Scottish Text Society publications > Old series > Historie of Scotland > Volume 1, 1888

68
THE HISTORIE OF SCOTLAND.
The author
intendis to
follow the
pure and
simple
veritie.
be thair father. The people lykwyse of Britannic referris
thair original beginning to Jupiter: for it is reported and
put in writte, that the name * of the He was gywze thame
frome Brutus the sone of ^Eneas. bot latting pas thir
fables and a hundir sik clattiris, we think nocht sa far to 5
2repeit the beginning athir frome thir schameles and
fin^et Goddis, or frome t sike Gyantes as ar the sones of
the Scottis menis Godis : bot only thay things that we
mycht collecte cowpendiouslie, and expone as it war be
the J3margent, of the maist ancient monume«tis and 10
Wryteris of chronicles, frome our beginning evin vnto
thir our dayes and sal site nathing alienat, or discordeng
w1 the truth of the historic. Nathir coulde I evir, nathir
3it can I cowmend thair intentione, quha deuyses mony
thingis to decore and outsett, and the historic quha is 15
witnes of tymes, the maistres of lyfe, the lychte of the
truthe, with mistie fables, and the painted colour of
wordes, thay make mair darke and mistie, than thay
make cleir. for a true and sincere speich is ay pure and
simple: nathir, as ane trulie testifies, a Historic or 20
cronicle euir is funde to be furnissed with the preceptes
of Rhethorick. We, thairfor, abhorring, nocht onlie
frome fables and frome 4 leisings, bot frome superfluous
ornament and decore, think it sufficient aneuch to sett
the mater sincerelie and simpillie, as in verie deid it is, 25
afor the eyne of the reidar, that the reidar may vndir-
stand, and sie quhat difference is betuene this maner of
wryteng, and gif it war all painted w{ colouris of Rhe-
torick. Quhen thairfor our intentio^e is of this ordour
to proceid, I desyre nocht that ony of our cuntreymezz 30
* L. “sibi insulseque datum”—the name was given to themselves
and to the island from Brutus, &c.
+ L. “ vel a gigantibus, eorum filiis, Scotorum originem repetere”
—to seek the origin of the Scots either from the Gods, or from the
giants, the sons of the Gods.
£ L. “Summatim et velut per indicem ”—summarily and as if by
index (margent).