C A L E D O N I ^\. 



tains. Accoidini^Iy it is faid, tliaf tliis was a very proper 

 name for tlie rea! Caledonians of Badtnocli, Braidalbin, and 

 the adjacent trails, which are the moll nionntainoiis parts 

 ot Scotland, and nit very unfiiitable to the other nations, 

 to whom it was gii-en by the Roman autiiors. Others 

 again affirm, that Gael-.hch is the only appellation, wiiich 

 the Scoto, who fpeak. the Gaelic language, know for 

 their own divilion of Britain : And Gad-cloch is a com- 

 pound of Gael or Gael, the firft colony of the ancient Cauls 

 who tranfmigrated into Britain, and iloch, a diftrift or divi- 

 fion of a country. The Romans, by tranfpofing the letter 

 / in Gael, and fofttning into a Latin termination the ch of 

 doch, formed tl\e well known name of Caledonia. 



The ancient Caledonia comprehended all that conn try which 

 lay. to the north of the rivers Forth and Clvde; or, as others 

 flate its boundaries, from the wall of Severus, conneiiling 

 the call coall near Tii-.emouth with the Sohvay Firtb, at 

 Boulnefs, on the well conft, to the northern (liorc. The 

 Calcdonii of Ptolemy poficffed that extenfive traft of coun- 

 try which reached from the L.clannonian bay, or Loch fenn, 

 on the weft, to the clUiary of Vara or Firth of Tavmr on 

 the call coaif, and included Badenoch, Braidalbin, the in- 

 land parts of the Ihires of Murray, Banff, Aberdeen, and 

 Perth. The Greek and Roman hiftorians and poets, who 

 flourilhcd in the firif, fecond, and third centuries, when they 

 have occalion to mention the affairs of Britain, give the ge- 

 neral name of Caledonii to all the Britilh nations without 

 the limits of the Roman pro\inci-, and that of Caledonia 

 to their countiy. The rcafon of this might be, that the 

 Galedonii were the moll powerful or warlike of thofc na- 

 tions, and maintained fome kind of fuperiority over the rell, 

 who were contented to fight und^r their conduft againll 

 their common enemies, the Romans and provincial Britons. 

 Hence the name of the Caledonii, from being the proper 

 name of one nation, became the common denomination of 

 many. 



Caledonia feems to have been unknown to the Romans 

 till Agricola entered it with his army, in his third campaign, 

 A. D. 80. Marching from fouth-well towards the north- 

 eall, he traverfed the territories of feveral Britilh tribes, and 

 penetrated to the river Tay, without oppofition. The Ca- 

 ledonii feemed to have retired, hoping to recover in the 

 winter, after the retreat of their enemies, what they had 

 loll in the lummer. But Agricola difappointed their expec- 

 tations by employing the remainder of the fcalon in build- 

 ing forts in the mnft convenient fituatio s for keeping pof- 

 iclilon of the country. As foon as thefe forts were Hmlhcd 

 and llored with provifions, he put his army into them for 

 their winter-quarters, that his troops might be every where 

 at hand to check the attempts of the natives to fhake off 

 the yoke. Tacitus does not inform us, whether Agricola 

 fpent this winter in Caledonia, or in the more fouthern 

 parts of Britain. See Ai.;kicola. 



When Adrian arrived in Britain A. D. 121, he aftivcly 

 employed himf..lf in ftj;i!in-.; the frontiers of the Roman 

 polielTions againlt the iiicurfjons of enemies. With this view 

 he erected his famous rampart or wall, as the boundary of 

 the Roman province, from the mouth of the river Tine on 

 the call, to the Sohvay firth on the well, near the track 

 where Agricola had built his firll chain of forts. See Ad- 

 run. Under the reign of Antoninus Pius, A.D. ij8, 

 I^ollius Urbicus was governor of Britain ; and in order to 

 fecure the peace of the Roman province in this illand, it 

 was found necefiary to enlarge its hmits. Accordingly 

 LoUius Urbicus defeated the Mceatx in feveral engagements, 

 and recovered the country as far as the illhmus between the 

 firths of Forth and Clyde. In ^rder to fecure his con- 

 6 



quefl, and to keep the Caledonians at a greater diflancc, 

 Urbicus, by direction of the emperor, raifcd another 

 iliong- rampart, in imitation of that of Adrian, between 

 thofe two friths, along the line of forts which had been 

 conllnifted there by Agricola. This rampart, with its 

 ditch and forts, was intended for the iitmoll boundary of 

 the Roman empire in Britain. In the year i8o, the Cale- 

 donians, having broke through the wall of Antoninus, and 

 being joined by the Mccita:, invaded the Roman province. 

