ESSAY 
 
 ON 
 
 THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 OF THE 
 
 POEMS OF OSSIAN; 
 
 , IN WHICH 
 THE OBJECTIONS 
 
 OF 
 
 MALCOLM LAING, Esq. 
 
 ARE 
 
 PARTICULARLY CONSIDERED AND REFUTED. 
 
 BY 
 
 PATRICK GRAHAM, D.D. 
 
 MINISTER OF ABERFOYLE. 
 
 TO WHICH IS ADDED AN ESSAY 
 
 ON 
 
 THE MYTHOLOGY OF OSSIAN'S POEMS, 
 
 BY 
 
 rUOFESSOR RICHARDSON 
 
 OF GLASGOW COLLEGE. 
 
 EDINBURGH: 
 
 Printed by Juirics liallanti/nc S C^. 
 ion iT.rr.R iiii.i., archirai.i) jonst \ lu.r. and vo. 
 
 VNri WILLIAM III \TI,K, L I) I N HU ll(; II ; HRASII V M) RF.II), GLASGOW 
 
 JOir> MURRAY, \N0 I.ONfiMVN, HI'Rsr, IlLIS, AM) OHMI", 
 
 LONDON. 
 
 1S07.
 
 
 TO 
 
 HIS GRACE 
 
 THE DUKE OF ATHOLL, 
 
 PRESIDENT, 
 
 AND THE OTHER NOBLEMEN AND GENTLEMEN 
 
 OF THE 
 
 HIGHLAND SOCIETY OF SCOTLAND, 
 
 TUR PROPER PATRONS OF CELTIC LITERATURE^ 
 THIS ESSAY 
 
 ON 
 
 THE POEMS OF OSSIAN 
 
 IS 
 
 MOST RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED 
 
 liY 
 
 THE AUTHOR.
 
 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 It may appear to many, that the en- 
 durance of the public has been long ago 
 exhausted, by the disquisitions which 
 have been offered concerning the aera 
 of the poems ascribed to Ossian. To 
 many persons, it has appeared to be a 
 matter of little consequence whether 
 these poems are to be considered as 
 ancient or modern ; whether they are 
 to be regarded as the production of
 
 vi Introduction. 
 
 the Son of Fingal, or of a learned Scot 
 of the eighteenth century. 
 
 Were this merely a question in which 
 national vanity was concerned, it is 
 admitted that it is a matter of little 
 importance, whether this celebrated 
 poetry is to be attributed to one of our 
 countrymen, who lived in the thirds or 
 in the eighteenth^ century. It is con- 
 ceived, however, that the question in- 
 volves much more important consider- 
 ations : it is presumed, that the gene- 
 ral history of literature, and even that 
 of the human mind itself, are deeply 
 interested in its investigation. 
 
 If, on the one hand, it be found, 
 that the poems ascribed to Ossian were 
 composed fifteen hundred years ago, in 
 a language and dialect which are still 
 understood and spoken in the High-
 
 INTRODUCTION. tU 
 
 lands of Scotland, a very singular view, 
 surely, presents itself, of the condition 
 in which society must have existed, in 
 a country and period which have been 
 usually accounted barbarous ; and, from 
 this view, an enquiring mind will be 
 naturally led to carry its researches 
 farther into the history and manners 
 of the early inhabitants of Caledonia. 
 
 If, on the other hand, it be ascer- 
 tained, that these poems were compo- 
 sed by a contemporary, imbued, as Mr 
 Macpherson certainly was, in a very 
 respectable measure, with the litera- 
 ture of Greece and Rome, as well as of 
 modern tunes, we are presented with 
 a phenomenon still more inexplica- 
 ble. 'I'hat such a person should have 
 produced a body of poetry, which 
 has been justly considered as posses-
 
 tlii INTRODUCTION* 
 
 sing SO high a merit as " to have given 
 " a new tone to poetry throughout all 
 " Europe;"* but, at the same time, de- 
 void of all modern allusion, and form- 
 ed neither in its imagery or expression 
 on the model of those ancient authors, 
 who have communicated their peculiar 
 colouring, so generally, to all modern 
 compositions ; appears to be a circum- 
 stance still more strange, than the sup- 
 position of the high antiquity which 
 has been ascribed to it. 
 
 In this point of view, then, it should 
 seem, that the question of the antiqui- 
 ty and authenticity of these poems, 
 must always be considered as interest- 
 ing, not only to literature, but even to 
 the philosophy of the human mind. 
 
 * Edinburgh Review, No. XII. Art. 7-
 
 INTRODUCTION. ix 
 
 At a very early period in this con- 
 troversy, Dr Johnson, a man whose 
 name must ever be held in veneration 
 by the friends of literature and virtue, 
 but who appears to have been very un- 
 qualified, on account of his prejudices, 
 and his too slight investigation of this 
 subject, to form a just estimate of its 
 merits, decisively pronounced these 
 poems to be a modern imposture. The 
 sum of Dr Johnson's argument, on 
 this occasion, however, is of too small 
 amount to require any particular no- 
 tice. It may, indeed, be more proper- 
 ly considered in the light of personality 
 towards James Macpherson, and to- 
 wards Scotland, than in that of legiti- 
 mate reasonins. 
 
 Of late, however, a more formidable 
 opponent of the anticjuity of these
 
 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 poems has appeared. Malcolm Laing, 
 Esq. Advocate, and now Member of 
 Parliament for the county of Orkney, 
 has, in a Dissertation annexed to the 
 second volume of his History of Scot- 
 land, endeavoured, by a formal and very 
 elaborate series of arguments, to prove 
 that this poetry is modern, and that 
 it is the production of Mr James Mac- 
 pherson. The arguments of Mr Laing 
 appear to have made a very consider- 
 able impression upon the public mind; 
 and many persons, probably, as well as 
 himself, have considered some of them 
 as unanswerable. 
 
 Some years ago, the Highland So- 
 ciety of Scotland, with that liberality 
 of research which has always interested 
 it in every thing that concerns the ho- 
 nour and advanta2;e of North Britain,
 
 INTRODUCTION. xi 
 
 appointed a Committee of its number 
 " to enquire into the Nature and Au- 
 " thenticity of the Poems of Ossian.'* 
 The Report of the Committee has ap- 
 peared, drawn up by the elegant pen 
 of Henry Mackenzie, Esq. its chair- 
 man. In this very interesting work, 
 many important circumstances, rela- 
 ting to Celtic literature in general, and 
 to the Poems of Ossian in particular, 
 are brought forward, and placed in a 
 luminous point of view. This is, in- 
 deed, what might have been expected 
 from the learned and accomplished Au- 
 thor, assisted by able Celtic scholars 
 and anticpiarians, and favoured with 
 an extensive correspondence, carried on 
 by himself, and his associates of the 
 Conmiittee, throuo;hout the lliohlands. 
 The Connnittce, however, properly
 
 Xii INTRODUCTION. 
 
 regarding its own dignity, as the repre- 
 sentative of the most illustrious public 
 association of men that now exists in 
 Britain, or perhaps in Europe, has 
 chosen, on this occasion, to maintain a 
 becoming reserve. Anxious only to col- 
 lect facts, it has been little solicitous 
 to offer opinions, or to enter into con- 
 troversial discussion. The important 
 facts, which it has collected, are laid 
 before the public, and to these it is left 
 to make their proper impression. 
 
 The Committee having thus decli- 
 ned to enter into the argument, it may 
 be deemed presumptuous in an indivi- 
 dual, favoured with far scantier means 
 of information, to attempt to revive the 
 controversy, or to pursue it to a greater 
 length than has been already done. 
 But it may be permitted to remark,
 
 INTRODUCTION. xiii 
 
 that though the Committee of the High- 
 land Society of Scotland has, very pro- 
 perly, considered it as beneath its dig- 
 nity to stoop to the refutation of the 
 arguments of Mr Laing, it may not be 
 improper for one, who has little to lose, 
 and who may have the good fortune to 
 gain some advantage in the discussion, 
 to enter the lists even with this power- 
 ful antagonist. 
 
 It is proper, at the same time, to 
 observe, that the object of the Com- 
 mittee has, unquestionably, been, in 
 a very great measure, accomplished, 
 by the vast body of valuable observa- 
 tions and facts which it has collected, 
 and by the ample field which it has 
 thus opened up for the speculations of 
 those, who may be disposed to enter 
 into the controversy. Of these import-
 
 xir INTRODUCTION. 
 
 ant observations and facts, together 
 , with the conclusions which may be 
 drawn from them, the Author of these 
 pages will take the liberty, from time 
 to time, to avail himself. 
 
 Without pretending to follow the 
 formal and minute divisions of Mr 
 Laing's Dissertation, it is proposed to 
 consider, in the order in which they 
 occur, those topics that may appear to 
 relate more essentially to the antiquity 
 and authenticity of this poetry ; and, 
 in this view, it would seem, that the 
 suject will be exhausted, by taking 
 into our account tlie following parti- 
 culars ; viz. The Period in which these 
 Poems are said to have been compo- 
 sed The State of Society and INIan- 
 ners, in the age in which Ossian is sup- 
 posed to have flourished The iNIode
 
 INTRODUCTION. Xv 
 
 in which these Poems are represented 
 to have been transmitted to us And, 
 finally, The Manner in which they have 
 been collected, translated, and pub- 
 lished, by Mr Macpherson. In this 
 course of treating the subject, it is pro- 
 posed to advert to the arguments ad- 
 vanced by Mr Laing, as they occur. 
 
 It is necessary to say, that the lite- 
 rary merits of these poems constitute 
 no part of the argument, which it is 
 proposed to discuss. Mr Laing may 
 find in them " bombast, extravagant 
 " rants, and contemptible conceits/' 
 An opportunity will occur of shewing, 
 that, if such instances of false taste arc 
 to be found, they are to be imputed to 
 the translator, and not to the original. 
 l>ut to vindicate the g(Micral merits of 
 this poetry is toreign from the purpose
 
 xri INTRODUCTION. 
 
 of this Essay. It may suffice to say, 
 that it has been long admired, both at 
 home and abroad, by persons whose 
 taste and literature will not suffer by 
 a comparison with those of any man 
 whatsoever. 
 
 But, laying aside the consideration 
 of the merits of these poems, if they 
 are indeed as ancient as they are re- 
 presented to be, they furnish, as Mr 
 Hume has remarked, " one of the great- 
 " est curiosities, in all respects, that 
 " ever was discovered in the common- 
 " wealth of letters/' * They evidently 
 afford a fair promise of throwing much 
 light on the early history and manners 
 of an interesting people ; and the few 
 
 * See Mr Hume's Letter on this subject to Dr 
 Blair ; Report of the Committee, p. 8.
 
 INTRODUCTION. xvii 
 
 remainins: monuments of a lansiuage 
 unmixed with any foreign idiom, a 
 phenomenon not to be met with else- 
 where, at this day, in Western Europe, 
 seem to present au important subject 
 of speculation to philosophic minds. 
 
 It is only necessary to add, that, in 
 the few translations of passages cited 
 from ancient authors, which it has been 
 sometimes thought proper to give, fi- 
 delity to the original has been studied, 
 more than elegance of expression.
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 SECTION I. 
 Of the Period, in which these Poems were 
 
 composed. Connection with Roman 
 
 History. Carausius. Caracalla. Ap- 
 pellations of Places in Ossian's Poems. 
 Orkneys. Carrickthura, 1 
 
 SECTION II. 
 
 Of the State of Society, in the Ages in which 
 Fingal and Ossian are supposed to liave 
 flourished. Estimate of the Character 
 and Manners of the Caledonians, by i)ioa 
 Cassius, Herodian, Tacitus, iEiian, &,c.
 
 XX CONTENTS. 
 
 FAGE. 
 
 Druidical Institutions. Silence con- 
 cerning Religion. Domestic Circum- 
 stances^ 16 
 
 SECTION III. 
 
 Of the Mode in Avhich these Poems have 
 been preserved, and transmitted to us 
 through so many Ages, 56 
 
 Part I. 
 
 The Political Situation of Caledonia, during the 
 last Fifteen Centuries. The Dominion 
 and Influence of the Celts. The sup- 
 posed Invasion of Riada. The Bai'dic 
 Order. Transmission of the Poetry of 
 Homer. Recitations of aiicient Gaelic 
 Poetry, by Persons still, or very lately, 
 alive, 58 
 
 Part II. 
 
 The unaltered State of the Language in which 
 these Poems have been composed. The 
 peculiar Character, and idiomatic Form, 
 of the Gaelic, 97
 
 CONTENTS. xxi 
 
 PAGE. 
 
 SECTION IV. 
 Of particular Terms and Expressions which 
 occur in these Poems; and which Mr 
 Lai ng argues to have been borrowed 
 from other Languages. The Opinion of 
 Mr Pinkerton, and of the Edinburgh 
 P( viewers, examined, with regard to the 
 Gallic Invaders of the Italian Territory. 
 The copiousness of the Gaelic, in Ex- 
 pressions, to dc'iu)te the Appearances of 
 external Nature, and the reelings and 
 Passions of the Human Alind. Esti- 
 ni.ile of Mr Laing's alleged Instances of 
 borrowed Expressions, 107 
 
 SECTION V. 
 
 Mr Laing's alleged Imitations of ancient and 
 modern Authors considered. Avowed 
 Imitations; and aeeidental Coincidences 
 of Thought and Ivxpression, in Authors, 
 who c:ould not |)o<>ihlv have had any 
 Communiealiou with each other. Ca-
 
 xxiT CONTENTS. 
 
 PAGE. 
 
 ed; and that he has frequently misun- 
 derstood his Original. Testimonies of 
 his having been but very imperfectly 
 skilled in the Gaelic Language^ 270 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 No. I. 
 Enquiry into the Existence of the Druidical 
 
 Order in Scotland, 383 
 
 No. II. 
 The Origin of Superstition^ illustrated in the 
 Mythology of the Poems of Ossian ; by 
 Professor Richardson, 41] 
 
 No. III. 
 V Letter of James Macpherson, Esq. to Captain 
 
 Morison of Greenock, 445 
 
 Postscript, 447
 
 ESSAY 
 
 THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 THE POEMS OF OSSIAN. 
 
 SECTION I. 
 
 Of the Period in which these Poems zcere composed. 
 Connection zvith Roman History. Carausius. 
 Caracalla. Appellations of Places in Ossian*s 
 Poems. Orkneys. Carricklhura . 
 
 liiE period which lias ])eeii generally as- 
 signetl as the iura of Ossiaii, is the begin- 
 ning of the third century. It is admitted, 
 I hat this deduction can be made only from 
 
 A
 
 2 ON THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 the internal evidence of the poems which 
 have been ascribed to him. In a case like 
 this, we can expect no collateral evidence 
 from the contemporary writers of Greece 
 and Rome, to whom the language of the 
 Caledonians was unknown, and by whom 
 they themselves were accounted barbarous. 
 
 I am therefore disposed to consider, in 
 the same light that Mr Laing does, the at- 
 tempt which has been made, by Mr Mac- 
 pherson, to connect these poems with the 
 history of the Romans. What, indeed, can 
 be more improbable, as Gibbon long ago re- 
 marked, than " that the son of Severus, 
 " who, in the Caledonian war, was known 
 " only by the name of Antoninus, should be 
 " described, in these Poems, by a nickname 
 " invented four years afterwards, and scarcely 
 " used by the Romans, till after the death 
 " of the emperor." I may add, that nothing 
 can be more absurd than to suppose, that 
 the inhabitants of Rome should bestow, 
 
 3
 
 OF OSSIAN'S POEMS. 3 
 
 upon their emperor, a nickname of Celtic 
 etymology.* On Mr Macpherson's connec- 
 tion of this period with Roman history, by 
 supposing Caros to have been the usurper 
 Carausius, I lay equally little stress. But, 
 because Mr Macpherson, the translator of 
 these poems, has chosen to imagine such 
 connections, does it follow, that the authen- 
 ticity of Ossian must stand or fall with their 
 fate ? Because Mr Macpherson has thought 
 it proper to identity the Balckitha of Ossian 
 with the Alcluith of Bede, docs it follow, 
 that there was no Balckitha ; and ihat there 
 is no foundation for the interesting account 
 of the adventures of Carthon ? 
 
 It nnist be observed, however, that it is 
 by no means a consecjuence of these admis- 
 
 * Caracul, in Gaelic, signifies, " Of the lierce Eye;" 
 but \vf know, that tlie name of C'aracalhis, or Caracalla, 
 was given, at Konie, to the emperor, (mi account of a gar- 
 ment of ;. paricular form, and of a simih^r (len)aiina- 
 tion, whi( h he li;i(l intrcHluciJ there. See Spartian, in 
 Antonino C'aracallo, p. 150.
 
 4 ON THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 sions, that the events, related in the poems 
 ascribed to Ossian, did not take place about 
 the period which has been generally assign- 
 ed; that is, whilst the Romans occupied 
 that part of Caledonia which lies to the 
 south of the wall of Antoninus. We have 
 the authentic evidence of Roman history, 
 and of Roman remains still existing, to 
 prove, that, even in the time of Agricola, 
 the northern and western Caledonians the 
 people to whom these poems relate, and 
 amongst whom they are said to have been 
 composed were a numerous and warlike 
 race of men ; and that their incursions into 
 the Roman province, in that, and during the 
 succeeding periods of Roman domination, 
 were frequent and formidable. 
 
 In the poems, accordingly, wt find, as 
 might have been expected, many express al- 
 lusions to these encounters between the na- 
 tives and the Roman invaders. But who 
 was the hero " of the fierce eye ;" or who
 
 OF OSSIAN'S POEMS. 5 
 
 was " Caros king of ships," we cannot hope 
 to be able, at this distance of time, precisely 
 to determine. 
 
 It may be remarked, that the very name 
 of Romans does not once occur in these 
 poems. As individuals are always denomi- 
 nated, by Ossian, from their personal quali- 
 ties, a practice common amongst all na- 
 tions in the earlier stages of society, so 
 nations and countries, mountains and rivers, 
 receive their appellations from the circum- 
 stances by which they are peculiarly distin- 
 guished. 71ie Romans are, in these poems, 
 called " the Strangers :'' one country is 
 denominated Imm-uaine, or, '' the Green 
 *' Isle;" and another Er'ui, or "the West- 
 " crn Isle f a hill is denominated Gormal, 
 or " the Blue Hill :" and a river, Canoi, 
 *' the Winding Stream ;" or Balbha, " the 
 '' Silent." 
 
 But, except in the few, the very few in- 
 stances, in which these ])laces have retained
 
 6 ON THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 their ancient denomination; amidst the in- 
 termixture of tribes, and the shifting of pos- 
 sessions and interests, which have taken 
 place, during the lapse of more than four- 
 teen centuries, it is now almost impossible 
 to determine what country, or mountain, or 
 river, is spoken of in these poems. That 
 Ei'in is Ireland ; Lochlin, some part of Scan- 
 dinavia ; and Morven, (Mor-bheinn,) the 
 mountainous part of Scotland, the proper 
 kingdom of Fingal, we may indeed conclude 
 with a degree of probability approaching to 
 certainty. 
 
 Mr Laing, indeed, with his usual gratui- 
 tousness of assertion, observes, on this sub- 
 ject, " that Lochlin was a name unknown 
 " till the ninth century." That the Celtic 
 appellation of a country, with which only 
 the Celts had intercourse, should not liave 
 been adopted by Greek and Roman writers, 
 is precisely what might have been expected. 
 But, in refutation of i\Ir Laing's assertion, it
 
 OF OSSIAN'S POEMS. 7 
 
 fortunately happens, that we have a Gaelic 
 manuscript, which Mr Astle has ascertained 
 to have been written in the ninth or tenth 
 century ; and which appears to have been 
 composed between the fifth and eighth cen- 
 turies, in which the name of Lochlin, as ap- 
 plied in these poems, frequently occurs. Of 
 this valuable manuscript an interesting ac- 
 count is given, by Dr Donald Smith, in the 
 Appendix to Mr Mackenzie's Report on the 
 Poems of Ossian. Dr Smith observes also, 
 tliat, in a M'elsli treatise, written about the 
 end of the seventh century, we read, " that 
 " the warlike Irp conducted a fleet to Llych- 
 ^''lynf on which Mr Edward Llhuyd re- 
 marks, that, " by this name, we understand 
 '' Sweden, Denmark, and Norway."* 
 
 ' To shew the fallacy of tliis mode of reasoning, from 
 the circumstance, that the name of LocliUu does not oc- 
 cur ill any author, with which Mr Laing is ac(|uaiiited, 
 I shall only mention, that, had the small, but valuable, 
 treatise of Tacitus, Dc Moribm (trniutnornm, been lost, 
 like many otlu r ancient compositions, in the wreck of
 
 ON THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 Mr Laing also seems to lay much stress 
 on his detection of Innis-tore, (in Dr Smith's 
 collection, Innis-ore,) as the denomination 
 of the Orkneys, to which Fingal is said to 
 have made some noted expeditions. Mr 
 Laing learns, from Solinus, that, in A. D. 
 >40, " the Orkneys were altogether unin- 
 " habited." But, on what grounds he prefers, 
 in this instance, the authority of Solinus to 
 the unquestionable testimony of Tacitus, it 
 is impossible to conjecture. That we may 
 judge of Solinus's knowledge of the Orkney 
 isles, it may be proper to observe, that he 
 states their number to be three, instead of 
 thirty, as given by Pomponius Mela; and 
 forty, as given by Pliny. Solinus adds, that 
 they were uninhabited. But Tacitus ex- 
 pressly informs us, that the fleet of his 
 father-in-law, Agricola, in its circumnaviga- 
 
 tlme, the name of Englishmen (Aiigli) could not have 
 been found, at this day, in any other author, prior to the 
 ])eriod of Gregory the Great.
 
 OF OSSIAN'S POEMS. 9 
 
 tion of Britain, '' first discovered and con- 
 " quered the Orkneys." And, if Tacitus can 
 be credited in any thing, he surely must, in 
 this account of a transaction conducted by 
 so near a relative, and with whom, too, he 
 lived at Rome, for many years after, in ha- 
 bits of the most familiar intercourse. We 
 find Juvenal, about the same period, and in 
 allusion to the same event, speaking of the 
 
 Modo CAl'TAS 
 
 Orcada.s, el minima contentos node Britannnos. 
 
 But is it to be supposed, that the historian 
 should relate, and the poet allude, to the 
 comjuesf and capture of islands which had 
 no inhabitants ? * 
 
 It does not appear, then, that any mate- 
 
 * Bu'da iiidced relates, (Ilistnr. I'.cck's. cli. 3.) " tliat 
 tlic Orkneys wen; aihled to the Roman :ii| ire, I)\ Clau- 
 dius, (lurini; liis notcil f.\i)editioii to l>rit ' ;. l-'il what 
 is the \alur of itaxla's anthoritv, coni; ." i kM'h the 
 " iiiiidii ci;\'<is" of.iuvrual, and thr " ii:rc.:i>:t(t'i lul id 
 h-nqms Oixadas" of Tacitus?
 
 10 ON THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 rial circumstance, in the Poems themselves, 
 has a tendency to invalidate the opinion 
 that they are to be referred to the period in 
 which the Romans occupied Caledonia, and 
 even to the commencement or middle of 
 the third century. I speak only of the 
 Poems ; of Macpherson's dreams I make no 
 account. 
 
 It is true, as has been said, that it is only 
 from the internal evidence, furnished by the 
 Poems themselves, that we can infer the 
 period of their composition. But what other 
 source of evidence could we, in this in- 
 stance, expect ? Could it be expected that 
 Tacitus, or Herodian, or Dion Cassius, should 
 inform us, that there existed, amongst the 
 Caledonians, certain poems, of very superior 
 merit, composed in the Celtic language, the 
 preservation and transmission of which, to 
 posterity, would well reward the labours 
 of a Greek or Roman antiquary ? No, sure- 
 ly. The contempt, in which the Greeks and
 
 OF OSSIAN'S POEMS. 11 
 
 Romans had been accustomed to hold all 
 other nations, whom they stigmatized with 
 the epithet of barbarous, was an ettectu- 
 al bar to their favourable opinion ; or even 
 to a just appreciation or report of whatever 
 merit they might possess, either in science 
 or literature. Of all the writers of antiquity, 
 Julius Caesar seems to have displayed the 
 greatest candour, and the fairest spirit of li- 
 berality, in giving an account of the nations 
 esteemed barbarous; an eminent instance of 
 which we have, in the view which he has 
 given us, of the high attainments which the 
 ancient philosophers of Ihitain had made, in 
 diflerent departments of science.* 
 
 I am sufficiently aware, that, until the 
 anti(juity and authenticity of these Poems 
 can be previously cstabiisiicd, no argument 
 can he drawn fium the internal evidence 
 which they ati'ord, conccniing ihe period in 
 
 "* Sc-e Cas. dc Btil. (Jail. lib. vi. c. W.
 
 1 ON THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 which they were composed. But the extent 
 of my inference is Hmited accordingly. I 
 would only infer, that nothing has been ad- 
 duced from ancient history, or even from 
 the Poems themselves, which can be fairly 
 considered as contradictory to the position, 
 that they belong to the period, which has 
 been assigned: and, still further, I would 
 argue, that, if it can be proved, from other 
 considerations, that these Poems are really 
 ancient, this, and no other, is the period, to 
 which they are to be referred. 
 
 It is in this view of the subject, that I 
 think it almost unnecessary to advert to 
 the proofs of their spuriousness adduced, by 
 My Laing, from the history of the middle 
 ages. In the name of Fingafs friend. Cat- 
 hula, jVIr Laing '' easily discerns" Ketil, the 
 son of Biarno, who lived in the beginning of 
 the tenth century. But, in order to assist 
 his readers in " discerning" this, he informs 
 them, that Cathida must be pronounced
 
 OF OSSIAN'S POEMS. IS 
 
 Cat-huil. Mr Laing, in this, as well as in 
 many other articles of Gaelic erudition, has 
 been misled. He must suffer himself to be 
 informed, that Cathula is pronounced, in 
 the Gaelic, Ca-huil^ and signifies, '' the Eye 
 " of Battle." An objection, of seemingly 
 greater consecjuence, is drawn from Ossian's 
 assigning a name of Celtic etymology 
 (Carrick-thura) to the palace of tlie king of 
 tlic Orkneys, " where, at this day," he adds, 
 " all the names of places are Norwegian or 
 " Gothic."' But, it may be asked, whether 
 the inhabitants of these isles were Goths, 
 and their language the Gothic, in the se- 
 cond and third centuries? or, if tliey were, 
 is it not most probable, that the names, by 
 wliich |)laccs and persons, in the Orkneys, 
 were designated by the Cak'donians, were 
 of Celtic origin; and imposed, l)y the Cale- 
 donians, according to the distinctive charac- 
 ters of the places or persons, in the usual
 
 14 ON THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 manner of early nations, and of early times? 
 In the writings of the ancients of Greece 
 and Rome, we know, that nothing was 
 more common than to denominate places 
 and persons, not by the names given them 
 in their own country or language, but by 
 names constructed according to the genius 
 of the language into which they were trans- 
 ferred. Thus, Ctesias, a Greek, in his As- 
 syrian history, borrowed from records, 
 which he found in the court of Persia, 
 uniformly gives to the kings, not their As- 
 syrian names, which he found in the record, 
 but names of Greek etymology, whicli he 
 considered as of similar import. Diodorus 
 Siculus, in his account of Egypt, gives to 
 the heroes of that country, not their Egyp- 
 tian names, but Greek names, which he 
 considered as bearing the same significa- 
 tion. This practice, so common amongst 
 ancient writers, seems to arise naturally
 
 OF OSSIAN'S POEMS. 15 
 
 from that state of society, in which deno- 
 minations are given to individuals, which 
 are designed to be descriptive of their pecu- 
 liar quaUties.
 
 16 ON THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 SECTION II. 
 
 Of the State of Society in the ^ges m which Fingal 
 and Ossian are supposed to have flourished. Es- 
 timate of the Character and Manners of the Ca- 
 ledonians, hy Dion Cassius, liei'odian, Tacitus, 
 Milan, 8^c. Druidical Institutions. Silence 
 concerning Heli^ion. Domestic circumstances. 
 
 The Greeks and Romans, in the pride of 
 superior civilization, bestowed the epithet of 
 harbarous on all other nations. It is no 
 wonder, then, that the Caledonians, a people 
 still in the first stages of society, were sub- 
 jected to that appellation. Yet, before we 
 proceed, let us endeavour to form a fair es- 
 timate of what is reported of their character 
 and manners, by the most respectable au- 
 thors of Greece and Rome.
 
 OF OSSIAN'S POEMS. IT 
 
 Of all the ancients, who have given us an 
 account of the manners of our Caledonian 
 ancestors, Dion Cassius and Herodian have 
 drawn the most unfavourable pictures. Yet 
 what is the amount of all that Dion advan- 
 ces ? lie tells us, " that the country is rug- 
 " gcd and bleak; that the inhabitants sub- 
 " sist chiefly by hunting, and pasturage, and 
 ** on fruits ; that they are addicted to plun- 
 " der; that they tight from cars; that their 
 " infantry is fnin in action, and rapid, either 
 *' in pursuit or flight; that their arms are a 
 " shield, a dart, and a dagger, with a ball of 
 " metal at the point to astonish the enemy 
 " with the sound, when it is brandished."* 
 Dion farther bears witness to their hardiness 
 in enduring hunger, and fatigue, and cold. 
 
 * Tacitus, a far more lospfxtable autliority, in })oirit 
 ot acuteness, as well as opportunity ol inroiination, tells 
 us, that tlu-y wore ray lan^c siiorcls, (iiigoUa ^(adii.J 
 ^^ric. e. j(j.
 
 18 ON THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 He adds, " that they have their women m 
 " common." 
 
 Now, I confess, that, in all this testimony, 
 if we except the last circumstance, which 
 Mr Laing himself candidly rejects, I can 
 perceive nothing but that ordinary admixture 
 of violence and of bravery, of ferocity and of 
 generosity, which constitutes the character 
 of nations, in the earlier stages of society. 
 
 The testimony of Herodian is very nearly 
 the same, to the character of hardiness, and 
 intrepidity in swimming and wading over 
 their rivers and morasses, without regard to 
 the inclemencies of the weather, exertions, 
 on which the Romans prided themselves in 
 the polished days of Horace : he adds the 
 common account of their painting their 
 bodies ; and of their propensity to war and 
 shedding of blood. Jerome, an eye-witness, 
 is cited, as asserting, that the Attacotti, (who, 
 however, by the consent of all, did not inha- 
 bit Caledonia, in the period assigned to Fin-
 
 OF OSSIAN'S POEMS. 19 
 
 gal,) were addicted to eating human flesh. 
 This also Mr Laing very candidly rejects. 
 
 Such is the amount of the testimony of 
 those ancient writers, concerning the barba- 
 rism of the Caledonians. But why did Mr 
 Laing, in elaborating this point, throw the 
 unquestionable authority of Tacitus into the 
 shade? For I must, in this instance, as be- 
 fore, call his authority uncjuestionable ; l^e- 
 cause he enjoyed the best o])portunities of 
 being informed. His father-in-law, Agri- 
 cola, had been, during the space of about 
 seven years, commander of the Roman forces 
 in Britain; he had penetrated farther into 
 Caledonia than any that had preceded him ; 
 and, after his return to Rome, his son-in-law 
 lived with him, for many years, in habits of 
 tlic utmost confidence and intimacy. 
 
 In speaking of tiic Britons in general, 
 Tacitus furnishes us with an instance of ci- 
 \ilizali()n, which is conimonly. and most 
 |u>tly, esteemed the criterion orpolisiied so-
 
 20 ON THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 ciety ; namely, the high respect which was 
 paid to the female character; the distin- 
 guished rank assigned to the women ; and 
 the value, in which their opinion was held, 
 in the most important transactions. He 
 tells us, " that the Britons were wont to 
 " make war under the conduct of females; 
 " and that they placed their wives near the 
 " field of battle, that they might witness the 
 " successes of their husbands."* To assign 
 a high importance to females, seems, indeed, 
 to be a common feature in the character of 
 a people, in the earlier stages of society; 
 and it appears not a little singular, that 
 nations revert to this same sentiment, in 
 their most polished periods. Tacitus says, 
 " that the Germans thought, that there re- 
 " sided in females, something sacred and 
 " prescient; they neither reject," says he, 
 " their counsels, nor neglect their responses." 
 
 * Tac. Ann. lib. xiv. c. 34. 35.; De Mor. Germ, c, 8.; 
 and Caes. Bell. Gall. lib. i. c. 5J.
 
 . OF OSSIAN'S POEMS. 21 
 
 This, too, is a distinguishing feature in 
 the manners described by Ossian; and, to 
 those who have not attended to this remark- 
 able trait in the history of the Celts, it has 
 furnished an argument against the authen- 
 ticity of these poems. It is certain, that, 
 though the chief elegancies of life, and the 
 most refined charms of modern society, have 
 arisen from the influence of female character 
 and manners, this refinement was altogether 
 unknown to the Greeks and Romans, in 
 tlieir most poli.>*lied times. In this respect, 
 they were, according to every feeling of mo- 
 dern times, themselves barbarians! It is humi- 
 liating to the nature of man to reflect, that 
 their highest attainments, in tlic ek'gancies 
 of life, consisted in increasing tlie nunk's of 
 luxury, and in multiplying the resources of 
 sensuality. In the high consi(k'rati()ii, in 
 which tlie female character was iield amongst 
 the Celts, ou the other hand, we ure furnish- 
 ed with a [)leasiiig picture, which verities its
 
 22 ON THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 genuineness, by the simplicity of its traits. 
 It is a picture, which is exhibited, on all oc- 
 casions, by Ossian; and so far is it from 
 susraiestine: an aro-ument of modern fabrica- 
 tion, that it evidently affords an internal 
 character of truth, and an indelible impres- 
 sion of authenticity, stamped by the just re- 
 presentation of ancient Celtic manners. 
 
 In speaking of Caledonia particularly, 
 Tacitus takes notice of ample states beyond 
 the Forth;* and bears honourable testimony 
 to their skill in warlike operations. We find 
 them, previous to the celebrated battle of the 
 Grampians, with the wisest counsels, sending 
 embassies to the surrounding states; forin- 
 ing alliances; and adopting every measure 
 which prudence could suggest, or valour at- 
 chieve, in order to repel the impending dan- 
 ger. Above thirty thousand armed men, 
 " besides the daily accession of young men, 
 
 ' Tac. Agric. c. 25. tt seq.
 
 OF OSSIAN'S POEMS. 83 
 
 " and of aged heroes, famed in war," as- 
 semble under Galgacus, whom, by common 
 consent, according to the usual manner of 
 the Celtic nations, they had chosen for their 
 leader. Immediately before the battle, Gal- 
 gacus addresses his soldiers, in a speech, full 
 of good sense and knowledge of the respec- 
 tive interests of the contending parties ; full 
 of temperate valour and patriotic eloquence. 
 Making every due allowance for the manner 
 of the ancient writers, of framing speeches 
 for the personages whom they introduce, it 
 seems scarcely possible to suppose, that such 
 a writer as Tacitus could, without some 
 foundation in fact, put such a sjieech as this 
 into the mouth of a mere savage. 
 
 The conduct of the battle, too, on the 
 part of the Caledonians, evinces, notwith- 
 standing their fmal defeat, very considerable 
 judgment and military skill. 'J'lieir masterly 
 e\()hitions and undaunted bravery had, more 
 than once, by the acknowledgment of the
 
 24 ON THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 historian, rendered the issue of the day 
 doubtful. Such is the testimony of Tacitus; 
 and I would ask, if this be the picture of 
 " a nation of naked sanguinary barbarians, 
 " armed with a shield, a dart, and a dagger ; 
 " almost destitute of iron, which they prized 
 " like gold ; and living promiscuously in 
 " wattled booths?"* 
 
 To the generosity and bravery of the 
 Celts, of whom the Caledonians are unques 
 tionably to be reckoned a branch, ^lian, 
 who wrote about the period under our con- 
 sideration, bears the most honourable wit- 
 ness : " To this contempt of danger," he 
 adds, " they are prompted by songs, in ho- 
 " nour of those who have bravely fallen, and 
 " by trophies and monuments dedicated to 
 " them, after the manner of the Greeks."" f 
 
 Aristotle, too, had, many centuries before, 
 borne witness to the undaunted heroism of 
 
 * See Lning's Dissertation, p. 395. 
 t iElian Hist. Var. lib. xii. c. 23.
 
 OF OSSIAN'S POEMS. S5 
 
 the Celts, which he even seems to reckon 
 to have bordered on unwarrantable rash- 
 ness : " They fear," says he, " neither earth- 
 " quakes, nor the waves of the sea."* And 
 Arrian testifies, that they said to Alexander, 
 " that they were afraid of nothing, but lest 
 " the heavens should tumble down." 
 
 The truth seems to be, that we are not 
 warranted, by any just principle of reason- 
 ing, in forming conclusions beforehand con- 
 cerning the various shades of distinction, 
 which, under diflferent circumstances, may 
 mark the manners of any particular nation, 
 or period of society. In order to conclude 
 justly, a previous or collateral accjuaiiitance 
 witli the particular nation, or state of so- 
 ciety, is indispensably necessary. V\ ith re- 
 gard to China, for instance, unless we iiad 
 the iuduljilable evidence of liistoiiaus and 
 travellers, how diilicult would il be to con- 
 
 * Arist. Etli. lib. iii. c. 7.
 
 86 ON THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 ceive, that, for more than two thousand 
 years, the state of society, of arts, of science, 
 and of agriculture, has been stationary; 
 whilst, in every other nation of the earth, 
 these circumstances have undergone innu- 
 merable and incalculable changes ? Who 
 could predicate of the sequestered inhabit- 
 ants of the Pelew islands all the gentleness 
 and humanity of European manners ? or of 
 the Otaheitans, the dissipation of the latter 
 ages of Rome, joined to the mildness and 
 docility of the most polished people of mo- 
 dern times? 
 
 On this ground, it would seem, that we 
 are not warranted to attribute absolute bar- 
 barism to our Caledonian ancestors, merely 
 from the consideration of the country and 
 period in which they lived, and the state of 
 society in some contemporary nations. We 
 should allow its just weight to every scat- 
 tered hint furnished by writers of undoubted 
 credit ; and to every accidental circum-
 
 OF OSSIAN'S POEMS. S7 
 
 stance which may liave had any influence in 
 characterising the manners and condition 
 of the people. 
 
 Though the Caledonians had not, at this 
 period, arrived at those refinements, which 
 distinguish the commercial, or even the agri- 
 cultural state of society, yet it appears, from 
 the testimony of the authors who have been 
 cited, that their population was very consi- 
 derable; that they were well versed in the 
 art of war ; that they possessed a high ge- 
 nerosity of mind ; and that they placed their 
 chief glory in independence. 
 
 We know, that the mode of living, the 
 domestic accommodations, and even the 
 external scenery, which daily strikes the 
 eye, have a powerful influence in forming 
 the character, and in giving a tone to the 
 ideas of a pc()j)le. Even in the Iligiilanders 
 of the present day, whose characters have 
 not undergone a change by tiie contact of 
 iorcign manners, we may still trace the
 
 8 ON THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 mode of thinking and of acting, which dis- 
 tinguishes the personages of Ossian. Ac- 
 customed to traverse vast tracts of country, 
 which have never been subjected to the hand 
 of art ; contemplating, every day, the most 
 diversified scenery; surrounded everywhere 
 by wild and magnificent objects ; by moun- 
 tains, and lakes, and forests, the mind of 
 the Highlander is expanded, and partakes, 
 in some measure, of the rude sublimity of 
 the objects with which he is conversant. 
 Pursuing the chace, in regions not peopled 
 according to their extent, he often finds him- 
 self alone in the gloomy desart, or by the 
 margin of the dark frowning deep ; his ima- 
 gination, tinged with pleasing melancholy, 
 finds society in the passing breeze, and he 
 beholds the airy forms of his fathers descend- 
 ing on the skirts of the cloud. When the 
 tempest howls over the heath, and the ele- 
 ments are mixed in dire uproar, he recogni- 
 zes the angry spirit of the storm, and he re-
 
 OF OSSIAN'S POEMS. 89 
 
 tires to his secret cave. Such is, at this day, 
 the tone of mind which characterizes the 
 Highlander, who has not lost the distinctive 
 marks of his race by commerce with stran- 
 gers; and such, too, is the picture which has 
 been drawn by Ossian. 
 
 Nor need we be altogether surprised at 
 the sublimity of sentiment, and generosity 
 of manners, which are ascribed to his per- 
 sonages by Ossian, if we take into account 
 some peculiar institutions, which we may 
 conclude, upon the best grounds, to have 
 existed, in Caledonia, at a still earlier period. 
 Tlie principal of these was, that of the Dnd- 
 dical order, together M-ith its appendage, that 
 of the Bards; and if, soon after the period 
 of Ossian, his countrymen did sink into 
 deep barbarism, it is chiefly to the abolition 
 of that illustrious hierarchy, that this strik- 
 ing change nuist be attributed.* 
 
 Aware that the existence of the druidieal order in
 
 30 ON THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 Tlie Druids, according to the universal tes- 
 timony of antiquity, were highly distin- 
 guished by their attainments in every de- 
 partment of the most valuable science. They 
 taught, as we are informed by the unques- 
 tionable testimony of Julius Cesar,f the 
 immortality of the soul; in common with 
 the Magi of the East, from whom, it is pro- 
 bable, as Pliny insinuates,J that they deri- 
 ved their philosophy, they held the doctrine 
 of transmigration ; they taught the science 
 of the stars, and of their motions ; they in- 
 structed the youth, that resorted to them, 
 in physics, or concerning the general nature 
 of things ; and, ascending to the mysteries 
 of theology, they taught the doctrine of the 
 immortal Gods. Strabo (lib. iv.) informs us, 
 to the same purpose, that the Druids taught 
 
 Scotland has been denied by some, I reserve the proofs 
 of their establishment there for a separate dissertation. 
 
 t CtEs. Bell. Gall. lib. vi. c. Ik 15. 
 
 X Hist. Nat. lib. xxx. c, 4. and Pomp. jMela, lib. iii. 
 c. 1.
 
 OF OSSIAN'S POEMS. 31 
 
 the immortality of the soul: " *A(pOa/>Taf rai 
 {vxoi-^ Ktyovci'^ And Lucan says, 
 
 > Vohis auctoribus umbra 
 
 Non tacitas Erebi sedes, ditisque profundi 
 Pallida regna peiunt ; regit enim spiritus artus, 
 Orbe alio longcE, canitis si cognita, vita. 
 
 Pomponius Mela (lib. iii.) informs us, " that 
 " the Druids profess to know the magnitude 
 " and form of the earth and of the world, 
 " the motions of the heaven and of the stars, 
 " and the will of the <j:ods." 
 
 In these sublime and important studies, 
 the disciples of the Druids spent sometimes 
 no less than the space of twenty 3'ears. All 
 their science and history were conimitled to 
 memory alone. Though the art of^'riting 
 was known amon"-st them, it was held un- 
 lawful to commit their doctrines to wri- 
 ting. Cirsar accordingly adds, that it was 
 usual, for the disciples ofthc Druids, to com- 
 mit a vast number of verses, in wliich, no
 
 32 ON THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 doubt, their science was contained, to me- 
 mory. 
 
 We have here, it must be acknowledged, 
 a very respectable view aftbrded us of the 
 philosophy of the Druids, by an author, 
 whom all will allow to have been a compe- 
 tent judge. 
 
 Though this hierarchy had been extermi- 
 nated in Caledonia, according to tradition, 
 somewhat prior to the period of Ossian, and, 
 in England, according to Tacitus, somewhat 
 earlier still, yet so recently had their cata- 
 strophe taken place, that Ossian might have 
 had a full opportunity of accjuiring the 
 knowledge which they taught ; or, at least, 
 that portion of it which was usually commu- 
 nicated to the bards. Persons of the high- 
 est rank accounted it honourable to be 
 initiated in the mysteries of the Druids.* 
 
 * Docmt 7nulta nobillssmos gentis, clam et diu, vkaih 
 minis, in specu et abditis sultibus. Pompon. Mela, lib, iii. 
 c. ].
 
 OF OSSIAN'S POEMS. 33 
 
 Cicero* informs us, that Divitiacus, the 
 iEdiian, with whom he was personally ac- 
 quainted, was of this order ; and that, from 
 his knowledge of nature, " partly by augu- 
 *' ries, and partly by conjecture, he said, 
 " that he could foretel what was to hap- 
 " pen."'!" It can scarcely be doubted, that 
 the son of Fingal took occasion to imbibe 
 some portion of this knowledge, and to im- 
 prove his sublime genius, by all the acquisi- 
 tions that were wiuiin his reach. 
 
 Of the occasion and manner of the over- 
 throw of the Druidical order in Scotland, we 
 can exjject no account from the writers of 
 Greece and Rome, as it was a domestic 
 transaction, with which the Romans had no 
 concern; and it is surely worthy of remark, 
 
 * Cic. (le Divinatiouc, lib. 1. 
 
 i" " Tliey instruct," says Punipoiiius Mela, (lib. iii. 
 c. 1.) " i)frsons of the liiglust rank, in secret, and lor a 
 " loni;- time, during twenty years, in caves, and reli- 
 " red recesses."
 
 34 ON THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 that, had not the destruction of the Druids 
 in Anglesea been particularly connected 
 with the operations of the Roman army un- 
 der Ostorius, it is probable, that we should 
 have had no evidence from Tacitus, at least, 
 that this order had ever existed in England. 
 
 The account of the overthrow of the Drui- 
 dical hierarchy, which is handed down by 
 tradition, is, at least, far from being impro- 
 bable ; viz. That the princes of the Fingal- 
 lian dynasty, who had been originally elected 
 to the supremacy, according to the manner 
 of the Celtic nations, only for the impend- 
 ing occasion, feeling themselves, at length, 
 firmly established in their power, refused to 
 resign it, as had always hitherto been done, 
 to the Druids ; and that, in the struggle, the 
 Druids fell, and were finally extirpated. 
 
 Here it may not l)e improper to remark, 
 that, in two poems, published by Dr Smith 
 in his collection, one entitled, " Dargo, the 
 " Son of the Druid of CeV and the other,
 
 OF OSSIANS POEMS. 35 
 
 " Conn, the Son of Dargo," (which, if not 
 the most poetical, are surely, of the whole 
 collection, the most interesting in a histori- 
 cal view,) we have a particular, and very 
 striking account of the progress and issue of 
 the contest between the Druids and the 
 house of Fingal. 
 
 Here, then, we find, in Celtic Caledonia, 
 an illustrious order of sages, who, during a 
 long period, harl poured a stream of light on 
 these northern lands. }Iapj)ily, before it 
 was extinguished, the transcendent genius 
 of Ullin and Ossian, of Alpin and Carril, 
 had caught the irradiation of its dcjjarting 
 splendour. They had imbibed, even from its 
 declining lustre, a refinement of ideas, an 
 elevation of sentiment, and an elegance of 
 poetical composition, which we still admire, 
 but which, when wc take into account the 
 discipline in which they Mere initiated, 
 should not excite our surj)risc. Those cele- 
 brated men have loft behind them a mass of
 
 S8 ON THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 poetry, to which a succession of bards, ex- 
 tending through more than fourteen cen- 
 turies, have been able to add nothing; but, 
 conscious of their immense inferiority, have 
 satisfied themselves, during the darkness 
 which ensued, with committing to memory, 
 and reciting, the productions of happier 
 times. 
 
