REASONS why LEARNING was unknown in PIKLAND, till the Thirteenth Century. [From the Second Volume of PINKERTON's Enquiry into the History of SCOTLAND] "T HE want of learning, and of talents in the apofties of the Piks, may be regarded as one great caufe of this deplorable defect. Ninian and Columba were of confined minds, and of bigotted piety, ftrangers to fecular learning, and to thofe enlarged ideas which prompted Ulphilas, Patrick, and in later times the apoftles of Scandinavia, to impart the use of letters, as the first foundation among their converts. Thefe apoftles of the Piks, as appears from their lives, were men loft in gloomy bigotry. Patriek understood the Irish language himfelf; while Columba was forced to use an interpreter among the Piks, as Adomnan tells: whereas he ought to have studied their language in the very first place. Bollandus has obferved that in the Welsh and Irish lives of faints, the miracles and vifions are so numerous and abfurd, and the whole tenor fo unlike thofe of other countries, that he did not know what to think of them. But this was the natural fruit of that ftrange credulity, and weakness of mind, peculiar to the Celts. The lives of Ninian and of Columba fwarm with fuch puerile miracles, as are really impious, nay blafphemous; while every thing that is rational, wife, and truly virtuous, is forgotten. Such Celtic apoftles were not calculated to enlighten and civilize a nation; and, illiterate themselves, could never impart literature to others. 2. To a late period, the only common clergy in Pikland were Irish, as is clear from there being no Pikish faints or churchmen to be found in hiftory, or in fanctology; from Hyona being the feminary of the Pikish church; and from fuch fragments of our history as remain, which bear Irish epithets, names, &c. and which were certainly writ ten by clergy, the only literati of the time. The offices of the church were performed in Latin; nay the homilies preached in that language, as appears from those of Beda, and others, and as all conversant in ecclefiaftic hiftory know. There was of course no neceffity for the clergy to learn the Pikith language. Even in England, as appears from Beda, most of the clergy were Irish; and came from Ireland and Hyona to English fees at once, having no neceffity to know the common language, Latin alone being neceffary. The divine fervice, and preachings, though in Latin, it was an office of piety to attend; but fcaree one in an audience understood a word, fo that they could not inftru&t the people. And the Irish clergy, for their own intereft, retained the Pikifh church to themselves; and never excited Pikifh youth to qualify themfelves for the church, which they regarded as their own peculiar portion. nary, as fupreme church of Pikland was, and is, without example in ecclematic hiftory. The metropolitan church ought to have been eftablifhed in the heart of Pikland: and, as in other countries, all means fhould have been used to furnish a native cle gy. Instead of which all the churches were in utter fubjection to Hyona, a foreign femi nary; and their clergy furnished and commiffioned from thence. Thus the intereft of religion was facrificed to the meaneft avarice and ambition and Hyona may be regarded as the Rome of Pikland, fupporting its own power and intereft, by keeping the fubjects of its church in ignorance. When the church of St. Andrew's was made meropolitan by kings Achy and Grig, at the end of the ninth century, it was long before a native clergy could be formed; and the Irifh clergy from fuperior opportunities and learning, and from an cient veneration and cuftom, ftill held the common offices of the church, even down to the twelfth or thirteenth century. Intereft, national fpirit, and ecclefiaftic party, long maintained them; and they were only fupplanted by degrees, as the natives from advanced fociety and vifiting foreign univerfities, began to acquire learning; and to hake off those bonds of ignorance, in which remote fituation, and the felfishness of the Irish clergy, fo long held them. Hyona was indeed no longer the feminary; but as the Irish clergy had been fettled in the churches of Pikland, and married among themselves, like the tribe of Levi, the only change was, that there were many Irish feminaries inftead of one. 4. The local fituation of Pikland was inimical to the learning of its natives. Of the other extreme countries of Europe, Scandinavia was only feparated by a narrow fea from Germany, a country full of fchools, learning, and authors, before Scandinavia was converted. England and Ireland were in the fame fituation, with respect to France, another learned country. Whereas Pikland was the most remote corner in Europe; and less known of courfe than any country in it; not being mentioned by any writers on the continent during the middle ages. The learning of Ireland, fuch as it was, the Irish clergy, from fpecial motives above explained, did not impart to the Piks. That of England was intercepted by mutual enmity, and by the Danes, who, feizing the North of England, debarred all intercourfe. 5. Want of commerce was another caufe; for a nation cannot be learned without books. After the Saracens feized Egypt, in the feventh century, manufcripts became extremely fcarce, as no papyrus could be had. Paper made of filk, and of cotton, was not invented till the eleventh century: our common paper not till the fourteenth. Parchment had never been common, as it was always dear, and only ufed on important occafions. The books that fwarmed in Greek and Roman times, almost as much as now, were written on papyrus, a grand article of Egyptian commerce. When this failed, books became extremely scarce, and continued fo till paper was invented. But while, for want of books, even the learning of Greece, Italy, Germany, France, was at low ebb, it was no wonder that Pikland had none at all. England, Ireland, Scandinavia, were all frequented by foreign merchants; while the remote fituation of Pikland, and its want of materials for commerce, ren rendered it unvifited, and almoft unknown. "6. The warlike fpirit of the Piks, and continual occafions for its exertion, were inimical to learning. In Ireland, at the time clerical learning flourished there, domeftic wars