their

ignorance

of

the coun-

being both remote, and forbidding,


in their eye lefs interefting.

and of courfe
This was

particularly the cafe with Tacitus,

who

neither vifited,

nor lived

in Britain,
Italy,

though he writes thus ignorantly from

He is
tiiig

theuniverfal ftandard of appeal re fpec5

the hiftory of Britain

how would any


if in this

modern Italian be laughed at, he attempted any fuch, and


to Tacitus,

age

yet his infor-

mation might be as perfe6t as that delivered


or even to Casfar,

who

never

travelled

north of

London

for perfonal in-

formation.

And what
ignorant,

then can be expefted from au^

thors lefs accurate, and

many

of them more

and worfe informed, for want of


3

proper information

while the fame lan-

guage that taught Caeiar, and afterwards


Tacitus to give the information,
they handed down

fuch as

to us, is not only defpifed as then, but the very


this

now, though the fame

people,_who have preferved

noble monu-

ment

135

ment of their
for the

antient antiquity,

and that too

honour of Britain,

alive, are called fa-

vages, for this piece of good fervice, by Mr. P.

and even overlooked by fuch


dealt

as

ought to have

more tenderly by them.

But

for

any

thing Tacitus fays to the contrary,


fafely affirm, that

we may

Druidifm was as firmly e-

ftablifhed over all Britain, as the Chriftian


religion
it is
is

at this day over the faid country

therefore folly to argue againft any per-

fon that denys an opinion almofl fo univerfally

received, and

impoffible to be over-

thrown by
gument.
* *
*

rational principles,
*

and found ar-

The

Celts', fays
as

Mr. P.

from

all

ancient accounts,

well as prefent

knowledge, were, and are a favage race,


incapable of labour, or even rude arts, as
are the Fins.'

This

railing

man
^

produces none of thefe

inftances or authorities in fupport of this

malevolent charge
tion,

an infult to a whole nato the

and

fo

contradidory

general

known charader

of thefe brave people, in

whatever department they have been employed, whether religious, civil, or military,

The

136

The
have

Celts

on

all

occafions on the contrary,

difplayed

uncommon
or

abilities,

and

have been allowed


pit,

to excel either in the pul-

at the bar,

on military expeditions,
is

and the province of phyfic and hiftory


a manner given up to them.

in

After the rebellion forty-five, that great


ftatefman the late Earl of

Chatham under-

ilood that, in order to ftrengthen the hands of

government,

it

became

necelTary, not only to

knock of the miniftry had

fetters v^ith v^hich the

former

impoliticly

bound up thofe

hauglity inhabitants, than which nothing

could be more improper, as was formerly

remarked by Caflelnau,

the Frenchman,

who,

in the

time of the queen regent of

Scotland, had

much

opportunity to pene-

trate into the real genius

and

diipofition

of

thefe people,

and pointed out the manner

of gaining upon them, that their aiFedions

and loyalty might be fecured.

He

fliewed
as the

the difficulty of forcing fuch men,


Scots,
'

to ad: contrary to their confciences,


are,'

They

continues he,

a fierce, headto

flrong,

and warlike nation, and never

be

reduced

137

reduced by force, except they are quite de


ftroyed,

which the

fituation

of

thcix:

coun-

try renders almoft impradicable

befides,

obftinate fpirits are fooner to be gained

by
this

gentle than violent meafures *.

Upon

hint tage
5

Mr.

Pitt

improved

v/ith great

advan-

and accordingly gained on them by

his v^rifdom,

and fuperior

Ikill, in his

appli-

cation of lenient meafures, to reconcile

them
:

by proper and
it is

confiftent incitements

for,

well

known, that

that great
well,

man, who
inftead of

knew men and manners

ufing thefe people by a fupercilious con-

tempt, and diftant negledt, tempted them

with high
ed out the

offers

of preferment, and pointto honour,

way

both in church

and
rit

ftate, as their refpecftive

worth and me-

entitled

them,

after they

had placed

themfelves under the royal ftandard.

Accordingly,
ftep

this

kind and prudent


;

had the defired effed

and on

trial

that ftatefman was enabled to declare pub-^


* Chap,

vi, p. 68.

Jickly

138

lickly with patriotic


for merit,

boldnefs

I fought

and in the north


this faying,

found it/

So true was

that the brave ge-

neral Wolfe, and others,


lefs

wifely placed no

confidence in
in
their

their faithfulnefs,

than

fecurity
,

unfhaken firmnefs

and

courage,

when

fighting againft the enemies


in the to

of their king and country


Montreal,

plains of

when
lafi:.

led

on

the attack of

Quebec,

in the

American war immediately

before the

2:entleman from thence remarks in his

letter to a friend,

and launches out


in

in praife

of the highlanders,
*

words to

this

purpofe

How

proud would you be of the Britifh

nation, did you but fee the bravery of the

highlanders in their attack on Quebec, and

with what formidable rapidity they rufhed


forward into action
!

My God

thefe un-

daunted breechlefs fellows made the very


walls of the city tremble and
fall

before
fly

them
to be

Methinks

I fee

the French

by

hundreds at the very fight of a plaid.

It is

hoped that government will reward

thofe brave heroes

who

are the

bulwark of
the

139

the nation, as well as the pride of their king

and country/

This inftance
for a particular
ftarts to

is

but a faint account of

their general fpirit.

Let us now look out


:

one

and the inftance that

my

eye happened at the attack of

Nieuport, as mentioned in the public papers of the 6th of


as follows
:

November
are

laft,

and told

We

happy

in recording

an inftance of heroifm in a com.mon foldier belonging to the


late attack at

53d regiment,
-,

in the

Nieuport

preiTed forward,
left

when the French he received a wound in his


it

arm

he

faid

was not worth the nowas lodged


his leg

tice; foon after, a mufquet-ball

in his thigh

he received another in
retire,

yet

ftill

he refufed to

faying,

he

would never
long as he

defert his brave

comrades as
In a
ball,

could draw a trigger.

fhort time after,

he received a fourth
his head.'

which went throw


of
this

The name
a

brave

man was Duncan M*Lean,


make Mr. P.
fteeled

Scotch highlander.
this inflance will
lefs his

Methinks that even


blufh,

un-

face

is

agamft fhame.

Here

HO

Here
lefs

Is

true bravery,

and

common

to

moft

of the highlanders,

who

value themfelves

than their honour, a quaUty they are

well

known

to

keep fight

of,

in the

hour

of caufe,

5cc.

Much

older than

the above period

we

hear of the bravery of the Scottifh nation.


TheEnglifli hiftorians record, that, after the
Scots had gained a vid:ory at Bannockburn,

over ten times their

own number,

being

only 30,000 ilrong, in the year 13 14, they


flruck fuch terror

among the etiemies, that Thomas Walfingham frankly owns how


is

the Englifh, or as Mr. Echard


tranllate

pleafed to

him, the unhappy borderers be-

came fo difheartened, that a hundred of them would Hy from three Scotch foldiers.
But
this

in defiance

to fafts

and experience,
under pay) has
the hardy

common adverfary
his

(as if

worked

whole wrath

againfi;

inhabitants of the mountains,

without any

regard to rank, diftindtion, or merit;

and

has laboured to cover them

all

over with

fuch an infamous garb, as his

own malevoby

lence alone could manufadure, confequently

141

by no means

befitting thefe generous, brave,

and hofpitable people. Mr. P. fpeaking of the antiquity of the


are Pids, remarks ' that fingle erea-ftones boundaries; there fepulchral memorials, or
'
*

is

no authority,' continues he,

and no rea-

* *

ufed to fon to believe that the Celts ever illuftrious dead. raife hillocks over their heaps of plain Cromleachd, or little

The

ftones,

were more convenient


Sbians (u

to their la-

vage indolence.'

The
hills,

e.

Dunlpacis) or mute

were fure enough raifed before the Romans entered among them. And it is ^clear, from the fpeech(^Galthefe days, gacus, that their manners, in refined than that of the Rowere no lefs

mans,

who were rude enough to barbarians in common with all to tions, who would not fubmit

call

them

other nathefe ty-

Therefore, unlefs Mr. P. rannical people. and the condefcends on the time when,
place where,
the people

whom

he

calls fi-

vages were
are not fo),

they in that ftate (as at prefent

we muil

tell

our readers,- that


the

(142

the epithet oiFered by P. proceeds from a


heart overflowing with malice, and fuch as

the Englifh language has not epithets of

reproach fufficiently flrong to exprefs our

abhorrence at fuch

men who

are capable of
fo

infuiting the public ear with

much

in-

famy

are therefore

unworthy of

notice.

But, as ufuaj,

norance
calls

of the Celtic tongue


a
little
is

we mull remark his igwhen he ;


heap
of flones,
a large flag laid

Cromlcac,

whereas the Cromkach


horrizon tally, not

indeed always

over a

grave, as will be {^^n anon, but ufed for

an

altar,

as the

name

declares.

There
as certain

are eredl jftones ufed at burials,

are to be
larly at

marks of diflindiion, and thofe met with every where ; particuis

Barvas in Lewis, there


Clachfitruifealf

a ftone

named

feventeen feet erectfix feet

ed above the ground, and

under the

earth, and faftened ftrongly


at the

by other ftones

bottom
but

to

make

it

firm.

And Mr.
chean fo

P.

is

aflced,

what are the T(?rrj and Nods, or


burrying-hills
is
?

Nadsy
nody

He

his

head

under the fod, or in the


earth*

143

earth.

The

other hillocks are to be


;

met

with in a hundred places


ing to the Torr,
is
;

and a man's go-

equivalent to a man's
this
is

going to a burial

and

indeed the

common manner of
cafions over
all

fpeaking on thefe oc-

the north-weflof Scotland.


better
;

But
reading

to return to the Cromleachdy

Crow
it

leachd cow, altars,

or flags

when

fpelt

Cromleachd, the ignorant readfor

ers miftake

bowed

flag,
"o

whereas in
Englifli

Gaelic the
that letter
is

mh

founds as

in

wanting
;

in Gaelic, '.^.

fCromb*

leachj Crovleachd
idea that

and

this hits tY.zCuy the


it.

Toland had concerning


*

Crom-

leachd,' fays he,


altars,

were large

altars, or

cow

on which cows and oxen were facrificed ; by them lies a great flcne by way
of pedeflal for fome divinity, perhaps for
Jupiter, (or idol Cro??t chruacb.')

There
rl{h, in

is

a Cromleachd in
ftill

Navern paeighteen feet


it lies

Pembrokefliire,
;

high; and nine broad

and by

a piece

broken off ten

feet long,

more than twenty

oxen could draw *.


* Toland's
Colle^ftlon of Several things.

Mufeum.

The

144

}
is

The
is

fituatlon

which
is

generally choferi

for the Cromleachs

judicious,

and nothing

more exadl than the plains of fome of them ; which fhew that thofe who ered:ed them were very foHcitous to place them as
confpicuous as poffible.
ftone,

Sometime
ftand

this flat

and

its

fupporters,

upon the
placed on

plain natural

foil

and

common
made
;

level of the

ground

and

at other times, it is

the fummit of a barrow


or earth.
It
is

either of ftone

fometimes placed in the


of ftones

middle of a

circle

and when

it

has

a place of that dignity, muft be fuppofed to

be erected on fome extraordinary occalion.


It is

more generally placed on the edge of


circle,

the

efpecially if there

is

a ftone

ereded

in the middle of the circle, as

may

be i^tw near Callarifh, in Lewis.


are

There
and from

many

of them in Cornwall

their rude fimplicity they


ical

feem to be Druid-

monuments;

a ftrong proof that the


is

order of Druids
fields

of old ftanding.

The
\

on which they ftand


that
is,

in Ireland are calfields

led

magh Jleachdy

of worfliip

and they derive

their authorities

from

their

being

145

being worihipping in the plains (of magB Jleaphd) the very day that the Tigher?imas,

king of Ireland, and

firft

author of idolatry,

died in the 3 03 4 year of the world,

when they

were

facrificing to

Cromh Cruach,
to

No na-

tion can

come up

the

Irifli

in point of

exaa

chronologies, but their authorities are

difcredited in

many

particulars,

and

juftly.

This accurate piece of

Irifh intelligence

is further coroborated by Tolland's givinoan account of Cromh Cruach y which, he fays,


is

a heap of crooked flones in their natural

ftate.

That being the moft famous


it

idol

of

Ireland,

ftood in the middle of

2 obeliiks

on a
It
is

hill in Brigtin, in

faid to

the county of Cavan. have been covered with gold and

filver,

(a fingular account
this,)

of one flone ^ but


is

paffing

quere,
i.

whether

not the

Cromh Cruaich,
the

e.

the creator of cows,

name given to this grand idol, the fame with the creator of heaven and earth, alfo
meant under
the Druids
this

fymbol, and a proof that


living,

firft
?

worfhipped the only

and true god

Borlaife,

H^

Borlaife,

however,

maintains
altars,

that

the

Cromh leacbdwtv^ not

and

adduces-.

feveral reafons to prove them tobefepulchral monuments, becaufe fome of them are ij
feet high, others not large, nor flat

enough

for facrificing

upon them, and of courfe he

he is decidedly of the opinion that they were


the Kj/i 'uahie (or rather Kijl bharu, dead
coffins)

being an area of about the lize of


enclofed by fide ftones pitched on

the body,

end, without any covering flone, except the


large flat cromleachd

on the

top.

Befides, the

Cromh leachd, adds

he,

is

often

furrounded with barrows, where moft of


the dead were anciently buried, and no fmall
reafon to think that the Cromleachd was itt
apart for the

more honourable dead.


however
of

But

this far fetched reafoning,

plaufible, does not deftroy the probability

fome of the more low, and large ones being


ufed for

cow

altars,

thofe within circles e;

fpccially, as

obferved above
pillars

thofe ftones.

ereded on high
been made covers

may, indeed, have


and

for their great princes,

heroes, as at prcfent

we

fee

many fuchin
church-

147

church-yards which
led Crov

certainly

were not

cal;,

kaMsy

or

cow

altars originally

becaufe the true Gealic names of fuchmean

CruS
flones,

leachds,

image

ftones,

viz.

grave-

with images of

armed men
fignifies

en-

graved upon them, as Criidh

an

image or figure

and many fuch are to be and


in

feen at Weftminifter,

mod

ancient

churches and chapels where perfonages of


rank have been interred
church-yards over
all
:

and there are few


ifles,

Britain and the

where fuch are not to be feen in great plenty, moft of which are raifed high, either upon pillars, or other buildings for the purpofe of prefervingthem from finking in earth,
or from being broken by accidents
ferve the
;

to pre-

memory

of their friends from obli-

vion as long as pofiible,

and to perpetuate

from generation
fuch

to generation the antiquites

of families in the bounds where thefe and

monuments are, Thus we may juftly

or were raifed.

obferve no wife

man

will attempt to entertain the world in a lan-

guage of which he himfelf is no competent


judge.
is

One
a
lofs

truely feels

for

Mr. P. and
an

at

whether to

pronounce him

148

an objedl of pity or contempt for


pofing himfelf fo unguardedly to
vere lafh of the Injured.

cx-

the fe-

Mr.Martin, indeed, on whofe authority he


fometimes depends, has given a very juft defcription of one of the temples in

Liewes,

though

it is

fince

much

hurt by a neighbour-

ing Goth,
it

who
is

has dragged the ftones from

to

make
he

lintels

and other ufes for new

houfes

building.

And

it

is

to be

hoped, that Mr. M*Kenzie


ftop to fuch facrilege for the

SSm

put a
his

honour of

country.

Dr. Macperfon
fo

fays,

the circles of llones

often mentioned by Offian,

and fo fre-

quent in the north Ebudes,

were the work

of the PiBiJJj Df'uids ; and though iimple in


their conftrudlion, are not

unworthy of the
in

curious
priefts

',

they were the temples where the


anceftors,

employed by our

the

fervice of their idols,

perfomed the moil foStill

lemn
ces,

offices

of their fuperftition.

the

people agree in calling the circles holy pla-

and fometimes holy temples, nor will

they in general allow the leaft ftone in thefe

temples to be touched,

left

they fliould difturb

^49

)
;

turb the genius of the place


is

however there

no general rule without fome exceptions


in Callarnifh we

and

meet with one ofthefe.

The
ples
-y

Druids, as priefts dedicated to the

lacred office of religion,


as

muft have had temmen, they muft have had houfes,


of the better
fort
;

for the habitations

as

they were abfolute judges in every cafe of


importance,
they had their forums, or fej

perate courts of judicature

as the firft clafs

of nobility they were certainly buried, efpeclally

the chief Flamins, with fome diftinc-

tion,

and confequently muft have had fepul-

chres, the moft remarkable,

which the time


were intended

they lived in afforded.

Now

as all thefe

things

for the ufe of pofterity, as well as the age

that ered:ed

them it is no wonder that many of them have furvived the fate of their
-,

fuperftition

but as the country improved


cultivated,

and became more


ancient

many ofthefe
which reafon
in the

monuments were

doubtlefs applied
for

to other ufes as building,

few of them are now


cities

to be feen near great

and towns.

However,

rocky
hilly

150

hilly countries,

and

retired places, fuch as

the highlands and

ifles

of Britain,

many of

them

are

ftill

remaining.

The

Druids and other great perfonages unit is

queilionably built their apartments,


reafonable
priefls

very

to fuppofe,

and

their principal

and great

men had

grave ftone vaults


Borlaife,

{KiJ} vane) placed in them, fays

where the

afhes

were coUedled,

either near
their

fome place of worfhip, or adjoining


or rank

dwelling houfes, without any other note of


diftincSlion
;

and fometimes they


,

built barrows over their urns

as thefe are to
ac-

be met with almoft in every country; this


counts for the Cairns, mentioned by Dr.

Mac

Pherfon, having burnt bones and afhes in


the urns
;

and yet the Cairns are not applied

to the ufe of fepulchres folely, but to other

purpofes alfo,as refidence for families to fecure

them from the inclemency of the

fea^

fon in thefe cold countries, with a kind of


little

burying chapel v/ithin, or clofely ad-

joining to

them

and

their

keeping urns
reli(fts

in their dwelling houfes, with the


their friends, are neither

of

more

ilriking, nor

jmpolitical in the Druids, than in Chriftians


keep?.

15^

keeping arms,

teeth,

and other

relidls

in

more modern times by way of

refpedt,

and
well

other pretended ufeful purpofes,

as

is

known

to

have been the cafe in their pala-

ces and inferior houfes over all


to the Chriftians

Europe

-,

is

even yet.

But the
tin's,

Dr.'s,

authority in

Mr. MarI mean many things, on accredulity


iliould

count of his extreme

and

his

unbounded

curiofity,

be carefully

examined before his whole account of the


illes

fhould be adopted as of undoubted au-

thenticity.

Who
dows

can believe his narrative of the

Scheanachies fliutting their doors and winfor the fpace of a day,

with a large

ftone lying

on

their bellies,

and their heads

covered about with their plaids,

pumping

up

their brains for rhetorical


for,

encomiums,

embellifhed by Mr. P. ;

without fuch un-

natural exertions, even at this day the bards

and

common

people in thefe
fatires

illes

will

make

encomiums and

extempore, tho' not

their daily profeffion.

Hov/ much more


bii \],

could a learned, able, and experiencd

152

one kt apart on purpofe on account of liis


fuperior abilities be able to entertain his audience,

without throwing himfelf into the

ridiculous

and

diftreffing attitude,

in

which

he

is

reprefented before his powers of poetry

could be exerted.

We cannot believe
in the chapel
feet long,

that

he iaw the grave


1

of Sanda in the Orkneys,


;

with the large back bone

nor

the large lunar flone at Scalpay, that advan-

ced and retired according to the increafe or


decreafe of the
to be falfe

from

moon ; the author avers this his own knowledge, having


on that
ifle

relided for years

and neither faw

nor heard of fuch a miracle,

much

lefs

of

the ftrange prodigy at Rowdle, nor the ftory

of the
lieved
St.

feals
:

and ravens, which never was be-

the fmgular oddity at Rowdle, called


is faid

Clement's blind man,

to

have

loll

his fight for

two days

at every

change of the

moon

nor the regular coupling of feals, and

their fagacity at finding out the brute that

would venture

to take

advantage of the fe^

male, in the abfence of her mate with his


terrible

revenge by leaving the fea red with


the

153

the blood of the aggrelTor,

and that the feaU

made

their addrelTes to each other

by

kiffes

indeed the natural (not


Vllardy and

artificial)
it,

cave of

two wells

in

where one man

might defend
it

hirnfelf againfl a thoufand, as

has a perpendicular rock of 20 fathoms

immediately before the mouth of this cave,

which
It
hill,
is

is

truely natural,

is fa(ft,

and the only

part of the narrative that

may be depended on.


fummit of a high
Thai-

to be feen near the

called Uliy-bheal in

Harris 3 nay,

land alfo has been impofed on refped:ing the

two ravens
thefe
birds,
ifles

at

Valay, and

other two in

Berneray, and as
clear of

many
in

in

Troda

to

keep

more of thefe carnivorous


Lie wis that were

and the eagles

poirelTed

of fagacity enough to keep their

own

country free from damage.


to the contrary,

Read,

Lanne
it

B.'s

Travels

in the Ebudas,
all thefe

and there

will

appear that

places are infefted with thoufands oF

thefe birds 5

thatM'Kenziein particular gives

half a crown for each of their heads, to any

of the inhabitants who kills an eagle or raven

and tKe above humourfome things were the


grofs

154

grofs imporitions of the accute, but farcaftic

inhabitants,

who wanted
their

to latiate this

uncommonly
tions,

carious gentleman with ro-

mantick farces of

own

fertile

imagina-

which the unwary Dr. believed for truths, and vended them to others for fads
and Mr. P.
thority
lays hold
it

of this gentleman's auridi-

when

anfwers his purpofe of


to miilead his reader
it is
;

cule, or
feXv

wants

but
P's
his

of them,

faid,

account, as his violence

Mr. has damned


believe

works, and difappointed his hopes of fuecefs


J

fo that

his

own words may

be re-

peated to him, as he did to the Macpherfons


-J

tho' ready to vent improper authorilyes, there


is

zed falfehood, and

is

no danger

from them
iiy,
*

for as folly

the caufe of villa-

fo alfo

of detection.
Scots antiquiils are enemies to

Our poor

the Piks,' adds

Mr. P.

it is

their trade to

fight againft authorities, truth,

and com-

'

mon

itw^Q

on

this occafion being ignorant

'

of the grand features of our hiflory, that


the Piki were a Gothic people, they have
*

blundered

(
* *

^ss

blundered In utter darknefs, and had recourfe to abfurd ingenuity.'