 This a3ra, so illustrious in poetry and in 
 arms, is termed, in Highland tradition, 
 current at this day, *^ An Fhebie'' an ex- 
 pression which it is difficult to render into 
 any other language, without a periphrasis. It, 
 for the most part, signifies the Fingallian 
 race, or that dynasty of heroes, "which be- 
 gins with Trenmor and ends with Ossian. It 
 sometimes denominates the period of time, 
 during which that dynasty subsisted; and, 
 sometimes, the whole race of men, who lived 
 during that period. 
 
 Mr Laing's grand argument, against the 
 antiquity and authenticity of these Poems,
 
 dF OSSIAN'S POEMS. 37 
 
 is founded on the utter improbability, that 
 such a period of refinement, as this, existed 
 amongst the Caledonians, previously to that 
 barbarism, into which they have been found, 
 a few centuries afterwards, to have sunk. 
 This argument is detailed, in the first vo- 
 lume of his History of Scotland, (p. 44.) and, 
 in the opening of his Dissertation, it is pro- 
 nounced by him to be Kuansucrahlc. 
 
 But, I may be ])crmitted to ask, whether 
 the history of nations is not full of similar 
 instances of change in the condition of so- 
 ciety ? Let us look back, for a moment, to 
 ancient Egypt, the cradle of the sciences ; 
 and the stupendous monuments of whose 
 progress in philosophy, and in the arts, have 
 bid dcliuuce to the depredations of time, 
 and of tlic elements. Do wc not there be- 
 liold :i })eoj)le passing from the height of re- 
 finement to the most sordid ignorance, and 
 to the lowest degrees of barbarism ? From 
 I'lgvpt, let us turn our eyes to Ci recce, the 
 
 K.'
 
 38 ON THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 favourite seat of the Muses, the country of 
 Hesiod, of Homer, and of Sappho. We see 
 the modern Greeks the prey of Turkish 
 insolence, and of the most ahject igno- 
 rance. 
 
 It is true, that none of those disastrous 
 reverses have been brought about without a 
 cause that can be easily assigned. Egypt 
 and Greece have been desolated by foreign 
 invasion; and, though Caledonia has re- 
 mained at all times inviolated by a foreign 
 foe, may not her relapse into barbarism be 
 sufficiently accounted for, by the destruc- 
 tion of that order of philosophers, which had 
 formerly enlightened her, and by the extinc- 
 tion of the illustrious house of Fingal, by 
 which she was left a prey, for many subse- 
 quent ages, to the anarchical rivalship of 
 chieftains of inferior note ? 
 
 With regard to the silence, which has 
 been alle.,ed to prevail, in thc^e Poems, on 
 the subject of religious sentiment, it ic pre-
 
 OF OSSIAN'S POEMS. 39 
 
 sumed that the estimate has not been fairly 
 made. There is certainly to be found, in 
 Ossian, a mythology which possesses much 
 interest and beauty : it is of a peculiar kind 
 indeed, but sufficiently marked, and appa- 
 rently very natural, for a people in the ear- 
 lier stages of society to have formed. It 
 appears, from innumerable passages in Os- 
 sian, that it was the general opinion of his 
 countrymen, that their ancestors existed in 
 a disembodied state ; that they dwelt in the 
 air^' halls of the clouds; that they continued 
 still to interest themselves in the conduct 
 and fortunes of their offspring; that they 
 possessed a prescience of future e\ents, of 
 which they sometimes gave intimations to 
 their living relatives ; and, fmally, that they 
 possessed certain influences over tlic ele- 
 ments, as well a J over the affairs of mortals. 
 I am obligingly permitted, by my respected 
 friend, Professor Rieliardson, of Cilasgow 
 college, to subjoin an elegant and philoso-
 
 40 ON THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 phical deduction of the Ossianic mythology, 
 which was written by him, at an early period, 
 after the first publication of JNIr Macpher- 
 son's translations.* 
 
 It is certain, that a sense of religion, and 
 a reverence for superior powers, who are 
 supposed to influence the fortunes and hap- 
 piness of men, is natural to the human mind, 
 and has been found, in some degree, and 
 under various modifications, to prevail in 
 every state of human society. In some na- 
 tions, the influence of this principle has 
 been greater, and in others less. Amongst 
 the Celts, it appears, from the passages cited 
 from Aristotle and from Arrian, that the re- 
 verence entertained for superior powers was 
 slight; and we are furnished by travellers 
 with similar traits of nations placed in simi- 
 lar circumstances of society. JNIr Weld, in 
 his Travels in North America, f tells us, 
 
 "^ See Appendix, No. II. 
 
 t Weld's Travels, vol. ii. p. 2S6.
 
 OF OSSIAN'S POEMS. 41 
 
 " that some tribes of the Indians have more 
 " devotion than others ; and that the Shaw- 
 " anese, in particular, have Httle fear of evil 
 " spirits." My Barrow, in his Travels in 
 South Africa, furnishes us with various in- 
 stances of similar sentiment. 
 
 Still, however, it might have been expect- 
 ed, that, amongst the Caledonians, accus- 
 tomed for so mauv aji-es to the Druidical in- 
 stitutions, in which superstitious o1)ser- 
 vances, and sacrifices to the gods, bore so 
 conspicuous a })art, many traces of the an- 
 cient and national religion might be met 
 with, even in the days of Ossian. That 
 wc have, in these Poems, abundant allusions 
 to the j)eculiar mythology of the Caledo- 
 nians, has bt'cu already remarked. And, 
 with regard to the total silence which pre- 
 vails, in these Poems, concerning the higher 
 mysteries ot'lhe Druids, it would seem, that 
 it is a circumstance which might have been 
 e\j)ecled, and wbich may be easily ex})laine(l.
 
 48 ON THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 We are informed, by the most respectable 
 writers of antiquity, that the Celtic hier- 
 archy was divided into several classes, to 
 each of which its own particular department 
 was assigned.* The Druids^ by the consent 
 of all, constituted the highest class; the 
 Bards seem to have been the next in rank ; 
 and the Euhages the lowest. Without en- 
 tering, at present, into any discussion con- 
 cerning the particular departments of those 
 several classes, it is sufficient to remark, 
 that, according to Ammianus, the higher 
 mysteries of religion, and probably, also, the 
 science of the occult powers of nature, 
 which they had discovered, constituted the 
 department of the Druids. To the Bards, 
 again, it is allowed by all, were committed 
 the celebration of the heroic atchievements 
 
 * Strabo, lib. 4. Ammianus Marcellinus, lib. 15. 
 The former distinguishes these orders l)y the titles of 
 " Bards, Vates, and Druids ;" the latter, by those of 
 *"' Druids, Bards, and Eubages."
 
 OF OSSIAN'S POEMS. 43 
 
 of their warriors, and the pubUc record of 
 the history of the nation. 
 
 But we know, that in every poUty, which 
 depends upon mystery, as that of the Druids 
 undoubtedly did, the inferior orders are se- 
 dulously prevented from encroaching upon 
 the pale of those immediately above them, 
 by the mysteries wliich constitute their pe- 
 culiar badge. To be admitted to these, a 
 certain period of probation, and specific 
 forms of initiation, are indispensibly requi- 
 site. Caesar expressly informs us, that the 
 Druids excluded the lower orders from the 
 knowledge of their institutions; and we can 
 liavc no doubt, that their own disciples had 
 those mysteries communicated to them only 
 according to the rank which they had at- 
 tained, and the degree to which they had 
 been admitted. 
 
 The Druids, as has been said, possessed, 
 e\rlusi\('ly, tlic higher mysteries of religion. 
 The IJarcN^ the order next in dignitv, hod a
 
 44 ON THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 different department assigned to them. Is 
 it not probable, then, that the latter were 
 expressly prohibited from encroaching upon 
 the province of their superiors, by inter- 
 mingling religion, if they had any know- 
 ledge of its mysteries, which it is likely they 
 had not, with the secular subjects of their 
 song ? 
 
 Thus, then, we seem warranted to con- 
 clude upon this subject : By the time that 
 Ossian flourished, the higher order of this 
 hierarchy had been destroyed; and, in all 
 probability, the peculiar mysteries which 
 they taught had perished along with them : 
 and, even if any traces of them remained, 
 such is the force of habit, and the venera- 
 tion which men entertain for the institutions 
 in which they have been educated, that it is 
 no wonder that the bards religiously forbore 
 to tread on ground, from which the}' had, 
 at all times, by the most awful sanctions; 
 been excluded.
 
 OF OSSIAN'S POEMS. 45 
 
 In this view of the subject, it would seem, 
 that the silence which prevails in these Poems, 
 with regard to the higher mysteries of religi- 
 on, instead of furnishing an argument against 
 their authenticity, affords a strong presump- 
 tion of their having been composed at the 
 very time, in the very circumstances, and by 
 the very })ersons to whom they have been 
 attributed. Indeed, had there been any ac- 
 count given, in these Poems, of the secret 
 rites, and horrid immolations, of the Beltc'm 
 and of the .SV//;/////?,* there might have been 
 some ground to ([uestion their authentici- 
 ty; and to have ascribed them to a modern, 
 wjio, though versed in these still prevalent 
 
 The Bcltcin is " the fire of BcVis, or the Sun," 
 kiiitllcd on the first of May, aiul still retained as the 
 name of tliat season. Tliu Smnhin is " the I'ire of 
 " Peace," still celeliratrd in the Highlands, and other 
 parls of Srotlaiid, on Hallow-eve, bv kindlinj; tires on 
 the tops of hills, and bv many other supersiitictis rites, 
 which are evidentlv to be considered aa reliques of 
 r)ruidism.---See Ap])cndL\.
 
 46 ON THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 superstitions, had not judgment to discern 
 the line by which the sacred ceremonies of 
 the Druids were separated and concealed 
 from vulgar observation. 
 
 Mr Laing remarks,* " that, from the ge- 
 *' nuine Ossian, we should obtain, if not an 
 " accurate delineation of the characters of 
 " his contemporaries, at least some insight 
 " into the domestic manners and occupa- 
 " tions of the early Caledonians ; but here," 
 says he, " we have only the ideal manners 
 ^' of romance, the insipid outlines of perfect 
 " sentimental heroes." 
 
 It is foreign, as I have observed before, 
 from my purpose, to offer any thing con- 
 cerning the merit or demerit of these com- 
 positions. They are before the public ; and 
 the public appreciation of their value will 
 not probably be much affected by Mr Laing's 
 opinion or mine. Dr Blair pronounces Os- 
 
 * Dissertation, p. 398.
 
 OF OSSIAN'S POEMS. 47 
 
 sian superior to Virgil, whose heroes, it 
 must be allowed, are insipid enough, in the 
 delineation of character. In the characters 
 of CuchuUin, of Connal, and of Calmar, and 
 especially in those of Fingal, Cathmor, Cair- 
 bar, and Connan, one should think that the 
 traits are drawn with a distinctness, as well 
 as boldness of pencil, sufficient to satisfy the 
 most fastidious critic. 
 
 With regard to the inferiority of Ossian 
 to Homer, in the delineation of domestic 
 manners and arts, whilst I join most readily 
 in yielding the palm to the great Father of 
 Poetry, I may be permitted to remark, that 
 the object of Homer's poetry was very dif- 
 ferent from that of the Caledonian bard. 
 Homer lived more than a century and a half 
 after the events which he celebrates. His 
 object, both in the Iliad and tlie Odyssey, 
 waste) compose a workaildressed tothe ima- 
 gination. In the former, adopling tlie basis 
 of his facts from a history, which was repu-
 
 48 ON THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 ted real, he embellishes these facts by every 
 species of fiction, and hesitates not to call 
 in to his aid every sort of supernatural ma- 
 chinery. In the Odyssey, again, he makes 
 the supposed wanderings of his hero the 
 vehicle for a surprising tissue of adventures, 
 and for a pleasing description of the man- 
 ners and customs of various nations. In a 
 plan like this, there was ample room for 
 every species of embellishment, and the in- 
 troduction of every image, that is calculated 
 to please, might justly be expected. 
 
 But the object of the Celtic bard, upon 
 the other hand, was to relate, in verse in- 
 deed, or in a measured diction, for the ease 
 of the memory, subjects of true history. He 
 Avas limited, by his office, to the celebration of 
 illustrious events, and the transactions of il- 
 lustrious persons, chieliy his own contempo- 
 raries; but, to the detail of domestic events 
 and characters, he could as seldom descend 
 as Thucydides or Livy. lie was not prccln-
 
 OF OSSIAN'S POEMS. 4tf 
 
 ded, indeed, from the graces of poetry, but 
 these must be employed only to adorn real 
 events and characters, or to embellish the 
 descriptions of external nature. Fictitious 
 circumstances were altogether denied to him. 
 The bard was, in fact, more properly a his- 
 torian than a poet. The occurrences of or- 
 dinary life, however well adapted to certain 
 kinds of poetical composition, belonged not 
 to his department. 
 
 Still, however, it may be remarked, that 
 these Poems occasionally furnish many in- 
 teresting views of the manners and mode of 
 living which prevailed in that period of so- 
 ciety, to which they relate. It would be 
 amusing, and perhaps instructive, to collect 
 those scattered traits, and to form from them 
 a more precise picture of the state of so- 
 ciety, in those ages, than has hitherto been 
 exhibited. Tliis, hoM'cvcr, cannot be advan- 
 tageously (lone till the whole of the originals 
 ait' before the public. The translations, even 
 
 D
 
 50 ON THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 of Mr Macpherson, as shall be shewn, arc 
 not to be relied on. 
 
 Under the head of " Manners and Cus- 
 toms," Mr Laing (with what propriety is 
 not very obvious) urges some strange topics 
 of detection, which it will not be difficult to 
 refute. 
 
 He remarks, that the aspin, or trembling 
 poplar, the crithean, or cran na crith, of 
 the Celts, so often mentioned in these Poems, 
 is a foreign tree, and not a native of Scot- 
 land. Here it appears, that the learned 
 gentleman has chosen to occupy ground to 
 which he is a stranger. It is a point suffi- 
 ciently established amongst naturalists, that 
 the populiis tremida, or aspin, is indigenous 
 to Scotland ; I can point it out, in the ut- 
 most profusion, in the Highlands, growing 
 on the margin of lakes, and in the crevices 
 of rocks. Were it worth while, on a point 
 so undeniable, I could cite the authority of 
 one of the first names in natural history, to
 
 OP OSSIAN'S POEMS. 5 1 
 
 whom I shewed it last season, growing in 
 abundance on the shores of Loch-Ketturin, 
 in Perthshire. 
 
 With equal gratuitousness, the yew-tree, 
 the iubhar, or iuar of the Highlanders, is as- 
 serted to be " certainly not indigenous." 
 But it is certain, I must affirm, that the yew- 
 tree has always been, and still is, a native of 
 Scotland. Lightfoot, in his Flora Scotica, 
 holds it to be such, on the authority of Dr 
 Stuart of Luss, the first name, at this day, 
 in the science of the plants of his native 
 Highlands. There are innumerable places 
 in Scotland, which still have their denomi- 
 nation from this tree, according to the ordi- 
 nary use of giving names to places, from the 
 species of trees with which they chiefly 
 abound; thus, G/cn-iuir, " the Cilcn of 
 "Yews;" Diumrc, ov Duu-inir, " tlie Hill 
 " of Yews," &.C. Giraldus Cambrcnsis * in- 
 
 ' (iiraUlus, Topograpliia Illbcrniav, pairi i. c. 5.
 
 52 ON THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 forms US, that the yew-tree grew in such 
 abundance in Ireland, that the scarcity of 
 bees, in that country, is, in part, to be ascri- 
 bed to this cause. But, if it abounded in 
 Ireland, how can it be denied to Scotland, 
 so nearly of the same soil and climate ? Not- 
 withstanding the general attempts to extir- 
 pate it, on account of its noxious qualities, 
 it still grows in some parts of Scotland. 
 
 Of the legitimacy of Mr Laings argu- 
 ment, drawn from the silence of Ossian 
 concerning certain productions and animals 
 which must have existed in Scotland, in his 
 days, I entertain considerable doubt. The 
 mention of the wild boar, it is observed, oc- 
 curs onlij once in Macpherson" s translation. 
 But what, I would ask, can be inferred from 
 this circumstance? Might not the authenti- 
 city of the poems ascribed to \^irgil be ques- 
 tioned, on the same ground, who, though 
 his ten Eclogues relate exclusively to shep- 
 herds and flocks, and his Georgics to pasto
 
 OF OSSIAN'S POEMS. 53 
 
 ral and agricultural economy, makes men- 
 tion of the fox only once, in the whole com- 
 pass of his poems ? * In the Seandcma, a 
 collection of Gaelic poems published by Dr 
 Smith, which, notwithstanding many in- 
 equalities, and innumerable interpolations, 
 contains much ])oetry, which is undoubtedly 
 ancient, and of very high merit, we meet 
 with fre(iuent mention of the wolfif and 
 the whole of the poem of Diarmid, in that 
 colleclion, relates to the hunting of the wild 
 boar. 
 
 As to the charge of the absence of all sort 
 of allusion to Jrost in these Poems, without 
 taking ad\antage of the observation of Ta- 
 citus, concerning the mildness of the cli- 
 mate, l 1 must say, that it is totally unfound- 
 
 * Virg. Etl. iii. v. Ql. 
 
 i See I'innaa ami Lonna, and Conn, p. 252. It is 
 singular, that I)r Sniitii apologi/os ((iaeiic Aiili(j. 
 p. 210.) tor the omission of all mint ion of the wolf) 
 tlioii^li it occurs in the j)oeins given hy himself. 
 
 1 'I'ac. Agr. c. 12. " Aspa-itasJ'r/,:;ori/)/i abcst,"
 
 M ON THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 ed. The opening of the eighth book of Te- 
 mora furnishes a magnificent image, derived 
 from frost ; and, in Dr Smith's Collection, 
 we have innumerable allusions to the same 
 object, though, even in his own translation, 
 these are sometimes, according to his usual 
 manner, mutilated and lost.* The singular 
 circumstances, in which we are placed, with 
 respect to the originals of Macpherson's 
 Collection, render it impossible, at present, 
 
 * See Seandana, pages 73. 82. 84. 103, &c. It is, 
 indeed, very singular, that, exclusive of the simile de- 
 rived from frost, in the eighth book of Temora, now al- 
 luded to, the learned gentleman himself, in the course 
 of his Dissertation, has cited two other passages, alluding 
 to the same phenomenon. The one is, Ossian's com- 
 parison of Swaran " to a rock of ice." The other is his 
 comparison of the heroes, upon a certain occasion, to 
 *' oaks with all their branches round them, when they 
 " echo to the stream of frost." All this shews a very 
 strange inaccuracy of criticism. That Mr Laing should 
 assert, that only " a single image, in Fingal, is derived 
 " from frost," whilst he himself has furnished tivo, may 
 serve to shew what we are to expect in the sequel of his 
 detections.
 
 OF OSSIAN'S POEMS. 56 
 
 to ascertain precisely what images and allu- 
 sions they contain, and what are wanting in 
 them. Till the originals are brought forward, 
 we must trust to the skill or integrity of the 
 translators.
 
 66 ON THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 SECTION III. 
 
 Of the Mode in zchich these Poenis have been preser- 
 ved, and transmitted to us, through so many Ages. 
 
 1 HAT such a mass of poetry, as has been 
 presented to the pubhc by Mr Macpherson, 
 together with what may be reckoned ancient 
 and genuine, in Dr Smith's collection, should 
 have been preserved amongst a rude people, 
 and transmitted by oral tradition, through a 
 period of more than fifteen centuries, with any 
 degree of purity, is, it must be acknowledg- 
 ed, a phenomenon, of A\hich we have no ex- 
 ample in the history of literature. It can be 
 accounted for only, by remarking, that we 
 have no example, in the history of Europe, 
 of a people placed in similar circumstances,
 
 OF OSSIAN'S POEMS. 57 
 
 and possessed of institutions similar to those 
 of the Caledonians. 
 
 To elucidate this subject, it is necessary 
 to advert to two distinguishing circum- 
 stances, which mark the situation of the Ca- 
 ledonians, during the period that elapsed, 
 from the time in which these Poems were 
 composed, till that in which they were col- 
 lected and translated by i\Ir Macpherson : 
 The fust is, That they remained, during that 
 period, unconcpiered, and consequently un- 
 mixed with any otlier people: the other is, 
 That, in consecjuence of this permanency of 
 political situation, their language remained 
 unaltered and unmixed with any foreign 
 i(Hom. Let us attend to these two circum- 
 stances separately.
 
 58 ON THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 PART I. 
 
 The political Situation of Caledonia, during the last 
 Jifteen Centuries. The Dominion and Influence 
 of the Celts. The supposed Invasion ofRiada. 
 The Bardic Order. Transmission of the Poetry 
 of Homer. Recitations of ancient Gaelic Poetry, 
 by Persons still, or very lately, alive. 
 
 It has been the opinion of the most cele- 
 brated writers, on historical antiquities, that 
 a race of men, of the same stock, and 
 speaking the same language, originally occu- 
 pied Spain, Gaul, the British isles, and even 
 Illyricum, and a part of Germany.* This 
 people are denominated Celts by the Greek 
 and Roman writers, and the language which 
 
 * Cluverius, Introduct. Geograph, Edit. Lond. 1711. 
 pages 52. 76. 123. 234.
 
 OF OSSIAN'S POEMS. 59 
 
 they spoke, the Celtic. This common origin 
 and common language may still be traced, 
 especially in Spain, Gaul, and Britain, in the 
 names of tribes, provinces, cities, mountains, 
 and rivers, which are undeniably of Celtic 
 origin. 
 
 It appears, from Pliny, Tacitus, and other 
 writers of antiquity, that there existed, at 
 the same time, in the north of Europe, a 
 numerous and warlike race of men, called 
 Teutones and Gothoiics, who are represented 
 as having a different origin, and speaking a 
 different language, from the Celts. It ap- 
 pears from the testimony of Csesar, that, 
 even in his time, this last race of people 
 were continually advancing to the westward, 
 and encroaching on the territories of the 
 Celts. ThcBelga?, one of their most power- 
 ful tribes, had crossed the Rhine, and, even 
 then, occupied a part of Gaul. Tacitus re- 
 rords the opinion, that this race had passed
 
 60 ON THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 over, at an early period, into Britain, and 
 occupied the eastern parts of this island; and 
 Caesar appears to have entertained the same 
 belief. 
 
 By the inundations of these northern 
 tribes, the Celtic nations, the original occu- 
 piers of western Europe, were gradually 
 compelled to retire towards the shores of the 
 Atlantic: and we see, at this moment, the 
 whole remains, of that once powerful race, 
 cooped up in a few narrow districts of wes- 
 tern Europe, which, either from their natural 
 poverty, or inaccessibility, escaped the rava- 
 ges of the conquerors. In Wales, in the 
 Isle of Man, in the Highlands of Scotland, 
 in some parts of Ireland, and in Lower Brit- 
 tany, in France, are now to be found the 
 only remains of Celtic blood, and language, 
 and manners. 
 
 Without engaging in an elaborate iliscus- 
 sion, concerning the history of the Celts, it
 
 OF OSSIAN'S POEMS. 61 
 
 will probably be admitted, that, of the above 
 districts, the Highlands of Scotland have 
 enjoyed, in every period, an exemption from 
 foreign conquest and intermixture, and have 
 consequently retained the Celtic character 
 without deterioration. This is, indeed, ad- 
 mitted, by Mr Laing.* It must be acknow- 
 ledged to be a singular instance, in the his- 
 tory of Europe, that a people should remain, 
 during so many ages, unshaken and undis- 
 turbed by foreign invasion; and that they 
 should have preserved, to this day, the lan- 
 guage and manners of their forefathers, with 
 little variation, is a phenomenon, in the his- 
 tory of the human race, which promises to 
 aftbrd an interesting subject of speculation to 
 philosophic minds. 
 
 That the Higlilands of Scotland, however, 
 liavc remained, at all times, entirely exempt 
 from foreign invasion and inlermixturc, must 
 
 ' liisl. of Scothiiid, vol. i. p. i^.
 
 62 ' ON THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 be understood with a few slight hmitations. 
 The Romans, we know, penetrated, under 
 Agricola, beyond the Tay. During their 
 stay in Britain, their intercourse with the 
 Highlanders, whether of a friendly or hostile 
 nature, must have been not infrequent ; and 
 this must have produced some influence, at 
 least, on the language and habits of the ad- 
 jacent tribes. The Danes, too, during the 
 subsequent ages, frequently invaded the west- 
 ern and northern parts of Scotland, and some- 
 times even formed temporary settlements. 
 To them, no doubt, many names and terms 
 of Teutonic origin may be traced ; some of 
 these are actually found to exist, and just 
 where they might have been naturally ex- 
 pected, in the western Isles, and in the north 
 of Scotland. 
 
 There is one part of Mr Laing's argument, 
 on this subject, which demands more parti- 
 cular attention. He asserts, " that there is 
 " not now, in Scotland, a Highlander of the
 
 OF OSSIAN'S POEMS. 63 
 
 " race that existed at the beginning of the 
 " cera ascribed to Fingal." * 
 
 Being now here, as we are at this day, it 
 is of very Httle importance to determine 
 from what stock we had our origin ; but it 
 is of most essential consequence to the faith 
 of evidence, and to the truth of history, to 
 examine the ground, on which Mr Laing 
 has advanced such an unwarranted posi- 
 tion. He states, on the authority of Ba^da, 
 that, in A. D. 258, Scotland was invaded by 
 Riada, an Irish chieftain ; and that a king- 
 dom was founded by him, in the Highlands, 
 called, after his name, the Dalriadan king- 
 dom ; and hence he concludes, that all the 
 present inhabitants are of the race of the in- 
 vaders. 
 
 We have Birda before us; and, without 
 any pretension lo anticjuarian lore, I shall 
 only beg leave to state plainly all that he 
 
 * Pa-re 37^. noU;.
 
 64 ON THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 advances on this subject, leaving it to the 
 reader to judge concerning the foundation 
 of Mr Laing's position. 
 
 I would remark, then, that all that relates 
 to the invasion of Scotland, by Riada, is to 
 be found in a single sentence in the first 
 chapter of Bseda's Ecclesiastical History of 
 England, of which I shall now give an ac- 
 count.* After narrating, what is very im- 
 portant to our present purpose, and which 
 shall afterwards be adduced, " that the 
 " Brittones, from Aremorican Gaul, first oc- 
 " cupied the southern parts of Britain, to 
 *' which," he adds, ' they gave their name," 
 he informs us, " that a race of Picts, of 
 " Scythian origin, in attempting to reach 
 " Britain, were driven, by the force of wea- 
 " ther, into the north of Ireland ; that the 
 " Scotti,'\ then inhabiting that part of Ire- 
 
 * I use the edition of Baeda published at Cambridge, 
 iu 1722, cum nods Joannis Smith, S. T. P. 
 
 t With regard to the name Scotti, which appears to
 
 OF OSSIAN'S POEMS. 65 
 
 " land, refused them admission ; but gave 
 " them this salutary advice : ' We know,' 
 " said they, ' an island, at no great distance, 
 " towards the east; there you may find set- 
 " tlements, and, if you are opposed, we shall 
 " assist you." 
 
 In the paragraph which immediately fol- 
 lows, we have the sentence which appears to 
 be the sole foundation of the alleged inva- 
 sion of Uiada ; the Dalriadan kingtlom; and 
 the Irish origin of all the present inhabitants 
 
 have been given by early writers, as well to the inhabit- 
 ants of Ireland as to those of Scotland, with whom it has 
 become permanent ; the learned Josej)h Scali gcr, in h is notes 
 on theC'hronicon of Euscbius, (p. lib.) has well observed, 
 " that it is not properly a name, but an appellation, de- 
 " scri|)tive of the wandering and predatory manner of life 
 " which characterised those tribes, who, by their incur- 
 " sions, infested the Roman provinci' in Britain. They 
 " were called Scotl/," he ol).-ierves, "ju>t as the Arabs 
 " wert! called lieilouins, or Saracens." It may be proper 
 to add, tlr.il the names Scois and Scottciud are totally un- 
 known, at this da\', to the Ili^lil uidi rs. They call 
 themselves AtOanicli, and their country Albin.
 
 66 ON THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 of the Highlands of Scotland. Will my read- 
 ers forgive me, for presenting it in Ba3da's 
 original, with a translation, of which they 
 may all judge? Without any reference to 
 the year 258, or any other year, Bseda says, 
 " Procedente autem tempore, Britannia, post 
 " Brittones et Fictos tertiam Scottorum na- 
 " tionem, in Pictorum parte recepit, qui duce 
 " Reuda, de Hibernia progressi, vel amicitia, 
 " *celferro, sibimet, inter eos, sedes quas hac- 
 " temis habznt, vindicarunt ; a quo videlicet 
 " duce, usque hodie Dalreudini vocantur, nam 
 " eorum lingua Daal partem signijlcat ;" 
 that is, 
 
 " In process of time, Britain received, 
 " after the Brittones and Picts, a third na- 
 " tion of Scotti, in the district of the Picts, 
 " who, leaving Ireland, under the conduct 
 " of Reuda, obtained, for themselves, the 
 " settlements amons- st them which thev now 
 " possess ; from which leader, they are, at 
 I
 
 OF OSSIAN'S POEMS. 67 
 
 *' this day, called Dalreudini; for, in their 
 " language, Daal signifies a part." * 
 
 It appears, upon the whole, that it was 
 the opinion of Ba^da, that Britain was origi- 
 nally peopled, by the south, from Aremori- 
 can Gaul, a district which, by the testimony 
 of Pliny and Claudian, was undoubtedly 
 Celtic ; and the very name of which, father 
 Harduin, in his Annotations on Pliny, ac- 
 knowledges to be of Celtic derivation.']' 
 
 Besides this opinion of Bicda, with regard 
 to the original population of the south of 
 Britain, it is worth notice, that he states the 
 Picts, a Scythian race, to have taken pos- 
 session of the northern parts of the island;: 
 undoubtedly the north-east coasts of Scot- 
 land, where, at this day, we find reliques 
 
 * Tlie venerable author is uTong; daal signifies a 
 field. 
 
 t " Armorica," says he, " quasi ar-mou, i. c. " on the
 
 68 ON THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 of the Pictish language, monuments, and 
 history. 
 
 Finally, with regard to his mention of the 
 invasion of Reuda, it is evident, that it 
 amounts, by no means, to a conquest of the 
 Highlands of Scotland, and far less to the 
 establishment of a Dalriadan kingdom. In- 
 deed, B^eda is, even in what he advances 
 here, totally unsupported by nearly contem- 
 porary writers, such as Jocelinus, Giraldus 
 Cambrensis, and others, who, surely, in nar- 
 rating the events of those times, would not 
 have omitted such a remarkable occurrence. 
 The whole business appears to be a gratui- 
 tous fiction of Pinkerton ; and, from him, 
 hastily adopted by IVIr Laing, without exa- 
 mination or doubt. 
 
 The utter improbability of this fiction 
 will appear still more evident, when we con- 
 sider, that the Caledonians, as Tacitus in- 
 forms us, brought more than thirty thou- 
 sand warriors into the field, near two cen-
 
 OF OSSIAN'S POEMS. 69 
 
 tiiries before the alleged expedition of Riada; 
 a high degree of population, surely, at such 
 a period, and in such a state of society. Is 
 it to be supposed, that this numerous and 
 warlike people, who had so often disputed 
 the palm of victory with " the sovereigns 
 " of the world," would allow themselves to 
 l)e over-run, and dispossessed of their terri- 
 tories, by the comparatively small and ill-ac- 
 coutered horde, which could, at this j)eriod, 
 be thrown in from the adjacent coast of Ire- 
 huid ? AV'ithin a century and a half before, 
 Tacitus informs us, tliat an Irish chieftain, 
 who had accomj)anied his father-in-law to 
 Rome, and witli whom lie himself had fre- 
 quently conversed, assured liim, " that, at 
 " that period, a single Roman legion, with 
 " a i'cw auxiliaries, would have been sufii- 
 " cientforthe reduction of the whole island. '* 
 
 * Tac. Ajrric. c. 2+.
 
 70 ON THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 Is this the nation that, in 258, could, with 
 the imperfect means of those times for 
 transporting troops by sea, send an army to 
 Scotland sufficient to sweep oif its aborigi- 
 nal inhabitants with such complete extermi- 
 nation ? 
 
 The truth, on this part of the subject, 
 seems to be, that Ireland derived its origin- 
 al population from Scotland. This was the 
 opinion of Sir James Ware ; ^' of Sir William 
 Temple; of Sir William Petty;! and of the 
 best informed writers of both countries. In- 
 deed, it is the opinion of Sir James Ware, 
 that nothing certain is known of Irish af- 
 fairs, till the middle of the fifth century. 
 To these, we may add the opinion of Mr 
 Gibbon, who was abundantly acute in his 
 investigations; and, surely, in no degree 
 prejudiced in favour of Caledonian antiqui- 
 
 * Antiq. Hib. ch. 2. 
 t Polit. Anat. p. 101.
 
 OF OSSIAN'S POEMS. 71 
 
 ties: " It is probable," says he, " that, in 
 " some remote period of antiquity, the fer- 
 " tile plains of Ulster received a colony of 
 " hungry Scots ; and that the strangers of 
 " the north, who had dared to encounter the 
 " armies of the legion, spread their con- 
 " quests over the savage and uncivilized na- 
 *' tives of a solitary island." 
 
 Thus, then, it appears, that no historical 
 evidence has yet been adduced to shew, that 
 this narrow corner of Celtic Europe, the 
 lliglilands of Scotland, has been conquered 
 by any foreign power, or that its inhabitants 
 have been, for the last 1500 years, at least, 
 placed in circumstances that could tend to 
 obliterate their language, their manners, or 
 their institutions. It is true, this district 
 has, in consequence of the aboliti(m of the 
 Druidical order, been long (lej)rived of the 
 lights of philosophy, which had, in former 
 times, rendered Britain illustrious, and made 
 lier the resort of the learned ; and the con-
 
 72 ON THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 sequence has been a long night of barbarism 
 and ignorance. 
 
 It is to be remarked, however, that amidst 
 all this barbarism, which overwhelmed the 
 last fifteen centuries, the establishment of the 
 Bards was preserved inviolate, and was actu- 
 ally continued in Scotland, as can be suffi- 
 ciently proved, till within less than one hun- 
 dred years; and, if the Bards, when deprived 
 of their masters, the Druids, were incapable 
 of adding any thing to the treasures be- 
 queathed to them by better times, they seem 
 to have proved faithful depositories, at least, 
 of the stock that had been committed to 
 their care. 
 
 The Bardic order is attributed, by all the 
 ancient writers, to the Celtic nations; and 
 it is extended by Tacitus,* under the same 
 appellation, to the Germans. Posidonius 
 tells us, " that, when the Cells go to war, 
 
 * De Moribus Germ. c. 3.
 
 OF OSSIAN'S POEMS. 73 
 
 " they take with them associates, whom, 
 says he, " they call Parasites, who sing 
 " their praises, either in public assemblies, 
 " or to those who wish to hear them pri- 
 " vately. These poets," he adds, " are call- 
 "ed Bards:'* 
 
 We know, from unquestionable authority, 
 that the order of Eards was continued in 
 Wales, till towards the end of the thirteenth 
 century, when they were destroyed by the 
 cruel policy of luhvard I. But it must be 
 remarked, that the I'ards were not entirely 
 extinct, in England, before the reign of 
 Queen Elizabeth ; till which period, there 
 was a regular ])ublic competition of harpers 
 maintained ; and there is, at this day, as Mr 
 Pennant informs us, in his Tour through 
 Wales, a silver harp, awarded during that 
 period, in the possession of the Mostyn fa- 
 mily. 
 
 * Cited by Atheiutus, fol. I'd. [>. 2iG.
 
 74 ON THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 In Scotland, it is well known, that the 
 Bardic order was preserved, in uninterrupted 
 succession, till A. D. 1726, when Nial Mac- 
 vurich, the last of the Bards, died, whose 
 ancestors had, for several generations, exer- 
 cised that office in the Clanranald family. 
 In the Appendix to Mr ]\Iackenzie's Report, 
 we have the very interesting declaration of 
 Lachlan Macvurich, the son of this Nial, in 
 which he gives an account of the manner in 
 which his fathers manuscripts were disper- 
 sed and lost; and, particularly, of one large 
 volume, which his father, by order of Clan- 
 ranald, gave to James INIacpherson, from 
 Badenoch, (the translator of Ossian.) This 
 declaration of Lachlan IVIacvurich, I, too, 
 received, some years ago, by the obliging at- 
 tention of Sir John IMacgrcgor IMurray of 
 Lanrick, Baronet, in the original, with a 
 translation by himself; but, as it has been 
 already published in the Report, it is consi- 
 dered as unnecessary to repeat it.
 
 OF OSSIAN'S POEMS. 7i 
 
 Indeed, it is well known, that every great 
 family, in the Highlands, had a Bard attach- 
 ed to it, whose office it was, not only to 
 preserve the genealogy, and to record the 
 atchievements of the family, but also to re- 
 tain, by memory, like the disciples of the 
 Druids of old, a vast number of verses, 
 which they recited, at the entertainment, to 
 amuse the chieftain and his friends. Martin, 
 in his British Isles, speaking of the yEbudcs, 
 seems, in this view, to give the true idea of 
 the relation which the Bards bore to the an- 
 cient Druids: " The orators,'''' says he, (i. e. 
 the Bards,) " after the Druids were extinct, 
 " were brought to preserve the knowledge 
 " of families," &c. 
 
 That the art of writing was, at the same 
 time, preserved and practised, at an early 
 period, in Scotland, has been undeniably pro- 
 ved, by the existence of ancient manuscripts, 
 of which the late learned Dr Donald Smith 
 has <;iveii a verv iuterestin<'- account in the
 
 76 ON THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 Appendix to the Committee's Report, One 
 of these, the beautiful Gaelic manuscript, 
 written, as it appears, by a monk of the 
 eighth century, I have seen; and also a vo- 
 lume of poems belonging to the Highland 
 Society of London, and written in the period 
 of James IV. of Scotland. Of the poems, 
 contained in the latter, some are entitled in 
 Latin, " Auctor hujus Ossian ;" and others 
 in Gaelic, " Udair sho Ossian " " Udair sho 
 " Ullin.''' It is important to observe, that 
 this ancient manuscript collection contains 
 the episode of " the Maid of Cracca," intro- 
 duced by jNIacpherson into the third book of 
 Fingal, and still repeated, by many, in the 
 Highlands of Scotland.* It is given, by Mr 
 IVIackenzie, in the Report of the Committee, 
 p. 95. 
 
 * I had an opportunity of hearing this poem recited, 
 in 1782, by an old Highlander, still, I belwve, alive, 
 with little variation. I shall afterwards give an account 
 of it.
 
 OF OSSIAN'9 POEMS. 77 
 
 In arguing the improbability that such a 
 body of poetry could have been handed 
 down, by tradition, through so many ages, 
 Mr Laing observes, " that three-fourths of 
 " the civiUzed world have been employed, 
 " since the lera of Fingal, in the recitation 
 " of poems, neither so long nor so intricate 
 " as Ossian s; and, consider,"' says he, " how 
 " small a portion of the Psalms, or Liturgy, 
 " can be preserved by meuiory, much less 
 " trausmitted by oral tradition, for a single 
 " generation.*' 
 
 This mode of reasoning, I confess, does 
 not aj)pear to mc to be very philosophical. 
 "W'e know, that tlie memory, as well as the 
 other ])owers of the understanding, is ca- 
 ])able of a great diversity of directions, and 
 of very diversified intenseness of aj)plication. 
 It is, indeed, imj)ossii)le to say, to what de- 
 gree of perfection the memor}- m:i\' be car- 
 ried by exercise. TliecHscij)!^^ of the Druids, 
 during their probation of twenty years, were
 
 78 ON THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 undoubtedly accustomed to commit to me- 
 mory, as many verses, at least, as are con- 
 tained in the Poems of Ossian, as we now 
 have them. We may, ever}^ day, meet with 
 instances of the extraordinary perfection to 
 which, from particular application of the 
 memory, this faculty may be carried. We 
 meet, for example, with persons, unskilled 
 in writing, who can, by a mental process, 
 carry on long calculations, which, without 
 the aid of his pen, would baffle the most 
 skilful arithmetician. But, as the memory, 
 when thus exercised, is capable of very 
 wonderful efforts, so, when freed from the 
 necessity of exertion, and accustomed to re- 
 ly on subsidiary aids, it becomes feeble and 
 unretentive. I know a person, who has been, 
 for more than twenty years, versant in the 
 poetry of ancient and modern Europe, who 
 cannot, at this moment, repeat twenty lines 
 together of poetry, in any language what- 
 ever; and yet, such is the memory of this
 
 OF OSSIAN'S POEMS. 79 
 
 person, in other respects, that he has fre- 
 quently carried home, and committed to 
 writing, a favourite discourse which he has 
 heard, of half an hour in length, nearly 
 word for word. Indeed, this is done, and 
 may be done, every day. But, when a man 
 has his Homer or Virgil, his Pope and Shake- 
 speare, at hand, why should he exhaust the 
 powers of his mind, which may be other- 
 wise more advantageously employed, in com- 
 mitting their verses to memory ? And who 
 thinks of getting the Psalms and Liturgy by 
 heart, when he has a copy of them, at every in- 
 stant, within his reach? But the most effectual 
 proof of the possibility of transmitting poems, 
 of \ cry considerable extent, merely by oral 
 tradition, is, that we know, on the best 
 grounds, that this has been actually done. 
 
 The account, Avhich^'l^lian gi\cs us, of the 
 original transmission of the poetry of Ho- 
 mer, is altogclhcr to the purpose of our j)re- 
 seut argument: "The ancients," he tells
 
 80 ON THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 US, " sung, or recited, the poems of Homer, 
 " till they were collected by Lycurgus, in 
 " his travels in Ionia, and by him carried 
 " into Greece." * The poetry of Homer ap- 
 pears also, from the account of ^lian, to 
 have been recited, originally, in detached 
 pieces, (as I shall afterwards shew was the 
 ease of Ossian's Poems,) till about one hun- 
 dred and fifty years after Lycurgus, when 
 they were arranged by Pisistratus, in the 
 form of the Iliad and Odyssey, under which 
 they now appear. 
 
 Thus were the poems of Homer, far more 
 voluminous than those of Ossian, and, from 
 the very structure of the verse, more difficult 
 to be retained, transmitted by oral tradition^ 
 at least, till the time of Lycurgus, a period 
 of about one hundred and sixty years ; and, 
 if this immense mass of poetry, of which the 
 Iliad and Odyssey consist, were thus hand- 
 
 *iElian Hist. var. lib. xiii. c. 1 i.
 
 OF OSSIAN'S POEMS. 81 
 
 ed down by memory, through so long a pe- 
 riod, in a country like Asia Minor, so fre- 
 quently the seat of war, and the theatre of 
 foreign invasion, where is the improbability, 
 that a much smaller number of verses should 
 be transmitted, even through a much longer 
 period, amongst a people exempted, at all 
 times, from foreign invasion and intermix- 
 ture ; and possessed, besides, of an order of 
 men expressly trained up and appointed to 
 this oilice ? 
 
 On this part of the subject, it maybe pro- 
 per to notice, more particularly, a circum- 
 stance in tlie manners of our forefathers, 
 which is still fresh in the memory of many 
 persons still alive. It is well known, that 
 it was common, even within these fifty 
 years, for the Highlanders, little occupied, 
 in those days, in the pursuits of agriculture 
 or manufactures, to assemble together, in 
 each others houses, and to pass the loug 
 nights of winter in listening to their na-
 
 8S ON THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 tional tales and poetry ; and, particularly, to 
 the poetry ascribed to Ossian. Those per- 
 sons, who could repeat much of this poetry, 
 were held in high esteem ; they were wel- 
 come guests in every family ; and their stay 
 was solicited and prolonged by the kindest 
 attentions. It is unnecessary to multiply 
 proofs of what is so generally known and 
 acknowledged. The Reverend JNIr John 
 Macleod, in his letter to Dr Blair,* says, 
 ' that they often laid wagers, on these oc- 
 ' casions, who should repeat most of these 
 ' poems ; and to have a store of them on 
 ' memory was accounted no mean acquisi- 
 ' tion. I know," he adds, " some old men, 
 ' who value themselves for having gained 
 ' these wagers. The Highlanders," jsays he, 
 ' at their festivals, and other public meet- 
 ' ings, acted the Poems of Ossian." 
 I shall only add, on this point, the testi- 
 
 * Appendix to the Committee's Report, p. 28. 29. 
 
 1
 
 OF OSSIAN'S POEMS. 83 
 
 mony of Captain Parker of Blochairn, near 
 Glasgow, obligingly communicated by my 
 friend, Robert Austin, Esq. Lieutenant-Co- 
 lonel of the first regiment of Glasgow vo- 
 lunteers, which contains, besides, the impor- 
 tant circumstance, that a considerable part 
 of the poems, translated by Macpherson, 
 were, immediately after their publication, 
 collated, by him, on the other side of the 
 Atlantic, with a recitation of the original, 
 furnished, and translated at the moment, by 
 a gentleman, whose integrity and intimate 
 knowledge of the Craelic language is beyond 
 question. 
 
 " The Reverend I\Ir Charles Smith, a na- 
 '' tive of the island of Mull," says Captain 
 Parker, " was a gentleman of great respec- 
 " tability, universally esteemed, and well 
 " known to many gentlemen now in (ila'5- 
 " gow, and elsewhere in this counliy. I 
 " became acfjuainLed with hin\ in 17;)8. 
 ''' Our intimacv cunliiuied duriuLi'all his lite.
 
 84 0\ THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 " I frequently visited him at his glebe, about 
 " three miles from Norfolk, in Virginia, 
 " upon the west branch of Ehzabeth River. 
 " When friends meet abroad, particularly 
 " the natives of our country, the affairs of 
 " Scotland, and of our friends, are a never 
 " failing subject of conversation. I believe 
 " my friend, Colin Rae, Esq. late of Aiken- 
 " head, sent me the first copy of Ossian's 
 " Poems, collected by Mr j\Iacpherson, which 
 " came to Virginia. I soon carried it to my 
 " friend Mr Smith. Upon reading a few 
 " lines from the poem of l>mora, ' Stop, 
 " sir,' said he, * I know that poem.' lie did 
 " repeat great part of it, and explained it 
 " with an exactness, to my astonishment, 
 " and scarcely credible; and so he did several 
 " of the others. I left the book with him. 
 " Upon returning it, he said, ' Had he been 
 " with Mr Macpherson, he could have given 
 '' him some other (poems) of Ossian well 
 " worthy of preser^ation ; that he remem-
 
 OF OSSIAN'S POEMS. fi5 
 
 " bered them almost from infancy ; that 
 " repeating them was the amusement of 
 " the children and servants about his fa- 
 " ther's house, and generally in all the west 
 " Highlands ; that, still, walking or riding 
 " alone, he pleased himself by repeating 
 " them, having always considered that poetry 
 " superior to all other, assuring me, that if 
 " I understood the Gaelic, 1 Mould he con- 
 " vincedthat many beauties, in tliese poems, 
 " could not be translated, without losing 
 " greatly by the change.' Mr Sniitli," Cap- 
 tain Parker adds, " died in 1772, or 1773, 
 *' I suppose about seventy years old." Cap- 
 tain linker also cites the authority of his 
 friend, Mr Dugald Forbes, " now living in 
 *' the neighl)ourhoo(l of Stirling, as recol- 
 " lecting perfectly well to h;ive heard the 
 " Reverend Mr Smith, in \'irginia, often 
 " mention his knowledge of these Poems, 
 " j)revi()us to their translation by Mr Mac- 
 " pherson."
 
