Blair Collection > Critical dissertations on the origin, antiquities, language, government, manners, and religion, of the antient Caledonians, their posterity the Picts, and the British and Irish Scots

Principality of the I/Ies. ij^
Margaret, the eldefl daughter of Alexander. But
the Ion of Magnus who married the Lady Marga-
ret of Scotland, was not called Hungonan, but
Eric ; and he was not born till the year 1270, tha;t
is, four years after the peace had been concluded
at Perth *. So very ill informed were the Scottifh
writers with regard to almoft all the difputes
and tranfa(5lions between Alexander, Haco, and
Magnus -f.
They give us a long account of the mighty
feats performed in Man by Alexander, lord high
fteward of Scotland, and John Cummin, earl of
Badenoehj who had been fent thither by Alexan-
* See the contraift of marriage between Eric and Margaret,
inter Fo?Jera Anglix, torn. xi. p. 1079.
t It is not improper to obferve that Abercromby, the firft of
our hiftorians who gave, and perhaps could have given, the
Noiwegian account of thefe dilb.x;s and tranfaflions, is far
from being eyr.C^ in the relation of thenj, which he drew out of
Torfarus. He was either in too great hurry, or too much under
the influence of national prejudice, while tranflating that author^
His c^-mplaint, that the names of the ifles through which he
made his progrefs, are very different, in the Norwegian Journal,
from thofe now given them by the bcots, is no: altogether juft ;
and were it more fo, the objection would fignify little. To thole
who know the fituation of the ides through which Haco palTed,
and have at the fame time any notion of the Galic and Norfe,
the journal is abundantly intelligible, and worthy of credit. The
aurhor of it feems to have affiled in the expedition, and to have
been a fpedlator of every place and adion. He may indeed
ha^e extenuated the lolTes fuftained by his countrymen upon that
occafion : but furelv an objedlion of gic-ter force may be made
iipoa the fame head, againlt the veracity of thofe writeis who
have appeared on the other fide of the queition.
I add further from Torfceus, that Sturles, an eminent poet,
cotemporary with Haco, gave a full defcription of the expedition
in heroic verle, and that the greateft part of his compofiuon was
extant in that author's time : if fo, the Norwegian annals feem ifl
'his matter to b^ preferable to thofe of Scotland.
S ?! der