Chap. VIII. ANTIENT METAPHYSICS. 301 



ciiflom was, in thofe days, that fiich great tenants of the crown 

 feued their eftates in fmall tenantries, to be held of themfelves 

 by miUtary tenure, as they held their own great eftates of the 

 crown ; and their glory, and what gave them power and figure 

 in the ftate, was the number of thofe military vafTals, ready to at- 

 tend them whenever they were required, and to hazard their lives 

 for them and their families. In this manner the country of Scotland' 

 was, of old, full of gentry : For thofe vafTals, who held of the great 

 lords by military tenure, or what was called noble taiure^ in thofe 

 days, were all gentlemen. It was this that enabled the Earl of Mur- 

 ray, above mentioned, and Earl Douglas to invade England, in the 

 reign of King Robert Bruce, at the head of 20,000 horle, who were 

 all gentlemen and their attendants ; For the lower fort of people in 

 Scotland were not, in thofe antient times, mounted, to ferve as iol- 

 diers, upon horfeback. And thofe military vaflals, of the great lords, 

 had, under them, other vafTals, who held of them in the fame manner 

 as they held of the great lords; that is, by military fervice alfo ; and 

 befides thefe, they had tenants and cottagers, who cultivated their 

 lands; — So that the country, at that time, muft have been full of peo- 

 ple. And even after the feudal militia was laid afide, the land ftill 

 continued to be well peopled with gentlemen and landholders : For 

 it was feued out by the great lords to men who paid them feu-duties 

 in money inftead of military fervice ; or, if the lord needed to bor- 

 row money, he pledged fo much of his land for payment of it. This 

 is what, in Scotland, is called a wadfet ; and the wadfttter pof- 

 fefTed the lands, and reaped the fruits of them for payment of the in* 

 tereft of his money. So that, by feuers and wadfetters, tenants and 

 cottagers, the country muft have been very well peopled ; for the 

 farms, in thofe days, were not large, not near fo large as they are 

 now ; and they were cultivated chiefly by cottagers, who lived upon 

 the farm, in a little village called a cottar-town. But things are now 

 greatly altered; The feus are muftly fold to great proprietors of land, 



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