 88 ON THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 It is well known, however, that, within 
 these last hundred years, the Highlands of 
 Scotland have undergone more of political 
 and domestic change, than they had done 
 during the preceding fourteen centuries. 
 The events that occurred in the years 1715 
 and 1 745, have taught government the ne- 
 cessity of introducing an uniformity of man- 
 ners and of sentiments throughout the whole 
 island; and very effectual measures have 
 been adopted for this purpose. The esta- 
 blishment of schools, and the consequent 
 diffusion of knowledge; the general intro- 
 duction of the English language ; the con- 
 struction of roads and bridges in the High- 
 lands ; and, above all, the abolition of the 
 hereditary jurisdictions in 1748, have, in 
 less than half a century, very nearly assimi- 
 lated the habits and manners of the High- 
 landers with those of the other subjects of 
 the empire. 
 
 Though this, in a political view, was a
 
 OF OSSIAN'S POEMS. 8T 
 
 consummation devoutly to be wished for, 
 yet it had almost proved fatal to the re- 
 mains of our ancient national poetry. There 
 was a peculiar felicity in the period when 
 IMacpherson began his collections.* Had 
 this undertaking been deferred for thirty 
 years longer, these Poems must have shared 
 the fate of the Sibyl's volumes, and scarcely 
 one-third of them would have been found 
 remaining. Xotwithstandingthe diligence of 
 ]\Ir Macpherson, Dr Smith, too, has been so 
 fortunate as to have obtained some precious 
 gleanings of Ossianic poetry, a circumstance 
 which affords no slight evidence of the au- 
 thenticity of the whole. Some few reliques 
 of Ossianic verse arc still to be met with, in 
 tlie memory of the aged ; but, in twenty 
 }c;us hence, it is j)robable, that there shall 
 not be a .-iingle person ali\ e, who can recite, 
 
 * Alxml the WAV ITJS. Ot'tlicsc ctilUttioiis, and the 
 inaiimr in w iiicii llit v appear toliavc \)cxn iiiidf, an ac- 
 toiiut shall be .ilti.'ivvards uivt-u.
 
 88 ON THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 from tradition, a single verse of our Celtic 
 bard. 
 
 In 1782, I had an opportunity of taking 
 down, in writing, in the house of Professor 
 Kichardson of Glasgow, a Gaelic poem, of 
 eighty-eight verses, from the recitation of 
 Daniel Kerr, an old man, a native of Argyle- 
 shire, very lately, at least, alive, and residing 
 at Paisley. He said, that he had a great 
 deal of Ossian's poetry (bardachd Ossein) by 
 heart, which he had learned, in his native 
 country, in his youth. Being desired to fix 
 on any poem that he pleased, he repeated, 
 in a sort of recitative cadence, the episode 
 of the Maid of Craca, already mentioned as 
 introduced by INIacpherson into the third 
 book of Fingal. Of Macpherson and his col- 
 lections, Kerr had never heard. 
 
 This same poem is published by Dr 
 Smith,* and in the Perth collection by Gil- 
 
 * Seandana, p. 175.
 
 OF OSSIAN'S POEMS. 89 
 
 lies; and it occurs, also, in the manuscript 
 of the period of James IV. of which an ac- 
 count is given, by Dr Donald Smith, in the 
 Appendix to the Committee's Report. These 
 editions t differ slightly, as might have been 
 expected, from that which I had from Kerr, 
 by the addition, or omission, or transposi- 
 tion, of a few lines ; but the poem is the 
 same, and it is the same, in every material 
 respect, with that which fell into the hands 
 of Mr Macpherson. 
 
 1 have to add, that Kerr did not deliver 
 this j)ocm in any connection with a larger 
 work, as Mr Macpherson has given it in Fin- 
 gal, but as a detached inde})endent piece. It 
 
 t Mr LaiiiL' ridirulcs the term " editions," >\li(n np- 
 plied tu poems whicli \\v\v. never committed to writings 
 or to the press. IJiit he a[)pears to mistalvc tlii' sen>^e in 
 wiiicli the term is apphed. It is UM-d, in thi^ instance, 
 to txprcss the dilhicnces which ne('es-.aiil\ aii-e, in re- 
 citilion, from the i;i(aler or le-s acinrarv, or the more 
 or li<> pcricct recollection, ol the jxasons \\!io repeat 
 them t'tom menioi\.
 
 90 ON THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 was under the same form, as ^lian tells us, 
 that the poems of Homer were recited, and 
 handed down, during more than three hun- 
 dred years, when they were collected and 
 arranged by Pisistratus. It would seem, that 
 Mr Macpherson, (whether properly or not 
 is not now the question,) performed nearly 
 the same office with respect to the Poems of 
 Ossian. 
 
 Indeed, this circumstance, together with 
 another, which I am about to mention, miay 
 enable us to appreciate, with tolerable accu- 
 racy, the share which Mr IVIacpherson him- 
 self had in the work which he has published. 
 It is well known, that, before the Highland 
 reciter delivers his poem, he generally pre- 
 faces it with a short summary, in a kind of 
 measured prose, of the principal events con- 
 tained in the verses which he is about to re- 
 cite. This outline of the poem is called the 
 Sgculadid, or Tale. Dr Smith informs us,
 
 OF OSSIAN'S POEMS. 91 
 
 that he was obliged, on many occasions, to 
 supply chasms in the poems, which he pub- 
 lished, by inserting the corresponding pas- 
 sages of the Sgeulachd* 
 
 \^y the help of this outline, Mr Alacpher- 
 son seems to have been enabled, at least to 
 connect, in regular order, the several de- 
 tached pieces a\ hich he found in tradition, 
 according to the series of events to which 
 they related ; and, when a poem occur- 
 red, which could not, by this method, be 
 made to coalesce with his larger work, he 
 seems to have proceeded by two ways; 
 he either gives the poem in its detached 
 state, as he found it, and as the lesser 
 poems now appear in his publication ; or he 
 arttully introchices it as an episode, as he 
 has (lone in tlie instance of the Maid of 
 Craca, and in lliat of tlie expe(hlion of 
 
 * Sec his Suaiulaiia, pi). S(i, [vl, 8i.c.
 
 92 ON THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 Larthon, in the close of the seventh book 
 of Temora. 
 
 Of such episodes, indeed, skilfidl}^ intro- 
 duced, and, in general, allied to the subject 
 of the work, a great portion of the Fingal 
 and Temora consists.* 
 
 Thus we may be enabled, in some measure, 
 to form an estimate of the amount of Mr 
 Macpherson's labours, in this respect. He 
 found, it is imagined, the disjointed mem- 
 bers of our poet scattered abroad in tradi- 
 tion ; and, it will perhaps be allowed, that 
 he has brought them together again with 
 no small felicity. But, it would seem, 
 that, excepting this labour of collecting, 
 and arranging, and translating, \Iacpher- 
 son has furnished nothing else, besides the 
 exercise of good taste, and a sound criti- 
 
 * Cesarotti, the Italian translator of Ossian, is of" this 
 opinion; and he remarks, that, in one instance, Macpher- 
 son has misplaced an episode.
 
 OP OSSIAN'8 POEMS. 99 
 
 cal judgment, which he undoubtedly pos- 
 sessed. 
 
 Besides the poem recited by Kerr, I have 
 also to mention a short poem, undoubtedly 
 ancient, transmitted to me by Professor 
 Richardson, who had it from Mr Samuel 
 Cameron, lately a student at the University 
 of Glasgow, by \vhom it was taken down, 
 in writing, from a Highlander, who had it 
 by tradition. It begins, 
 
 " A mliic mo 7/ihic, \s'e tJiublidirt an righ 
 " Oscair a righ nun ogfldath," tVc. 
 
 This poem appears, also, to constitute the 
 original of a passage tliat occurs in the third 
 book of Fingal, and translated by ]\Jr ]\rac- 
 pherson ; * and 1 mention this poem, for 
 the purpose of shewing, that here he has 
 shewn himself to be the mere translator, 
 by the undeniable fact, that he has trans- 
 
 * It occurs in the Pcrlli Collection, j). 3 k
 
 94 ON THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 lated ill. The original of one passage, in 
 this poem, is, 
 
 " Chuir iad gach cath le buaidh, 
 
 " Is bhuanich lad cliu s gach teagmhail: 
 
 " Is jHuirridh an iomradh sun dan, 
 
 " Air chuimhn aig na haird an deigh sho." 
 
 These lines, literally translated, are as fol- 
 lows: 
 
 " They fought every battle with success, 
 " And woa renown in every combat : 
 " Their fame shall remain in the song, 
 " In the memory of the bards of after times." 
 
 They are thus translated by ^Ir ]\Iacpher- 
 son: " They fought the battle in their 
 " youth ; they are in the song of bards." 
 It were needless, here, to point out the in- 
 justice done to the original, (^ne other in- 
 stance will suffice. We have, in the original, 
 these beautiful lines; 
 
 " Bi mar hhuinne-shnith, reolhalrt qennihraid/i, 
 " Tholrt ghachd do nahnhdean na Feinne ;
 
 OP OSSIANS POEMS. 91 
 
 " Ach 7?iar fhann-ghaoth shcimh, thld shamhruidh^ 
 " Bi dhoibhsin a shireas do chobhar." 
 
 Tills is, literally, 
 
 " Be like the torrent of a winter's tide, 
 
 " To contend with the foes of the Fingallians; 
 
 " But, like the faint breeze of summer, soft and 
 
 mild, 
 *' Be to those that seek thy aid." * 
 
 Which ]\Ir ^lacpherson translates tluis: 
 " ]]e thoa a stream of many tides, against 
 '' tlic foes ot'tliy people; ])ut, like the gale 
 " that moves the grass, to those who ask 
 " thy aid." It is evident, that, in tlie origi- 
 nal, there is nothing of " moving the grass;" 
 and Mr IMacpherson has lost the heaiity 
 arising front tlie contrast of the " winter's 
 " torrent,"' and the " summer's hrecze."* 
 
 * In tlic aliovp-ritcd stanzas, tlie reader will remark, 
 in rverv C()Uj)kt, the paniilelisni, or halaiicinL:, of the 
 virsis, whicii lias been so well illustrated by J)r Lowtli, 
 in his Treatise l)c J'ocsi ILhrcorum. It is probably the 
 character of ail early poetry.
 
 96 ON THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 In this, as in innumerable instances, 
 which shall be afterwards adduced, we may 
 clearly recognize the translator, and shall 
 find it necessary to refer the original to ano- 
 ther source.
 
 OF OSSIAN'S POEMS. 97 
 
 - PART II. 
 
 The unaltered State of the Language, in which these 
 Poems have been composed. The peculiar cha- 
 racter and idiomatic Form of the Gaelic. 
 
 Ihe lanf^uages of modern Europe, with 
 which we are conversantj have heeii evi- 
 dently formed on the model of the Latin; 
 wliilst this again appears to have borrowed 
 its form and structure from the Greek, 
 which was famihar to the poets and orators 
 of Rome : antl, it is even probable, that the 
 Greek itself derived many of its terms and 
 modes of expression from the Egyptians, 
 and other Oriental nations, with whom the 
 (ireeks, at an early j)erio(l, had fre(|uent in- 
 tercourse. We may accordingly trace, in all 
 the modern languages of Europe, not only
 
 98 ON THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 the terms, but also the genius, the phrases, 
 and the idiom, of the Greek and Latin. 
 
 From this circumstance, it has happened, 
 that none of these modern languages, or 
 even the Latin itself, has any peculiarly cha- 
 racteristic idiom. The Latin is no otherwise 
 distinguished from the Greek, or the modern 
 languages of Europe, which are derived from 
 the Latin, from one another, than by the 
 words which constitute these languages, to- 
 gether with the peculiar inflections of these 
 words, and the particles by which they are 
 connected. Hence, when we speak, or write, 
 in English, for example, we ado])t promis- 
 cuously the idioms, the turns of expression, 
 and the construction of phrases, which may 
 have struck our fancies, or impressed our 
 memories, in the course of our reading, in all 
 the other languages with which we arc ac- 
 quainted. 
 
 The modern languages of Europe, it is 
 
 true, are not altogether destitute of some 
 1
 
 OF OSSIAN'S POEMS. 99 
 
 faint shades of idiomatic expression. Thus, 
 as in the Latin, grammarians have pointed 
 out a few phrases, which they have termed 
 Grecisms; so, in the languages now spoken 
 in Europe, a iew modes of expression may 
 be traced which bear some slight marks of 
 idiomatic peculiarity. Still, however, in all 
 these languages, the difference of idiom is so 
 small as to be scarcely perceptible; whilst 
 the ailinitics are so numerous, that it may 
 be said, that all the modern languages of 
 Europe, derived from the Latin, constitute 
 only one grand form of speech, varied, in- 
 deed, in indivi(kial terms, and in the inflec- 
 tions to Avhich they are subjected, but pre- 
 senting almost no diversity of phrase or 
 idiom. 
 
 Hence it is, that we find it an easy matter 
 to traust'use any of these languages into any 
 other oflhem, without losing the .sj)irit or 
 beauty of the original. In this transfusion.
 
 100 ON THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 no difficulty occurs, except in the very few 
 idiomatic expressions which still remain. 
 
 Hence, also, it follows, that the more ex- 
 tensive our acquaintance is with the whole 
 mass of writing, in all those kindred lan- 
 guages, the more copious will be our power 
 of expressing ourselves in our own parti- 
 cular tongue. If we speak, or write, Eng- 
 lish, we shall find ourselves enriched, in 
 English expression, by the literary stores 
 which we may have amassed, from every 
 other language, whether ancient or modern, 
 with which we are acquainted. Here, it is 
 true, we pronounce, or write, English words; 
 but the phrase and idiom, in which a person, 
 who is versant in other languages, expresses 
 himself, is as much Latin, or Italian, or 
 French, as it is EngHsli. 
 
 The Gaelic presents a very different ap- 
 pearance, to those who are disposed to enter 
 into the philosophy of language. Indeed, it
 
 OF OSSIAN'S POEMS. 101 
 
 bears so little resemblance to the ancient or 
 modern languages of Europe, that, to per- 
 sons, to whom these only are known, it be- 
 comes a matter of some difficulty to convey 
 a just notion of its peculiar genius and cha- 
 racter. The Gaelic is evidently an origi- 
 nal language. It was carried, no doubt, by 
 the Celts from their ])rima3val abodes, and 
 underwent, probably, the same changes that 
 other languages have done, during their mi- 
 grations to the west of Europe, where they 
 finally settled. 
 
 But, whatever may have been the amount 
 of these changes, during the progress of 
 those migrations, the language of the High- 
 lands of Scotland cannot have suffered much 
 of material change, since the original settle- 
 ment of the Celts in these regions. Except 
 in their encounters with the Romans, and 
 the temporary incursions of the Dunes, in a 
 subsc(|ue.it period, tliey had, for a long- 
 series of ages, no intercourse, by conquest,
 
 102 ON THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 or by commerce, with any other country but 
 Ireland, whose language was the same with 
 their own. 
 
 Hence it has happened, as might be expec- 
 ted, that the Gaelic is a language altogether 
 idiomatic; its turns of expression, and modes 
 of phraseology, are entirely its own ; and it 
 appears to have nothing, in its construction 
 and character, common with the other lan- 
 guages of western Europe. Hence, also, it 
 is, that it is so difficult to transfuse origin- 
 al compositions, in this language, into any 
 other; and that the very reverse takes place, 
 with regard to the attainment of the Gaelic, 
 in its perfection and purity, of that which I 
 have just stated, with regard to the modern 
 languages of Europe. The person, M-ho is 
 found to speak the Gaelic in its greatest pu- 
 rity of idiom, is the unlettered native of 
 iNIull, or Skye, or of the more remote corners 
 of Argyle-shire, and Inverness-shire. But, 
 bring this person into contact with foreign
 
 OF OSSIAN'S POEMS. 103 
 
 idioms ; teach him Latin, or Enghsh, or 
 French, from that moment his native tongue 
 becomes contaminated, by what a genuine 
 Highlander would account barbarisms; he 
 no longer retains the pure idiom of the Gae- 
 lic, he unavoidably mixes it Mith the idioms 
 of the foreign language which he has acqui- 
 red. 
 
 l]y those who are not acquainted with some 
 oriu-inal lani;uau;e unadulterated bv foreii^n 
 idioms, it will not, ])erhaps, be easily under- 
 stood, that the purity, Avith which the Gaelic 
 is spoken by any person, is directly as his 
 want of ac([uaintance with every other lan- 
 guage. An unlettered Highlander will feel 
 and detect a violation of the idiom of his 
 language more readily than his countryman, 
 who has read Homer and \'irgil. 
 
 A ludicrous instance, which will serve to 
 illustrate this view of the subject, is record- 
 ed in the Appendix to the Connnittee's Re- 
 ])ort, (p. 95.) in the declaration of Ewan Mac-
 
 104 ON THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 pherson, a schoolmaster of Badenoch, who 
 accompanied Mr James j\Iacpherson in his 
 researches through the Hebrides, and ap- 
 pears to have perfomied most of the drudgery 
 of collecting and writing down the recita- 
 tions of Gaelic poetry which they met with : 
 " On their way," says he, " to tlie seat of 
 " the younger Clanranald, they fell in with 
 *' a man, whom they afterwards ascertained 
 " to have been Mac Codrum, the poet, Mr 
 " Macpherson asked him the question, ' Am 
 " bheil dad agad air an Fheine?' by which 
 " he meant to enquire, Whether or not he 
 " knew any of the Poems of Ossian, relative 
 " to the Fingallians ? but the terms in which 
 " the question was asked, strictly import- 
 " ed, ' Whether or not the Fingallians owed 
 " him any thing?' and ]\Iac Codrum, being 
 " a man of humour, took advantage of the 
 " incorrectness, or inelegance, of the Gaelic, 
 " in which the question was put, and an- 
 " swered, ' That really, if they had owed
 
 OF OSSIAN'S POEMS. 105 
 
 " him any tiling, the bonds and obligations 
 " were now lost ; and he believed any at- 
 " tempt to recover them, at that time of 
 " day, would be unavailing.' Which sally 
 " of Mac Codrum's wit seemed to have liurt 
 " I\facj)herson, who cut short the conversa- 
 " tion." 
 
 Of Mr Macpherson's comparatively slight 
 knowledge of the Gaelic language, other 
 proofs will he brought in their proper place; 
 but even the above may lead to a suspicion, 
 that, however well he could write in Eng- 
 lish prose, he was unqualified to write ten 
 verses of Gaelic poetry, in the style of the 
 specimens furnished by himself Indeed, 
 when we speak of purity of language and 
 idiom, it seems certain, that, if we could 
 supjjose a learned modern, placed in the l'\)- 
 rum of ancient Rome, to ad(h-es.s, iu Latin, 
 those very audiences which had listcued to 
 Cicero, he could imitate the style of that 
 celebrated oiator, with more case and sue-
 
 V)6 ON THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 cess than it is possible for a Highlander, ver- 
 sed as Mr Macpherson was, in the ancient 
 and modern languages of Europe, to ap- 
 proach the genuine idiom of the Gaelic. Of 
 this genuine idiom, we have beautiful ex- 
 amples in the seventh book of Temora, pub- 
 lished, at an early period, by JMr Macpher- 
 son himself; and, in some of the purer 
 fragments of Gaelic poetry, given by Dr 
 Smith. These poems bear, throughout, the 
 stamp of antiquity. Some foreign, and even 
 some modern terms sometimes occur, of the 
 introduction of which, I shall afterwards, as 
 I hope, be able to give a satisfactory ac- 
 count. But still the Gaelic id'win is main- 
 tained, and the purity of its structure pre- 
 served inviolate.
 
 OF OSSIAN'S POEMS. 107 
 
 SECTION IV. 
 
 Of particular Terms and Expressions which occur in 
 these Poems, and zchich Mr Loing argues to have 
 been horrozced from other Languages. The Opi~ 
 nion of Mr Pinkerton and of the Edinhurgh 
 Retiezcers eiainined, zcith regard to the Gallic 
 Invaders of the Italian Territori/. The Copious- 
 ness of the (laelic, in Expressions, to denote the 
 .Appearances of external i^ature, and the Peel- 
 ings and Passions of the human Mind. Esti- 
 mate of Mr Laings alleged Instances of borrozi'ed 
 Expressions. 
 
 I iiF, language, in which any work is writ- 
 ten, and tlie particular expressions and allu- 
 sions that may occur in it, undoubtedly afVord 
 a \ ery obvious criterion of the period and 
 state of society to which it is to be reterred. 
 I'ul, in order to be (jualilied to appreciate this
 
 108 ON THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 kind of evidence justly, it would seem indis- 
 pensibly requisite, that the person, who ven- 
 tures to offer \erbal or etymological criti- 
 cisms, on any work, should possess some 
 knowledge of the language, in which that 
 work is composed. Without this know- 
 ledge, it is idle to lay down canons of criti- 
 cism : however just they may be, when ab- 
 stractly considered; it is only the application 
 of them il^sit can give them any value. 
 
 Mr Laing's attempt to attain some ac- 
 quaintance with the Gaelic language was 
 surely laudable ; but ^vith the very imper- 
 fect knowledge of it, which he had acqui- 
 red, it was, at least, a hazardous attempt to 
 offer a critical and etymological discussion 
 of ihe fragments of our poetr\^, which had 
 fallen under his eye. 
 
 His remarks, on this jiart of the subject, 
 however trivial and ill-founded, may have 
 some weight with persons, who are still less 
 ({uaiitied than himself, to judge of this mat-
 
 OF OSSIAN'S POEMS. 109 
 
 ter. Some slight notice of these, therefore^ 
 appears necessary. 
 
 Without ascending, with Mr Laing, to 
 the circles of Gomar, or tracing, withGiral- 
 dus, the aborigines of the British isles to the 
 emig ations from Egypt, or Troy; it may be 
 remarked, on the most authentic evidence 
 of history, that the ancient inhabitants of 
 Celtic Gaul, from whom, as is most pro- 
 bal)le,* Britain derived its fust population, 
 were a powerful and numerous people, long 
 before tiie Konians had obtained any dis- 
 tinction aint)ng the nations of Europe. We 
 are informed, on the uncpiestionable autho- 
 rity of Livy, that, even in the reign of Tar- 
 ([uinius Priscns, the Gauls crossed the Alps, 
 o\ercame the Tuscans, built the city of Mi- 
 lan, and occupied all the territory from the 
 Po to the Al[)s. He adds, that successive 
 h(jrdcs of the same people arriving from time 
 
 ' Sit BtL'da, Hist. Ecclcs. Aiiirl. c. 1. already citcil
 
 no ON THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 to time, they at length extended their settle- 
 ments as far as the Appenines.* 
 
 We again find this numerous race, when 
 the Roman territory had been just augment- 
 ed with the accession of Veii, a city not more 
 than thirty leagues distant from Rome, send- 
 ing forth, from the superabundance of their 
 population, an army of three hundred thou- 
 sand men ; one branch of which ravaged 
 Italy, and sacked Rome itself; whilst the 
 other, penetrating by Illyricum, entered 
 Greece, laid waste its cities, and formed a 
 settlement on the banks of the Euxine.f 
 We learn, from Justin, that, about that pe- 
 riod, almost all Italy was occupied by the 
 Gauls;:]: and Plutarch tells us, that the 
 Celts, at an early period, possessed the best 
 part of Italy. The name of Cisalpine Gaul 
 
 * Llv. lib. V. c. 34-. 35. 
 
 t Just. lib. xxiv. c. 1. Liv. lib. v. 
 
 X Just. lib. xxviii. c. 2. 
 
 Plut. iu Mario.
 
 OF OSSIAN'S POEMS. Ill 
 
 remained to that territory, even to the la- 
 test periods of the Roman empire ; and we 
 have good reason to beheve, that the reH- 
 gion and rites of the Gauls were practised 
 there, at least, as late as the siege of Aqui- 
 leia.* 
 
 With this extensive influence of the Gal- 
 lic arms and name, at a period when Rome 
 was yet in her infancy, and her language 
 scanty and unpolished; and with the exten- 
 sion of this influence, through every period 
 of the emi)ire, is it credible, that the lan- 
 guage of Gaul actjuircd no currency in Italy, 
 and c\cn in Greece? If, even in the time of 
 Claudius, the Druidical rites were publicly 
 practised at Rome, by the numerous Gauls 
 wlio inhabited that city, is it to be suppo- 
 sed, that the language of (Jaul was not also 
 s])()k(."n ihcic ' I" 
 
 ^ IliTO(liai), lib. viii. r. 7. 
 
 I IMiii. Hist. Nat. lil). 30, ;jl. Sucloiiius, in Claudio, 
 <-. 'Jj.- and Aurcliu^i Victor.
 
 112 ON THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 It seems, indeed, to be highly probable, 
 that the Latin has borrowed as many terms, 
 at least, from the Celtic, as the Celtic has 
 from the Latin. It was the opinion of the 
 learned Leibnitz, " that the Latin language 
 " was formed of the Celtic and of the Greek; 
 " and that its origin is best illustrated by 
 " the genuine remains of the ancient Celtic, 
 " such as it was spoken in the days of Julius 
 " Caesar, which, he presumes, are to be stu- 
 " died in the language of the Irish."* 
 
 I am aware, that it has been maintained, 
 by many learned men, that the Gauls, who 
 invaded Italy, M^ere not Celtic, but German 
 Gauls. Mr Pinkerton has supported this 
 opinion; and it has been argued, with much 
 acuteness and learning, by an ingenious wri- 
 ter, in an early number of a literary journal, 
 which does honour to Scotland, f It is main- 
 tained, " that the enumeration and dcscrip- 
 
 * Cited by Dr Smith, Append. Report, p. 26 k 
 t Edinburgh Review, No. IV. Ait. 7.
 
 OF OSSIAN'S POEMS. US 
 
 " tion, giveu by Polybius, of their difFer- 
 " ent tribes, puts it beyond a doubt, that 
 " they were German Gauls. He particularly 
 " names," it is added, " the Veneti, Sem- 
 " nones, and Boii." * 
 
 This, I would observe, is a question of 
 very considerable importance, not only with 
 regard to our present enquiry; but, as the 
 learned journalist very properly remarks, it 
 is " intimately connected with the researches 
 " and speculations of the philosopher." 
 
 I begin by observing, that the only account 
 of the boundaries and extent of Celtic Gaul, 
 on which we can rely, is that of Julius Cas- 
 sar. It is very singular, that Strabo, in the 
 very passage in which he treats of this sub- 
 ject,! whilst he professes particularly to fol- 
 low Cesar's account, really advances one 
 which is totally different; so that the learned 
 
 * Edinburgh Review, No. IV. p. S6(j. 
 t Strabo, lib. iv. ad inil.
 
 114 ON THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 Casaubon, in his animadversions on that pas- 
 sage, remarks, " that Strabo had either not 
 " read Cassar when he wrote, or that the 
 " Commentaries were then different from 
 " those which we have now amongst our 
 " hands." Accordingly, Strabo appears to 
 have committed many mistakes, in his ac- 
 count of the Celtic Gauls.* 
 
 Omitting, then, his account of the Celtic 
 territory, we find its boundaries precisely de- 
 fined by Caesar, "f Besides informing us, that 
 the Celts are the same people who are called 
 Gauls by the Romans, he tells us, " that 
 " the Garonne divides them from the Aqui- 
 " tani, and the Marne and Seine from the 
 " Belgffi." Again, he says, " that part of 
 " Gaul, which they (the Celts) possess, begins 
 " with the Rhone ; (i. e. on the east ;) it is 
 '^ bounded by the Garonne, the ocean, and 
 
 * Strabo assigns the institution of the Druids, which, 
 by the consent of all, is Celtic, to the Belgsu. 
 t Cffis. de Bell. Gall. lib. i. c. 1. 
 I
 
 OF OSSIAN'S POEMS. 115 
 
 " the territory of the Belgse ; (i. e. on the 
 " west and north;) it reaches from the coun 
 " try of the Sequani and Helvetii to the 
 " Rhine ; it verges northwards." By this ac- 
 count of one, who will surely be considered 
 as the highest authority on this subject, it 
 appears, that Celtic Gaul comprehended by 
 far the most extensive and the richest third 
 of France ; and that it included all that ter- 
 ritory which lies between the Garonne, the 
 Rhone, and the Seine, from their sources to 
 the sea, on the one hand ; and the Atlantic 
 Ocean, and the British Channel, on the 
 other.* 
 
 The accounts of the most respectable wri- 
 ters of antic[uity concur in assigning great 
 extent of territory and of influence to the 
 Celts. Dion Cassiusf writes, " that the 
 " nations on both sides of the Rhine were 
 " called Celts of old, long before Ciusar's 
 
 Sf; the Maps of ancient Geography by Collarius. 
 t Lib. xxxix.
 
 lis ON THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 " time." Diodorus Siculus* says, " that all 
 " the nations bordering on the Alps and 
 " Pyrenees, as far as Scythia, were Celts;" 
 and Polybius,t " that the Gauls, Germans, 
 " and the greatest part of Spain, were dis- 
 " tinguished by the name of Celts." 
 
 Adverting, then, to the position of the 
 learned journalist, which he founds on the 
 authority of Polybius, " that the Veneti, the 
 " Semnones, and Boii, who invaded Italy, 
 " under Brennus, were German tribes," I 
 observe, 
 
 ]. With regard to the Veneti, that we 
 read, in ancient authors, of two powerful 
 tribes, who went under that denomination ; 
 the one were the Veneti of Gaul, who occu- 
 pied Brittany, in the bosom of the Celtic 
 territory, and formerly called, by a Celtic 
 name, Armoric Gaul. With regard to them, 
 
 * Lib. V. c. 9. 
 t Lib. iii.
 
 OF OSSIAN'S POEMS. IIT 
 
 Csesar informs us, " that their authority was 
 " the most extensive of all on the sea coast 
 " of those regions ; that they had a numer- 
 " ous navy, with which they were wont to 
 " sail to Britain ; that in skill and experi- 
 " ence in naval affairs, they excelled all 
 " others; and that, hence, they held all, who 
 " navigated those seas, as their tributaries."* 
 The other tribe were the Veneti of Italy, si- 
 tuated on the Adriatic. With regard to 
 these, Justin says, " that they came from 
 " Troy, after it was taken, under Antenor."j" 
 But Strabo, with much greater probability, 
 asserts, *' that they were descended from the 
 " Veneti of Gaul." J Thus, then, it appears 
 certain, that the Veneti, who invaded Italy 
 under Brennus, were not Germans ; and there 
 is even a high probability, that they were 
 directly from Armoric Gaul. 
 
 * Caes. Bell. Gall. lib. iii. c. 8. 
 t Just. lib. XX. c. 1. 
 t Strabo, lib. iv.
 
 118 ON THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 2. With regard to the Sem nones, I must 
 remark, that Polybius no where mentions a 
 tribe of that name, amongst the invaders of 
 Italy.* Tacitus, indeed, makes mention of 
 the Semnones, as a tribe of the Suevi;f but 
 no author, that I know of, states them to 
 have invaded Italy. The invaders of Italy, 
 of whom Polybius speaks, were the Senones, 
 a people of Celtic Gaul, whose capital was 
 Agendicum, now Sens; and who, after their 
 invasion of Italy, settled in the fertile plains 
 of Lombardy, and gave the name of Seno- 
 gallia to that district.^ But the matter is 
 placed beyond all question by Livy, who 
 enumerates the Senones amongst those tribes 
 of Celtic Gaul, (as he expressly states them,) 
 who invaded Italy, in the reign of Tarquini- 
 
 * The name does not occur, at least, in the edition 
 before me, Ainstelodnmi ap. Janssonium, 1070. 
 t Germ. c. 39. 
 % Cluverii Introd. Geog. pp. 68. 180. 184..
 
 OF OSSIAN'S POEMS. 119 
 
 US Priscus ; * and, it is certain, that they 
 were the same trihes who, in after ages, con- 
 tinued to make similar incursions. 
 
 3. Concerning the Boii, Tacitus informs 
 us, on the authority of Cssar, " that the 
 " GaUic states were more powerful in for- 
 " mer times; and that it is credible, that the 
 " Gauls passed over into Germany : there- 
 *' fore," he adds, "the Helvetii occupied be- 
 " tween the Ilercynian forest, the Rhine, and 
 " the Maine ; and the Boii, further on ; both 
 *' of them GaUic tribes. The name of Boi- 
 " emi (Bohemians) still remains, denoting the 
 " ancient memory of the place, though the 
 " inhabitants are now changed." "j" It ap- 
 pears, from another passage of the same au- 
 thor, *' tliat the Boii were expelled, from 
 " their newly accjuired settlements, by the 
 " Marcomaimi." J But whatever may have 
 
 Liv. Hist. lib. v. c. Si. 
 t IX' Mor. (icrm. c. 28. 
 t lb. c. 42.
 
 IflO ON THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 become of those emigrants from Gaul, wc 
 know, that the Boii, the stock from which 
 they sprung, were situated in the Celtic ter- 
 ritory, on the western side of the Liger, in 
 the vicinity of the ^dui, unquestionably a 
 Celtic tribe. Tacitus places the Boii in this 
 situation, and speaks of them expressly as 
 " the neighbours of the iEdui."* 
 
 I have only further to remark, with re- 
 gard to the inference drawn by the learned 
 journalist, from the name of the leader of 
 those invaders, Boiorix, that it does not ap- 
 pear to be well founded : he observes, " that 
 " it is evidently of Gothic structure." If 
 any conclusion, however, can be drawn from 
 obscure etymologies, it would seem, that 
 this name bears more of Celtic than of Go- 
 thic character. The Dumnorix of Csesar 
 was an ^Eduan, a Celt, and a native of the 
 bosom of Celtic Gaul. Vercingetorix, ano- 
 
 * Tacit. Hist. lib. ii. c. 61.
 
 OF OSSIAN'S POEMS. ISl 
 
 ther name of similar formation, appears also 
 to be Celtic, from the initial ^'cr, oi-fer, " a 
 " man." 
 
 Upon the whole, then, it seems certain, 
 that the Gauls, who invaded Italy, from the 
 period of Tarquinius, to that of the sacking 
 of Rome, were really of Celtic stock ; and, 
 therefore, it might be expected, that their 
 language would influence that of the Ro- 
 mans, in a very material degree ; hence, it 
 follows, that no legitimate argument, against 
 the authenticity of Ossian's Poems, can be 
 derived from the similarity that may be 
 traced between certain Latin and Gaelic 
 terms. 
 
 It may be remarked, on this part of the 
 subject, that no language abounds more than 
 the Gaelic in expressions to denote the dif- 
 ferent appearances of external nature, with 
 all the varieties of which they arc suscep- 
 tible, in a region of such unequal surface and
 
 122 ON THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 climate as Scotland. The almost endless 
 variety that occurs in the height, and struc- 
 ture, and figure of mountains; in the ex- 
 tent, and current, and windings of rivers 
 and streams; in the form and distribution 
 of woods and lakes ; and especially in the 
 changes and appearances of the atmosphere, 
 have, in the Gaelic, more copious and ap- 
 propriate denominations than in any other 
 language with which I am acquainted. 
 
 This language also abounds in terms to 
 express the feelings and passions of the hu- 
 man mind, as joy, grief, melancholy, or sad- 
 ness, hope, fear, anger, hatred, &c. ; and 
 also to denote the ordinary circumstances 
 and relations of society, and of individuals, 
 as love, courtship, marriage, kindred, birth, 
 death, prosperity, and adversity : for terms 
 to denote these two great classes of objects, 
 the Gaelic has no need to have recourse to 
 any language whatever. 
 
 The terms of art to be found in this Ian-
 
 or OSSIAN'S POEMS. ItS 
 
 guage are few; but there are terms to de- 
 note the few arts and Instruments, which 
 their circumstances rendered necessary to 
 the Caledonians, and which we know them 
 to have possessed ; as a sword, a spear, the 
 upper garment of a warrior, a smith, iron, a 
 boat, sails, &c. 
 
 But it is important to remark, that it is of 
 those two classes of terms, which I have 
 stated to abound in the Gaelic, almost the 
 whole mass of language, in which the frag- 
 ments of Ossian, Avhich have been publish- 
 ed in the original, consists. Descriptions of 
 scenery, of the appearances of the atmo- 
 sphere, and of the changes of the seasons; 
 an account of the operation and effects of 
 the feelings and passions of mankind, toge- 
 ther with reflections on the ordinary cir- 
 cumstances of society and of indivickials, 
 constitute, almost exclusively, the Poetry of 
 Ossian. 
 
 Wherever, then, any of these terms occur,
 
 IS4 ON THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 which appear, as in a few instances is the 
 case, to bear a resemblance to corresponding 
 terms in another language, there is, when 
 we consider the undoubted antiquity of the 
 language of Gaul, just as much reason to 
 conclude, that it is originally Celtic, as that 
 it is originally Latin, or Saxon. We have 
 an example, in point, in the title Vergubre- 
 tuSy which, Caesar tells us, was given, by the 
 Gauls, to the temporary judge, or chief, 
 whom they chose upon extraordinary emer- 
 gencies ; and, even to " the extravagance 
 " of a Celtic etymologist," it will not be de- 
 nied, that this term signifies, literally, " a 
 " man to judge." * Whether the ver, orfer, 
 of the Celts, or the vir of the Romans, be 
 the original, it is needless to enquire. In 
 whatever way the matter be decided, we 
 have the term sufficiently early for the use 
 of Ossian. 
 
 * Fer, a man, gu, to, breth, judge, is Gaelic at this 
 dav.
 
 OF OSSIAN'S POEMS. 16 
 
 In the same manner, though cloidhe, a 
 sword, bears some resemblance to the gla- 
 dius of the Latins, it does not follow, that 
 the former has been borrowed from the 
 latter. We know, from Tacitus, that the 
 Caledonians wore long swords seventeen 
 hundred years ago ; and, there is good rea- 
 son to conclude, that, four hundred years 
 before that period, Brennus and his troops 
 left, with the Romans, such an impression 
 of their swords, as might serve to perpetuate 
 their name for that instrument. The same 
 remark may be applied to saighid, an arrow, 
 resembling the Latin sagitta, and to many 
 similar instances of resemblance. 
 
 Indeed, of the terms which are found to 
 have this resemblance in the Celtic and in 
 the Latin, and to M^iicli the former seems 
 to have as just a claim as the latter, the 
 number is very considerable, and seems to 
 justify the observation of Lcil)nitz, already 
 cited, " that the origin of the Latin is best
 
 1S6 ON THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 " illustrated by the genuine remains of the 
 " ancient Celtic." David Powel, in his An- 
 notations on Giraldus Cambrensis' Descrip- 
 tion of Wales,* gives a long list of Welsh 
 terms, which resemble the Latin in sound, 
 as well as in signification. He adds, " that 
 " he could have produced sii' hundred more 
 " of such terms, not," says he, " recently 
 " introduced, but used, even by the vulgar, 
 *' more than a thousand years ago." 
 
 For the amusement of those, who may be 
 curious in this kind of literature, I subjoin 
 a few terms, from Powefs list, adding the 
 Gaelic and the English of each. 
 
 Wehh. 
 
 Latin. 
 
 Gudk. 
 
 V.nglhh. 
 
 Aradr, 
 
 Aratrum, 
 
 Arar, {corn) 
 
 A Plough. 
 
 Arneu, 
 
 Arm a. 
 
 Arm, 
 
 Anns. 
 
 Aur, 
 
 Aurum, 
 
 Or, 
 
 Gold. 
 
 Awr, 
 
 Hora, 
 
 Uair, 
 
 An Hour. 
 
 Ber, 
 
 Veru, 
 
 Bir, 
 
 A Spit. 
 
 * Cambriie Descriptio, c. 15. Powel wrote in 158.5.
 
 OF OSSIAN'S POEMS. 
 
 I7 
 
 fVelsh. 
 
 Latin. 
 
 Gaelic. 
 
 English. 
 
 Car, 
 
 Carrus, 
 
 Carbad, 
 
 A Chariot, or 
 Car. 
 
 Casw, 
 
 Caseus, 
 
 Cais, 
 
 Cheese. 
 
 Cely, 
 
 Celare, 
 
 Ceil, 
 
 To Conceal. 
 
 Dilyw, 
 
 Diluvium, 
 
 Dil, 
 
 A Deluge, or 
 Flood. 
 
 Lhin, 
 
 Linum, item 
 
 Lin, or Linn, 
 
 Flax, or a Ge- 
 
 
 Li Ilea, 
 
 
 neration. 
 
 Lhuric, 
 
 Lorica, 
 
 Luireach, 
 
 A Coat of Mail, 
 
 Lhyver, 
 
 Liber, 
 
 Lcabliar, 
 
 A Book. 
 
 Mel, 
 
 Mel, 
 
 Mil, 
 
 Honey. 
 
 M6r, 
 
 Mare, 
 
 Muir, 
 
 The Sea. 
 
 Myiiyth, 
 
 INIons, 
 
 Mona', 
 
 A mountain. 
 
 Nos, 
 
 Nox, 
 
 N'ochd, 
 
 Night. 
 
 Pawl, 
 
 Palus, 
 
 Poll, 
 
 A Pool. 
 
 Porth,* 
 
 Portus, 
 
 Port, 
 
 A Harbour. 
 
 Sych, 
 
 Siccus, 
 
 Sec, 
 
 Parched, 
 
 Tarw, 
 
 Taurus, 
 
 Tarbh, 
 
 A Bull. 
 
 Tir, 
 
 Terra, 
 
 Tir, 
 
 Land. 
 
 Tyst, 
 
 Testis, 
 
 Teist, 
 
 A witness. 
 
 It were an easy matter to add another six 
 hundred, to Mr PoweKs six hundred words, 
 of which it is ecjually prol)ahle that the ori- 
 
 See Canibdcn, p. 227.
 
 188 ON THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 gin was Celtic, as that it was Latin. I have 
 seen a specimen of an intended work, on 
 this subject, by an ingenious friend, the Re- 
 verend Mr Donald Macintosh, Gaelic secre- 
 tary to the Highland Society of Scotland, 
 which, for the sake of literature, it were to 
 be wished he would yet accomplish. From 
 such a work, ably executed, it would be 
 seen, how much the languages of Europe 
 owe to the Celtic. 
 
 After what has been advanced, it seems 
 unnecessary to advert to Mr Laing's obser- 
 vations on the Gaelic, talla, " a hall,''' or, more 
 properly, " a fxcess."' Mac Talla nan Creag; 
 i. e. " the Son of the Recesses of the Rock," 
 is the epithet which has always been, and is 
 still, given by the Highlanders to Echo. 
 Speur, " the sky," resembles, indeed, as he 
 remarks, the sphceirc of the Greeks; but it is 
 certain, that the term, with us, is ancient; 
 it might have been introduced into Gaul by 
 the Phocean colony, or it might have been
 
 OF OSSIAN'S POEAfS. 129 
 
 introduced into Greece by the Celtic inva- 
 ders. 
 
 Taking MrLaing's objections in the order 
 in which they he, I cannot help adverting 
 to his solemn trifling on the " wings of the 
 " wind" of Ossian; and on the term cliadhy 
 used, in Malvina's dream, to denote the hu- 
 man chest. The " wings of the wind," says 
 the learned gentleman, " is to be found only, 
 " where it was unavoidable, in Buchanan's 
 " Psalms : 
 
 " Levihus TOUorum adreniigat alls." 
 
 Has Mr Laing forgotten the 
 
 " Mudidis notus evolat alls" 
 
 of his old school-book Ovid? and might he 
 not even have recognized the origin of Bu- 
 chanan's '* unavoidable"' expression in the 
 " Rofiioiinn alarum' of \'iriril - 
 
 " Cliad/i,'' says Air Laing, " is an antici- 
 " pation of the English idiom, and is liter- 
 I
 
 130 ON THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 " ally the same with cista.''' Now, I must 
 be permitted to inform the learned gentle- 
 man, tliat cliadh is neither literally nor me- 
 taphorically the same with cista. Cliadh 
 signifies, literally, " a basket of osiers, wo- 
 " ven upon ribs;" an obvious and just image, 
 it will probably be admitted, to represent 
 that part of the human body, which, in the 
 English language, is called the chest. How 
 the English term (I do not, with Mr Laing, 
 call it the Elnglish idiom) arose, and whether 
 it be more appropriate than the basket of the 
 Celts, is, at present, out of the question. 
 
 Of a great number of the terms adduced 
 by Mr Laing, as bearing a near resemblance 
 to the Latin, besides the general considera- 
 tions on this subject, which have been al- 
 ready offered, I must say, that tlie percep- 
 tion of their similarity eludes my e} e and 
 my ear. He adduces the similarity of p/iosda 
 and sponsalia, (marriage); samb/a, pronoun- 
 ced sau'la, (appearances,) and similis (like);
 
 OF OSSIAN'S POEMS. 131 
 
 feachda, SLndJigkts. It is true, there is a let- 
 ter or two common to the Gaelic, and the 
 Latin or English words. There is an s in 
 samhla, and there is an s in similis ; there is 
 a.n J 'm feachda, and m fights ; but all this is 
 sheer Fluellenism. " There is a river in Ma- 
 " cedon, and there is a river in IMonmouth, 
 " and there are salmons in both." 
 
 *' Loingheas and Umg, a ship," says Mr 
 Laing, " are undoubtedly derived from the 
 ** narcs longcE of the Romans." Cambden, 
 however, informs us, that Ibng is the Bri- 
 tish, or Welsh, term for a ship;* and it pro- 
 bably was so as far back as the period of 
 Ossian; so that it is of little consequence 
 whence it has been derived. 
 
 I shall conclude this part of the subject, 
 which must appear so uninteresting to ge- 
 neral readers, by adverting to Mr Laing's 
 criticisms on tbe term Jasach, " a dcsart," 
 
 * Britannia, p. 227.
 
 1S2 ON THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 which occurs so frequently in the Poems of 
 Ossian. " The desart," he ohserves, " is a 
 " correlative term, suggested by its contrast 
 " with peopled and cultivated fields ; but, as 
 " all places were equally desart to a tribe of 
 " hunters, who subsisted in the desart, there 
 " was no relative to suggest the idea or the 
 " name." 
 
 This criticism is, at least, specious; but it 
 is founded on a misconception of the term 
 which is criticised. The SLdjecX'iveJas, and 
 the substantivejr^,96rc^, which is derived from 
 it, really signifies wa.ste, desolate, in opposi- 
 tion to peopled, or inhabited, and not in op- 
 position, or contrast, to cultivated. In every 
 country, then, where there are dwellings of 
 men, this term has its obvious correlative. 
 
 Mr Laing objects, on the same ground, to 
 the term autumn. I shall afterwards shew, 
 that Mr IMacpherson has introduced this 
 term, where there is no expression or idea 
 in the original, by which it might be even
 
 OF OSSIAN'S POEMS. 133 
 
 suggested.* That season of the year, how- 
 ever, which U'e denominate autumn, is fre- 
 quently mentioned by Ossian ; but in no in- 
 stance whatever, as relative to com, and 
 crops, and the operations of husbandry. 
 That season is unifoiTnly mentioned by Os- 
 sian, in relation to the appearances whicli 
 Nature then presents, when the day shortens, 
 AV'hen vegetables decay, when the leaves 
 fall, and when the dark season (diilacli) ap- 
 proaches. 
 
 It is, at the same time, proper to observe, 
 that there is a circumstance that has not hi- 
 therto been attended to, which may liave, 
 in some degree, affected the language of 
 the remains of this ancient poetry, which 
 are still preserved. Though the language 
 of the Caledonians has continued, from the 
 causes, of which notice has been taken al- 
 
 * See the annexed new translation of the Seventh Book 
 of Teniora, ver. 3(37.
 
