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A new edition of Toland's History of the druids: - Free History Ebooks

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——4*26 NOTES.spot <strong>of</strong> ground. Bede has most probably mistaken Argykshirefor Kibernia; but be that as it may, he always places <strong>the</strong> ScotsIn BritainScoti qui sunt in Britannia— i. e. " <strong>the</strong> Scots whoare in Britain;'* and, as I liave before noticed, tells us that hecalls <strong>the</strong> Scots and Picts transmarine^ not because <strong>the</strong>y areplaced out <strong>of</strong> Britain, but because <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>ir peninsular situationbeyond <strong>the</strong> Forth and Clyde. Giraldus, a writer <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> twelfthcentury, in his Descriptio AlbanicE^ says Monies qui dividuntScociam ah Aregaithal—i, e. " The mountains which divideScotland from Argyle," and calls <strong>the</strong> inhabitants Gaeli and Hi.hernensis—Gael or Irish. If this passage has any meaning atall, it certainly proves that Argyleshire was Hiberniaor Ireland.Mr. Pinkarton ought not to have quoted this passage, as it makesdirectly against him. But he is one <strong>of</strong> those men who can strainat a gnat, and swallow a camel, Giraldus* geographical ignoranceis almost proverbial. This very author (as Pinkartoaliimself admits, vol. 2. p. 207.) mistakes Scottisivath (SolwayFirth), for Scottiszcatre (<strong>the</strong> Firth <strong>of</strong> Forth), and at one blowlops<strong>of</strong>f, and adds to England that part <strong>of</strong> Scotland situated south<strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Forth. If he did not know <strong>the</strong> limits <strong>of</strong> Scotland, whereitwas conterminous to his native country, what accuracy was tobe expected respecting Argyleshire, which lay greatly more remote,Giraldus chiefly dabbled in Irish history, and had imbibedmany <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>ir false notions respecting Scotland. It was,indeed, very consistent in him, after having appropriated <strong>the</strong>most valuable half <strong>of</strong> Scotland to England, to make Ireland apresent bf Argyleshire. It is, however, extremely unaccountablein Pinkarton, after having repeatedly asserted that <strong>the</strong> Dal.riads <strong>of</strong> Argyleshire were <strong>the</strong> original Scots, to cite this verypassageto prove thatArgyleshire formed no part <strong>of</strong> Scotland.That Giraldus considered Argy}er>hlre as Hibernia (Ireland) ism-ident from his calling <strong>the</strong> inhabitants (Hibernenses) Irish.Is'dorus (quoted by Pinkarton) says, Scolia eadem et Hibernia;i. e. " Scotland <strong>the</strong> same as Ireland,'* but this only proves thatScotland was sometimes callod Ireland. He <strong>the</strong>n quotes St. Ber^card, a writer <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> twelfth century, who says <strong>of</strong> St. Malach^,

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