 To repel this invafion, the government of Britain was be- 

 llowed upon Ulpius Matccllus, who, having full reftorcj 

 the dilcipline of the Roman tioops,lcd ihem againft the ene- 

 my, and defeated them in feveral battles. During the con- 

 tell which took place on the accelTion of Septimus Sevcrus 

 to the imperial throne, Britain became a fcene of great con- 

 fufion, A. D. 198. The Ma:at?e and Caledonians, obftrv- 

 ing the defencclefs (late of the Roman province, made in- 

 curfions into it, and fprtad defolation in their progrefs. 

 When Lupus was deputed by Severus to repeal thefe in- 

 vaders, he found himfe'.f unable to accomplidi this objeclby 

 force, and therefore bribed the plunderers to retire, by pur- 

 chafing their prifoners with a fum of money. Their iiicur- 

 fions, however, were renewed with greater violence for fe- 

 veral years ; and it was found necellary for Severus him- 

 felf to vifit Britain in ptrfon. The news of his arrival, 

 A. D. 207. alarmed the Moeatx and Caledonians, and in- 

 duced tliem to fend ambaffadors to promife fubmiffion, and 

 fue for peace. Severus, however, difmiffed tice ambaffadors 

 without any fatisfatlory anfwer, and advanced northward at 

 the head of a very large army. When he had paflcd the wal! 

 of Adrian, he encountered many difficnltiis and dangers. His 

 army was haraffed with continual ficirmifhes, anddicoyed 

 into many ambuOies ; and in his progrefs, he was obliged 

 to employ one part of his army in cutting down woods, drain- 

 ing lakes and marflies, making roads, and calling bridges over 

 rivers, whilll the other part defended the labourers from the 

 enemy. In this expedition Severus loll no fewer than 10,000 

 men, thongii he fought no battle, and faw no enemies in a 

 body- At length he penetrated into the very heart of Ca- 

 ledonia, and llriick fnch terror into its inhabitants, that they 

 renewed their lupplications for peace, which was at lad 

 granted them, on condition of rtlinquifliing a part of their 

 country, and delivering up their arms. Having concluded 

 a peace with the Caledonians, and conduced his 

 army back into the northern parts of the Roman pro- 

 vince, he employed his troops for about two years in 

 conflrudling his famous wall. Towards the dilaftrons 

 decline of liis life, A. D. 210, the Moeata: and Cale- 

 donians took advantage of his wcaknefs and the dillrac- 

 tion of his family, and renewed the war in hopifs of recovering 

 that part of their country which they had been obliged to 

 refigr. The aged emperor, who had retired to York, be- 

 come pecvidi by his complicated fuderings, was enraged by 

 the news of this revolt, and ilTued orders for exterminating 

 thefe two nations, without fparing the very infants in their 

 mothers' wombs. Tiie execution of thefe cruel orders was 

 prevented by the emperor's death. His eldell fon Caiacalla, 

 as foon as he heard of his father's death, concluded a peace 

 with the Mccatae and Caledonians, and foon after left 

 Britain. 



When the emperor Severus invaded Caledonia, A.D. 20', 

 we are told (Xiphilin. ex Dio Nicxo in Sever.) " that the 

 Moeatx and Caledonians (who polTcircd all the illand beyond 

 the well of Adrian), inhabited barren uncultivated mountains, 

 and defert marlhy plains ; that they had neither walls, lioufcs, 

 nor cultiv.ated lands ; but lived on the miik and flelh of their 

 flocks and herds, on what they got by plunder, or caught 



by 