 184 ON THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 ready, less influenced by foreign mixture 
 than any other language of Europe; yet, 
 with the lapse of ages, it must liave happen- 
 ed, that afeiv terms should become obsolete; 
 and that others, of more recent origin, 
 should be introduced in their stead. Of this 
 substitution of modern terms, for others, 
 which had, in some measure, become obso- 
 lete, I had a striking instance, under my 
 own observation : Robert JNIacneill, an old 
 man, still alive, and residing in my neigh- 
 bourhood, recited to me, within these few 
 years, the long poem of ]\Ianos, as it is to 
 be found in the Perth Collection, (p. 18.) 
 in thirty- seven quatrains, which I took 
 down in writing. I remarked, that when 
 any term occurred, which I did not rea- 
 dily understand, and of which I required an 
 explanation, he always adopted a method, 
 which seemed to be easier to liim than to 
 give an explanation. He iiiiiucdiately began 
 the stanza anew, and dextrouslv substitu-
 
 OF OSSIAN'S POEMS. 135 
 
 ted a more modern term, of similar import, 
 and, what siiewed considerable presence of 
 mind, of the same measure : but this sub- 
 stitution extended only to a few particu- 
 lar terms; the sentiment was in no instance 
 altered. 
 
 Thus a Jhv, and but a few, questionable 
 terms may have been introduced into these 
 recitations ; and thus their introduction may 
 be accounted for. But, whatever may have 
 been the orig-in of some of those terms, on 
 Avliicli Mr Idling animadverts, it is certain, 
 that Mr Macj)herson had no share in the 
 coinage of any one of them. Indepen- 
 dently of the Poems of Ossian, we have, in 
 other (iaelic poems of undoubted anti(jui- 
 ly, and also in the fragments of ancient 
 ^\ elsh and Irish ])oetry, abundant proof of 
 the use of those terms, from a very remote 
 ])eri()(l. I'or this proof, I refer to all the 
 coUeetions of Irish and \\'el>h poetry, to 
 ( iiraldus C'ambrensis, and to Cambden. In
 
 1S8 ON THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 an ancient war song, which we know to 
 be of A. D. 1411, we have the term borb, 
 " barbarous,''' on which Mr Laing remarks 
 so exulting] y.* 
 
 * See Macdonald's Collection, p. 6.
 
 OF OSSIAN'S POEMS. 137 
 
 SECTION V. 
 
 Mr Laings alleged Imitations of ancient and mO' 
 dern Authors considered. Avozced Imitations, 
 and accidental coincidences of Thought and Ex- 
 pression, in Authors who could not possibly have 
 had anij Communication with, each other. Ca- 
 nons of Criticism, applicable to this Subject, with 
 Examples. 
 
 1 HERE is no part of his iDissertation which 
 Mr Laing has laboured more, and on which 
 he seems to lay greater stress, than his alle- 
 ged detection of Ossian's imitations of cer- 
 tain passages in the sacred scriptures, and 
 in the ancient classics ; and though the best 
 judges of this subject, with whom I have 
 had occasion to converse, agree, in account- 
 ing this j)art of his Treatise the most incon- 
 chi^ive, yet I have reason to believe, that
 
 138 ON THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 on a number of his readers it has made a 
 considerable impression. 
 
 It must be acknowledged, that this is a 
 topic which will naturally occur, in the dis- 
 cussion of the present question, as affording 
 a very obvious criterion of originality. Mr 
 James Macpherson was brought up in the 
 bosom of polished society ; he received an 
 university education ; his mind was enrich- 
 ed with the stores of ancient and modern li- 
 terature ; he was familiarized, from an early 
 period of life, to the modes of acting, and 
 thinking, and expressing himself, which cha- 
 racterize the scholar of the present times. 
 That a person of such education, and of 
 such habits of thinking, should so com- 
 pletely divest himself of all his previous ac- 
 quisitions in literature, and science, and of 
 every idea rendered familiar to him by long- 
 use; and that he should be able to write, 
 with uniform consistency, in the cliaracter 
 of a person who is supposed to have lived
 
 OF OSSIAN'S POEMS. 189 
 
 fourteen hundred years ago, and in a state 
 of society so different from the present or- 
 der of things; in short, that a modern Eu- 
 ropean should produce such a work, as the 
 Poetry of Ossian, distinguished, exclusively, 
 by the ideas peculiar to a people in the most 
 simple state of society, all these, I confess, 
 I must consider as efforts beyond the reach 
 of humanity. 
 
 From what we know of human nature, 
 and of what the human mind can perform, 
 it would sccui iiiipossible to exclude, from 
 such a work of a modern, every idea that 
 belongs to the present times, and every al- 
 lusion to the peculiar habits, and discove- 
 ries, and relations of modern Europe. One 
 should ex])ect, that, in every page, the tones 
 of nuxk'rn ])olished society would introduce 
 themselves, and prochice a discordant note; 
 ihal the i(k'as of agriculture, of connncrce, 
 anil, csj)cc'ially, tlic ideas of Christianity, 
 which, in ihcsc times, occui)y so nmch space
 
 140 ON THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 in every mind, would, from time lo time, 
 rush in, and give their own colouring, even 
 to the picture of the life of wanderers and 
 hunters. " Though you expel Nature with 
 " a fork," said one who knew mankind well, 
 " she will always return upon you."* The 
 peculiar habits of modern polished life, are, 
 to us, a second nature, and we can by no ef- 
 fort entirely divest ourselves of them. To 
 invent, like Psalmanazar, a new language, to 
 combine the letters of the alphabet in an 
 unheard of form, and to ring a chime of un- 
 heard of inflections on those combinations, 
 were nothing to this. It might be done by 
 Swift's Laputan table. But did Psalmanazar 
 venture to commit himself, by giving us a 
 continued composition in this new lan- 
 guage; a pretended original production of 
 a Formosan, with all its peculiarities of idi- 
 om, of local allusion, and habits of think- 
 
 * Horace.
 
 OF OSSIAN'S POEMS. 141 
 
 ing and expression? He was too wise for 
 this. 
 
 If we find, in Ossian, clear and unequivo- 
 cal evidence of allusion to modern ideas, 
 manners, or events ; if we discover the pe- 
 culiar modes of thinking, or of expression, 
 which belong to modern times ; or if we de- 
 tect })alpable imitations of ancient authors, 
 with whom he could not possibly have been 
 acquainted, this poetry must be modern, 
 and Ossiau nuist be abandoned. But, on the 
 other hand, if we discover nothing but what 
 it was natural for Ossiau to say and think, 
 in tlie period and country in which he lived; 
 if we find the peculiar manners of that state 
 of society, in which he is said to have flou- 
 rished, uniformly and consistently support- 
 ed, together with a total absence of every 
 thing that is foreign and modern, ^justice 
 and truth rcciuiie, tliai these ])oems should 
 be ri-tVrred to the j)ers()n and to the age to 
 wliich thev have l)eeu ascribed.
 
 142 ON THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 In order to judge truly, with regard to in- 
 tended imitation, upon the one hand, and 
 natural coincidences of thought, upon the 
 other, it seems necessary, that certain dis- 
 tinctions should be made, and certain undis- 
 puted rules of criticism established. There 
 are certain parallelisms of sentiment and ex- 
 pression, which occur in writers, so avowed 
 and palpable, that we cannot hesitate to pro- 
 nounce the one an imitation, or transcript, 
 of the other. But Ave meet, at the same 
 time, with coincidences in authors, who 
 could not possibly borrow from each other, 
 and which are yet so striking, that we can 
 only pronounce them to have originated in 
 our common nature, and in the common 
 aspect which belongs to human affairs. 
 
 Thus, when I see Homers story of Pro- 
 teus * copied almost literally by Virgil,)' I 
 
 * Odyss. lib. iv. v. 3S1. 
 f- Geors;. lib. iv. v. 415.
 
 OF OSSIAN'S POEMS. 14S 
 
 cannot possibly entertain any doubt of the 
 imitation. The 
 
 " 'Hualis in Eurotcc ripis, aut perjuga Ci/)Uhi" * 
 
 of Virgil, is avowedly an imitation of Ho- 
 mer's 
 
 Virgifs 
 
 -" Ipsu decorain 
 
 " L'icsuriein nato gtnttrix lumeiKjue Jia-cnta',X 
 
 is as unquestionably borrowed from Homer's 
 
 In these instances, and in numberless 
 others, wliich occur in tlie Greek and Ro- 
 man writers, there can be no doubt of in- 
 
 * .Tin. lil). i. V. .WI. 
 t Odyss. Ill), vi. v. 102. 
 X -1mi. lib. i. V. ,V!i. 
 (^)(lys.s. lil). vl. V. J()5.
 
 144 ON THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 tended and avowed imitation. But there 
 are parallelisms of thought, and of expres- 
 sion, to be met with, in authors, of which 
 we must make a very different estimate. 
 Thus, for instance, we find in Homer, and in 
 the New Testament, the same image, and the 
 same thought, expressed in nearly the same 
 terms; and yet who will presume to say, 
 that the latter is an imitation of the former ? 
 Homer says, 
 
 Pa aicix.ptveus'iv 7rf< y.i )ioiJ.u jji^iysuo't)!' 
 n? ra; riytjji,ovii;, ^T.* 
 
 That is : " As easily as goat-herds sepa- 
 " rate large flocks of goats, when they have 
 "mixed in the pasture, so,'' &c. ; and, in 
 the New Testament, we have, " And he 
 " shall separate them one from another, as 
 
 Iliad, ii. V. 474-.
 
 OF OSSIAN'S POEMS. 145 
 
 " a shepherd divideth the sheep from the 
 " goats."* 
 
 What, again, can be more similar, both in 
 thought and expression, than the manner in 
 which Jacob describes the situation in which 
 he shall be placed, should he be deprived of 
 his favourite son, Benjamin ; and that in 
 which Priam describes his sorrow over the 
 fate of his favourite son, Hector? " Ye will 
 " bring down," says the patriarch to the rest 
 of his sons, " my grey hairs with sorrow to 
 " the grave.'' t Priam says, in nearly simi- 
 lar terms. 
 
 Tliat is : " For all these, I lament not so 
 " much as for Hector alone, my bitter sor- 
 
 Matt. ch. XXV. ver. 32. 
 t (ieuesis, ch. xliv. ver. 29. 
 \ Iliad, xxii. v. \'2\-. 
 
 K
 
 146 ON THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 " row for whom will bring me down to the 
 " grave." And yet who will say here, that 
 Homer copied the expressions of Jacob ? 
 
 The truth is, that just criticism, as well as 
 common sense, furnish us with certain un- 
 equivocal canons, by which to judge of 
 designed imitation, and accidental coinci- 
 dence in authors. Some of these, which 
 seem to be applicable to this subject, I shall 
 now take the liberty to suggest, and to il- 
 lustrate. 
 
 I. As external nature presents, in every 
 age, the same features, varied only by the 
 difference of climate, and the limited opera- 
 tions of man, accurate observers of nature 
 will describe those appearances, in every 
 age, and in every country, by nearly similar 
 images, and in nearly similar language. 
 
 The revolutions of the seasons, the growth 
 
 and decay of vegetables, the phenomena of 
 
 the atmosphere, and the various aspects un- 
 1
 
 OF OSSIAN'S POEMS. 147 
 
 der which the scenery of nature appears, are 
 permanent ; they will strike all mankind 
 with corresponding emotions, and will, con- 
 sequently, be described by all, without re- 
 gard to age or country, in a corresponding 
 manner. It is true, the scenery of Arabia, 
 and its productions, differ widely from those 
 of Caledonia ; and it is from these instances 
 of difference, that the poetry and elo(|uence 
 of those countries have received their dis- 
 tinctive and peculiar colouring. But, in 
 Arabia, as well as in Caledonia, vegetables 
 are co\ered with leaves, and flowers, and 
 fruit, which, in their seasons, unfold them- 
 selves, ripen, and decay. In both those 
 countries, flowers are fragrant, birds sing, 
 fields are verdant in spring, and streams flow 
 down declivities. These objects and ap- 
 pearances, therefore, will be described, in 
 nearly the same terms, and nearly under llie 
 same images, of whatever age or country 
 the describer be.
 
 148 ON THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 Accordingly, there occur, as might be ex- 
 pected, in Homer and in Ossian, poets who 
 flourished in nearly similar circumstances of 
 society, many corresponding images and ex- 
 pressions. If Homer describes his trola/xoi 
 Xe'/ta/'/jpof, his " winter s torrent," or his 
 
 -nroTa^tw ^esopa 
 
 Oxa*a- 
 
 That is, " the torrent of ocean's tide," Os- 
 sian, in almost the same words, has, in a 
 passage cited above, (p. y5.) his 
 
 " Buinne-shruth, reothairt geamhraidh" 
 
 That IS, 
 
 " The torrent of a winter's tide." 
 
 We have, in Homer, 
 
 * Iliad, xiv. v. 245. 
 t lb. i. V. 34.
 
 OF OSSIAN'S POEMS. 149 
 
 that is : *' By the shore of the sea of many 
 " sounds." Ossian, in Malvina's dream, has, 
 
 " Cuan mor-shnuh nan iomafuaim" 
 
 that is, as nearly as it can be rendered in 
 the English idiom, 
 
 " The swelling ocean of many sounds." 
 
 But who will affirm that Ossian copied Ho- 
 mer, in these descriptions of natural and or- 
 dinary appearances: Will not the poet of 
 Caledonia describe the grand features of na- 
 ture, with which he has had an opportunity 
 to be conversant, the sea, a mountain, a ri- 
 ver, or lake ; or those particularly striking 
 objects, the sun, the moon, the morning, 
 and the morning or evening star, just as 
 Job, or Moses, or Homer, or llesiod did? 
 
 II. As the grand features of external na- 
 ture are universal and permanent, so, with a 
 few variations, arising from accidental cir-
 
 150 ON THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 cumstances, the leading features of the hu- 
 man mind have been found to be nearly 
 similar, in every age and country. All man- 
 kind, of whatever period or nation, are not 
 only affected in nearly the same manner, by 
 the feelings of love and hatred, desire and 
 aversion, hope and fear; but they generally 
 express those feelings in similar language, 
 and by similar symbols. Not to multiply 
 examples, without necessity, in proof of so 
 undeniable a position, I shall only instance 
 the manner in which the feelings of grief 
 have been expressed, in very distant ages 
 and countries. 
 
 We find Job, in his sorrow for the severe 
 loss of his children, '' rending his mantle, 
 " and shaving his head." His friends, too, 
 joined in his grief, " rending also their 
 " mantles, and sprinkling dust upon their 
 " heads towards heaven." * The king of 
 
 * Job, ch. i. ver. 20. and ch. ii. ver. 12.
 
 OF OSSIAN'S POEMS. 151 
 
 Nineveh expressed his sorrow for his sins, 
 and those of his people, by " laying his robe 
 " from him, by putting on sackcloth, and 
 " by sitting in ashes."')' 
 
 It is by symbols, precisely similar, that 
 Homer describes Achilles mourning over his 
 beloved friend Patroclus : 
 
 "KivciTo y.ctK y.((pa.Xr,^. 
 
 KTO. * 
 
 That is : " And taking up, with both his 
 " hands, the black dust, (or ashes,) he threw 
 " it on his h'ead ; and he lay, stretched, 
 " with his mighty length, in the dust." 
 
 III. We may trace, in every country, and 
 in every period of society, a striking same- 
 
 t Jonah, ch. iii. ver. C. 
 t Iliad, xviii. v. 23.
 
 152 ON THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 ness in the general course of human affairs, 
 as well as in the circumstances and fortunes 
 of individuals. It belongs to the universal 
 nature of human aifairs, that the morning of 
 youth should be cheerful, lively, and buoy- 
 ant with hope ; that more advanced life 
 should be enterprising and daring ; and that 
 old age should be infirm, querulous, and dis- 
 consolate. It is in the nature of human af- 
 fairs, that even the good and brave should 
 sometimes be overwhelmed with misfortune; 
 that the best concerted enterprises should fail ; 
 and that the unworthy should sometimes be 
 crowned with prosperity and success. 
 
 On all these striking circumstances of hu- 
 man aftairs, accordingly, it may be expect- 
 ed, that observing minds will make similar 
 reflections; and that they will express those 
 reflections by similar images, and in similar 
 terms. Thus, speaking of the miseries of 
 human life. Job observes, " That man is 
 " born unto trouble : man, that is born
 
 OF OSSIAN'S POEMS. 15S 
 
 " of a woman, is of few days, and full of 
 " trouble." * And, in the same style, says 
 Homer, 
 
 Ov ixiv yxf T era Ir*" oi^vccSlifov uto^oi, 
 Uuvluv oj-aoc Ti ya.nx.li t7r7r> re xcci Ip7r."f" 
 
 That is : " With the miserable race of 
 " men ; for there is nothing more wretch- 
 *' cd (fall of trouble) than man, of all that 
 * breathe and move upon the earth." 
 
 " To every thing," says Solomon, " there 
 " is a season; a time to keep silence, and a 
 " time to speak.'' :|: Homer has the same 
 reflection, in almost the same words: 
 
 The Psalmist describes the concord of 
 
 * Job, cIj. v. vcr. 7. and ch. xiv. vcr. 1. 
 t Iliad, xvii. v. 4i.5. 
 
 * Kixk's. ch. iii. vcr. 1. and 7. 
 Odyss. xi. v. 378.
 
 154 ON THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 brethren, by the following very beautiful 
 images : " Behold ! how good and pleasant 
 " it is for brethren to dwell in unity ; it is 
 " like the dew of Hermon, and as the dew 
 " that descendeth on the mountains of 
 "Zion."* 
 
 Homer, on a kindred subject, the recon- 
 ciliation of Menelaus and Antilochus, de- 
 scribes the emotions of the former, by images 
 similar to those of the King of Israel : 
 
 Tots h Sy/AO? 
 
 Ariia uMriay.oyloi , "f 
 
 That is : '' And his mind was gladdened, 
 " as when the dew moistens the ears of the 
 " growing corn." 
 
 Numberless other parallelisms, both of 
 thought and expression, occurring in the 
 
 * Psalm cxxxiii. 
 t Iliad, xxiiL v. 597.
 
 OF OSSIAN'S POEMS. 165 
 
 sacred scriptures, and in the more ancient 
 Greek writers, might be produced, in which 
 there can be no suspicion of imitation, but 
 which naturally arise, from the similarity of 
 the objects, and of the circumstances which 
 are described. To seize the distinguishing 
 traits of external nature, and of human cha- 
 racter, is the high privilege of genius. It is 
 of little consequence whether the poet be of 
 Syria, or of Greece, or of the Highlands of 
 Scotland ; he will stamp the character of his 
 genius on the scenes and events which he 
 dt'scril)es, and they will come forth from his 
 brain, clothed with the drapery and colour- 
 ing M'hich belong to them.
 
 156 ON THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 SECTION VI. 
 
 Particular Examination of Mr Laing^s alleged Imi- 
 tation of ancient and modern Authors Addresses 
 to the Sun, Moon, and Evening Star. Imita- 
 tions of Pope, Job. Maxims of the Highland- 
 ers concerrung the Course of' Human Affairs. 
 Imitations, continued i:i Mr Laings Order, of 
 firgil, Catullus, Homer, Milton. 
 
 vVhen we turn our attention from these 
 parallelisms, of which the resemblance is so 
 close and striking, and which can be thus 
 easily accounted for, to the vague similari- 
 ties, adduced by IVIr Laing, between certain 
 passages of Ossian, and of the ancient or 
 modern classics, we cannot help perceiving a 
 forced adaptation of images and expressions, 
 which either have nothing in common be-
 
 OF OSSIAN'S POEMS. 157 
 
 tween them, or which may be easily ac- 
 counted for, on the principles which I have 
 endeavoured to establish. 
 
 Where, even supposing IVIr Macpherson's 
 translation to be just, is the resemblance be- 
 tween Ossian's " Loveliness was around her 
 " as light ; her steps were the music of songs," 
 and Milton s 
 
 ' Grace was in all her steps, heaven in her eye, 
 " In every gesture dignity and love," 
 
 except the single term " steps?" let any 
 eye or ear judge concerning farther resem- 
 blance. 
 
 Did we not know Mr Laing to be serious, 
 it would seem, that he had intended a bur- 
 lescjue upon criticism, when he maintains, 
 that the 
 
 " Seu solvit crines, fusis dccct esse capillis" 
 
 of TibuUus, which, literally, is : " If she
 
 158 ON THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 " looses her hair, it becomes her to have 
 " flowing locks," has furnished the original 
 of Ossian's " If on the heath she moved, 
 " her breast was whiter than the snow of 
 " Cana." Or, when again he maintains, that 
 Tibullus' 
 
 " Sen compsit, comptis est veneranda coinis 
 Urit sen nivea, iirit sen tyria" 
 
 That is : " If she adorn her hair, she is 
 
 " graceful with adorned locks : she in- 
 
 *' flames, whether she is in white, or in 
 " purple," is the original of Ossian s " If 
 " on the sea-beat shore, than the foam of 
 " the rolling ocean." In these alleged imi- 
 tations, I can discern nothing common, ex- 
 cept the particle sen, in the Latin, and if, in 
 the English; and I must beg leave again to 
 enter my dissent against the logic of honest 
 Captain Fluellen. 
 
 Ossians " iler dark hair flovred round it
 
 OF OSSIAN'S POEMS. 16i 
 
 " in streaming clouds," is again, with Mr 
 Laing, Tibulius' 
 
 " Fusis decet esse cupillis." 
 
 Surely Mr Laing supposes, that his readers 
 cannot translate Tibulius, or that they are 
 too indolent to compare the alleged resem- 
 blances. 
 
 In the poem of Cath-Loda, iNlr Laing spe- 
 cifies, as what he calls " unintelligible bom- 
 " bast," the following sentence of Ossian: 
 " Whence is the stream of years? Whither 
 " do they roll? Where have they hid in mist 
 *' their many-coloured sides ?" I confess, 
 that all this imagery a])pears to me beautiful 
 and apj)ropriate. " The lapse of time," and 
 *' tlic course of human aftUirs,' are expres- 
 .>ions, ill ordinary use, in every language; 
 they convey the same idea, and arc founded 
 on a similar metaphor with that of " the 
 " stream of years." Ikil who does not per- 
 cei\ t\ that all these figures of s])ceeh origi-
 
 160 ON THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 nate naturally, in every reflecting mind, 
 from the common observation of human life? 
 Must we wait to find their origin in the truly 
 admirable verses of Mr Blair : 
 
 " Son of the morning, whither art thou fled ? 
 
 " Where hast thou hid thy many spangled head ?' 
 
 I should not have been surprised, had Mr 
 Laing traced the above-mentioned imagery 
 of Ossian to a source, which, had it occur- 
 red to him, he might, in the humour in 
 which he wrote, have been disposed to deem 
 more appropriate. In the chronological chart 
 of Dr Priestley, the extent and duration of 
 empires, are represented by a stream, small 
 and circumscribed in its beginnings, but 
 swelling as it advances; and occasionally, 
 as was the fate of empires, disappearing, and 
 lost in the " mist of time." In this same 
 chart, he might have detected even " the 
 " many coloured sides"' of Ossian ; he might
 
 OF OSSIAN'S POEMS. 161 
 
 have seen one empire distinguished in blue, 
 another in red, and another in green. 
 
 Leaving the supposed imitations of Scrip- 
 ture for future consideration, I remark, in 
 p. 413, the following quotation from Os- 
 sian : " Comest thou, O maid, over rocks, 
 *' over mountains, to me?" This Mr Laing, 
 compares to the verse of " an old ballad :" 
 
 " Over hill, over dale, over high mountains." 
 
 I most wilHngly concede to the learned 
 gentleman any advantage which may be de- 
 rived from this elegant morsel of criticism. 
 
 I come now, however, to consider a sub- 
 ject of higher import, the assertion of ]Vf r 
 Laing, (p. 414.) " that ostentatious adches- 
 " scs to the sun, moon, and evening star, 
 " arc, alone, a detection of modern poetry, 
 " to which they are peculiar." If tlie learn- 
 ed gentleman had been al)le to establish this 
 position in any other manner, than by his 
 
 L
 
 162 ON THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 ordinary manner of gratuitous assertion, it 
 would have afforded, at least, a very import- 
 ant conclusion, though not a complete proof 
 of his argument. Disclaiming the epithet 
 " ostentatious," whether applied to those 
 addresses that occur in Ossian, or to those 
 which I shall adduce from Greek and Ro- 
 man antiquity, I cannot help expressing my 
 surprise, that the gentleman shoald have ha- 
 zarded such an assertion, when he knows, 
 or, at least, hefore he made it, should have 
 known, that such addresses ahound in the 
 poetry of Greece and Rome. 
 
 I must premise, however, that the Greeks 
 and Romans were influenced, in those ad- 
 dresses, by a very different mythology from 
 that of our Caledonian ancestors ; and that, 
 consequently, they assumed, with each, a 
 somewhat different form. The Greeks and 
 Romans considered the sun, the moon, and 
 the evening star, as constituting, as they ac- 
 tually do, distinct departments of inanimate
 
 OF OSSIAN'S POEMS. 163 
 
 nature, but directed, each of them, by an 
 intelligent being, a divinity, who presided 
 over them, and influenced all their energies. 
 The presiding divinity of the sun was Apol- 
 lo, or Phoebus ; of the moon, Diana ; and of 
 the evening star, Hesperus. To those pre- 
 siding powers, accordingly, these addresses 
 were most usually directed. 
 
 The Celts, again, as shall afterwards be 
 shewn, paid divine honours to the sun chief- 
 ly, of all the celestial luminaries. But they 
 do not seem to have considered the sun as 
 under the influence of a local divinity, like 
 the Greeks. They appear, indeed, to have 
 regarded that luminary as the beneficent pa- 
 rent of light, and life, and heat, to this 
 earth ; but as, itself, under the controul of 
 Destiny, having a beginning, and liable, 
 like every other creatine', to decay and de- 
 struction.* If we attend to the account 
 
 * See the opening of the heautiful iVnginent of Tra- 
 thul, in Smith's Collection, \vhere we have an address to
 
 164 ON THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 which Cffisar and others have given us of 
 the religion of the Druids, it w^ould seem, 
 that the Celts worshipped the sun, only as 
 the representative and emblem of that Power 
 which made and governs all things. 
 
 Though, in the Greek and Roman poets, 
 the more prevailing titles of the addresses 
 in question, are to Apollo, to Diana, and to 
 Venus; yet instances are by no means want- 
 ing of addresses to the sun, moon, and even- 
 ing star, and other striking objects of na- 
 ture, in the very same style and spirit in 
 which they are introduced by Ossian. 
 
 Not to mention, then, the odes of Horace, 
 of Anacreon and Sappho, addressed to the 
 immortals of Olympus, I observe, that we 
 meet with addresses, in the manner of Os- 
 sian, in that of Juno to Sleep, Iliad, xiv. ver, 
 180; to the same, in the Orestes of Eiui- 
 pides, ver, 211; to Night, Orestes, ver. 174; 
 
 the sun, which I consider as equal, if not superior, to that 
 which occurs in Macpherson's Carthon.
 
 OF OSSIAN'S POEMS. 165 
 
 to the Air, Aristophanis Nubes, ver. 263; 
 and to the Earth, Sophochs Philoctetes, ver. 
 403. All these addresses, though not direct- 
 ed to the sun, moon, or evening star, are 
 made to similarly striking objects of nature, 
 and are in the same style of personification 
 with those of Ossian ; they shew, at least, 
 that this manner of writing does not belong, 
 exclusively, to modern poetry. But I pro- 
 ceed to observe, that the ancients furnish us 
 with direct addresses to the sun, the moon, 
 and the evening star. 
 
 In the Carmen Nuptiale of Catullus, two 
 most beautiful addresses to the evenine: star 
 will be found; the one beginning, 
 
 " Hespere, qui ccclofertur cnidelior ignis;" 
 
 and the other, 
 
 " Jhspar, qui arlo lucetjucundior ignis." 
 
 In the hymns ascribed to Homer, and 
 which, whether they be ilonier's or not, arc
 
 166 ON THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 unquestionably of great antiquity, there is 
 an address, or hymn, to the sun, " 'E/f 'Hx/or," 
 and another to the moon, " 'E/? ^ixmrn," both 
 of which Mr Laing, should he take the trouble 
 to peruse them, would, perhaps, be disposed 
 to regard as ostentatious. 
 
 But I would observe, that it is in the 
 choruses of Seneca, the tragedian, that we 
 have the most frequent and appropriate ad- 
 dresses to the sun and moon, in the manner 
 of Ossian. Thus, in his Hyppolitus, act ii., 
 to the moon : 
 
 " Regina nemoruni, sola qiue 7nontes colis 
 " Et una soils montibus coleris dea : 
 " 7}uigna ^has inter et lucos dea 
 " Ctananquc cacli sidus, et noctis deciis, 
 " Cujus relucet vnindus altevnd face." 
 
 That is, literally : " O queen of the forests, 
 " who, solitarily, inhabitest the mountains ; 
 " and who alone art worshipped as a goddess 
 " on the solitary mountains : O mighty god- 
 " dess, amidst the w^oods and groves, bright
 
 OF OSSIAN'S POEMS. 167 
 
 *' luminary of heaven, and ornament of night, 
 " by whose alternate torch the world is en- 
 " lightened." 
 
 And in Hercules Furens, act iii., we have 
 an address to the sun, which begins, 
 
 " lucis alme rector, et cccli decus, 
 
 " Qui allerna curru spatla Jiamiuifero ambiens, 
 
 " Illmtre Icctis exeris terris capiU," 4'c. 
 
 I would especially point out the address 
 to the sun, in Thyestes, act iv., as possessing 
 many ideas in common with the beautiful 
 ad(hess to that luminary, given by Dr Smith, 
 in his fragment entitled Trathul. Seneca's 
 begins with, 
 
 " siuo terranim superumque parens, 
 
 " Cujus (ul ortus, noctis opaccE 
 
 " Decus omncfugit, quo vert is iter," i)X, 
 
 Which is, literally : " Whither, O parent of 
 " earth, and of the powers above, at whose 
 " rising every ornament of the dusky night 
 " retires, whither dost thou turn thy courser"
 
 18 ON THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 In this address, Seneca has again, 
 
 " 2uid te mtherio pepulit cursu ? 
 " Qucc causa tuos limite certo 
 " Dejecit equosf* 
 
 That is: " What hath driven thee from thy 
 " ethereal course ? What cause hath pushed 
 *' thy steeds from their regular track ?'' 
 
 Ossian, in the fragment alluded to, has, 
 in his address to the sun, 
 
 " The storms of the tempestuous seas 
 
 " Shall never blow thee off from thy course/' 
 
 " The steed, in his strength, who finds 
 " his companions in the breeze, and tosses 
 " his bright mane in the wind, is," says IMr 
 " Laing, " a literal and wretched transcript 
 " from Pope's, 
 
 " His head, now freed, he tosses to the skies ; 
 " His mane, dishevelled, o'er his shoulder flies; 
 " He snulls the females on the distant plain, 
 " And springs, exulting, to his fields again." 
 
 As to the " wretchedness" of the transcript.
 
 OF OSSIAN'S POEMS. 169 
 
 I shall offer no remark ; but, as to its being 
 "literal," every reader may judge. If Os- 
 sian's steed be allowed to have a mane, his 
 mane will " toss in the wind ;'' but what is 
 there in common between " a bright mane" 
 and " a dishevelled mane?'' By the way, it 
 is *' his head" that is tossed by the horse of 
 the English poet, and not " his mane." 
 
 All this trifling might have been spared, 
 had it been considered, that, in both these 
 passages, the description relates to a striking 
 object of nature the horse ; and hence, ac- 
 cording to the principles already laid down, 
 similar circumstances will be introduced in- 
 to the description, of whatever period or 
 country the dcscriber be. Referring, as be- 
 fore, to original sources, I observe, that wc 
 have an instance of this, altogether in point, 
 in the descriptions of this noble animal, 
 wiiich have been given in the book of Job,* 
 
 " .U)b, cli. xxxix. rtT. 10.
 
 ITO ON THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 and in the Iliad of Homer,* where many of 
 the most striking images are common to the 
 two authors; and the expression is, in some 
 instances, also the same. The " -0:111010 Kpo- 
 " aiyccr" of Homer is, literally, " the paweth 
 " in the valley," of the Oriental writer ; the 
 " Kvltouv" and " dfKatyicpi 'sriTroi^coi," of Homer, 
 IS, " the rejoiceth in his strength," of Job. 
 But who will maintain, that Homer, in this 
 description, imitated Job ? 
 
 " The description of Moina's ghost," says 
 Mr Laing, " suggested cojrf'essedly" (who has 
 confessed this?) " by Virgil's Dido, is un- 
 " expectedly improved." 
 
 This is a mighty concession, indeed. But 
 I confess, I can discern no similarity in the 
 descriptions, except the common, the obvi- 
 ous, and the natural, image of " the moon 
 '' seen through mist." Has Virgil so appro- 
 
 * Iliad, XV. V. 2G3.
 
 OF OSSIAN'S POEMS. 171 
 
 priated to himself this very familiar image, 
 that it cannot occur, and must not be em- 
 ployed by any other poet? 
 
 In the same manner, though it should 
 seem, that nothing is more obvious than to 
 compare the sun, or the moon, to a shield, 
 yet, as Milton and Home have occupied 
 this image, it must be denied to Ossian ; be- 
 cause Milton makes his stars " hide their 
 diminished heads," Ossian's stars, which have 
 been probably oftener obscured by clouds 
 than Milton's, must not " hide themselves" 
 upon any account; because IMilton's sun has 
 " sulc dominion" ascribed to him, Ossian 
 must take care that his sun shall not "move 
 " alonc^' but must hnd "a companion in his 
 " course." This seems to be strange criti- 
 cism. 
 
 "That the oaks of the mountains fall; 
 " and that the mountains themselves decay 
 " with years, is," says Mr Laing, " a philo- 
 ' so|)hical, or scriptural allusion, remote from
 
 1T2 ON THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 " the sphere of Ossian's observation." I 
 would observe, that the sphere of his obser- 
 vation, and his talent for observing, must 
 have been very circumscribed and mean in- 
 deed, if, in such a country as the Highlands 
 of Scotland, he had. not remarked the decay 
 of aged oaks, and the wasting of the moun- 
 tains by winter's torrents, and by the fall of 
 rocks. These are things to be observed every 
 day. 
 
 Here I may be permitted to remark, that 
 the Highlanders are distinguished, to this 
 day, by the shrewdness of their observations, 
 and by the propriety of their maxims, on the 
 ordinary course of human affairs. Tiie pre- 
 valent colouring of these maxims, and obser- 
 vations, is a certain pleasing melancholy, 
 fostered probably by the sublimity, mixed 
 with gloominess, of the scenery with which 
 they are conversant, together with the fre- 
 quency of disasters occurring to individuals, 
 from accident, or from the inclemencv of
 
 OF OSSIAN'S POEMS. ITS 
 
 the elements. The shortness and uncertain- 
 ty of human hfe, and the prevalence of mis- 
 fortune in the world, are the frequent topics 
 of their reflections, and of their discourse. 
 
 To illustrate this, besides referring to a 
 very valuable collection of Gaelic proverbs, 
 published by the Reverend Mr Donald Mac- 
 intosh, I shall beg leave to adduce a few 
 passages from the Sean-dana of Dr Smith, 
 which I shall translate literally. 
 
 " For ten and twice twenty seasons, in the vale, 
 
 " Over Shithamha, withered the oak : 
 
 " ]khold our days decUning, 
 
 " (Said he, at times, to his friend,) 
 
 " Like the leaf of the oak, Hke the grass of thft 
 
 hill : 
 " One withers away after the other. 
 " Like is the period of life, and of oin- years 
 " To the (juick rushing of a stone along a pre- 
 cipice." 
 
 Los^a Tarna, p. 2SS. 
 
 " How (juickly pass the days of tlic hero I 
 " Ilf sleeps the heath, in the morning j
 
 174 ON THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 " But, before descends the night of clouds, 
 ** Nothing but his cold corpse is to be found. 
 " Dark, short, without a sunbeam on the heath, 
 " The life of the hero is like a day of winter." 
 
 Conn, p. 266. 
 
 " Like a gleam of the sun, in winter, 
 
 " Rushing rapidly over the heath of Lena ; 
 
 " Such are the days of the Fingallians, 
 
 " Like the sun between showers, departing." 
 
 Cat hula, p. 158. 
 
 Malvina, mourning after her sisters, says, 
 
 " I am like the star of the morning, 
 
 " Pale-visaged, after all the luminaries of night: 
 
 " Brief is the course of her light, 
 
 " As she travels after them, mournful. 
 
 " The maiden arises to the mountain's chace ; 
 
 " But she beholds not her * aspect above. 
 
 " We shall depart in our own season, 
 
 " (Says she, with tears, to her companions.)" 
 
 Losga Tuura, p. 305. 
 
 The parallehsms, founded on the bhnd- 
 
 * That is, of the star of morning.
 
 OF OSSIAN'S POEMS. 175 
 
 ness of Ossian, and that of Homer and ^lil- 
 ton, are surely nothing else than the natural 
 expression of the feelings of persons placed 
 in similar circumstances. Because Homer 
 and Milton were blind, must no other poet 
 be so? and to all men, who are blind, is not 
 *' the sun dark?" to them does he not " shine 
 " in vain ?" But that Mr Laing should dis- 
 cover the " hall to which the moon retires," 
 at her change, in Milton's " vacant inter- 
 " lunar cave,"' is a stretch of imagination, 
 and a disco\ery in astronomy, which are far 
 beyond my powers. 
 
 Of the parallelism of Virgil's 
 
 " Suale per incertam Lunam, sub luce maligna," i)C. 
 
 and Ossian s " glimmering light of the moon, 
 " when it shines through broken clouds,'" I 
 M'ould only say, that it amounts to nothing 
 more than that men of genius, as I have al- 
 ready suggested, in describing the ordinary 
 a])j)earauces of nature, will seize, in com-
 
 176 ON THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 mon, on the most prominent features, and 
 necessarily produce a similar picture. Os- 
 sian was not, perhaps, as good an astrono- 
 mer as Virgil ; but he had probably as many 
 opportunities, as the courtly inhabitant of 
 Rome, of observing the picturesque scenery 
 of moon-light ; and, perhaps also, he had as 
 powerful a talent in describing it. 
 
 The same remark extends also to Ossian's 
 " flower of the rock, that lifts its fair head 
 " unseen ; and strews its withered leaves on 
 " the blast." It may even be observed, that 
 Ossian's image surpasses that of Catullus, 
 
 " Flos in septis, secretis nascitur hortis," 
 
 in point of appropriate elegance ; but it 
 may, perhaps, be allowed to be inferior to 
 Gray's 
 
 " Full many a flower is born to blush unseen, 
 " And waste its fragrance on the desart air." 
 
 Had Ossian, or his translator, been mcrelv
 
 OF OSSIAN'S POEMS. 177 
 
 imitators, in this instance, they would pro- 
 bably have chosen " strews fragrance," in- 
 stead of " strews withered leaves." The 
 image, in all these instances, is beautiful; 
 but it is obvious and natural; it has occur- 
 red to thousands, though, perhaps, it has 
 not, by any others, been so well expressed. 
 
 *' Oscar's soliloquy, when alone, in Caros," 
 says Mr Laing, " is written in emulation of 
 " Ulysses' soliloquy in the Iliad." By parity 
 of reason, we must conclude, that every 
 other solilocjuy of a hero, left in distress, 
 must be written in emulation of the same 
 Homeric model. It is to be remarked, that 
 Mr Laing does not, in this instance, allege 
 the most distant shade of imitation. 
 
 " Like the noise of a cave, when the sea 
 " of Togormo rolls before it," it will pro- 
 bably be admitted, is an image very natu- 
 ral and obvious to an inhabitant of the west- 
 ern coast of Scotlanil, where this grand fea- 
 ture of nature is so frequently exhibited on 
 
 M
 
 178 ON THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 the most magnificent scale. But, accord- 
 ing to Mr Laing, O 
 ed it from Milton's 
 
 ing to Mr Laing, Ossian must have borrow"' 
 
 " When hollow rocks retain 
 
 " The sound of blustering winds, which, all night long, 
 " Had raised the sea." 
 
 A very slight analysis will satisfy us, 
 that the learned gentleman has been peculi- 
 arly unfortunate in this example of imita- 
 tion. In Ossian, it is evidently the reverbe- 
 ration of the roaring of' the waves, from a cave 
 on the .shore, which is "spoken of; in Milton, 
 it is the sound of the winds retained in the cave 
 itself. 
 
 Another instance of classical imitation is 
 given very pompously; " that Ossian should 
 " compare the generations of men to leaves," 
 with Horace ; or to " the annual succession 
 " of leaves,'* with Homer, is declared to be 
 " a supposition too gross for the most cre- 
 *' dulous to beheve."
 
 OF OSSIAN'S POEMS. 179 
 
 Without recurring to the remarks, which 
 I have formerly offered, and endeavoured to 
 exempHfy, on the frequency and apposite- 
 ness of the maxims of the Highlanders, con- 
 cerning the uncertainty of the condition of 
 man in this world, (maxims probably deri- 
 ved from the philosophy of the Druids;) I 
 shall only observe, that, to men, who are ca- 
 pable of the slightest reflection, the progress 
 of human beings, from their birth to their 
 death, cannot be more obviously or fitly sug- 
 gested, than by images borrowed from the 
 growth and decay of the subjects of the ve- 
 getable kingdom, which is, at all seasons, 
 under our observation. Accordingly, we 
 fmd, that images, derived from this source, 
 have been adopted, and abound in the poetry 
 of all nations. This imagery is far more an- 
 cient than Horace, and is to be met with in 
 authors who had no connnunication with 
 Homer. " Men," says the Psalmist, " are 
 ** like grass that groweth up: in the morn-
 
 180 ON THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 " ing, it flourisheth, and grovv'eth up ; in the 
 " evening, it is cut down, and withereth/'* 
 " As for man, his days are as grass, as a 
 " flower of the field, so he flourisheth ; for 
 " the wind passeth over it, and it is gone, 
 " and the place thereof shall know it no 
 " more."t 
 
 In the description of Swaran, " tall as a 
 " rock of ice, and his spear like a blasted 
 " pine," Mr Laing recognizes Milton's spear 
 of Satan, 
 
 " To equal which, the tallest pine," &c. 
 
 Here, again, it would appear, that the 
 learned gentleman has not attended to the 
 well known principle, that all men are dis- 
 posed to represent nature under the com- 
 mon aspect which she presents in every age 
 and country. Pines grow still in Scot- 
 
 * Psalm xc. ver. 5. 
 t Psalm ciii. ver. 15.
 
 eF OSSIAN'S P0F:MS. 181 
 
 land, and they grew formerly in more abun- 
 dance. Ossian had probably occasion to 
 see taller pines than the Poet of England 
 had ever beheld; but Milton's imagination 
 was assisted by the description of '' the ce- 
 ** dars of Lebanon." When, therefore, they 
 had occasion to describe an enormous length 
 of spear, what was more natural, than that 
 the one should borrow his image from the 
 statehest tree of which lie had read, and the 
 other, from the stateliest tree wiiich he had 
 seen? 
 
 It appears almost unnecessary to take no- 
 tice of Mr Laing's parallel between the de- 
 scription of a battle in Ossian, and that of 
 one in Pope's Homer. The only common 
 traits that occur in these descriptions, anxi- 
 ously marked in italics, arc " echoing hills;" 
 " streams pouring," in Ossian, " from the 
 "hills;" and, iu Pope, "along the j)lain," 
 and " roaring" as they pour. It is unneces- 
 sary here to enter into a j)li} sical argument
 
 18S ON THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 to prove, that, when sounds are emitted, 
 hills, if they are near enough, must " echo;" 
 that streams, in every age and country, " pour 
 " down from hills;" and that, as they " pour," 
 they roar. 
 
 Where, again I would ask, is the resem- 
 blance between the following sentences : 
 " CuchuUin's sword was like the beam of 
 " heaven, when it pierces the sons of the 
 " vale : the people are blasted, and fall, 
 " and all the hills are burning around ;" and 
 Pope's 
 
 " Less loud the woods, when flames in torrents pour, 
 " Catch the dry mountain, and its shades devour?" 
 
 or Virgil's 
 
 " Ac vehui immissi diversls partihus ignes 
 " Arentem ad si/lvam ?" 
 
 Does not every one, who understands the 
 languages in which these sentences are writ- 
 ten, perceive, that Ossian's is the compari-
 
 OF OSSIAN'S POEMS. 183 
 
 son of a hero's sword to lightning, which is 
 well known frequently to produce conflagra- 
 tion; whilst, in the two last, there is no- 
 thing of a sword, or lightning, but only of 
 an ordinary conflagration ? 
 
 The conformity of the imagery employ- 
 ed in describing Cuchullin's encounter with 
 Swaran, and that of Milton's combat of Sa- 
 tan and Death, is adduced, by ]\lr Laiiig, 
 as another proof of Ossian's plagiarism. Let 
 any impartial reader compare the passages, 
 and, if he can discover any other similarity, 
 besides the comparison of the respective 
 heroes to " two clouds," as Ossian has it, or 
 to " two black clouds," as Milton, 1 siiall, 
 at least, yield up this instance. Mr Laing, 
 r observe, would insinuate, by his italics, 
 another j)()int of reseuiblance : Os^iau, as 
 before, compares bis hero's sword to light- 
 fiii/g; and Milton describes Ins tiro black 
 clouds as " frauglit with heaven's artillery.'' 
 Is this imitation- Is it resembiance ?
 
 184 ON THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 It is, I must confess, a very irksome task 
 to pursue, through all their hght shades, 
 those empty phantoms of resemblance, which 
 the learned gentleman conjures up to his ex- 
 hibition, with such extreme facility. By this 
 same method, any composition whatever may 
 be assimilated to any other, without end; if 
 a single expression, or image, however na- 
 tural and obvious, occurring, in common, in 
 different authors, be deemed sufficient to 
 establish the charge of plagiarism. 
 
 " JVtep not on thy rock of roaring winds, 
 " O maid of Innistore," is, with Mr Laing, 
 
 " On Norway's coasts, the widowed dame 
 " jVIay wash the rocks with tears." 
 
 Ossian's " bend thy fair head over the 
 " waves," is, 
 
 " May lang look o'er the seas." 
 
 Surely the learned gentleman docs not ima-
 
 OF OSSIAN'S POEMS. 183 
 
 gine, that this will make any impression, or 
 that it requires refutation. 
 
 Mr Laing (p. 424.) triumphs in " a sin- 
 " gular detection." In the episode of Cair- 
 bar and Brassolis, Mr Macpherson had trans- 
 lated, " Here rests their dust ; and these two 
 " lonely yews sprung from their tombs, and 
 " wished to meet on high." This, being 
 reprobated by Dr Blair, was altered, it ap- 
 pears, into " the lonely yews sprung from 
 " tlieir tombs to shade them from the 
 " storm.'* 
 
 I have already shewn the futility of ^fr 
 Laing's argument to prove the non-existence 
 of tlie yew-tree in Scotland ; and, as to the 
 alteration made, in the expression of this 
 sentence, in a later edition, by Mr Macpher- 
 son, it is what may be very easily accounted 
 for, if we consider, for a moment, the man- 
 ner in wliich he, and I)r Smitli, and indeed 
 all collectors of poetry from oral tradition, 
 not excepting Lycnrgus himself, did, and
 
 186 ON THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 necessarily must, proceed in arranging the 
 different recitations which they meet with. 
 
