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

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262 THE GENUINE HISTORY OF<br />

*' guage ^—'<strong>The</strong> antlent Scots, in all <strong>the</strong> ages<br />

" to which our information extends, agreed in<br />

^' calling Scotland Alba or Albania, <strong>The</strong> High"<br />

*^* landers and <strong>the</strong> inhabitants <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Hebrides<br />

*' have, to this day, no o<strong>the</strong>r name but Alba<br />

'* for Scotland, and <strong>the</strong>y invariably call <strong>the</strong>m-<br />

*' felves Albanich, or Genuine <strong>Britons</strong>. <strong>The</strong><br />

* uninterrupted ufe <strong>of</strong> this national appellation,<br />

*' from <strong>the</strong> earlieft account we have <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>ir hif-<br />

** tory, furniflies a moral demonftration, that<br />

" <strong>the</strong>y ,are <strong>the</strong> true defcendants <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Hrfl inha-<br />

'' bitants <strong>of</strong> Britain. Had <strong>the</strong>y been <strong>of</strong> Irifh ex-<br />

" traction, <strong>the</strong>y and <strong>the</strong>ir ancellors would have<br />

** undotibtedly affumed 4 name more fuirable to<br />

" <strong>the</strong>ir origin -."<br />

<strong>The</strong> cuftom <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Highlanders, in conflantly<br />

calling <strong>the</strong>ir country Alba or Alban, and in de-<br />

nominating <strong>the</strong>mfelves Albanich, is here efteemed<br />

a moral demonftration <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>ir defcent from <strong>the</strong><br />

firft inhabitants <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> ifland, who called it Al-<br />

bion. But it is obvloufly no demonftration <strong>of</strong><br />

fuch a faft at all. For, even fupp<strong>of</strong>mg <strong>the</strong> firft.<br />

inhabitants <strong>of</strong> Albion to have diftinguiihed <strong>the</strong>m-<br />

^ Albiuin is a word luiknov/n to <strong>the</strong> E.otr>ans, and is merely<br />

Bucliimaii's arbitrary tranllaticu pf <strong>the</strong> Greek Albion, Sec his<br />

Hillory.<br />

* So Sir G. Mackenzie derives <strong>the</strong> name Albanech from<br />

<strong>the</strong> original narne cf <strong>the</strong> ifland, Albion, p. 387. And lb ]:)r,<br />

Macpherfon, p. 116,<br />

ielve?

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