celebrated like the self-devotion of the Myrmidon; for, alas! Gaelic will never sound so classical as Greek! Another conspicuous ingredient in the character of both is the pride which both take in ancestry. The Greek and the Highlander take an equal delight in tracing the river of their blood through distant generations, although we fancy that the latter pays rather the most attention to the purity of the stream. When he looks over the tree of his genealogy, and exults in the glorious names which he finds among its foliage, his feelings are not the less honest, nor his happiness the less fervent, because he sees no Jupiter in the root and no Venus perched among the branches. And truly we do not see why the descent of the Greek is of greater moment than the descent of the Scot, except that patronymics in _ides_, and _ion_, and _iades_ have certainly a nobler sound than plain, simple, unsophisticated _Mac_. But look you there again!--the ancestry of the Mountaineer will never be celebrated like the ancestry of the Myrmidon; for, alas! Gaelic will never sound so classical as Greek! When any important quarrel calls for a union of the forces under their numerous petty princes, the gathering of the Greek nations is precisely the gathering of the Highland clans. In both the Commander-in-chief is chosen by the vote of the assembled leaders; in both, his authority is cramped and frustrated by the exclusive allegiance which is owed by each separate clan to its respective chieftain. In both, as may be supposed from the ill-concocted materials of which both armies are composed, quarrels and dissensions are perpetually taking place. And why are not the disputes of the tartans as worthy of song as the disputes of the spears and the helmets? They often arise from the same passions; they often spring from equally insignificant causes; they often lead to equally tragical results. But look you there again!--the quarrels of the Mountaineer will never be celebrated like the quarrels of the Myrmidon; for, alas! Gaelic will never sound so classical as Greek! We might go on to trace the simile, in the same strain, through many other qualities and customs. We might instance their mutual fondness for athletic exercises--the absolute authority exercised by the chiefs over the persons of their followers--the belief prevalent among both nations of the efficacy of music and charms in the cure of wounds--the custom of being constantly attended by large dogs--the union of heart and hand, which in both cases exists between the chief and his foster-brother. But this is idle--the _tout-ensemble_ of the Mountaineer will never be celebrated like the _tout-ensemble_ of the Myrmidon; for, alas! Gaelic will never sound so classical as Greek!