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that　the　ideas　of　pain　predominate　in　almost　every　mind。　　What　is
recollection　but　a　revival　of　vexations；　or　history　but　a　record　of
wars；　treasons；　and　calamities？　　Death；　which　is　considered　as　the
greatest　evil；　happens　to　all。　　The　greatest　good；　be　it　what　it
will；　is　the　lot　but　of　a　part。

That　they　should　often　see　death　is　to　be　expected；　because　death
is　an　event　frequent　and　important。　　But　they　see　likewise　more
pleasing　incidents。　　A　gentleman　told　me；　that　when　he　had　once
gone　far　from　his　own　Island；　one　of　his　labouring　servants
predicted　his　return；　and　described　the　livery　of　his　attendant；
which　he　had　never　worn　at　home；　and　which　had　been；　without　any
previous　design；　occasionally　given　him。

Our　desire　of　information　was　keen；　and　our　inquiry　frequent。　　Mr。
Boswell's　frankness　and　gaiety　made　every　body　communicative；　and
we　heard　many　tales　of　these　airy　shows；　with　more　or　less　evidence
and　distinctness。

It　is　the　common　talk　of　the　Lowland　Scots；　that　the　notion　of　the
Second　Sight　is　wearing　away　with　other　superstitions；　and　that　its
reality　is　no　longer　supposed；　but　by　the　grossest　people。　　How　far
its　prevalence　ever　extended；　or　what　ground　it　has　lost；　I　know
not。　　The　Islanders　of　all　degrees；　whether　of　rank　or
understanding；　universally　admit　it；　except　the　Ministers；　who
universally　deny　it；　and　are　suspected　to　deny　it；　in　consequence
of　a　system；　against　conviction。　　One　of　them　honestly　told　me；
that　he　came　to　Sky　with　a　resolution　not　to　believe　it。

Strong　reasons　for　incredulity　will　readily　occur。　　This　faculty　of
seeing　things　out　of　sight　is　local；　and　commonly　useless。　　It　is　a
breach　of　the　common　order　of　things；　without　any　visible　reason　or
perceptible　benefit。　　It　is　ascribed　only　to　a　people　very　little
enlightened；　and　among　them；　for　the　most　part；　to　the　mean　and　the
ignorant。

To　the　confidence　of　these　objections　it　may　be　replied；　that　by
presuming　to　determine　what　is　fit；　and　what　is　beneficial；　they
presuppose　more　knowledge　of　the　universal　system　than　man　has
attained；　and　therefore　depend　upon　principles　too　complicated　and
extensive　for　our　comprehension；　and　that　there　can　be　no　security
in　the　consequence；　when　the　premises　are　not　understood；　that　the
Second　Sight　is　only　wonderful　because　it　is　rare；　for；　considered
in　itself；　it　involves　no　more　difficulty　than　dreams；　or　perhaps
than　the　regular　exercise　of　the　cogitative　faculty；　that　a　general
opinion　of　communicative　impulses；　or　visionary　representations；
has　prevailed　in　all　ages　and　all　nations；　that　particular
instances　have　been　given；　with　such　evidence；　as　neither　Bacon　nor
Bayle　has　been　able　to　resist；　that　sudden　impressions；　which　the
event　has　verified；　have　been　felt　by　more　than　own　or　publish
them；　that　the　Second　Sight　of　the　Hebrides　implies　only　the　local
frequency　of　a　power；　which　is　nowhere　totally　unknown；　and　that
where　we　are　unable　to　decide　by　antecedent　reason；　we　must　be
content　to　yield　to　the　force　of　testimony。

By　pretension　to　Second　Sight；　no　profit　was　ever　sought　or　gained。
It　is　an　involuntary　affection；　in　which　neither　hope　nor　fear　are
known　to　have　any　part。　　Those　who　profess　to　feel　it；　do　not　boast
of　it　as　a　privilege；　nor　are　considered　by　others　as
advantageously　distinguished。　　They　have　no　temptation　to　feign；
and　their　hearers　have　no　motive　to　encourage　the　imposture。