Mr. P.
er

is

not aware that reafon, and not

railing, generally
;

convince the fenfible read-

and with

this

we

leave his
until

Gothic Piks to
fomething like

his

own management,
is

reafon

advanced by him
fhall follow

to enforce his ar-

gument, and
a place well

him

to the Ebudae,

known

to the author,

though

not to
*

Mr. P.

*
*

Anno 240, Solinus wrote that the 5 Ebudx ifles are feparated by narrow channels, (this is an undoubted fad) but when he mentions Rum, S^ye, and Tyn'e among
thefe,'

he betrays great ignorance of the


ifles

country, for fome of thefe

are 70, or

80 miles from the Ebuda?, and the


diflant.
*

nearefl

of them 24 computed, or 36 Englifh miles


that Richard Mr. P. affirms, means the fame thing in his defcription of them, viz. Liewis, N. and S. XJiJi, Coll,
*

"lyrie,

and Skye

this

fpecimen

may

point

out

how cautious people ought

to be in truft-

ing to mifinformed authors,

when even

thefe geographers are fo wide of the truth.

The

156

Tiie five real

Ebudae are Liewis, and


Ui/is

Harris y the two

and Bar ray.

Tliefe are divided by fmall channels of

eight miles acrofs each of them.

There

arc

four iflands in Uift,

twelve hours out of 24

each day;
CLila,

as Valay,

North

Uift,

Benbe-

and South Uift, and the other twelve


is

hours the country


terra Jirma
travel

one continued fpace of


foot paffengers

where horfe and

on dry land.
that

Three
vellel

large fheets of

fea cover the channels during the flux,


full
tide,

and
over

any

might

fail

each, and at ebb-tide the hard bed of fand

becomes

a pleafant pafTage for horfe or foot

paffengers.
*

A native of Iceland, M.Y .Thowrclin, t^voMr.


*

fefTorof hiftory, informs m.e,' contiues

P.
*

that the very date of eredting thefe cir-

cular

monuments, meaning the Druidical


is

temples, and their ufes,

contained

in
}

the annals of the old laws of the country


as

'

w ell

as their

names

in

popular mouths,

namely Ting, a court.


Tacitus mentions groves,
it is

true,

but

thefe were ufed to burn the facrifices,

where
peats

157

peats were not convenient.

The

Druids,

according to Borlaife and


thors, chofe groves

mod

other autlie

to vvorfhip in, as

Canaanites did.
^

'

The
of

Druids,'
all

lays

he,
it

though the

ftridlefl

feds, carried

intoexcefs, performing

their facred

rites,

not in houfes, but under confccrated oaks.'

No

generally

received

opinion

is

more

falfely

founded, than that the Druids retired

under groves and fecret receffes to worlhip


their divinities.

The
;

very reverfe
all

is

appa-

rently

the faa over

Britain,

and Scot-

land in particular

becaufe there, inilead of

groves, the Druids pitched their temples in

the

plainefl:

open

flat

fields,

where wood
foil
;

could not

grow

for

want of

and

in

the iiland oi Liev/is, the grand arched


idical

Druit,

temple, and

all

others around

are

planted on plain deep mofs, and each of

them
ilill

enclofed with a circular funk fence,

vifible,

cut around them, to keep ofF


treading
all

cattle

from

on

the

hallowed
to be

ground; and

this

behoved

don^

long after the woods were fallen, as the


Jlone

158

ftone pillars are funk fix feet deep in the

mofs, and thefe firmly fuppor ted by ftones.

The

Greeks, with their foolifh Drus,

quercuSy fignifying oak, believed that to be

the name, in fpite of the real Gaelic word,

^ru

or ^ruoy a fervant or fupplicant of the

Divinity, and

known

flill
;

by that name

in
is

the ChrilHan woriliip

and the Divinity

commonly

addreffed by Peccarin Truo, or


fervants.

fmful fervant or

By

thus

un-

guardedly depending on the

Greeks and

Romans, mofl hiftorians have been ijiifled ; which 'would not have been the cafe had
they relied on the inhabitants in their difficulties

about etymologies here,

and on

many

other occafions.
is

But Strabo

perfedly clear on the head.


is

According to him, Drus

not a word of

Greek extra <5tion; the Greeks being thought too modern in comparifon to the Druids,

who were famous from


antiquity, long

the moft remote

before Greece could boaft

of their wife

men and

philofophers

who
pied

were

really

beholden to the Druids, and co-

159

pied

them

in

many

particulars;

while the

Dniids are allowed

to be as old as the

milong

gration of the Celts from

the Eafl

before the Greeks were heard of.


It is

not on that account probable, fays


that

Borlaife,

they would

borrow

their

name from
iiiftor, in

a nation whicli they fo

much

furpailed in antiquity.

Alexander Polymaintair.s,

Clemens Alexandrinus,

that even Pytbagonis heard both the


Ids

Dn<coun-

and Brachmans
;

in their refpeftive

tries

and

we

can fcarce imagine that fo

curious a traveller as Pythagoras could be

induced

to

traverfe
in

almoft

all

the

then

known world
them,

order to convcrfe

with

and examine the principles upca


in fearch

which they proceeded


by any thing
lefs

of wifdom,

than becaufe both the


at that

Druids and Brachmans made

time a

conliderable figure in their difcoiirfes and

WRITINGS.

This man
JVeJiy

travelled to Jfia,
it is

Egypt, and the

and

thought that

Pythagoras borrowed the

meternpfichofis, or

tranfmigration of fouls from the Druids, as

remarked by Frlek,

p. 38.

know of authors

i6o

thors

who

contend that the

Druids bor-

rowed
rate,

this tenet

from Tythagoras,

At any

the intimacy

between ^^^m and Py;

thagoras was confiderable

and the Greeks

had
well

Httle learning before Pythagoras, as is

known.

Thefe miftakes of authors,


had been cleared up
in

refpedling

Drus,

many
nifh,
litive

other parts, as well as at

Callar-

over thofe
in in

ifles,

were they inqui-

their

enquiries.

Temples are
foil,

built

places

there

where wood could

not grow owing to the nature of the

being over-run with ihelly fand, which naturally deftroys the

young

fprigs

and roots

cf

trees

and Mr. B

n never met with a


even
fkirt

circle either in the middle, or

of

wood, but uniformly on


Indeed

plains,

removed
fenfe,
is

from the copfe.


with a
his fide, feeing the
life

common

little reflection

from the reader,

on

Druids had the power of

and death in their hands, being terrors


and a
praife, as
;

to evil doers,

well as protec-

tion, to fuch as did well

fo they required

no places of concealment

for

themfelves,

but they appeared openly, to be feen by the


people, that thsy might at times be eye and
car-

i6i

ear-witnefles to the principles and practices

of the

natives, over

whom

they had unli-

mited authority, and pafled fentence accofd*


ing to their good or bad behaviour.
confefs indeed with
Borlaife,
I

muft

that if

wc

take only a
pcrfliticm,

ftipcrficial

view of the Druid fabe apt to think


all

without examining the hiftory of

other countries,

we

fhall

that the Druids ftand alone in

the in^
;

itances of barbarity, magic^ grove worfliip

and their human


magic
belief^

facrifices

fhock us. Their

with their oak worfliip, looks


;

Angular and abfurd

but the moil diftinivL^tv^iiioiif

guifhed part of their Druidical


their grove worfhip,

was common

to

them^
other

with the Jewsy and the Canaanites^ wha facriiiced

human

victims, as did

many

favage people, to appeafe fome imaginary

enraged Divinity

*,

to

whom

nothing was

thought more

grateful.

One of the

reafons

why

the Druids

fuppofed to be fond of grove worfhip,

were was

on account of the

mijletoe

which grew on
were not
fingular.

the oak, to which they paid a kind of divine worfhip.

Even

in this they

i62

lingular,

for

the Ferfuun and 'MajjagetCy


Virgil
tells us,

thought the jnijletoe divine,


that

EvANDER was facrificing


city,
all

in his grove,

without the

when i^neas came

to

him.

Yet
groves,

inftances that are given do not

prove thlt regular circles were ever built in


but only a conjedure that
it
is

likely they

might have

facrificed

in their

groves. on certain folemn occaiions,


their bokcauji required

when

much
lefs

.fire-wood;
in their

which was more conveniently had.


groves, and with

much

trouble and ex-

pence, than to carry great quantities to the

more open
In

fields,

where

their regular

tem-

ples generally flood.


after times,

when

the Greeks

became

a polifhed nation, the Gauls had a fchool:at


Marfeilles
^

and thefe people became very


;

fond of every thing that was Grecian

for

in Casfar's time writings were found in the

camp of the
ra<5lers.

Helvetij, relating to their difall

ferent orders, and

wrote in Greek chatime


all

From

this

the Druids

underftocd the Greek tongue, and the mofi:


learned of them did occafiorially ufe
it.

Nay,
the

163

tlie Irifh

Druids had their form of letters


in

called their Beth-lnis-?iion^


letter,

which every

to the

number of
tree of the

twenty-fix, was

called after

fome
for

wood.

So

much

Druidifm.

It is

not difputed but that

may
;

be the

cafe with regard to the above

Ting of Shetbut
it is

land,

Norway, and Denmark


and

de-

nied to agree, except in part, to the Druidi^


cal temples in Scotland,
ticularly
;

in the ifles par-

for I alfo

converfed
fpot

with Mr.

where the four grand Druidical temples of the ancient


Hyperborians
lie,

Thoroclin on the very

and gave him


;

all

the into his


after

formation he called for


requeft remitted

and agreeable

more

to

Copenhagen

him.
.

i-'And on that account, to point out


Inclination to coincide
in

my

with Mr. Pinkerton


it is

whatever appears

rational,

granted,

that thefe grand circular temples may, with

propriety enough, have been frequently ufed on folemn occafions by their kings and fu^

preme judges,

as courts for difcuffing very

weighty matters

relative to the

government ^
of

i64

of the dates, and yet neverthelefs be ufed


as

temples for inftruding their congrega-

tions at the ftated times fet apart for reli-

gious

worfhipv

This being

pradicc

handed down by them to pofterity, as the


fame
is

manifefl from the records of an*

cient rimes,

when churches have been emlike,

ployed by Chriftian kings, or the

or

fome fuch, when great national alTemblies


meet.

And

thefe are alfo the fentiments

of Mr. James Anderfon when writmg from


the ftate papers in king Robert the Bruce's

time.
*

It

may

not be amifs,' fays he,

to

ob-

ferve,

that

the

places

of parliament's

meeting in thofe ancient times were ufually in

fome noted churches

and the
feal

adis

pafled,

had not only the king's

append-

ed to them, but
prelates

alfo the feals of the chief

and nobles, who, for themfelves and

their fuccefTors, fwore

upon the

evangelifts*
arad

to the true obfervation of thefe


reft

ads ;

the

of the parliament, with uplifted hands,

before the altar, promifed the like.*

Now,
ments

as this ancient pra(Sice of holding parlia-

nients extended

much

farther back than the


is

thirteenth
ty in

century, there

no impropriethe ex-

fupponng, that the Druids, the Jcings


fet

and ncbles of their time, had

ample

to their defcendants,

and made the


an-

circles, in proportion to their grandeur,

fwer the fame double capacity of holding

grand alTcmblies, and

alfo

inferior

courts

of juftice as the nature of the times and


circumftances required,

and

at

the fame

time continued them as ftated places of


worfliip

when

the people ufually alTcmbled

for religious inftrudlion

from

their priefts.
alfo other

And

as the Chriftian people


for

have

places

holding courts,

befide

their

churches, which are fcldom

now

ufed, ex-

cept on fome extraordinary cafes for fecucular bufmefs


;

fo alfo

had the Druids

their
;

Shians, or mute-hills, called Mars-hills

in

Gaelic, T^omm amhoid\ and the court-hills,

Lagh^dun,

i.

e.

law-hill,

near Perth, to

colled their fubjeds in order to hear and


determine their feveral differences according
to the pleadings

on both

fides

and the

judgei pronounced fentence from the apex

pf

i66

of thefe

artificial hills,

or

Duns, which

were heard with attention by the people

who

ftood on the fides of thefe eminences

below the chief fpeaker, crFergti, and executed


it

accordingly.

Nor could Mr. Thorpclin, when there, make more pf thefe circles than other people,

who, .without difparagernerit^are no lefs


being
hativ^is

knowing! to form a jufl: opinion of the circles


.than' he, was,

of the country,'

ndniely,

to

allow them

to

be named Team5

ptc'nan
dicl

Drz^/}','

the temple of the Druids

nor

Mf.

iiiorpclin k'now'a.word of the'latt^t'he

guage, except'
tioned,

few names already men-

and thefe are well known by the


native to be of

mofi: illiterate

Norwegian
his'

extradicn,^ before his arrival, and after

departure from thence


this fadt

and

my

affertin^

ought

to gain m.ore credit, "than

the ignorant affirmation of a gentleman to


the contrar}^
try' ribr

who knows neither

tlie

coun-

language.

The
at the

people of Liewis are equally aifedled


Druidical temples, as
'

Mr. Bofwel)
while con-

was

at

the rUins of Icolmkill;

con-

('

ifey',)'

templatingtlie venerable ruins, he rpf^eded

with
fceneis
'

much

fatisfaction

that

the Tolemn

df piety never Ipie their randtion and

influence, 'though the cares

and

fgllies

may

prevent us from. viHting them,

and may

even make us fancy that their effeds are only as yefterday

when

it is

paft; fo in the

fame

manner, the very fight of thefe venerable


circles will ftrike a itranger

with reverence

mat;,

"accompanied with the traditionary

accounts of their fandlity,


fpecft

command

the re-

of the natives
hills in

for

them ; and

there are

tnany

that place raifed long ago, for

the exprefs purpofe of holding courts of juftice

upon, independant of the religious cirtheir names. fufficiently indicate, to

cles;, 'jfs

lafify
ties.

any reafohable learcher after anti<^ui.'

"
^

*
.

Mr.

PinXertph maintains
faints
'

that there
Pidts,

were no

among

the

but

Welch

or Irifh church-men,

before the
yvB.s
'

'Seventh century, and that Galloway


*

unknown till then.' This man if he can,


is

'/

will leave thsrn

' '

noL'
"T
J:!'

"

'

thing that

valuable,

but

Hims^elf

a very

i6?

^ very

honourable acquifitjon,

fure

c-s

nough

Wc muft however,
St.

put him

in

mind

th^t

Gildas, St, Martin, St. Ninian^ bifhop


in

of Whitburn

Galloway, though not

known
manan,
Fillan.
all

before the eleventh century, accorSt. Patrick Cumineus

cing to P.
St.

and AdaMacbua of Kilmahog, and St.


laft

Both thefe

were in Perthshire

-,

of them, and

many more than can be

mentioned, were not only Scots and Pidls,

but flourifhed moll of them before the 8th


century.
lived
St.

Machua,

bifliop

of Kilmahog,
^fter

anno 700 ; and the wells named

him
the

are cfteemed very falutary for purging

human body of

extraneous foreign hu-

mours, that are obnoxious to a found mind,


xonftitutioq, and policy.

But they

are not to be

compared

to the

waters gf Strathfjllan, which that

St.

hath

impregnated with the

bluffing

pf curing lu-

nacy. Thi$ good Saint flourifhed anno

703 ^

and, according ip He(^or Boethius and T.

Dempftcr,

v/as not only a Saint, but a biihop


viz.

and abbot^

bifhop of Fife,

and had ^
ftrong

(169)
ftrong caftle
in Lochlevin,

and abbot of

Argylefhire, or at StrathfiUan, by the very

Dorfum of Alabin, where


people of every rank
:

the famous wells

were, and are vifited yearly by deranged

even fmatterers in

learning have returned from thence perfedly

purged of malice, and rancour, and cured

with imaginary found health. Thefe waters


are vifited even from Edinburgh, and 60

miles around by lunatics.


*

When the patient,' fajs T.Dempfler,


in the

is

wafhed

water of Strathf^Uan, and put

to ileep in the Saint's bed in the old temple,

bound, at night

if

the patient
it
;

is

found

unbound
jgood
tied,

in the

morning,

is

reckoned a
if

omen, and propitious


he
is

but

not un-

pronounced incurable,/
of this Saint was a precious re-

The arm

lid, preferved

by the

l?:ing

of the Pid:s, and

afterwards of the Scots, in the caftle of Dunfermline, locked


Carried

up in a filver box, and was by holy Mauritius, abbot of Inchpeffray, at the battle of Bannochburn, and
it

%o

the vi(3:ory

is

a{cribed, as appears

from

Boethius.

1/0

6*/.

Fillojtus epifcopus et abhch'''jnficiij]im(r

recordationis
et

apud

itojf rates

f6r^bat' in Fifa
'

Argadiehu Rex Roi/rtus


'

kcmpiujn

ai^ Wiurnt/jimk
"'^^
';J''

in l^aco Le'uinio Sh^eBsf'^!


'

By-i(//iUS;

VdWpl'c'cfkis pcrniilld

fe'verdverity

capfuata^ 'krgentea fpont^y

titngente;dpertay*Oehum'^fdcchkm quod domi


reli'^Hriiy Jdcefd'oti ojic'h'dit qitf>

re^ e't'mmles

armati prccclaram viufdriam dttriicbdnl \.

And one
ry Avord,
cil

of the Saint's teetK,'witli an ivois


ftill

pfefcrved Witti the great-

care at the caflle of


j

Lanne
tlie
-

as* a

famous

reliA

both

in

proof of

antiquity of that

ancieiit'

family ofLanrie,
'Sairi't
;

and' of their con-

nection with this


arc' kribvfnto'

and thefe people


tfee

be aming'

bld'lhhabitants

of the Pidfifh nation; "and lor any' thing


krioVrn to
the'' cl'ohtfafy,

rnigh^'have once

ranked among the kings of thefe oepple: i^nd

hdwdoes Mr. P. knovy but

this

fword was
ufe^
J3y this

the' fpiritaal v^eapbii "ofwarf^'rd

g66'dold ecclefiaftic, and miglit alfb 'have

'

Heel:. Botr.

Thomas

Demi^ftcr,

1627.

been

171

been brandihed againft the enc

with
day,

this

famous arm, and ilretched out by

the above holy abbot, on that memorable

when three hundred thoufand are known to have been totally routed and
;

moreover the tooth


that day
ifi

alfo

might be

prefented'

tcrrorem ?

To

fall
fall

under one's under fuch a


It is

teeth

is

difagreeable, but to

tooth as

St. Fillan's is terror

complete.

of courfe rather dangerous for Mr. P.

to de-

ny his being a
ly experienced
fo, if

Pidtlfli

biihop fo boldly, efpe-

cially as the efFeds

of his goodnefs are year-

too

force

by thofe who apply to hirii / much provoked by an adverfary the of his wrath may prove no lefs terriby fuch
as are offeniive to at

ble, if felt

him.

His medicinal waters


Perthfliire

Strathfillan in

are alfo
;

much
as
it

ufed for diftem-

pered cattle

and fuch

have not always


-,

the benefit of ufing


carry

on the fpot

generally

home

large

pieces of leaven,
;

which

they prepare at the wells

and when any

malady feizes on

their horfes, cows, or fheep,

they are not only wafhed, but

made to drink
them

the waters of this leaven at home, to reftore

v^

tlicm to their health again.


Pidiilh bilhops
;

So much

for

and many more can be

mentioned,

if necellary.

Now,
fore,

as
is

Mr.

P. did not
;

know

this

be-

he

forgiven

only let

him not pre

tend ignorance in future, as thefe fads are


too well attefled, to be difputed.
Pi5iijh Saints

More
if thefe

can be mentioned,

are not fufficient to eflablifh the real exif-

who were born among thefe people, which were neither Welch nor Irifh, as that expreffion is at
tence of Caledonian Saints
prefent underftood,
tho'

no

real

highlander
to belong

acknowledges the term Ireland

to Scotland, nor to the Gaelic fpoken there.


*

Ay,' but adds

Mr. P.

