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

THE BRITONS ASSERTED. 197
on ravages in Britain might be along repetition of
invafions, and therefore occafion the appointment
of a particular officer to guard againfl: them
while the Irilh might be only a few defcents,
and would therefore produce no fuch appoint-
ment. And this appears to have been adually
the cafe. The Irifh aftually " infefted the Ro-
** man divifion of Britain by fea." But they
infefted it only twice with an armament ; once
in the days of Theodofms the Elder, and agaih
in the time of Stilicho. And the latter inva-
fion extended even along the whole wcftern
(hore of the Province, from Lancafhire to the
Lands end '.
P. 1 5— 116. " If the province of Valentia
1
" comprehended the country between the Walls,
*' why did not the Hibernian Scots land every
*' other feafon in Ga'loway ? How came not the
" Irifh rovers to atteriipt a defcent in either of
*' the divifion of Wales or in Cumberland ?
" Was not the coafl: of Lan.cifl^irc almoil as
** near to the ifle of Man, which, according to
*' Orofms, was poffefTed by Scottifh tribes, as
** any part of the contment of Caledonia was
' Hiftory of Mancheftcr, p. 4C'8— .;.6o.—-In fuppormg
therefcre the inv-ificn in the day? of Stilicho to have been the
fin\, p. 458, I v/as led by probability, but forget a tlnil.
O 2