 I have seen an extract of a letter (as far as I 
 recollect) of the late Reverend Mr Maclagan 
 of Blair in Atholl, inserted by way of a note, 
 on a page of one of the volumes of Duncan 
 Kennedy's Collection of Gaelic Poetry, now 
 in the possession of the Highland Society of 
 Scotland, from which it appears, that Mr 
 Macpherson possessed, at least, tlu^ee differ- 
 ent recited editions of one of the poems 
 which he published; that he did not adhere 
 implicitly to any one of them ; but that, by 
 exercising his taste and judgment, in select- 
 ing, and in arranging, he has presented an 
 edition more perfect than any of them sing- 
 ly could have furnished. In the exercise of 
 this judgment and taste, indeed, in selecting, 
 and in arranging, I have always considered 
 Mr Macpherson's chief merit to consist, 
 
 Dr Smith, too, in his Gleanings of Gaelic 
 Poetry, some of which possess very high
 
 OF OSSIAN'S POEMS. 18T 
 
 merit, has avowedly pursued the same plan. 
 He frequently suppresses passages ordinarily 
 given in recitation ; because he does not 
 consider them as properly belonging to the 
 poem, and subjoins them in a note, as in 
 Tiomna Ghuill, p. 69^ See also, pp. 232. 
 272. 309, &c. And, where he has occasion 
 to hesitate, with regard to the preferable 
 edition, he gives the one in the text, and 
 tlie other in a note, as in p. 59- Besides, I 
 observe, that, in almost every page of the 
 Scatidana, we have whole lines, at the bot- 
 tom of tlie page, in the style of Bentley's va- 
 rious readings. 
 
 But I anticipate a subject, which will 
 come to be considered afterwards, when I 
 shall endeavour to shew, that, except the sc- 
 n:enth hook of Temora, and a few of the purer 
 passages of I)r Smith's Collection, no ])art 
 ofOssian's poetry, which iuis yet been pre- 
 sented to the j)ublic, is a fiir object of criti- 
 cism. The ex|)ressions, the imagery, and
 
 188 ON THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 even the sentiments, have undergone such a 
 change, in the translations, that the genuine 
 style ofOssianis not easily to be recognised. 
 
 " Crugal's ghost of mist" is insinuated, by 
 Mr Laing, to be the olispring of the shade 
 of Patroclus, the " wn v.xtt^o^' of Homer, 
 with an acknowledged improvement. But 
 this, the gentleman must be informed, is 
 sacred ground. We, Highlanders, claim 
 as extensive an acquaintance with the race 
 of ghosts, as any persons whatever : we in- 
 deed claim, in them, an almost exclusive 
 property. Nor is the construction of our 
 ghosts less elegant than those of Homer. 
 We, as well as he, believe them to be airy, 
 unsubstantial forms, which sometimes render 
 themselves visible, like mist, or the conden- 
 sed breath of animals. 
 
 Of the allusions to Jrost, which occur in 
 these Poems, I have taken notice already. 
 " The heroes," says Ossian, " stood on the 
 " heath, like oaks, with all their branches
 
 OF OSSIAN'S POEMS* 
 
 " round them, when they echo in the stream 
 " of frost; and their withered branches are 
 
 " rustling in the wind." 
 
 The original of this is found, by Mr 
 Laing, in Milton's 
 
 " Stood, 
 
 Their glory withered, as when Heaven's fire/ 
 
 &c. 
 
 " Their stately growth 
 
 " Stands on the blasted heath." 
 
 And, again, Ossian has : " They stood Hkc 
 *' a half-consumed grove of oaks, when we 
 " see the sky through its branches, and the 
 *' meteor passing behind." " This," says j\Ir 
 Laing, " is Milton's 
 
 " Satan alarmed. 
 
 " Collecting all his might, dilated stood, 
 
 " Like Tenerille, or Atlas, unremoved; 
 
 " His stature reached the sky, and on his crest 
 
 " Sat horror plumed."- 
 
 In order to refute the charge of plagia- 
 rism, in these instances, nothing further
 
 IM ON THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 seems requisite, than to place the passages 
 beside each other, and to request the read- 
 er's attention to the alleged resemblance. 
 
 " CuchuUin stood before him, like a hill 
 " that catches the clouds of heaven ; the 
 "winds contend on its head of pines ; the 
 "hail rattles on its rocks: but firm, in its 
 " strength, it stands, and shades the vale of 
 " Cona.'' This, with Mr Laing, is Virgil's 
 
 " Horrendumque intonat armis. 
 
 " Quantus Athos^ ant quantiis Etyi; ant ipse coruscis, 
 " Cum fremit ilicibus quantiis, gaudetque nivali 
 " Venice, se attollens pater Appeninus ad auras." * 
 
 There are, indeed, in these passages, some 
 slight shades of resemblance, such as must 
 occur in the compositions of men of genius, 
 describing natural scenes of the same kind ; 
 but these passages, at the same time, pre- 
 sent strong Hues of difference. In Virgil, a 
 hero, rustling in his armour, is very well 
 
 * ^n. lib. xii. v. 700.
 
 OF OSSIAN'S POEMS. 191 
 
 compared to a mountain, resounding under 
 the storm: in Ossian, again, we have an 
 image, frequently employed by poets, of a 
 hero, firm in his strength, like the hill that 
 catches the clouds of heaven, and resists the 
 hail rattling on its rocks. 
 
 " Perhaps the most egregious imitation,"' 
 says I\fr Laing, *' is that of Milton's sun in 
 " an eclipse. Ossiati has, * the darkened 
 " moon, when she moves in a dun circle, 
 " through the heavens, and dreadful change 
 " is CA'pected by men' This," says ]\lr Laing, 
 " is Milton's moon 
 
 " III dim edij).se/' (which) " with fear of change, 
 " Perplexes monarchs." 
 
 Surely ]VIr Laing is not ignorant, that all 
 rude nations have entertained awful forebo- 
 dings of evil, from the eclipses of the celes- 
 tial luminaries. Some nations imagine, that, 
 when the sun or moon arc in eclipse, they 
 are assailed by a hideous dragon; and they
 
 192 ON THE AUTHEJfTlCITY 
 
 beat drums and kettles, in order to terrify 
 the monster. In all periods of rude society, 
 these phenomena have been supposed to 
 prognosticate the disasters of nations, and 
 the downfal of empires. It would have been 
 strange, if our Caledonian ancestors had af- 
 fixed no such notions to those appearances. 
 The only other coincidence of Ossian with 
 a classical writer, of which I shall take no- 
 tice, is his comparison of a hero to " a rock 
 " in a sandy vale : the sea comes with its 
 " waves, and roars against its hardened sides : 
 " its head is covered with foam, the hills are 
 " echoing around." " This," says MrLaing, 
 " is Virgil's 
 
 " Ille velut pelagi rapes immota resistit; 
 
 " Ut pelagi rupes, magno veniente fragore 
 
 " Qua sese, multis circum latranlibiis undis, 
 
 " Mole tenet : Scopuli ncquicquum ct spuniea oircum 
 
 " Saxa fretnunt." 
 
 It is wonderful, that ]\Ir Laing should not 
 have perceived, that this is a simile founded
 
 OF OSSIAN'S POEMS. 193 
 
 on appearances so obvious and natural, that 
 they must necessarily occur to all observers, 
 who have had an opportunity of beholding 
 them : and it may be remarked, that Ossian 
 had, at least, as many opportunities of see- 
 ing a rock beat by the waves of the sea as 
 Virgil. After all, the only common traits, in 
 the two similes, are the " foam" and the 
 " roaring of the waves."
 
 194 ON THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 SECTION VII. 
 
 Alleged Imitatioyu of sacred Scripture considered. 
 Rhyme occurring in Ossian. Proof of the Use 
 of Rhyme, in Wales, before the Twelfth Cen- 
 tury, from Giraldus Cambrensis. Conclusion of 
 Remarks on Mr Laing's Criticism. 
 
 Mk Laing, in proof of Mr Macpherson's 
 being the author of these poems, has addu- 
 ced a long hst of supposed imitations of the 
 style and imagery of sacred Scripture. And 
 here, indeed, it must be acknowledged, that 
 we find certain coincidences much more 
 strongly marked than those which we have 
 been lately considering. But is not this just 
 what might have been expected, that Os- 
 sian, living in an early period, and in a 
 simple state of society, should abound in 
 
 10
 
 OF OSSIAN'S POEMS. 195 
 
 that boldness of imagery, which particularly 
 characterizes the earlier writers of every 
 country? Dr Blair, who, it will probably be 
 allowed, notwithstanding the sneer of ]\lr 
 Laing,* was as well entitled to lay down 
 canons of criticism as any man, since the 
 days of Quintilian, has observed, " that Ori- 
 " ental poetry might be termed, with the 
 " same propriety, Occidental, as it is charac- 
 " teristic rather of an age, than of a country, 
 " and, in some measure, belongs to all na- 
 " tions, in a rude and early state." Hence, 
 accordingly, it is, that, in figurativeness of 
 expression, and abruptness of transition, the 
 style of Ossian bears a greater athnity to 
 that of Moses, and Solomon, and Homer, 
 tlian to that of Virgil or Ovid. 
 
 It is on this principle, without having re- 
 course to imitation, that we may easily ac- 
 f(Mml tor the slight resemblance that is to 
 
 ^ Pase 400.
 
 196 ON THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 be found in the Queen of Sheba's address to 
 Solomon, and Ossian's " Happy are thy 
 " people, O Fingal ; thou art the first in 
 " their danger ; the wisest in the days of 
 " their peace." The parallehsms, between 
 some passages in the Song of Solomon and 
 those cited from Ossian, are also striking, 
 and one of them is pointed out by Mr Mac- 
 pherson himself; a certain indication of the 
 light in which he considered them. But, if 
 we examine these parallelisms attentively, 
 we shall find, that they all consist of images 
 borrowed from common and obvious objects; 
 as, '' the roe and the hart;" " the passing off 
 " of the storm, or of the winter, or of rain." 
 Will any person say, that, because Solomon 
 has employed these images, they could not 
 occur to the poet of another country, not 
 dissimilar to Palestine in its scenery, and in 
 its natural productions ? Must Ossian be 
 charged with plagiarism, when he says, " I 
 " will bring thee to my father's house;" be-
 
 OF OSSIAN'S POEMS. 197 
 
 cause Solomon had said, " I will bring thee 
 " to my mother's house r" Because the King 
 of Israel, in describing female beauty, se- 
 lects those traits which, in every age, and 
 in every country, have been deemed the 
 constituents of beauty, must Ossian, if he 
 pretends to speak of female loveliness, be of 
 a different taste from Solomon, and Homer, 
 and'Anacrcon, and make beauty consist in 
 something else than what was ever account- 
 ed beautiful before ? 
 
 In the description of Cuchullin's car, I\Ir 
 Laing recognizes Solomon's chariot, and 
 Ovid's chariot of the sun. That the Cale- 
 donians, of that period, had their cars, we 
 know from the testimony of Greek and Ro- 
 man history. But, I fancy, it m'WI be a diffi- 
 cult matter to identify Solomon's " bottom 
 " of gold, his covering of purple, and paving 
 " of love," with Ossian's " scat of bone, and 
 "the bottom the footstool of heroes ;"' or 
 tliat of Ovid's " golden pole, liis chryso-
 
 198 ON THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 " lyths and gems," with Ossian's simple 
 " beam of polished yew," and embossment 
 of " native stones." 
 
 To call the grave " a house, or dwelling," 
 is, I believe, a metaphor to be found in all 
 languages. It is called, in scripture, " the 
 " house appointed to all living." Ossian's 
 " dark and narrow house" * is, according to 
 Mr Laing, " a transcript of this Scripture 
 " expression." Had he consulted his classics, 
 he might have found a much more apposite 
 original in Horace's " Domtis eiilis Pluto- 
 "' 7iia;'\ and, in the same passage, he might 
 have seen how frequently common and ob- 
 vious objects are described under the same 
 images, by writers of very different ages and 
 countries, without any possible ground to 
 
 * The expression occurs in the original of the Seventh 
 Book of Temora. It is, " '^righ caol gun lens;" that is, 
 literally, " The narrow house without a torch." 
 
 t Hor, Carm. lib. i. ode 4. " The narrow house of 
 " Pluto."
 
 OF OSSIAN'S POEMS. 199 
 
 suspect that the one had imitated or copied 
 the other. In the ode of Horace, which has 
 been alluded to, we find death, just as in the 
 style of Scripture, termed night ; and the 
 shortness of human life described in almost 
 the same words with those of the Psalmist. 
 The " vit(e summa brevis" of Horace, is the 
 " few have the days of the years of my life 
 " been," of the patriarch Jacob, or the "thou 
 " hast made my days as an handbreadth,"' of 
 King David. It were, indeed, an insult to 
 the understanding of the reader to multiply 
 examples of such coincidences of thought 
 and imagery, which occur in writers, who 
 could not possibly have had any mutual com- 
 munication of ideas. 
 
 On this principle, I consider it as altoge- 
 ther unnecessary to enter into a more mi- 
 nute discussion of the other resemblances 
 between certain passages of Scripture and 
 certain passages of Ossian, where, indeed, 
 amidst much dissimilarity, there are to be
 
 200 ON THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 found some ideas and terms which coincide; 
 and I must again add, that, until we have 
 the whole original of Ossian before us, as 
 we have the Seventh Book of Temora, or, 
 at least, a faithful and literal translation, we 
 are not in a condition to institute a satisfac- 
 tory comparison. Mr Macpherson, as I shall 
 afterwards endeavour to shew, has, on many 
 occasions, like other translators, adopted 
 phrases, and turns of expression, which, from 
 his acquaintance with the ancient classics, 
 and particularly from his acquaintance with 
 Scripture, (acquired, probably, as Mr Laing 
 insinuates, during his studies in the Divinity 
 Hall,) were familiar to his own mind. But 
 are any of these phrases to be traced in Os- 
 sian ? Are any of them to be found in the 
 original of the Seventh Book of Temora? 
 This will be seen in the sequel. 
 
 The imagery employed by Ossian, in de- 
 scribing the fall of Balclutha, is compared, by 
 Mr Laing, with some descriptions of deso-
 
 OF OSSIAN'S POEMS. 801 
 
 lation which occur in Scripture. But who 
 does not perceive, that " thorns, and thistles, 
 " and rank weeds, with the intrusions of the 
 " fox, and other wild animals, on the desert- 
 *' ed dwelling," must necessarily enter into 
 the description of such a scene, to whatever 
 age or country the poet may belong ? 
 
 The last of Mr Laing's objections to the 
 authenticity and antiquity of these Poems, 
 which shall now be noticed, is expressed as 
 follows: (p. 436.) " Rhyme,"' says he, " is a 
 *' corruption of Greek and Latin poetry, fust 
 " introduced, on account of its extreme fa- 
 " cility, into monkish verse ; and adopted, 
 " in Italian poetry, in the ninth century ; 
 " into Saxon, in the eleventh ; and into 
 " Scandinavian poetry, in the begiuning of 
 " the thirteenth century. In Welsh poetry. 
 " it was unknown to CJiraldus Cambrensis, 
 " in the twelfth century. The introduction 
 *' of lihynu's, in Ossian, live lunulrcd years 
 ' before they were known in Europe, and
 
 202 ON THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 " one thousand years before they were used 
 " in Wales, is alone a detection." 
 
 This objection, were it enforced by ade- 
 quate proofs, would, no doubt, have very 
 great weight. It had been obliging, how- 
 ever, if the learned gentleman had directed 
 his readers to the precise passage, in which 
 Giraldus asserts, that rhymes were unknown 
 in Wales in the twelfth century. I have 
 searched, in vain, for any which can, by the 
 most remote implication, be understoodto con- 
 vey such an idea. But, unfortunately for Mr 
 Laing's argument, there occurs a well known 
 passage, in which Giraldus expressly affirms, 
 that the Welsh excelled in rhymes : " In 
 " cantilenis rythmicis, et dictam'me, taynsuhtiks 
 " intenhmtur, ut 7nir(2 et exquisitcc inventionis, 
 " tmn 'verborum, qiiam sententiarum projerant 
 ^^ ei'ornat tones ; unde et poetas (qiws Bardos 
 " meant) ad hoc deputatos multos invenias.'' '' 
 
 ^ Cambriae Descriptio, c. xii.
 
 OF OSSIAN'S POEMS. 203 
 
 That is : " They are found so polished in 
 " rhyming ditties,! and in expression, that 
 " they produce beauties of words and senti- 
 " ment, of wonderful and exquisite inven- 
 " tion ; whence you may find poets amongst 
 " them (whom they call Bards) appointed for 
 " this purpose." 
 
 The passage is important; it shews not 
 only how unfounded is the assertion of Mr 
 Laing, but that, from the nicety (subtiks) 
 and perfection to which the Welsh had, in 
 the days of Giraldus, carried the invention 
 of rhyme, its use amongst them must neces- 
 sarily have been of great antiquity. Indeed, 
 were this the proper place for such a disquisi- 
 tion, it miglit not be difficult to shew, that 
 rhyme had its first origin amongst the nations 
 of Celtic stock. When we consider the ac- 
 
 t It is admitted by a learned journalist, (Edinburgh 
 Review, No. VII. p. 'JOG.) that rytltiuicis is the adjective 
 ii^reeing with auitilcnis.
 
 204 ON THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 count of Cagsar and of Mela, already cited, 
 " that the disciples of the Druids, during a 
 " course of study, which sometimes was 
 " continued for twenty years, learned a vast 
 " number of verses, which they committed 
 " to memory," it appears highly probable, 
 at least, that, in order to facilitate the reten- 
 tion of such a mass of verse, they found it 
 necessary to have recourse to rhyme, an in- 
 vention evidently calculated to ease the la- 
 bours, and to promote the accuracy, of the 
 Bardic recitations. 
 
 I have now done with my observations on 
 the criticisms of Mr Laing. I hope that on 
 no occasion, in considering his arguments, 
 have I said any thing inconsistent with the 
 respect which I bear to his abilities, and to 
 his honourable profession. Mr Laing depre- 
 cates abuse : I trust, that I shall not be 
 deemed to have given him any. But I can-
 
 OF OSSIAN'S POEMS. 205 
 
 not help expressing something more than 
 regret, when he allows so many intemperate 
 expressions to escape himself, in speaking of 
 such respectable characters as Dr Blair, Lord 
 Kames, Dr Smith, &c. Speaking of those 
 gentlemen of the Highlands, " who have at- 
 " tested the authenticity of Mr Macpher- 
 " son's translations," he says, *' had Mr Mac- 
 " pherson, instead of an epic poem, pro- 
 " claimed the discovery of a new Gospel, I 
 " verily believe, he M-ould have obtained the 
 " same attestations." I must beg leave to 
 tell Mr Laing, in return to the indecent flip- 
 pancy of this remark, that there are, in the 
 liighlands of Scotland, persons who, whilst 
 they believe the poems ascribed to Ossian to 
 be ancient and authentic, are able also to 
 form a proper estimate of the infinitely more 
 important objects of their religious faith ; and 
 who, whilst they can innocently amuse them- 
 selves in perusing a page of Homer or of
 
 806 ON THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 Ossian, with as much taste as the learned 
 gentleman, know, and value, the Sacred Vo- 
 lume too highly " to receive another Gospel, 
 " though it were preached to them by an 
 " angel from heaven."
 
 OF OSSIAN'S POEMS. SOT 
 
 SECTION VIII. 
 
 Estimate of the different Collections of Gaelic Poetry, 
 which have been made, by Mr Jerome Stone, 
 Mr Duncan Kennedy, and Dr John Smith. 
 
 It would seem, tliat tliere is no method bet- 
 ter calculated to elucidate the subject of the 
 authenticity of these poems, than a particu- 
 lar enquiry into the manner in which the 
 different collections of them have been con- 
 ducted and given to the world. Of these 
 collections, that of Mr Macpherson undoubt- 
 edly claims our principal attention; but it 
 is not foreign to our argument to notice, 
 shortly, those of Mr Stone, Dr Smith, and 
 Mr Kennedy.
 
 ON THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 I. Jerome Stone. 
 
 Mr Jerome Stone, formerly, I believe, a 
 schoolmaster at Dunkeld, seems to have been 
 the first, who drew the attention of the pub- 
 lic to the ancient poetry of the Highlands. 
 In 1756, he published, in the Scots Maga- 
 zine, a translation, in verse, of Bas Fhra- 
 oich, (the Death of Fraoch,) under the title 
 of Albin and Mey. The original appears to 
 be a poem of very great antiquity ; and pos- 
 sesses much merit and interest. It is given, 
 by Mr Mackenzie, in the Appendix to the 
 Report of the Committee, (p. 99.) with 
 Stone's version, and a literal one subjoined, 
 in thirty-three stanzas of four lines each. 
 Mr Mackenzie has given it from Mr Stone's 
 own copy, which he procured, with some 
 trouble, from Mr Chalmers of London. It 
 approaches nearer to the style of the Gaelic
 
 OF OSSIAN'S POEMS. t09 
 
 fragments of Ossian, that are before the 
 pubhc, than any thing I have yet met with. 
 
 With regard to this poem, I have to men- 
 tion, as an additional proof of the actual 
 transmission of very ancient Gaehc poetry, 
 by oral tradition, through a long period of 
 time, that there is an old woman, now alive, 
 and residing atKirktown of Aberfoyle, Sarah 
 Maclachlane, a native of Ardgour, in Loch- 
 aber, who lately repeated to me this long 
 poem, as given by Mr Mackenzie, verse for 
 verse, with the exception of the transposi- 
 tion of a few stanzas; but with the omission 
 of none. She can repeat no other ancient 
 Gaelic poem; but is well actjuaintcd with 
 the historical tradition of the burning of 
 Taura, the palace of Fingal, with all the 
 wives of the Fingallians ; a story Mliich 
 forms the subject of one of the poems given 
 in l)r Smith's Collection, entitled /jhsi^a 
 Taura. 
 
 Though ^h Macpherson be the next, in
 
 810 ON THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 point of time, and by far the most eminent 
 in the importance of his collections, it seems 
 more convenient, reserving the consideration 
 of his Ossian till the last, to discuss the me- 
 rits of the inferior collections of Dr Smith, 
 and of Mr Kennedy. 
 
 II. DuNCAisr Kennedy. 
 
 Of these two gentlemen, Mr Kennedy, 
 formerly a schoolmaster in Argyleshire, now 
 an accountant in Glasgow, appears to have 
 begun to collect Gaelic poetry first; that is^ 
 somewhat prior to the year 17biO. He has 
 given an account of the names and residence 
 of the persons, from whose oral recitation he 
 collected these poems, which is published in 
 the Appendix to the Committee's Report, 
 No. xvi. Art. 2. 
 
 His collection consists of three thin folio 
 volumes, in manuscript, which were purcha- 
 sed, some years ago, by the Highland bociety
 
 OF OSSIAN'S POEMS. 211 
 
 of Scotland, and are now in the possession 
 of the Society. I have seen them, a few 
 years ago, by the favour of Mr jVIackenzie, 
 in the hands of the late Dr Donald Smith. 
 
 As the share which it appears Mr Ken- 
 nedy had in framing that collection is no 
 longer a secret, and especially as his preten- 
 sions, on this occasion, have, with those to 
 whom they are yet unexplained, tended to 
 confirm their scepticism, on the subject of 
 Ossian s Poems, I consider it as my duty to 
 investigate this point minutely, and, at the 
 same time, with the utmost impartiality. 
 
 In October 1805, an opportunity occur- 
 red to me of opening a correspondence with 
 Mr Kennedy, on the subject of Ossiuns 
 Poems, of which I shall now give a faithful 
 account. 
 
 In return to his letter, of October 18. 
 180:3, in wliich he obligingly expresses " his 
 " readiness to answer any ([ueries which I 
 ^' might propose to him on the subject,"" I
 
 212 ON THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 wrote to him, and pointed out to him a pas- 
 sage in one of Dr Smith's letters to Mr Mac- 
 kenzie, which is as follows : " I have to 
 " mention," says Dr Smith, " that, on my 
 " observing the beauty of one or two pas- 
 " sages of these poems, the person who gave 
 " it me (Mr Kennedy) said, these 'ivere of his 
 " own compositio7i. This assertion I then placed 
 " to the account of his vanity; but I think 
 " it right to state it to you as I had it, and 
 " leave you to think of it as you please."* 
 
 I then proceeded to state, to Mr Kennedy, 
 " how much it concerned his honour to 
 " take notice of this chaige ; at the same 
 " time, strongly expressing my suspicions, 
 " that it was, in some measure, well found- 
 " ed ; that I did not consider it as impro- 
 " bable, that he, versed from his earliest 
 " years in the traditional poetry of his coun- 
 '' try, and smitten with the lo\e of ancient 
 
 * Report of the Committee, App. p. 8!).
 
 OF OSSIAN'S POEMS. tlS 
 
 " song, might have been tempted, in the ar- 
 " dour of youthful fancy, to imitate Ossian, 
 " and to add his own compositions to the 
 "collection; that, if this was indeed the 
 " case, as I suspected it to be, it was far 
 " more honourable for himself, and even 
 " highly proper, in the present state of men's 
 *' minds on this subject, to come forward, 
 "and make a fair acknowledgnient of the 
 " share which he had in the business, of 
 " which I engaged myself to be the vehicle 
 " to the public." 
 
 Mr Kennedy, in a letter of the ^oth Oc- 
 tober, 1805, consisting of fourteen pages 
 folio, and containing much extraneous mat- 
 ter, which it does not appear necessary, at 
 present, to adduce, writes : " I have still 
 " my fears, that it will lead both parties, 
 " engaged in this controversy, into :i dread- 
 " ful warfare; and that it will give grounds 
 " to critics and sceptics to ca\ il, and will 
 " ("onfu-ni, in part, ^hat they have, for many
 
 14 ON THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 " years, laboured to prove, and to admit, 
 " that Dr Smith has told the truth, when 
 " he avers, 'that both are partly in the right, 
 " and partly in the wrong.' But the mate- 
 " rial fact ought and will be supported, ' that 
 " Fingal fought, and Ossian sung;' and that 
 " the latter has immortalized the fame of his 
 " father, and of the seven legions, or batta- 
 " lions, (seachd catha'm na Feinne,) who 
 " fought many battles under his sun-beam, 
 " or gik-greine. 
 
 " As the rage of both parties must soon 
 '' subside, a fair division of property ought 
 " to take place, and poetical justice distri- 
 " buted between Ossian and the fabrica- 
 " tors. It will, therefore, be admitted, at 
 " least by me, that Macpherson has inter- 
 " polated;* that Smith has composed; and 
 
 * " That Macpherson has interpolated" is only a mat- 
 ter of opinion ; and the public will judge how far Mr 
 Kennedy's opinion should weigh in this matter. Of 
 what Dr Smith has done, perhaps he knew something :
 
 OF OSSIAN'S POEMS. iltf 
 
 " that Kennedy, with much reluctance, is 
 " forced to come forward and confess, that 
 " he has ventured to make some verses, 
 " which perhaps his vanity may deceive 
 " him,* but he is inchned to think, ap- 
 " proach the nearest to the genuine strains 
 " of Ossian that have yet been produced in 
 " the Gaehc language. 
 
 *' Want of time will not, at present, per- 
 " mit me to answer your long and polite 
 " letter further, than to glance over it, and 
 *' to reply to the few (jueries which you have 
 '* put to me. The first being, ' How far thd 
 " Dr Smith fabricate the poems which he 
 " j)ublished under the title o^ Scaudami?'' If 
 " you will have the goodness to send me 
 " the cop}' you have of what he calls Scan- 
 
 of what he has done himself, he lias not forniid a just 
 estimate. 
 
 * It will he seen, in the setnicl, witli what justice Mr 
 Kennedy has formed this estimate ot" his own poetical 
 powers.
 
 216 ON THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 " dana, composed by Ossian, Orran, UUin, 
 " &X3. I will, in so far as I am able to judge, 
 " point out to you, distinctly, what of them 
 " are Ossian's, what I believe to be the Doc- 
 " tors, and what are mine, on the margin, 
 " and return it to you in a fortnight, through 
 ' any conveyance you please to direct.* It 
 " is difficult to discriminate the composi- 
 " tions of the different composers any other 
 '* way distinctly, especially since I want my 
 " poems, and have forgot the most of them. 
 " I should indeed be glad to have a peru- 
 
 * I have to observe, that I did send my copy of the 
 Seandana to IVlr Kennedy, within ten days of his writ- 
 ing; but so far has he departed from liis promise, that I 
 got it out of his hands, only a few months ago, after re- 
 peated appHcations. And, after he had retained it for 
 more than a year, I find it defaced about half way 
 through the volume, with certain dt.ts and marks on the 
 margin, to which, it appears, that he had added a key, 
 on a blank leaf of the book. But this he cut out, before 
 lie returned it. What may have been Mr Kennedy's 
 motives In all this, I cannot guess, nor is it of much im- 
 portance to enquire.
 
 OF OSSIAN'S POEMS. 217 
 
 " sal of the three manuscripts, given to the 
 *' Highland Society, to enable me to quote 
 " off every stanza composed by myself; f 'd^ 
 " otherwise, after a lapse of more than t\v( n- 
 *' ty years, I cannot be correct. I think I 
 " do not exaggerate, in supposing, that I 
 " have composed about a sixth or a seventh 
 " part of what these manuscripts contain. 
 " The rest I certainly believe to belong to 
 " Ossian, and the other Fingallian Bards, 
 " and were jiickcd up by me, from oral tra- 
 " dition, from the persons mentioned in my 
 " report to the Society. 
 
 " 1 hope," adds Mr Kennedy, " you will 
 " not form tlie same opinion of me, in de- 
 " daring myself a piece of a poet, that Dr 
 " Smith lias done, or when I, on honour, as- 
 " sure you, that the Death of C'arril is en- 
 
 t This opportunity Mr Ki'iiiicdy cnjoyid, in ISOfi; 
 liaviiig l)c'cii txiiniiiied on the subject before a C'onuiiil- 
 tcc (i| the Ili j,li!;iiiil Soeietv, to whom lie t^ave an ac- 
 count, in writings ol' every lino to whicii he hiys claim.
 
 218 ON THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 ' tirely my own, which I composed from 
 ' the story related to me, as annexed to the 
 ' poem. The most of Bas Ossian I also 
 ' claim ; and considerable portions of the 
 ' Death of Diarmid, Goll, Oscair, Garbh, 
 ' Latha na Leana, Liur, &c. &c. The most 
 ' of these additions Dr Smith has never 
 ' seen, being composed in the spring of 1785, 
 ' some years after his translations had been 
 ' published. 
 
 " The genuine poetry of Ossian," says Mr 
 Kennedy, " is, perhaps, inimitable; but still 
 " a good Gaelic scholar, of a good ear, and 
 " well acquainted with his imagery, and the 
 '' qualifications and names of his favourite 
 " heroes, and professed enemies, may com- 
 " pose verses approximate to the excellence 
 " of the original, and M'hich not one in a 
 " thousand will be able to distinguish from 
 " the real. It is this that has gi\en rise 
 '' to so much dispute, and been productive 
 " of so manv fabrications."
 
 OF OSSIAN'S POEMS. 219 
 
 Such are tlie confessions of Mr Kennedy, 
 a gentleman, beyond question, well versed 
 in the Gaelic language, and whose idiom 
 was never contaminated by any other lan- 
 guage than the English. These confessions 
 he has repeated, with additions, in his exa- 
 mination before a Committee of the Highland 
 Society of Scotland. 
 
 The confessions of Mr Kennedy, it must 
 be acknowledged, appear, at first sight, to 
 furnish a strong presumption, that much of 
 tlie poetry, which has been ascribed to Os- 
 sian, is also a modern fabrication. If Mr 
 Kennedy can compose poetry, which, to use 
 his own expression, " not one in a thousand 
 " will he able to distinguish from the reaf 
 strains of Ossiau, M'hy might not Mr Mac- 
 pherson, a man of far higher aeciuirements, 
 do the same ? 
 
 That Mr Kennedy, by interspersing, a- 
 inongst his own compositions, some verses
 
 920 ON THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 and phrases, borrowed from truly ancient 
 and genuine poetry, with which it appears 
 his memory was stored, may have produced 
 pieces, in which there now and then occur a 
 few truly Ossianic verses and expressions, is 
 not denied ; and it is possible, tliat he may 
 not himself have been conscious of the pla- 
 giarism which he committed. But that, be- 
 sides this occasional merit, the poems, which 
 he has now clain^ed as his, possess any thing 
 else, which might " approximate" them, in 
 the slightest degree, to tiie (Ossianic poetry, 
 translated by Mr Macj)herson, Mill be main- 
 tained only by the self complacency of the 
 author. I must add, that the entire failure 
 of Mr Kennedy, in imitating the strains of 
 Ossian, aUbrds the most complete examjjle, 
 that could be adduced, of the insuperable 
 difticulty of rivalling the Caledonian bard. 
 It is a very easy matter for Mr Kennedy, 
 or for anv man, to sav, " I have invoked
 
 OF OSSIAN'S POEMS. 221 
 
 'the spirit of Ossian; I have been heard, 
 " and inspired."' This is just Owen Glen- 
 dower's 
 
 " I can call spirits from the vasty deep." 
 
 " Why, so can I," (says Hotspur,) " or so can any man ; 
 " But will they come when you do call for them?"f 
 
 Concerning tlie answer to Mr Kennedy's 
 invocation, let us now en(}uire. I shall take 
 the two first pieces, which he claims in his 
 letter, C'arril and Bas Ossian, which, he- 
 sides being the first in the order of the au- 
 thor, are probably also the highest in merit, 
 from the circumstance of their having been 
 selecU'<l l)y the learned Chairman of the So- 
 ciety's Committee, in his report, as speci- 
 mens of Mr Kennedy's Collection. As this 
 is a j^oint of nuich conse(iucncc to our argu- 
 ment, it is proposed to enter into a short 
 analysis of these pieces. 
 
 t Shakespeare's fleiuy IV. a<l iii. scene 1.
 
 222 ON THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 1. Mr Kennedys Poem of Carril. 
 
 With regard to the poem of Carril,* Mr 
 Mackenzie observes, " that, with a simpH- 
 ' city bordering upon rudeness, it is ex- 
 ' tremely striking in the Gaehc ; but very 
 ' difficult to be translated. It is given en- 
 ' tire," adds he, " in the Appendix, No. 22, 
 ' in Kennedy's own orthography, and with 
 ' the preamble, or argument, with which he 
 ' accompanied the copy he sent to the Com- 
 ' mittee, literally given. From the first, the 
 ' Gaelic scholar may form an opinion of the 
 'collection; from the second, the English 
 ' reader may estimate the literary abilities of 
 ' the collector." 
 
 I may be permitted to observe, that the 
 learned reporter has judged \\c\\. This j)oem, 
 with its argument, appears to furnish a very 
 
 * See Report, Ajjp. p. 'J3(i.
 
 OF OSSIAN'S POEMS. 223 
 
 just criterion, by which we may judge of 
 Mr Kennedy's powers. Of the argument, 
 1 shall say nothing; perhaps the extracts, 
 which have been given of his letters, may 
 suffice on this head. 
 
 As to Mr Kennedy's original Gaelic, it 
 will not be difficult to prove, that it bears 
 upon itself the manifest stamp of modern 
 composition. The character of modern Gae- 
 lic poetry is well enough known. To pile 
 u}) a string of epithets; to range, in succes- 
 sion, a row of adjectives, or verbs, of nearly 
 synonimous import, constitutes, in the taste 
 and judgment of our modern composers, the 
 perfection of Ciaclic song. It is not one 
 line only, which is occupied with this un- 
 meaning amplification ; Init the 
 
 " Moriiitruin liorrendum, injurmc, ini^rn,s," 
 
 stalks along through whole (juatraius, I ic- 
 ier, tor e\ani])lL's, which it \\vi\' needless 
 lirrc to adduce, to all the laic collections of
 
 224 ON THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 Gaelic poems and songs, from Macdonald's 
 to Macintyre's, not excepting the modem 
 parts of Gillies' Perth Collection. This fal- 
 setto in style, so totally unknown in the ge- 
 nuine strains of Ossian, is the characteristic 
 of modem Gaelic poetry ; and it is the cha- 
 racter of the " Death of Carril," and, in a 
 great measure, of " the Death of Ossian ;" 
 the former of which Mr Kennedy, in his 
 letter, claims entirely as his ; and the latter, 
 in the greatest part. 
 
 As an instance of Mr Kennedy's (probably 
 unconscious) plagiarism, I observe, in the 
 third stanza of Carril, 
 
 " Cladian agus talamh trom, 
 
 " Threacha'dtc le 'in huinn le stri ;" 
 
 That is, 
 
 " Stones and heavy earth 
 
 " Were dug up by their heels in strife." 
 
 Almost the very same words occur in a
 
 OF OSSIAN'S POEMS. 26 
 
 poem of unquestionable antiquity, the " Fi- 
 " onn and Manos" of the Perth Collection, 
 p. 23., and in the copy I took down of R. 
 Macneill's recitation of the same poem. In 
 these last, it is, 
 
 " Bha clachan agus talamh trom, 
 " Mosgladh fiiidh spaim an cos;" 
 
 That is, 
 
 *' Stones and heavy earth 
 
 " Were moved under the strife of their feet," 
 
 This single instance may furnish a key to 
 Mr Kennedy s imitations of Ossian. Wliere- 
 ever a line, or an expression, of any merit 
 occurs, it may be easily traced to originals 
 of real antiquity, to which Mr Kennedy is 
 no stranger. But, wherever lie appears as 
 an original, he betrays, at once, tlie charac- 
 ter of the Gaelic poetry of the eighteenthj 
 century.
 
 226 ON THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 Thus, we have, 
 
 St. 5. " They twined, and pulled, and drew."* 
 
 Again : 
 
 St. 7. " Carril, mild, brave, and elegant, 
 
 " Fell breathless under the press of valour ; 
 
 " Mischievous, ruinous, barbarous was the stroke." 
 
 8. " My darling, my child, my love!" 
 
 9. " O Carril, my son, my delight !" 
 13. " Chearful, courageous, and merry, 
 
 " Wast thou in Teamhra, (Temora,) amongst hun- 
 dreds." 
 IS. " The hero, vigorous, strong, and tall, 
 " Is without motion, arms, or dress." 
 20. " Hero, mild, chearful, affectionate, 
 
 " Eloquent, strong, active, wounding ;" (or skilled 
 to wound.) 
 
 It is presumed, that the simple exhibition of 
 these verses will satisfy every person, who 
 has felt and admired the beauties of Mr Alac- 
 
 * I do not adopt Dr Donald Smith's translation in the 
 Report; it appears to be somewhat ornamented, I trans- 
 late literally and faithfully.
 
 OF OSSIAN'S POEMS. t27 
 
 pherson's translations, of the incalculable 
 inferiority of these imitations, if imitations 
 they can be called. 
 
 2. The Death ofOssian, by Mr Kennedy, 
 
 Of the " Death of Ossian," a large ex- 
 tract is given, by the Committee, in the 
 Appendix, No. 20. with this remark, "That 
 '' it is a beautiful and affecting poem ; but 
 " debased by a pretty long passage, which 
 " seems evidently an interpolation, contain- 
 " ing a piece of ribakhy, put into the mouth 
 '* of Connar's wife." Taking into account 
 the probability, that tliis interpolation, so 
 judiciously rejected by the Committee, is the 
 production of Mr Kennedy, I must observe, 
 that the greatest part of the specimen of this 
 poem, given in the Report, bears undoubt- 
 ed marks of antiquity ; and to this it is pre- 
 sumed, tliat Mr Kennedy will lay no claim.
 
 228 ON THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 The introduction is precisely the same with 
 that of Dr Smith's Diarmid : 
 
 Smith. " Cia tianihaidh thu nocJid a gkleann Caothan, 
 " Gun ghiUh gaothair thu, ^s 'gun cheol j" 
 
 Kennedy. " 'S tiamhaidh bhi noclid ann gleann Caothan, 
 " Gun ghuth gaidhir ann, gun cheol T 
 
 That is, 
 
 " How mournful to-night is the vale of Cona, 
 " Without voice of hound, and without music!" 
 
 Will Mr Kennedy say, that this, and the 
 bulk of the remaining part of this specimen, 
 is his ? Let it be remembered, that, in his 
 letter to me, cited above, he says, " that 
 " most of these additions (/. e. Carril, the 
 " Death of Ossian, &c.) Dr Smith had never 
 "seen, being composed in spring 1785, 
 " some years after his (Dr Smith's) transla- 
 " tions had been published." But, it Dr 
 Smith had never seen them, it was impos-
 
 OF OSSIAN'S POEMS. 229 
 
 sible that he could have borrowed from them. 
 The coincidence can only be accounted for, 
 by allowing, that both have derived these 
 verses from tradition. 
 
 Still, however, it must be remarked, that, 
 even in these verses from " Bas Ossian," Mr 
 Kennedy appears to have some claims, suffi- 
 ciently marked by a modern hand. He ap- 
 pears to have debasetl this passage, by seve- 
 ral intcrpolati(ms, which declare their author, 
 by the same false taste that reigns through- 
 out his Carril. He introduces the heroes 
 
 " Musical, elegant, coniely, brave, 
 
 " With wine, and conversation, and flesh : 
 
 " Fstetnied enough; and we knew not falsehood. 
 
 " The heroes mild, brave, friendly, 
 
 " Ofnnich kindness; and extensive was their fame^ 
 
 " Generosity, iiospitalitv," &c. 
 
 Now, let any person thus take, at ran- 
 dom, six verses, from the original of the 
 Seventh Book of Temora, and translate it li- 
 terally, or freely, at his pleasure, if he can
 
 230 ON THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 produce so bald a piece of poetry-, as the 
 above, I shall allow, that IVIr Kennedy can 
 imitate Ossian with Some effect. But I 
 think it will be granted, by every person of 
 just taste, that the specimens adduced are 
 
 " No more like Ossian, 
 
 " Than I to Hercules." 
 
 III. Dr Smith. 
 
 Dr John Smith, now Minister of the Gos- 
 pel at Campbelton, a gentleman well known 
 to the public for his worth, erudition, and 
 knowledge of the Gaelic language, appears 
 to have been employed in collecting the an- 
 cient poetry of the Highlands nearly about 
 the same time with Mr Kennedy. He had 
 the use of Mr Kennedy's manuscripts ; and 
 there is reason to believe, that he transcribed 
 from them, into his own collection, what- 
 ever he conceived to possess merit. In 1 780,
 
 OF OSSIAN'S POEMS. 231 
 
 Dr Smith gave this collection to the public, 
 in a translation; and, in 1787, he published 
 the originals of these translations, in an oc- 
 tavo volume of 348 pages, under the title of 
 Seandana. It is important, however, to ob- 
 serve, that Mr Kennedy, in his letter above 
 cited, declares, with regard to his manu- 
 scripts, now in the hands of the Highland 
 Society, " That I)r Smith had never seen the 
 " most of the additions," (in which he claims 
 a property,) *' having been composed in 
 " spring 1785, some years after Dr Smith's 
 " translations had been published." 
 
 IVIr Kennedy has, in his letter, directly 
 charged Dr Smith as the composer of a part, 
 at least, of the Seandana; and Mr Kennedy 
 himself, having avowed the sliarc which he 
 has had in the fabrication of his own collec- 
 tion, the charge has, in the minds of many,* 
 
 * See ^Tr Laiiig's Dissi-rtation, and Edinl)uri:li Review. 
 No. XII. Art. 15.
 
 332 ON THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 seemed to receive considerable confirma- 
 tion. 
 
 What share Dr Smith may have had in 
 this business, I shall not presume to say. 
 Entertaining, as I do, and have always done, 
 the highest respect for his well known abi- 
 lities and virtues, I took the liberty (24th 
 March, 1805,) of addressing him upon the 
 subject; ''Intimating to him my intention 
 " to publish on the question ; and stating to 
 '' him the confessions of Mr Kennedy ; his 
 " charge against Dr Smith of similar fabri- 
 " cation; and his voluntary promise of mark- 
 " ing, on the margin of my copy of the Se- 
 " andana, what he believed to be Ossian's, 
 " what he believed to be Dr Smith's, and 
 " what was his own. I suggested, that, as 
 " the name of Dr Smith must always hold a 
 " respectable rank in the discussion of this 
 " question, I should be unavoidably led to 
 " introduce it ; and requested, with as much 
 " delicacy as I could, that he would have
 
 OF OSSIANS POEMS. 833 
 
 " the goodness to point out to me the man- 
 " ner in which I might do so without of- 
 " fence." 
 
 Wliilst I cannot help regretting, that the 
 reverend gentleman declines taking any share 
 in this dispute, I hope he will forgive me 
 for giving to the public his letter, which I 
 had in return to my application : it will be 
 found replete with good sense; and it sug- 
 gests a very obvious criterion, by which we 
 may judge of the pretended imitations of 
 Mr Kennedy, or of any other person what- 
 ever. 
 
 Campbelton, 28th April, 180G. 
 " REVEREND SIR, 
 
 " On the subject of your 
 letter, which I have but now received, I 
 have lon^: a[>o said all I have to sav, and 
 take no further concern in the (|ucstion. 
 If any allege he passed on me as ancient 
 poetry what was his own composition, I have 
 no interest in disputing his allegation. 7/'
 
 2S4 ON THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 I had, Ixvould try if he could write such *oerses 
 as he claims, (no doubt the best,) on any other 
 given subject ; and examine whether these pas- 
 sages were ?iot Jurnished by a dozen or score 
 of other contributoi^s. Unfortunately for me, 
 not only one, but every contributor, dead or 
 alive, must renounce his right, before I can 
 take the merit of a verse or line, if vanity 
 do not prompt me to take the contribution 
 of such as are dead, and unable to dispute 
 my claim. But this, I think, I shall leave to 
 others ; and, if they claim the translation, as 
 well as the original, I will not dispute it, 
 nor care who may believe, and who may 
 doubt. The stopping of my plough, by a 
 shower of rain, now coming on, gives me 
 more concern than either. I am glad, how- 
 ever, that you find amusement in what once 
 amused myself I am. Reverend Sir, 
 
 Your most obedient humble servant, 
 (Signed) John Smith." 
 Dr Graham, Aberfoyle.
 
 OF OSSIANS POEM?. M5 
 
 The reverend gentleman having thus aban- 
 doned his publications on this subject with 
 such complete indifference, it now appears 
 the less necessary to be scrupulous in analy- 
 sing their merits. It is well known, that 
 Dr Smith's collections of Gaelic poetry met 
 with little notice from the public, either in 
 the original, or in the translation. He speaks 
 feelingly, on this subject, in one of his let- 
 ters to Mr Mackenzie : " The (supposed) 
 " profits," he says, " of his publication, were 
 " only a serious loss. I could never since," 
 he adds, " think of Gaelic poetry with plea- 
 " sure, or with patience, except to wish it 
 " had been dead before I was born." 
 
 It must, at the same time, be observed, 
 that, notwithstanding the great neglect 
 with which the public has, from the begin- 
 ning, treated the collections of l)r Smith, 
 they uncjuestionably contain many morsels 
 t)fthe most excjuisite poetry, j)ieces as beau- 
 tiful, as perfect, and as sublime, as any that
 
 236 ON THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 have ever passed through Mr Macpherson's 
 hands. Of this, besides the examples which 
 have been aheady adduced, others will be 
 brought in the course of this enquiry. 
 
 Whence is it, then, it will naturally be 
 asked, that the Ossianic poetry, given by 
 Mr Macpherson, has been so universally ad- 
 mired ; that it has passed through so many 
 editions ; and been translated into so many 
 foreign languages; whilst that published by 
 Dr Smith, which exhibits, from time to time, 
 compositions of a similar strain, and fre- 
 quently of equal merit, are, in a great mea- 
 sure, unknown and neglected ? 
 
 There are two circumstances attending 
 the collections of Dr Smith, which, it is pre- 
 sumed, will sufficiently account for the fate 
 which they have experienced. 
 
