with him. Now, Boece himself has told us, what we know from other sources, that the Goths respected the sacred edifices. Alaric gave a peremptory order, that all the consecrated vessels, belonging to St. Peter, should be transported, without damage or delay, to his church. But, although these only are mentioned, in consequence of their being found, by the soldiers, under the care of an aged virgin; it is most probable, that this prince would shew the same regard to all other vessels consecrated to the purposes of religion.

"2. This account involves a gross anachronism. Fergus must have made his donation to the monastery of Iona about a hundred and sixty years before the foundation stone of it was laid. For Boece says, that Alaric sacked Rome A. 412 Now Columba did not land in Iona till the year 563, or, as some say, 565. Here, we are told, Fergus employed approved scribes, for reducing the manuscripts to the form of books, several ages, as would seem, before the art of writing was known in the country.

"3. The same writer elsewhere says, that although Fergus had appointed Iona to be a repository for the public records, yet Alexander I. on account of the great difficulty of the access to Iona, had caused our annals to be transferred to the priory of Restennet, in Angus. Maitland has observed, that hence it was evident, that in Boece's time there could be no records at Iona; and, therefore, that he could not get his Veremundus from this island.

"As Boece mentions our annals only, it may be said, that he did not refer to the ancient classical works, which Alexander might not think of demanding from the monks of Iona.

"I might even be supposed, that Maitland had not sufficient ground for charging Boece with self-contradiction, as to our annals; as some of them, notwithstanding the requisition made by Alexander I. might still have been retained at Iona, being concealed by the monks, or afterwards procured by them from other quarters; of which circumstance Boece might be informed, when he made more particular inquiry with a view of writing his history. But it cannot be denied, that, by referring to works unknown to all our historians, as to those of Cornelius Hibernicus, Veremund, and Campbell, of whose writings, nay, of whose existence, we can discover no other vestiges, he has greatly injured the credibility of his whole story with respect to the communications from Iona. The most favourable opinion which can possibly be formed of the conduct of Boece, and it is very little to his credit indeed, is, that he had destroyed the manuscripts which he had used, that his own history might be in greater request. This, as we learn from Gordon of Stralogh, was the tradition which, when a young man, he had heard at Aberdeen.

"Nor can it at all be believed, that the classical MSS. were brought from Rome by Fergus. There is little probability indeed, that Fergus ever was at Rome; and still less, that an Irish prince, in that early age, would encumber himself, during his military labours, with a chest of books, written in a language to which, we may reasonably suppose, he was an entire stranger.

"It must be admitted, however, that from a writer, who has frequently substituted fable for history, credit is sometimes withheld, even when he may have a just claim to it. This may have been the fate of Boece,

Boece, in the instance before us. It must be acknowledged, that he does not, as Pennant says, assert that these books were brought from Rome by Fergus. He only gives it as a tradition, or report; Ferunt, &c. Besides, there is a considerable appearance of integrity in his account of the transmission and examination of these works. He claims no merit in the discovery. All the honour that he claims is the partial execution of a plan previously form. ed by a person warmly attached to the interests of literature, who had come to this country as papal legate, not a century before the time that Boece wrote. If a foreigner, holding such a distinguished place, entertained the design of making a visit to Iona, for the express purpose of inspecting the library there, it must have been well known, and highly gratifying to our countrymen. Nor could the memory of this de sign have perished, in so short a time, among those who had any regard to learning; especially as it was frustrated by a calamitous event that so deeply interested every friend to his country. Even Boece, therefore, would not have ventured such an assertion, had he not been assured of the fact.

He also says, that it was in consequence of the great celebrity of these books, preserved in Iona, that he was so anxious to examine "what they were, and what they treated of." He assumes nothing to himself in the account which he gives of their transmission. On the contrary, he owns that the religious of Iona did not comply with his request, till after the third application; and this chiefly by the good offices of the noble and learned Campbell, his majesty's treasurer. Boece published his history while Campbell was alive; and can it be

supposed, that he would have introduced a man of his respectability as a witness to a gross falsehood, liable also to contradiction from all the monks at lona? His history was published, indeed, little more than a year after the time assigned as the date of the receipt of these books. He had even exposed himself to recrimination from these monks, if there was any ground for it; as he ascribes the deplorable state of the manuscripts, rather to the carelessness of their guardians,, than to the waste of time. A reflection of this kind might well be supposed to excite l'esprit du corps.

