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

—/_43iNOTES.p. 225.) the Scots io whom Patrick zcas sent are perfectly knownto have been only Jrish»But prior to the year 460, the very name Scot was totally unknownin Ireland, whereas it was well known in Scotland a fullcentury earlier.If the Irish were Ihe original Scoti, and Irelandthe original Scotia; and if these names passed in process of timefrom Ireland to Scotland, it roust be proved that the Irish andIreland bore these names prior to the year 360. This is siftingthe matter to the bottom ; and Pinkarton, sensible that nothingless would serve the purpose, has hazarded the attempt. Hesets out (v. 2. p. 45, &c.) with the assumption that Sci/th andScot, Scythia and Scotia^ are synonimous.and Menapii, were to be found in Ireland ;That BeJgce, Cauciyand that the Beigeswere Scots, because the Beiges were Scythians.I have already{ihewn, on the testimony of Caesar and Tacitus, that the Belgaetvere Celts. But waving this objection altogether, instead ofproof, we have nothing but impudent and groundless assertion.But were his assertions as well founded as they are completelythe reverse, still the inference drawn from them totally ruins thevery point which he wishes to establish ;for if ScythJa and Sco.tia are synonimous, it must follow that Scythia, and not Ireland,was the original Scotland.The childish idea that Scythians andScots were synonimous, is borrowed from the ridiculous preara-"ble to the Chronkon Pictorum, in which is the following remarkon the Scots:Scotli (qui nunc corrvpte vocantur Hibernien^es)^uasi Sciti, quia a Scithia regione venerunt ; siie a Scctta filia£haraonis regis Egypti quce fnii, ut feriur, regina Scotorum—\. e.'*The Scots (who are now improperly called Irish), as ifScythians, because they came from the country cf Scythia; orfrom Scotta, the daughter of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, who was,as is reported, queen of the Scots." The Chronicle tells us also,— Gothi a Magog filio Japheifi nominati putaniur, de simiUiudi.ne idtimce syllabce— i. e, '' The Golhs are thought to be namedfrom Magog, the son of Japheth, from the resemblance of theJast syllable." Whoever would found any thing on such nonsejjseasthis^ is certainly rcduped to the last cstrcD:ity. lit \\hQ