232 The Picts. 



time before conquered from them ; for the Picts and Scots, though 

 they appear as joint invaders of the Roman Province, do not seem 

 to have ever acted in concert, but as independent and unconnected 

 plunderers. The Scots (or Gael) had the sole object of plunder, 

 and it was not a matter of much consideration who was the object. 

 From one incroachment on the Picts they proceeded to another, 

 until they completely exterminated the whole race, under Kenneth 

 Mac Alpine ; and but for their colonies in Wales, Cornwall, and 

 Britanny, their descendants would not now exist, but the name of 

 Cymbri would have disappeared from the earth." 



" This Kenneth Mac Alpin, King of Scots, having determined on 

 the conquest of the Picts, commanded his troops to destroy not only 

 the men, but also the women and children ; and neither to respect 

 sex or holy orders, nor to take prisoners, but to destroy every one with 

 fire and sword. Therefore in the sixth year of his reign, the Picts 

 being much occupied with the defence of their shores against the 

 vexatious and distressing depredations of the Danish pirates, Ken- 

 neth attacked them on their mountainous border, called Drum Al- 

 ban, or the back of Albion, which having passed, he slew many of 

 the Picts, put the rest to flight, and thus conquered and acquired 

 both the kingdoms of the monarchy. The Picts recovered a little 

 by the help of the English, and for four years annoyed Kenneth. 

 But after some ineffectual struggles, and destructive slaughters, in 

 the twelfth year of his reign, he engaged them seven times in one 

 day, and completely destroyed the whole nation of the Picts ; and 

 thus was united, under one monarch, the whole country from the 

 Tyne to the Orcades, as was lately prophesied by Saint Adamman, 

 Abbot of Hye, which was, in all respects, confirmed. So, indeed, 

 not only were the kings and generals of that nation destroyed, but 

 also the people, root and branch, and even their language is alto- 

 gether obliterated, so that whatever is found respecting them of 

 old times, is considered by many Apocryphal." 



" We have now " says Sir W. Betham, 1 " satisfactorily accounted 

 for the disappearance of the Picts from Scotland, and . . shewn 

 that the Welsh were originally a colony of Picts, who conquered 



1 The Gael and the Cymbri. 



