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"that God would assist me in my deficiency and ignorance. I am also of opinion, that there " is no essential error or defect here, but what " is in the Latin or English print; unless there "be some want or error, in the opinion of those "who are learned in the Gaelic; a thing not of "material consequence with respect to the holy

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Scriptures. And rare is the man who knows "the true orthography of the Gaelic, not in "Scotland only, but in Ireland also, unless it "be found among a few excellent and eloquent

"meisneach is mó ina mhac faind, agas mo chumhachta do "dhenamh. In dochas go gcuideochadh Dhia lium im ui❝reasbhuidh agas im aineolas."

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"Acht cheana. Saoilim fós nach bfuil imarcaidh no easb"huidh andso acht mar tá sé agcló na laidne & anghaillberla. "Acht mura bfuil vireabhuidh no imarcaidh and do reir "dheachtaidh no cheirt na bfileadh ar an n'gaoidheilg. An ní "ar nach bfuil feidhm no foghnamh agan sgribhtuir dhiadha air, agas is tearc neach aga bfuil ceart canamhna na gaoidheilge, 66 agas ni Nalbain amhain acht An eirind féin acht mara bfuil sé ag beagan daois ealadhna mhaith re dán agas re seanchus agas ag meid eigin do mhacaibh maithe leighind agas ar na "adhbhrasin da bfaghadh saói re healadhain locht sgriobhtha no "deachtaidh sa leabhar bheagsa, gabhadh se mo leithsgelsa, óir "ni dhearrna mé saothar ná foghluim sa n'gaoidheilge, acht "amhain mar gach n'duine don pobal choitcheand. Acht cheana "do gheibhid na daoithe, agas na bromanaigh lochta imarcacha "is na neithibh bhios gan locht gan vireasbhuigh & leigidh siad an égoir tharrsa gan an locht bhios go follas indte dfaicsin. 66 Agas

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bards, who attend to poetry and history, and a certain part of the distinguished men of learning. And on this account, if a learned "man find errors in the writing or diction of "this little book, let him excuse me, for I do "not arrogate to myself a more comprehensive "acquaintance with the Gaelic than is possessed

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by the common run of people. Those bards "and learned men, however, find many errors "in things without error or deficiency; and

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they commit the injustice of passing over, "without notice, the real faults that occur. "The errors too mentioned by these people, exist, not in the work, but in themselves; and "on this account, I shall not procure the as"sistance of that set, however numerous they

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may be; and neither shall I contend with "them ignorantly, according to my own will or "passions; and neither shall I give insult or of "fence

E 2

"Agas ni hád sa cho ir bhios anlocht adeiridsean do bheith "indte acht iondtasan féin ar an adhbharsin ni ghebha mé "cumairce na buidhne sin, acht ge lionmhar iád, agas ni dhena "mé cothughadh le hainbfios do reir mo thoile no mo mhiana "féin, agas, ni mó do bhéra mé tarcaisne no toibheim do neach "oile ne ghebhas tnuth no formad mhé ris da n'denadh sé ni is "fearr iná mar ta im chumhachtaibh féin da dhenamh: óir

" atáim ag admhail go bfuil sin sodhenta, acht cheana madhail

"lé dia so do dhenamh maitheasa no tarbha don eagluis agas "mise do mharthain, do dhena mé tuilleadh saothair do chur na "dhiadh so." &c.

"fence to any other person, nor feel spite or "envy, though he succeed much better than I "have been able to do; for I confess this is very "possible." Afterwards, by way of farther apology, he adds ;* "I am very sure that men of

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.*

ingenuity and levity will sneer, and ridicule, "and treat with contempt, this little work, be"cause poetical neatness is wanting to the ex"pressions, and precision to the single words. "And if there is a deficiency in the orthography or arrangement, or some letters substi"tuted

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*“Atá a shios agamsa, go n'dénaid daóine cúirialta édtroma, "sgige agas fochuidmheadh, agas fanumhad fan tsaótharm beag sa,

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ar son gan snas fileadh do bheith ar na briathraibh, agas gan "chruás do bheith isna foclaibh, agas ma tá vireasbhuidh shoc"lorachta no chearta scribhtha, nó litre aninadh litre sa leabharsa, "ní hingnadh sin do bheith amhluidh, ar son nach raibhe én sho"cal gaoidheilge ag fear bhuailte an chló, acht dothuairim no do "bharamhail an chló do chur fiós. Agas atá fós a dheirbhshios 66 agam, go ndénaid na Papanaigh, agas go specialta na sean "Tsagairt scaiteacha, sgeth ascandaile am adhaigh féin, agas gurab "míchlu, agas masla mó luaidhidheacht vathadh arson mhoibre, "gedheadh nimesde sin, agas adeirim do réir póil, da n'denaind ❝toil na n'daóine nachar shearbhonta díleas do Chriosd mé, agas "fós ni meste an shírinde na daoithe dá dimoladh, agas mur tá "ruún agam cuidiughadh les na Criostaidhibh simplidhe ghebhas " mo dheaghthoillé gean maith, agas nach gcuireand mhuireasb"hadha an athais oram, mar fin don taoibh eile budh fadogh fúm, "cáineadh na pápanach dom bhrosnughadh. Do tsiór labhairt, agas do tsiór scriobhadh na fírinde, agas do tsiór nochtadh a "nurchoidesean ar fad mo bheathadh go himlan." &c.

"tuted in place of others in this book, we need "not be surprised, for the man who printed the "book had not one word of Gaelic, but printed "as his fancy chanced to direct him. And well "do I know, that the papists especially, and "above all, the old satirical priests; will vomit malice against me, and that my work will procure me, from them, only scandal and reproach."

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The author from whom these extracts are taken, died sometime in the year 1572. His memory is still preserved, by tradition, in the parish of Kilmartin, and in Lorn, where he chiefly resided. It is by no means popular. The bards, to whom he bore no very good will, made him, in return, the subject of their satirical verses and invectives, some of which are still preserved. Many proverbs, expressive of his rapacity and avarice, are still current in that country.

But however defective his moral conduct, the apprehensions he expresses for the manner in which his book would be received by the bards and old satirical priests, shews that those men were no strangers to literature, and had arrived at no small degree of elegance in their native tongue.

The

The apology he makes for defects in orthography puts it beyond a doubt, that the Gaelic was then a written language, which contained many popular compositions, and among other histories and poems, the actions of Fingal and his heroes.

The bigotry of the first presbyterian ministers, was not more friendly to the bards than Carswell. They might possibly think, that their legendary songs attached the people too much to their ancient usages. Besides, they all, at least till very lately, ex`pressed the utmost dislike to poetry. Home had his gown stript off for writing the celebrated play of Douglas; nor is it long since the magistrates and minister of Greenock, before they admitted Mr. Wilson, (the author of the elegant poem, Clyde) to superintend the grammar school of that town, stipulated that he should abandon "the profane " and unprofitable art of poem-making."

It is happy that those who first introduced the light of Christianity into the western world, were not men of such nar

row