Enghlh was a
is

written language, while there

no reafon
barbarous

'
*

to fuppofe the Pi^iijh was ever committed

to parchment, in a

rude, and

*
*

kingdom, while the Belgic and Englifh


had been long the written language of a
civilized nation.'

This gentleman returns again and again


to the

charge, and forces his antagonifl to


to almolt the

have recourfe

fame

dull

round
of

^73

of argument to beat hhn out of his hold. However difagreeable this mode muft be to
the
reader,
let

us

with patience hear


; *

what
der,'

Innis fays on this head


fays he,
'

that

it is a wonwe have any remains

of

MSS.
;

occafioned,
fecondly,

firfl,

by cafual acciplundered of

dents

by

being

them, or deftroyed on purpofe by a powerand thirdly, ful enemy, Edward the firft
;

by the

Knox, and the violent reformers, who burnt all the noble edifices, and papers contained in them this is accounting
zeal of
:

for the

want of written manufcripts


it is

in Scot-

land, though
exifted there,

beyond doubt that fuch


I

and

add that long prior to

tbcfe times, the moft valuable of the P/ftiJJj

writings were deftroyed by

KENNETH
when
they

MAC

ALPIN,

and

his Scots,

overturned the Caledonian kingdom in the


ninth century,
metropolis of

and particularly the famous

Camelodunum, of that king-

dom, which for the obftinate and long refiftance made by the inhabitants againft that
aggrellbr, was* not only burnt

and era fed

to

the ground with papers, and

all

other valuble

174

hie articles contained in

it

but the whole

inhabitants,

man, woman, and child were


In this mercilefs malTacre

put to the fword.

the whole valuable records of Britain were

annihilated; and if Mr. P. doubts this fadl,

we can
This
with

confront

him with

authority in fup-

port of the

afi^^rtion.

total deftrucfiion

of Camelodunum^

all its

inhabitants, has miflead not on-

ly Boethius, but

many of his

followers, par-

ticularly

John

Lefsly,

bifliop

of Rofs, into

tn full belief that the whole nation of the

PiBs were deflroyed by Kenneth Mac Alpine becaufe, fays he, againfl: the law obfer-

ved by

all

nations,
;

they flew the amballa-

dors fent

them

(reilec^ting

no doubt on the

treatment, he himfelf m.ct with


-kind of capacity and fent
adl at the

when in that by Queen Mary to


for her interefl:,

Engliili court,
in the

and was imprifoned


for a fpace,

Tower of London
tho'

and even condemned,

by

the interceffion of the king of France he e-

fcapedwith his
be,
to.
*

life 5)

on that accent,' fays

Kenneth

as

king of the Scots


the

who

fent

the Pids to

demand

kingdom of their
land.

^75

land,

which by

jufljAjecetTion pertained to

%lfiii:!f^i\^qBiVta(d.l ai^d. treachery


i-jatpd'

extermi-

the- xykole nation;'


i.>-lBO]:e

than which nohe had been

thing

contrary to truth,, and to the

wifdoiTl
able',

pf Jthat king;

even

if

whicii doqs n9t appear to have been

thQ qafe,

from the ftrength,


.

and great

numbers of the
fafr,

Pidls

for they incrcafcd fo

as

Gouch remarks,

that the

foil

could

neither maintain, nor hold them, on

which
and

account they were obliged to invade,


overrun the

Roman

provinces

and

Stiiiing-

fieet irrxagines

that the South Britons were


for the Pid:s,
for the

willing to

make room

fake of peace, by yeilding

up

the whole

country between the two walls for their colonies,

when

the

Romans
lofs

could no longer
retreat

keep them under fubjedtion, on the


ofSeverus,
fand men.

with the

of iifty-two thou-

Yet Mr.

Innis, wlio

is

otherwife favoura-

ble to the Pids, laments that both their

name
in t]:e

and language difappeared, and ceafed


middle of the twelfth century,
Gaelic faceeded to
it
;

and that

he however makes an
apolog)

17^

apology

for his Ignorance

of that language,

to decide dogmatically on that head,

and

Mt

apology
j.n

is

accepted

of.

Henry Huntington,
wrote about the

Englifli hiftorian,
1

who

middle of the
alfo that the

2 th century,

Teemed to believe

language of the Pi^s was then

cxtind:

but being no judge of the tongue^


is

he

alfo

an incompetent one to determine'

the fate of that language.

Richard of Hexbattle

am hoivever v/rites that, at the


dard, anno domini i\i%,

of Stan-

David king of the


Picfts

Scots was forced to ^ive to the


right hand, as their right

the
;

on that day

proof that neither the people, nor language


v/ere extlnd:,but

on the contrary were a Very

powerful

hofl:

fo that the total deftrudlon

of a nation far more powerful than the Scots


is

highly Improbable.
their princes

It

allowed th^t
fufFered,

many of

and leaders

and that mofl of their powerful princes, connefted with the ancient royal family,

were

removed, and obliged to

fly to

diftant re--

mote
ces

parts

of the kingdom, and their pla-

were fupplied by the relations of the


;

conqucFor to flrengthen h>& hand

and

alfo,

that

'77

that the metropolis


,

met with the


reft

deftrudioii

already defcribed for their refinance,

and

breach of promife, but the

of the low-

er clafs, and fuch of the nobility as fubmitted,


ticn.

were moft certainly taken under protecas a proof of the falfenefs of fo

Nay,
political

imextells

and cruel an adlion

as the total

tirpation of a
us, that

whole nation, Nenniu-s

Kenneth

Mac

Alpin was called king


alfo his fuccelTors, as

of the Pid:s, as were

quoted by Lynch in the Ulfter Annals. That


the Pid:s

made a part of the king of Albany's army in Scotland, we have plain proofs from Ethelwood in his Chronicle *. And
Pids made a

Ingulphus declares, that the

part of Conftantine king of Albany's


at the battle

army

of Brunford, againft Adeljian


In the eleventh cen-

king of the Saxons.


tury the FlBs are

they were alfo


in

known by their own name^ known by the name of Fi5is

Galloway in the twelfth century, and

other parts of the country.

From

the let-

* A. D. 937.

ter.

178

ter,

of Rhodolph, biihop of Canterbury, to


1 1

Pope Calixtus

22,

it

appears that the FiCis

of Galloway, and the Pidts of Murray affected a kind of independency, and were very

troublefome under Malcolm the Fourth, being uneafy under the Scots kings,
king,
fent,
till

the

partly

by

force,

and partly by con-

was obliged

to difperfe

them through
;

different parts

of the kingdom
fent fouth,

thofe of

Murray were
fent north to

as the

Murrays

and DouglalTes, and thofe of the fouth, were


fill

their places *.
iffue

Thus we join
that the leading
to

with Innis

in allowiri;^

men who would

not fubmit

Kenneth

retired partly to

Galloway, and
as to the

partly to

Murray and Sutherland,

two extremities of the kingdom, and were not


fo eafily

brought under fubjedlion, as


but muft

many

of the lower order, to fubmit to the

Scottifli

government

differ

with Innis rePi(5ts,

fpeding the language of the


I

which
in

maintain to

be the

fame

now
M.

the

*
Resr.

Anno
Loud.

1159, Chronicon Paflcti,

S. Biblioth.

mouths

179

mouths of the

pofterity

of the PiSis

as it

was

in

Kenneth Mac Alpin's

time, and long

prior to that date, as already fully

made

good

in the preceding part of the

account

given of the

name PEICH.
it

And
on the

as

is

fevere

reflexion

up-

and humanity of that wife king to hold him up before the world as a monfter capable of
political

prudence,

honour,

fo

much

barbarity againft the fubdued Pidts,

the oppolite truth in his favour cannot be


too often mentioned to wipe

away the

infa-

mous

ftain,

and convince writers of their


following mifinformed wri-

own miftakes in
ters fo clofely.

Independent of thefe fads,


fenfe be appealed to;

let

common

and can

it

once be fup-

pofed the clergymen of the different monafteries,

N.

Britain,

and other feminaries of learning in were not equally learned with


all

others of the fame ftanding over

Europe ?

To
the
is

imagine the contrary v/ould be giving


lie

to fads, independent of tradition, as

manifeft from the numbers of learned

gentlemen,

who were employed

in

high

ftations in every

kingdom and court through

all

i8o

all

Europe

and nothing but their learning*

could place them fo high in rank in the republick of letters,

wherever they were

fettled.

Certainly
that the ufe

Mr. P. himfelf does not believe of letters were unknown in fuch


as

learned feminaries,

JONA, ORANSA,

and

ARD CHATTAN monafteries, or abROWDLE,


the deanery of

beys; alfo in the nunneries and monafteries

of UIST, and
of

Rofs, with many more of the kind in other


parts

N.

Britain, as they are allowed to


all

have been through

Europe

at the

fame
of the
in the

time; were there no


fadls

pofTitive proofs

now

exilling,

it

would be abfurd
it.

extreme to refufe or deny


*
*

Our monks mufl have


language,

underflood the

learned
v/ife

and they muft like-

*
*

have wrote, yes, and in Gaelic too/

fays

Mr. M*Nicol,
1 1

as already remarked.*

Anno

39, long ^Dcfore there

was any
Sir

printing in Europe,

we

are told

by

Roof

bert Sibbald, that, in a written manufcript


fent to

him by

a gentleman of the family


finds that the predeceiTor
in Fife
is

Mac

Intofh,

he

of

the Earls of

Weems

called therein

EoiN

i8i

EoiN MOR NA Vamh,

ill

Gaelic; that

is.

Great Johti of the Cave. Uye, a Gaelic name


given to any beautiful plain
cither by
tains
j

field,

confined,

as

the

illes,

mounwe meet with many fiich over all as well as this Uye in Fife, or the
two
feas,

lochs, rivers, or

Uye of

Sir

R. Menzies

in
v;^e

Appin

Du,

in

Perthfhire.

Here then

meet with

vvrit-

ten Gaelic even in Fife, long prior to that

time mentioned by the imperious Mr. Pinkerton.

Nay, moreover, before the year 1054, we learn from Tiirgot, bifhop of St. Andrews,
while he was preceptor to king Malcolm

Kenmore's children, and


cefs to learn the hiftory

who had much acof the royal family,


a written,

that Gaelic

was not only

but

the only language generally fpoken in Scot-

land then, and he accordingly delineates the


character of Margaret, the queen of Scotland,

whom, he
on

fays,

he had often heard


of theology, in

difcourfe

fubtile queftions

prefence of the moft learned men of the king-

dom, and adds, that Malcolm the king underftood the Gaelic language, as well as the

Saxon,

l82

Saxon

the

iirft

being the vernacular lan-

guage of N.
a child,

Britain,

and taught him when


crown, where

before he fled to England, from


his

Macbeth, the ufurper of

he learned to fpeak Engliih.

The

king therefore willingly performed

the office of interpreter between his royal


confort and the Scottifh eccleliaftics,

who

were perfect mafters of the learned languages,

and could

tranflate

them

into Gaelic,
as far

but were quite ignorant of the Englifh


back, as anno
1

09^

becaufe Gaelic was

the language even of the court, as well as of


the commoners, before the Englifh grandees

and many others of


into Scotland by

inferior

rank were forced

William the Conqueror.


Gaelic clergymen

And Turgot

fays, that the

were convinced of the force of the queen's


argun.ents, and yielded to them,

even tho'

the king's Gaelic tranllation of thefe behoved


to be

much

inferior in point

of energy, to

the original delivered by the pious and lear-

ned queen
If

in the Saxon, or

Englifh tongue.

Mr. P.

pleafes

he may examine the ac-

counts themfelves, and they will convince

him

i83

him of
and
his
its

his miftaken
It is

notion of the Gaelic

antiquity.

hoped he
us

will not lofe

temper

in finding as old written

parch-

ment

in Scotland, as

he

tells

we may meet

with in England, and in Gealic too, an almoft unknown language, though the mofl
honourable remains of the antiquities of Britain,

&c. and no language


in

and expreffive

the

is more powerful mouth of a poet or

orator to this day.

But

it

Mr.

P.'s

would be entertaining to behold countenance when he reads that


ifles,

there were kings in thefe defpifed


before the Chriftian
aera,

long

and

for

any thing

proved to the contrary, for centurys before


the
firft

Fergus

is

faid to

have been invited


only an agnomen
after

from
mies
',

Ireland,

to

head the North Britifh ar-

for this laft

name

is

common to
that time,

moft kings, both before and and applied to them


as

fupreme

judges,

when

they pafted fentence in that

capacity in their different courts of judicature, as

may

perhaps more fully appear elfe-

where.

But

i84

But
the

to

return at prefent to the kings of

One of thefe fturdy aggrelTors, named Bridan Mor n a Hwai, or as he is named in Uift, Bridan Gop Dearag,
ifles.

Bridan with the red month, landed in Scotland about the Chriftian
aera,

with only a
of the

thoufand of his men, and was beat off; but


this

bold invader and progenitor

Mac
a

Donalds landed the year following with


fettled himfelf

more powerful army, and impudently


by force of arms in

enough
ginary

Argyle, and would neither allow the ima-

Twa

de

Dcmnansy the Dalriads, nor


fettle in thefe quarters,

the Irifh Scots to

nor give names to any part of that country,


but
as

he pleafed.
account given by William Buchanan

The

of Auchmar,

who

publifhed his enquiry into

the genealogy, and prefent ftate of the ancient Scottilh furnames

of the

Jrifli

Scots,

in the year 1723J coincides almofh with the

foregoing narrative

from which we may


no lefs than the impro;

infer the impoffibility

bability of their landing in Cantire


is

and

it

as follows
fays,

In treating of the

Mac Donalds^

he

COLL, VUAIS's fon, was called GILLEBRIED,

i8S

GILLEBRIED,
him, Bridius.

or as our hiftories

name

This Bridius,

in the reign of

king Ederusy about 54 years before our Saviour's nativity, w^ith an army of his highlanders entered
tern continent,

Morven, and the other wef-

which having, with


was

great

barbarity depopulated, he

in his return

met by king Ederus with an army, and entirely defeated; Bridius hardly efcaping by abfconding himfelf in a cave, was thence termed Bridius, or Gilebride of the
Cave
j

however after the king's departure he

obtained

new

forces,

by which he obliged

the inhabitants of thefe parts to


tributaries, in

become

his

which he was not diflurbed by


then under fome apprehen-

king Ederusy

iions of an invalion

by Julius
called

Casfar.

Bridius's fon was


ages deligned

Sumerledus;
were
for

for the chieftains of that clan

fome

Mac

Soirees, or

Siimei'led's

fins, as Ri. Southwell, an Englifh writer, in his

account of the petty kings, or Reguh, of fome


of the Britifh iHes while under the dominion

of the Norwegian kings,


that thofe Reguli pollefled

ailerts,
all

who
ifles

fays,

the

round

Britain,

tm
-,

Britain, at leaft Scotland

thofe poUellcd by

Sumerled's fon, being mofl of the

EBUD^,

or weftern ides then, and in after-ages poffeffed

by the

Mac
of

Donalds.
the
Chriftian

Anno 245
in the reign
firft

epocha,

of king Frndoch, Donald the of that

of thefe

name found upon the conti-

on record, made
nent of Argyle
,

a defcent

but being defeated by the

king, was killed with a great

many of his
his fon of
firft

men

for revenge of
in

whofe death

the fame name,

the year 262, and

year of the reign of Donald the fecond, entered the continent with an
ders.

army of

iflan-

The

king of the

Ifles

ufurped the gofor 12

vernment, and retained


years, at the end of Crathilintb,

the fame

which he was
as

killed

by

king Findoclfs fon,


did

who

kept

down

his

fucceffors,
;

fome of the

fucceeding kings

anno 762, one of the

chiefs of the Ifles, called Donald,


infurredtion, but

made an
pofTefTed

was defeated by king Eu-

genius.
all

The

chiefs of that

name

that large trad: of land, viz.


all

Cantyre,

Knapdale, and

along the weftern feacoaft

i87
Is

coaft of Argylefhire.

it

then probable,
Illes in

when
Scots

the

M*Donalds of the

Argyle-

ihire ftruggled
Irifli

with one another, that the


?

fhouid be fuffered to land

And this fad: will

receive additional ftrength

from the confideration that Abaris, arch-

druid of Liewes, was


dor from the
ifles

fent

an ambafTaof

to

Greece
fix

in the time

Pythagoras, about

centuries before the

above ^ra, and converfed very learnedly at


the different courts he was fent to
;

and
to

from

this

cirumftance
iiles

it

would be abfurd
deftitute

deny that the


learning,

were either
good,

of

or inhabitants.

And
among

to

make

this

let

us
:

remark
that,

what Diodorus
and fome others

Siculus

obferves

the writers of antiquity,


relate,

Hecateus,

there

is

an ifland in
than Si-

the ocean, oppofite to Gaul, not


cily,

lefs

which

is

inhabited by a people called


ar(5tic regioi)s, fo

Hyperboreans, under the


called, becaufe they are

more remote than


that they have

the north wind.

It

is

a fertile place, for they


;

have a harveft twice a year


a great foreft,

and a noble temple, where


are harpers,

men, many of whom

fmg forth
the

i88

the praifes of Apollo.

That they had


which

a lan-

guage proper

for themfelves,

and had a
friend-

great regard for the Greeks,


fhip

had been confirmed from ancient times,


and Delians;

particularly with the Athenians

and that fome of the Greeks came over to


the Hyperboreans,

and made them rich

prefents infcribed with

Greek

letters
;

let

Mr.
that

P.

liften

with attention

and

alfo

Aearis

formerly went from thence

to Greece to renew their ancient friendfliip

with the Delians *.

This defcription anfwers


iiland about

to

no other

G.

Britain but Liewes,


Particularly,

which

equals Sicily in extent.


it
is

when
en(the

known that the fea has croached many miles on both


country being
flat)

fince
fides

almoft within the

me-

mory of living people ;


be overflown fea-mark
then
is
;

eight miles are faid to


is,

and black mofs

at times,

for political purpofes,


at

dug up

far

below the
if it

ebb

tide.

No

wonder

was
it

as large as Sicily is at prefent,

when
1

about

70

miles computed,

105 Engliih
8 or

meafure in length, and in many places


* Diod.
lib. ii.

to the end.

27 miles

i89

27 miles broad
that St. Kilda

and fome even imagine

ifle

was once joined


intermediate
it

to

it,

though now low


all

a fheet of iixty miles of

fhaU
;

fea

covers

the

fpace

which would m.ake


Sicily
full

equal, if not fu-

perior to
plain
is

in

extent.
;

The whole
it

of deep mofs

then

was

full

of woods, with the grand arch Druidical

temple

flill

to

be feen at Callarnifh.

And

that country, from the temperate climate, oc-

cafioned by the
ing feas,
is

warmth of
extremely

the furroundthat the

fo

fertile,

Author has
and

{ten greens and other vegetables


lix

fhooting out

feet

high

at

Chriftmas,

after that time.

And as

to the prolific

nature of their cattle, whoever reads


late Travels

the

into the Hebrides,

by Lanne

Buchanan, will be abundantly fatisfed of the


juftnefs of Diodorus's account

on that head.

Plutarch alfo confirms their fending prefents

and writs.
/. e.

with Sador,

That prefents were fent Saide Fear, the archer,

that being part of the very drefs, afcribed by

another writer, as wore by

Abaris when
belted plaid
(a belt

he entered Athens with

his

i9<5

(a

belt

gilt

over

with

gold,)

with a

bow and arrows


his

in his hand.

When Sa-

DOR, from the Hyperboreans, went with prefents, he was accompanied with
This
is

hemitboys, harps, guitars t pipes y and various

other inftruments.

fufficient

to

mark
pher,

the country of that famous philofo-

who

is

alfo

mentioned by many o-

ther writers *.

Mr. AHle remarks, that the Phoenicians came to the illes for the article of commerce more than 600 years before the Chriftian
asra
;

yet

it

does not appear, that they taught


letters.

the inhabitants the ufe of


fays

Indeed,

he, the contrary hath been

{hown by

on

Mr. Whitaker ; and adds, that they carried their commerce with the Britons very
fecretly,

infomuch that a Phoenician

velfely

when
upon

chafed by a
a fhoal,

Roman, chufed
fuffer
tradl,

to

run

and

fhipwreck, rather

than difcover the coa ft,

path, by
to en-,

which another nation might come

joy their fhare in fo beneficial a commerce

* Gaudentius Merula de Ccltis Alpincruir..

and

191

-And therefore
licy

It is

prefiimed that their po-

prevented them from intruding the

ancient inhabitants of Britain in the ufe of


letters.

Neverthelefs, of this ignorance


that the

are told by Colonel Vallany,

Ogwas

hamst or writings in cyphers, a kind of


fteganography, pradifed by the
ufed, though
it is

Irifli,

not to be found in any


;

Didionary of

theirs at prefent
it

but he very

judicioully applys
ters,

to the elements

of let-

and thinks

it

was

pradlifed

by the

Iriih

Druids, even though he never faw

any Druidical writings.

This feniible remark is much to the purpofe


there
is

no reafon

to

doubt but that

fucli

learned body of clergymen would have

com-

mitted their fentiments to writings, at lead

many

of them, tho' the misfortunes which

the revolutions

of remote corroding ages

fliould befal thefe writings, as well as

many

more of the fame kind, of much


have been
long after
It
rians,
is

later date,

loft for

ever to generations unborn,

this period

under contemplation.
conjecture in hifto-

therefore a

rafli

however

dignified,

without pofitive
proof.

