[ 40 ] 



writers, or Earca according to the Irifli. Upon this head there 

 is a confiderable difference between the hiftorians of the two na- 

 tions ; the firft fay that Arcath or Erk was the father of Fergus ; 

 the fecond affert that Earca was his mother, and the daughter of 

 a Scottifli chieftain. In this point I am rather inchned to be 

 guided by the opinion of the Irilh ; becaufe the Scots have no 

 hiftorians extant, of any thing near the like antiquity with the 

 Irifli; befides its carrying a great probabihty with it from other 

 circumftances that attend it. This Earca, the daughter of the 

 aforefaid Scot, is faid by the Irilli to have been married to 

 Muirdeach, king of Ireland. The eldeft fon fucceeded his father, 

 and ftands in the lift of kings by the name of Murtogh Afc. 

 Earca. Now it is highly probable that, if the Scots thought 

 proper to fend for a king, as their own hiftorians affert, they 

 would prefer a prince, the fon of a king who was alfo defcended 

 in a ri^ht line from one of their own chiefs, to any other perfon 

 not fo highly born. But fince the elder brother was already heir 

 apparent to a more valuable and antient kingdom, it is natural 

 that their choice fliould fall upon the fecond fon if the eldeft 

 declined it. The Irifli hiftorians farther affert, that his father 

 made him on that occafion a prefent of the famous Liah Fail 

 or Stone of Deftiny, on which the pagan Irifli kings were ufed 

 to be crowned ; which continued to be appropriated to that ufe 

 in Scotland 'till it was carried to Weftminfter by Edward the 

 Firft, where it now remains. This account is alfo more con- 

 fiftent with probability than the Scottifh legend, of its having been 

 brought from Ireland by one Fergus the Firft, a monarch of their 

 own country, and more antient by near eight centuries than the 

 other. In the days of Paganifm no Irifh king would have parted 



with 



