Chapter XVII: The Printed Literature of the Scottish Gael

Two interesting bibliographies—Surprising revelations—First Gaelic
printed book—Meagre output prior to the Forty-five—Earliest
original works issued—No complete Bible in type before
1801—Nineteenth century activity—The Highlander’s favourite
books—A revelation of character—His printed literature mainly
religious—Translations—The two books in greatest demand—Dearth
of the masterpieces of other languages—The most popular of
English religious writers—of native bards—Gaelic poetry—The
printed succession—Notable books—Account of the Gaelic
grammars—Dictionaries—Periodicals—Value of the literature.

A close study of the printed literature of the Scottish Gael leads to some surprising and even wholly unexpected revelations. Happily, we have the materials for such a scrutiny within moderate compass, a fact which cannot be predicated of the more comprehensive and ubiquitous English.

It is an amazing circumstance—indeed the _Spectator_, some seventy years ago, dubbed it “a piece of Highland dilettanteism”—that one should be found enthusiastic enough to attempt to make an exhaustive bibliography of the printed Gaelic output of Scotland. Yet such a devotee has emerged not once, but twice within the last century.

First, in the person of John Reid, a Glasgow bookseller of Lowland birth, who published in 1832 his _Bibliotheca Scoto-Celtica_, or “an account of all the books which have been printed in the Gaelic language,” down to that date.

Second, in the person of the Rev. Donald Maclean, minister of Duirinish, Skye, who brought the catalogue forward to 1900, arranging the authors’ names alphabetically, and giving the various editions, with their dates and places of publication. This MS., which has not yet been printed, contains in addition a complete transcript of the title of each work, an account of the author or translator so far as known, the number of copies printed, size of paper, and published price, and in the case of the very rare books, an account of the copies known to exist, and the price they fetched on transfer.

Had it not been for the earlier researches of Reid, it is not likely so elaborate an effort would have ever been attempted. Even Reid seems to have been lured on gradually, all unconscious at first of the magnitude of the task, for he says that his book was not written with the view of being published. On the contrary, its _raison d’être_ is thus explained by him in the preface:—

While studying the Gaelic language in 1825 a friend wished me to make
up a catalogue of his Gaelic books. It appeared, after the list was
made up, scarcely probable that many more should exist, and under the
idea of having almost already completed the list, the present work was
undertaken. All the Gaelic books in the neighbourhood were examined,
but I found the work increase so rapidly on my hands that it became
necessary to class them and re-write the whole; and the longer I
searched the more I was convinced that the literature of the Gael was
richer than even its friends imagined. The number of translations,
song-books, etc., which I now met with, many of them works which I had
never previously heard of, obliged me four times to extend the plan
originally adopted, and to re-write the MS.

Reid ransacked the principal libraries in this country and on the Continent in search of Gaelic books, yet he admits the list must necessarily be imperfect. When finished, the work was awarded a premium by the Highland Society of London in 1831, and printed the following year. It has been the aim of his bibliographic successor to supplement and complete the list by a new classification up to date.

Both men deserve credit for having patiently and persistently pursued what was undoubtedly an interesting but eminently thankless task, so far at least as financial remuneration was concerned.

When we hark back to the period when MS. writing first began to pass into modern type, we discover that no book of any kind was printed in this country before 1477. In that year Caxton issued in London the earliest publication from an English printing press. Other books quickly followed, but nearly a century elapsed before any Gaelic writing passed through the inky mill.

The first printed work in that language is the translation of John Knox’s _Liturgy_ by Bishop Carsewell, published in Edinburgh in 1567. Carsewell, or Carsuel, as the name is sometimes spelt, a native of Kilmartin, was superintendent of the diocese of Argyll, and well versed in the Highland vernacular. It was he who, in the preface to his work, denounced the ancient _ursgeuls_ or Gaelic prose tales as lying fables, and inaugurated a clerical campaign against the popular ballads. Yet he merits our approbation for getting into print so early a book which modern philologists regard as uncommonly valuable.

Only three copies exist of the original issue,—one, complete, in the possession of the Duke of Argyll, and two others imperfect. Of the twain, one is now in Edinburgh University Library, the other in the British Museum.

The Duke’s was lost for a time, but recovered in 1842, and doubtless restored to its ancient place in Inverary Castle.

This rare book is five inches long and three and a half broad, containing 247 pages, on the 246th of which occurs the couplet:—

Gras Dé is na thós atáimid
Ni ránuic sé fós finid.

And on the last page the following:—

DO BVAILE

adh so agclo an
Dvn Edin Le Ro
ibeart Lekprevik
24 Aprilis 1567.

In 1872 the Rev. Dr. Maclauchlan transcribed it entire for a new edition which was published the following year, 1873.

Nearly another century glides slowly by after the printing press disgorged Carsewell’s translation before any further Gaelic printing—that we know of—took place, if we except the translation of Calvin’s Catechism issued at Edinburgh in 1631. In fact, three psalm-books complete the list for the whole of that seventeenth century, namely, the first fifty Psalms of David with the Shorter Catechism, published by the Synod of Argyll in 1659, exactly ninety-two years after the Liturgy; another Psalter by John Kirke in 1684, and the Synod of Argyll’s finished in 1694. Thus in the sixteenth century we have just one Gaelic printed book; in the seventeenth, three and a catechism; and all these merely translations from other languages.

Not till 1741 do we encounter any original work, and even then it is simply a Gaelic Vocabulary by Alexander Macdonald, the gifted bard of Ardnamurchan. So that till after the Forty-five, Gaelic Scotland had no printed literature of its own—neither poetry nor prose of any kind.

Indeed, with the exception of a few reprints between 1702 and 1725 of the Synod of Argyll’s Psalter and Catechism, and Kirke’s Irish version of the Bible and Vocabulary in 1690, Lhuyd’s Vocabulary in Nicholson’s _Historical Library_, 1702, and Macdonald’s, 1741, there were no additions to the printed list of the Highlands till Baxter’s _Call to the Unconverted_ was issued in Gaelic in 1750, Macdonald’s _Songs_ in 1751, and David Mackellar’s _Hymns_ in 1752. These two latter volumes were the early precursors in type of that considerable output of song and hymn and story with which we have been familiar in later years.

After them came, in 1752, a small book entitled _Hymn of Praise_ (English and Gaelic), Willison’s _Mother’s Catechism_, and next year Macfarlane’s _Translation of the Psalms, with forty-five of the Paraphrases_.

Between 1753 and 1767, Reid could not find that any Gaelic work was printed, with the exception of reprints of the Mother’s and Shorter Catechisms and Macdonald’s songs.

Like some slow-moving stream, the output was at first very feeble and irregular, and drawn for the most part from imported sources.

In 1767, however, an event occurred in the Gaelic printing world worthy of special notice. This was the issue of the New Testament for the first time in the language of the Highland people. It was translated by Stewart of Killin, with the assistance of Dugald Buchanan and other eminent Gaelic scholars, and was published by the Society for Propagating Christian Knowledge. Strange to say, the language of this translation was looked upon at that period as perfectly free from Irish idiom, and yet in Reid’s day, half a century later, it was regarded as savouring more of Irish than of Gaelic.

The same year in which the New Testament saw the light in the ancient dialect there appeared also the celebrated hymns of Dugald Buchanan, and the year after the no less famous songs of Duncan Ban Macintyre.

As yet no Bible existed in the language of the Highlands, and attention having been drawn to this fact, the Society for Propagating Christian Knowledge set themselves to supply the defect. It was arranged to have the Old Testament translated and issued in four parts, which were ultimately published in Edinburgh as follows:—