On Highlands and Lowlands
Cultural differences between the Highlands and Lowlands of Scotland. This source has been attributed to more than one potential author and with two possible periods in which it may have been written. One theory attributes it to John of Fordun c1385, the other suggests it was written in the mid to late 13th century. Originally written in Latin, the source shows how the country of Scotland is viewed as being divided. The Highlands remain Celtic in nature, the Lowlands have adopted English as a Language and are Culturally quite different. Whilst this is only one source, it is useful as a means of showing how the British Isles and Ireland changed over time, with different cultures gaining precedence at various points. It could be compared with earlier histories such as Historia Brittanom which describes the way in which various groups and cultures came to occupy different parts of the Isles.
Source: On Highlands and Lowlands, author and date disputed.
The character of the Scots however varies with the differences in language, for two languages are spoken amongst them, the Scottish [i.e., Gaelic] and the Teutonic [i.e., English]. The people who speak the Teutonic language occupy the coastal and lowland regions, while the people who speak the Scottish language inhabit the mountains and outlying islands. The coastal people are docile and civilized, trustworthy, long-suffering, and courteous, decent in their dress, polite, and peaceable, devout in their worship, but always ready to resist injuries threatened by their enemies. The island and mountain people, however, are fierce and untamable, uncouth and unpleasant, much given to theft, fond of doing nothing, but their minds are quick to learn, and cunning. They are strikingly handsome in appearance, but their clothing is unsightly. They are always hostile and savage not only towards the English people and language but also towards their fellow Scots because of the difference in language. They are, however, faithful and obedient to the king and kingdom, and easily made to submit to law, if rule is exerted over them.
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