abounded; but the parties reverenced the clergy, who enjoyed quiet among the fe commotions. Very different was the cafe in the ninth century, when foreign enemies ravaging Ireland, banished all its learning at once. But Pikland, not being a detached country, like Ireland, but acting on perpetual offence or defence against a foreign foe, was almost in conftant war, or preparation; a ftate totally inimical to learning. "7. The natural poverty of the country precluded learning, as it did other advantages. For learning belongs to eafe; and in a poor country and early fociety conjoined, conftant labour must be employed to procure fubfiftence. Even the church was poor, and had not above three grand establishments, Abernethy, Dunkeld, and St. Andrew's: whereas in Ireland the establishments, from the earliest period, were very numerous, as the fertillty of the country invited. Among fo few churchmen, it is no wonder that learning was fcarce; as the chance was so much finaller than in other countries. Hence, even among the Irish clergy of Pikland, very few had any talents or learning. The whole inhabitants of Pikland did not exceed a million; for they do not exceed that number now, and the population is furely increased. The chance of one man of learning arifing in that number, at a time when Germany, France, England, produced but one or two, was next to nothing; and it is no wonder that it never took place; but on the contrary a miracle must have happened, if it had. 8. The northern Goths of Scandinavia, of whom the Piks were a branch, were long remarkable for contempt of letters; and regarded them as one of the effeminate purfuits of cafe, beneath the notice of warriors. This contempt had a greater effect than indocility could have had; and was radically inimical to learning: for what is defpifed can never be an object of pursuit. The plain fense of these people was indeed remarkably strong and acute; and it is no wonder that the abfurd fuperftition, and foolish reading, of the clergy, during the darker ages, met utter fcorn from their fevere wisdom. Ragnar Lodbrog's exprethon of a mass of weapons, fhews the greatest contempt of the then Chriftian fuperftition, and its profeffors. And as they defpifed the literati of the time, fo they scorned letters, and regarded arms as the fole object of pursuit. 66 9. At the time the Scandina vians began their ravages in Europe, the Irish clergy of Hyona were the fole churchmen in Pikland; and keeped the people in ignorance, as above explained. But those ravages, fo inimical to French and English literature, totally extinguished the Irish; fo that even the fole fountain, whence clerical learn ing could have flowed into Pikland, was dried up. And Pikland itself was repeatedly ravaged by the Scandinavians, in the ninth century; which must have checked learning, if any was then beginning to bud. The Irish clergy, after this, produced no Cuminius or Adomnap. Nor, till the thirteenth century, WAS was any thing written by thefe only literati we had; fave a few lifts of bur kings, untinctured with any reading, except that of Nennius and Ifidorus. The ravages of the Scandinavians may therefore be regarded as a grand caufe, that delayed the commencement of literature in Pikland to a late period: as other causes above-mentioned pre vented its taking place before those ravages. "Almost any of these causes may fufficiently account for the very late appearance of learning among the Piks, or prefent Scots; but when all are jointly confidered, it is believed they will be found fully fatisfactory." $789. M MIS MISCELLANEOUS PAPERS. EXPERIMENTS on the MANAGEMENT and proper FOOD of SILK-WORMS [Extracted from the rev. Mr. SWAYNE's Letters to Mr. MORE, in the Seventh Volume of the Tranfactions of the Society for the Eneouragement of Arts, Manufactures, and Commerce.] “IT T has been, I believe, the ufual method in this country, to make receptacles for the worms when they fhow fymptoms of fpinning, by pinning together papers in the hape of inverted cones, with broad bafes. This method, where there are many worms, is exceedingly tedious, waftes much paper, and ufes a large number of pins: befides, as the filk-worm always weaves an outer covering or delenfive web, before it begins the coCoon or oval ball, I apprehended that it caufed a needlefs wafte of filk in forming the broad web at the top. The method I make ufe of is, to roll a fmall piece of paper (an uncur oftavo leaf, fuch as that of an old magazine is fufficient for three), round my fore finger and to give it a wift at the bottom; which is done with the utmost expedition, and gives no occafion for the ufe of pins. Thele rolled paper cafes being like wife of a form more nearly iefeinbling that of a cocoon, with a much narrower opening on the top than the others, takes away the neceffity of waiting much filk in the outer web, and confequently leaves more to be employed in forming the ball. The filk is readily taken out of thefe cafes by untwisting the bot ton; and if this be done with modcrate care, and the papers are pre ferved, they will ferve several times for the like purpofe. "It is pothole thefe minute and feemingly trifling directions may be looked upon by many as utterly unworthy of attention: my opinion is different; -even in established manufactories, and much more in introducing a new one, whatever tends though in a small degree, to expedite the butinefs and to diminith the expence, is not, I conceive, to be efteemed of inconfiderable importance." By attempting to keep a larger flock laft feafon than I could get fufficient food for, I loft great numbers and greatly injured the remainder ; there being only one mulberry-tree in this place from which I could procure leaves, my little family was often, through neceffity, ftinted in their food; and I have found, when that has been the cafe in any confiderable degree, the worms will never thrive afterwards. The above difafter will make me cautious how I attempt to breed many worms in future, till I can be cerain of ob taining a fufficient maintenance for then; yet I am not without a profpect that this obftacle to my wishes will not long remain, having procured from Mr. Malcolm's nursery the latt fpring cight white mulberrytrees, two of them eighteen or twenty |