 1. Dr Smith, on all occasions, translates 
 in a careless and slovenly manner; whilst 
 Mr Macpherson, though sometimes, as shall
 
 OF OSSIAN'S POEMS. 287 
 
 be shewn, he translates falsely, and often 
 engrafts his own bombastic phrases on the 
 simplicity of Ossian, yet adheres closely, for 
 the most part, to his original, and often imi- 
 tates its sententious brevity with singular 
 success. A few examples of Dr Smith's man- 
 ner of translating will, it is hoped, place this 
 subject in a just point of view. 
 
 A beautiful passage, from the Death of Di- 
 armad, is, literally, as follows : A husband, 
 lamenting over his deceased wife, says, 
 
 " Lasting was our abode together, 
 
 " During two generations, that departed like the leaves. 
 
 " The sapling, that the foot would have crushed, 
 
 " Have we beheld, with age, decaying; 
 
 " Streams shifting their channels; 
 
 " Nettles in the abode of mighty kings : 
 
 " (ireat was our joy; our days were happy; 
 
 " To us, the winter was not cold, or the night dark : 
 
 " Minella was a light that did not wane : 
 
 " But that ray is now departed." * 
 
 * Seandana, p. 10k
 
 2S8 ON THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 This passage Dr Smith thus translates, or 
 rather paraphrases : f 
 
 " Many were our days on the heath : we 
 ' have seen one race, Hke the leaf of autumn, 
 
 * pass ; we have seen another lift, in its 
 ' place, its green head, and grow old ; we 
 
 * have turned away our foot from trees, lest 
 ' we should crush them in youth, and we 
 ' have seen them again decay with years ; 
 ' we have seen streams change their course, 
 ' and nettles growing where feasted kings. 
 ' All this while, our joy remained, our days 
 ' were glad. The winter, with all its snow, 
 ' was warm ; the night, with all its clouds, 
 ' was bright. The face of Minalla was a 
 ' light which never knew a wane, an unde- 
 ' caying beam around my steps ; but now 
 ' she shines on other lands. When, my 
 ' love, shall I be with you ?'' 
 
 t Gaelic Antiquities, p. 191.
 
 OF OSSIAN'S POEMS. SS9 
 
 Again, on the Death of Arrnor, in Dan an 
 Deirg,* it is, literally, 
 
 " I behold thy father, under his load of years, . 
 
 " In vain expecting thy arrival ; 
 
 " His trembling hand on his spear, 
 
 " And his gray, bald, head, like the aspin in the storm. 
 
 " Every cloud deceives his dim eye, 
 
 " As he expects to see thy bark. 
 
 " A gleam of the sun comes across his aged countenance, 
 
 " And he cries out to the youth, ' I behold the vessel!' 
 
 " The children look out towards the main; 
 
 " Tiicy see the mist sailing along. 
 
 *' He shakes his gray head, 
 
 " His sigh is sad, his visage mournful. 
 
 " I behold Crimiua, with a faint smile, 
 " Imagining, in Iter dream, that she sees him on the shorr. 
 ' Her lips, in her slumbers, salute thee; 
 " And with joyful arms she embraces thee. 
 " Ah ! young woman, vain is thy dream, 
 " The noble hero no more shalt thou behold ; 
 " Far from his home fell tliv love; 
 " In Innisfail taraished is his beauty. 
 " Thou shalt awaken, Crimina, 
 " And shalt sec that tliv dream is deceitful. 
 
 ^oandana. |). C'>.
 
 240 ON THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 " But when shall he awake from his slumber ? 
 
 " Or when shall the sleep of the grave terminate ?" 
 
 This affecting passage, abounding in truly 
 Ossianic imagery and expression, Dr Smith 
 thus translates : f 
 
 " I see his father bending under the load 
 " of years ; his hand trembles on the point- 
 " less spear, and his head, with its few gray 
 " hairs, shakes like the aspen leaf. Every 
 " distant cloud deceives his dim eye, as he 
 " looks in vain for thy bounding ship. Joy, 
 " like a sun-beam on the blasted heath, tra- 
 " vels over his face of age, as he cries to the 
 " children at their play, ' I behold it coming!' 
 " They turn their eye to the blue wave, and 
 " tell him they see but the sailing mist. 
 " He shakes, with a sigh, his gray head, and 
 " the cloud of his face is mournful. I see 
 " Crimoina smiling, in her morning dream ; 
 " she thinks thou dost arrive in all thy 
 
 t Gaelic Antiq. p. HI.
 
 OF OSSIAN'S POEMS. 241 
 
 " Stately beauty ; her lips, in half- formed 
 " words, hail thee in her dream, and her 
 "joyful arms are spread to clasp thee. But 
 " alas, Crimoina, thou only dreamest. Thy 
 ' love is fallen, never more shall he tread the 
 *' shore of his native land. In the dust of 
 " Inisfail his beauty sleeps. Thou shalt 
 " awake from thy slumber, Crimoina, to 
 " know it. But when shall Armor awake 
 " from his long sleep' When shall the heavy 
 " slumber of the tenant of the tomb be end- 
 " ed?" 
 
 I shall add only one other short example 
 of I)r Smith's mode of translating. 
 
 In the Seandana, p. 112, we have, liter- 
 ally. 
 
 " I will not listen to the song of tho thrush, 
 
 " In the line morning of the first season, (/. e. May.) 
 
 I)i- Smith translates, (p. 197.) 
 
 " It {i. c. my grief,) will not listen to all 
 " the larks that sour in the lowly vale, when 
 Q
 
 242 ON THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 " the de\^'y plains rejoice in the morning of 
 *' summer." 
 
 It were easy to multiply instances of the 
 loose and paraphrastic manner in which Dr 
 Smith translates these fragments : they oc- 
 cur in every page ; and it is not wonderful, 
 that, in such translations, the public has not 
 recognized the spirit of Ossian. But, I ob- 
 serve. 
 
 2. That the great and leading circumstance, 
 in the general neglect which this collection 
 has experienced, is, that, with many frag- 
 ments of unquestionable beauty and merit, 
 and which bear upon them the genuine 
 stamp of antiquity, the volume consists, in 
 a great measure, of modern fabrications and 
 interpolations. I shall not attempt to say in 
 what manner, or by what persons, these 
 have been introduced. Perhaps it may be 
 enough to call to recollection the well-known 
 and acknowledged circumstance, that Dr
 
 OF OSSIAN'S POEMS. 243 
 
 Smith borrowed a great proportion of his 
 collection from Mr Kennedy's manuscripts, 
 such, at least, as they were prior to 1785, 
 when, as in their last stage, they were, no 
 doubt, filled with much of his own spurious 
 verse. It is also not improbable, were we 
 warranted to judge from Dr Smith's transla- 
 tions, that he may have been led to deter- 
 mine hastily, concerning the merits of some 
 of the poems which he has published ; and, 
 regulating our opinion by the same criterion, 
 it seems almost certain, that he has seldom 
 employed the same labour, and judgment, 
 and taste, in arranging his editions of these 
 poems, as Mr Macpherson appears almost 
 always to have done. 
 
 Be this as it may, it is undeniable, that 
 though there are fragments, of the greatest 
 beauty and elegance, to be met with, occa- 
 sionally, in this collection, the j)()ems are, 
 upon the whole, of such unecjual merit; and 
 the incongruous shreds of ancient and mo-
 
 244 ON THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 dern composition are so clumsily patched 
 together, that no person can, with patience, 
 peruse any one of them from the beginning 
 to the end. 
 
 Considering the great merit of many pas- 
 sages in the Seandana, and no doubt, too, of 
 so7ne passages in INIr Kennedy's manuscripts, 
 it may be permitted to remark, by the way, 
 that it were worth while to purge the vo- 
 lume of the interpolations of modern fabri- 
 cators, and to preserve only what appears, 
 on good grounds, to be unquestionably an- 
 cient. Nor would this be a very (Hfficult 
 task. jNlr Kennedy has already gi\'en a 
 pretty sufficient key to what he claims as 
 his ; and it would not be difficult, M^ith the 
 exercise of a little critical acumen, (could one 
 resolve to wade through this volume,) to as- 
 sign to every other modern his ])roper share. 
 It is true, the volume would be reduced, by 
 this refining process, by more tlian one-half 
 of its contents ; but the remainder, accom-
 
 OF OSSIAN'S POEMS. 245 
 
 panied by a faithful translation, would be 
 found to be of sterling value. 
 
 Thus we are enabled, in some degree, to 
 form an estimate of the part which has 
 been taken by the only collectors of Gaelic 
 poetry, besides Mr Macpherson, whose names 
 have obtained any celebrity in this question. 
 What Mr Kennedy claims, so far as the jus- 
 tice of his claims can be ascertained, is, com- 
 pared with wiiat Mr Macpherson has produ- 
 ced, the very bathos of Gaelic poetry. Dr 
 Smith's vohime, notwithstanding many ex- 
 quisite reUques of ancient poetry, which it 
 undoubtedly contains, is, from some cause 
 or other, I nearl}' intolerable. And now, 
 with regard to Mr Macpherson, the most re- 
 spectable evidence can be adduced of his 
 comparative ignorance of the Gaelic lan- 
 
 I (h\v ortheso cnusi's we are euablfd ti) ascertain, his 
 liastv aiK>])lioii of the materials oi' Mr KeiuKnly's inaiiu- 
 >cri|)ls'.
 
 246 ON THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 guage. In his knowledge of the idiom of 
 this tongue, he appears to have been far in- 
 ferior to Dr Smith, and even to Mr Kenne- 
 dy, the author of Carril ; and yet we have, 
 through the hands of Mr Macpherson, be- 
 sides some smaller fragments of Gaelic poetry, 
 the whole of the Seventh Book of Temora 
 (as he has chosen to denominate that poem) 
 in the original, consisting of four hundred 
 and twenty-three lines, in a style of classical 
 chasteness, of elegant and harmonious versi- 
 fication, and of sublime sentiment and ima- 
 gery, which boldly challenges the keenest 
 eye of criticism. This piecious fragment of 
 Ossianic verse, whilst it may be truly consi- 
 dered as inferior only to a book of the Iliad 
 or Odyssey, is, in our present circumstances, 
 with regard to the originals, almost the only 
 portion of this ancient poetry which is a fair 
 object of critical investigation. 
 
 To develope this part of the argument, so 
 important in the present question, and to
 
 OF OSSIAN'S POEMS. 247 
 
 state, as far as it is now practicable, the 
 powers of Mr Macpherson, together with the 
 part that he has taken in the translation and 
 publication of a work, from which he deri- 
 ved his fame and fortune, will form the re- 
 maining part of this discussion.
 
 248 ON THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 SECTION IX. 
 
 Mr Macpherson's Collections of Gaelic Foetry. T!,ar- 
 ly Suspicions of their Authenticity. Strengthen- 
 ed by some Expressions used by Mr Macpherson. 
 Estimate of his Abilities His Highlander, 
 and his Translation of Homer. 
 
 Of all the collections of Gaelic poetry 
 which have, at different periods, been made, 
 that of James Macpherson, Esq. has deser- 
 vedly excited the greatest interest ; and, as 
 it was the first, in point of time, so it still 
 continues to occupy the foremost rank, in 
 point of intrinsic value. The poems them- 
 selves, which he has given us, are far more 
 considerable in their extent, more finished 
 in their structure, and of far purer style and
 
 OF OSSIAN'S POEMS. 249 
 
 imageiy than those which have been given 
 by Dr Smith. 
 
 Mr Macpherson, indeed, in collecting 
 these poems, enjoyed advantages which have 
 not been, nor can ever lijenceforth be, enjoy- 
 ed by any person, who engages in a simi- 
 lar undertaking. He began his researches 
 twenty years earlier than any other collec- 
 tor ; before that generation had yet passed 
 away, in whose memory the knowledge and 
 admiration of Gaelic poetry was still fresh. 
 He travelled, by a most extensive route, 
 through the Highlands and islands, support- 
 ed by a liberal subscription of the friends of 
 Celtic literature ; and he was introduced 
 every w here to the gentlemen and clergy of 
 the Iliglilands, by the patronage and recom- 
 mendation of tile eminent names of Dr Blair, 
 i)r Robertson, Dr Carlyle, and Mr Home. 
 I'nder such fa\-ourai)ic auspices, it was not 
 surprising that Mr Macplicrsou succeeded in 
 obtaining ahnust all that was \aluable in
 
 250 ON THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 the tradition, or written records of Gaelic 
 poetry. To subsequent collectors, such as 
 Dr Smith and Mr Kennedy, who engaged 
 in this undertaking at a later period, on the 
 limited scale of their own abilities and in- 
 fluence ; and in the narrow circle, to which 
 they had personal access, he left, as might 
 have been expected, only a few meagre 
 gleanings ; some of which, however, are of 
 unquestionable antiquity, and of undeniable 
 merit. 
 
 From the high rank which Mr Macpher- 
 son's collections have been allowed to hold 
 in the scale of poetic merit, contrasted with 
 the supposed state of society in which they 
 were said to have been composed, and the 
 long period through which they were said 
 to have been handed down by oral tradition, 
 suspicions of their authenticity cam.e natu- 
 rally to be entertained; especially by persons 
 who were unable, or unwilling, to take into 
 consideration the circumstances, which have
 
 OF OSSIAN'S POEMS. 851 
 
 been pointed out in the ancient history and 
 manners of our Celtic ancestors. 
 
 Mr Macpherson himself, having, by cer- 
 tain expressions which have dropped from his 
 pen, contributed, in some measure, to give 
 additional strength to these suspicions, 
 though perhaps without any such design, it 
 may be proper here, shortly, to trace the share 
 which he has had in these collections, as far 
 as this can now he done, not in the manner of 
 Mr Laing, by gratuitous inference and vague 
 conjecture ; but by an analysis of what has, 
 by himself and others, been long ago made 
 public to the world. 
 
 It appears, from the notices which have 
 been given us of Mr Macpherson's charac- 
 ter, by those who knew him best, that he 
 was a man of an ardent and impatient spirit, 
 Mr ilume ciiarges him with j)ri(le and ca- 
 price.* He calls him " a strange and hete- 
 
 ' Committee's Krporl. p. .'
 
 862 ON THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 " roclite mortal, than whom he never knew 
 " a man more perverse and unamiable." * It 
 appears, at the same time, that MrMacpher- 
 son possessed a very considerable degree of 
 literature ; and that he had been actuated, 
 from a very early period, with an eager pas- 
 sion for literary fame.f Born in a remote 
 corner of the Highlands of Scotland, he ap- 
 pears to have entertained, from his youth, a 
 high admiration of the traditional poetry of 
 his country. In his Dissertation on the An- 
 tiquity of Ossian's Poems, prefixed to his 
 first volume, he tells us, that " though he 
 " admired the poems, in the original, very 
 " early, and gathered part of them from tra- 
 *' dition, for his own amusement, yet he 
 " never had the smallest hope of seeing 
 " them in an English dress." Dr Blair, ac- 
 cordingly, in his letter to Mr jMackenzie, 
 
 * Committee's Report, p. 9. 
 
 t See, in the Report, the letters of Mr Home, Dr 
 Carl vie, &c.
 
 OF OSSIAN'S POEMS. fSS 
 
 testifies, " that, even after Mr Macpherson 
 " had gratified Mr John Home with the 
 " translation of two fragments of ancient 
 *' Gaelic poetry, which were highly admi- 
 " red, when the Doctor urged him to trans- 
 " late the other pieces which he had, and 
 " bring them to him, he was extremely reluc- 
 " tant and averse to comply with his request; 
 '' saying, that no translation could do jus- 
 *' tice to the spirit and force of the original; 
 ' and that, besides injuring them by transla- 
 " tion, he apprehended, that they would be 
 " very ill relished by the public, as so very 
 " different from the strain of modern ideas, 
 " and of modern connected and polished 
 " poetry. It was not,'' adds he, " till after 
 " much and repeated importunity, that I 
 " prevailed upon him,'" &c.'| 
 
 Anxious as he appears to have been, from 
 an early j)eriod, to ac([uire literary reputa- 
 
 t Sec Report, Append, p. 5G.
 
 254 ON THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 tion, he published, about 1758, a poem, en- 
 titled, The Highlander, the remembrance of 
 which has been revived in the present con- 
 troversy, by the industry of Mr Laing The 
 work itself had sunk into oblivion immedi- 
 ately on its first publication ; and, notwith- 
 standing many excellencies which it unques- 
 tionably possesses, and of which a very na- 
 tural account may be given, it will probably 
 be admitted by his warmest friends, that the 
 sentence of the public was, in this instance, 
 just. 
 
 In about four years afterwards, Mr Mac- 
 pherson having travelled, as has been said, 
 into the Highlands, under the patronage of 
 some persons of distinction and taste, for the 
 purpose of collecting Gaelic poetry, gave to 
 the world, successively, the poems of l-in- 
 gal and Temora, with some lesser pieces of 
 similar merit ; and, if we attend to this pro- 
 gress, we shall, it is presumed, find it diffi- 
 cult to conceive, that he should thus emerge
 
 OF OSSIAN'S POEMS. S53 
 
 at once from the mediocrity of the neglected 
 Highlander^ to all the acknowledged splen- 
 dour of genius, which is displayed in the 
 poetry ascribed to Ossian. 
 
 MrLaing remarks, very justly, on this sub- 
 ject, that the style and imagery of the Fin- 
 gal occur in every page of the Highlander. 
 But what is the inference which should follow 
 from this remark? Is it not, that IMrMacpher- 
 son, when he wrote his Highlandei', with a 
 mind amply stored with those ancient poems, 
 which, as he himselftells us, " he had admi- 
 " red in the original very early, and part of 
 " which he had gathered from tradition, for 
 " his own amusement," was naturally led 
 to transfer to his work those images and ex- 
 pressions, which, in the poetry of his coun- 
 try, had taken such a powerful hold of his 
 youthful fancy? What is more natural than 
 that Macpherson, deeply enamoured of this 
 poetry, " which he had never the smallest 
 " hope of seeing in an English dress ;" and
 
 256 ON THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 to which he was convinced " that no transla- 
 " tion could dojustice,'" should, however, avail 
 himself, as much as he could, of his acquaint- 
 ance with it, in his own poetical effusions ? 
 
 Mr Macpherson seems uniformly to have 
 mistaken his own powers, when he attempt- 
 ed an original work ; but when he did make 
 the attempt, with a mind deeply tinctured 
 with the strains of Ossian, might it not have 
 been expected that he should transfuse some 
 of their beauties into his performance ; and 
 even that the poetry which had been the de- 
 hght of his early years, should give its tone 
 and colouring to every page that he wrote ? 
 
 Will it here be argued with Mr Laing, 
 that, " with a taste somewhat more matured," 
 he transferred the beauties of the Highland- 
 er into his Ossian, and thus forced tlie pub- 
 lic to peruse his neglected poem, as Sterne 
 obliged the world to read his sermon, by 
 making Corporal Trim the rehearser of it ? 
 Mr Laing knows very M^ell that this is not,
 
 OF OSSIAN'S POEMS. 257 
 
 nor has it been, the ordinary developement 
 and progress of genius. It appears from the 
 history of hterature, that the jirst efforts of 
 a mind, powerfully seized with the idea of 
 a favourite subject, have ever been the most 
 vigorous, and the most successful. Homer 
 composed his immortal Iliad, before he 
 " slumbered"' over the Odysacy ; and the 
 Paradise Last had exhausted the genius of 
 IVIilton, before he sat down to compose his 
 Paradise Re^ aiued. 
 
 The success of Mr Macpherson's transla- 
 tions of the poetry ascribed to Ossian was 
 very great. The sensation which was pio- 
 duced in the minds of literary men, was, in 
 the highest degree, striking. That there 
 should have existed such a body of truly 
 classical verse amongst the Highlanders of 
 Scotland, and that it should ha\ e been hand- 
 ed down through so many ages of barba- 
 rism, was undoubtedly new, and well cal- 
 culated to excite suspicion, as well as sur- 
 
 R
 
 258 ON THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 prise. In the mean time, these poems were 
 translated again into several foreign lan- 
 guages; the illustration of their beauties oc- 
 cupied several eminent critics ; and, what 
 was to Mr Macpherson of the greatest con- 
 sequence, his fortune and independence were 
 established. 
 
 It has been alleged, that Mr Macpherson 
 has, by several insinuations thrown out in 
 his later years, seemed to claim these poems 
 as his own. This idea, however, we can as- 
 certain not to have been in his mind in 17^2, 
 when he says in his Dissertation, "That his 
 " translation is literal; and that the transla- 
 " tor, as he claims no merit from his ver- 
 " sion, wishes that the imperfect semblance 
 " M'hich he draws, may not prejudice the 
 " world against an original, which contains 
 " what is beautiful in simplicity, or grand 
 " in the sublime." 
 
 In an advertisement prefixed to Fingal, he 
 tells us, " that some men of genius advised
 
 OF OSSIAN'S POEMS. 259 
 
 *' him to print tlie originals by subscription, 
 ** rather than deposit them in a public li- 
 " brary." I have accordingly seen, in the 
 London Magazine, (on which I cannot now, 
 however, lay my hands) for the year 1/84, or 
 1785, an advertisement, published on the oc- 
 casion of the indecent controversy between 
 Dr Johnson and Mr Macpherson, by Becket, 
 the bookseller in the Strand, certifying, that 
 the originals of Ossian had lain at his shop for 
 subscription at some former period (as far as I 
 recollect, 1774, or 1775) for the space of a 
 whole year; but that the number of subscrip- 
 tions being inadequate to the expcnce of publi- 
 cation, the manuscripts had been withdrawn. 
 Becket, it is true, was no judge of the ori- 
 ginality of those manuscripts. ]]ut the cir- 
 cumstance proves, that, at that period, Mr 
 Macpherson was disposed to give what he 
 called the originals of Ossian to the j)ublic. 
 And can it be supposed, that, in London, 
 where there were then, as there are still.
 
 260 ON THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 many learned Highlanders, well versed in the 
 language and antiquities of their country, 
 and rendered anxious, by recent circum- 
 stances, for the honour of their national 
 poetry, Mr Macpherson Mould have ventu- 
 red to expose, during so long a period, a 
 mass of spurious verse, as the genuine pro- 
 duction of the Celtic Bard ? 
 
 Mr Macpherson appears, however, at an 
 early period, after the success of his transla- 
 tions had been ascertained, to have allowed 
 some expressions to escape him, which have 
 given rise to suspicions of fabrication, and 
 which have been understood to imply an in- 
 tention of appropriating this poetry to him- 
 self. After the strong and pointed assertions 
 of their originality, which he had advanced 
 in his prefaces and dissertations prefixed to 
 the earlier editions, it was a matter of much 
 delicacy, and of some risk, to attempt to 
 turn the tide of public opinion from Oss'ian 
 to the author of the Uiglilander. Without
 
 OF OSSIAN'S POEMS. S6i 
 
 pretending to guess the extent of his mean- 
 ing, I find it necessary to examine those ex- 
 pressions of his, which have been represent- 
 ed by Mr Laing and others, as evidences of 
 his attempt to claim this poetry as his own. 
 
 Mr Macpherson, in one passage, throws 
 out the idea, " that tliose, who liave doubt- 
 " ed his veracity, have puid'a compHment to 
 "his genius; and even were the allegation 
 " true," he adds, "my self-denial might have 
 " atoned for my fault. / can assure my anta- 
 ''^ gonists, that I should not translate icluit I 
 " could not imitate." And again, in a simi- 
 lar vein, he says, " the translator, who can- 
 " not equal his original, is incapable of ex- 
 " ])ressing its beauties."' 
 
 Without undertaking to ascertain the full 
 extent of Mr Macpherson's meaning, in 
 these pretensions, just criticism and truth 
 rcc{uire, that I should observe, that he him- 
 selt has fortunately put it into our j)o\ver to 
 olinialc his abilities as a translator, bv a
 
 262 ON THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 very unequivocal test. In his miserable 
 translation of Homer, he has enabled us to 
 form a fair judgment of these pretensions; 
 and it may not appear improbable, that the 
 name of a man, who had never produced 
 any ackn(miltdged work of merit, would have 
 been buried, long ere now, with his own 
 Hi(^hlcmder, had not Ossian lent " his arm 
 " of might" to rescue him from the gulf. 
 
 I would by no means be understood to 
 detract from the merits of Mr Macpherson, 
 or to maintain, that he had formed any deli- 
 berate design of appropriating this poetry to 
 himself. Air Macpherson's merits, compar- 
 ed with that of the persons who followed 
 him, were immense, both as an indefatigable 
 collector, and as a spirited and elegant trans- 
 lator. But it is to be regretted, that in 
 some moments of that caprice, which has 
 been ascribed to him by those who knew 
 him well, he should have been tempted to 
 allow any expression to escape him, which
 
 OF OSSIAN'S POEMS. 263 
 
 could be interpreted, by the most remote 
 implication, as claiming this poetry as his 
 own. As such expressions, however, occur 
 in his later publications, it appears indispen- 
 sibly necessary, on this occasion, to advert 
 to them. 
 
 " Without increasing his genius," says IVIr 
 Macpherson, in one of his prefaces, " the 
 " AUTHOR may have improved his language, 
 " in the eleven years that the poems have 
 " been before the public. Errors in diction 
 " may have been committed at twenty-four, 
 *' which the experience of a riper age may 
 " remove, and some exuberances of imagery 
 " may be restrained with advantage, by a 
 " degree of judgment acquired in the pro- 
 " gress of time. In a convenient indiffer- 
 " ence to literary fame, the Auriiou hears 
 " praise without being elevated, and ril)ald- 
 " ry without being depressed. Tiie writer^ 
 " lirst intention was to have ])ubli.slird in 
 ' ^('^se; and as the makini' ol' ]Jot'tiy may
 
 864 ON THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 " be learned by industry, he had served his 
 " apprenticeship, though in secret, to the 
 " Muses." 
 
 This language, it must be admitted, seems 
 to involve an avowed claim to these Poems, 
 on the part of Mr Macpherson ; and so, no 
 doubt, it has been understood by a great 
 part of the public. That he should speak 
 thus explicitly of himself, as the author, 
 and that he should talk of " restraining ex- 
 *' uberances of imagery,'" which is the proper 
 province of the author, appears to be a style 
 ill suited to the office of a mere translator, 
 whose duty it is to adhere to his original, 
 and to give a faithful representation of it, 
 without detraction or embellishment. 
 
 We are enabled, howe\ er, from otlier un- 
 questionable specimens, to form a tolerably 
 just estimate of Mr Macpherson's pow ers, 
 and of his pretensions, should he be deemed 
 to have made any, to that botly of poetry 
 which he has ushered into the world. When
 
 OF OSSIAN'S POEMS. 885 
 
 we cofisider the rest of his literary efforts, 
 with an impartial eye, it is presumed, that 
 they will all be found to exhibit an inferio- 
 rity of genius, and a mediocrity of talent, 
 altogether unequal to the splendid poetry 
 which, under the name of Ossian, has at- 
 tracted the arlmiration of Europe. 
 
 Of his Highlander, we have spoken al- 
 ready. Conscious, it would seem, after the 
 fate of that poem had been sealed, of the 
 precise extent of his own powers, he never 
 aj)pears afterwards to have soared above the 
 humble department of a collector and com- 
 piler of the works of others. To collect 
 and arrange the papers of the House of 
 Stuart, and to collect and translate the 
 poetry of the Highlands of Scotland, were 
 efforts of the same kind, and which required 
 precisely the same tarn of mind. 
 
 He says, "that the making of poetry may 
 "be learned by industry;" and informs us.
 
 6(r ON THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 " that he had served his apprenticeship, 
 " though in secret, to the Muses." But it 
 may be asked, whether the poetry of the 
 Highlander was a '' secret" to the world ? 
 And, even though Mr Macpherson found it 
 no difficult matter " to make such poetry," 
 Avill it be alleged, tliat the fire of genius, 
 without which verse is not poetry, is to be 
 acquired by industry ? 
 
 Dr Johnson has said well, in a letter ad- 
 dressed to Mr Macpherson, " Your abilities, 
 " since your Homer, are not so formidable." 
 
 Indeed, there is nothing which serves to 
 set Mr Macpherson s character and powers 
 in a stronger light, than his egregious at- 
 tempt to render the great Father of Poetry 
 into prose, however natural it might have 
 been for him to have made this attempt, af- 
 ter his success in doing the same office to 
 Ossian. But here the pul)!ic hatl before 
 them the unrivalled original, with an ele-
 
 OF OSSIAN'S POEMS. S67 
 
 gant translation by Pope ; and Mr Macpher- 
 son's prose was immediately dispatched to 
 the same shades which had, long ago, over- 
 whelmed his Highlander. 
 
 How, it will naturally be asked, has he 
 succeeded so well in his translation of Os- 
 sian, whilst he, who " would not deign to 
 " translate M'hat he could not imitate, or 
 '' even equal,'' has failed so miserably in his 
 translation of Homer? The solution is easy. 
 The public had not the original of Ossian 
 bcfoie them ; nor had they another transla- 
 tion, by which they might have been en- 
 abled to form a comparative estimate. They 
 were, therefore, under the necessity of re- 
 ceivmg Ossian in the dress, and under the 
 form, in which he was presented to them ; 
 and it has ha|)pened, that his intrinsic merit 
 lias suj^portcd him, even under tlu; disad- 
 vantages of a translation. Let iis ])ut the 
 asf. that the j)oetrv of Homer had been
 
 S68 ON THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 presented to us under the same circum- 
 stances ; the original lost, or withheld, and 
 nothing remaining to us but Mr Macpher- 
 son's translation, still there is no doubt 
 that Homer, even thus mutilated and disgui- 
 sed, would have commanded the respect 
 that is due to his transcendent genius. 
 
 Add to all this, that it is hoped it will 
 be made to appear, in the sequel of this ar- 
 gument, that Mr Macpherson, in his transla- 
 tion, has also done injustice to Ossian; and 
 that, when certain writers have amused them- 
 selves with criticising some phrases and 
 images, which occur in his work, it is not 
 Ossian, but his translator, who is the subject 
 of their animadversion. Though this, in- 
 deed, is a topic which cannot receive its full 
 weight, till we have before us the whole ori- 
 ginals, or a translation, on the lidelity of 
 which we can rely, still, it may be observed, 
 ihat we are already in possession of sulTi-
 
 OF OSSIAN'S POEMS. 26 
 
 cient materials, to enable us to judge of the 
 internal evidence which these Poems afford 
 of their authenticity; and to conclude, that 
 the Gaelic of Ossian has suffered as much 
 under Mr JMacpherson s hands as the Greek 
 of Homer.
 
 S7 ON THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 SECTION X. 
 
 Internal Evidence of the Authenticity of these Poems. 
 Exemplified by a literal Translation of the Se- 
 venth Book of Temora, published, in the Origi- 
 nal, by Mr Macpherson, at an early Period, com- 
 pared with his own Tratislatioti. That Mr Mac- 
 pherson has, in many instances, in his Translation, 
 suppressed and added ; and that he has frequently 
 misunderstood his Original. Testimonies of his 
 having heeti but very imperfectly skilled in the 
 Gaelic LanmuKxe. 
 
 The peculiar circumstances in which we 
 stand, with respect to the great bulk of the 
 Gaelic poetry which has been translated by 
 Mr Macpherson, render it extremely difficult 
 to form a just estimate of the amount of that 
 evidence which might be deduced from the 
 style, the manners, and the imagery which
 
 OF OSSIAN'S POEMS. 271 
 
 peculiarly characterise these Poems. We 
 have the translation before us ; but without 
 the original, with which to compare it, it 
 appears to be almost impossible to ascertain 
 precisely the degree of colouring which it 
 may have received from the particular taste, 
 the habits of thinking, and the literary ac- 
 quirements of the translator. 
 
 Mr Macpherson, in one of the earlier edi- 
 tions of these Poems, published the Seventh 
 Book of Temora in the original Gaelic, as a 
 specimen of the harmony of Ossian's versifi- 
 cation, and, at the same time, as an example 
 of a new mode of spelling that language, 
 which he wished to introduce. It consists 
 of four hundred and twenty-three lines. We 
 have also, through the hands of Mr Mac- 
 pherson, Malvina's Dream, of fifty-seven lines, 
 a portion of tlie Poem of Carrickthura, and 
 a few other fragments. Ik'sidcs these, I 
 know of no other of the poems, translated 
 by Mr Macj)herson, that have been given to
 
 872 ON THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 the public, in the original, by himself. But 
 I would congratulate the lovers of Celtic li- 
 terature, on the prospect that is now afiord- 
 ed of the publication of the entire originals, 
 as left by Mr Macpherson, in the hands of 
 the late John Mackenzie, Esq. of the Temple, 
 London.* By a printed notice, dated Edin- 
 burgh, 1st February, 1806, and signed John 
 Sinclair, it is intimated, that these are now 
 to be published, under the auspices of a Com- 
 mittee of the Highland Society of London, 
 consisting of Sir John Sinclair himself. Sir 
 John Macpherson, Sir John Macgregor Mur- 
 ray, and others well qualified for this office. 
 
 * These oriirinals, it is understood, are all in a modern 
 hand, transcribed by Mr Macpherson hHusell", or by his 
 amanuensis. No ancient manuscripts appear, though it 
 is certain that he had the use ot" some which he never 
 returned, particularly from the Clanranald family. It is 
 not improbable, that, with that caprice which has been 
 ascribed to him, he might have destroyed, as he copied 
 them ; for to copy and arrange them was necessary, pre- 
 vious to his translating them.
 
 OF OSSIAN'S POEMS. 873 
 
 Even the scanty portions of the original, 
 however, which Mr Macpherson has given 
 us aheady, are sufficient to enable us to as- 
 certain, with some precision, the share which 
 he had in the work ; and when we compare 
 them with his own translation, a very singu- 
 lar view of the subject ])resents itself; which, 
 considering it as peculiarly important in this 
 argument, I shall now beg leave to detail. 
 
 It is very remarkable, that, compared 
 with the slovenly translations, or rather pa- 
 raphrases, of Dr Smith, a man of acknow- 
 ledged literature, an able author of original 
 works in English, and well known as an 
 eminent adept in the Gaelic language, I\Ir 
 Macpherson far surpasses him as a transla- 
 tor. My Macpherson frecjuently represents, 
 with great success, tlie rapid and sententi- 
 ous form of tlie original; and, in general, 
 he renders the sense of his author with 
 much fidelity. AV'hen wc take into view
 
 274 ON THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 these undeniable merits of Mr Macpherson, 
 together with the circumstances in which he 
 stood when he produced these translations, 
 he must appear, in a great measure, excus- 
 able to the public, for any imperfections or 
 inaccuracies which may now appear in these 
 translations. It could not, surely, enter into 
 his mind, that there was any probability that 
 further accuracy should ever be required ; or 
 that the only method of ascertaining the au- 
 thenticity of these Poems, which is now with- 
 in our reach, should ever be resorted to, that 
 of comparing his translation with the few 
 fragments Avhich are now amongst our hands. 
 He gave, in general, the meaning of his au- 
 thor, with a very tolerable transfusion of his 
 spirit. When we take into account the per- 
 formances of others, from whom more might 
 have been expected, we ma}-, perhaps, be al- 
 lowed to conclude, that few persons could 
 have been able, for the first time, to have of-
 
 OF OSSIAN'S POEMS. 275 
 
 fered such an elegant translation of Ossian 
 as Mr Macpberson has done. 
 
 In the present state of the question, how- 
 ever, when the proper, and once familiar, 
 evidences of Ossian s authenticity are now 
 for ever lost, it becomes necessary to have 
 recourse to internal characters of truth ; and 
 it is hoped, that the warmest friends of Mr 
 ]Macpherson will forgive this investigation, 
 which now, alone, is left to us. 
 
 fo those who understand the original of 
 the few inimitable fragments which have pas- 
 sed through Mr Macpherson's babuls, there 
 can be nothing more evident, than that he is 
 the mere translator; and that, with all his 
 acknowledged merits, he has often transla- 
 ted ill. A striking instance of this has been 
 already adduced, in the verses procured by 
 l\Ir S. Cameron, from Highland tradition, 
 and transmitted to me by Professor Uichard- 
 son. And it will appear, in the subsequent
 
 276 ON THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 investigation, that, in translating the frag- 
 ments, of which he himself has furnished us 
 with the original, he has suppressed, or lost, 
 many beauties of the Gaelic, both in expres- 
 sion and in imagery; whilst he has unwar- 
 rantably added images and expressions, which 
 are not there to be found ; additions which, 
 without contributing to the beauty of the 
 poem, deprive it of its air of simplicity and 
 antiquity, and give it the appearance of a 
 modern and sophisticated poem. 
 
 But, what is still more decisive, it will ap- 
 pear, that he has, on many occasions, mis- 
 understood the originals which he had before 
 him, and translated falsely. I shall produce 
 a striking instance of this, from the frag- 
 ment of the Poem of Carrickthura, published 
 in the Committee's Report. It is in the de- 
 scription of Fingafs celebrated combat with 
 the Spirit of Loda. The Spirit having boast- 
 ed, that he dwelt, undisturbed, in his plea-
 
 OF OSSIAN'S POEMS. 87T 
 
 sant plains, in the clouds, Fingal thus re- 
 plies : 
 
 " Gabhsa comhnuidh na do raoin 
 
 " Thiiirt righ nach b' fhaoin, 's a laimh air beairt: 
 
 " Neo cuimhnich Mac Cumhail air raon; 
 
 " 'S lag do thannas ; 's mor mo neart." 
 
 This, with the addition of two words in ita- 
 lies, is, literally, 
 
 " Take up thy abode in thy plains of air, 
 
 " Said the not vain (/. e. the valiant) king, with his hand 
 
 on his weapon, 
 " Else remember the son of Comhal, on the plain : 
 " Feeble is thy shade ; great is my might. 
 
 This whole passage Mr Macpherson trans- 
 lates, in these words: " Dwell in thy plea- 
 " sant fields, said the king; let Comhal's 
 " son be forijot." 
 
 Here, it is evident, that Mr Macpherson 
 has totally misunderstood the term nco, in 
 the third line, and which here signifies cLse, 
 or ot Imricisv ; translating it as if it were the 
 l)urticle nco, which, compounded with an ad-
 
 278 Ox\ THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 jective, has, in Gaelic, the force of the Eng- 
 lish particle wi, in unfaithful, and converts 
 the term, to which it is added, into an oppo- 
 site sense. Thus, the adjective ciontach, 
 " guilty," with the particle ?ieo prefixed to 
 it, (neo-cliiontach,) signifies " 7iot guilty, or 
 " innocent." In consequence of this egre- 
 gious mistake, the translator has completely 
 lost the sense of the original, and makes the 
 undaunted Fingal solicit a compromise with 
 the Spirit of Loda, altogether unworthy of 
 his character. It is, as if he had said, " Let 
 " me go, and I shall let thee go."' But to 
 make this sense of the passage tolerable, Mr 
 Macpherson finds himself under the neces- 
 sity of omitting the greatest part of the line 
 immediately preceding, and the whole of the 
 line which follows. 
 
 This being a topic of the greatest conse- 
 quence in this discussion, it is deemed ne- 
 cessary, in order to gi\e it its full force, to 
 offer a new and literal translation of the Se-
 
 OF OSSIAN'S POEMS. a7!) 
 
 venth Book of Temoia, compared with that 
 which has been giv^en by Mr Macpherson. 
 This, in the original, has always appeared to 
 me a very perfect and subUme specimen of 
 ancient poetry. Though sotne jiassages in 
 Dr Smith's Seandana are eciual to it, in every 
 respect, yet tliere occurs, from time to time, 
 in the poems of that collection, a vast infe- 
 riority of merit, as might have been expect- 
 ed, from the circumstances which have been 
 stated. Nothing of this inecjuality is to be 
 found in the Seventh Book of Temora. It 
 is beautiful, elegant, and digniiied through- 
 out. It may be deemed important and in- 
 teresting, then, to enter into a critical exa- 
 mination of this fragment, as it has been 
 given us by Mr Macpherson himself Mr 
 Laiug has remarked, with regard to this 
 fraguient, " that in it the wiiolc mylliology 
 '' of mist is c\hil)ite(l."' I have heard of the 
 juylliology of the l\<'vplians, and of the 
 (irccks, and of various nations; but must
 
 280 ON THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 confess, that I never heard of " the mytho- 
 " logy of mist," and find myself at a loss to 
 affix any precise idea to the expression. I 
 am ready to allow, however, that a just ap- 
 preciation of this important relique of anti- 
 quity, in the original, and in Mr Macpher- 
 son's translation, may enable us, with much 
 effect, to develope some of that mystery, in 
 which this subject has been so long in- 
 volved. 
 
 It is a wise ordination of Providence, and 
 a very fortunate circumstance for society, 
 that the line of truth is direct and plain, and 
 that every one, who moves in it, advances 
 easy and secure; whilst the line of deceit, of 
 falsehood, and of forgery, is the most diffi- 
 cult, and the most dangerous. There are few 
 of those deeds of darkness that refuse to 
 meet the public eye, which have not been 
 found to bear upon them certain intrinsic 
 characters, which have, at length, betrayed 
 the imposture.
 
 OF OSSIAN'S POEMS. 881 
 
 To this infallible test let the Seventh Book 
 of Temora be brought, and, I will add, 
 Malvina's Dream, the fragment of Carrick- 
 thura, and some of the purer passages of Dr 
 Smith's collection; and if, in considering 
 these, it can be shewn, that, independently 
 of the charms of a very harmonious versifi- 
 cation, necessarily lost in the translation, the 
 Gaelic is, throughout, the most perfect and 
 finislied con) position ; that it possesses beau- 
 ties, which are altogether lost, even in Mr 
 Macphersons version ; and is adorned with 
 elegancies of imagery and expression, which 
 have not been, nor can easily be, transfused 
 into another language; and, above all, if it 
 can be shewn, that, in many instances, Mr 
 Macpherson has misunderstood, and misin- 
 terpreted, the Gaelic, it is presumed, that it 
 will not be hastily alleged, with Mr Laing, 
 " that Macpherson fust wrote his Ossian in 
 " English, and that, as he wrote, he transla- 
 tc'd into Gaelic. "'
 
 882 ON THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 What, indeed, can be more incredible, 
 than that Mr Macpherson should labour the 
 Gaelic so much in point of language, and 
 imagery, and versification, the greatest part 
 of which has not yet, and perhaps never 
 shall, meet the public eye, whilst he neglect- 
 ed to transfuse so many important beauties, 
 there to be found, into his translation, on 
 which his fame and fortune immediately de- 
 pended? 
 
 There are, it may be observed, other 
 grounds, besides that of frequent mistrans- 
 lation, which render it more than probable, 
 that IVIr jMacpherson was only a mean pro- 
 ficient in the Gaelic language. Mrs Gallic, 
 widow of the late Reverend Mr Gallic of 
 Kincardine, in Ross-shire, writes to Charles 
 Macintosh, Esq. " that there is not any 
 " thing more in her remembrance, than see- 
 " ing, with Mr Macpherson, when he re- 
 " turned from his tour, the Gaelic manu- 
 " scripts described by her husband. She re-
 
 OF OSSIAN'S POEMS. 283 
 
 " members Macpherson most busy at the 
 " translation, and he and Mr Gallie differ- 
 " ing as to the meaning of some Gaelic 
 " words.''* 
 
 Captain Morison of Greenock, the friend 
 and coadjutor of Macpherson, in the trans- 
 lation, M^rites, " tliat lie was intimately ac- 
 " quainted with his abilities, and knowledge 
 " of the Gaelic language ; he admits, that 
 '' he had much merit in collecting, and ar- 
 " ranging and translating : but that, so far 
 " from composing such poems as were trans- 
 " lated, he assisted him often in understand- 
 " ing some words, and suggested some im- 
 " provements." f 
 
 I have further to state, that the Reverend 
 Mr Irvine, now minister at Little Dunkeld, 
 in Perthshire, permits me to say, " that 
 '' C'aj)tain Morison was his intimate ac- 
 
 Ht-jjort, ]). ')7 . 
 I llcpori, .A|)|). |i. I'
 
 84 ON THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 *' quainlance and friend ; and that he now 
 " possesses, in the original manuscript, much 
 " of the correspondence which passed be- 
 *'' tween Mr Macpherson and Captain Mori- 
 " son, during the progress of the collection 
 " and translation of Ossian's Poems;" (which, 
 it is to be hoped, Mr Irvine will, some time 
 or other, communicate to the public.*) He 
 adds, " that Mr Morison assured him, that 
 " Mr Macpherson understood the Gaelic 
 " language very imperfectly ; that he (Mr 
 *' Morison) wrote out the Gaelic for him, for 
 " the most part, on account of Mr Macpher- 
 " son's inability to write or spell it properly; 
 " that Captain Morison assisted him much 
 " in translating ; and that it was their gene- 
 
 * As every thing which fell from Mr Macpherson's 
 pen, on this subject, is interesting, I shall subjoin a 
 copy of a letter, which he wrote to his friend Captain 
 Morison, in 1789, relating to the perfection of Gaelic 
 literature, obligingly communicated by a Reverend 
 friend.
 
 OF OSSIAN'S POEMS. 285 
 
 " ral practice, when any passage occurred, 
 " which they did not well understand, either 
 " to pass It over entirely, or to gloss it over 
 " with any expressions that might appear to 
 " coalesce easily with the context." 
 
 So far Mr Irvine. He furnishes a verv 
 important key to Mr Macpherson's transla- 
 tions; and, it will be shewn, that, in trans- 
 lating the Seventh Book of Temora particu- 
 larly, these gentlemen have too often had 
 recourse to this process of skimming over 
 the surface, and neglecting to render the 
 true sense of the originals before them. 
 
 Considering it as of much importance, 
 with regard to this point, to adduce every 
 authentic fact that can now be collected, 
 M'ith regard to Mr Macpherson's conduct in 
 this matter, I beg leave to give an extract 
 of a letter, from my esteemed friend l)r 
 Duncan Macfarlanc, Minister at Drymen, 
 (of June i\ 18()6,) stating a conversation
 
 286 ON THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 which his late father and predecessor, well 
 known as an eminent proficient in the Gae- 
 lic language, had, at an early period, with 
 the translator of Ossian. 
 
 " The conversation," says the Doctor, " be- 
 " tween Mr Macpherson and my late father, 
 " of which you desire an account, took place 
 "in the year I762. My father had been 
 *' led to doubt the accuracy of Mr Macpher- 
 " son's account of the way in which he ob- 
 " tained the materials of what he published 
 " as the Poems of Ossian, and even to ques- 
 " tion the existence of the ancient manu- 
 " scripts, which he pretended to have disco- 
 " vered. Meeting him in London, he ear- 
 " nestly pressed him to remove these doubts, 
 " by publishing all the originals in his pos- 
 " session ; adding, ' as I perceive you are 
 " very imperjectly acquainted with the Gaelic 
 " language, I shall, if you ])lease, procure 
 " you the assistance of one of the first Gae-
 
 OF OSSIAN'S POEMS. 887 
 
 "lie scholars! in Scotland to revise your 
 " manuscript, and correct the press.' Mr 
 " Macpherson appeared, at first, disposed to 
 " embrace this offer; but, at their next in- 
 " terview, lie had changed his mind, and 
 " spoke of depositing- his papers in some 
 " public library." 
 
