dually laid afide. Very few targets were at Cul loden. The dirk, or broad dagger, I am afraid," was of more ufe in private quarrels than in battles. The Lochaber-ax is only a flight alteration of the old English bill.

After all that has been faid of the force and terror of the Highland fword, I could not find that the art of defence was any part of common educa-tion. The gentlemen were perhaps fometimes skilful gladiators, but the common men had no other powers than those of violence and courage. Yet it is well known, that the onfet of the Highlanders was very formidable. As an army cannot confift of philofophers, a panic is easily excited by any unwonted mode of annoyance. New dangers are naturally magnified; and men accustomed, only to exchange bullets at a diftance, and rather to hear. their enemies than fee them, are difcouraged and amazed when they find themfelves encountered hand to hand, and catch the glam of fteel flafhing in their faces,

The Highland weapons gave opportunity for many exertions of perfonal courage, and fometimes for fingle combats in the field; like those which occur fo frequently in fabulous wars. At Falkirk, a gentleman now living, was, I suppose after the retreat of the King's troops, engaged at a distance from the reft with an Irish dragoon. They were both skilful swordsmen, and the contest was not eafily decided: the dragoon at laft

had

had the advantage, and the Highlander called for quarter; but quarter was refufed him, and the fight continued till he was reduced to defend himfelf upon his knee. At that inftant one of the Macleods came to his rescue; who, as it is faid, offered quarter to the dragoon, but he thought himself obliged to reject what he had before refufed, and, as battle gives little time to deliberate, was immediately killed.

Funerals were formerly folemnized by calling. multitudes together, and entertaining them at great expence. This emulation of useless coft has been for fome time discouraged, and at laft in the Ifle: of Sky is almost suppressed.

Of the Earfe language, as I understand nothing, I cannot fay more than I have been told. It is the rude, fpeech of a barbarous people, who had few thoughts to exprefs, and were content, as they conceived grofsly, to be grofsly underftood. After what has been lately talked of Highland bards, and Highland genius, many will Aartle when they are told, that the Earfe never was a written language; that there is not in the world an Earfe manufcript a hundred years old; . and that the founds of the Highlanders were never expreffed by letters, till fome little books of piety were tranflated, and a metrical verfion of the Pfalms was made by the fynod of Argyll. Whoever therefore now writes in this language, spells according to his own perception of the found, and

his own idea of the power of the letters. The Welsh and the Irish are cultivated tongues. The Welsh, two hundred years ago, infulted their English neighbours for the inftability of their orthography; while the Earfe merely floated in the breath of the people, and could therefore receive little improvement.

When a language begins to teem with books, it is tending to refinement; as those who undertake to teach others must have undergone fome labour in improving themfelves, they fet a proportionate value on their own thoughts, and with to enforce them by efficacious expreffions; fpeech becomes embodied and permanent; different modes and phrafes are compared, and the best obtains an eftablishment. By degrees one age improves upon another. Exactnefs is firft obtained, and afterwards elegance.. . But diction, merely vocal, is always in its childhood. As no man leaves his eloquence behind him, the new generations have all to learn. There may poffibly be books without a polifhed language, but there can be no polifhed language without books.

That the bards could not read more than the reft of their countrymen, it is reafonable to fup-pofe; because, if they had read, they could proba, bly have written; and how high their compofitions may reasonably be rated, an inquirer may best judge, by confidering what ftores of imagery, what principles of ratiocination, what comprehenfion of

konw-

knowledge, and what delicacy of elocution he has known any man attain who cannot read. The ftate of the bards was yet more hopeless. He that cannot read, may now converfe with thofe that can.; but the bard was a barbarian among barbarians, who, knowing nothing himself, lived with others that knew no more.

There has lately been in the islands one of these illiterate poets, who hearing the Bible read at church, is faid to have turned the facred history into verfe. I heard part of a dialogue, compofed by him, tranflated by a young lady in Mull, and. thought it had more meaning than I expected from a man totally uneducated; but he had fome opportunities of knowledge; he lived amonga learned people. After all that has been done for the inftruction of the Highlanders, the antipathy be-.. tween their language and literature ftill continues; and no man that has learned only Earfe is, at this time, able to read.

The Earfe has many dialects, and the words ufed in fome islands are not always known in others. In literate nations, though the pronunciation, and fometimes the words of common fpeech may differ, as now in England, compared with the fouth of Scotland, yet thereisawr itte n diction, which pervades all dialects, and is underftood in every pro-.. vince. But where the whole language is colloquial, he that has only one part, never gets the`rest, as he cannot get it but by change of refidence.

In an unwritten speech, nothing that is not very fhort is tranfinitted from one generation to another. Few have opportunities of hearing a long compofition often enough to learn it, or have incli-, nation to repeat it fo often as is neceffary to retain. it; and what is once forgotten is loft for ever. I. believe there cannot be recovered, in the whole Earfe language, five hundred lines of which there any evidence to prove them a hundred years old. Yet I hear that the father of Offian boaftsof two chefts more of ancient poetry, which he fuppreffes, because they are too good for the English.

is

He that goes into the Highlands with a mind naturally acquiefcent, and a credulity eager for wonders, may come back with an opinion very different from mine; for the inhabitants knowing the ignorance of all ftrangers in their language and antiquities, perhaps are not very fcrupulous adherents to truth; yet I do not fay that they deliberately speak studied falfehood, or have a fettled. purpose to deceive. They have inquired and confidered little, and do not always feel their own ignorance. They are not much accustomed to be interrogated by others; and feem never to have thought upon interrogating themfelves; fo that if they do not know what they tell to be true, they likewise do not diftinctly perceive it to be. falfe.

Mr Bofwell was very diligent in his inquiries;

and