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

64 Of the Scots
Some learned men, whofe prejudices have led
them far in extenuating the national antiquity of
the Britifh Scots, have found themfelves under a
necefllty of allowing that the people who went
under that name had fettlements of their own in
this ifland, within lefs than a century after it was
abandoned by the Romans. But no Greek or Ro-
man writer has informed them that the Scots had
no fettlements in Britain before the end or middle
of the fifth century. Ammianus Marcellinus has
not even furnillied them with a dark hint, that the
Scots who invaded the Roman province in the
reign of Conftans, Conftantius, Julian, Jovian,
and Valentinian, were Irilli. This is fo far from
being the cafe, that he fays, in plain terms, *' That
he had, in that part of his hiftory whic!i related to
the Emperor Conftans, given the exatteft account
of Britain, whether we regard its fituatioi. or inha-
bitants ; — that it was therefore unneceifary to re-
peat that account in the hiflory of Valentinian ; —
and that, of courfe, it was fufficient for him to
fay, that, in the reign of that Emperor, the Pifts,
who were divided into two nations, the Deucale-
donians and Vedturiones, Hkev/ife the Attacots, a
warlike race of men, and the Scots, roamed about
through different parts of th<r province, and com-
mitted manv depredations *."
BoT, from the latter part of this very pafTcge,
forae an-tiquaries of :iote have concluded, that the
Scots of Valertinian's timjc were no more than
vagabonds in this iiland, and confcQuently unpof-
fefled of any fettlements. Tlie hiftorian, after
mentioni g the Scots, adds immediately, per di-
* Ammian. lib. xxvii.
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