192
the

proof,

to

aver,

that

learned

Druids

committed nothing
were ignorant of

to writing, or that they

letters,

becaufe they have

not furvived the ravages of time, and were

handed down
certainly

to

our days

fafely.

They
;

had the knowledge of letters

and
with

what we have feen above of the Greeks


bringing

them

prefents,

infcribed

Greek

letters

and writings, paffing between

thefe people; and the learned Druids are fufHcient to eftabliih thefe fads, tho' other cor-

roborating proofs did not

accompany them.

Can any man of reflexion helitate for a moment to allow that fo learned a man as Abaris, the Arch Druidof Liewes, who is
allowed, about 600 years before Chrifl, to

have converfed with equal,

if

not more elo-

quence than any man

in the

Lycasum

at

Athens, and to have difplayed more knowledge under a belted plaid than Pythagoras

under his cloak, could be entirely deftitute


of the knowledge of
letters,

and of writing

To

think other wife,

much more

to write

otherwife, would be an infult to people's underftanding.

They

then Hood in no need of


inilrudion

193

inftrudlion to write
cians,

from either the Phoenithey were of themfelves

or Greeks,

as

fufficiently qualified

without their

aid.

Befides

it is

certain,

from the conqueft of

Alexander the Great, that Greek became


the univerfally received language almoft over
Afia, as well as

Europe, and part of Africa ^

infomuch, that the cuflom to write that lan-

guage

in Caefar's time

became very common


he
tells

from the unequalled fmoothnefs of it's expreffions.

The
their

Gauls,

us,* ufed

Greek

letters,

and he found

in the rolls

of

foldiers,

women and their


in

children's
;

names were wrote


that for
it

Greek

charadlers

fo

two

or three centuries before Chrift, pradtice


to

was the

univerfal
all

write

in

Greek, over
world.
ifles

the

weftern

parts of the

We

may

fafely affirm, that in the

of Britain commerce with the Greeks


there,

made the language famous

and the
and

intimate connexion between the Gauls and

the Druids made them improve upon


it is

it

Gauls traded with Britain from what Csefar writes * 5 becaufe he


certain that the
* Lib. 4. de Bello Galileo.

conveened

194

conveened

all

the merchants, hoping for

foine fatisfadion in his enquiries about Britain,

but in vain

thefe faid, they

knew, or

pretended to know, nothing more than the

maritime coaft of Britain oppofite to Gaul,


their bufinefs being to exchange merchandife,

and

to return, not to

make

curious remarks

on the extent of the

iiland,

the diverfity of

inhabitants, their difcipline of war, or the

commodioufnefs of their harbours.


All this, with
truely
offenfive

more of
in

their addrefs,

is

thefe

Celtic

cattle,
firft

whether modern or ancient.


have oppofed
the

The

Fih, Peukini, or Vic


fufFer the Scots

Veriars in the north, and this tyrant Bridan

and

his fuccefTors

would not

from Ireland

to take pofleffion in the fouth,

but drove out the very natives to


for his iflanders,

make room

and even

his defcendants
all

extended their empire over


terwards, as
is

Scotland, af-

well

known.

How then can

Mr. P. give an account of the Scots and Pid:s, when thus unexpeftedly ftripped of
both
?

No

wonder he Ihould

rail

againft

fuch favages, and more particularly againft

Bridan Mo?', being the oldeft offender, in

occupying

195

occupying mofl impudently the very place

meant
IriJJj

for

the 'Twa de Dunnariy and

the
fo

Scots,

and

for

making him labour


in their

much
way
'y

in vain.

But they

will

have matters

owa

as Celtic underftandings

WAX always

continue to be Celtic underflandings in fpitc

of obftrudtion.

Dhanian co heridh
coart

e,

in fpite of oppofition,

an old motto of the

Mac

Donalds

in their

of arms
is

from that time


juftly entitled to
railing,

till

now.
the

This tyrant

bear his

own

proportion of

feeing

Macpherfons have already got enough of


that abufe.

Had Hascateus, and


have fucceeded better
col

other ancient writers,

concealed the above account, matters would


;

nay, even

M'Niand
telling
efta-

muft open again

like a Scheanachie,
-,

fupport

the old Gaelic too


it

by

the world that

has
is

regular

and
to

blifhed ftandard, as

well

known

many

gentleman of tafte and candour, who, tho' not


natives of the highlands, have been at

much
I fhall

pains to

become acquainted with

it.

only

19^

only, fays he, appeal to

dences,

namely

General
Sir

two refpedable eviAdolphus Sir

Oughton, and

James Fowlis; thefe

gentlemen will give a very different account


of the matter, and cannot be fufpecfled of having

any

partiality;

the one being an

Englifliman,

the

other

a fouth country

Scotfman.

The teftimony

of Mr. Pennant,
traveller

and of every other elegant

through

the highlands, with thatof the world, is in our


favour
;

and againft that, Mr. P.'s praife or


little

cenfure can have but


Sir

weight.

What
when
abufes

Richard Steel

fays,

with regard to himfelf,


hold in this cafe,

may in fome meafure

impertinent calumniators jealous'of his fame


befpattered his charader,
as

Mr. P.

the Macpherfons

and other learned men,


;

with the Celts

in general

namely, that

idle

people for want of other entertainment, and


difcourfes,

muft be led

to hate the perfons

of thofe they never faw, and oppofe defigns


into

which they never examined.


all

In one

word, one cannot but reprobate the ftubborn


malignity that this gentleman
fues agalnft the learned

along pur-

and

ilHterate Celts,

and

197

and
line

others,
is

in

his

writings,

when

every

ahnoft marked with

prejudice,

and

every fentcnce teems with the moft

illiberal

and unprovoked
if

invectives.
vi'orthy

And I doubt not,


but he

he

is

thought

of notice :

will

meet with fevere corredlion from fome


fo out-

one or other of the abufed characters


rageoufly infulted by him.

But the Author

would have taken


ifh

his final leave, with the

fentiment of iVgefilaus, refpedting the fool-

Menecrates,

who

ftilcd

himfelf Jupiter

in his letter to the king,

with wilhing Mr.


it

P. health, and a found mind, did


pear neceffary to
before parting.

not ap-

make

few more remarks

The acrimony

of Mr. P. againft

Mac-

pherfon for mentioning the poems of Offian

and Fiangael, which he


falfehood,
calls

fo rudely terms a
to dojuftice

on the author

tp a fubjedl that has attracfted the attention

of the

indifferent,

awakened the

curious,

roufed the corruption of the critics, exercifed

the quills

of the envious, and opened the

eyes and ears of the


ftrongeft defire

whole nation with the

and expedation of hearing

the

IgS

the genuine account of a fuhjed, that had

gained univerfal applaufe, fully explained to


their fatisfadion.

The
poem of

fabjedl alluded

to

is

the famous

Offian with the hiftory of Fiangael,


in general
;

and the Fians

and while the auof Mr. P.

thor reprobates
againft

the

feverity

able to

James Macpherfon, and hopes to be fupport the credit of the poem, yet he
laft

cannot approve of the


tinacity,

gentleman's per-

in iilently refufing to

Dr. Johnfon
fatisfadlory

and others, a more

explicit

and

account of thefe people and the poem, fo


juftly allowed to have exifted to the publication of it

manv ages prior


pherfon.

by Mr. M;

as

Dr. Johnfon, from his exalted ja irader, a writer, had a right to be nfwered re^

fpedfully, the nation would

t!

rn

be

faf isiied,

and

his

own
it

country highly honoured by a

complir. jce to fo reafoncble a

demand.
extreme to

But
to fave

as

would be rud:
i

in the
it

think he could

ot explain

iufficiently, fo,

him

the trouble, and if poffiMe give


the reader, the author enga-

fatisfadion to

ges to unfold this feemingly myllical fubjedt,

and

199

and leave with

the judicious to determine

how far

the writer deferves credit from his

knowledge of the ancient Gaelic language,


and of courfe yield fatisfadion and others.
to the critics

Here then
of the
to explain
that,
it,

before he enters on the fubjedt

FIANS,
it

or

FINGALL,

in order

will be necelTary to premife

in times of the feudal fyltem,


lord,

every

prince,

or laird

in

Scotland,

was

under the

neceffity

of proted:ing their pri;

vate properties by force of arms

and each

proprietor of eftates, whether large or fmall,

behoved to keep a fharp look-out,


rors

as

empe-

and kings muft do

at prefent,

in order

to protect their eifed:s, by the


vaffals

incumbent
a

and tenants, to prevent


fecret,

furprife

from

no

lefs

than from the more

powerful adverfaries, whether neighbours


or otherwife
;

and thefe precautions were

no

lefs

neceffary

by night than by day, and

the veftiges of thefe cautious fleps are well

known

to all

fuch as underftand the language


it is

thoroughly, becaufe
different

fo expreffive

of the
it

objeds and defigns,

for

which

was

200

was originally intended.


words and
then,
that
figns,

To illuftrate
lefs

thefeby

and no

known now than

though, to ftrangers to the idiom of


tongue,
this
affertion

flrong and Angular,

may appear when compared with


;

moft modern tongues that are changeable


but

when it

is

confidered that this language

never varies, the furprife will be leffened.


It is true,

the language may, and has given


for obvious reafons,

way

to other tongues,

as already obfervcd, in as well as

many parts of Scotland


but
Hill as

in other countries,

much

as

remains of it, ftands unchangeably


is ftill it is

pure and
ture with

the fame,

and even a mix-

well

known to be foreign, and


in the Gaelic
;

quite different from the objedl exprelTed, if

mentioned properly

in the

mean

time, the fact in affirming that this


is

very ancient language

not a paradox, but

a truth granted by eminent authors, will prefcntly appear.

The Scythian
dation of the

is

faid to
;

have

laid

the foun#-

Greek

and the Celts that of

the Italian nation, as Leibnitz writes in Mifcellanea Bero,

&c. page

5,

&c. And

to point

out

201

out the poffibility ofpreferving the language


pure, like that of the ancient Chinefe,
it is

remarked that
befl:

original languages

have been

preferved

in iflands

and mountainous

countries

which
is

are difficult of accefs, and

whofe

fituation

not fo convenient for the

frequent intrufions of barbarous tongues.

Of courfe
ter,

the Britifh

ifles,

fays the

v^^ri-

and mountainous countries have preit

ferved

with them, while other tongues,


into a variety of

from time, are fubdivided


branches *.

The fame
tin to

author proves from Ezekiel,


ifles

that the Pelafgi from the

of Eliflia fold
re-

the Phoenicians, which they had


firft,

ceived from the Cafleterides


fore the Phcenicians

long be-

were acquainted with


likely they

the place

nor

is

it

would pay

profit to the Pelafgians, if they

to

come by it at

firfl;

hand.

knew how And he thinks


gave the

that afterwards the Phoenicians

name Barratannac

to the

ifle

f'.

* James Parfons on the antiquity of Taphet.

t Ibid.

From

202

From
the
firit

all

which he feems

to think that

inhabitants of Britain
illes

came from
This

the Archipelago

fL

e,

Elifha).

gentleman rema' ks, on a paflage from Plato,


that

the

Greeks received their language

from the Pelafgians,


and th?t
our
lafl

among whom the

proper etymologies were to be fought for


if

we go

higher,

we muft make
%

appeal to the Creator

and yet the

Greeks called the Pelafgi barbarous, becaufe of their

tongue, which by fome

is

fuppofed to have been Celtic.

He adds,
affinity

that

fome Hebrew words are

found among the Pelafgi, fo there was an

between them, and declares that


little
its

there

is

doubt,
origin

but the

Phoenician

tongue had

from the Hebrew lan-

guage. In Gaelic likewife there are

Hebrew
it

words

to be

found

as Gael,
it

they called
Gallin *.

Gallimy and the Gaels term

flaving thus pointed out the poffibility of


preferving the Gaelic tongue pure and un-

corrupted

among

the

illes

and

hills

of North

Britain, the following explanation of the old


* Ibid.

FIANS

203

rT.\NS, and
gain credit,

FIANGAEL
FIAN

will,

hope,

a-'d yiela latisfaction.

The

very

name

conveys the idea

of a giant,

or monftrouily ftrong perfonage


:

to the minces

f the vulgar, feeing they felthefe


as

dom mention
awe and

men, but
it

in

terms of

refpedl,

confcious from fome

prefentiment, or unaccountable impreffions,


that they
v^ere beings of a fuperior order

which commanded fubmi(lion and proper


attention from their inferiors.

That

this is

the true definition of the the Celts


fo

vulgar and
refpedling

common fentiments of t^ FIANS, are fadts


,i

gene-

rally received,

that no one will controvert

them.

This

ferves

as a

key to open up v/hat


it

fcemed a myftery before


and fufEciently points out
language

was

explained,,

how

the plaineft

may be

abufed by the ignorant, and


unintelligible
to

may

be

rendered even

knowing judges, by joining


ftances

a combination
;

of mifplaced words and fyllables

circum-

which generally follow from the


are

mouths and pens of men who

incompetent

204

tent judges of the true idiom and pronunciation of a language.

And no tongue

has fufFered more than the


confideration, and that

CELTIC now under


able,

from the pens of writers


but

who

are otherwife

unfortunately remained ftrangers

to the language of thefe defpifed and ne-

glected people and their country;

whofe

hiftory they have attempted to tranfmit to


pofterity for infallible certainty,

though un;

der this difadvantage themfelves

as

might

be made good, did not the fubjedl of the

FIANS

call off

our attention to explain

it.

Then this word FIAN is compounded of FIAU, an alarms and AON, one that is, an alarmed man, a man on his guard and defence. FIA NEACH are made up of FIAU, an alarm, and NEACH, a people an alarmed people, or men on their guard
;

or defence.

The Agnomen FIAU was


given to

an epithet

them from

their conftant profeffion

of guarding and defending their country and


property from the dangerous depredations of
ftrangers,

or from neighbouring

kingdoms
and

205

and countries.

In Englifh they were cal-,

led marchers in after times


fes,

as the

Douglaf-

the Kerrs, the

Humes,
fo

the

Cummins,

and the Maxwells, were


plunderers
others,

named, while
and

they defended Scotland from the Englifh


;

lb the Percies, Forrefters,

who

protected

England from the

ravages of the Scots borderers were likewife

thus named.

And the

borders are

ftill

known

by the name of marches, or

merfe.

The

feuds that long fubfifted between the


fo fully defcribed

kingdoms have been


hiftorians,

by

that a further account in this


fuperfluous, as

place

would be

few common

readers have not been entertained fully with

the heroic achievements

of the Douglalles

and the Percies on the memorable occafions


in hiftory,

and even fongs of the times.

Af'ier the

fame manner the wild ridge of

rugged

hills,
is

which divided the Scots from

thePids,

always called
',

Garabh Chriothefe were


ftill

CHAN,
their

rugged marches

named
by
by
the

by the Romans, and are


followers

called

Grampiani
in

Montes,

tranfpofing

letters

or4er to

make

word

206

word found more agreeable


ears;

to their
real

Roman
injury,

without regarding the

which fuch corruption


fed language,
or

offered to the

abu-

that the very

meaning

was

materially

affe(fled

by fuch improper
of

freedoms.

Thus,

inftead

GARABH
unknown

BHEANTIBH,
word
in their

they

left

an

ftead,

which a hjghlander

cannot underiland, nor


nable tranfpofitions
cuttings off

many fuch abomito,

and additions

or

from the beginnings or ends, by


of,

taking vowels cut

or adding vowels to

the middle of words, and interpolated expreffions as are


in ufe,

and explained by
to their rea-

their foreign figurative ders,

manner

by their

Prothefisy

Apharefis,

Syn-

copcEy Metathejis, Antithefis,

&c.

all

which
efpeciis

pompous

figures

and explanations have been

hurtful to every language, and


ally to the Gaelic,

more

where every word

deit is

fcriptive

and expreffive of the objedl


;

affixed to

and the above mode of alteration


is

has had the mofl pernicious effect, as

well

known to every judge of the old Celtic. Upon the whole, refpeding the Pid:s and Scots, and before we put a final period to
this

207

this ftridure

made upon the

Pi5ts and Scots,

the kind reader will pardon the author for re-

marking once more with feeling


ridiculoufly the ableft writers

regret,

how

may, and have


by relying

been led into the

groifeft miftakes

too unguardedly upon mifinformedauthority,

while others with equal inattention entertain the


fertile

world withconjedures of their own


invention, and no lefs void of foun-

dation,
this

than of probability to build upon

-,

may be

exemplified from the ftrange

account given of the inhabitants of North


Britain by

fome

fanciful writers

fays one,

the

firft

inhabitants were Celts

who polTefied

that country for the fpaceof a thoufand years,

or thereabouts,
tribe called

when behold a more favage Cumri difpoffefied thefe of the


mountains

whole country, except a few of the Celts

who
and

flieltered themfelves in the

ides of Scotland

from the fwords of the


ftill

invaders,

and where their remains are

to be found.

The

laft

invaders enjoyed the pofTeiTions


till,

of the poor Celts very fecurely,


tunately for

unforftill,

them

more

ferocious tribe

(if

208

(if poffible) called Pidls,

poured

in

upon the
in

Cumri about two


before

or three hundred years


asra,

the

Chriftian

who,

like

manner,

turned

out the whole

Cumri;
itill

and the few remains of thefe are


iting in the mountains of Wales.

ex-

The
field,

Pi(5t&

being thus

left

mafters of the

were,

however, in their turn deftroyed, root and


branch, by

KENNETH MAC
who from
Scotland,

ALPIN,
834 of
the

and

his Scots,

the year

the Chriliian epocha, continued in full poffeilion

of

all

except what

Celts,

(called

lavages

by Mr. P.) keep


and mountains of the

pofTefiion of in the iflcs

north-weft of Scotland.

Now, can any difdiftindt

paffionate reader believe that any of the above,

fuppofmg them
(a

to

have been

people

thing not granted,) would allow any

new

tribe to

overcome them,
to

after

having had fo

long time to increafe and multiply over the

whole kingdom, and

be difpoffefTed of the

country of their anceftors by fuch flrangers;


this

would be granting
to

a greater facrifice to

thefe

new tribes, ledonians did


all

than the Picts, or


the

Ca-

Romans, though
Dowerful

allowed by

the world to be the moft

209

powerful and regularly trained troops on


earth, even

with

all

their auxiliary

forces

brought to their aid; yet


thefe

we know

that

were obliged
lofs,

to retire,

both with
fierceft

fhame and
trial
;

after

making the

the very thought of reducing fuch

warlike people by any


outrage againft

new invaders, is an common fenfe and as thefe could not, much lefs did Kenneth Mac Alpin
;

put a period to the Pid:s,

as

imaginary wri-

ters have inadvertently given out.

We

have

already,

on purpofe, remarked, that the in


-,

habitants were the fame

though
times

flrangers,

who have

at

different

heard

new

names applied
as thefe

to

them, imagined that th^

inhabitants were equally

new in

the country,

prenomens were
having
invaded

to their

own

ears.

Juft as Holiingfhed,

fpeaking of the Scots

king's

Northumberland,

about the year 1173, makes a difference

between the two nations under kingWilliam,

by

calling

him king of the


(or Pids),

Scots and Galloafter paffing

v/ay

men

who,

the
did

confines of the bifhoprick of

Durham,

much hurt and flaughter, with the additional

ruin-

aio

ruin of burning

and fpoiling the country.

In the fame manner Everfden, fpeaking of


the battle

of Falkirk, anno domini 1298,

remarks, that the Scots,


chers, being flain

whom he

calls ar-

by the Englifh horfemen,


faid

vet though the

horfemen

affailed

the

fpearmen,

who

ftood

upon

their defence,

they kept out the enemy by fighting


fully

man-

with their fpears held out


before

like a thick

wood

them; they were


archers,

at length

fore beaten

with the arrows poured upon

them by the Englifh

infomuch

that they began to be in diforder,

which
to

opened an avenue for the Englifh horfe-

men, and
Englifh
;

that gave

the vidlory
that

the

and

finifhes

account by

telling that thele

fpearmen were

men of

Galloway, or as the others meant, Pi6ts,

by way of

diftin6lion

from the Scots, while

in reality they

were the fame people, and

the different names were given for wife reafons, as above.


jed:

We

now rcfume
fpirit

the fub-

of the Fians.
the warlike

From
the

of

ilie

Scots

highlanders, and their inclination to plunder

PECHS

on the

eaft fide

of thefe rough
marches.

21.

mjfches, or the Dorfutnof Alabm, neceffity

required that certain princes,

all

along

the eaft fides of this ridge of hills, and even

on the weft

fides

of the

GARABH BHEon their

ANTIBH,
watch,
the

behoved

to be always

both by nights and days, to alarm


that the

country,

inhabitants

might

inftantly repair to the ftandard of their lea-

der,

or

FIAN,
fatal

to

prevent depredations,

and other
rally
fors

confequences, which genefteps of thefe bold agref-

marked the
here

wherever an attack was made.


it

And

muft be remarked, that no


is

extraordinary refledion

meant

againft the

Scots and Pi6ts for thefe difagreeable advantages taken

by

either party

becaufe that,

fecms to have been the com.mon practice


foUovved throughout
early times,
all

Europe

in thefe

and that not by the commoners


better things

only

but alfo by their fuperiors in rank,

from

whom

ought

to

be exonly

emplified.

