ANTIQUITIES. 
the Irish clergy endeavoured to render their 
language, which was the most smooth and 
cultivated of the two, the polite dialogue of 
the court and superior classes. About the 
year of Christ 258, the Dalriads of Bede, 
the Attacotti of the Roman writers, passed 
from Ireland to Argyleshire, and became 
the germ of the Scottish Highlanders, who 
apeak the Irish or Celtic language, while the 
Lowlanders have always used the Scandina- 
vian or Gothic. In reference to the an- 
tiquities of the country, Mr. Pinkerton 
divides the early history into seven distinct 
periods, viz. 1. The original population of 
Scotland by the Cimbri, and by the Picti. 
2. The entrance of Agricola into Scot- 
land, and the subsequent conflicts with the 
Romans, till the latter abandoned Britain. 
3. The settlement of the Dalriads or Atta- 
cotti, in Argyleshire, about the year 258, 
and their repulsion to Ireland about the 
middle of the fifth century. 4. The com- 
mencement of what may be called a regular 
history of Scotland, from the reign of Drust, 
A. D. 414. 5. The return of the Dalriads, 
A. D. 503, and the subsequent events of 
Dalryadic story. 6. The introduction of 
Christianity among the Caledonians, in the 
reign of Brudi II, A. D. 565. 7. The union 
of the Picti and Attacotti, under Kenneth, 
A. D. 843, after which greater civilization 
began to take place, and the history be- 
comes more authentic. The monuments of 
antiquity belonging to these epochs, may be 
considered in the following order. Of the 
first epoch, no monuments can exist, except 
those of the tumular kind ; and it is impos- 
sible to ascertain the period of their forma- 
tion. The remains of the Roman period in 
North Britain chiefly appear in the cele- 
brated wall built in the reign of Antoninus 
Pius, between the firths of Forth and Clyde, 
in the ruins of which many curious inscrip- 
tions have been found. Another striking 
object of this epoch, was a small edifice 
vulgarly called Arthur’s Oven, which seems 
rightly to have been regarded by some an- 
tiquaries, as a small temple dedicated to the 
god Terminus, probably after theerection of 
the wall of Antoninus, for we are not to 
conceive these walls were the absolute lines 
beyond which the Romans possessed no 
territory; while, on the contrary, in the 
pacific intervals, the garrisons along the wall 
may have claimed the forage of the exterior 
fields ; and the stream of Carron, beyond 
which this chapel stood, may have been 
considered as a necessary supply of water. 
The remains of the wall and forts, and other' 
Roman antiquities in Scotland, particularly 
their camps and stations, many of which are 
remarkably entire, are ably illustrated in a 
late publication of General Roy ; but the 
ingenious author has perhaps too implicitly 
followed a common antiquarian error, in 
ascribing all these camps, stations, &c. to 
Agricola, while they may be more justly 
assigned to Lollius Urbicus, A. D. 140, or 
to the Emperor Severus, A. D. 107, espe- 
cially indeed, to the latter, for the Em- 
peror’s appearance, in person, to conduct 
two campaigns, probably as far as Inver- 
ness, must have occasioned the erection of 
works more eminent and durable than 
usual, the soldiers being excited by the ani- 
mating controul of a military monarch. Con- 
stantius Chlorus also, A. D. 306, made a 
long progress into Scotland, if we trust the 
panegyrists. Nay, in the reign of Dornitian, 
Bolanus, as we learn from Statius the poet, 
erected several works in Britain, probably 
in the north ; so that it is idle to impute 
these remains to any one author : but to a 
judicious eye, the claims of Lollius Urbicus, 
and of Severus, seem preferable. The most 
northerly Roman camp yet discovered, is 
that near the source of the River Ythan, 
Aberdeenshire ; periphery about two Eng- 
lish miles. A smaller station has also been 
observed at Old Meldrum, a few miles to 
the S. £. Roman roads have been. traced a 
considerable way in the east of Scotland, as 
far as the county of Angus, affording some 
evidence of the existence of the province 
Vespasiana ; but the chief remains are with- 
in the wall. A hypocaust was also discover- 
ed near Perth, and another near Mussel- 
burgh, so that there was probably some 
Roman station near the Scottish capital. 
The smaller remains of Roman antiquity 
found in Scotland, as coins, utensils, &c. are 
numerous. With the fourth epoch may be 
said to commence the Pikish monuments of 
antiquity. The tombs it would be difficult 
to discriminate from those of the first 
•epoch; but as the Caledonian kings, when 
•converted to Christianity, held their chief 
residence at Inverness, the singular hill in 
its vicinity, presenting the form of a boat 
reversed, may, perhaps, be a monument of 
regal sepulture. The places of judgment 
among the Gothic nations, or what are now 
styled Druidic temples, are numerous; and 
there is a remarkable one in the Isle of 
Lewis, where, probably, the monarchs re- 
sided in the most early times ; but this, per- 
haps, rather belongs to the Norwegian set- 
tlement in the ninth century. Some of these 
