little regard to their government. The Scots, in: thofe ages, were often in open war, and never in cordial friendship with the English. The fimist larity of manners and language, the traditions concerning their common origin, and above all, their having to do with the fame enemy, created a free and friendly intercourfe between the Scot tish and Irish nations.. As the cuftom of retain ing bards and fenachies was common to both fo each, no doubt, had formed a system of his tory, 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 stock. THE Saxon manners and language had, at that time, made great progrefs in the fouth of Scotland. The ancient language, and the tradi tional hiftory of the nation, became confined en tirely to the inhabitants of the Highlands, then fallen, from feveral concurring circumftances, & into the last degree of ignorance and barbarifm The Irish, who, for fome ages before the con queft, had poffeffed a competent fhare of that s kind of learning, which then prevailed in Europe, found it no difficult matter to impose their own q fictions on the ignorant Highland fenachiess p By flattering the vanity of the Highlanders, with their long lift of Heremonian kings and heroes, they, without contradiction, affumed to themfelves the character of being the mother-nation of the Scots of Britain. At this time, certainly, was established that Hibernian fyftem of the original of the Scots, 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. 1 THESE circumftances are far from being ideal. We have remaining many particular tra-> ditions, which bear teftimony to a fact, of itself abundantly probable. What makes the matter inconteftible is, that the antient traditional accounts of the genuine origin of the Scots, have been handed down without interruption. Tho a few ignorant fenachies might be perfuaded out of their own opinion, by the fmoothnefs 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 ex tractwof the Scots nation. Ignorant chronicle" writers, T 4 writers, ftrangers to the antient language of their country, preferved only from falling to the ground, fo improbable a story. THIS fubject, perhaps, is pursued further than it deferves; but a difcuffion of the pretenfions of Ireland, was become in fome measure neceffary. If the Irish poems, concerning the Fiona, should appear ridiculous, it is but justice 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 difplayed 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 thefe pieces, depends fo much on a certain curiofa felicitas of expreffion in the original, that they must appear much to disadvantage in another language. |