To　talk　with　any　of　these　seers　is　not　easy。　　There　is　one　living
in　Sky；　with　whom　we　would　have　gladly　conversed；　but　he　was　very
gross　and　ignorant；　and　knew　no　English。　　The　proportion　in　these
countries　of　the　poor　to　the　rich　is　such；　that　if　we　suppose　the
quality　to　be　accidental；　it　can　very　rarely　happen　to　a　man　of
education；　and　yet　on　such　men　it　has　sometimes　fallen。　　There　is
now　a　Second　Sighted　gentleman　in　the　Highlands；　who　complains　of
the　terrors　to　which　he　is　exposed。

The　foresight　of　the　Seers　is　not　always　prescience；　they　are
impressed　with　images；　of　which　the　event　only　shews　them　the
meaning。　　They　tell　what　they　have　seen　to　others；　who　are　at　that
time　not　more　knowing　than　themselves；　but　may　become　at　last　very
adequate　witnesses；　by　comparing　the　narrative　with　its
verification。

To　collect　sufficient　testimonies　for　the　satisfaction　of　the
publick；　or　of　ourselves；　would　have　required　more　time　than　we
could　bestow。　　There　is；　against　it；　the　seeming　analogy　of　things
confusedly　seen；　and　little　understood；　and　for　it；　the　indistinct
cry　of　national　persuasion；　which　may　be　perhaps　resolved　at　last
into　prejudice　and　tradition。　　I　never　could　advance　my　curiosity
to　conviction；　but　came　away　at　last　only　willing　to　believe。

As　there　subsists　no　longer　in　the　Islands　much　of　that　peculiar
and　discriminative　form　of　life；　of　which　the　idea　had　delighted
our　imagination；　we　were　willing　to　listen　to　such　accounts　of　past
times　as　would　be　given　us。　　But　we　soon　found　what　memorials　were
to　be　expected　from　an　illiterate　people；　whose　whole　time　is　a
series　of　distress；　where　every　morning　is　labouring　with
expedients　for　the　evening；　and　where　all　mental　pains　or　pleasure
arose　from　the　dread　of　winter；　the　expectation　of　spring；　the
caprices　of　their　Chiefs；　and　the　motions　of　the　neighbouring
clans；　where　there　was　neither　shame　from　ignorance；　nor　pride　in
knowledge；　neither　curiosity　to　inquire；　nor　vanity　to　communicate。

The　Chiefs　indeed　were　exempt　from　urgent　penury；　and　daily
difficulties；　and　in　their　houses　were　preserved　what　accounts
remained　of　past　ages。　　But　the　Chiefs　were　sometimes　ignorant　and
careless；　and　sometimes　kept　busy　by　turbulence　and　contention；　and
one　generation　of　ignorance　effaces　the　whole　series　of　unwritten
history。　　Books　are　faithful　repositories；　which　may　be　a　while
neglected　or　forgotten；　but　when　they　are　opened　again；　will　again
impart　their　instruction：　　memory；　once　interrupted；　is　not　to　be
recalled。　　Written　learning　is　a　fixed　luminary；　which；　after　the
cloud　that　had　hidden　it　has　past　away；　is　again　bright　in　its
proper　station。　　Tradition　is　but　a　meteor；　which；　if　once　it
falls；　cannot　be　rekindled。

It　seems　to　be　universally　supposed；　that　much　of　the　local　history
was　preserved　by　the　Bards；　of　whom　one　is　said　to　have　been
retained　by　every　great　family。　　After　these　Bards　were　some　of　my
first　inquiries；　and　I　received　such　answers　as；　for　a　while；　made
me　please　myself　with　my　increase　of　knowledge；　for　I　had　not　then
learned　how　to　estimate　the　narration　of　a　Highlander。

They　said　that　a　great　family　had　a　Bard　and　a　Senachi；　who　were
the　poet　and　historian　of　the　house；　and　an　old　gentleman　told　me
that　he　remembered　one　of　each。　　Here　was　a　dawn　of　intelligence。
Of　men　that　had　lived　within　memory；　some　certain　knowledge　might
be　attained。　　Though　the　office　had　ceased；　its　effects　might
continue；　the　poems　might　be　found；　though　there　was　no　poet。

