II Certain Delusions of the North Britons 301 



kilt ! Here have we the dress of the baser sort, 

 which was adopted by the gentles at times for their 

 own amusement, seeing that they could not get it 

 pleasantly without. In 1723 the Highland gentle- 

 men were mightily civil and kindly at a fair at Crieff, 

 as indeed we have ever found them everywhere. 

 They were dressed in their slashed waistcoats and 

 trouserings (which were breeches and stockings of 

 one piece of striped stuff), a plaid for a cloak, and 

 a blue bonnet. These gentlemen in slashed doublets 

 and trouserings were attended by numerous retainers 

 all in belted plaids, girt like a woman's petticoat 

 down to the knee, their thighs and half the leg all 

 bare.^ They had each their broadsword, and spake 

 all Irish. No kilt here, and most certainly not on 

 a gentleman. In 17 15 the remoter Highlanders 

 were only clothed in a long coat," buttoned down 

 to mid-leg. This information was given to Buchanan 

 by the minister of Malmearns (the father of Professor 

 Fergusson), who said that those Highlanders who 

 joined the Pretender from the most remote parts 

 were not dressed in party-coloured tartans, and had 

 neither plaid nor philabeg. This is curious testimony, 

 but hard to accept, as it argues that the Highlanders 

 from the remoter parts were more civilised than 

 others, having mastered the mystery of buttons. 

 In the ancient ballad of AbraJiam Brown we 



^ I.e. they had tucked up the ends of the long belted plaid into 

 the girdle. 



2 Hibernian Cota mohr? — Ed. 



