The Literature of the Highlanders; A History of Gaelic Literature From the Earliest Times to the Present Day - Tapa blanda

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This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1892. Excerpt: ... CHAPTER VII. MEDIEVAL BARDS. "Gach fili's bard, gach l&gh, aosdan is draoi, Gach seanachaidh Its, gach eoladhain shaor is saoi; Na diadhairean mor bu chliu, 's bu ghloir do'n Chlir B' ann leath' gu tarbhach labhair iad briathra DheV'--Maclean. The unwise utterance of Dr Samuel Johnson that no Scottish Gaelic manuscript of an older date than last century existed is amply refuted by the catalogues of British, Irish, and Continental Libraries. Private individuals also are in possession of Gaelic manuscripts, some of which come to light now and then. In 1873 Admiral Macdonald sent to Mr J. F. Campbell of Islay the famous Leabhw Dearg, or Red Book of Clan-Ranald, which he had recovered. This was one of the manuscripts which Macpherson was supposed to have used and destroyed; but after having read it in company with Mr Standish O'Grady, Mr Campbell declares that this paper manuscript "does not contain one line of Macpherson's Ossian." It is highly probable that many others may have ancient manuscripts among their family archives like this one of Admiral Macdonald, the supposed destruction of which by Macpherson caused so much literary waste in connection with the Ossianic controversy. There have been in Scotland many influences--changes dynastic, political, and ecclesiastical--unfavourable to the preservation of our manuscripts. In the midst of these turbulent changes and the ravages of wars, the vandal hands of foes that demolished churches and burned houses would not spare the native literary remains they might come across. We have lost much by the ravages of the Norse in Iona, of the English at Scone, and of the Reformers. But fresh access of national life came in each case. It is not the intention of these chapters to describe at length the MSS. that we hav...