The Scotish Gaël, or, Celtic manners : as preserved among the Highlanders, being an historical and descriptive account of the inhabitants, antiquities, and national peculiarities of Scotland, more particularly of the northern, or gaëlic parts of the country, where the singular habits of the aboriginal Celts are most tenaciously retained / by James Logan.

  • Logan, James, 1794?-1872.
Date:
1843
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The Scotish Gaël, or, Celtic manners : as preserved among the Highlanders, being an historical and descriptive account of the inhabitants, antiquities, and national peculiarities of Scotland, more particularly of the northern, or gaëlic parts of the country, where the singular habits of the aboriginal Celts are most tenaciously retained / by James Logan. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the National Library of Medicine (U.S.), through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the National Library of Medicine (U.S.)

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    pie under both the Greek and Roman appellations; and the philosopher Anacharsis, celebrated as a learned Scythian, was related to the royal princes of Getia. The two names were, therefore, certainly applied to the same people. To the left (of the Danube) are the Scythae nomades towards the west, who are spread even to the east sea and India, are the words of Strabo;* who elsewhere says, the most considerable river which flows through Scythia, is the Danube: and this river is placed by Diodorus among those of Gaul,| where it certainly arose, and discharged itself in the Euxine, in the territories of the Getoe, who lived on the north bank of the stream. Pliny speaks of the Scythians inhabiting a part of Moesia, towards Pontus; and those who lived in that country were afterwards classed among the Gothic nations. Herodotus says, where Thrace ends, Scythia begins, and extends westward to the city Carcinitis.J From this indefinite application of the term Scythce, it appears to have been suitable to various tribes, and most probably was used to designate those who remained in the state of Nomades, while others, who were settled, became distinguished by peculiar names, as Pliny seems to have understood.§ It is otherwise scarcely possible to account for the remote and disconnected situations in which this people are found. Their vagrant habits were proverbial. Herodotus says, they had nei- ther towns nor fortified places, but carried their habitations along with them, so that their constant abode might be said to be in their wagons;|| and these habits characterized them in the time of Ammianus, who des- cribes them as wandering over the wilds in their carts, whensoever and whither they pleased :1T a mode of life which Horace seems to envy.** The Daci, who lived contiguous to the Getae, are often confounded with them, which evidently shows that little difference could exist be- tween the two people. They are, it is true, frequently mentioned dis- tinctively, but we have Strabo's authority, that the terms were indiscrim- inately used;ff and Pliny tells us, that the Romans called the people by either name, Getse, Daci, Romanis dicti. Strabo says, the Daci ab antiquo lived towards Germany, around the sources of the Dan- ube,JJ which is considerably to the west of the situation which is after- wards assigned them; but it is apparent that the Celts themselves have been considered Scyths. Plutarch says, the Celtce extend from the Western Ocean to the part of Scythia on the Euxine; that the two na- tions mingle together; and that, notwithstanding they are distinguished by different names, according to their tribes, yet their whole army is * Lib. xi. p. 507. t Lib. v. 2. } Lib. iv. 96. § Lib. iv. 12. The Scholiast of Appollonius Rhodius, who flourished 230 years, a. c speaks of 50 nations of Scyths. || L,ib. iv. ff Lib. xxii. 8. ** Campestres melius Scythae Quorum plaustra vagas rite trahunt domos Vivunt, et rigidi GetEB. Lib. iii. 23. 9. ft Lib. vii. p. 304. tt Lib. vii.