I S LE 
From all thefe etymologies, however, we may infer, that 
this fmall ille was early inhabited, and as well known to 
the reft of the world as either Britain or Ireland. 
About the clofe of the firll century, the Druids, who 
were the prielts, prophets, and philolophers, of the old 
Britons, were finally expelled, by Julius Agricola, from 
the Southern Mona, or Anglefey ; and we are told that they 
then took (belter in the Northern, or Man. This ifland 
they found well planted with firs ; fo that they had, in 
fome meafure, what they delighted in molt, the (belter of 
trees; but, however, not the fhelterof thofe trees in which 
they mofi delighted, viz. the oaks ; and therefore thefe 
they introduced. No hiftories tell us this ; but we learn 
it from more certain authority, great woods of fir having 
been difcovered interred in the bowels of the earth, and 
here and there fmall groves of oaks; but, as thefe trees 
are never met with intermixed, fo it is plain they never 
grew together; and, as the former are by far the mod nu¬ 
merous, we may prefume them the natural produce of the 
country, and that the latter were planted and preferved 
by the Druids. They gave the people, with whom they 
lived, and over whom they ruled, a gentle government, 
wife laws, but withal a very fuperflitious religion. It is 
alfo very likely that they hindered them, as much as they 
could, from having any correfpondence with their neigh¬ 
bours; which is the reafon that, though the ifland is men¬ 
tioned by fo many writers, not one of them, before Oro- 
fius, fays a word about the inhabitants. A little before 
this time, that is, in the beginning of the fifth century, 
the Scots had tranfported themfelves thither, it is find, 
from Ireland. The tradition of the natives of Man (for 
they have a traditionary hiftory) begins at this period. 
They ftyle this firlf difcoverer Mannan Mac Lear ; and 
they lay that he was a magician, who kept this country 
covered with mills, fo that the inhabitants of other places 
could never find if. But the ancient chronicles of Ire¬ 
land inform us, that the true name of this adventurer 
was Orbfenius, the fon of Alladius, a prince in their ifland ; 
and that he was furnamed Mannanan, from his having firli 
entered the ifland of Man, and Mac Lir, i. e. “ the ofif- 
Tpring of the fea,” from his great (kill in navigation. He 
promoted commerce ; and is faid to have given a good 
reception to St. Patrick, by whom the natives were con¬ 
verted to Chrillianity. Befides this, we are told that St. 
Patrick perfuaded or compelled MacLier to relinquilli the 
government, and made one Germanus bifliop and ruler 
of the ifland. He, by his wifdom, conduct, and virtuous 
example, completely eftablilhed the Chriftian religion 
among the people. On the death of Germanus, St. Pa¬ 
trick fent over two other bilhops to govern the country; 
after whom St. Maughold was elected by the unanimous 
confent of the Manks nation. This faint had been a 
captain of robbers in Ireland ; and arriving, during the 
adminiftration of the two preceding bilhops, in a little 
leathern boat, his hands manacled and bolts on his feet, 
pretended that he had thus expofed himfelf as a penance 
for the crimes of his pad life ; and made ufe of the repu¬ 
tation for fanftity, thus obtained, to obtain the govern¬ 
ment of the ifland. After this, the adminiftration of af¬ 
fairs continued in the hands of the bifhops till the com¬ 
ing of a king, called Orry ; but whence and at what time 
he came, and under what circumftances he obtained the 
government, are events unknown. 
About the year 580, Brennus, nephew to Aydun king 
of Scotland, got pofleflion of the crown. All we are told 
of him is that, fourteen years afterwards, he led an army 
to the afliftance of his uncle, and obtained a viflory at 
the expence of his life. On the death of Brennus, the 
ifland appears to have been annexed to Scotland, and the 
jthree fons of Eugenius the fon of Aydun, Ferguard, Fi¬ 
acre, and Donald, were fent hither to be educated under 
Conan, biftiop of the ifle. According to the Manks tra¬ 
dition, they did great credit to their preceptor, for, though 
Ferguard was murdered in a conlpiracy loon after his ac- 
ceflion to the throne of Scotland, yet the fecond, Fiacre, 
Vol. XI. No. 763. 
of M A N-. 4*><J 
refufed the crown, and became an eminent faint; and the 
third, Donald, governed with fo much prudence and juf- 
tice as (howed him to be greater than a faint. 
