The History of the Reformation of the Church of Scotland

The Low-Country men calls the High-landers Irish, not so much for their ancient descent, as for their language, only differing from the Irish by dialect; and for their ways of living not much unlike: yet one main difference is to be seen in the activity of the Scots, and the laziness of the Irish. On the other side, the Highlanders calls the Low-Country men ⟨image 21⟩Saxons, not so much for their descent (although many of them are come from the Southern people, as we have said, who are a Progeny of the Saxons) as for the language, which differeth only by dialect from the language of the South, which acknowledgeth the Saxon language for its mother Tongue, and for the way of living not so different, save that the Scots are harder bred, and consequently, more fitted for toiling at War namely, then the English are; for we see the English to have pain to toil, and endure Wars, at the first going to the Field, by reason of their tender and soft breeding. The language of the South-Britons of old, was not much different from that of the Gauls, from whence they came into Albion; witness Tacitus, in Agricola his Life: The Gauls then did speak a corrupt Greek,¹ for they are come of the Greeks. Besides, many words of the old Gaulois, the phrase and construction, are to this day in the French language kept; which doth signify, that of old the Greek was spoken in Gaul, although corrupt grossly by ignorant men without learning, who neither could read nor write. Yet in the South parts of Gaul, near the Mediterranean Sea, wherein the Greek Islands are, the Greek was spoken and taught, at Marseilles namely. The ancient language of the Britons suffered a great change by the Romans, and other foreigners, who brought in amongst them their terms of Law, of divine Service, of War, and of Policy, with the names of divers Commodities, and the names of divers Trades.

The Low-Countrey men calls the High-landers Irish, not so much for their ancient descent, as for their language, onely differing from the Irish by dialect; and for their wayes of living not much unlike: yet one main difference is to be seen in the activity of the Scots, and the lazinesse of the Irish. On the other side, the Highlanders calls the Low-Countrey men ⟨image 21⟩Saxons, not so much for their descent (although many of them are come from the Southern people, as we have said, who are a Progenie of the Saxons) as for the language, which differeth onely by dialect from the language of the South, which acknowledgeth the Saxon language for its mother Tongue, and for the way of living not so different, save that the Scots are harder bred, and consequently, more fitted for toyling at War namely, then the English are; for we see the English to have pain to toyle, and endure Wars, at the first going to the Field, by reason of their tender and soft breeding. The language of the South-Britons of old, was not much different from that of the Gauls, from whence they came into Albion; witnesse Tacitus, in Agricola his Life: The Gauls then did speak a corrupt Greek,