as Hibernenfes, not as Scoti. And the country where the name first began, had been ever regarded as the prime feat of the Piks, who continued its poffeffors; as the names, and language, and people of that tract always were, and are Gothic. But how came this new name of Scots to be given to a central part of the Piks, around the king's refidence? It is anfwered, just as the name of Scots originally arofe in Ireland. The whole little learning of Pikland lay among the Irish clergy; for Ireland, as it fupplied England and even France with many clergy; fo it fupplied almoft all the clergy of Pikland. Hyona was indeed the fupreme cathedral of Pikland, as Beda tells, and all know: and Hyona was furnished with abbots, &c. from Ireland. The Piks, a northern Gothic nation, defpifed holinefs, and the learning then in vogue, as long as their ancestors of Scandinavia; and there is not one Pikish faint or writer on record. This clearly evidences that their clergy or only literati muft have been Irish and there is every reafon to believe that the name Scoti was given them by their Irish clergy, for one of these two seafons, or both. 1. The Dalreudini, tho originally mixed with Goths, yet from intermarriages in Ireland, and constant intercourfe with that kingdom, became almoft quite Celtic, or at least certainly used the Celtic tongue from the beginning. In that tongue the Scythians or Goths were called Scots, as fully explained above; and as the Celts call themselves by generic names, fo they naturally gave a generic name to the Piks, who were Scythians or Scots. And thus, as the wild Irish were at first termed Hibernenfes, and their Gothic conquerors Scoti, fo the wild Highlanders and their Gothic neighbours fell into the very fame diftinctions of Hibernenfes and Scoti. 2. But it seems more probable that the Irish churchmen did not receive this novelty from the vulgar, but gave rife toit themselves. For discovering from Beda and others that the Piks were Scythæ, and from Nennius and Irish chronicles, that the name Scythe was fynonymous with Scoti, they would naturally give their favourite term to the Piks, as real Scythæ or Scoti.'

An account of the manners and antiquities of this period follows. The fuppofed vitrified forts belong, it feems, to the thirteenth century, and are the effect only of a peculiar kind of mortar. It is not perfectly clear that these forts were not built of a vitrifiable earth, and afterwards hardened by fire raifed on each fide. The conical buildings called Piks' houses, Mr. Pinkerton thinks, were the winter retreats of fome of the richer inhabitants. The obelisks are, in his opinion, of Pikish origin; and it is obferved, that Mr. Pennant is not perfectly accurate when he fays that no fuch monuments occur in Scandinavia without infcriptions. The engraven obelisks in Scotland are fuppofed by Mr. Pinkerton to be not much older than the twelfth century.

The

The last part relates to the ecclefiaftical history; but it is well known that Patrick was the apoftle of the Irish, Ninian and Columba of the Piks. The former was a Cumraig Briton, the latter an Irishman. St. Patrick was born at Alclud, near Dumbarton, and was probably of a Roman family. The monafteries of the western ifles of Ireland, during the darker and more turbulent ages, contained the little remains of learning: and to thefe Celtic (if they are Celtic) feminaries, the moit learned and pious minifters owed their education. This is a fubject that deferves much more attention than it has yet received. St. Andrew's was the first bishoprick, founded in 909, though before this time there is fome reafon to think, from Tighernac and the annals of Ulfter, that the abbot of Dunkeld was metropolitan of Pikland. The culdees are faid to be the Irish clergy or corrupted monks fecularized, in confequence of the turbulence of the times; and they afterwards retained great power. The literary history is not very important: the clergy were generally Irifh, and various caufes concurred to prevent improvement. They kept alive the fpark, but they could not raise it into a flame.

The Supplement relates to the Angles and Norwegians. The Angles poffeffed the country north of the Humber. They came to England from the fouth of the prefent Jutland in 547, and in the beginning of the ninth century loft all their ground in Pikland. They were probably a barbarous race, and fortunate only in perpetuating their name in the prefent appellation of England. The Norwegians, as we have already hinted, previous to the year 1076, gained poffeffion of the Orkneys, the Ebuda, and the northern parts of Pikland. In fact, these. northern iflands were the prey and the neft of the most powerful pirates; nor was it till after goo that we have any regu lar account of their government, or that their government deferved that name. The Shetland islands were denominated from Hialt, and were ftyled Hialt-land, or Yaltland, from " whence Yetland and their prefent appellation. In the account of the Hebudes, Mr. Pinkerton traces the origin of the errer which occafioned them to be called in modern works Hebrides. It feems to have arifen from an erroneous. edition of Solinus, printed at Paris 1503, copied by Boethius. In 1266 they were ceded by the Norwegians to the Scots. The isle of Maun is the Monada of the ancients, as Anglesey was the Mona: it was held by the Irish in the time of Orofus, conquered by Edwin king of Northumberland in 620; feized by Norwegian pirates in the ninth century, who were foon afterwards expelled. The inhabitants were Irish, and, in

A

1075

1075, the island was under the jurifdiction of Ireland. The Appendix, which contains fome useful and curious documents, follows; and the Differtation on the Scythians and Goths, formerly noticed, is added at the end of the volume.

We have now followed Mr. Pinkerton with fome care, not without great labour, and no little anxiety to pursue him in thofe recondite enquiries, from whence he has drawn the most valuable of his materials. Of his principal fyftem, we may add of his prejudices, we have spoken fufficiently. We ought not to conclude without commending his diligence, his perfeverance, his fagacity, his acuteness, and his accu

racy.

The Loiterer, a Periodical Work, in Two Volumes. First publifhed at Oxford in the Years 1789 and 1790. 8vo. 10s. 6d: Boards. Egertons.