Another　conversation　indeed　informed　me；　that　the　same　man　was　both
Bard　and　Senachi。　　This　variation　discouraged　me；　but　as　the
practice　might　be　different　in　different　times；　or　at　the　same　time
in　different　families；　there　was　yet　no　reason　for　supposing　that　I
must　necessarily　sit　down　in　total　ignorance。

Soon　after　I　was　told　by　a　gentleman；　who　is　generally　acknowledged
the　greatest　master　of　Hebridian　antiquities；　that　there　had　indeed
once　been　both　Bards　and　Senachies；　and　that　Senachi　signified　'the
man　of　talk；'　or　of　conversation；　but　that　neither　Bard　nor　Senachi
had　existed　for　some　centuries。　　I　have　no　reason　to　suppose　it
exactly　known　at　what　time　the　custom　ceased；　nor　did　it　probably
cease　in　all　houses　at　once。　　But　whenever　the　practice　of
recitation　was　disused；　the　works；　whether　poetical　or　historical；
perished　with　the　authors；　for　in　those　times　nothing　had　been
written　in　the　Earse　language。

Whether　the　'Man　of　talk'　was　a　historian；　whose　office　was　to　tell
truth；　or　a　story…teller；　like　those　which　were　in　the　last
century；　and　perhaps　are　now　among　the　Irish；　whose　trade　was　only
to　amuse；　it　now　would　be　vain　to　inquire。

Most　of　the　domestick　offices　were；　I　believe；　hereditary；　and
probably　the　laureat　of　a　clan　was　always　the　son　of　the　last
laureat。　　The　history　of　the　race　could　no　otherwise　be
communicated；　or　retained；　but　what　genius　could　be　expected　in　a
poet　by　inheritance？

The　nation　was　wholly　illiterate。　　Neither　bards　nor　Senachies
could　write　or　read；　but　if　they　were　ignorant；　there　was　no　danger
of　detection；　they　were　believed　by　those　whose　vanity　they
flattered。

The　recital　of　genealogies；　which　has　been　considered　as　very
efficacious　to　the　preservation　of　a　true　series　of　ancestry；　was
anciently　made；　when　the　heir　of　the　family　came　to　manly　age。
This　practice　has　never　subsisted　within　time　of　memory；　nor　was
much　credit　due　to　such　rehearsers；　who　might　obtrude　fictitious
pedigrees；　either　to　please　their　masters；　or　to　hide　the
deficiency　of　their　own　memories。

Where　the　Chiefs　of　the　Highlands　have　found　the　histories　of　their
descent　is　difficult　to　tell；　for　no　Earse　genealogy　was　ever
written。　　In　general　this　only　is　evident；　that　the　principal　house
of　a　clan　must　be　very　ancient；　and　that　those　must　have　lived　long
in　a　place；　of　whom　it　is　not　known　when　they　came　thither。

Thus　hopeless　are　all　attempts　to　find　any　traces　of　Highland
learning。　　Nor　are　their　primitive　customs　and　ancient　manner　of
life　otherwise　than　very　faintly　and　uncertainly　remembered　by　the
present　race。

The　peculiarities　which　strike　the　native　of　a　commercial　country；
proceeded　in　a　great　measure　from　the　want　of　money。　　To　the
servants　and　dependents　that　were　not　domesticks；　and　if　an
estimate　be　made　from　the　capacity　of　any　of　their　old　houses　which
I　have　seen；　their　domesticks　could　have　been　but　few；　were
appropriated　certain　portions　of　land　for　their　support。　　Macdonald
has　a　piece　of　ground　yet；　called　the　Bards　or　Senachies　field。
When　a　beef　was　killed　for　the　house；　particular　parts　were　claimed
as　fees　by　the　several　officers；　or　workmen。　　What　was　the　right　of
each　I　have　not　learned。　　The　head　belonged　to　the　smith