In proof of this

we need

caft our eye

on the manners of the South


to HollIngOied,

Britainers,

where, according

ihey at times funk into meaner prad:ices


than either

of the two former nations arc

faid

faid to

have been guilty

of.

When fpeaK

ing of the manners of the people, as late as


the thirteenth century, he fays, thefe banditti,

by confederating together, carried matall

ters

very great lengths, and


religion, fupported

under the
to ruin

mafk of
tions;

by force,

the induftrious inhabitants by their depreda-

infomuch that the pope blamed king


the Third of England for tolerating
arid

Henry

of fuch abufe,

ordered to have

the

guilty accurfed, as too offenfive to

God and
far

man;

for in theyear

123 2, matters went fo

forth, continues he, that there

were fundry

perfons armed and difguifed like

mummies,

which not only


tliefe

enterprifed to take diverfe of

Grangers

who

were beneficed

men
let-

but

alfo

came

to their barns,

threfhed out

their grain,
ters

and fliewed counterfeited


feal,

under the king's

which they had

procured for their warrant, as they did pretend.

At length the pope, upon complaint made unto him of fuch violent doings, wrote to king Henry, blaming him not a little for fufFering fuch diforders to be committed

213

mitted within his realm;

commanding him,
to caufe a
to find out the
to be punifhed
:

upon pain of excommunication,


diligent enquiry to be

offenders,

made to caufe them and


letters to

/harply, as an

example to deter others

he

moreover wrote

the bifhop of

Winchefter, and to the Abbot of Saint Ed-

mondfbury, to make the

like inquifition,

and

to curfe all thofe that fhould be found cul-

pable within the fouth parts of England

and the fame rigorous orders were put


kingdom.

in

execution in the northern parts of the fame

Hereupon
ihops,
in

general

inquifition

was
bi-

taken, as well by the king, as

by the

and many were found guilty, fome

fa(5t, and others by confent ; which number, there were both

among
bifliops

and chaplains
there were

to the king,

with archdeacons
laity
;

and deans, knights, and many of the

fome

fheriffs

and

bailiffs

alfo,

who, by the king's commandment, were


arrefted
all forts

and put in prifon

and diverfe of
In like

did keep themfelves out of the way,

and could not as yet be found.

manner.

214

manner, Hubert Earl of Kent, Lord Chief


Juftiee,

was accufed
j

to be chief tranfgreffor

in this matter

as that

he had giv^n forth the


taken on themmens goods to which There came alfo to the

king's letters-patent to thofe difguifed and

mafked

threfliers,

who had

felves .ofcquefter other

they had no right*

king one

Sir

Robert de Tuing, a knight of

the northern parts,

who had
it

led about a

company of the
that he

faid

maikers,

protefting

had done

upon

juft caufe, to

be

revenged

upon the Romans,

who went

about, by fentence of the pope, and manifeft fraud,

to fpoil

h;m of the parfonage of

a certain church, and therefore faid he had


rather iland accurfed without jufl caufe for
a time, than to lofe his benefice without due

judgment.

The plunderers of the South feem to have laidhoU on fom.e feeming juft caufe of
offences being

received before they

were,
their

provoked

to

commit fuch outrage on

fellow- fubjeas,

as indeed did the fierce in-

habitants of the North,

who

never commit-

ted any depredations on their neighbours,

without

i5

without

firft

announcing of feme abufe, or


as

indignity,

which they alledged

an ex-

cufe to

colour their proceedings

with a
;

fecming fhew of juflice on their fide

the

which behoved
as tradition,

to

be redrefled
;

at the

ex-

pence of their fuppofed enemies

but as far

or written teftimony goes,

we

never heard of the Scots or Pids making ufc

of religion to cloke their knavery.


event

At any

we may

fafely believe.

If

the inhabit

tants of Britain

were

fo turbulent at fo late

a period,
fo

they muft have been

much more

many

ages prior to the

time under con-

fideration,

and a proof that

FIANS,

or

guardians were abfolutely neceffary, particularly near the

mountainous countries of

Scotland,
fierce

where the inhabitants were more

than
to

the fouth.
to

But
had

return

the

FIANS,

they

certain

little

eminences,

named

FAIRRE DUNS,

(corruptly fo called for

DOWNS

in Englifli)

on which the centi^

nel lighted a blaze by night,

when any apand ths

pearance of danger approached,

other inhabitants on feeing the fignal of diA

P 4

tfefe

3l6

>

trcis,

immediately marched
danger was

towards that

place where, from the blaze or fmoke, they


unclerftood

the

threatened.

This was generally ufed


ditious

as the rnofl

expe-

mode of giving

the alarm in places

wh. re the

FAIRRE DUNS

commanded
flat,

extenfive profpedls.

Where
lefs

the country was more

or

expofed to the flationary places of keep-

ing guard, they ufed the fire-crofs, or Croifi

fArridhy

the
in

flaughter-crofs

for

ARand

]R.ADH,
tke dead
to
lie

Gaelic,

{\gm!kt%Jlaughter',

left in

the field of battle are faid


/.

SAN ARRAICH,
the dead. This
in

e,
is

in the field

amo g
with

name

well

known,
:

but corruptly
this

Englifh entitled Slughorn

fire-brand they ran from one to

another with fuch velocity

through the

country, cslling the people to arms with the

word Sluagb Ghairm


to arms

in their

mouths

(as

above, Slughorn) namely, to


;

call

the people

by

this fpeedy proclamation the

people were inftantly at ihe place of adion,


Croijh Arridhy as above
figure of the fignal,
;

the
lafi:

firft

was the

the

epithet

means

flaughter.

^1/

flaughter, a field of battle;

HUIT N'-GAISGEACH SAN ARRICH, the hero fell


of battle.
the

in the field

This

is

mode of giving
their

fignals all over

the weftern

iiles ;

every town and houfe in

an

ifland

know

own

different places

for burning the blaze, or

making
ifle,

fmoke
to
vifit

when any
main

perfon wifhes to crofs from the


or

land,

any

other

an acquaintance, immediately the people


launch out their boats to bring over the
Granger
;

and one of thefe


in

fire

fignals

have
dif-

been feen

HARRIS,
;

from Skye, a

tance of 24 miles

nay, there
a certain

was a

fignal

of

diftrefs

made on
and was

melancholy oc-

cafion

on the fummit of the high pike of


really faid to

St. Kilda,

have been

feen by fome of the inhabitants of the


Ifle,

Long

but they did not then underftand the

meaning, as the diftance of twenty leagues

was too long


by them
not the
-,

for fignals to receive a paffage


it

nor could
Ifle

have been feen, had

Long

been

flat,

and

in

many

pla-

ces almofl: on a level with the Atlantic.


furprife will

Our
by

be leffened at the method ufed

2l8

our predeceffors to coUedt their forces,

when
and

we
by

find the

fame method

is

ufed at this day

a people nearly in

the fame ftate

degree of natural advantage that our forefathers

were

in,

when

the Princes and peo-

ple

were known by the appellation of FIand

ANS,
their

FIANEACH,
are

or wardens and

guards of the kingdoms.


great caftles

And known

the ruins of
to this time

by

their

names.
and a modern

Tradition afcribes twelve,


writer fourteen towers to

FIANGAEL
at Kilin
;

and report
ir^

fays, that

he was buried
in a

Bread Albin, Perthfhire

word, that
;

appellative

was common

to

many

juft as

thefurnameFERGU, properly
to every king,
differences

fpeaking,

was

or prince, as judge over the

among

the people.

The
Mulin

re.,

ains of a large circular building

called the Black Caftle,

are to

be feen in
a mile of
is

parifh at Erradour within


;

BALLY UK AN

near Miilm

another,

and many more towards Fortingale; but


the mofl complete
is

that

named CAISof

TEAL N-DIU,

at

the foot of the hill

219

ofGRIANAN, orGROUNICH CRUINICH DUN, the gathering hill, or DUN,


being the place of rendezvous
ycre
;

In

the days of

this veftige

lies in

the fafm of

CA-

ISHLY,
There

weft from

MlNGINlSH.

are other caftles out of the line of

the other twelve, and conneded with the

FIANS one of them about five miles eaft of KILIN parifli, above the high road;
;

the other called

BORORA,

about a mile

from

ACHMORE,
ihali

on the fouth of Loch

lay, in the faid parifh *.

We
little,

now

take a wider range for a

in order to

make

it

appear that

this

order of
that the

men

poffefTed

all

Scotland, and

name may,

for any thing

known

to the contrary, have then been

as generally

received

Scots
thefe

is

among the now applied

people,

as

the term

to the defceaidants

of

FIANS. In the flure of Sutherland, we meet with CAIRNNAM FIANN, being now a confufed mafs of immenfe large
ilones, the ruins of large buildings,
lie in

which
miles

the parifh of Dornoch, about

fix

* Camden, by Gqych.
to

2tO

to the wefl of that parifh church. in the parlfh of Rougairt,

And

the fame fhire,

one meets with


about
five miles

CLAISH

NAM FIANN,

north-weft of the church.

CLAISH
and
fo

being a narrow trad: of country,

land,

named in other parts through Scotby way of diftind:ion, from Jirath,


of

this laft being


this
little

much
the

larger extent.

In
the

diftrifl

guardians

of

country were

fettled,

with a chief in their

neighbourhood called

FIANN.
we
/.

From
we meet

the north of Scotland


;

pafs

on

to the fouth

and there,

in

Murray-fhire,
e.

with

FIAN DORN,

FINArid

DORN, CHRIOCHAN,

or the eaft fide of the

GARABH
neceflary

or rough marches.

as this country lies

open to the invaders


it

from the north-weft,


for the chief,

became

who

refided here, to be well

appointed with FI

ANNICH to attend him,


to defend their proper-

when
ties

called

upon

from the
is

enemy.
built

Findorn^ a well
fea-coaft,

known town,
a

on the
is

and

a confiderable traffick

carried on there,

much

iafer

and more profitable profeffion

*21

lion than the trade formerly carried

on by

the inhabitants in that part of the country,

when

the

name was given

to the place.

Near
ftands.
is

fifty

miles north-weft of Aberdeen,

in Bamffhire, the caftle

of FIANLETTIR

This ancient

feat

of the Fiannicb

well

known from
it

the honourable family

to

which

belongs.
it,

This, with the country around

was

occupied by the Fi ans, an armed compa-

ny ready at a
affiftance.

call

when need

required their

We leave Invernefs,
Ihire.

and haften

to Perth-

Then

about two miles north-eall: from

Blair in Athol,
pally refides,

where that duke


pafs a

princi-

we
;

GLEAN FIAN

DALE,

the country

where moft of the

wardens refided
bably lived at

and their chief moft pro-

CAIRN DUBH, now reduto a confufed

ced, like other caftles,

heap

of ftones piled upon one another.

To the eaft of Blair Athol LUD, another of the old


marchers of North Britain.

ftands caftle
feats

of the

The

founder's

name

242

nime was

LODDY,

a man's

name com-

mon
viz.

then as well as in our

own

times,

Lewis, or Lodovic.

Both the Lo-

Ithians

derived their names from a prince of


;

this nation

even London, by Tome fanciis

ful writers,

laid to
-,

have been

fo

termed

from king
is

Ludd

and in Scotland there

Betnn Loddy in Perthfliire, where

mahave

ny

princes of that

name

are

known

to

refided,
ling,

about

fifteen miles

weft of Ster-

in the
hills,

bofom of a femiciccular group


and facing Edinburgh.

of high

URR, ARD, a place fituated on the water of GEARY, about four miles eaft of
Blair,

received this

name from one of the


proteded the coun-

great perfonages
try.,

who

URR, MHOR^and URR, ARD,


power over the highlands
this
is

were, and Hill are, applied to perfons of


exalted rank and

of Scotland

and indeed

the

com-

mon way
marks of

of fpeaking of them with ftrong


refpe^t
:

and very probably from


the

the apex of

CRAIG URR ARD,


arm themfelves

watchman

lighted his firc-fignal to alarm


againft

the whole party, to

the approach in? enemy.

CAIRN

223

CAIRN DEARAG,
lived,

and ESS

DEA-

RAG,at Lannecaftle,wherea great Fian once


and the family
is ilill

upheld by their
Likely enough,*

defcendants, or relatives.
Offian's

DARGO,and other fortifications of


may be met
with, about
;

Fians or Princes

three miles from the houfe of Blair

and

about four miles fouth-eaft from the faid


Blair Athol, lies the

famous

FIAN CAS-

TLE,
try

where a brave defender of that counin

once refided

thofe hoftile times.


fo

Perhaps the reafon of


fettling here about

many wardens
its

Athol and
nearly

vicinity,

arofe

from

its

being

oppofite
fide

to

LOCH ABBER,
nefs of
its

on the weft

of thefe

marches, a place long known for the fierceinhabitants, vrho frequently in-

fefted the rich countries in Perthfhire a-

bout Dunkeld, and even the of Gowrie and Falkirk


;

fertile

Carfes

that thus united

they might be able to f^op the progrefs of


thefe daring invaders,

whofe

fteps

were

always marked with confequences dangerpus to the natives,


properties.

and efpecially

to their

224

Fortingak, rather

FAIRE
:

NAN GAEL,
fettled

watching the highlanders


once eminent for

This place was watchmen, and a ilrong were


a-

body
roimd

of
it.

FIANEACH

At
row

the head of
ftands

Loch Tay,

in a

nar-

valley,

FINLARIG,
known
to

one of the
;

Earl of Broad Albin's principal feats


ftrong caftle, well
to

a very

belong to the

himfelf,

FJANS, and who


its

perhaps to
is iaid

FIAN GAEL

be buried at Kilin,

in

neighbourhood.
the

From

Grampian

Hills

to

Tay
tiful

in

Broad Albin,

the river

Lock Do-

CHART
called

gently glides along through a beau-

highland ftrath of eighteen miles long,

by the name of the

river

both

fides

of

this valley are planted thick


feats,

with gentle-

mens

and large farm villages occupied


;

by the inhabitants

in the

happy neigh-

bourhood of which we meet with

Stratk

Fill AN,
Fi L L A N,

rendered famous in more modern

times, from the wells and waters of Saint

which

vv'cre

believed to have

been impregnated with the virtue of curing


lunatics.

225

lunatics,

by that famous man

the place

i?

on that account
ters

yearly frequented

by peoand

ple to reap the benefit entailed

on thefe wa;

from the year 700

to the prefent

the veftige

of his old monaftery

alfo remains,

and

is

ufed for the fame valuable end with


to contribute to the blelTed pur-

the waters,

pofe of conferring health on the diilrelTed.

But paffing

this,

we mufi remark,

that prior
feats

to this period the names of different


ftill

name of the Fians, as Stra FiAU Lann, where many chiefs under
bear the
that defignation,

accompanied with
kept
ftridt

their

vaffals

and

tenantry

watch

againft the encroachments of the

Glen ur-

CHAY men,
lower
marches,

and thofe

of the upper and

Lorn, on

the weft fide of the rugged

and to

whom

the above

Stra

was always expofed, on account of its being an eafy open thoroughfare to pafs to the low
countries

of Balquidder, Strath of Lanne, and Stirling. In defence of which many fevere battled have been fought, as we are told from tradition,

and even the fongs

left

for pofterity

Q^

tQ

226

t& recite, which might be marked in this


place was
it

neceiTary to eftablifh the fore-

going narrative from the flrength 01 fuch


authority
y

but what ab-eady has been faid

refpedtmg
fatisfy

theFiANGAELs

will,

it is

hoped,

any fenfible reader of the truth of

thefe wardens being

employed

in this

kind

f capacity, without additional ftrength of illuftration to

make

the fubjedt credible, or the

name more
jaear

generally believed to exift.

And
one

the very Dorfum, or ridge of Alabin, in

pafling fouth- weft from


enters

StraFillan,

intoGLENF allach, orGiEN Fi AU


Englifli, the valley

LA0GH,in
ed hero.
or a ftrong

of the alarm-

Such a man

is

called a

Fa war R,.

man on

guard.
pafs that leads

This Fian defended the


nox.
ihire,

towards Lochlomond in the county of LenIn the


parilfe

of Callander, Perth-

isH,
rich

we meet with Glean Fian Glaor rather Fian CHLAisH,a beautiful


inhabited by the marchers,,
protected the low countries of

little valley,

who
teith,

Mon-

and Strath of Lanne from the inroads of

^27

f the

Glenorchay,

or

Balquidder

depredators.

In the adjoining Strath another chief lived


at

hard by

Drip Fian, in Strath Gertnay, it. Drip means a(flive, flirring;


vulgarly called Drepa?:,

and Fian,

the

name of a town. Loch Finn received


fame fource;
vi^hich,

its

name from the


lived,

in

the

neighbourhood of
perhaps

one of the chieftans

at

Arrochar ArrGhoradh, the {laughoppofe the Argylefhire inva


called

ter hollow, to

ders,

Earra Ghaelich,
fouthj

and in

Cowali

further

toward

the

end

of the

Garabh Chriochan,
we
find the caftle of
i?

or rough

marches,

Fin

Nab

Nabi
it is

was, and

flill

is,

the term for a


-,

neighbour through

all

the Ebudse

perhaps

more than probable that this gentleman had a few neighbouring aiiifbants, to whom this familiar term was applied for their aid
in

time of need.

Fian Chruach,
is

orthe

rock of Fian, in the vicinity of Glen ur-

CHAY

in Argylefhire

well

known; and
order

we might

follow the watchers in the fame

0^2

228

order overall the

Wefl

fide

of the

Garafu

Bheans,
cafily

as

we did on

the Eaft^ and could

mention feveral veftiges belonging to

who were feated in their command the peace of the kingdom, by forcing thofe who were violathefe chieftains,

regular order, to

ting

it

into better

manners by a fharp appeal


in cafe

to their broad fvvords,


rate'

more modeit.

and lenient meafures could not infure


fliall

But we

rather pafs by to remark, that

not only the marches between kingdoms


required wardens,

but evert in the heart of


all

the kingdom, and over


that this order of

the

ifles,

we find
the
or

men

prevailed.
hills,

On

the

north
is

of Campfay
called

country adjacent

Fian Tirr,
is

Flntfj, and the very pariOi

fo

named.

This place was infelled by the inhabitants of


Clydefdah and Campfay, and the whole
force of the country

was necellary
famous.

to protecft

their property, efpecially in fheep and cows,


for wliich this country
fhire,
is

In Airanother
is

not

far

from Kilmarnoch^

country named
to

Fianeach,

or Finnic h,

be met with, fouth-wefl from Glafgow.

The

229

TTie

Romans knew thefe inhabitants by the name of AttacotU, corruptedly fo called by them as ufual, inftead of Aiteach Coitaririy
e,

i.

the cultivated country of the

boatmen

for Coit ligniiies a boat,

which

thefe coaf-

ters ufed generally for their

fifhingand naviis

gation

',

the whole of the parifh

known

by FiANEACH,
threatened

a flrong proof that danger


fea,

them by

and by land, and

of courfe a ilrong band of defenders became


neceffary

on the weft
a

coafts, facing the Irifli

rovers and their curracks.in cafe they landed.

There
fhire,

is

Bo Finnan
parifli,

in

DunbartonLanercfhire,

where

the village

was planted by thele


corruptly Carjin\

guards. In
ftands

Bothwell

Caer Fian,
fignifies a
it

Caer
dence,

gentleman's place of refi-

was

fo ufed then,

and

is

fo
is

emto be

ployed at this day. Hard by Muthil

Fian Tullich, and another Fian TuLLiCH in Glenlcadfiagy Comrie parifhj Fin Glassie in Fife, and Cor Stor Fian of Niddry. Fin Gas kin, this laft quality added to Fian reprefents the
found a

human mind with

the idea of a brave hero,

Q^ 3

a very

230

accomplifliment in a man who bordered on a country, and even fhire, inhabited by Fianich all Fifefhire is
a yery needful
j

called

F I Au,

an alarmed country, as

if

the

natives of this rich country

were continually

on

their

watch, to proted their private pro-

perty from the furrounding plunderers,

who

.waited their opportunities to break in upoi;


jhis fertile

garden of North Britain, to ftrip


of every thing valuable,
cattle.

the inhabitants
cfpecially

of their
to

Fife
all

anciently

was fuppofed
ful plains,

comprehend

the beauti:

from the Carfe of Goure

on the

north of the Tay, to Falkirk on the fouth

of the PouU

river,

(ridiculoullly called

dotria) by the admirers of the

BoRomans.
fet

So
ted

much in
FiANs,

proof of the exigence of a


vaflals,

of

gentlemen and
as

who were denomina-,

an agnomen given them by

way of diftindiion from their other names many of which prenomens, from the ruft of
time, and the gradual influence, and corruption of ignorant

and inaccurate fpeakers of

the language, appear

now

in the

mouths of
and

people, clothed in a garb feemingly flrange

231

and

foreign, even to the moil accurate judges

in Gaelic.

But before

this is exemplified,

we muft

obferve that the fame government prevailed

over the w^eftern Hebrides, refpeding the

FiANS, and which


ple.

is

no inconliderable

proof that they were originally the fame peoIn- Harris,


Irivernefs-fhire,

there
in

is

FiANs Bha, commonly known


by Finfbay
;

lifh

Engand between North and

South

Uift, Argylefhire, ftands confpicuous

pointing at both feas, the famous

Craig-

nam Fianichin,
the protedlors

from the apex of which

of that country made their

remarks by looking to the fea to prevent a


furprife.