"Having mentioned the lost books of Livy as the great desideratum, had the story been entirely a fabrication, it would have been as easy for him to have said, that the fragments which he examined indicated the style of this author, as to have ascribed them to Sallust; and more natural, as giving greater importance to his pretended investigation.

"It also deserves observation, that Boece speaks of these manuscripts as inspected, while in his custody, by a variety of learned men; and candidly confesses, that it could not be determined, whether they had been written in Scotland, or brought from abroad, being written after the Roman mode, as they treated of Roman affairs. "This only," he says,

ments. Gibbon also, a writer abun. dantly fastidious as to evidence, has no hesitation in saying, that Iona was "distinguished-by a classic library, which afforded some hopes of an entire Livy."

"There can be no doubt," it has been said of late," but the many learned men that flourished at I. had the classics among them, and all the books on divinity and sciences these ages could afford. It can be as little doubted, that, like other societies of learned men, they committed their own works to writing, as well as the transactions of their countrymen." With respect to classical works, however, it must be regretted, that we have no better proof than conjecture, besides what may -be supposed to arise from the testimony of Boece. I am rather inclined to think, that their collection of theological works was never very extensive; because, in early ages at least, the religious of this seminary were chiefly devoted to the reading and tran scribing of the scriptures, and of sacred bymns. Columba spent much of his time in writing. He employed his disciples in the same manner; and was at pains that they should transcribe with the greatest accuracy. Dr. Smith, speaking of his successors, says, "How well they studied the languages, ap. pears from the excellent Latin of Cumin, and of Adomnan, who discovers also his knowledge of Greek and Hebrew, and wrote a geography of the Holy Land." This work Bede not only ascribes to Adomnan, but highly commends. "The same person," he says, "wrote a book concerning the holy places, most useful to many readers. He received his information from Arcualphus, a French bishop, who had gone to Jerusalem to visit the holy places; and who, having surveyed all the

1811.

Land of Promise, travelled to Damascus, Constantinople, Alexandria, and many islands, and returning home by sea, was, by a violent storm, brought to the western coast of Britain. After many accidents, coming to Adomnan, the servant of Christ above mentioned, as he appeared to be learned in the Scriptures, and well acquainted with the holy places, he was most readily received, and attentively listened to by him; so that what things soever he had seen in these places worthy of remembrance, he forthwith committed to writing. Thus he composed a work very useful, and especially to those, who, being far removed from these places, where the patriarchs and apostles dwelt, know nothing more of them than what they learn by reading." Bede then proceeds to give some extracts from this work, which occupy two chapters. The work itself is extant in Mabillon's Collections.

Many works, both in Latin and in Irish, are said to have been written by Columba himself; and among these, the life of the patron saint of Ireland. The life of Columba, we are told, was written, in Irish metre, by his cousin, disciple, and successor, Baithen, who was also canonized. To Abbot Cumin several writings are ascribed, beside the life of Columba, published by Mr. Pinkerton, and referred to above, which was undoubtedly his work. these, the writings of Adomnan, and of other abbots who succeeded him, there is every reason to believe that copies would be carefully preserved in the monastery. Men, who were so much devoted to writing, would strain every nerve to increase the number of their books.

Of

"What then," may it be inquired, "has become of this library? How can it be accounted for, that it should P. entirely

entirely disappear?" This has been primarily ascribed to the inroads of the Danes. These were frequent and fatal. The mona tery of Iona was burnt by them, A. 797; a second time, 891; and it was destroyed by fire in the year 1069. A. 805, the family of Iona, to the number of sixty-eight, was destroyed by the pirates of that nation; and in 985, they rifled the monastery, and killed the abbot, with fifteen of bis disciples. "If the barbarians," it has been said, "had the library in their power, no doubt they would destroy it." According to the information of Pennant, it would appear, that, perhaps, while the Norwegian princes were sovereigns of the isles, they judged it proper to carry some of the more valuable MSS. to a place of security in their own country. "I am informel," he says, "that numbers of the records of the Hebrides were preserved at Drontheim, till they were destroyed by the great fire which happened in that city, either in the last or present century." This, however, might take place after the cession of the Hebrides; for, by the treaty made on this occasion,the patronage of the bishopric of Sodor was reserved to the Archbishop of Drontheim in Norway."

