Ossian Collection > Thoughts on the origin and descent of the Gael

328
Our ancient chronicles were written originally
in Gaelic; they were translated into Latin by our
churchmen, who were almost the only persons
who had any pretensions to the knowledge of
those arts which entitled the possessors to be
ranked among those who had the character of
learned. Those ancient chronicles, written in
the native language of the inhabitants of x'Vlbinn,
ultimately denominated Scots, had been carried
down in that language till the death of Edgar,
the son of Malcolm Ceanmore.
Down to the time of Edgar our kings were dis-
tinguished by their Gaelic patronymical names,
regularly so from the time of Kenneth Mac
Alpin. Prior to that period we find several of
our kings denominated, as is common among the
Gael at this day, by some property or quality
belonging to the person, as Eocha buidhe, trans-
lated Eachajiavus, fair or yellow haired: Conadh
cear, Kinot Sinister, Conadh, lejt-handed: Domh-
nal-breac, (nih pronounced as v), Dovenald 'va-
rius, Dovenal, the speckled, applied at this day to
a person marked with the small-pox : Fearchar
fada, Fearchar lojigus, Fearchar the long: Eoch-
oidh Rinnemhail, Eachel hahtns curvum nasum,
more properly Eochal-ronabhal, which also occurs,
expressive of a round nose, having the curve of
an apple : Aodh-Jionn, Ed albus, Aodh the fair*
* See Geraldus Cambrensis upon the Manners of the
Irish.