firms this, who fays: "Dico ergo, a quibufcunque Hi“ berni origmem duxerunt, ab eifdem Scoti exordium capiunt." My opinion is, that from whomfoever the "Irish were derived, the Scots owe their origin to the "fame founder." And venerable Bede, in the first chapter of his Ecclefiaftical History, agrees with this author, where he says: "Procedente autem tempore, Britania,. poft Britones et Pictos, Scotorum nationem in Pictorum

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parte recepit, qui duce RHEUDA de Hibernia egreffi, vel "amicitia vel ferro, fibimet inter eos fedes, quas hactenus "habent, vindicarunt." i. e. "In procefs of time, the "country of Britain, after it had been inhabited by the “Britons and Picts, was poffeffed, on the fide of the Picts,

by a nation of the Scots, who came out of Ireland under "the conduct of RHEUDA, and made themselves masters "of those lands, either by friendship or by the sword, "which they enjoy to this day." To these teftimonies I fhall add only one more, without any defign of enter-ing into a controversy about it, my fole engagament here being only to trace the antiquity of the ancient language, that was common to both thefe, as well as the Britons, and which was the univerfal tongue all over Europe, from Gomer and Magog, and their descendants, till the vicissitudes of time, climates, wars and invafions, as well as commerce, brought on those varieties, which are now peculiar to each nation of the European kingdoms, in their feveral languages.

THE author I propofed, is Humphredus, a Welch writer, who gives us his opinion upon the fame fubject thus: "Scotos Hibernorum prolem, et ipfi, et omnes op

"time norunt, eodemque nomine a noftratibus, fcilicet "Guidbil, appellantur." "The whole world, as well as "the Scots themselves, know that they are the offspring "of the Irish, and that our countrymen, the Welch, "call them both by the fame name, Guidhil." I might, from the ancient records of Ireland, produce a great number of further proofs for this opinion; but, as I have said before, it is of no confequence; fince the fame primitive language is now common to the ancient inhabitants of both nations, and I hope will ever be preferved, as a teftimony of the truth of what I shall have delivered in the course of this work; and what is conformable to the Sacred Scriptures, as to the origin of the Scythians and Gomerians, and to the most early writers after them.

Ir is very remarkable, that there appears fo much care and exactness in all the genealogical tables, even of particular perfons of note, through every age of the kings or governors of Ireland, whether of the whole kingdom, or of the individual provinces. And it appears to me, that, if fome of our modern hiftorians had been capable of confulting them, they would have fucceeded better, in enquiring into matters of very high antiquity, than they feem to have done. It will be neceffary to mention one circumftance in this place, to fhew that neither of these writers could have any furer foundation than mere suppofition to go upon; particularly when they endeavour to bring the Milefians from France, or make Gadelas the father of Heber and Heremon; Hector Boetius afferts this, and Buchanan is the author of the other, opinion; but let us caft an eye upon the Pfalter of Cafbel, and we shall find

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that Milefius came out of Spain, and was the father of Heber and Heremon, which is confirmed by feveral other records; and that Gadelus lived nineteen generations before them, in proof of which, the genealogy of the race of Gadelas is handed down to pofterity in that ancient record, as well as confirmed by many others, from the bards and antiquaries of that kingdom; which I fhall prefently transcribe, when I have fet down a quotation from Buchanan, as mentioned by Jeremy Collier: "As to the origin "of the Scots, there are various fentiments. Buchanan's opinion is, that they came firft from Spain into Ireland, "to flee from the oppreffion of their grandees, intestine "feditions and foreign invafions; and finding that coun"try fruitful and healthful, were quickly followed by "multitudes of their countrymen; so that Ireland being "too little, they removed gradually into the western "iflands of Scotland, and then into the country itself. "He will have them to be known then by the name of "Scots; and that while they were planting the western "iflands, the Picts, being Scythians, or Germans, were "driven upon that coaft, and fought leave to inhabit

among them, which the Scots refused, as being ftreight“ened in room for themselves; but pitying them, because "of fome affinity which they perceived in their language "and cuftoms, they advised and affifted them to fettle in "Britain; and gave them wives, because they had no women among them."

Tuis fentiment is another proof of that hiftorian's having wanted materials for rifing into the origin of either Irish or Scots; if he had, as I faid before, fuch authorities

as the Irish annals could have afforded him, he would. have known that no colonies ever came out of Spain into Ireland, till Milefius, and his people, landed there ; that both Ireland and Scotland were well inhabited many hundred years before this; and that both nations were called Scots from their original parents, the Scythians, Scot or Scuit fignifying warriors, or bowmen, who fhot or fought with arrows; and as to the Scots advifing the Picts to fettle in Britain, it would be more natural, confidering the nature and circumftances of things, to fuppofe that the Scots would rather chufe to come into Britain themfelves, than advise or aflist strangers to enjoy a more fertile country, which they often, with great reafon, coveted to dwell in afterwards. And, indeed, if we confider, that their bards went with them out of Ireland, we cannot imagine that they were not as defirous to have their hiftories and records preferved there, as well as in Ireland, being the very fame people, in every degree, and circumftance; and, beyond difpute, this was the cafe; but whilft the Irish took the methods I have already mentioned, to keep theirs fecure from every attempt, their brethren, in Scotland, might have been lefs careful in the matter; and, therefore, amidst the many broils they had with the Picts and Britons, from time to time, it is no wonder they should have loft their records, especially those of the earliest times; and, perhaps, this lofs was compleated by Edward the Firft, who, undoubtedly, from his rough difpofition, and the hatred he had to that nation, against whom he pursued the most severe treatment, at different times, would not be wanting to distress them in this, as well as any other respect. THERE

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THERE is another very plaufible reafon, why they, as well as the Britons, while they inhabited the Eastern and Southern parts of Britain, were likely to lofe all the ancient monuments of their tranfactions, which were handed down by their bards and antiquaries; for, while the courts of the Scots and Britons were frequented by numbers of ftrangers from the continent, from time to time, which would be the occafion of the propagation of alterations and changes in their language; and the two kingdoms so very often invaded, both from the continent, and the Northern islands; the courts of the Irish kings knew no other language, but that which was handed down to them from their ancestors, and which was fpoken by all ranks of people, till the reception of Henry II, and their submiffion to him, when the English tongue, which, by this time, confifted of a mixture of the various dialects of the several invaders, was first introduced by the fettlers, under Henry, and by the reciprocal trade, ever after carried on between the two kingdoms, in confequence of his becoming their monarch.

HOWEVER, though this mixed English language prevailed now all over England, yet the ancient Britons, in their recefs into Wales, have preferved their Gomerian tongue ftill as pure, as it was when it was the universal language of the whole island; and, notwithstanding the ingress of great numbers of English into Ireland, upon that occafion, the Magogian, Scythian, or Irish language was univerfally spoken, both among the nobility and gentry of Ireland, as well as the common people, till English commerce had leffened its univerfality; and that only in