"The learned Torffaeus does not seem to have been so well informed, with respect to the depredations made by his countrymen in the island of Iona, as might have been expected. He says, that in the year 1210, a squadron of piratical ships, to the number of twelve, under Birkibien and Bagli, taking advantage

of the intestine divisions of the princes of the Hebudae, committed many depredations in this quarter, and plundered the Holy Island, or that of St. Colu oba, which, till that Ime, had neve been subjected to

any injury from the Norwegians, as being protected by its sanctity. He asserts this, as attested by all their annals. The facts formerly quoted, however, rest on the combined testimony of the Annals of Ulster, and of the Irish martyrologists.

Bishop Nicolson, speaking of the library at Icolmkill, says, "Our King Edward the First, having claimed the sovereignty of Scotland, made a most miserable havock of the histories and laws of that kingdom; hoping, that, in a short time, nothing should be found in all that country, but what carried an English name and face."

"The second great loss of the Scotch records," according to his mode of enumeration, “happened upon the mighty turn of the Reformation; when the monks, fying to Rome, carried with them the register-books, and other ancient treasure of their respective monasteries." "At the Reformation." says another writer," the MSS. of I were in part carried to the Scotch colleges of Doway, or to Rome, at least the chartularies, and such as were esteemed most valuable by the monks." The college of Ratisbon has also been mentioned, as possessing part of this spoil. But, from all that I have been able to lear from such of our countrymen as have resided, or been trained up, in the Scotch colleges on the continent, it would appear, that there has been far less ground for this as sertion than has been generally ima gined. If an accurate search were made, by such travellers as really possessed a literary character, and took an interest in the ancient history of our country, more perhaps might be discovered among the treasures of the Vatican, than any where else.

"The indiscreet zeal of the reformers

formers has also, with too much reason, been viewed as a principal cause of the destruction of this library." The register and records of the island," according to Pennant, "all written on parchment, and probably other more antique and valuable remains, were all destroyed by that worse than Gothic synod, which at the Reformation declared war against all science." He might perhaps allude to the act of the convention of estates, A. 1561, "passed at desire of the church, for demolishing all the abbeys of monks and friars, and for suppressing whatsomever monuments of idolatrie were remaining in the realm, the execution whereof in the west parts was committed to the Earls Arrane, Argile, and Glencarne." In consequence of this appointment, "ensued a pitiful vastation of churches and church-buildings throughout all the parts of the realm; for every man made bold to put to his hand (the meaner sort imitating the greater, and those who were in authority). They rifled all churches indifferently, making spoil of every thing they found. The very sepulchres of the dead were not spared, but digged, ript up, and sacrilegiously violated. Bibliothecks destroyed, the volumes of the fathers, councells, and other books of humane learning, with the registers of the church, cast into the streets, afterwards gathered in heaps, and consumed with fire." Could we give full credit to this account, who could read it without regretting, that men, whose intentions were good, should act with as little discrimination, as if they had reckoned learning inimical to religion, or proposed, as their pattern, the sentence of the Saracen caliph with respect to the inestimable library of Alexandría! But it can scarcely be supposed that

any of the nobility or ministry would give their sanction to the destruction of libraries. What happened in this way must be attributed to the unbridled licentiousness of the ignorant rabble, when once let loose. Spotswood himself views it in this light; for he subjoins," But popular fury, once armed, maketh no difference; nor doth it any thing with advice and judgment."

"With respect to the library of Iona," it is said, that some of the MSS. were carried to Inverary, and that a Duke of Montague found some of them in the shops there, used as snuff paper." This traditionary ac count most probably respects the time referred to in the sentence immediately subjoined: "If any of them were in the library of the family of Argyll, the persecution that family underwent, in the time of Charles II. accounts for none being there now." What is here said receives considerable support from a circunstance mentioned by Sacheverell, in relation to a book which had certainly been brought from lona. "The dean of the isles, Mr. John Frazer, an honest episcopal minister, told me, his father, who had been dean of the isles, left him a book with above 300 inscriptions," taken from the monuments of Iona, "which he had lent to the late Earl of Argile, a man of incomparable sence, and great curiosity; and doubts they are all lost by that great man's afflictions."

"With respect to our ancient registers in general, Bishop Nicolson says, "The third, and killing, blow was given them by Oliver Cromwel, who brought most of the poor remains that were left into England; and they likewise were mostly lost in their return by sea." It is probable, that he alludes to those of the monastery of Iona, in common with P 2

others.