 The only inference, that it is intended to 
 draw from tliese testimonies, is, that Mr 
 IVIacpherson was imperfectly skilled in the 
 (/aelic language; that, in transcribing and 
 translating, he made use of the assistance of 
 others, who were belter versed in the lan- 
 guage than himself, sucli as Mr Galhe, Cap- 
 tain Morison, and Kwan Macpherson, who 
 accompanied him through the Hebrides; 
 
 t Besides attcstin<r, that I had the account ot'the above 
 conversation niyself, from the late Mr Macfarhme, I can 
 add, troni niv own recollection, and ironi tlie testimony 
 of his son, that the accomplished (Jaelic scholar, whom 
 he liad in view, was the KcNertud Mr Alexander Mac- 
 farlane, then mini^^ter at Arroijuhar.
 
 288 ON THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 and hence, that it is impossible, that he 
 could be the author even of those scanty, 
 but highly finished, fragments of Gaelic 
 verse, which he himself has communicated 
 to the public.
 
 OF OSSIAN'S POEMS. 469 
 
 NOTICE CONCERNING THE FOLLOWING 
 TRANSLATION. 
 
 Ihe following translation of the Seventh 
 Book of Temoia is literal, as far as the ge- 
 nius of the (lift'ercut languages will admit. 
 There is reason to apprehend, that, in many 
 instiinees, from an earnest endeavour to ren- 
 der the sense of the original with fidelity, 
 the translation will appear harsh and inele- 
 gant ; but it is hoped, that this defect will 
 appear to be comj)ensate(.l, in some measure, 
 by the precision of the idea, which such a 
 translation will afford, of the genius and 
 structure of CJaelic verse. It is even hoped, 
 that the translator, though translating lite- 
 rally, will be found to have sometimes suc- 
 ceeded in presenting to the ear some faint 
 
 T
 
 290 ON THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 semblance of the harmony of Ossian's versi- 
 fication. 
 
 There is, at least, one beauty of the origi- 
 nal, which, it is hoped, will be, in some de- 
 gree, represented in this translation, by pre- 
 serving the distinct structure of the verses 
 which is found in the Gaelic, but which is 
 entirely lost in the prosaic form of that of 
 Mr Macpherson. In the original. We may 
 trace throughout, in every couplet, a paral- 
 lehsm, or balancing, of the sentiment con- 
 veyed in the verses, similar to what Dr 
 Lowth has pointed out in the sacred poesy 
 of the Hebrews, and which is probably com- 
 mon to the poetry of every early people. I 
 have given some instances of this already, 
 (p. 53.) in the verses communicated by Pro- 
 fessor Richardson. We meet with this paral- 
 lelism throughout this book, except where 
 the narration is rapid, as in Fonnar's song, 
 ver. 303. Thus,
 
 OF OSSIAN'S POEMS. 291 
 
 Ver. 34. " Has sleep visited the husband of Clatho ? 
 " Dwells my father in slumbers ?" 
 49. " He struck the shield of resounding boss, 
 
 " The shield that hung high in night." 
 1 80. " I have risen, as a light, from the battle, 
 
 " As a meteor of night from the bursting cloud/' 
 
 I think, that it is impossible, for any per- 
 son of taste, even though unacquainted with 
 the original, to compare the balanced coup- 
 lets of the literal version, with the curtailed, 
 and often unharmonious, prose of IVlr Mac- 
 pherson ; and to entertain a doubt, whetlier 
 he was the mere translator, or the author of 
 this poetry. But even though his version may 
 be deemed the most elegant, and it is not 
 denied that it possesses many beauties, still, 
 it is demonstrable, that it is not just; and it 
 will be allowed, that nothing can compen- 
 sate the want of truth. 
 
 There are a few expressions, which, though 
 they convey a very precise itlea to the ear of 
 a Iliglilander, it has been found, in many in- 
 stances, impossible to translute. The only
 
 898 ON THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 expressions of this kind, however, of which 
 I shall now take notice, are the characteris- 
 tic epithets, which occur so often in this 
 Book, and in all Ossian's Poems, nam bolg 
 and nan colg. These, indeed, with many 
 other expressions, which, from the pecuHar 
 idiom of the language, it has been found dif- 
 ficult to translate, Mr Macpherson has, very 
 conveniently, omitted altogether, or satisfied 
 himself, according to the practice ascribed 
 to him by Mr Morison, " with glossing them 
 " over," by the first easy phrase that occur- 
 red. The two expressions already mention- 
 ed, though they occur more than twelve times 
 in the following poem, have been uniformly 
 omitted by Mr Macpherson, except in, I 
 think, two instances. 
 
 Colg signifies, literally, " bristles," and is 
 used in the poem of Diarmid, in Dr Smith's 
 Seandana, to denote the bristles of the boar. 
 Connan says :
 
 OF OSSIAN'S POEMS. t9S 
 
 " Tomhais an tore an aghaidh a chuilg :" 
 
 That is, 
 
 " Measure the boar against the bristles." 
 
 We find the people of Fingal, in these 
 poems, generally styled ^^NanColgy" or "the 
 " bristled," probably from the fierceness of 
 their looks, and their bristled hair and beards. 
 This term, accordingly, has sometimes been 
 rendered by *' fierce," or " warlike." 
 
 Another race of men, mentioned in these 
 poems, particularly those of the south 
 Ireland, and of the southern and eastern 
 parts of Caledonia, are styled " Nam Bo/g f 
 the Bo\yoi of l^ausanias; and the Belgai of 
 the Romans. Bo/g, in Gaelic, signifies, li- 
 terally, " the bellyed," or " the corpulent," 
 and might be aj)plied, as a characteristic 
 ei)ithct, to the inhabitants of the richer dis- 
 tricts and Lowlands. This, however, is given 
 only in the way of conjecture.
 
 S94 ON THE AUTHENTICITY 
 
 The original Gaelic and the literal trans- 
 lation are placed opposite to each other ; Mr 
 Macpherson's translation is placed at the 
 bottom; and a few notes, or observations, 
 are subjoined, wherever they appear neces- 
 sary. The same marks of reference which 
 lead to these notes, are affixed to the paral- 
 lel passages in the Gaelic, in the new trans- 
 lation, and in that of Mr Macpherson. 
 
 M^ith regard to the edition of the original 
 Gaelic which I have used, it may be proper 
 to say, that I had it, a great many years ago, 
 from the late Reverend Mr Hugh Macdiarmid, 
 then minister of the Gaelic Chapel at Glas- 
 gow, and afterwards minister of Comrie. 
 That gentleman, who was critically skilled 
 in the Gaelic language, had felt indignant at 
 the novel mode of speUing, which Mr Mac- 
 pherson had attempted to introduce ; but 
 which he, in common witli all who are ac- 
 quainted with the Gaelic, considered as de- 
 structive of the etymological proprieties of
 
 OF OSSIAN'S POEMS. 99i 
 
 the language. He, therefore, transcribed 
 this Seventh Book of Temora from IVIr IVIac- 
 pherson's printed copy, into his common 
 place book, in the usual orthography. The 
 peculiarity of IVIr Macpherson's mode of 
 spelling consists in the elision of the quies- 
 cent letters, and in adapting it to the pro- 
 nunciation. 
 
 The translator has only to add, that it is 
 with some dilhdence that he now presents 
 this translation to the public, to which that 
 of Mr Macpherson has been so long familiar, 
 that it has acquired a degree of veneration 
 in its eyes. When, however, it is perceived 
 how far he has, in many instances, departed 
 from his original, how much he has added, and 
 how much he has suppressed, it will, perhaps, 
 appear desirable to see the venerable Bard di- 
 vested of adventitious ornaments, and exhi- 
 bited as nearly in his own garb as the genius 
 of our language will permit. In such a trans- 
 lation, we might hope, that a glimpse might
 
 296 ON THE AUTHENTICITY, &c. 
 
 be caught of the spirit of Ossian, as he passes 
 along, even in the unpropitious garb of a fo- 
 reign idiom ; and it might even be presum- 
 ed, that many, who are strangers to the lan- 
 guage in which these Poems were compos- 
 ed, would be induced, by the aid which 
 such a faithful version would afford, to cul- 
 tivate the tongue in which Fingal spoke, 
 and Ossian sung. 
 
 Indeed, were the originals before the pub- 
 lic, as it is earnestly hoped they soon shall 
 be, a field would be opened up for the hi- 
 therto neglected study of Celtic literature, 
 which, there can be no doubt, would attract 
 the attention of the learned over all Europe. 
 And, supposing these originals to be, through- 
 out, as perfect and elegant as the piece which 
 is now presented, one might even presume 
 to foretell, that the language, in which they 
 are composed, will be studied in Ossian, long 
 after it has ceased to be vernacular in any 
 corner of the iiritish empire.
 
 THE 
 
 SEVENTH BOOK 
 
 or 
 
 T E M O R A, 
 
 AN EPIC POEM. 
 
 FIRST PLBLISHED IN 
 
 THE ORIGINAL GAELIC, 
 
 BY JAMKS MACPHERSON, ESQ. 
 
 AND NOW 
 
 TRANSLATED LITERALLY, 
 
 WITH 
 
 MR MACPHERSON'S TRANSLATION 
 
 ANNEXED. 
 
 TO WIIICU A HE AODF.I) 
 
 NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS.
 
 i 298 ] 
 
 TEMORA, BOOK VIT. 
 
 (J Linne doir-choille na Leitgo, 
 Air iia'ir, eiridh cto taobh-ghorm naii tonn : 
 'Nitair a dhuineas dorsa na li oiche, 
 Air iulair-shuil greine nan spew. 
 Domhail mii Lara nan sruth, 
 Thaonias didbh neul, as doirche griiaim. 
 Mar ghlas sgiath, roimh thaomadh nan nial, 
 Snamh seachad tha gealach na K oiche. 
 Le sho eididh taoibhsean o sliean, 
 
 MR MACPHERSON S 
 
 From the wood-skirted waters of Lego, ascend, at 
 times, gray-bosomed mists, when tlie gates of the west 
 are dosed on the sun's eagle-eye. Wide, over Lara's
 
 299 3 
 
 LITERALLY TRANSLATED. 
 
 JTrom the pool of wood-skirted Lego, 
 
 At times, ascend the bhie-sided mists of the waves: 
 
 When closed are the gates of night. 
 
 On the eagle-eye of the sun of the skies. 
 
 Swelling around Lara of streams, 5 
 
 Pour black clouds of darkest gloom : 
 
 Like a gray shield, before the bursting of the clouds. 
 
 Swims along the moon of night. 
 
 With this invest the ghosts, of old. 
 
 TRANSLATION. 
 
 stream, is poured the vapour, dark and deep. The 
 modii, like a dun shield, is swimming through its folds. 
 With this clothe tlie spirits of old
 
 300 TEMORA, BOOK VII. 
 
 An dlu-ghkus* ameasg na gaoith. 10 
 
 Siad a leumnich o' osnadh gn omadh, 
 
 Air dubh aghaidh oiche nan sian. 
 
 Ann taohh oiteig, gu paluin nan seod, 
 
 Taomidh iad ceathach nan speur ; 
 
 Gorm-thalla do thannais nach beo, 15 
 
 Gu am eiridhfonn marhh rann nan tend. 
 
 Tha torman am machair nan crann : 
 
 MR MACPHERSON S 
 
 tlieir suddeii gestures,* on the wind, when they stride 
 from blast to blast, along the dusky night, often blende 
 with the gale, to some warrior's grave, they roll the 
 
 * Besides remarking in ^fr Macphcr?ou's translation of the 
 above passage, that tiiough he, upon the ^vhole, renders the sense 
 of the original with tolerable fidelity, he, at the same time, loses, 
 and, from apparent hurry, suppresses many elegant images, I must 
 observe, particularly, that the expression, " sudden gestures,"' by 
 which he translates " dlu-gfilcua," is as devoid of meaning, as it 
 is foreign to the sense of the original. The expression, in the ori- 
 ginal, evidently alludes to a mythology, (for there is a mjfhology 
 in Ossian of a very appropriate kind,) which was well known to 
 Mr Maeplicrson, but of whicli, in thio instance, he loses sight.
 
 LITERALLY TRANSLATED. 801 
 
 Their close-gathered forms,* amidst the winds. 10 
 As they pass (leap) from blast to blast. 
 On the dusky countenance of the stormy nighl. 
 On the skirt of the gale, to the dwelling of the brave. 
 They pour the vapour of the skies : 
 A blue mansion to the shades of the deceased, 15 
 Till the season that the death-song rises on the 
 strings. 
 There is a rustlini; sound in the field of trees : 
 
 TRANSLATION. 
 
 mist, a gray dwelling to his ghost, until the soncjs 
 arise. 
 
 A sound came from the dcsart ; 
 
 TliP ghosts, or shades, of the deceased are uniformly repre-oiU- 
 ed, by Os^iaii, us thin and feehle forms, which were liable to lie 
 tossed about b\ the blast, and even to have their substance, at 
 times, torn and di-persed l)v the winds; an example of wliich oc- 
 curs inimediatelv below, at ver<e "iS. It became nece>ary for 
 them, therefore, to guard against uih accidents, anti to j:alher 
 their uii-ubstantial fornix into clo>-c arrav. J laving thi> wtll known 
 invtholofi;]) in our eye, the expre>ion, " i\i>'C-f;nl/irrid forms," 
 suf:2;<>(-. a precise and appropriate idea. See below Mr Mar- 
 phcrsoua translation of verse oS.
 
 SOi TEMORA, BOOK VII. 
 
 *Se Connar righ Eirin a f ann, 
 
 A taomadJi ceo tannais gu dluth. 
 
 Air Fuolan,* aig Lubhar nan smth. 20 
 
 Muladach, suidhefo bhron, 
 
 Dhaorn an taibhs ami ceathach an loin. 
 
 Thaom osnadh eisin annfein ; 
 
 Ach phill an cruth aluin gu dian ; -f 
 
 Phill e le chrom shealladh, mall, 25 
 
 X( ceo leadain, mar shuibhal nan sian. 
 
 'S doilleir shof 
 Ata na sloigh nan suain, san am. 
 
 MR MACPHERSON S 
 
 It was Conuar, king of Inisfail. He poured the mist on 
 Fillan,* at blue winding Lubar. Dark and mournful sat the 
 ghost, in his gray ridge of smoke. The blast, at times, rol- 
 
 * Fillan, the son of Fingal, had been lately killed. See Book 
 VI. 
 
 f We have here a fine example of the mythology alluded to 
 in a preceding note. The ghost of Fillan had been rolled together 
 l!y the blast, but soon resumed its form. Should it gratify any
 
 LITERALLY TRANSLATED. SOS 
 
 It is Connar, king of Erin, 
 
 Pouring thick the mist of ghosts. 
 
 On Fillan,* at streamy Lubar. fiO 
 
 Sad, sitting in grief. 
 
 Descended the ghost, in the mist of the vale 
 
 (meadow,) 
 The blast rolled him together; 
 But the noble form quickly returned into itself ;\ 
 It returned, slowly, witii downcast look, 25 
 
 With locks of mist, like the course of storms. 
 
 It is dark ! 
 The hosts, meantime, arc sunk in sleep, 
 
 TRANSLATION. 
 
 led him to<;etl)(!r : but tlie form returned again; f it return- 
 ed with iK-nding eyes, and dark-winding locks of mist. 
 It is dark ! The sleeping hosts were still. 
 
 rrilir to liavf* a similar image pointed out in another poet, 1 
 jIiouUI refer him to Milton's 
 
 " lUii the eliiereal Mil)>tance clo-ed, 
 
 " -Not long divi-ii)lc."' 
 
 I'urinU^r Lo^l. Book. \ i. vcr. 330.
 
 804 TEMORA, BOOK VII. 
 
 Ann trusgan ciar na Ji oiche. 
 
 Dli illsich tein an righ, gu Ji ard , 30 
 
 Dhaom e na aonar air S2:iath. 
 
 Thuit coddal mu shuUean a Ghaisgich ; 
 
 TJianig guth Fhaola'm na ch/uais : 
 
 " An coddal sho don Fhear-posda aig Clatho ? * 
 " Am bheil comhnuidh dom athair ami suain ? 35 
 " Am hheil cuimhne \mi an trusgan 7ian nial, 
 " 'Smi 'm aonar ann am na A' uiche T' 
 
 ME MACPHERSON S 
 
 in the skirts of night. The flame decayed on the hill of 
 Fingal, Thekinglay, lonely, on his shield. His eyes were 
 half-closed in sleep. The voice of Fillan came : " Sleeps 
 
 * A striking coinriderico, not only of thought, but oven of ex- 
 pression, will be found between this nightlj dialogue of Fillan's 
 ghost, and Fingal; and a well known passage in the Iliad of Ho- 
 mer, which, however, has escaped the industry of Mr Laing. In 
 the Iliad, (lib. xxiii. v. 65.) the ghost of Patroclus comes to 
 Achilles, in a dream, and complains, that he is yet left without 
 the rites of sepulture. The ghost says, almost in the words of 
 Fillan,
 
 LITERALLY TRANSLATED. 305 
 
 fVrapt in the dusky robe of night. 
 
 Lowered is the flame of the king, on high, 30 
 
 He bended, lonely, on his shield. 
 
 Sleep descended on the eyes of the hero. 
 
 The voice of Fillan met his ear: 
 
 " Sleeps thus the husband of Clatho?* 
 " Does my father dwell in slumbers ? So 
 
 " Does he remember me in my vesture of mist, 
 " Whilst I am lonely, in the season of night r" 
 
 TRANSLATION. 
 
 " the husband of Clatho r * Dwells the father of the fal- 
 " len in rest? Am I forgot in the folds of darkness, lonely, 
 " in the season of niaht r" 
 
 That is: " Do^t thou sU-ci), and ha^t thou forgoiteii me, Achil- 
 les?" Achilles replies, 
 
 Thai is: " Why, dear friend, hast thou come hither ?" Mho 
 iloe> not |)erreivf,tiiat lhi> roiiicideiire i- the natural ei)n-iC(|uence 
 of the >uper?tition concerning funeral rites, wiiich was common to 
 the most (if ancient nations ?
 
 306 TEMORA, BOOK VII. 
 
 " Canon a iha thu am ahlin fein ?" 
 Thuirt Fionghall, 's e g eiridh giad: 
 " All di-chuimhn dhamhsa mo mhac, 40 
 
 *' No shuibhal teine, air rcidhlan Jian laoch ? 
 " Ni mar sin, air anam an righ 
 " Thig gniomh seoid aluin nan cruaidh hheum. 
 
 " Ni 'n dealan iadsa, a theichas ann duibhre 
 
 " Na li oicht ; 's nachfhag a lorg. 45 
 
 " 'S cuimhn learn Faolan na shuain: 
 
 " 'Ta m' anam aio; eiridh borb." 
 
 Ghluais an righ ie sh/eadh gu grad; 
 Bhuail e an sgiath isfuaimnich cop, 
 
 MR MA'-PHERSON S 
 
 " Why (lost thou mix," said the king, " with the 
 " dreams of thy father? Can I forget thee, my son, or 
 " thv path of fire in the field r TSot such come the deeds 
 " of the valiant, on the. soul ofFinual. Thev are not 
 "there a beam of ligiitning, which is seen, anil is then 
 
 7
 
 LITERALLY TRANSLATED. SU7 
 
 " Why art thou in my dreams ?" 
 Said Fingal, rising in haste, 
 
 " Can I forget my son, 40 
 
 '' Or his path of fire, in the field of the brave ? 
 " Not thus, on the soul of the king, 
 " Come the actions of the heroes of hardy deeds, 
 
 (strokes.) 
 '' No Hash are they that passes in the darkness 
 " Of night, and leaves no trace behind. 45 
 
 " I remember Fillan in his rest: 
 " My soul arises furious." 
 
 The king advanced with his spear, in haste; 
 He struck the shield of resounding boss; 
 
 TRANSLATION. 
 
 " no uioiv. 1 remember thee, C) lillaii, and niv wrath 
 " begins to rise." 
 
 The king took his dealhful t spear, ami struck the 
 Jcep-soundinu shield ; 
 
 I Then- 1^ iioiluns; of " deatliful," or > <!^iiial." in .lic oriji-
 
 308 TEMORA, BOOK VII. 
 
 An sgiath a dh' aom s' an oiche ard, 
 
 3ali mosghidh do chath nan lot. 50 
 
 Air aomadh duhh nan sHabh,-\ 
 
 Air gaoith, theich treud nan taibks' : 
 
 O ghleannan ciar nan iomadh lub, 
 
 Mhosguil guth a bhais. 53 
 
 Bhuail e an sgiath, an dara cuairt; 
 
 Ghhiais cogadh an aislin an f shluaigh ; 
 
 JBA? comhstri nan lann glas 
 
 A dealradh air anam nan seod : 
 
 Cinn-feadhna a dimideadh gu cath : 60 
 
 Sluagh a teicheadh, gniomh bu chruaidh, 
 
 MR MACPHERSON's 
 
 his shield that hung high in night; the dismal sign of 
 war ! Ghosts fled on every side, and rolled tfieir gather- 
 ed forms* on the wind. Thrice, from the winding vale, 
 arose the voice of deaths. The Itarps of the hards, un- 
 touched, sound ii'ournful over the hill, (probably Itall.) He 
 
 * " Gathered forms" is here introduced, uliero it is wanting iu 
 the original. The sentence printed iu ituhc^ does uot occur iu mr 
 5dition of the Gaelic.
 
 LITERALLY TRANSLATED. S09 
 
 The shield that hung high in night; 50 
 
 The instrument that rouzed to the battle of wounds. 
 
 Upon the dusky slopes of tiie mountains^f 
 
 On wind, fled the tribes of ghosts. 
 
 From the gray vale of many windings 
 
 Awoke the voice of death. 55 
 
 He struck the shield a second time (round :) 
 
 Battles arose in the dreams of the host. 
 
 The strife of blue swords, 
 
 Gleamed uj)oa the souls of the heroes; 
 
 Chiefs closing in battle; 60 
 
 People Hying; hardiest deeds. 
 
 TRANSLATION. 
 
 Struck again the shield; battles rose iu the dreams of 
 the people. The wide-tumbling strife is gleaming over 
 their souls. Blue-shielded kings descend to war. Back- 
 ward-looking armies Uy, and mighty deeds 
 
 + 1 liis vcrsc, though very beautiful, a omitlod by MrMucphct- 
 luii.
 
 SIO TEMORA, BOOK Vll. 
 
 Leth-dhoilkir ann dealan an staluin.* 
 
 N' uair dheirich an dara fuaim,-\ 
 Leumfeidh o chos nan cam. 
 
 Chluinte an sgreadan sge 's anfhasaich, 65 
 
 Gach eun air ossaigfhein. 
 Leth-eirich siol Albin nam huadh, 
 Thog iad suas gach sleagh hu ghlas : 
 Ach phiU samhchair air an t" shluagh, 
 'Se bli ann sgitith Mhorbheinn namfras 70 
 
 Phill coddal air suilean nam Fear : 
 Bu dorcha trom an gleann. 
 
 MR MACPHERSON S 
 
 are half-hid in the bright gleam of steel.* 
 
 But, when the third f sound arose, deer started from 
 the clefts of the rocks. The screams of fowl are heard, 
 in the desart, as each flew, frighted, on his blast. The 
 
 * It is needless to remark the liberties taken by Mr Maepher- 
 son, in translating this passage; Ihey will appear from (he literal 
 version. There is nothing, in the original, of tliose rumbling 
 epithets, " wide-tumbling, bine-shielded, or barkwards flying." 
 These might be justly styled bombast by any eritic. 
 
 t It appears evident, that Mr Macphcrson lias entirely niit-
 
 LITERALLY TRANSLATED. 311 
 
 Half-obscure, in the gleam of steel.* 
 
 When the second sound arose,"f 
 Deer started from the caverns of the rocks ; 
 There was heard the scream of birds in the desart. 
 Each bird on its own blast ; 6G 
 
 Half arose the race of victorious Albion, 
 They lifted up their gray spears. 
 But silence returned upon tiie host : 
 It was the shield of showery Morven. 70 
 
 Sleep returned upon the eyes of tlie heroes; 
 Dark and glooniy (heavy) was the vale. 
 
 TRANSLATION. 
 
 sons of Morven halt-rose, and half-assumed their spears; 
 but silence rolled back on the host : they knew the 
 shield of the king. Sleep returned to their eyes; the 
 field was dark and still. 
 
 rait ul.i(c(l tlif (iiflrt-rciil al;irm> ^i\cii 1)\ ilif shield of Fiiii^al ; and 
 lini. ( lie liiul- liiiiisclf oldit^cd to omit tin- cxpic-ioii, " the mtoikI 
 " time,"" ill vcr-c jft, ami to mi-iiaii-lat<- th- <-x()r>-ion, " llu- 
 '* -i-coiul sound,' in vcr-<- ('i<. It will aiipr.ii alh'i \Nard-, th.V 
 till- Ihiiit sound of the s|ii, hi \va- iioi l:caid till Suil-,a!a comic: to 
 L'atiimoi", vcrfc '.'"i.
 
 S12 TEMORA, BOOK VII. 
 
 N' im bu choddal duitse 's an uair, 
 Nighean shuifghorm Chommhoir nam buadh. 
 Chual Suihnhala ajifkuaim; 15 
 
 DK eirich i san oiche k gruaim ; 
 'Ta a ceum pu risji Atha nan coh: 
 " N' im mosguil cunart anam borb." * 
 
 Trom a sheas i, a suikan sios ; 
 
 'Ta 'n speur-f ann hsgadh nan reul. 80 
 
 Chualas leatha sgiath nan cop: 
 Ghluais : ghrad sheas an oigh : 
 Dh' eirich a guth ; ach dhaom e sios. 
 
 Mil MACPHERSON S 
 
 No sleep was thine, in darkness, blue-eyed daughter 
 of Conmor. Suilmalla heard the dreadful shield, and 
 rose amidst the night. Her steps are towards the king 
 of Atha. Can danger shake his daring soul ! * In doubt, 
 
 Mr Macphcrson seems not to perceive, that this line is a soli- 
 loquy of Suilvala. 
 
 + In all the originals before us, there occurs no term, which 
 fhould be translated " heaven." Here it is speur, " the sky"
 
 LITERALLY TRANSLATED. 31S 
 
 But no sleep was thine, at the time, 
 BIue-e3'ed daughter of victorious Conmor. 
 Suilvala had heard the sound : 75 
 
 She arose, through night, in sadness. 
 Her steps are towards the king of warhke Atha : 
 " Danger," said she to herself, " will not move his 
 
 daring soul." * 
 Sad she stood with downcast eyes : 
 The skyi" is bright with stars. 80 
 
 She had heard tiic bossy shield. 
 She advanced. Soon stopped the maid. 
 Her voice arose ; but sunk again. 
 
 TllANSLATION. 
 
 she stands, with bending eyes. Heaven i burns with all 
 its stars. 
 
 Again \ the shield resounds. She rushed : she slop- 
 ped. Her voice hall-rose : it failed. 
 
 \ From Mr MiicplK-iMur-; iniMalciilaiioii "if ilit* alarms g;ivpn 
 l>y I'ii)2;al- ^iiicld. lie fall- iiUo ii-|icaliil emu-. I'lic -liii-ld did 
 not -dimii tii^din, on 1,'ii-. <)((a-ion. It ua- tin" vm i/i(/ sound, mcu- 
 tioncd verrL- 63; tlial tiad lou^<-.l tlic tear- ofSuihala.
 
 314 TEMOKA, ROOK VII. 
 
 Chunnaic is e na staluin chruaidh, 
 
 A dealradh ri losgadh nan reul. 85 
 
 Chunnaic is e, va leadan trom 
 
 Aig eiridh ri osnadh nan spew. 
 
 Thionnda i a ceumna lejiamli : 
 " Carson a dhuis2.canis li'^h E'uin nam hohjf ? * 
 
 " Ni 'n aislin da choddal thufein, 90 
 
 *'*' A nighean Inis-uaJne nan colg" * 
 
 Gn garg mhusgiiil an forma?: : 
 'n oigh 'hitit a ceann-hheairt sios : 
 Ta amfathrom air carraig nan ami]'.. 
 
 MR MACPHLRSON S 
 
 She saw him, amidst his arms, that gleamed in heaven'.^ 
 fire. She saw him dim in his locks, that rose to nighth 
 wind. Away, for fear, she turned her steps. " Why 
 " should the kini:c of Erin awake r Thou art not the 
 
 * IltTP occur the terms ham Boh'. ;ii)j)!ird lo tliril pan of lie 
 iand whicli formed tlio kingdom of (atliinor, and nnn Cuts, nj)- 
 plicd to the rounfrv of Siillvala, v-\\o, ir.-'pircd by love, li;;'' fo! 
 'oTvcd him ;!) dircui'-e
 
 LITERALLY TRANSLATED. SlS 
 
 She beheld him armed in hard steel. 
 Gleaming in the brightness of the stars. 85 
 
 She beheld him, with his bushy (heavy) locks 
 Rising on the sighs of the sky. 
 
 She turned aside her steps, in fear : 
 " Why," said she to herself, " should I awaken the 
 
 king of Erin? 
 " Thou art not in the dreams of his sleep, 90 
 
 " Daughter of warlike Inisuaine."* 
 
 Fiercely, ag(//ii,'\j- awoke the sound. 
 From the maiden fell her licluiet down. 
 The sound is from the rock of streams. 
 
 TUANSLATION. 
 
 " dream of his rest, dauglitcr of Inisuaiiie." 
 
 More (h-cadfiil rung the sliiild. Suilinalla starts. IIcv 
 hehnct falls. lyitid echoed Luhars rock, us over it rolled 
 the steel, t 
 
 + 'i'lii- i- llii^ tliird .il.iim <pf riiij:;ir.- -Iiicld. 
 
 ^ ()1 ilic l)()iiil)a-i lii'ir iTi;ul.'(t in it.ilu:-, tlicrc i- i;'>tl'i.;g in 
 ii^'' original.
 
 318 TEMORA, BOOK VII. 
 
 Plaosgadh o aislin na li oiche, ^5 
 
 Ghluais CathmorJ'a chrunnjein.* 
 Chunnaic e an oigh ba tla. 
 Air cairaig Lubhar nan sliabh ; 
 Dears reul a sealladh sios 
 *Measg siubhal a trom chiabh, 100 
 
 " Cia 'ta ro'uiih oiche gu Cathmor,-\ 
 " Ann ceair% aimsir aislin fein^ 
 
 MR MACPHERSON S 
 
 Bursting from the dreams of night, Cathmor half-rose,* 
 beneath his tree, iie saw the form of the maid, above 
 him, on the rock. A red star, with twuikiing beam. 
 
 It must have occurred, that Mr Macpherson seems to be pe- 
 culiarly fond of compounding his terms with the word half. This 
 word, indeed, occurs thrice in the original of tiiis Book. But Mr 
 Macpherson halves every thing. " They assumed,'' is, with him, 
 " they half assumed;" " her voice arose," is, " half arose;'' 
 " sleep descended on his eyes," is, " liis eyes were iialf closed in 
 *' sleep." 
 
 Nt'x.ra oi op^taur,^ 
 
 'Ht," i)\: 
 
 Iliad, lib. X, V. 8?
 
 LITERALLY TRANSLATED. SIT 
 
 Burstirfg from the dreams of night, 95 
 
 Advanced Cathmor, from heneath his tree.* 
 He beheld the gentle maiden. 
 Upon the rock of hilly Lubar : 
 A red star looked downwards, 
 ThrouGfh the flowins; of her bushv locks. 100 
 
 " Who comes, through night, to Cathmor,*|- 
 " In the sinistrous;}: season of his dreams? 
 
 THANSLATION. 
 
 looki'cl lhroui;!i Ik r lloatin^^ hair. 
 
 " Who coiiHs through niL'ht to ('atlimor,t in the sea- 
 " son t of his drcaiiisr Briiiirt'st thou auclit of war? 
 
 I 'I'hf term cearr occdr^; Iwici- in tlu' oriiiiii.'il of (his Hook, in a 
 very a[)|)i(>iiii,ilp ;i<('{)i;uii;n ; hut, in neither in-t.'inee i> it trans- 
 lated, l)\ Mr .Ma( plier^im, who jjroh;:!)!) (Hi! not un(fer>tand it. 
 (\<irr !.ii;iiifie-, in iioni'ial, ofaav two tiiin;;-, or \\a\-, tiie ui'iiig 
 one. 'rhu>, in eontradi^tinetinn to slrafi^ li, it i^nilie-. c'lUqui : in 
 op[)o>ilioii to /k< /.;/, it ^ij;nifie> i/d'/i '. / , in opjjn^itidn to ri^lii- 
 handid, it sif;nilie /f_//-/((;N(/t,'. It i~ !iere jem! red 1;\ ^ini>tro;ii. 
 unU.y k'l. or uruinuu-.
 
 318 TEiMORA, BOOK VII. 
 
 " Am hhcilfios duit air stri nan crnaidh bheum ? 
 
 " Cia thusa, mhic duibhre nan spenr '^^ 
 
 " Na sheas thu amjiadhnuis an righ, 10 J 
 
 " Do cliaol thannas o' nam o shean '^ 
 
 " No 'n guth thu moil namfras, 
 
 " Le cunart Erin nan colg scan ?" 
 
 " Ni 'nfear suibhail mi fcin ; 
 " Ni 'n guth mi o' ncoil nan gruaim : 110 
 
 " Ach 'to ni fhocul h cunart na li Erin. 
 " An cualas duit copan nam fuaim ? 
 " Ni 'w taibhs e, righ Atha nan sruth, 
 " A thaojnas anfhuaim air oiche." 
 
 " Taomadh an seod a ghuthfein : 1 1 J 
 
 " 'S fonn c/arsaich do Chath/nor anfhuaim: 
 
 '' 'l\i aiteas, ndiic duibhre nan qjcur, 
 
 Mil MACniP^RSON s 
 
 " Who art thou, son of night? Staiidcst thou beturo me, 
 " a form of the tunes of old ? A voitc, from the fold of a 
 " cloud, to warn me of Erin's danger?" 
 
 " Nor lonely scout am I, nor voice iVoni i'olded cloud; 
 '' but I warn thee of the dan<:cr of I'irin. Dost thou
 
 LITERALLY TRANSLATED. 319 
 
 *' Knowest thou of the strife of battle, (hard blows) ? 
 " VVlio art thou, son of the darkness of the sky ? 
 " Standest thou in the presence of the king, 105 
 " A slender shade of the times of old ? 
 " Or art thou a voice, from the showery clouds, 
 "' To tell the danger of ancient Erin r" 
 
 " No traveller am 1, 
 *' Nor voice from the frowning clouds; 110 
 
 '^ But my words are of the danger of Erin. 
 "" ])i(l^t lliou hear the resounding boss? 
 '' II i'^^ no gho^t, king of streamy Allia, 
 " Thai pours the sound oil night." 
 
 '' Let the iicro pour his voice 116 
 
 '' As the inehKl)' of the harp, is the sound to 
 
 Catlnnor. 
 '''' Joy, O sou of the darkness oi' the sky. 
 
 TUANSLATION. 
 
 '' hear that souiul I It is not the lecl)Ir, kiii^; of Atlin, 
 " tliat rolls Ills sii^us on uii;lit." 
 
 " Let the warrior roll hi- si-ii>; tn Catlunor, they arc 
 '' 'Ii'j -ouiul of hirjis. Mv )"'' is u;reat, voice of iiiLrhl,
 
 aw TEMORA, BOOK VIL 
 
 " Losgadk air nianam gun ghi'uaim.* 
 
 " 'S e ceol chinn-flieadhna nan cruaidh bheum, 
 
 " Am oiche, air aisrigh nan sian; 120 
 
 " 'Nuair a lasas anam nan sonn, 
 
 " A Mann an cruadal do ^miann. 
 
 " 'Ta siol meata aig comhnuidh namjiamh, 
 
 " Ann gleannan nan osnadh tla ; 
 
 " Far an aom ceo-maidne ri sliahh, 125 
 
 " O' gkorm shiiibhal sruthan nam hlar." 
 
 *' Ki 'meata, cheann-uithe nan sonn, 
 " An sinsra' on do thuit mifein : 
 
 MR MACPHERSON S 
 
 " and burns over all my thoughts.* This is the music 
 " of kings, on lonely hills, by night, when tliey light 
 " their daring souls, the sons of mighty deeds. The 
 " feeble dwell alone, in the valley of the breeze, where 
 
 * From comparing the literal translation of the above four 
 lines, or indeed of this whole passage, ith that gi\eH bv Mr 
 Macplicrson, it is presumed that it ill appear evident, that, now 
 tired of his labour, >vhich had not been inconsiderable, he is ha-
 
 LITERALLY TRANSLATED. 321 
 
 " Burns upon my unclouded soul.f 
 " This is the music of hardy chieftains, 
 '' In the season of night, on the stormy hills, 120 
 " When kindle the souls of the brave, 
 " The race in hardships that delight; 
 '* The race of the timid dwell, in fear, 
 " In the vale of soft breezes, 
 
 " W^here ascends the mist of the morning to the 
 
 hill, 125 
 
 " From the blue course of the streams of the plain." 
 
 " Not timid, thou Iciuler of the brave, 
 '' Were the fathers from whom I s[)rung. 
 
 TRANSLATION. 
 
 ' mists lift their morning skirts, from the blue winding 
 ' stream." 
 
 " Not feeble, king of men, were tliey, the fathers of 
 " my race. 
 
 'tt-ning towards a < onilii<.iini, l)y -kiimiiin>c over hi> sul)joft, and 
 l)\ oininini; an* inia^f, or cxpr.-^-ioii, vsliU li it iiiitflit bo difficulf, 
 f>r iriiiiMfxdm-, to him to nudcr.
 
 322 TEMORA, BOOK VII. 
 
 " Bu chomhnmdh dhoibh dubhra nan tonn, 
 
 <' j4nn tirfhada ; siol cholgach nam beum. ISO 
 
 " jich ni 'n solas do 'm' aiiam tla, 
 " Fuaim mall a bhais o ' raon. 
 " Thig eisean nach geill gu brath : 
 " Mosgail bardfocail is caoin" 
 
 Mar charraig, is sruthan ri taobh, 135 
 
 j4nn fasaich namfaoin bheann, 
 Sheas Cat/imor, ceann-feadhna nach maoin, 
 Ann dcoir. 
 
 Mar oittig, air anam, le bron, 
 
 Thanig guth caoin na //' oigh ; 140 
 
 Mosgladh cuimhn talamh nam beann, 
 A caomh cliomhnuidh, aig sruthain nan gleann ; 
 Roimh 'n am 'n d' thainig e gu barb. 
 
 MR MACPllERSON S 
 
 " They dwelt in the folds of battle, in their distant lands. 
 " Yet delights not my soul in the signs of death! He, 
 " who never yields, comes forth : O send the bard of 
 " peace."
 
 LITERALLY TRANSLATED. S2S 
 
 " Their dwelling was in the dark caverns of the 
 
 waves, 
 " In a distant land ; a warlike race, laO 
 
 " But my soft spirit has no delight 
 " In the slow sound of death, on the plain. 
 " He comes, who never yields. 
 ^' Awaken the bard of mildest voice." 
 
 Like a rock, over whose side a streamlet trickles, 
 In the dcsart of low hills, 136 
 
 Stood Cathmor, valiant chief! 
 In tears. 
 
 Like a breeze, on iiis soul, sorrowful!}'. 
 Came the soft voice of the maiden ; 140 
 
 Awakening the memory of the land of mountains. 
 Her peaceful dwclhng, by the streams of the vale. 
 Before he had come, in his wrath. 
 
 TRANSLATION. 
 
 Like a dropping rock, in the dcsart, stood Cathmor, 
 jn tuars. Iler voice came, a breeze, on his soul, and 
 ivaked ilie memory of her land; where slie dwell by her 
 peacetul streams, before he ramc
 
 321 TEMORA, BOOK Vll. 
 
 Gu comhair Chonmhoir nan colgfiar* 
 
 *' A nighean choigreach nan lann" 145 
 
 (Thionnda i a ceann o 'n t' shonn:) 
 " ^Sfaddafa 'm shutl, ann cruaidh, 
 " Crann -fjfathail Inisuaine nan tonn. 
 " 'Ta 'm anam, do thubhairt niifein, 
 " Ann trusgan nan sian ciar. 1 50 
 
 " Carson a lasadh an dealra diofhein, 
 " Giis am pill mi, ann sith, on f shliabh? 
 
 MK MACPHERSON S 
 
 to the war of Conmor.* 
 
 " Daughter of strangers," he said, (she, trembhng, 
 turned away,) " long have I niiirked thee in thy steel. 
 
 * I may be permitted to remark, that, in this passage, there 
 occur, in the original, many afl'ecting aiul inimitable beauties. 
 Suilvala, who had become enamoured of C'athmor, during his re- 
 sidence in Inisuaine, her native land, follows him, in disguise. 
 Pnimpted by her anxiety for his safctN, she warns him, through 
 niglit, of the military preparations of I'ingal ; but he disdains 
 every thought of fear. She betrays her sex, by her timidity and 
 alarm. Cathmor instantly recognizes her, under her disguise, and 
 h deeply allected on the occasion, By a most cx'juisite simile,
 
 LITERALLY T|IANSLATED. S25 
 
 To the aid of warlike (of the inverted bristles) 
 Coninor.* 
 " Thou daughter of strangers of swords, 145 
 (She turned her head aside from the hero,) 
 " Long, under my eye, in armour, 
 " Has been the fair branch f of biilowy Inisuaine. 
 " My soul, (said I to myself,) 
 
 " Is folded in a robe of dusky storms. 150 
 
 " Why should this light kiiuUe, 
 " Until 1 return in j)eacc from the mountain ? 
 
 TRANSLATION. 
 
 ' young pine f of hiishuna. l?ut my soul, (I said,) is 
 " folded in a storrp. Why should that beam arise, till 
 " my steps return in peace ? 
 
 lie is roniparod lo " ;i roi'k, ovor wIiom' side a streamlet trickles,'' 
 iiulicatiii<r, at once, tlie fininiess, and the f;;eiitleness, of liis nature. 
 The whole of his subseciuent (ieportnieiit towards Suihala, dis- 
 plays a s|)irit of teii<leriie.s and penero^its, which would do ho- 
 nour to liiiinan nature, in any period of >o(iet\. Much of this 
 Jx-auty i> lo>t in Mr Marphersons tran~lalion. 
 
 - (lanu ^i^nihes a tree, or a hranch of a tree. .Mr Maiplier- 
 son uinvarrantalil\ siiciilies tlie tree, and makei it a i)iiie.
 
 326 TEMORA, BOOK VII. 
 
 " Na ghlais m' aghaidh an ffhianuis a lamh gealj 
 
 " 'S tu togail do *m eagal an righ ? 
 
 " S" am cunairt, ainnir nan trom chiahh, \55 
 
 " Am do *m 'anam ; mor-thalla nan stri : f 
 
 " Ataidh se, domhail mar skruth, 
 
 " Taomadh air Gaidhea1% nan cruaidh bheum. 
 
 " Aig taobh carraig chosach air Lena, 
 
 " Mu chaochan nan sruthan ci'om, l60 
 
 " G/aSy ann dahlia na N aois. 
 
 MR MACPHERSON's 
 
 " Have I been pale in thy presence, when thou bidst 
 " me to fear the king? The time of danger, O maid, is 
 " the season of my soul ; f for then it swells a mighty 
 
 + Besides numerous omissions and suppressions in this pas- 
 sage, I observe, that AJr AJacpherson has entirely neglected to 
 render the last clause of this line, mor-thalla nan slri, probably 
 because he did not understand its application. It implies, that 
 the soul of Catbmor was the hall, or seat, of warlike senti- 
 ments.
 
 LITERALLY TRANSLATED. 327 
 
 " Did my visage turn pale in thy presence, \Thite 
 
 handed maid'? 
 " That thou shouldst raise, to alarm me, the king, 
 
 (Fingal.) 154 
 
 " The season of danger, maid of the bushy locks, 
 " Is the season of my soul, great seat of battles, f 
 " It swells large, like a stream, 
 " Pouring down upon the hardy Gaels.;|: 
 " By the side of u cavernous rock, on Lona, 
 '' Near the gurgling of winding streams, l60 
 
 " Gray, in his locks of age. 
 
 TRANSLATION. 
 
 " stream, and rolls me on the foe.t 
 
 " Beneath the moss-covered rock of Lona, near his 
 " own blye stream, gray, in his locks of age. 
 
 j This is Ihe only passaj^e, in the originals that I have spcd, 
 where the people of ! ini^al are ^peiilieally denoininateil Giuh', 
 the name l>\ which the S(ot> jliirhlaiuler- (lp?i^iiate theni-i-lves at 
 thi'- day. It is important to remark lhi>, iili a view to the 
 claims of Ireland in t uijjal and hi> people. Mr MacpUcrboii loses 
 thib ill his translation.
 
 3S8 TEMORA, BOOK VII. 
 
 *' 'Ta Claon-mhal, righ clarsich nam fonn. 
 " 0' s cionn, 'ta crann darraich namfuaim, 
 " Agus suibhal nan ruadh-hhoc sliom. 
 " ^Tafathrom na stri na chluais, \Q5 
 
 " *^ ^ s' f^omadh ami smuainte nach tiom.* 
 " Ann sin bithidh do thalla, Shuilmhala, 
 " Gus an islich fathrom nam beam. 
 " Gns am pill mi, ann lasadh nan cniaidh, 
 " O' thriisgan duibhre na beinn; 170 
 
 " O' n cheath 'ch a thrusas o Lona, 
 " Mu chomhnuidh mo ruinfein" ^ 
 Thuit gath solids air anam na K oigh ; 
 
 MR MACPHERSON S 
 
 " dwells Claonmal, king of harps. Above him is his 
 " echoing tree, and the dun bounding of roes. The 
 ** noise of our strife reaches his ear, as he bends in his 
 " thoughts of years.* There let thy rest be, Suilmalla^ 
 
 * Smuainte nach tiom ; that is, " thought? not jrcnfle and plea- 
 " sant, but grieved and sad." This Mr Macphfr^on univarrant- 
 ably translates, " thoughts of years,"
 
 LITERALLY TRANSLATED. 329 
 
 '' Is CJaon-mal, chief (king) of the melodious liarp. 
 
 " Above is a rustling oak, 
 
 '^ And the haunts (courses) of the sleek roe. 
 
 " The din of the battle is in his ear, 16j 
 
 " As he bends in his thoughts of grief.* 
 
 " There shall he thy residence, Suilvala, 
 
 '' Till the noise of the battle (of the blows) ^subsides; 
 
 " Till I return in the blaze of my armour, 
 
 " From the skirt of the mountain's shade; 170 
 
 '' From the mist that gathers on Lona, 
 
 "Around the dwelling of my love."'!- 
 
 A bc.im of light fell on the soul of the maiden. 
 
 TRANSLATION. 
 
 " until our battle cease; until I return in my arms, from 
 " the skirts of the evening mist, that rises on Loiuu 
 " round the dwelling of my love."i 
 A light fell on the soul of the maid ; 
 
 + Thf conclu ii)n of Cathiiior"- -pcccli i- liijrhl} pociiral and 
 lender.
 
 330 TEMORA, BOOK VII. 
 
 Las i Sims fa chomhair an righ : * 
 Thionnda i a li aghaidh ri Cathmor, 175 
 
 A ciabhas. ann 's na K osmt a stri, 
 " Reubar iulair nan spew aid 
 
 " O' mhor-sliruth gaoith nan gleann, 
 
 " 'Nuair a clii i na rua-bhtdc. fa comhair, 
 
 " Clann-eilde nam faoin-bhcann ; 180 
 
 " Man tionnda Cathmor nan cruaidh bheum, 
 
 " O' n stri man elrich an dan.-\ 
 
 " Faceams thu, ghaisgich nun gear lann. 
 