Loch nam Fian, and Coridh nam

Fian near
Uiji.

Dun

Gainich,
/. e,

Benbecula,

S.

Cor na Fian,

the cauldron,

or

kettle of the wardens.

before
weft.

One inftance or two more in the fouth we enlarge on the ifles and north-

On

the fouth-weft of
i.e.

Lanne

Caftle

we found Drepan,
tion,

the ad:iye Fian.

Drep

or Dripy as above, lignifying adivity, or ac-

on the weft

in

Strath Gertna^ with

0^4

an

232

another in the north hilly country, to give


the alarm to the chief in cafe of danger; and
at this

Lanne, a third great

hill for

burying

the Lannes, have been


that

built,

and called by

nameLANNiBH-EuG, the ^(fWZ/^;z;z^j.


CuiLLURNAN;
/.

There isanotherDuNlRA,nearLochEairn,
called
e.

Cuiljar Fiamiy
to pre-

the v/eft corner v^^atch of Fingal,

vent a furprife by the enemy,

among

the

thick woods around the Chief's houfe at

Dun

Ira.

From

the whole

it

feems cer-

tain, as

Mr. Knox remarks,

that the

whole

country and iilands are


ploits,

filled

with the ex,

and vefliges of Fingal's

fo that not

only one but

many men of
in

this dcfcription

of great heroifm and fplendid achievements


adtually exifted

the highlands at fome

remote

period

of time.

The numerous

remarkable places that go under that name,


is

another flrong corroborating proof; for

v^e find the

name and

veftiges

in

Suther-

land in the heights of the pari{h oi Kildoii'


nan, or
telligent

Dun
is

Fian, as obfcrved by an in-

clergyman
a hilUallcd

from that

country.
or

There

KNOC

FIAN,

Fingal's

233

Fingars Hill; and the people have a proverb, when there is a great falling off from any

man

in his fuccelTors, v^^hether in his fami-

ly or office,

they fay, Offian, the


It
is

laft

of

the heroes.

well

Knox,
ries in

that there are

Mr. many poems and Toknown,


fays

the highlands limilar to that pub-

lifhed in the

name of
Staffa,

Offian.

In the ifland of

there

is

a fpaci-

ous cave of Fingal beautifully defcribed by


Sir

Jofeph Banks and Mr. Pennant.

When

we

afked the name, fay they, our guide


it

told us,

was called the cave of Fiun

Mac

CuiLL, whom the tranilator of Offian's Poems has called Fingal. How fortunate that in this cave

we

fhould meet with


as that ef

the remembrance of that Chief!


the whole
land.

Poem

is

almoft doubted in
in

Engfound,

At Caol Ruiuhy

Sky^

one quarter of a mile broad only from Scotland,

three miles from the

mouth of Locb

Duichy in Rofs-fhire, the ruins of a Cais-

TAL DuNNiN,
Jiillof Fingal,

that
are

is,

DUN

FIAN,
There

the
is

to be feen.

a Dimfiin

234

a Dumiiny
heart

called T^orr

Nawe, near the


where

of Strathern in

Perthfliire,

Fin gals lived, a beautiful large mound like a fhip, with its keel uppermoft ; the Romans ignorantly called
another of the
it

Terra Navis, an earthen fhip

but in

Gaelic,
rial

TORR NAOMBH,

place belonging to the


refided at

buKing or Prince
is

a facred

who
feat

DUN

CRUB,
There

the prefent
is

of the Lord Rollo.


hill

fuch an-

other large

at Invernefs,

where ano-

ther of the heroes refided, called

Tom na
;

Heurach, the Eur AN Aluin,

hill
is

of the young men.


here

a handfome youth

probably the young


the King or chief
Caftle,

men were marihal led by FIAN. Near Lanny


name
;

be-weft Sterling, one meets with

two

places bearing the

one at Orthe watch-

l?mn, i.e.

Airre Bo Fian,
in

town of Fingal,
chieftain's houfes.

the braes

above the

Nay, another ftrong mark


rate

to corrobo-

what was hinted above, that the


and on the north-eaft
in

in-

habitants were the fame with thofe over


all

Scotland

-,

par-

ticular,

we

faw that not only fmgular bays


and

235

and

towns

are

named by

the
in

epithet
different

FIANS,

but whole diftrids

places evidently bear the

names of the peothe inhabitants of


Hill

ple there, though none of the vulgar natives


ti-efe

can account

for

tremendous ruins

Angularly at-

tradin^:^

in Sky,

we meet with Baill Nain,

i.e,

Bally-nam FiANMi
fefides.

where a gentleman

The ma ny large BARPiANsin that


iile

beautiful rich

ftrongly

mark
all

their exift-

cnce in that country.

The Bar PI ANNS


huddled

over

Harris and

Liewes are immenfe large C^Jms of ftones

and

blended

together

into

the

greateft malTes

of conf^fion, and feem to

have been originally dwelling-houfes, and


pofTefljed

by the Fians
in

I fay,

thefe are to
in

be met with
adjacent

many

places

thofe and
Hellifini/h,

ifles,

particularly

at

on the main land of Harris, and


ifland of Scaipay,

in the

and others, thefe huge

Cairns are numerous.


liflmijh

Thofe above Helin the

have been regularly built

form

of a large fquare,

comprehending

fome
acres

^3^

acres

of ground in the middle, perhaps


their cattle fecure in

with a view to keep


Says Mafcow,

the night from the neighbouring thieves.

among

the ancient Scythians,


all

the flocks and herds, after grazing

day in

the open

fields

and paflures,

retire,

on the

approach of night, within the protedtion of


the camp, which confifted of wooden houfes

of the princes, which were carried about


in their emigrations

on carriages by twenty

or thirty horfes and oxen, juft as the

Barin the

pins that flood regularly fecured their flocks


in fquare fpots in the centre.
ifle

And

of Scalpay, or Glafs, fome of the

Bar-

PIANS
tire,

are to be fcen to this day almofl; inere(ft

{landing quite

in the

middle of

other vafl confufions of ruined ones.

And

one of the Englifh Gentlemen, a Mr. Haw-^


kins

Brown,

who was

fent

to

mark out
did viflt

proper llations for

fliliing villages,

thefe old eredlicns on the fpot, and can bear

witnefs to this afiertion.


particular

This gentleman

in

made

the

Author fland within

Barpt AN

houfe, and he exprefl'ed his utter


afloniflimenr

237 the

aftonifliment

at

uncommon

fight

of

ruins heaped together in fuch great maiTes.


'

Thofe

ruins have occalioned

much

fpecu-

'lation
lity

among

antiquarians, and the diveris

of opinions,

equalled only by the un-

certainty of individual conjedures

on that

head.

Various are the opinions, fays Dr.

Macpherfon, of the learned concerning the


intention

of thefe Cairns,

and concerning

the people, by which they were ereitcd

fome
the

will

have them trophies to perpetuate


llain in battle, others

memory of heroes
the

that they v/ere eredted in

honour of Mer;

cury,

protestor of travellers

others

fancy they were the feats of judicatures for

the old Britons

and others fancy they were

eminences on which kings flood after they

were eled:ed,
.

fo as to exhibit themfelves to

the multitude.

One

or tv/o critics think

they were boundaries which divided

the

eftateofone great

man from
which

another

and

many have thought

they were intended only


laft

for burial places, to

opinion the

Dr. himfelf fubfcribes, becaufe fepulchral


urns were found in fome of them.

This
indeed

238

indeed

may be

true refpedting a few, but

not applicable to luch immenfe numbers of

them

as are to
5

be met with contiguous to


it

each other

and as

were regularly formed

like fquares of built houfes, fitted out for the

refidence of living inhabitants; differing in


lize,

greater

and fmaller,

according

to

the quality of the inhabitants;

and even in
feveral

Skye fomeof thefe rude buildings are


hundred
feet in circumference, a fmaller appearance,

others have

had hut

perhaps four

or five large flones eredted before the face of


a hollow rock, like a fmall cottage in parifon to the

com;

more magnificent ones


;

and

they were certainly dwelling-houfes


thelefs,

never-

burnt bones and afhes might be found


it

on

floors,

being no ways uncommon at this

day to burn the bones of fheep and cows,

and

fufFer

them

to remain there for half year^

and upwards,

5cc.
all

They were
fome thing

built in

circular forms,

like cones or fugar-loaves

each,

broad at the bafe, and gradually inclining

towards a point

and the fummit of each of

which feems

to have been covered

with a

large ilcne to keep the ftrudturt firm.

And
thofe

239

>

thole large ftones are

ftill

to be fccn reftit

ing

on

the

top

of each Barpian, as

crumbles into ruins through old age.

Mounds of

earth have been piled


;

up ahea-

round thefe ftone buildings


kept pace with the other.

and the one


their

Thus

vy ftones were rolled up on the out- fide

mound, and gently placed on the wall fronx


thence, as
it

advanced

in height,

until the

whole was brought


vy ftone.
In

into a point,

and coverbulky hea-

ed, as already mentioned,

by

many

places,

thefe houfes

appear at prefent like great ruins funk

down
;

within a
that

hill in grofs

confufed heaps

{o

when
i

the
in a

houfes were (landing, the

inhabitants,

manner, burrowed under


grafs,

ground
fide

and the green

on the out-

of the mound, ferved for thatch t

keep the dwelling-houfes dry from raindrops in wet weather.

And

it is

not improbable,

but the whole


Ifles,

inhabitants of Scotland

and the

in

thefe warlike days of hunting, attending,

and herding of cattk, before husbandry was


thought
of,

were

called

by the general name


of

HO
on the

of FI ANNS
called
their

as.

In after ages, they


eail:

were
from
the

PEICHS,
new
;

fide,

imployment of farming
illes,

ground

and in the weft

SCOTSH',

from
ing
is

their Sails ,
bufinefs.

or Scode, and fea-fairThat this was the cafe

pretty clear from

many
:

old adages In

Gaelic,

where the
ftrongly

idea of

war and hunte.

ing

is

marked

g.

N-Roimb
purfuit,

u San 72-Feinn ?

Was
?

you in the

or jeopardy to-day
I

was

in a

meeting, or

Bha me Jan Feinn i in an enterprize, &c*

And

a man's going to the

FEINN
as

is ftill

underftood to ing on a

be

the

fame,

his go-

very dangerous expedition.


is

To
as is

this day that idea

ftrong

among

the vul-

gar,

and exprefled

in their old fongs,

well

known

to almoft every highlander

who

{peaks the language.

We

now

return to perform the promifc

of adducing one example out of numberlefs


inftances that

might be condefcended upon,


in the

where the Gaelic


norant has

mouths of the
fpirit ot

ig-

affumed an

antiquated garb,
that lan-

nowife fuitable to the

guage.

241

guage.
on,

The

inftance

condefcended upis

for the fatisfad:ion of the reader,

that of

OSSIAN, which

has occafioned no
raifed ill-hu-,

fmall wrangling,

and even

mour, among the learned of late


this

and yet

mighty word, when ftripped of it^ foand the myftery


then

reign drefs, will appear evident to the intelligent reader;


fliall

appear nowife uncommon, or


underftood.

difficult to

bp

Then,
John.

this

name

is

compounded of

two words,
to another,

OS or AISH, and JANN or When one man addreffes his fpeech


he always
ufes the interjedlion

Os
is

as,

OS

JANN
to
fo

hearkye, John

(it

equivalent
-,)

the

Latin

hearkye

and

to all other
this

word heus, names of


is

men and ^omen


joined.

interje<flion

ad^

But

in this particular

word un^

der conlideration,

AISH
it

is

applied, and

not OS, becaufe

implies a refledtion of

things paft, or a prefentiment of futurity.

Thus,
of

AISH-JANN

means the reflexions

John ; when John, or the bard, in compofmg his poem, looks back on things that

pafre4

242

pafled ages before his time, or anticipates

circumftances that were to follow in aftertirries.

Offian fays, in his

ter the

mofs of time

fhall

grow on

Temora, AfTemobard of an-.-

ra,
cieht

thoii wilt endure, fays the

days,
It is

when

refleding back on old

times.

not certain, fays


refei-s to
j

Mr. Smith,
it

what bard OiTian

furely

was in

remote ages even then.

It is nevertheleft

a proof that poetry, in the days of Offian,

was by no ni^ans

in its infancy.

And fome
this asra
fian

have imagined that great nurn-

bers of Gaelic tales were well

known

before

of

verfe,

and to fome of thefe Ofa

might allude with

melancholy kind

of pleafure, when compofing his

own poems
belides,

by way of amufement in his old age;


the

word

S/jcan

'aijl\

old way,

or old fa-

fhion, is the

common mode

of expreflion,
health in any

when

enquiring after one's

part of the highlands of Scotland; Cinnas ata

n*Dune ud rCdiu f
day
?

How does that' man


is,

do to
in the

the

anfvver

Sa'n tean aijhy

old way, old ufe and want,

&c.
been

And

the two words, Aijh Janjiy have

243

been time immemorial Co firmly united by


corruption,
that even a judge of that lanfo

guage feldom thinks of parting them,

that they pafs under the idea of one limple


root,

though nothing

is

more

inconliflent

with the idiom of that tongue.

The inhabitants on the weft fide o Dorfum Alabin value themfelves on their being
Gaels,

efteeming
Gaill,

it

more honourable
the epithet

name than
the eaft
their
fide,

or Goiillibhy

ufually given

by them,
cheeks,

to the inhabitants of

arifmg, as they imagine from

which they fuppofe them more eminently polTefTed of, than the more pleafant Gaels, who are naturally
fulky
fprightly in their

manner and appearance


to conjedlure,

hence we are

left

whether

Fian G^f/ was, or was not, a native of the


weft fide of the Garabh Bheantibh, the

com-

mon

marches, and the anceftor of the


this

Dougaels,
Dhiiil^

hero being named Fian

Mac Mac

by way of diftindion from others of

the Fian Gaels, fo frequent to be


in all other parts

met with
Fian Gael

of Scotland

as

was the fon of Dougal, or Mac Dhuil, the

grand

244

grandfather of Offian, the author of the in-

comparable poem,
rather, if
it

fo inimitably

famous

or

was not

for certain a

common

appellative ufed both in the eaft


as

and the weft,

remarked above.

With
Dr.

regard to the authenticity of that


fo

performance,
Blair,

much

has been

faid
its

by
fa-

Mr. Smith, and


it

others, in
infult

vour, that

would be an

on mens

judgment
internal,

to litigate

on that head, feeing the


evidences
are
fo

and external

ftrongly
its

marked with

fatisfad:ory truths

of

being genuine, that no competent judge


ever attempt to

will

reprobate

it ;

and

to anfwer the cavils of fceptics,

ignorant of

that language and

its

merit,

would be equal-

ly foolifh as fruitlefs.
Sir

Adolphus Oughton,

fays

Mr. Bofwell,

our Deputy

Commander in
I

Chief,

who was

not only an excellent

officer,

but one of the

moftuniverfal fcholars
learned the Erfe
his
belief in the
i

ever knew, had

language,

and expreifed

authenticity of Offian's

poems

but as Dr. Johnfon took the oppoof that perplexed queftion againft

fite fide

Mr.

245

Mr M'Queen
Edinburgh.

in Sky,

fo

did he

alfo at

To prevent

a difpute

however.

Sir

A. O.

who had a charming

fweet temper, changed

the difcourfe, as he found the Dr. would per-

haps exceed the ordinary bounds of good

manners before he would give up a favourite


topic, in the
fiipport

of which he had de;

clared himfelf deeply interefted

and a rootcan hardly


;

ed prejudice once entertained,

be got out by the knowing and learned

this

feems to have been the Do(5tor's cafe in an

eminent degree, for he would rather allow


the merit of that performance to
fall to

the

fhare of Mr. Macpherfon, tho' averfe to that

gentleman's fame, rather than that fuch a

poem

could becompofed in a country againfl which he had declared himfelf openly.

The poems,

fays

Mr. Smith, which this


were certainly
in

gentleman, meaning Mr. Macpherfon, gathered from oral tradition,

no other than thofe commonly repeated

the country, and in the manufcript he got

from Mr. McDonald

in Croidart, out

of the

heabher Dearag^ or red book, together with

thofc

246

thofe he ^ot from the Bardy

Mac Vurkhy where the records of Clanronald's family had


been kept for nges back;
the

poems were

only more poUfhed and better preferved in


the majiufcripts than in the mouths of the
vulgar.

To

this

man's fentiments the author fub-

(cribes^ h^-ving

had frequent accefs of hearing

great pieces of

them

repeated, and

was well

acquainted with John M^Leod, a native of


Harris, and a vciy aged man of 93 years and ypwards, who could entertain an houfe full

of hearers

for ten days or

a fortnight,
old,

with

thefe and other

poems equally

and fome

of t'-em feemingly of more ancient date. ^^ And for this piece of agreeable and inno-t
fenfive entertainment,

he was acceptable

company wherever he
night,

lodged, and generally

well attended with crouds of all ranks every

who

iiflened

with pleafure to his


that

agreeable mufe.

And

fon had merit in placing the different

Mr. Macphercomhis tranf-

ponent parts in the form he offered


lation to the public,
is

a truth fo generally

acknowledged,

^f7

acknowledged,,

.ithat

few impartial judges


..

will venture to deny

it.

,,^^^

The
detail

autlipr bpwe.vfr,
tt^efe

never did hear


tfie

tlie

ivhole of
in

ppems.in

fame compjet^

Gaelic,

e^^cept

only .in ,feperate

rhapfodies,

and each- of

whipii. appeared to
.-..[

be a finifhed piece.
After thus difcoyering wer?,

who

the

F IAIN'S
to
it is

and why, the agnomen, was applied

theni by

way of

dignity,

the reader,

hoped, will hardly helitate to allow, that

eapb of thefe great perfonages would hav<?


their bards to ftimulate their
tle in

men

to the bat-

time of .trial,

as well as to record re-

gularly the

mighty achievements of

their

princcs's families,

who employed them


would
b.^^

in

his fervice.
ufeful

In r^ard, the want of thel^

domefties,

^lapiqg the
.

great chiefs

who were
different

the bulwark of their

nation on an inferior level, to, their fucceiTors,

though under
tribes,
literally
ly,

names,

-j^s

heads of

or clans, yet their

whole

office

was

the fame with that

ofFmns, name-

to

proted their people and country frooi

the iniults of depredators.

Speaking

H^

Speaking of Fmgal, Gibbon writes, that


this hero's death perhaps,

might anfwer
aera,

to

the 2o8th year of the Chriftian


that hero
is

when

faid to

have given battle to the

fon of the king of the world, Cargtd, agreeable to his fame,


bard,
garb,
as

handed down by the


in

and

lately revived

an

Englifh

when

Fingal'is faid to have

commanon the

ded the Caledonians at that memorable battle

where he obtained a

fignal vidlory

banks of the Carron near Falkirk, where


the fon of the king of the world, Cargui,

was defeated from


of pride.

his arms,

after

he had
fields

eluded the power of Severus along the

Something, fays
doubtful mift
traditions,
ftill

Mr. Gibbon,

like

hangs over thofe highland


it

nor can

be entirely difpelled by

the

moil ingenuous refearches of modern


but
if

criticifm;

we

could with fafety in-

dulge the pleafing fuppofition, that Fingall


lived,

and Offian fung, the ftriking contraft


fituation,

of the

and manners of the conten-

ding nations might amufe a philofopher's

mind.

The

249

The

parallel

would not be
civilized

to the advaii--

tage of the

more

people

if

we

compare the unrelenting revenge of Severus


with the generous clemency of
the tendernefs,
-,

F?>z^^//; the

timid and brutal cruelty of Caracalla with


the bravery,
the elegant

genius of Offian

the mercenary chiefs

who
'

ferved under the Imperial ftandard, from motives of fear, or intereft, with the free-

born warriors

who

ftarted
;

to

arms

at the

voice of the king oi Morven

if,

in a word,

we

contemplated the untutored Caledonians,

glowing with the

warm

virtues of nature,

and the degenerated Romans, polluted with


the

mean

vices of wealth

and

flavery

-,

it is

then fincerely wifhed and hoped that the ac-

count given of thefe heroes may, and will

throw fome

fatisfadory light on the fubjedt

of the Fians, and difpel the mift which

prevented that elegant hiftorian, as well as

many

others,

from yielding

a hearty affent to

this feemingly myftical truth.

What

a pity

but fuch learned gentlemen were well acquainted with the Gaelic, fo as to reprefent
the fubjedt in a

more mafterly manner

before

the

250

the eye

of the impartial pubHc, thaa the


to.!

author can pretend


certain that

In

.that,

cafe

it

is

Mr. Gibbon's -doubts would not


fatisfy-

only be removed, but his mafherly defcrjption

would

others that. Fingal lived,


that the Scots then, as

and OJjian fung,


they
flill

4nd

do

at this day,, deferved a betteir

eja^fader both for humanity and

the n)ore
ma,^-!.

tender
Piprs

ferclings

of compaffion and good


gervtleman

than

the

who

gave

rifp

to -the preceeding animadverfioii on theif

manners, was pleafed to give them.

