238 



The Picts. 



nia in the sixth century, paid a sort of divine worship to fountains, 

 and acknowledged many of these inferior gods, whom they reck- 

 oned superior to the God of the Christians. The same people 

 had also magi or priests, who they vainly supposed could raise 

 stones, and perform other miracles ; with them the good St. Co- 

 lumba had many pious conflicts in defence of his mission. 



" To offer up sacrifices to their Supreme Being; to address thanks 

 and supplications to him ; to do no wrong to others ; to be bold and 

 intrepid, — were the moral precepts which they drew from these 

 doctrines ; and their firm faith in a future state cemented the vener- 

 able fabric, and finished the structure of their religion. In that 

 state, tortures of the most excruciating kind awaited those that des- 

 pised these most important precepts ; and joys without number, 

 and without end, were the portion of such as had been honest, vali- 

 ant, and religious. 



" This system, at once so pure and so rational, and at the same 

 time so creditable for human nature to have adopted in its unen- 

 lightened state, was of such antiquity, as to be derived from the Scy- 

 thians; and was long believed and practised among the nations of the 

 North which sprung from that root. But unhappily, this beautiful 

 structure, in the course of ages, was much corrupted. 



" The Supreme Being, instead of being considered as extending 

 his attention and energy to all nature, was now confined to one 

 province ; and passed, with the bulk of the people, under the name 

 of Odin or the God of War." . . In the Icelandic writings 

 Odin is styled " The severe and terrible deity ; the father of slaugh- 

 ter ; the god that causeth desolation and fire ; the active and tre- 

 mendous majesty who giveth victory, and reviveth courage in the 

 conflict, and marketh those in battle that are to be slain ! 



" To that branch of this extraordinary people, which so long oc- 

 cupied the Orkneys, ought we perhaps to ascribe some objects of 

 antiquity which could not be conveniently classed under any of the 

 foregoing heads. The first of these we shall mention, are those 

 tumuli or barrows, which so often present themselves to the eye in 

 wandering over the surface of these islands ; and which are plainly 

 the rude memorials of persons of note in early days. The most 



