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

xqt THE GENUINE HISTORY OF
felves the defcendants of Caledonians. And, if
tlie Highlanders fubmitted to the Scots or were
reduced by them, they fubmitted merely to their
countrymen, and the Caledonians were reduced
by Caledonians. If therefore Mr. Macpherfon
had entered into this walk of hiftory, he might
have equally flattered the prejudices of his
countrymen, and have opened a dark and ira-
portaat period of our hiftory. But, unhappily
for himfeif, he took a different direction. Re-
folving in his own mind to refcue the early part
of our annals from " the poffefTion of fi6lion and
'^romance %** he has unintentionally (Irengthened
the claims of Mion, and unwittingly endea-
voured to add the authority of right to the
polTellions of ufurpation. And he has gone on
accumulating one romantic notice upon another,
though all hiftory concurred to reclaim him from
his error, and though the atteftations of hiftory
were confirmed by the living teftimony of lan-
guage; the Caledonians, who were reduced by
the Scots of Er-in or Ireland, having adopted the
appellation of their conquerors ;
the nation and
country being now univerfally denominated Scots
and Scotland ; the former being exprefsly de-
nominated Hibernia as late as the nth century,
and the latter the Irlfchery as late as the
14th,