The

opinion oi

Mr. Hugo Arnot,


is

in

his Hiilory of Edinburgh,

when fpeakingof
thati

piilan, and his poems,


that of Mr. Gibbon.

more decided

To rejed,

fays that aui

thQr> the

poems of Offian, we apprehend


-,

i^pQlEble, fo ftrongisthe imprcffion


^k$mit fuch dignified fentiments,
rity _ of

ye^ t9

fuch puprevailed

manners,

as

have

not

generally arnong the moil unpoliflied nations


in the earlieft
fociety,

and moft

illiterate

ftages of

and which an obfervation of its prous,

grefs has enabled

to form>

is

equally diffi-

cult to account for:

Had

2,51

Had this gentleman's r-efearehea,


led

how^ver>

him

to enquire farther

back

info; thie re^l

hiftor)^ of th.fe people ih more remote ages, he would have found out the fecret of their being moVe learned zn^ poiiilicd, long befojje fheaeram which Fingal live and Offian

Tung; and alfo that the progrefs of civilization of manners in thefe, later ages

was

on the decline then,


the faint traces of
it

from what appears. in


handed dov/n by the
^

learned to our times


fian,

fo that

the age of Ofairp

refined as their

manuers then

al-

lowed to have been, was not


comparatively fpeaking modern.
pity that

early,

but
a

What

Mr. A.

did not produce

fome eviof

dence to convince us of
theirs
j

this ignorance

for fure

enough the poems and other

fragments handed

down by

poflerity, difplay

both tafle and learning, even though theymuft

have fuifered confiderably from the ignorance of thofe


his, to

who handed them down from

our times, and the writings compofed

by men of letters, have not furvived the deilrujctive

hand of time, from the more dark


for us to

remote ages

examine

their

merits;

252
is

rits i

yet this lofs


lefs

no proof of

ignoraiicc,

much

of fuch marks of Hterature hot

having once exifted, (and the contrary has

been made
authors,

to

appear from the teftimony of


to the Celtic lan-

though Grangers

guage

3)

but the real defign of Mr. Arnot in


its

fpeaking of their ignorance appears in


full ftrength

from the fevere attack made on


to the

the religion of the prefent times, by giving

a preference

Druidical over that of

the Chriftian religion.

When fpeaking of a
dawn of
arts,

people fo pure, fo honourable amidH their


ignorance, he fays,
that the

of learning, and of the Chriftian


cy into grofs barbarifm
that Chriflianity with
its

religion,

fhould be accompanied with their degenerais

aflonifhing,

and

introdudlion Ihould

confirm by example the truth of the dodlrine


it

inculcates, namely, that a tafte for

knowdiffi-

ledge expels from a ftate of paradife.

We
culties

fliall

not attempt to reconcile


fophiftical

by

reafoning,

but will

rather reft

under the mortifying acknowthat altho' the fad undoubt-

ledgement,

edly fo ftands,

we

cannot fatisfadorily ac-

count

^52
a

count for
I

it.

Here is
faid,

mofl unguarded, and,

had almoft

unmannerly wound, deits

lignedly given to religion and


as if
it

profelTors,

had been calculated

for the ignorant

only, and that learning

would

difqualify

men

from the enjoyments which are believed to follow as a reward arifing from the laborious
refearches of the
their endeavours

more

learned,

to

crown

in fearch

of the truth with

the

happy

fruits

promifed them for their

pious endeavours.

An

outrage this,

com-

mitted without even the appearance of probability or truth,


did;s

and

fo grofs that it

contra-

known

experience,

and a ilrong proof


exprefs

that the heart of the

man who could


ftript

himfelf in fuch terms, was


tal feelings

of the vi-

of religion himfelf, and wiihed

to

impofe his

own lucubrations on
oppofite
-to

the world

as generally allowed flandards

of truth, tho'
is

nothing
well

is

more

fads, as

too

known from

the practice and converfa-

tion of the truly learned,

who, through
are

their

fuperior knowledge, are generally the moft


pious, the

more learned they


a

this

was

die cafe with

Newton, a ^oyle, anda


Milton^

254

Milton

and fuch

who

are,

and have been

truly learned,

are of courfe the nearer to a


;

ilate of paradife

while,

on the contrary,

fmatterers
all

and pretenders to learning have

along endeavoured to laugh religion out

of the world, and expofe to ridicule the fincere profefTors of the divine truths,
their

while

own pra(5lice

has rendered

them objed:s
not

of compafiion,
altered,

and

if their progrefs is

they are marching on

towards a

different fiage paradife.

from the

fo

much

wifhed for

The

manners, continues he,

as reprefen-

ted by Offian are fo generally

known

that to

defcribe

them would be

fuperfluous,

nor

indeed could juftice be done to them in an

abridgement.
talTc to

To

us

is

left

the ungracious^

in a

mark how widely fucceeding ages, more advanced ftage of foeietyj deviated
virtues

from the

of their anceftors,

from

what has been

already remarked, refpefting

the learning, with the politenefs

and elo-

quence, faid to have been employed by


baris, the

Arch Druid, of the

Hies of the

AHy-

perboredks,

when

at

Athens and other polifhed

^55

'iilhed

parts of Greece, as far baclc as the-

time of Pythagoras,
rieaders

Any

of Mr. Arnold's
fatisfied,

may be

fufficiently

that

learning in the

more modern ages of Offian

and other contemporary bards was by

much

on the
days
;

decline,

from what

it

was in former

however much the refined manners

of that prince

may have

excelled the

more

forbidding ferocity of fucceeding generations

which continued
more,
until they

to degenerate more and were funk into abfolute

barbarifm and favage tyranny. ThSn, by degrees, the chains of the feudal fyftem

were

broke, and the ferocity of their difpofitiorts

began to recover
manners, which,
juftly celebrated.

its

primitive elegance of

in the days

of Offian, are fb

Thus,
th'e

for

any thing known to the contrary,

progrefs of manners have repeatedly had,

and
full

may

again as often have


its

its
is

infancy,

its

growth, and

decline, as

well

known
planted
rafli

to have been the cafe lince the times that

Britain with

its iiles

have been
it

firifl:

with inhabitants.

And

would be

to

conclude that thefe early ages have had no


writings

256

writings

of their

among their learned, becaufe none monuments have furvived the rava-

ges of time to convince pofterity


juftly their

how un3

memories have been branded


for

with unmerited obloquy and ignorance


certainly thofe

who

received,

and could read

letters written in

Greek,

fix centuries before

the Chriftian ^ra, could alfo write and re-

mit anfwers

in the

fame

ftyle

and language.

And he muft be
ried

a novice in hiftory

who has
car-

not read, that trade and

commerce were

on between the Phoenicians and inhaof the


Britifli ifles

bitants

long before even


that traffick
is

the Grecians heard or


to begin
it

knew of
;

themfelves

and

it

believed

that the old T'elafgi had been in pofTeffion

of that trade

Ions;

before the ancient Phceni-

cians themfelves found out the fecret.

Upon

the

lliorteft

refiedion therefore the

learned reader will at once admit, that the


inhabitants of Britain, and of
its ifles,

could

not tranfad bufmefs with

thefe

different

people, without the neceifary accomplifh-

ments

ufually
to

employed by others
bufmefs,

who

have

been bred

whether

in the

mec-

cantile

^57

cantile or military line of life.

To

upbraid
in

them with ignorance and want of letters

thofe early times, and that in defiance to the

moft refined politenefs of manners, cannot


hut aifed: the tender feelings of any confidering mind,

and no fmail

reflection

on our

own modern
pafs

grofs conceptions
railily

when we
a people,

judgement too
qualities
if

upon

whofe
equal,

appear,

upon

trial,

to

be

not far fuperior to thofe of our


it is

own. And when


C^efar,

conndered
loft lince

how many
the time of
to

manufcripts have been

which were then known


but

have

exifted,

now

not to be recovered, yes,


bslides

even

in

Britain,

other countries

our admiration (liould ceafe from the moll


diftant

thought or expectation of writings

that could not, from the nature of things, but


fall

into ruin ages prior to the above period;

and yet from the agreeable remains of their


fweetnefs of manners,
tradition
as

we

learn

from

and their fongs, which have reached


if

our times,

we judge ofthefeas
refufe

of others,

from analogy, we cannot


S

them when
polfeiTed

258

poiTefled

of fuch accomplilliments

as

have

ftruck us with aftonifhment, to have alfo

enjoyed the art o committing their words

and adlions
others.

to writing

for

the benefit of

But Mr. P. charges the Celts with an unpardonable offence, as they were and are
fo fond
ftill
in:

of Clans.

What

is

praife-worthy

others, heaffirms to be almof! criminal in

au

highlander

whether

in the right or

wrong,

thefe Celtic cattle

muft be held always in


cafe, the

the wrong.

That being the


to

author experts

be forgiven

for illufErating this

tremen-

dous piece of imaginary pride in them, and


fo ftrenuoullly

adhered to for ages


C/cm
is

paft.

Then this word common expreffioo


on
trial were,,

the literal and

ufed for children,

who

and will be found to have been


J.

nothin2: elfe but the offspring of the inhaO o


bitants of the eafl fide

of Scotland, that
firfi:

being the place where the

inhabitants

on entering that

iiland fettled their refidence^

And when a

prince found his eftatc over-burvafials

dened with his

and tenantry, he wouldy

259

would, as

is

moft natural,

turn his atten-

tion to fettle a colony of

them

in the

wefl

of Scotland, and afterwards


plant

as they increafed
ifles,

more of them
his

in

the oppofite

being then vacant, and more immediately

under

own

eye and protedion, in cafe

they ftood in need of his aid.

Mofl
tives.

fenfible

writers

the opinion that the

were almoft of two people were relawriter, of the

Old Caxton, an English


century,

fourteenth

when fpeaking of

the

Picts and Scots, in the times of the


fays,

Romans,

that thefe people differed only in their

manners,

the

laft

being more deep and art-

ful than the former,

but agreed in clothing,


of fliedding blood
;

and

faith,

and

in courtefy

they covered their privy

members with beer


;

rather than with clothing

this

exaggerated

account meets with

the fupport of Gildas

and Bede refpeding the inhabitants of North


Britain, a circumftance

which

plainly indi-

cates their affinity to each then.

And

if

we

take a retrofped:ive view of their manners


further back through the dark ages of antiquity,

the

greater

will their

conformity

S 2

with

260

with each other appear,

till

by tracing

or.T

generation after another in thefe niore re-

mote
tions

tinies,

the

higheft and

iirft

emigra-

among

the different tribes, would be


to

literally

found

have ftepped forth from

the

firfl:

fettlers

on the

eaft fide of

North

Britain,

as jufl:

now

remarked.
is

The

Caledonians would, as

mofl na-

turaly fettle tlieir fnft colonies in their

own
their

neighbourhood, and enlarge their boundaries

to

the

wpfl in
j

proportion

to

llrength and increafe


greflion

and by gradual proto

remove farther from their fathers


with new inhabitants

Aipply the uncultivated wefl coafts and nu-

merous

illes

and not-

withftanding the dillant ages,

the language

and drefs of both nations continUie


fime,
the
as

much

the

Caxton writes of diem

in

times of

Romans.
hi-,

Thither he fent

own

fon. called

M^c,

and the children of

his vaflals

and tenants,

called Clartn, to fettle in thefe uninhabited


places,
in

accompanied with a flock of cattle,


;

proportion to their different ranks


fct

and

by followine the example

before

them
by

26l

t>y

their

parents,

they would

foon

be

in a

condition to
lail as to
little

make

a livelioohd, and
to

multiply lb
felves

bs able

defend them-

with

more
this

airiftance

from

their
fol-

patents.

That
thofe
it is
llill

was the mode


is

lowed
bable,

in

early times

not only pro-

but

alm.oft certain,

from

a fimi-

lar practice

in ufe in the weflern

Hebri-

des,

among

the vailals and tenantry


ifles.

who

inhabit thefe

As an
.o'blerve,

additional proof of this, that

I will firft

gentlemen and rich


are fettled in the
bell:

leafe-

holders,

who
fide,

parts

on

the coafi

generally plant the coaft fide

oppoiite to their

own

farms with favourites,

or tenants, and every fuch farm comprehends


die whole mtermediate tradlof country,

whe-

ther hills or plains; and the narroweft of thefe


illes is

about

five

computed,

or feven and a

half miles of Englilh meafure long, and

many
be

of them

much more

extenfive,

as m.ay

known from the maps and geography of the Long Illand. Thefe cottagers, or lefser

tenantry, are planted


coaft

at

prefent along
royal foreil in

the extenfive

of the
S
3

Harris

262

Harris, and called the back


thefe wilds.

fettlements of

And
diflrids

this

mode of

planting uninhabited
rational pracit is

was not only the moft


ufed in Scotland,

tice firft

but

almoft

clear to a demonflration, that a prince,

who

was

poffefled of a certain

tradt

of lands on

the eafl of Alabiriy was in like


prietor of the hills

manner proadjoining,
fide,

and

forefts

even to the oppolite fhores on the weft

and alfo of the contiguous


as thefe alfo lay
ftate,

ifles in

proportion,
to his

more convenient
diftance;

e-

than they did to that of any other feta greater

tled at

and doubtlefs
the remote

when any one encroached on


the

parts of another man's property,

war was

confequence

and

the appeal for the

real right

was

at laft

made

to

the longeft

fword, which ultimately put an end to their


differences

and feuds.
as

To
of the

thefe,

remarked above, the fon of


with the children or Clans

the chieftain,
vaffals

and lower tenantry was fent

-,

and thefe were naturally fupported by


parents from the eaft with
all

their

their ftrength, in

(.

263

in cafe Grangers

began

to infult

them from

remote quarters.
the highlands and
likely,

This mode of planting


illes,
is

not only the moll

but the ufual manner pradiifed at

this

day in thofe places which are as yet


flate

next to a

of nature.

We may in a manthe rule of their

ner infer that the ancient cuftom of the


original inhabitants
is

made

actions in

many other
probable,
to

particulars.

Nor
young

is it

that ftrangers

would

be permitted

force themfelves

on thefe

colonies then,

more than

at prefent.

Then when we
Irifli

read of Dalriads,

Tua

de

DannanSy nam.es without


fouth of Argylefhire, the

meaning,

and

Scotch, fixing their relidence in the

moft

fertile fpot

of the weft highlands,


queftion the
thefe

we mayjuftly
-,

call in

authenticity of the hiflory of


fettlers

imaginary

more

efpecially

about the year 503 of the ChilHan a?ra, when the pofterity of the iflanders and highlanders had fo effedually feated themfelves,

and were become

fo numerous that room, was wanting for their comfortable living to-

gether over

all

the weft of Scotland

info-

much

264

much that they had almofl

proved too

many

for the very Pidts on the eafl,

and had ex-

erted their ftrength to drive out thefc inhahitants,


to plant

fome of their own numbers


is

in their fhead, as
trial

too well

known from

the

made, when Fergus the Second, with


impofhble that the
to give

the Scotch, was expelled the whole kingdom.

Now
are here

it is

Irifh Scots

meant

battle to the Pids,

becaufe, according to

Mr.

Baxter's account
fo

of thefe, their numbers wei-e


to

few

as hardly

be known, and as Ravenant the

monk
as not

relates

of them, they were fo obfcure


till

to be

known

after the feventh century.

^deo

obfcuri nominis ntjamfeptimo^ exeunt


aiit

fecula V el ignoti flierant,

negletii.

On

the contrary, Ireland was peopled from Scotland,

and

this in

a great meafure appears

from

their patronimicks.

As the

illanders

and highlanders are called Macs and Clannsy


fo the Iriih chiefs are

commonly named
eaft

0/,

or grand-children, as if the fecond colonies


fent

by the inhabitants of the

and weft
fettle-

of Scotland wei-e fent thither


oients there, as the

to

make

Macs were

at firft fent

=6;

to the iiles.
ne/sf

Thus we meet with O'DonG'Harras,


O^'KcanSy

O'Neahy

and
or

numberlefs others named after the founders

of thefe names.
grandfons,
at prefent,

On

the fubjed: of

Oj-,

we do

not intend to

infift

more

nor delire any one to embrace a

conjedlure,

however
it,

plaufible,

without au-

thority to enforce

only

we

leave the fen-

fiblc reader to judge for himfelf.

This

is

cer-

tain,

however, that the Earl of Antrim's

progenitors
land at a

went pver from the weft of Scot-

the

much later period, and retained name of Mac Donnely which is flill
in the family to this day.
it

kept up

Be

that as

will,

we may
Macs and

appeal to the

fenfible reader,

whether thefe tender and


of
Clans y

endearing terms

ufed

among
ral,

the highlanders, are taken in a natuor political fenfe


;

religious,

I fay, let

the tender feelings of every unprejudiced

perfon be confulted,
their fpeech
is

and anfwer whether

not highly prudent and praife-

worthy, fuppofmg that their chief addrefles


thefe lower orders as
his dearefl children,

like

266

like

parents, or as kings,

who are
of view.

fathers
to the

of

their people,

and nuriing fathers

church

Can Mr. P. himfelf devife a more endearing tyc by which a prince could fix the whole of
in a religious point
trial

his fubjedls firm in his interefl in the day of

and battle

Could any mode be

fallen

upon more eifedual


in the hearts

to eftablifh his throne


?

of his people

Let Mr. P. anor with

fwer or confute

this truth if he can,

a blufh confefs that his violence had led

him

into an error in fpeaking fo unguardedly of

a wife and brave people.

There

is

a vicious fingular animal of this

defcription,

who

has made a kind of

live-

lihood for years,

partly by impofition, and

moflly by entertaining the publick with


lignant effuiions of his

maat

own

invention,

the expence of charadersof worth and learning, efpecially if they are unfortunately of
this intermeddling

bufy body's acquaintance,


is

and among others Mr. P. himfelf


have
alfo
felt

faid to

his
this

fatire.

People are not

certain

whether

Proteus

may not be

the

fuppofed author of a book entitled Dr. Antipudingaria,

--^1

pudingaria,

and

to

be

feeii in

the Britiih
is

Mufeum; but Dr.


attack a

Antipudingaria
as

lefs

manly than Mr. P. inafmuch

he dares not

man under

his

but like the monfler,


ilreets

own proper name, who lately infefted the

of London,
as

by tabbing defencelefs

women
tion
'y

they pailed along, and fecretly

rejoiced in this fuccesful


fo, in like

mode of afTafiinaDr. Antipudin-

manner,

this

garia fecurely aiTaffinates the reputations

and

tarnifhes the learning too of his acquaintances,


efpecially if men of merit. In his ufjal crafty

manner he

addreiles the publick in the third

perfon lingular, or in the plural number.

This mode he
of take
general
in,

is

known to

follow by

way

that the reader

may

think the

voice

fpeaks the

fame language,
forth thro*

which he thus fulfomely belches


his

own malignant
r,

throat, into

fome magaeffecfts

zine or newfpaper
his poifon are not

however, the

of

now lb

deadly as he coidd

wilh,

feeing that his real fpleen and defign

are pretty generally

known among
many of

the diffatirical

cerning readers
refledion
is

and the moment a

uttered abroad^

the readers,

268

dcvs at leafl enquire whether Dr. Antipudin^


garia has any
tions
;

hand

in

fuch and fuch publica-

if

anfwered in the affirmative, then


yielded to the paragraph in the

lefs credit is

paper thus degraded by him, and announced


to the public as fa6ts
loft his
;

and of courfe he has


infamous pradlice

aim {o^ Calumniurt' audacUr, aliquod

adharebit.)

And

for this

fome of
from
pers,

his

employers have difcharged him

their fervice, for difgracing their pa-

hurting
their
3

their

private intereft,

and
of

wounding

own

characflers in the eye


is

their cuftomers

but he

no fooner drove
People are
himfelf lately

out of one place than he hops into another,


until drove out

from thence.
fortified

of opinion that he has


about the

Englifb Review, arifing from

fome

dirty erudiations that

have been belched

out in that publication, very like the


levolent fpirit of Dr. Antipudingaria,
It is faid that

ma-

one out of this

clafs

of

men
and
x-

attempts to act the part even of a


reviewer
;

critic

but feeing that

office requirese

tenfive reading

and laborious refearches) a

trouble noways agreeable to a

man who

has

little

269

little

time and

lefs

inclination to Ipend
;

on

that fatiguing exercile)


to take the
fpattering,

he ufually

is

known
injudi-

more
he

eafy

mode, either of becharav5ters

or flattering
is,

ciuofly, juft as

or

is

not friendly difpofed

towards the author. By way of criticifm on


a learned work,

we

therefore read, of a

Mac

Gregor, hen-pecked, gluttony, a guardian

of money, miliionary, and fuch


the author finds

like, to iup-

ply th want of abilities for the time.


it

As
on
arA

difficult to prevail

editor to infert an anfwer in the

fame vehicle
this

where he himfelf has been infuked by


lame member of the

fraternity that falfel y bc-

fpattered his moral charad:er, inftead of cri-

ticifingonhis work, as this critic flands


in

much

need of protecflion from the feverelaihof

a juftly offended fufierer.

He mufl then once more claim the reader's


the meaning of th word MifTionary-Minifler by way of defence

indulgence to explain

again ft this eminent

critic.