SINCE

INCE the days of Terræ Filius, it is remarked by our author, that no periodical publication has been confined to the univerfities, either as defcriptive of their manners, the fcourge of their follies, or the herald of their virtue and learning. We fufpect, however, that the author is not perfectly accurate in this opinion. We well remember a collection of this kind, though the name, if it was not the Student,' has efcaped us the Connoiffeur, as he properly obferves, occafionally noticed thefe feats of learning; but his vifits were tranfitory, and more general topics often called him from them. The volumes before us contain fixty Numbers, but in the last we find complaints of inattention, and the difproportionate lengths of the publisher's bill and the list of fubfcribers. This, however, may be readily accounted for; without depreciating Mr. Auften's merit, or the value of his effays. The univerfity of Oxford is comparatively a confined fpot; few who refide in it want information; and those who are at a distance are not often inquifitive about it, except perhaps fome few retired students, who remember with pleasure the fcenes which once afforded them their principal enjoyments. Befides, that in the univerfity, the characters or the fituations cannot be numerous or often interesting; and either the happiness or diftrefs of the future life, a more extended circle, or more endearing connections, will leffen the force with which even thefe would attract the ftudent who has been long abfent.

If periodical papers are generally formed on the model of the Spectator, we muft blame the imitator lefs than we praife

the

the original. Opinions are illuftrated by the collifion of a friendly interchange of fentiment, or contrafted by the focial controversy: every periodical writer has, therefore, his friend or his club; each starts from the fcene, and by a journey to the country or to London, gives that variety which a ftationary refidence could not afford. Our author adopts a fimilar plan; and if he does not ftrike the fancy by the brilliancy of his wit, if he does not amufe by the fictions of a fertile imagi nation, if he does not conquer worlds and then imagine more,' he conciliates our efleem by faithful defcriptions of life and manners, he inftructs by judicious precepts and appofite examples, and he promotes the cause of virtue by the pureft dictates of religion and morality. The firft volume is more strictly confined to the manners of the univerfity; and it is with regret we obferve, that the most frequent traits are a diffipated youth, an age of neglected celibacy, or unfortunate matrimonial connections. Let us extract a picture of modern language and a common character.

To recapitulate all the various modes of expreffing our actions or paffions which our own ingenuity first introduced, and which custom has reconciled us to, would be entering into a field much too large for the Loiterer; I cannot, however, avoid mentioning one, and which I have been led to take notice of, from a conversation which paffed, not many weeks ago, between an acquaintance of mine, a country neighbour of his (who was come to fee the univerfity), and myfelf.-The country gentleman, amongst a variety of other impertinent queftions, made many foolifli enquiries after a near relation of his, who was not then in Oxford, fuch as-how he spent his time? what progrefs he made in his ftudies? and what was his character in the college? with other trifling particulars of the fame fort, most of which my friend very properly thought undeferving any reply; and, therefore, only faid in general, that he need be under no concern about him, for that he trained on famously well, and would foon be a very dabing man. An expreffion which, though to me it was perfectly familiar, I faw plainly conveyed no fort of idea to the perfon to whom it was addreffed. He made no effort, however, to obtain an explanation (poffibly afraid to expofe his ignorance) and who coolly faid, he was happy to hear fo good an account, as it would give great pleasure to his family and friends, who had formed very fanguine expectations of his doing well." How far thefe their expectations are likely to be answered, it is not my bufinefs to enquire, and I fhall only obferve, that all his relations and friends will foon be enabled to form a very complete idea of a Dating Man, the moment they infpect his next quarter's bills.'

This defcription is illuftrated by the following character:

• Dining

Dining the other day with my friend Will Sagely, my at tention was very much engaged by a gentleman whofe manners and conversation declared him to be of the first order. He entertained us during dinner with a very animated account of a drinking-party which he had been engaged in the evening before, which, together with an epifode of his meeting the proctors in the evening, enabled him to engross the converfation till the cloth was removed. This topic was fucceeded by the defcription of a bay gelding, which was, in his own phrafe, as pretty a bit of blood as ever carried faddle. And by way of defert, he treated us with a full, true, and particular account of his threatening to horfe-whip a tradefman, who had dared to remonftrate with him on his not discharging a bill: he concluded this fubject with affirming, that all tradesmen should be refifted by gentlemen as fcoundrels, and that he never knew one in his life who was not a complete Raff. To perfons in the leaft acquainted with Dahers, it will be unneceffary to add, that he interlarded his difcourfe with feveral of the most defcriptive and vigorous oaths, and was never fo much engroffed by his converfation as to let the bottle pafs without filling a bumper. I fared first at him and then at Sagely, who, I obferved, frequently turned up his eyes during this continued difcourse, and at last, I thought, darted an evident look of contempt on the gentleman who made himself thus confpicuous."

Of the more general obfervations, and of our author's eafy and elegant ftyle, we fhall felect a fpecimen from the fecond volume. It relates to the various kinds of affectation in ladies; and the pictures are sketched correctly, and coloured naturally.

Of this, the moft prevailing in the prefent age is, the affectation of candour; impelled by this principle, the modern fair one not only defends the actions, but even praises the perfons of all her cotemporaries and rivals: fhe never lets flip an opportunity of praifing all her acquaintance, either for their merits or their faults; if a lady is faid to be regularly pretty, but infipid, the immediately declaims on the fymmetry of her features and exactnefs of her make; if on the other hand, the person in debate has no claim to admiration but from an expreffive countenance, he is full as ready to cry up the fuperiority of expreffion and manner over regularity of features; nay, should the lady be unfortunate enough to be void of every perfonal charm which can attract admiration, it is hard but she will find fomething to praife in her, and if every thing else fails, applaud the sweetness of her difpofition, and hint that she will make an excellent wife. Thus the goes on, excufing, defending, or applauding the faults or deficiencies of her long list of friends, and in the vain hope of being admired for her candour, forgets that

praife,