friendly intercourfe between the Scottish and As the Irish nations. As the bards and fenachiestom of retaining was common to both; fo each, no doubt, had formed a system of hiftory, it matters not how much foever fabulous, concerning their refpective origin. It was the natural policy of the times, to reconcile the traditions of both nations together, and, if poffible, to reduce them from the fame original ftock.. The The Saxon manners and language had, at that time, made great progress in the fouth of Scotland. The ancient language, and the traditional hiftory of the nation, became confined entirely to the inhabitants of the Highlands, then fallen, from feveral concurring circumftances, into the laft degree of ignorance and barbarism. Irish, who, for fome ages before the conqueft, had poffeffed a competent share of that kind of learning, which then prevailed in Europe, found it no difficult matter to impose their own fictions on the ignorant Highland fenachies. By flattering the vanity of the Higlanders, with their long lift of Heremonian kings and heroes, they, without contradiction, affumed to themfelves the character of being the mothernation of the Scots of Britain. At this time, certainly, was established that Hibernian fyftem of the original of the Scots, which I which afterwards, for want of any other, was univerfally received. The Scots of the low-country, who, by lofing the language of their ancestors, loft, together with it, their national traditions, received, implicitly, the hiftory of their country, from Irish refugees, or from Highland fenachies, perfuaded over into the Hibernian fyftem. These circumftances are far from being ideal. We have remaining many particular traditions, which bear teftimony to a fact, of itself abundantly probable. What makes the matter inconteftible is, that the ancient traditional accounts of the genuine origin of the Scots, have been handed down without interruption. Though a few ignorant fenachies might be perfuaded out of their own opinion, by the fmoothness of an Irish tale, it was impoffible to eradicate, from among the bulk of the people, their own national traditions. Thefe traditions afterwards fo much prevailed, that the Highlanders continue totally unacquainted with the pretended Hibernian extract of the Scots nation. Ignorant chronicle writers, ftrangers to the ancient language of their country, preferved only from falling to the ground fo improbable a story. This fubject, perhaps, is purfued further than it deferves; but a difcuffion of the pretenfions of Ireland, was become in fome measure T 4 If the Irish poems, measure neceffary. concerning the Fiona, fhould appear ridiculous, it is but juftice to obferve, that they are scarcely more fo than the poems of other nations, at that period. On other fubjects, the bards of Ireland have displayed a genius for poetry. It was, alone, in matters of antiquity, that they were monftrous in their fables. Their love-fonnets, and their elegies on the death of perfons worthy or renowned, abound with fimplicity, and a wild harmony of numbers. They become more than an atonement for their errors, in every other fpecies of poetry. But the beauty of these species, depends so much on a certain curiofa felicitas of expreffion in the original, that they must appear much to disadvantage in another language, |