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

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THE GENUINE HISTORY OF
*' year 605, bellowed upon that ifland the fame
" appellation. We fliall not difpute with the
*' Irifli that their country received the name of
*' Scottia fome centuries before it- vAs appropri-
*' ated to Caledonia. But no argument can arife
" in favour of their fuperior antiquity from that
*' priority. A colony of the antient Grecians
" poffelTed themfelves of a diftrift of the Leffer
" Afia, which afterwards obtained the name of
" Ionia. That colony, and their anceftors in
*' Greece, for a feries of ages, were called loni-
** ans, but their territories in Europe never
" poiTeffed the appellation of Ionia •, and
from
" that circumflance, will any man conclude, that
*' the Ionian? cf Ephefus and Miletus were more
" antient than thofe of Attica V*
If Ireland " received the name of Scottia forae
" centuries before it was appropriated to C. ie-
*' donia," as Mr. Macpherfon acknowledges,
then this conclufion furely lies very fair and pro-
bable, that Ir'^'and was the feat of the Scots fome
centuries before Caledonia. And, even if any
one inflance could be produced to the contrary,
fuch a fmgle and folitary incident could not take
away the general tendency of the argument. But
no fuch is here given. And Mr. Macpherfon's
parallel is by no means exa(fl. It wants twQ
effential points of coincidence.
The