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

THE TRITONS ASSERTED. 207
" before it was appropriated to Caledonia. But
** — a colony of the ancient Grecians polTelTed
" themfelves of a diftrift of Leffer Afia, which
** afterwards obtained the name of Ionia. That
•' colony, and their anceflors in Greece, for a
** feries of ages, were called lonians, but their
** territories in Europe never poTefTed the appel-
** lation of Ionia." This is lurely a very ftrange
direftion of the reafoning. If that colony and
their anceflors in Greece were called lonians,
their territories both in Europe and Afia muft
have pofTefTed the appellation of Ionia. And
the territorial denomination mufl: have commenced
with the national in both. Ifidore ac-
cordingly, who mentions the territorial name of
Scotia, mentions alfo the national appellation of
Scoti. Coinciding exactly in his words with Orofius
above, Ifidore, even as quoted by Mr. Mac-
pherfon himfelf, fays : Scottia eadem 8c' Hibernia—
; Scottia autera quod ab Scotorum genti-
bus cohtur.
And Mr. Macpherfon has forgotten in the
courfe of his reply to each fingle authority, that
the notions which he combats do not rely upon
the credit of any of thefe hiflorians, fepa-
rately taken, but on the united force and col-
leftive import of all. If Orofius, Ifidore, and
others alTure us, that Ireland was inhabited by
the Scots in their time, and that it was therefore
denominated