In order to

this

he remarks that there are


in the

two kinds of temporary offices

church
fi-

of Scotland, and the candidates are equally

niflicd

270

nifhed in their education with the mofl: learn-

ed in Britain^ thofe fituations are fupplied by

young preachers before they receive a

fettle-

ment

in that

church; and rather than be un-

employed, a young
nate if either his

man thinks himfelf fortuown abihties, or the interefl:


by
far the
is

of friends can fecurehimoneof thetwo. That

of a miffionary

is

moil

eligible,

be-

caufe the preacher

fupported by the royal

bounty, and has a feparate diftrid or parifh,

and congregation of

his

own, and
in

is,

on that

account independent, and equally refpedled

with any

fettled

clergymen

the church.

The
firfl

author was in pofTeffion of the very

and

beil of thefc in his majefly's gift,


his appearance in publick will

and hopes that

convince the fenfible reader that his literary


accompliflimients
are
little

inferior to

his

enemy

atleaft,

and

fully anfwerable to the

high honour conferred upon him by that


learned body in appointing

him

to fuch a

charge.

The

other, but

much lower and moredifis

agreeable office,

that of an affiftant or

helper to fome aged or deranged minifter; the


helper's

271
lefs,

helper's falary

is

and more precarious


is

commonly

becaufe he

at the

mercy of a

poor minifler

who

cannot afford

out of a yearly ftipend of 60 or 70I. and

be turned off at pleafure by his


is

much pay may mafler, who

generally fo jealous that the fituation of

the

poor helper

is

often embittered, and

fometimes

infupportable.

This

clafs

of

men are much worfe


under the mercy
their birth and
to

off than the loweff or-

der of the Englifh curates,

and being thus

of others, they often leave

go

in queft of better bread


as

London, or elfewhere,
lot.

Providence may

order their

When
ful

one reads

in the Englifli

Review
na-

of a miffionary, and reprefented in fuchfpitecontemptible terms, a reader


v^'ould

turally look

on the

office as infignificant,

and that a very learned but offended dignitary only could venture to

exprefs

himfelf

againft an

enemy

in fuch faftidious

terms as

L. B.

is

handled in that abufed vehicle.


believe that one

No

man would

who

has efcaped

out of the low order of helpers, would take


leave of his fenfes fo far as to prefume to

ex-

272

cxprefs himfelf fo unguardedly

impudent

yet

what

fliall

the reader think, when, with

a blufh for the extreme corruption and depravity of the


fcfftd,

human heart,
real

it

mull: be con-

that the

author of this outrage,

when his name is given up, happens to be one who has fled from the above low rank, and who under a cover entertains the publick at the

expence of his benefactor and fu-

perior; Rifumteiicatis amlcil

And any curious

reader

who

doubts the above fact has only

to enquire of the

Rev. Dr. William


and he
will,

Thomhis

fon, Fitzroy Street,

from

own

fad experience, fully fatisfy

him, feeing

the Dr. himfelf during the time of his minijfterial office

could never

mount higher than

the ftation of an afliftant to an aged poor

clergyman.

Upon
inference

the whole,

we

mayfafely draw this


llricture,

from the above

namely,

that the abilities of a learned critic are

known
himfelf

by
in

the general rule he lays

down
is

to

judging of the work, rather than thechaof an author; this

lAditx

one

infallible

nrark of his extenfive reading,

efpecially if
it

273

it is

equal or nearly fo to that of the author,


is

then his judgment


the publick,
deferves.

impartially given to
it,

for or againft

a9 the

work
are a
as if

On

the contrary, fmatterers,


that
their

who

difgrace to

learned

profeffion,

confcious of

own want

of

abilities,

give up the work, and immediately dabble


at the author's charadter, regardlefs of truth

or falfehood.

And
up

this

is all

that can rea-

fonably be expedled from their limited capacities,

to

fill

their papers.

very

pretty penny-worth to the purchafers, fure

enough,

to

be entertained with for their


reafon to

money

Meantime the author has


critics^

thank the learned

who
office,

fpoke re-

fpedfully of his Travels,

all

of them except

one feeble pretender to that

whofe in-

temperate rage proceeded from a well known,


tho' unexpected difappointment, in order to

prejudice the reader again ft his future perfor-

mance
refult

and

all this

owing

to the fortunate

of an early and friendly precaution, by

which the author has been preferved from

difagreeable

274

difagreeable confequences

and he means

in

future to benefit from the kind admonition.

fine fpeaker,

and no

lefs

elegant writer,
;

remarks, in a fet oration on fuch beings thus

namely, that the moft dangerous,


AS

as well
is

the

moil; infamous

of

all

animals,

the flandering defamator of charafters; within the fphere of his attraction


fafe
;

no perfon

is

the

objedls of his

attaft

are either

his enemies, friends,


to

or perfons indifferent

him.

The

firfi;

of thefe, from cov/ardli-

nefs,

the natural ofi'spring ofci-uelty, he


;

dares feldom engage

the fecond,

if a plain

and
tears

good-naturfd perfon,

he roafis and

with fecret joy, void of remorfe, in-

llead of prudently protefting his benefad;or^


if

quick and and animated, back-biting


is

ei;

ther by word or writ,


for the third,

his fafefl

who

never did

mode him harm


flabs

as in

thought, word, or deed,

him he
ffreets,

with

m inditterent hand, like his brother monfter

who

lately

infelled

the

and flruck

terror

over the whole city, until he was

detedfed

ftabbing

mean mercilefs practice of def;;ncelefs women, and immedithe


ately

275

ately fecured.

This TImon,

fays he,

Uke

a fe-

cond Cacus, fhould be dragged into light and


expelled from the fociety of men, and drove
to the deep recelTes of the
refts,

woods, and fo-

to take

up

his

abode in dens and ca-

verns, the ufual haunts of other wild beafts,

as tygers, wolves, and bears,

to roar, grin,

and grovel, and

tear,

and deftroy one another.

For the
this oddity,

prefent,

however, we

fhali leave

to put in a

good word

for

one

more

of the

many

learned gentlemen

who
P.

have been roughly handled by the more bold

and manly, though

lefs

dangerous,

Mr.

who dares face a dead


*

as well as a living

ad-

verfary with courage, in propria perfona,

Buchanan,' fays he,

'

quoting a pafiage

from Eumincus's Panegyrick upon the victory of Conftantius over

AUedus,

an. 296.

viz. adhiic natio etiam tunc rudis etjoii

Bri-

*
*

tanniy underflood that

word

in the genitive

cafe; flrange, continues he, fo able alatinifl

fhould fuppofe Brita?ini here ufed adjectively,


?iuSf

while Britatinicus, and not Briton'


the only

is

word ufed

in profe in that

'

way

(/. c.

adjediively).'

Well, indeed, may


the

^7^

the Macpherfons and others bear with the


the abufe thrown out againft

them
to

in

comwith

mon

with

many

of the ableft Scotch and


are fald
fee

Welch

writers,

who

the jaundiced eyes of fickly antiquifts,

when

they hear of the fabuHl^s, Buchanan and

Llhuyd, the

iirll:

the ableft latinift and poet,

the other the ableft antiquarian, fo roundly


ufed.

irnmael has drawn his fword againfl

every

man

what

not fpare even the elecalls

gant Buchanan, as Dr, Johnfon

him

Buchanan, the pride of his name, the honour


of his country, the ornament of great Britainy

and the admiration of all Europe,


feffedly

who can-

had neither fuperiors nor equals iince


;

the Auguftan age

yet he mull: be alfo call-

ed

in

queftion for his ignorance in clafficai


is

knowledge, a quarter in which he

al-

lowed by

all to

be invulnerable, and by a
In profe

man too whofe knowledge


One would imagine
ly

and

verfi-

Jication appears to be limited and inaccurate.

that

Buchanan's bareitfelf

adopting the word would of

ftamp

it

with authority, even

if

he had not been


ail

Aipported by Crdar and Tacitus, and

the

learned

277

ancients or moderns.

How would
at

tliefe in-

jured

men growl had


fait

they been alive, and

fwallow him and his works

one

bite,

without
morfel,

or fugar, to qualify the bitter

and hurl both into oblivion.


if applied, as

Britannus^

a chriftian
will

name

commonly
wife to

is,

to a perfon,

be admitufed other-

ted as a fubftantive, but

when

men

in general, or

toother fubjedls,
I

as in the paffage already in difpute,


tain, ugainft

main-

Mr. P.

that

it

cannot ftand in a

fentence

without a fubftantivej and add,


is

that Britannits vir

more elegant than vir


hig!i

Britannicus.
rity as

To oppofe fo
a bold

an autho\

B.

is

undertaking indeed
in

Before

Mr. P. few men

their fenfes

ventured to find fault with Buchanan refpefting his claffical knowledge, except the
foolifhly vain

Dr. Liefiemmi, a phyfician,

who
his

accufed that great poet with bad Latin


to prefer

and poetry, and made no fcruple

own

tranllation of the

104th Pfalm to

that of Buchanan's, and appealed to the


veriity

Unicriti-

concerning the juAnefs of his

cifm on B.'s, as mentioned by Mr. Granger,

under

278

under the

title

o? Pocticum Duellum-y

jufl:

as

Mr.

P. has

done to the public refpedting


as

foil Britanniy

being always

a fubftantive

which no body has thought worthy of notice to corredt him for,


in profe,

a remark

being fo egregioufly wrong, and of courfe

below reproof.

The Dr. however was better heard, as beino;


no defpicable Latin
fcholar, foB. himfelfpaid

attention to his criticifm; and accordingly entered,theliil:againflhim,inalittle performance

under the above

title

of Poeticiun Duellum^

ecu Georgi Egliejimmi

cum Georgia Buchanaiio

prodignitateparaphrafeosy Pf. \Q\.certamen:


cut adnititur

GuL

Barclay amceniorum, ar-

tiumy

et

Medic'mcs DoHoris. de eodem certacollegii fnediciy

?nme judicium y Jiecnon cofifiUum


Farifianis

de

ejufdem

FjgUfiemmi

mania,

^od carfnine
In

exhibuit Ar5iurus Johnjlonm.

this literary duel the feeble Dr.'s pride

was

dreadfully mortified with great


fide,

humour
left his

on B's

who

at

the fame time

opponent's
fears as
flill

character

wounded with fuch


;

remain incurable

efpecially as

the decilion of the judges on this curious


trial

279

trial

was paiTed
it

fo decidedly

againll:

him,

namely, that
find in

would be more
tranilation

difficult to

Buchanan's

any verfcs

that are not good, than to find any in Egli-

efimmi that are not bad.


Dr.

Robb

fays,

that the

elegance of

B.'s ftyle

was fuch

as

would place him on an

equality with the

moftadmiredof the ancient

writers; and Dr. Burnet declares, that he not

only far exceeded


to
reflore the

Bembo, who attempted


would be tempted
to

purity of the ancients in his

writings, but that one

prefer Buchanan's tranilation even to the original in point of elegance and purity of
pofition.

comthat

Dr.

Abercrombie

writes,
fcholar,

Buchanan was an incomparable

and

eminent mailer of the Belies LeUres and


Latin tongue, a celebrated poet, and
cious hiiloriaii.
Sir
a

judi-

Robert Sibbald, writing of B.


Scotice

fays,

Alterum

lumen fecit Georgius Buchaqui oda,


elegia^

nanusy poeta incotfiparabiUs^

tragediay no?i Jolum fecidi honmies fuperavity

fed

antiquifjimus

equavit

viz. that B.

was

not only an incomparable poet,

who

excelled

280

led in odes, elegies, and tragedies,

all

the

men
the

of the age, but that he even equalled


ancient, being the other luminary

mod

of Scotland.
After fuch remarks,
it

would be fuperflufrom
far

ous in

me

to attempt a defenge of B.
is

the attack of Mr. P. as he


praife,

beyond

my

and above fuifering from

his trifling

cenfure; but
correct

my real delign
P.'s vanity,

is,

if pofliblc, to

Mr.

and point out his

feeming ignorance of that language, and his


injurious reflections,

together witTi his info

accurate curfory

manner of reading
tells

many

thoufand volumes as he

the world he

has done, on purpofe to upbraid Dr.

Mac-

pherfon for his limited reading,

as having

no

library to lay

up

a flock of knowledge to

bring out materials occaflonally as need required.

For undoubtedly

his inaccurate read-

ing will appear evident from his paffing over

the following well attefled particulars, before

he would venture

his

own

reputation in

challtBging fo great a chara(fter as Buchanan;


otherwife

28i

otherwire

he could not have the efFronis

teiy to deny, that Britannus

as

much an
are^

adjedive as GermamiSy Romanus, Battavus,

with

all

general

names of nations, that

always taken as fuch, and never once as a


fubftantive,

except

when fuch

adjedlives

fupply the places of fubjundives (with fubilantives underftood)

which agree with them


:

in gender, number, and cafe


.one's native

e. g.

patria^

country ffupple terra) ; molar is,


trijies,

a milftone ffupple lapisJ-,


(fupple negotium)*.,

a fad thing,

Camden

fays, that

Bri^

tanmiSyBritannia,2iX\dBritannicus fignify the

fame thing
has

-,

but as this felf-fufficient

man
the

fo decidedly told the contrary to

publick, he will not believe words without

producing politive proofs againft his opinion,

and fuch
to

as will force convidtion

on his mind
tacitly)

make him

confefs

(at

leaft
is

that either ignorance, or


ftinacy,

which

worfe, ob~
him.felf,

hath caufed him toexpofe

and

fo

unguardedly to miflead his ignorant

readers.

* Vid. Rud. Ktg. 15 E^ymol.

We

282

We fhall
num helium
lib. 5.

then begin with Caefar, and

try

whether he underftood Britannus


adjedive or fubftantive
:

to be an

Otnnibus

ad Britan-

rebus cofnpar/^is, Cx(.

Comment.
Ut Bri-

Britanni veBigalis, ibid.


it a

tanni adfpemy
bant.

veterani ad tnetmn trahe-

As

the
firft

laft

of thefe

is

an adjedtive, fo

mull: the

be of courfe, being coupled by


ita
j

the conjundlion

therefore, milites

is

un-

derftood to both, and the nominative cafe to

the verb, Tacitus Annaliumy Ub. 4. cap. 32.


Galfridus momimetenfis de origine et gefiis

Re-

gum

Britannorumy Par. 1508. Britifh


Britannos relinquere liberos
lib. 4.

Mu-

feum.

7nagna

cum tgnominia cogantur, Boet.

Ro?na-

ni ignari Britannos Reges multarum in populo

feditionum et rebelUonum infefuijfe aut bores,


ibid. lib. 5.

Nam quid Britannum caelum dif-'


how
different is the air

fere putamusy
Britifh
ifle,

of the

Lucretius.

Cui pellefalum Julin leathern boat

care Britannumy
Britifh

who oft

on

fea appeared,

Sidonius Appollinaris
claffe

Proculque fe ojienderit

Britannia per

Rhenum

OJliumy Grotius Antiq. Batavise,,

cap. 17. page 264.

Romafii tamen du?nfu~


gientes

288
-,

gientes

per Jiagna lacus

faltufque Britannos

avidius infeBantur,

Elenchus Antiq. AlbiBritannorum


ibid.

on per Danielum Langhornium, page 88.


Erat
ille

vir

nobilis

veteri

Regum
terruit,

prognatus fanguine,

ijj.

gadibus ufque Britannum reverfus oceanum

Pampinianus Jiatus ab Arngrimo


loi. pars
2.

Jona

JJJandiay p.

Indeque ad

focerum Britannum reverfus Pontanus, FoL

page 204.
none,
et

Conftantius viginti una militum

Britannorum millia fub Caffivelano,

Guep,

Guavara ducibus adduxit,

ibid,

208.

Aut

Italiam populos aquilo genafque


Idill,

Britannas Aufonius

ibid,

page j ^2.

Eo nomine
ciis,

a Scotis et Britannis

commer-

frequentatam perThormond.Torfeum,

Venlandice Antiq. Hijl.


tannis praeducerat

Quae R^egibus BriForcatulus de

Merlinus,

Galloriim imperioy p. 459. Br.

Muf.

Infulis

Thulen accenfere Jonas Arngrimus Illandois Crymogea, homoBritannus loquens Richard viti ad Brotum, page 17. Certe
Britannis

publicus ordo principum Britannorum,

ibid,

page 122. tannorum,

Ex
//^zV.

ordine publico
^^^6"
1

01.

Regum BriQuamobrem in
catalogo

i84

catalogo

Regum

Britannorum de
quos

Libris
libros
ibid,

Herculus

patris hujus Galatii

de
p,

Hilloria principum Britannorum,

122.

Crudeliffimam principum Britannoihid, lib. j.

rum,

Auguftinus

page 34. Britannorum


///'.

facerdotum
ibid.

auxilio deflitutus,

^. p.

72.

Et
lib.

in
8.

ordine publico

Regum

Britannorum,

page jj.

Sociarumque virginium BritanGalfrido, page 126.


prole,
in order to

narum fumpta,
So much for

convince
;

Mr. P. that Britanmis is an adjeftive but what fhall we fay refpeding his fkiil in poetry ? Ah, and alas it is to be feared
!

that the fpecimen he has given of his abili-

among the old Romans. We {hall however make the trial on a paifage quoted by him from the verfes
ties will

place

him

very low

of the elegant Ovid, viz. Vidgiis

adefl Scythitrijie, 1
1 1

cum

bracataqiie tiirbn

Getarum

th

Ultimo.

But Mr. P. mufl:


it

alfo correct

him

as well as B. by changing

to vulgus adeji

Scytharum bracataqne turba Getarnm.

Thus,
and two

inftead

of a daClyl having a long


A-deft Scy-thi,

fliort in

Mr.

P. has

made

285

made it an Amphimacer, confiding of A-defl;


Scy-tha, a long, a
fliort

and a long meafure.


!

Ah

alas

Me mijerum ! woe is me
-,

Such an

outrage againft Ovid pleads more for compaffion than corredion

we muft

therefore in-

form him that


increafmg

in the plural
is

number of art
Fid.

noun

always long without

one exception to the contrary.

Rud^

Profodia, Reg. 39. pluralis cafus, fi crefcit

protrahit

Ay ,

et Jimiil

O.

And

here for his benefit


is

we muft obferve,

that a fubflantive
exercitus

ufed for an adjecflive, as

vidor, pro vidoriofo; and that


is

an adjedlive

fometimes ufed in the place of


fie

a fubftantive, as
nus,

pofTum
;

falli

ut

humais

pro ut

homo

that the

fingular

fometimes taken for the

plural,

ut vidtor

Britannus fudit legionem, for Britanni vidlores, the Britifh conquerors

routed the legions;


lib^

etviceverfa,

TaB.Annal.

14. cap. 22.


is

We might point out


the abftrad:
-,

that the abflrad:

taken for the concrete, and the concrete for


that the primitive
is

taken for

the derivative,

and

at times

the derivative

for the primitive,

the fimple for the

com-

pound.

286

pound, and the compound for the Umple.

But being noways inclined


cher,

to

become his

tea-

we

fhall refer

him

to

any fchoolmafter

of abilities for farther information, and there

he

will find that

any boy

who will venture to

prefent his mafter with fuch an exercife, as

he has

infulted the publick with in Scythav/ill

rimi for Scythiciwi,

be mofl heartily
hexameters.

flogged for his ignorajice in

And
Mr.

it is

hoped that

this lefTon will render to his

P.

more cautious with regard

future publications, in cafe any will be offered


to the publick, not

knowing but

that

he

may meet with a

fliarper

reproof from others


fhould

than the author choofes to give,

people be troubled with more of his unfupported and illiberal abufe of his fuperiors,

and fuch
at leaft

as never gave
let

him any provocation

him

fpare the dead

who

cannot

reply or anfwer

him.

THE END.

Shortly iiill be puhlijfjedy

and impartial LANNE BUCHANAN'S and Decay Account Progrefs,


juft
:

of the feveral of the Beginning, Fifheries which have formerly been promoted in G. Bri Parts of the Empire In all which the tain, and in other wife management of the judicious undertakers fully appears to carry their laudable fchemes into execution, as well for the intereft of the kingdom at large, as their own advantage in particular. On the other hand, the rife and progrefs, and furprifing fuccefs of the Dutch, emerging gradually from their mud walls, and little boats, into lofty Ihips and fuperb palaces, cannot but ftrike us with aitonifhment, and even refpeil ; efpecially when we refleiSt that their low beginning and fevere oeconomy in the infancy of trade gradually elevated their High MightenefTes to equal molt, and furpafs many, of the greateft kingdoms in Europe, both in power and wealth J all moftly acquired from the fifh of Great Bri-

tain.

The

above

is

accompanied with a modeft enquiry into

the condul of the Managers intrufted by the lately eftablilhed Company of Gentlemen for the encouraging the Britifh Fifhery, both for marking out the proper ftations, and the proper mode of erefbing villages in the Hebrides and north weft coait of Britain.
thefeifles,
flatters himfelf, that his long refidence in and other advantages on his fide,will enable him to place their fchemein a point of view that will not only be more juft, butalfo more convincing than any fpecula-

The Author

however plaufibiy wrote, either in the clofet, or otherwife, by men of ingenuity, to attract the attention of the Public \ many of them more calculated to amufe the Reader thaji benefit the nation at large, or the
tive plan,

Company concerned in particular in bringing about the wifhed foreffed. And J. L. B. hopes that the integrity of his intention, with his having a concern in the Company's faccefs will be fufficient apology if any unguarded but well meant expreffion fhould drop fiom his pen while
^vritijig

of

this

perplexed plan,

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