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The genuine history of the Britons asserted against Mr. Macpherson ...

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THE BRITONS ASSERTED. 157<br />

are fpirlted, and his labours decifive. But when<br />

he endeavours, as he does twice, to derive any<br />

advantage from his conquefls in favour <strong>of</strong> a Ca-<br />

ledonian origin, I mud <strong>the</strong>n beg leave to inter-<br />

p<strong>of</strong>e, and fliew his pretcnfions to be as falfe as <strong>the</strong><br />

Irifli, and his arguments as vifionary as Innes's.<br />

P. 78—79. At entering on his refutation, <strong>Mr</strong>.<br />

Macpherfon fpeaks thus, — ** <strong>The</strong>y [<strong>the</strong> Scots]<br />

" came, fays <strong>the</strong> ingenious Fa<strong>the</strong>r [Innes], ei<strong>the</strong>r<br />

** from Scandia or Cantabria [into Irelandj, about<br />

" <strong>the</strong> time <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Incarnation, or ra<strong>the</strong>r a little<br />

*' time after it.—Innes is <strong>the</strong> only writer who has<br />

" reduced <strong>the</strong> origin <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Scots into a regular<br />

** fyftem ; and he endeavours to defend it.<br />

** Should <strong>the</strong> ingenious Fa<strong>the</strong>r's fcheme be de-<br />

*' flroyed, <strong>the</strong> Caledonian extra^lion <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Irifli<br />

** muft <strong>of</strong> courfe rife upon its ruins."<br />

This is furely a very extraordinary argument.<br />

Though <strong>the</strong> Irilh be proved not to have been de-<br />

rived from Scandinavia or Cantabria, we are not<br />

one ftep nearer to <strong>the</strong>ir derivation from Caledo-<br />

nia. <strong>The</strong>y may have come with equal probability<br />

from <strong>the</strong> whole extended fhore <strong>of</strong> Britain, that<br />

reaches from Caledonia to <strong>the</strong> Channel. And I<br />

have already ihewn that <strong>the</strong>y aftually did.<br />

p. 90—91.

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