of learning, and very excellent critic, to whose kind offices principally the Bishop was indebted for procuring him the loan of Bannatine's manuscript out of the Advocates' Library; but indeed he was favored in this by all his friends in Scotland, who were numerous, and used their influence in concurrence with Mr. Davidson, in obtaining so great an indulgence. The Bishop hath not been able to find any copy of the Complaint of Scotland, among his pamphlets, &c. which have been so shuffled about in travelling from London to Carlisle, and thence to Ireland, that it is not impossible but it may have been lost, if he ever had it. P. S. Your frank did not prevent the postage: this I only mention, to save you the trouble of such an application in future. I shall never scruple postage for any packet you may wish to transmit through me to others, &c., though I cannot but lament our difference in opinion in what I think some very essential points; and, as many others as well as myself think them of great importance to the welfare of society, the least to be wished is, that this departure from the received opinions should not officiously or unnecessarily be obtruded on the world. Excuse this general reflection, which, till I have seen your book, I cannot judge whether it be well applied or not. KFV JAS, JOHNSTONE' TO MR. PINKERTON. Your letter of July 7th, 1785, learned Sir, after a long chace, only reached me about six weeks ago, which I hope will be deemed a sufficient It gives me extreme apology for my silence. satisfaction to observe that a gentleman of your erudition has deigned to cast a pitying look upon the scanty and vanishing remains of Scottish Between monkish credulity and rehistory. fined superficiality, they have hitherto been sadly mangled. I sincerely wish you all the success possible; and, treading in the same field, but "longo intervallo,” I will glean up what may escape your notice. With respect to your queries, I have met with no complete chronicle of Scotland in this country: nothing but disjecta membra. To suppose that the Caledonian records were preserved at Iona is a common error: for a long period it had no dependence upon the crown of Albany, and, besides, it underwent so many catastrophes, (being twice burnt, and the monks and patriarch massacred three other different times,) that it is impossible to conceive how any thing of value should be suffered to remain there. It is much more likely that Kenneth the 2nd, after obtaining the Pictish crown, intrusted his archives Rev. James Johnstone, Chaplain to the English Minister at Copenhagen, was author of the Death Song of Lodbroc, Antiquitates Cello-Normanicæ, &c. &c. to Tuathal M'Fergus, primate of the united kingdoms; but who resided in a part of the nation very remote from Icolmkill, and much less explored. Neither the Danes nor Norwegians have preserved any written monuments of their history, previous to the 10th century: any thing we know of prior times is from the Icelanders. I am persuaded, if those gentlemen-rovers could only lay their hands upon a few fat cows, they gave themselves little trouble about other matters. Pictavia was incorporated with Albany before Iceland was discovered consequently, it is not surprising if the Picts are never mentioned by the Scandinavian writers. I find nothing concerning Galloway in them previous to the time of Earl Allan, who made a distinguished figure in those ages. castle that Pennant alludes to probably contained nothing but the charters of the Norwegian monarchs to the Bishops of Man, and the islands, and to the Hebridean chieftains. They were kept in the palace, or cathedral, of Drontheim, and consumed by fire; but I forget the year. There are no lives of Scots saints to be found at this place: the few extracts I have from them were obtained elsewhere. I can get no intelligence of Bishop Robert's Description of the Orkneys; nor, what is more strange, of Valleius's Prisca Cantilenæ Danicæ. The Thus, Sir, I think I have answered all your queries; and I wish I could have done it more satisfactorily. But, notwithstanding, I now and then pick up an anecdote, which shows me that the northern nations were neither so barbarous, nor so unconnected as is generally supposed. Several of even Boece's fictions are founded in truth among these I long reckoned his wars of Macbeth against the Scandinavians; but I find now it is a fact. The traditional character of the Danes is so frightful, that we should be surprised a gentle son of Morven should dare to put his foot in Lochlin. 1 find, however, that the Earl of Carrick was there; and that his great son, after the defeat at Methuen, retired to the same place. It was, no doubt, by his negociations at that court, that he got Angus of the Isles, and the posterity of the brave Norwegians, to act the manful part they did at the battle of Bannockburn. I am told a Baron Ferguson, in Cowal, is possessed of some charters which nobody can read. I wish they could be copied they are most certainly of the Norwegian princes. I have seen some hundreds of them; and they are generally in Icelandic, the common language of that kingdom till the reformation. I have more confidence in your friendship than to suppose you would think of publishing this scrawl: you evidently see, Sir, it consists of a few loose thoughts, thrown out in the hurry of business. My collections will make their appearance in due time. MR. DAVIDSON* TO MR. PINKERTON. Edinburgh, April 2nd, 1786. Mr. Buchan gave me last day your favor; and I am glad to see that you approve of my ideas about the Regiam Majestatem. Malcolm's laws appear to be not authentic. Spelman is quite in the right: Lord Hailes printed a tract in 1769, which fully demonstrates the thing. Your ingenuity and labors about the Picts and Scots merit much commendation. I shall be happy to see your work, and beg you will have me set down as a subscriber to all your publications on our Scots antiquities, &c., and for two copies of each, one for myself and another for the writers to the Signet. I think a map of Scotland, Pictish and Scottish, might be a thing prefixed to your work, and which would elucidate it. Caer occurs in the Lothians-Carbery and Cramound, in old writings: I remember to have seen it named Carra mund Scottorum, i. e. the castle on the river. It is also in Fife, Carbery and Cardwan; vide Sibbald, p. 85. These etymologies are perplexing matters: somehow the languages and customs came to mix; but the oldest names every where, as Fife, Scoon, Cupar, Lothian, and Perth, I have found puzzle even our Gaelic etymologists; though they often appear very lucky in that art, aptly expressing the nature of the John Davidson Esq., Writer to the Signet, author of Observations on the Regiam Majestatem, &c. |