About 614 this ifland is related to have been conquer¬ 
ed by Edwin king of Northumberland ; but how long he 
poflefled it is uncertain ; a blank occurs, even in tradi¬ 
tion, till the tenth century, when a fecond Orry, fon of a 
king of Denmark and Norway, having conquered the Or- 
cades and Hebrides, fixed the feat of his government in 
the Ifle of Man, where he reigned long and profperonfly; 
and became the father of a race of kings, from him called 
Orrics. This fecond Orry throws a doubt on the exig¬ 
ence of a former king of that name, whofe inferrion may 
be efteemed the work of fome zealous Mankfman, anxious 
to carry back, as far as poflible, the antiquities of Iris 
country. 
To Guttred, the fon of Orry, is afcribed the building 
of Caftle Rufhen, A. D. 960, in which he lies obfcu'rely 
buried. He is faid to have laboured greatly to advance 
the civilization of his people. Reginald, the third of the 
family, was (lain by two brothers of his army, whofe Af¬ 
ter he had feduced. 
From the hiftory of Olave, the next king, it appears that, 
fince its conquelt by Orry, the ifland had remained tri¬ 
butary to the crown of Norway ; .for this prince, having 
aflumcd the crown without the king of Norway's confent, 
was civilly invited to that country; but, on landing, was 
feized and put to death. Olain, his brother, is faid to 
have feized on this and fome other iflands ; by which ex- 
preflion we are perhaps to underftand, that he did not wait 
for the confent of the king of Norw ay, but maintained him¬ 
felf as an independent prince. After a profperous reign 
of twenty-three years, he died of a flux in Ireland. Allen 
fucceeded, a cruel libidinous man, who was poifoncd by 
his governor. He left the crown to his fon Fi.ugal, who 
was fucceeded by his fon Goddard; princes of whom no 
character and no hiftory are given. 
According to the Manks tradition, twelve kings reigned 
fucceflively of the race of Orry. The preceding lift con¬ 
tains only eight; and it is remarkable that the moft cele¬ 
brated fovereign of the family fliould not have a certain 
place. This was Macon, who,as we learn from Sacheverel, 
lived about the middle of the tenth century, a date which 
would place him either immediately before or immediately 
after Guttred, if there were room for him there. He is 
faid to have loft his crown for refufing to do homage to 
Edgar king of England ; but he was afterwards reltored, 
and made admiral of that prodigious fleet of four thou- 
fand eight hundred fail, with which, according to Mat¬ 
thew of Weftminfter, he failed twice a-year round the 
Britifh iflands, to clear the fea from rovers, efpecially the 
Danes and Normans, who at that time infeited all the 
coafts of Europe. How long this great man reigned is 
uncertain, and likewife who fucceeded him, though 
his name was probably Syrach, who held the kingdom 
about the beginning of the eleventh century, and was fuc¬ 
ceeded by his fon Goddard, who in the latter part of his 
reign hofpitably received and entertained Godred Crovan, 
the future conqueror of Man. 
The eftabliihment of this prince is related in the Manks 
Chronicle, the firft authentic hiftory of Man. What pre¬ 
cedes feems neither very confident in itfelf, nor to reft 
on any fubftantial authority, nor are the dates eafily re¬ 
conciled with each other. The firft of the Orrys appears 
to have conquered the ifland for the crown of Norway ; 
and Olain feems to have enfranchifed it from that depen¬ 
dence. Guttred was fovereign in 960 ; Macon, by the 
correfpondence of Engliflr hiltory, in 974; the year in 
which king Edgar is faid to have been rowed by eight 
kings on the Dee. Olain reigned twenty-three years; he 
therefore mnft have followed Macon. But it feems very- 
improbable that Macon, who did homage for his crown 
to England, and had the command of its prodigious fleet, 
fhould have acknowledged any dependence on Norway. 
In this dilemma, fays Woods, perhaps the belt way is "to 
S M follow 
