52 True Principles of Archeology. 



tant time, indeed I am doubtful whether I am justified in 

 speaking of it as past, when antiquaries were looked upon by 

 the business part of the community as a feeble folk, like the 

 conies, harmless, indeed, but perfectly useless, and apt to 

 develop the qualities of a bore. They were suffered to exist, 

 were it only to serve as a butt for satirists. Our own Sir 

 Walter did not spare them ; although, being as keen and dili- 

 gent an antiquary as ever stood in shoe leather, he touched 

 the foibles of Sir Arthur Wardour and Jonathan Oldbuck with 

 a gentle hand. Robert Burns was not so forbearing, and 

 gave a loose rein to ridiculing Captain Grose. 



It's tauld he was a sodger bred. 

 And ane wad rather fa'n than fled ; 

 But now he's quat the spurtle blade 



And dogskin wallet. 

 And ta'en — the Antiquarian trade, 



I think they call it. 



And so on. That's all fair enough, and we antiquaries don't 

 mind it — " our withers are unwrung " — ^because we believe 

 in our profession. It is quite true that in the past a great 

 deal of mischief has been wrought in the exploration and de- 

 struction of ancient remains by persons actuated by one of 

 two motives — avarice or curiosity — avarice, in the search for 

 hidden treasure ; curiosity, consisting of a childish desire to 

 see " what's inside it." Now, there is only one legitimate 

 motive in searching for and garnering decayed and broken 

 objects of no intrinsic value whatever, namely, to obtain light 

 upon the history of the human race. Antiquaries stand in 

 the same relation to historians as witnesses do to counsel. 

 The historian has to make out a case, and as every question 

 has at least two sides, his case is almost invariably one of 

 attack or defence; whichever it is, antiquaries are cited as 

 witnesses, and the case often turns upon the evidence they 

 can give. That, then, is the main purpose and function of 

 the true antiquary — to produce evidence in support of history. 

 If that is admitted, perhaps you think our case may be left 

 there ; but we may go a little further and ask what is the value 

 of history? How much better off are we when antiquaries 

 have proved, as they have recently done, that there was a 



