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

2go THE GENUINE HISTORY OF
And the fame people that were flrft denomhiated
Calcdoni.ms, and afterwards Picts, were the in-
habitants of Caledonia, even when the Romans
were actually in polTeflion of the eaftern coa;!!:.
This therefore demon Urates the name of lar-gael,
Ar-gathel, or Ar-gyle, to have not been deduced
from the weilerly poiition of the Scots in Britain.
And the fyll:em, that was railed upon the inter-
pretation, is as eafily deftroyed as it was ridicii-
loufly erected. Etymology, the mere menial of
hiftory, is always ridiculous when fhe throws off
her fubjeclion, and vainly fets up for herfelf.'
We are farther told, that Caeldoch is the
word which the Romans foftencd into Caledonia,
and ", the only name by which the Highlanders
" diflinguifh that divifion of Scotland which they
*' themfclves pofllfs." But this Mr. Macphcrfon
and I have already fliewn to be falfe.-—That
Caeldoch is not the only name by which the
Highlanders diflinguifn their divifion of Scotland,
Mr. rvlacpherfon has already proved in p. 38;
in which he acquaints us, that " Alba or Albin
" [is] the name of [by] which the antient Scots,
" in their native language, have, from all an-
" tiqulty, diflinguiflied their own divifion of Bri-
" tain." Nor is this nil the contradiclion in our
author, co'^cernlng the indigenous appellations
of the Highlands. Here, in p. 148, we are told
ilrat Caeldoch is " tlie only name" for them
among