, John O'Tuomy,
Andrew Magrath, John Claragh MacDonnell, Tadhg Gaolach and Owen Roe
O'Sullivan by Dinneen, Gaelic League, Dublin, and Irish Texts Society,
London, 1900-1903. (E. C. Q.)

II. SCOTTISH GAELIC LITERATURE.--It is not until after the Forty-five
that we find any great manifestation of originality in the literature of
the Scottish Highlands. The reasons for this are not far to seek. Just
as the dialects of Low German in the middle ages were overshadowed by
the more brilliant literary dialect of the south, so Scotch Gaelic was
from the outset seriously handicapped by the great activity of the
professional literary class in Ireland. We may say that down to the
beginning of the 18th century the literary language of the Highlands was
the Gaelic of Ireland. During the dark days of the penal laws and with
the extinction of the men of letters and their patrons in Ireland, an
opportunity was given to the native Scottish muse to develop her powers.
Another potent factor also made itself felt. After Culloden the causes
of the clan feuds and animosities of the past were removed. The
Highlands, perhaps for the first time in history, formed a compact whole
and settled down to peace and quietude. A remarkable outburst of
literary activity ensued, and the latter half of the 18th century is the
period which Scottish writers love to call the golden age of Gaelic
poetry. But before we attempt to deal with this period in detail, we
must examine the scanty literary products of Gaelic Scotland prior to
the 18th century.

"Book of Deer."

The earliest document containing Gaelic matter which Scotland can claim
is the _Book of Deer_, now preserved in the Cambridge University
Library. This MS. contains portions of the Gospels in Latin written in
an Irish hand with illuminations of the well-known Irish type. At the
end there occurs a colophon in Irish which is certainly as old as the
9th century. Inserted in the margins and blank spaces are later notes
and memoranda partly in Latin, partly in Gaelic. The Gaelic entries were
probably made between 1000 and 1150. They relate to grants of land and
other privileges made from time to time to the monastery of Deer
(Aberdeenshire). The most interesting portion deals with the legend of
Deer and its traditional foundation by St Columba. The language of these
entries shows a striking departure from the traditional orthography
employed in contemporary Irish documents. The Advocates' Li