Gazetteer of Scotland

HI G
chiefly in a hunting ftate, andin aftate of
warfare with the furrounding powers,
particularly with the lungs of Locblin
(iuppofed Denmark), and of Iniflere
(fuppofed Orkney), the petty kings
of Ireland, and the Roman invaders,
^Specially under Caracalla, ftyled by
Oflian, the fon of the king of the
world. After the reign of Fingal, they
turned their attention to the paftoral
life, as affording a lefs precarious fub-
fiftence ; but, till of late, neither in
the practice of hufbandry, nor the ma-
nagement of cattle, had they made
great progrefs towards improvement.
About this period alfo, they were
named the Picts, either from then-
habit of painting their bodies, or, as
a term of reproach, applied to them
by the Romans, " Piffief," in the Gae-
lic fignifying pilferers or plunderers, a
name which, from their frequent in-
curlions into the Roman provinces,
they perhaps deferved. This nation
always had a king, and the feat of the
government was fucceffively at Bere-
gonium, jtbermtby, Dunkeld, Forteviot,
and Invemefs. In 845, however, Ken-
neth II. having Subdued the Pictifh
kingdom, deprived it of its independ-
ence and of its government. The
event proved unfortunate for the vir-
tues of the Highlanders, which, from
this period, began to decline. The
country, no longer awed by the pre-
fenee of the fovereign, fell intoanarchy ;
the chieftains extended their authority,
began to form factions, and to foment
divifions, and hoftile feuds between
contending clans ; the laws were either
too feeble to bind them, or they were
too remote from the feat of govern-
ment to be reftrained from their ex-
ceffes, without a ftrong military pow-
er. Hence fprung thofe evils which
long difgraced the country, and dis-
turbed the peace of its inhabitants.
Robbery or plunder, provided it was
practifed on another clan, was coun-
tenanced, and the robber protected :
the reprifals of the other clan increafed
the feud, and the quarrel was often
handed from one generation to ano-
ther, through many ages. Thus, the
genius of the people was greatly al-
tered, and, inftead of the heroes of
Offian, celebrated for their exalted
virtues, a lawlefs banditti made their
appearance, diverted of honour, of e-
yery characteristic of their ancestors,
HIG
except the feudal attachment and
clanShip, which gave too much fcope
and power to their predatory incur-
iions. But, fince the abolition of the
feudal fyftem, and the regular eftab-
lifhment of the laws, by which fafety
and property is fecured to the vaSSal,
the genius of the people begins to
fhine forth in its genuine colours, de-
corated with the luftre of their ancient
virtues. Juftice, hofpitality, genero-
fity, honefty, benevolence, and friend-
fhip, are no where more cultivated
than in the Highlands of Scotland.
The Caledonians have always been
addicted to poetry and muiic ; the
poems of Offian, fo generally known,
and fo highly efteemed by every High-
lander, are a ftrong proof of the early
proficiency in the poetical art. li-
ven at this day, notwithstanding the
many disadvantages they labour un-
der, the molt illiterate of either fex
diScover frequently a genius for poet-
ry, which often breaks forth in the
rnoft natural and Simple Strains, when
love, grief, joy, or any other Subject
of fong demands it. When their work
is over, and when the weather does
not permit the ufual labours of the
field, efpecially in the long winter
nights, they devote a portion of their
time to the tale and the fong : the
former of thefe compositions is of the
novel kind, compofed by the bards of
ancient ages, and handed down by
tradition. It was the office of the
bards of ancient times to Smg the tales
oS their own compoiition, and every
chieStain had one of thefe to amufe his
leiSure hours. Since the extinction of
that order, the Gaelic poems and tales
are, in a great meafure, loft or adul-
terated. The genius and character of
the Gaelic poetry is well known :
tender, beautiful, fublime, and wild
as the Scenes which it celebrated.
The language of the Highlanders is
ftill the Gaelic, which has been fe-
cured to them by their mountains,
and almoft impenetrable faftnefSes,
amidft the many revolutions which
have agitated the reft of the ifland,
and produced the mixed, and varied
language of the low country. The
Gaelic was formerly highly attended
to, and the cultivation of it in a par-
ticular manner belonged to the bards.
To a ftranger, the Gaelic is harfh and
difagreeable, from its numerous qui-