 MK MACPHERSON S 
 
 it rose, kindled, before the king.* She turned her face 
 to Cathmor, from amidst her waving locks. " Sooner 
 " shall the eagle of heaven be torn from the stream of 
 " his roaring wmd, when he sees the dun prey before 
 
 * In the first lino, mucli beauty is lost, by supprrssing the 
 "' beam'" of light; and, in the second, the iraiislation is false. It 
 was not the " light,"' but Suilvala, on whom " the beam of 
 " light" had fallei!, that " kindled," or brightened, " before the 
 " ting."
 
 LITERALLY TRANSLATED. 831 
 
 She brightened in the presence of the king.* 
 She turned her countenance towards Cathmor, 175 
 Her locks struggling in the breeze. 
 
 " Sooner/' said she, " shall be torn the eagle of 
 the lofty sky, 
 " From the swelling stream of wind^ in the vale, 
 " When she sees the roes before her, 
 " The bounding sons of the low hills, 180 
 
 " Than the warlike Cathmor shall turn away 
 *' From the battle, which shall rise in song.^l- 
 " Let me behold thee, hero of the sharp swords. 
 
 TRANSLATION'. 
 
 "him, the young sons of the bmnulintj roc, llian thoii, 
 " O Cathinor, l)e turned from the strife of renown.^ 
 ** Soon may I see thee, warrior. 
 
 + In tran^-latina; this hcaiitiriil :ui(l cnciiiclic >imilc, it mii.lbr 
 ackiiou lc<l;;c(l, tliat Mr iMac|ihcr>oii lia^ been iiiicoiiinioiilN >ih- 
 ces>riil. lie lias <-aiif;lii llir idea of hi- oiii^iMal mt\ fonihly. 
 Still, liowcNcr. tluTf is loo nnu li of /(/ onn. I'luTC i- iiotliinj; in 
 i\ic (iaclic of " roariiit;" iiid, or " dun pr<''.."
 
 S32 TEMORA, BOOK VII. 
 
 " (y thrusgan an duibhre dhuibh, 
 
 " 'Nuair a thogas ceo mum chomhnuidhfein 185 
 
 " Ah' Lona, nan iomadh smth. 
 
 *' 'Wuah' isfadda o m shuilean thu, sheoid, 
 
 " Buail copan namfuaim ard. 
 
 " Pillidh solas do m' anam; 's e 'n ceo, 
 
 " 'S mi g' aomadh air carraig hamfein. I90 
 
 *' Ach mo thuit thu, marri coigf ich ata mi ; 
 
 " Thigeadh do ghuth o neoil, 
 
 " Gu oigh Inisuaine, 's ifann.^' 
 
 " Og-gheug Lumoin anfheoir, 
 " C uime dli aomadh tu 'n strachda nan sian, 195 
 
 " Duhh thaomadh air a^haidh nan sliabh f 
 
 MR MACPHERSON S 
 
 " from the skirts of the evening mist, when it is rolled 
 " around me, on Lona of the streams. While yet thou 
 " art distant far, Cathmor, strike the shiekl, thut joy may 
 " return to my darkened soul, as I lean on the mossy 
 "rock; but, if thou shouldst fallj I am in a land of
 
 LITERALLY TRANSLATED. 333 
 
 " From my robe of dusky gloom, 
 
 " When the mist rises about my dwelling, 185 
 
 " At Lona of many streams. 
 
 " When thou art far from my sight, O hero, 
 
 " Strike the loud resounding boss : 
 
 " Joy will return to my clouded soul, 
 
 *' Whilst I bend, lonely, over the rock. I90 
 
 " But, if thou fallest, I am with strangers : 
 
 '"'' Let thy voice come from the clouds, 
 
 " To the maid of Inisuaine, when siie is low." 
 
 " Youthful branch of grassy Lumom, 
 "Why shoulflst th(ju sink in the bursting of the 
 storm, 195 
 
 '^ Dark pouring over the face of the mountains? 
 
 TRANSLATION. 
 
 " strangers; O send thy voice, from thy cloud, to the 
 ' in;iid of Inishuna." 
 
 " Young l)rantli of green- headed Lumon, why dost 
 " ihou shake in the storm'
 
 334 TEMORA, book VII. 
 
 *' 'Stric thionnda Cathtnor o 'n bhlar; * 
 
 *' Mar mheallain dhamhfein tha sleagh nan lot, 
 
 " 'S iad pronnadh ah' cos nan sgiath : 
 
 " DK eiream am sholus o 'n stri, 200 
 
 ** Mar thein-oiche, o' thaomadh nan nial. 
 
 " Na pill, a dheo-greine, o 'n ghlcann, 
 
 " 'Nuair a dhluthicheas fathrom nan colg : 
 
 " 'Eaml teicheadh do 'n namhaid o 'm laimh, 
 
 " Mar theich iad o shim' ra nam Boise: 205 
 
 MR MACPHETlSON S 
 
 ^ often has Cathmor returned from darkly-rolling wars.* 
 " The darts of death are but hail to me; they have often 
 " bounded from my shield. I have risen, brighten- 
 '* ed, from battle, like a meteor from a stormy cloud. 
 
 * In the original before me, the verse, 
 
 *' Dark pouring over the face of mountain;," 
 
 which evidently refers to " the bursting of the storm,"' mentioned 
 in verse 195, is ijlaced after the verse 
 
 ' Often has Cathmor returned from the field."
 
 LITERALLY TRANSLATED. 333 
 
 '* Often has Cathmor returned from the field.* 
 
 '* As hail are the wounding spears to me, 
 
 " As they crash upon the bosses of the shields. 
 
 " I have risen, as a litj;l)t, from the contest; 200 
 
 " As a meteor of niijht, from the bursting cloud. 
 
 " Return not, sun-beam, from the vale, 
 
 " Wlien the din of the encounter thickens : 
 
 " Lest tlie enemy should escape from my liand, 
 
 " As they escaped from uiy fathers of the Bolgi : 
 
 T R A N S L A r U) N . 
 
 " Rfturii not, fair l)c;un, t'roin tliv Naif, when tlic roar of 
 " battli- grows: tlicii niiglil the fue escapt,', as from my 
 " fathers of old. 
 
 This mistake of the reciter, or tran'-rril)er, i> rDricneil, and tiir 
 confusion occasioned, in the sense of this passage, reini\ed. Mr 
 Macplierson, who j^eneraily j;ives hiin-elf i.o tr<)iit)le ali(iiit -luli 
 dillicullies, applies the verre, in ilie or;ler th .t it -taiids, (o " uar-," 
 and jjivcs us the bomlta^tic phraao " darK-rolliiiir. "
 
 336 TEMORAj BOOK Vll. 
 
 " *Chualas le Sonmor air Cluunar, 
 " A thuitfa Chormag, nan geur lann ; 
 " Tri laeihe dhorchaich an righ, 
 
 " Mil ^nfhear a dh! aom ann stri nan gleann. 
 
 " Ckunnaic minbhean an sonn ann ceo ; 210 
 
 *' Phrosnaich sud dith shibhal gu sliabfi. 
 
 " Thog i a bogha,fos n iosal, 
 
 " Gu dol mar^ri laoch nan sgiath.-f 
 
 " Do 'n aitinir hddh duibhre air Atha 
 
 " 'Nuair a shiubhail an gaisgeach gu gniomli. ^15 
 
 MR MACPHERSON S 
 
 " They told to Sonmor of Cluanar, who was slain by 
 " Cormac hi fight. Three days darkened Sonmor, over 
 '' his brother's fall. His spouse beheld the silent king, 
 
 * Here Cathinor, to persuade Siiilv;ila to remain in lier retreat 
 until the battle sliould be over, artfully introduce-^, and relate>, an 
 iustanee, in the history of one of his ancestor.-, in Mliicli the inter- 
 ference of a lady had interrupted the tide of vict(tr\. and given 
 the enemy an opportunity to escape.
 
 LITERALLY TRANSLATED. 3S7 
 
 " *Sonnior had heard of Cluanar, his brother, 20G 
 " Who fell under Cormag of sharp swords. 
 " For three days, the visage of the king was dark- 
 
 enedj 
 " For the man who fell in the strife of the vale. 
 " His gentle spouse helield the hero in darkness : 2 10 
 " This moved her to travel to the mountain. 
 " She took up her how, in secret, 
 " To accompany the hero of sliields.f 
 " For, to the fair one lay (Uirkness on Atha, 
 " When the warrior departed to action. 21v5 
 
 TRANSLATION. 
 
 " and foresaw his steps to war. She prepared the bow, 
 " ill secret, to attend her blue-shielded hero.f To her 
 " dwelt darkness in Atha, when he was not there. 
 
 + Of tlio colour ofllio shield, \vc have notliius in the original. 
 The whole of thi- passage, especially the la-t vcrs<', i feel)l> 
 trniislateil by Mr Macpherson.
 
 338 TEMORA, BOOK VII. 
 
 " O cheud sruthan aonach na K oiche,* 
 
 " Thaom siol Alnecma sios. 
 
 " Chualas siriath chaismachd an rijo-h ; 
 
 " Mhosguil an anam gii stri. 
 
 " Bha an mibhal amfathrom nan lann, 2'iO 
 
 " Gu Ullin, talamh nan crann. 
 
 " Bhuail Sonmor, air uairibh, an sgiath, 
 
 " Ccanti feadhna nam borb thriath. 
 
 " Nan diaigh lean Suilaluin, 
 
 " Air aomadh namfras. 22o 
 
 " Bii sholus is air an aonach, 
 
 MR MACPHERSON S 
 
 " From their hundred streams, by night,* poured 
 " down the sons of Ahiecma. They had heard the 
 " shield of the king, and their rage arose. In clanging 
 " arms, they moved along, towards Ullin of the groves. 
 
 * I am uncertain whether I am correct in this translation. 
 " Aonach na ft' oiche" signifies, literally, " the mountain of nisjht." 
 AVhether the poet means, " by night," a? Mr Macpherson, conve-
 
 LITERALLY TRANSLATED. 53 
 
 " From an hundred streams of the dusky* moun- 
 tain, 
 " Poured the race of Alnecma down. 
 " They had heard the call of the shield of the king; 
 " Their souls awakened to the encounter. 
 " They travelled, in the din of swords, 220 
 
 " Towards Ullin, the land of trees. 
 '^ Sonmor struck, at times, his shield, 
 " (^hief of ferocious tribes. 
 " After them followed Suilaluin, 
 " I pon the showery slopes of the hills. 225 
 
 " She was a light upon the mountain. 
 
 TRANSLATION. 
 
 " Sonmor struck his shield, at times, the leader of the 
 " war. 
 
 " Far behind followed Suilallin, over the streamy hills. 
 " She was a light on the mountain. 
 
 iiii'iillN oniiltiiij; the tfrni " inoiiiitaiti," lender^ it, or whelluT 
 "of iiij;lu," (lark, or ilu-lv'v, I>c intended, as au opitliot, is 
 daiiltltiil.
 
 S40 TEMORA, BOOK VII. 
 
 " 'Nuair a thaom iad air glcanntai glas : 
 
 " Ta a ctumna Jiathail air lorn, 
 
 " 'Nuair a t/iog iad ri aghaidh nan torn.* 
 
 " B' eagal di seal/a an righ, 230 
 
 " A dK fhag i ami Jtha nam fri.-\ 
 
 " 'Nuair a dlt cirichfathrom nam heum, 
 " ' S a thaom iad 's a chtile 's a chath, 
 " Loisg Sonmor, mar theine nan speur ; 
 " Thanig Suilaluin namjiath:'^, 235 
 
 " Afolta sgaoilte 's an ossag ; 
 
 MR MACPHERSON S 
 
 " when they crossed the vale below. Her steps were 
 " stately on the vale, when they rose on the mossy 
 " hills.* She feared the approach of the king, who left 
 " her in echoing f Atha. But when the roar of battle 
 
 How faintly is the contrast marked, in .Mr Macpherson's 
 translation, between the course of Suilaluin, and that of her hus- 
 band and hi- troops; she avoiding him, by travelling along the 
 liills, when he was in the valley; and by travelling on the plain, 
 whilst he marched along the hills ? 
 
 f The term J'ri, here translated " gra>;sii,'" signifies, literally, 
 " decr-2)aiturc^," and is the term still used, in man> parts of the
 
 LITERALLY TRANSLATED. 341 
 
 '* When they descended to the gray vales: 
 
 " Her steps were stately on the plain, 
 
 " When they ascended the face of the hills.* 
 
 " For she dreaded the looks of the king, 230 
 
 *' Who had left her hehind in grassy f Atha. 
 
 " When the din of battle (blows) arose, 
 " And they mingled together in the contest, 
 " Sonmor blazed like the fire of the sky. 
 " Suilaluin, the fair,| came forward : 235" 
 
 " Her hair spread out in the gale : 
 
 TRANSLATION. 
 
 "rose; wlitn liost was rolled on host; when Sonmor 
 " burnt like the hre of hea\en in clouds, with her 
 ' spreading hair came Suilallin : 
 
 Highlands, for those tracts whicli arc ic-orved for di-cr, railed fo- 
 rcM-. It i- evident, tliat Mr Maeplu r-oii did not uiidi i-iaml the 
 r\iire.<ioii ; but it i> not ea-N to i (iiijectiire, how lie -linuliled 
 ii|Min ilie unmeaning epithet, tt/iniiii;, ulii(iihe !<ul).ititute!i ill it; 
 room. 
 
 I ' Samjiath," tlie excellent, the heantifii!.
 
 S4S TEMORA, BOOK VII. 
 
 " A K anam ag osparn mu 'w righ. 
 
 " Dk' aom e an stri, mu run nan laoch ; * 
 
 " Theich an namhaidfa dhuibhre nan speur, 
 
 " Luidh Cluanar gunfhidl;-\ 640 
 
 *' Gunfkuil, ami tigh caol gun leus. 
 
 " Ni 'n d' eirichfearg Shonmhoir nan lann, 
 " Bha laethc gu dorch 's gu mall: 
 " Ghluais Suilaluin ma gorm shruthfdn, 
 " A suil ann reachda nan deur. 245 
 
 " Bu Uonmhor a sealladh, gu caoin, 
 " Air gaisgeack samhach nachfaoin. 
 " Ach thionnda i a suiiean tla, 
 " O' slitalladh an laoich thuadail. 
 
 MR MACPHERSON S 
 
 " for she trembled for her king. He stopped the rush- 
 " ing strife to save the love of heroes.* The foe fled by 
 " night. Cluanar slept w ithout his blood ; f the blood 
 " which ought to be poured upon the warrior's tomb. 
 " Nor rose the rage of Sonmor ; but his days were 
 
 * That is : in order to save lier from being liurt in the en- 
 counter.
 
 LITERALLY TRANSLATED. 348 
 
 '^ Her soul throbbing for the king. 
 " He declined the combat, for the love of heroes.* 
 " The enemy fled, under the darkness of the sky. 
 *' Cluanar lay without blood ;-f- 240 
 
 " Without blood, in the narrow torchless house. 
 
 " Nor rose the wrath of Sonmor of swords ; 
 " But his days were dark and tedious. 
 " Suilaluin walked by her own blue stream, 
 " Her eye ever bursting in tears. 245 
 
 " Frequent were her looks, most mild, 
 " Towards the silent chief. 
 " But she turned aside her soft eyes, 
 " From the looks of the gloomy hero. 
 
 TRANSLATION. 
 
 ' silent and dark. Suilnllin wandered by her gray 
 ' streams, with her tearful eves. Otten did she look on 
 tlie hero, when he was folded in his thoughts. Hut 
 ' she shrunk from iiis eyes, and turned lier lone steps 
 ' away. 
 
 f That i^ : without his roveii;;r. Mr .MaipUcrsoii's translatioa 
 'ftlie iicvt line i.-. a fcfl)k' i)ar.ii)liraH'.
 
 S44 TEMORA, BOOK VII. 
 
 " Mhosguil blair, marfhathrom nan nial ; 250 
 
 " Ghluais doruin o' anam mor. 
 
 " Ckuncas a ctumna It K aiteas, 
 
 " 'S a lamh gheal air clarsich namfonn."^ 
 
 Na chruaidh ghluais an righ gun dad: 
 Bhuail e n sgiath chosach, urd, 255 
 
 Gu h' ard, air darrach nan sian 
 Aig Lubhar nan iomadh sruth.-\ 
 Seachd copain hha air an sgeith, 
 SeachdJ'ocail an righ da shluagh; 
 
 MR MACPHERSON S 
 " Battles rose like a tempest, and drove the mist from 
 " his soul. He beheld, with joy, her steps in the hall, 
 " and the white rising of her hands on the harp." * 
 
 Here ends the episode, introduced by Catlinior, to persuade 
 Suilvala to remain in iier concealment, until the c-ntjajienient 
 shoiiki he over. The poet then proceed^ to (lc>ciil)c latinnor, 
 advancing to battle, in his armour, liut, to di\cit the te^!iou^^ne5S 
 of the remaininj; hours of night, he summons tlie |]ard^ ; and liears 
 the .-ong of l''onnar, in which he relates the naval expedition of 
 Larthon.
 
 LITERALLY TRANSLATED. 345 
 
 " Wars awoke, like the noise of clouds : 250 
 
 '^ Grief departed from his mighty soul. 
 " He beheld^ at length, her steps with delight, 
 " And her fair hand on the harp of melody."* 
 
 In armour, hastily advanced the king; 
 He struck the shield, bossy, high ; 255 
 
 High upon the oak of storms. 
 At Lubar of many slreams.i- 
 Seven bosses were on the shield ; 
 The seven voices (w ords) of the king to his hosts. 
 
 TRANSLATION. 
 
 In his arms, strode the chief of Atha, to where his 
 shield liung high, in niglit ; higli ou a mossy bough, 
 over Lubar's streamy roar.f Seven bosses rose on the 
 shield; the seven voices of the Uing, 
 
 f In Mr MacphcfNon's traiblatinn of ilu>>(' vor-os, %ve have a 
 jtrikiiia; instance of lii> pn'iiostfroii- atteni(it to Miit)<'lli>li the ori- 
 f,in,il with lii- own l)onil)a-t. llirrc i- nolliiii::, in l!ir- oi i:;iiial, of 
 " ni^hl,' or " nio-.-\ lou;;li." " Stri\iin% roar" .-cfin;- to hi- a \ct\ 
 ah^iircl oxprosion.
 
 346 TEMORA, BOOK VII. 
 
 A thaomadh air osnadk nan speur 260 
 
 Air Jineachaibh mor nam Bolg. 
 
 Air gach copan 'ta real d'on oiche ; 
 Ceann-mathon, nan rosg gun sgleo ; 
 Caol-darna, o' neoil aig eiridk ; 
 lul-oiche^ ami trusgan do cheo ; 265 
 
 *Ta Caoin-challiiij air carraig a dealra ; 
 Reul-dubhra, air gorm thonn o 'w iar; 
 Leth-chealach a soluis 'san uisg ; 
 'Ta Bear-thein', las-shuil nan sliabh, 
 Sealladh sios o' choille san aonach, 270 
 
 Air mall shuibhal sealgair, 's e triaJL* 
 Roiiah ghleannan an duibhre bhraonich 
 
 MR MACPHEllSON S 
 
 which his warriors received from the wind, and marked 
 over all their tribes. 
 
 On each boss is placed a star of night; Can-mathon, 
 with beams unshorn; Coldarna, rising from a cloud; 
 Uloicho, robed in mist ; and the soft beam of Cathlin, 
 
 * It i? obvious, that, in the above passage, the ' markinff" of 
 the sounds of the s-hield, the " laugliing" of lieldurath, and the
 
 LITERALLY TRANSLATED. 347 
 
 That poured on the sighs of the sky, 2G0 
 
 Upon the mighty tribes of the Bolgi. 
 
 On every boss is a star of night : 
 Can-mathon, of unsuUied eye (beam ;) 
 Col-darna, from clouds arising; 
 Uloiche, in a robe of mist ; 0.(^5 
 
 Caon-callin, ghttering on a rock ; 
 Reu/dura, on a blue wave in the west. 
 Half concealing her light in the deep; 
 Jicrt/iein, the bright eye of the mountains, 
 Looking down from a wood on the slope, '270 
 
 On the slow course of the iuuitcr, as he travels* 
 Through the vale of showery gloom. 
 
 TRANSLATION. 
 
 glittering on a rock; laughing on its own blue wave, 
 Rtlduratli half-sinks its western light; the red eye of 
 Berthein looks, through a grove, on the hunter, as lie re- 
 turns, by night,* 
 
 " rrdiicbs" of Ik'rthoiirb c\v. are .ill intcrpolalioiis of Mr Mat- 
 
 !>llCr^OI).
 
 Sii TEMORA, BOOK VII. 
 
 Le faohh rua-hhidc nan hum ard. 
 
 Domhail, am meadhon an sgeith, 
 
 ^Ta lasadh Tonn-theine^ gun neoil, 275 
 
 An rionnag a sheall, roimk n oic/ie. 
 
 Air Learthon a chuain mhoir ; * 
 
 MR MACPHERSON S 
 
 with the spoils of tlie bounding roe. Wide, in the midst, 
 arose the cloudless beam of Ton-thena, that star which 
 
 * There occurs, perhaps, no passage, in all the poems ascri- 
 bed to Ossiari, which seems to aftbrd a fairer field for scepticism, 
 than this astronomical description of Cathmor's shield. It ap- 
 pears, at first sight, to be a transcript of Ilonier"s description of 
 the shield of Achilles, (II. xviii. v. i78.) and by far too refined for 
 the period of Ossian. 
 
 1 shall only beg leave to remark, that the astronomy of this pas- 
 sage extends no farther than what is well known to be common 
 and ordinary, in the Highlands, at this daj. In a country, where 
 clocks and almanacks are not frequent, the rising of the Pleiades 
 r.ot only indicates the season of th(; year, but their progress in 
 the sky shews the hour of nigiit : the rcvohifion of the ^Northern 
 Bear is, at this day, ihe horary of the iliglilaiiders : the phases 
 of the moon are minutely attended to by every slsejjherd and pea- 
 sant. 
 
 The subject is important, and may excuse a short digression. 
 Tt is remarkable, that, in the representation of the zodiac, given
 
 LITERALLY TRANSLATED. S 
 
 With the spoils of the high-bounding roe. 
 
 Large, in the middle of the shield, 
 
 Blazes Tonthena^ without a cloud ; 275 
 
 The star, that looked down through night, 
 
 On Larthon, of the mighty ocean ;* 
 
 TRANSLATION. 
 
 looked, by night, on the course of the sea-tossed Lar- 
 thon.* 
 
 by Dcnoii, from an I"R\ptian ciMrmu;, whilst tliero occurs much tn^- 
 scmhlanco t<i that of" the f ;r't'k>, llicrr arc to he found, at the. 
 same tiiiif, -iicli ^Irikiiig (li^-iniilariti<'s, as would seem ti> autlio- 
 ri/e the opinion, that men, in vcr) difl'erent ages and countries, 
 ha\e entertained similar imagination^, and formed \ery similar ;is- 
 sortnieiils of the coii>tellation, without any mutual coniniuiiica- 
 tion, or concert, 'f'here is, it uoiildseem, somethins; in the ar- 
 rangement of the consteilation>, uhich willnanir.ill> -triLe every 
 eye in a somewiiat similar maniier. 'I'lie rirar, ilic Ciinis MdJ.r, 
 Oriun, liootti, the Unit, iVc have, frniii the remoie^t antifiiiity, at- 
 tracted the attention of men ; and, it i- prohable, t!iat liii- have 
 lieen designated, hyneailv similar liL'iire-, iii\er\ di-I.ail iialinns 
 ;iri(i periods. Ilw knowledge iiftheni i- common in llic Hii;h- 
 lands, and was prot)al)l> n.ore -o in ,ini ieni linn-. \\ hen llie 
 ( aledonian.'' undi-rtook long \.p\a^c-, and wen- act n-Iomcd to 
 tra\er-e vast fore-Is and loflv ir.uuiit;iin-. Ixitli l>s dM> and In 
 night.
 
 S50 TEMORA, BOOK VIT 
 
 Learthon, ceannfeadhnn nam Bo/g, 
 
 An ctud fhear a shuibhail air gaoith. 
 
 Leathan sgaoileadh seoil bhan an righ, 280 
 
 Gu Inisfail nan iomadh smth. 
 
 Thaom oiche air oghaidh a chiain, 
 
 Agiis ceathach nan tjusgan dubh; 
 
 Bha gaoith caochla gu dlu 's an spew; 
 
 Leiim loingeas o thonn gu tonn, 285 
 
 'Nuair a dK eirich Tonn-theine nan stuagh ; * 
 
 A cauin sheaUadh o' bhristeadh nan nial. 
 
 MR MACPHERSON S 
 
 Larthon, the first of Bolga's race, who travelled on the 
 winds. White-bosomed, spread the sails of the king, 
 towards streamy Inisfail, Dun night was rolled before 
 him, with its skirts of mist. Unconstant blew the winds. 
 
 "Were I allowed to offer a conjerture, with regard to the stars 
 that adorned Cathinor's shield, 1 should say, that Cian-inathon, 
 rendered, by Mr Macpherson, " the- Bears Head," is Shins, in 
 Canis Major : there is no remarkable star in the li car's Head. 
 Mr Macpherson translates Uloiclio, " the ruler of niirhl," falsely : 
 it is, " the guide of night," and, probably, means the Polar 
 flur. Caoin-c/iallin, literally, " the mild maiden,"' is perhap-
 
 LITERALLY TRANSLATED. 351 
 
 Learthon, the chieftain of the Bolgi, 
 
 Tlie first man that travelled on winds. 
 
 Wide spread were the white sails of the king, 280 
 
 Towards Inisfail of many streams. 
 
 Night poured upon the face of the main. 
 
 And the vapour of dusky robes ; 
 
 The winds shifted rapidly in the sky; 
 
 The vessel bounded from wave to wave, 285 
 
 When rose Tonthena of the billows ; * 
 
 Her mild look was from the bursting clouds. 
 
 TRANSLATION. 
 
 and rolled him from wave to wave. Then rose the 
 fury haired Toii-theiia, and lauyhcd * from her parted 
 cloud. 
 
 (ho bright slar in Spira Virs^iiiis: Rchhira is, prrliaps, the sotting 
 Erniin!;-sliir; for, it is not likl^, that a (lisliiictidn wa-thon l.i;iilo 
 htliM'on the fixed stars and the pl.iinl-. 
 
 * The " fiery hair," am) tiie " lauf;iiiiiir" of Toii-lhena, are al- 
 ogether Mr MacphersonV.
 
 353 TEMORA, BOOK Vll. 
 
 B' aiteas do Learthon tein-iuil nam buadJi, 
 
 A dealradh air domhan nan sian. 
 
 Fuidh shleagh Chathmor nan colg sean, 290 
 
 Dhuisc^ an s^uth a dhuhveadh bard.* 
 Thaom tad dubh, o thaobh nan sUabh, 
 
 Le clarsich ghrinn *s gach laimh. 
 
 Le aiteas mor, sheas rompa an righ, 
 
 Mar fhear-siubhail, ri teas la,f ann gleann, 295 
 
 'N' uair a chluinneas efadda 's an reidh, 
 Cuoin thorman sruthain nam beann; 
 
 MR MACPHEKSON S 
 
 Larthon blessed the well-known beam, as it faintly 
 gleamed on the deep. 
 
 Beneath the spear of Cathmor rose that voice, which 
 awakens bards.* They came, dark-winding, from every 
 
 * That is : Cathmor summoned the bards to amuse hira m ith 
 their sonss in the niehf.
 
 LITERALLY TRANSLATED. S5S 
 
 Welcome (joy) to Larthon was the fiery guide to 
 
 victory. 
 Shining on the ocean of storms. 
 
 Beneath the spear of Cathmor, of ancient feats. 
 Awoke the voice that awakens bards.* 291 
 
 They poured down, dark, from the skirts of the 
 
 hills. 
 Each with fine strung harp in his hand. 
 With much joy, stood before them the king. 
 Like a traveller, during the heat of the day,i- in 
 the vallcy> 29 j 
 
 When he hears, afar, in tlie jilain, 
 Tiie soft murmurs of the mountain streams; 
 
 TRANSLATION. 
 
 side, each with the sound of his harp. Before them re- 
 joiced the king, as the traveller, in the day of the sun.f 
 when lie liears, far-rolling around, the nuinnur of inossy 
 streams ; 
 
 + " The (lay of llic sun" is one ot" Mr M.-irplicr^cin"- fin(> rvprrs- 
 fioiis, totally iinarraiitf(l U\ ilic simplicity of the original, 
 " Jar-rolling" is of the -nmc kind. 
 
 Z
 
 354 TEMORA, BOOK VII. 
 
 Sruthain a bhriseas 's anfhasaich, 
 
 O' charraig thaobh-ghlas nan riiadh-bhoc. 
 
 " C arson a chluinneam guth an righ,* 300 
 
 " N' am coddai/f ann oiche namjras ? 
 " Amfacas tannais nach beo, 
 " 'Measg t' aislin, aig aomadh glas ? 
 " Air neoil bheil an comhnuidhfuar, 
 " Fdtheamhfonn Fhonnair namjieagh ? f 305 
 
 " 'S lionmhor an siubhal air reidh, 
 " Far an tog an siol an t' shleagh. 
 " No 'n eirich ar cronan air thus, 
 
 MR MACPHERSON S 
 
 Streams that burst, in the desart, from the rock of 
 roes. 
 
 " Why," said Founar, " hear we the voice of the 
 " king,* in the season of his rest ? Were the dim forms 
 
 * Fonnar, one of the bards, addresses Cathmor. 
 
 f The exquisite beauty, and characferi-.tic imagery, of the last 
 four verses of the original, are miserably lost in ,Mr Macphcrson's 
 translation. He seems not indeed to have caught the sense of the
 
 LITfeRALLY TRANSLATED. S5S 
 
 Streams that burst in the desart. 
 From the gray-sided rock of roes. 
 
 " Why do I hear the voice of the king,* 300 
 " In the season of sleep, during the showery night? 
 '^ Hast thou beheld the ghosts of the dead, 
 " Amidst thy dreams, descending gray? 
 " Amongst the clouds is their dwelling cold, 
 " Awaiting the song of Fonnar of feasts.*f- 305 
 
 '' Frequent arc their visits (courses) on the plain, 
 " Where their offspring lift the spear. 
 " Or shall our song first arise. 
 
 TRANSLATION. 
 
 " of thy fatliers beiuliiig in thy dreams? Perhaps ihoy 
 " staiul oil that cloud, and wait lor roniiar's song : f 
 " often tiiey conie to the fields, where tlieir sons are to 
 " litt the spear. Or shall our voice arise. 
 
 p,^^>ac;o, and glosses it with the tir^t fa-\ i-vprt-ssioii tha( occur- 
 rcil, a< cordiiii; to the practice ascriL)cil to liim Un liis friend M' 
 Mori?()ii.
 
 356 TEMORA, BOOK VII. 
 
 " Munfhear nach tog an f shleadh gu brath, 
 
 " Fear-chosgairt, air gleann nan slogh 310 
 
 " O Mkoma nan ioma bad ? 
 
 " Ni 'n dichuimhn^ dhamh dorcha nam blar,* 
 " Chinn-fheadhna nam bard o' thus. 
 " Togar clock dha aig Lubhar nan cam, 
 
 " Aite eomhnuidh do dK Fholda, 's do cliu. 315 
 
 " Ach taom 'w anam air am nan laoch; 
 " Air na bliadhna 's ann d' eirich siad suas, 
 " Air tonn Inisuaine nan colg. 
 
 MR MACPHERSON S 
 
 " for him, who Hfts the spear no more ; he that consu- 
 " med the field, from Moma of the groves?" 
 
 " * Not forgot is that cloud of war, bard of other 
 " times. High shall his tomb rise, on Moi-lena, the 
 
 * Cathmor speaks. Fonnar had propost^d to sing the atchicve- 
 ments of Folda. Cathmor, whilst he professes a high e^teeln for 
 that hero, to whom he promises to erect a mominient, requests the 
 bard to take another subject for his song, and to relate llie expe- 
 dition of Lurthon, It appears pretty evident, that Mr Macpher-
 
 LITERALLY TRANSLATED. 867 
 
 '^ Of the man, who shall lift the spear no more, 
 " The destroyer of the enemy in the populous vale; 
 " The man from Moma of many groves ?" 311 
 
 " I forget not that darkener of battles,* 
 " Thou chief of the bards of old. 
 " A stone shall be raised to him at Lubar of mo- 
 numents ; 
 *' A dwelling to Folda; and he shall have his fame. 
 " But pour my soul on the times of heroes ; 316 
 " On the years, in which they Jirst arose, 
 " On the waves of warlike Inisuaine. 
 
 TRANSLATION. 
 
 " dwelling of renown. IJut now roll back my soul to the 
 " times of my fathers ; to the years when first they rose, 
 " on hiis-huna's waves. 
 
 son lias niinnd("rsti)0(l this whole pa-^:ipc, which has sonic difli- 
 cuKy. Where did het find his Moi-leiia ? Why did lie omit the 
 name of Folda, who>e action-; roiinar liad proposed to sing ? 
 W \\\ does he ahvay? mistian^latc luorn " to pour, (verse 316.) to 
 roll f
 
 SS8 TEMORA, BOOK VIL 
 
 " Ni ' aiteas do Chathmor amhain, 
 
 " Cuimhne Jjumoin inis-aaine nan slogh;* 320 
 
 " JLumoin, talamh nan sruth, 
 
 " CaoiH-chomhnuidh nam ban-bhroilleach oigh.*' 
 
 Fonnak's Song, 
 
 " "fLnmoin nan sruth ! 
 '' Tha thu dealradh air m' anamfein ; 
 " Tha do ghrian air do thaohh, 325 
 
 " Air carraig nan crann bu tram. 
 
 MR MACPHERSON S 
 
 " Nor alone pleasant to Cathmor is tlie remembrance of 
 "wood-covered* Lumon; Lumon of the streams, the 
 " dwelling of white-bosomed maids." 
 
 * The IviioLioiJLitoii of Homer: Mr Macphcrson's ** wood-covwT' 
 ed," is a shameful mistranslation.
 
 LITERALLY TRANSLATED. S59 
 
 " Nor delightful to Cathmor, alone, 
 " Is the memory of Lumoin, well-peopled* island 
 of verdure ; 320 
 
 " Lumoin ! the territory of streams, 
 " The sweet abode of white-bosomed maids." 
 
 Fonnar's Song 
 
 *^ f Lumoin of streams! 
 " Thou briglitenest upon my soul : 
 " Thy sun is on thy side, 325 
 
 " On the rock of stately (heavy) trees. 
 
 TRANSLATION. 
 
 " t Lumon of the streams ! thou risest on Fonnar's 
 " soul : thy sun is on thy side, on the rocks of thy bend- 
 " ing trees. 
 
 + Here the bard, Fonnar, b<*f;ins his song, and rolafrs, in a most 
 harmotiious Ijr'u- strain, the expedition of Larthon, already ailuo- 
 ed to in the description of Ca(hniors shield.
 
 890 TEMORA, BOOK VII. 
 
 " Tha f eilid chiar; 
 " Do dhearg har-mhor measg nam bad, 
 " Afaicin air sliahh, 
 *^ An colg-chu siubhal grad.* 330 
 
 " Mall, air an reidh, 
 " 'Ta ceumna nd noigh; 
 " Oigh lamh gheal nan tend, 
 " 'S am bogha crom, 's a mhagh, 
 " Togail an gorm shuil tla, 335 
 
 " O 'w leadan bhar-bhuidh air sliabh namjlath, 
 
 " Ni 'm bheil ceumna Learthuin 's a bheinn, 
 
 MR MACPHERSON S 
 
 " The dun roe is seen from thy furze : the deer lifts his 
 " branchy head ; for he sees, at times, the hounds, on 
 " the half-covered heath.* Slow, on the vale, are the 
 " steps of the maids ; the white-armed daughters of 
 
 * A botanist will be disposed to question Mr Macpherson's in- 
 (roduction oi furze and heath, thougli they are common in Caledo-
 
 LITERALLY TRANSLATED. 361 
 
 '* Thy dun roe, 
 " Thy branchy red deer, is amidst the groves ; 
 " Beholding, upon the mountain, 
 " The hound pursuing, rapid.* 330 
 
 " Slow on the plain 
 " Are the steps of the maidens ; 
 '' The white-handed maidens of the strings, (harps,) 
 " With the bended bow, in the field, 
 *' Lifting their mild, blue, eyes, 355 
 
 " From their yellow locks, to the mountain of the 
 brave. 
 
 *^ The steps of Larthon are not on the mountain. 
 
 TRANSLATION. 
 
 "the bow: they lift their blue eyes to the hill, from 
 " amidst their wandering locks. Not there is the stride 
 " of Larthon, 
 
 Ilia. Ossian has no allusion to these j)lants, or to the favourite 
 idea of" half-covering."
 
 362 TEMORA, BOOK VII. 
 
 " Ceann Inis nan geug uaine, 
 
 " 'Ta e togail duhh dharrach air tonn, 
 
 " An7i camus Chluha nam ioniadh stuagh; 340 
 
 " An duhh dharrach a bhuain e o Lumoin, 
 
 " Gu siubhal ar azhaidh a chuain. 
 
 " Thionnda oigh an suilean tla, 
 
 " O ' righ, man tuiteadji e sios.* 
 
 " N' imfacadh leo riamh an long, 346 
 
 " Cear-mharcachj-f a chuain mhoir. 
 
 MR MACPHERSON S 
 
 " chief of Inishuna. He mounts the wave, on his own 
 " dark oak, in Ciuba's ridgy bay; the oak, which he cut 
 " froui Lumen, to bound along the sea. The maids turn 
 
 * The liberties taken by Mr Macpherson, in tran.^Iating, fcem 
 to accumulate rapidly as he proceeds. He confounds entirely the 
 sense of verses 333 and 334, where the maidens arc distinguished 
 by their skill on the harp, " nan teud,' and also by their cxpert- 
 ncss in the bow, *' 's am hogha crom." The beautiful epithet, 
 '' learlan b/iar bhuidh," which, indeed, it is difilcult to translate 
 with full oiTect, is miserably lost, in his " wandering locks." Hi?
 
 LITERALLY TRANSLATED. S8S 
 
 ^* The chief of the island of green branches, C//s- 
 
 uaine ;) 
 " He is raising the black oak on the waves, 
 *f In the bay of Cluba of many billows ; 340 
 
 " The black oak, that he felled on Lumon, 
 " To sail (travel) on the face of the ocean. 
 " The maidens turn aside their mild eyes, 
 " From the king, lest he should full:* 
 " For never had they beheld a ship 345 
 
 " Obliquelyf riding on the mighty deep. 
 
 TRANSLATION. 
 
 " their eyes away, lest the king should be lowly laid ; * 
 " for never had they seen a ship, dark f rider of the 
 " wave ! 
 
 " stride,'" instead of " steps," is w retched. From verse 310 to 3 i K 
 there is much faiiieness and loss of imai^ery. 
 
 + It appears, as wa.- observed on ver>e 103, that MrMacphcr- 
 aon seems not to have understood the epithet ccarr: on that occa- 
 sion, he declines tran-latinj; it; on the pre-ent, he tran>iates it 
 falsely. It here expre5-e>, uillitiiie eUfct, tiie appearance of a 
 w'tjel at bca, indiniuj; lo leeward, under a side-wind.
 
 364 TEMORA, BOOK VII. 
 
 '^ Ghlaodh anois an righ a ghaoth. 
 " Measg * ceo na marra glais, 
 " Dh eirich InisfaUe gu gorm. 
 
 " Thuit gu dian oiche namfras. 350 
 
 " Bhuail eagal claim Bholga gu luath. 
 " Ghlan neoil o Thonn-theine nan sfuagh. 
 
 " Ann camus Ghulbainn dhU aitich an long, 
 
 " Far amfreagradh coille do thonn. 
 
 " Bu chopach an sin an sruth, 355 
 
 " O charraig Dubh-umha nan cos, 
 
 " 'S ann dealradk t annals nach beo, 
 
 " Le 'n cruth chaochlaidheach fein . 
 
 MR MACPHETISON S 
 
 " Now he dares to call the winds, and to mix* with 
 " the mist of the ocean. Blue Inisfail rose, in smoke, 
 " but dark-skirted night came down. The sons of Eolga 
 " feared. The fiery-haired Tonthena rose. Gulbin's 
 
 * Perhaps there occurs not, in all this Book, a more glaring 
 instance of misconception of the original, and of consequent mis- 
 translation, than this. Mr Macphcrson mistakes " mccug,^'
 
 LITERALLY TRANSLATED. Stt 
 
 " The king now invoked the wind. 
 " Amidst* the mists of gray ocean, 
 " Inisfail arose, blue. 
 
 " Swift descended the showery night. 350 
 
 " Fear suddenly seized the sons of the Bolgi. 
 " The clouds cleared off from Ton-thena of the 
 
 waves. 
 " In the bay of Gulbin moored the ship, 
 " Where woods re-echoed the waves. 
 " Deep resounded there the strand, 355 
 
 '' From tJK" rock of cavernous Du-thuma; 
 " Where gleam the gho-ts of the dead, 
 " 111 ihcir own chani^cfiil forms. 
 
 TRANSLATION. 
 
 " bay reeeivcd tfie ship, in the bosom of its echoing 
 " woods. There issued a stream from Dutiumia's horrid 
 " cave; whore spirits gleamed, at tinas, with their half- 
 " finished forms. 
 
 " anKifi^," a |)rc[>(>>iti()ii, for tin- kimlrcd verh " ti> mix." Tlir 
 ri";! of itii> pav-ui^c rxliil)it> Mi ikiu^' iiMaiu(v~ of mi>traiblatioj).
 
 366 TEMORA, BOOK Vll. 
 
 " Thanig aisUn gu Learthonn nan long, 
 
 " Seachd samhlaidh do 'n Ihin nach beo. S60 
 
 " Chualas an guth bristeadh trom ; * 
 
 " Chunncas an siol ami ceo ; 
 
 " Chunncas siol Alha nan colg, 
 
 " 'S ann clann, cinn-uidhe nam Bolg, 
 
 " Thuom iad am feachda fein, 365 
 
 " Mar cheathach a tcarnadh o 'w bheinn, 
 
 " ^Nuair a shuihhlas e glas,fa osnadh,\ 
 
 " Air Atha nan ioma dos. 
 
 " Thog LeartJion talla sham/da^ 
 '' Re caoin fhonn clarsaich nan tend. 370 
 
 " Dh aom eilde Eirin o cheumna. 
 
 MR MACPHERSON S 
 
 " Dreams descended on Larthon; he saw seven spirits of 
 " his fathers. He heard their half-formed words, and 
 " dimly beheld the times to come. He beheld the kings 
 " of Atha, the sons of future days. They led their 
 
 Trom, literally, heavy. 
 
 f Mr Laing laughs at the use of the term autumn, in poems ot 
 the period of Os>ian. He will see, that the term, in thi- instance.
 
 LITERALLY TRANSLATED. 37 
 
 "^ A dream came to Larthoti of ships, 
 
 " Seven apparitions of the race of the dead. 560 
 
 " Their voice was heard, bursting, solemn ; * 
 
 " Their offspring was seen in mist ; 
 
 *' There was seen the race of warHkc Atha, 
 
 " And their children, leaders of the Bolgi. 
 
 " They poured their hosts, 365 
 
 " Like mist descending from the mountain, 
 
 " When it passes along, gray, beneath the breeze,f 
 
 ' On Atha of many groves. 
 
 " Larthon built the palace of aj)parilions, 
 " To l!ie soft melody of the stringed harp. 370 
 *' The rues oi" Vaui yielded (tied) before his steps; 
 
 TRANSLATION. 
 
 " hosts, al)iipc die field, like ridges of mist, which winds 
 " jjour, in autiumi,* over Atha <f the groves. 
 
 " l-arthoii raisi (1 the liall of Sanihi, to tlic music of 
 " the liarp. Ih' \vt iit forth to the roes ol lain. 
 
 at l(,i-t, i- not 0--i;iii'-. Imt Mr .'.iiiu- .Mariiticrson"-, of llir 
 
 fi_lit(i-iiili (ciiiiirN .
 
 368 TEMORA, BOOK VI I. 
 
 " Aig aisrigh ghlas nan smth. 
 
 " Ni 'n dichuimhn' dha Lumoin uaine, 
 
 " Na Flathal gheal-lamhach nam buadh^ 
 
 " 'Si coimhead air marcach nan tonn, 375 
 
 " O thulaich nan eilde ruadh. 
 
 " Lumoin nan sruth ! 
 " Tha thu deahadh air m anamfein" f 
 
 MR MACPHERSON S 
 
 " to their wonted streams. Nor did he forsjet green-headed 
 " Lumon. He often bounded over his seas, to where white- 
 
 * Nam huadh signifies, literallj-, " of victories,''' and may be 
 translated, " excel'ent, matchless." Flathal was the wife of Lar- 
 thon, and watched the return of his ship. Mr Macpherson evi- 
 dently misunderstands this passage, when he interpolates, " he 
 " often bounded over his seas." In the original, Larthon is not 
 said to revisit Flathal, but oidy to remember her. 
 
 + Besides the elegancies which have been taken notice of, a~ 
 lost in ]\Ir Macpherson"s translation, and which must, in some 
 measure, be lost in every translation, there is one which, though it 
 has the finest efl'ect in the original, cannot possil)ly be recognised 
 by the I-^nglish reader. It is tiiis ; The whole of Fonnars Song, 
 from verse 30S to verse 3T8, is given in the (iaelic, in the form of an 
 ode, in Ivric measure, of the most harmonious structure, and, pro- 
 bably, adapted to the harp. This, it may be permitted to oh-
 
 LITERALLY TRANSLATED. S69 
 
 '^ On the gray hills of mani/ streams. 
 
 " Nor did he forget verd<jnt Lumon, 
 
 " Or Flathal, white-handed dame of excellence,* 
 
 " Whilst she watches the riding of the waves, 373 
 
 " From the eminence of tawny roes. 
 
 " Lumon of streams ! 
 '' Thou brightenest upon my soul."f 
 
 TRANSLATION. 
 
 " handed Flathal* looked from the hill of roes. Lumou of 
 " the foamy streams! thou risesf on I'onnar's soul."!' 
 
 servr, is a rr(iiionn'Ml (f \cr~t' %Nliirli w:i> iinkiiof^ii to tlic heroic 
 poet'- of { ircoct' ;in<i Koine, whose measure, whatever b<' tiie su\i- 
 ji'it, proceed,-. iiiiifornilN in the same unvnried nunihers. If, in 
 tile whole coinpa''> of the heioic poetr\ of the ancient'., tiiere In* 
 an occasion, on wliich we >'ionlii expect a variation of measure, 
 similar to that of thi> O-iaiiic oilc, ii i> in tiie '.)(1\ -'c\ of llonicr, 
 (lib. \ii.\. 1 ^^4. ) w iiere the son;; of tiie ^\ reii- i introduced ; ai;d 
 \N here wc feel some sort of (li-appoinlinciil, in not nieetin<: with a 
 more ample -pecimeii of that l>ev\ ili hini: nii'lod\. Thi- \er_\ 
 singular rle-jance of poetrv i- exhiliiicd in the c: i:;iu,:l of the pa^- 
 ^a;;e l)cfore ii- ; liul who will -a\, thai it i^ to he altrilnitcd t<i Mi 
 Macpher^on, who ha^ lo-t it .-o conipielol\ iu hi- own Iransla- 
 (ion ? 
 
 'J A
 
 310 TEMORA, BOOK VII. 
 
 Mhosgidl gath solluis o 'n ear : 
 Dh' eirich ard chinn cheathaich nam beann : 380 
 Chuncas air cladach nan gleannan, 
 An CTom chaochan glas-shruthach fein : * 
 Chua/as spiath Chathmhoir nan col^ : 
 Mhosmil siol Eirin nam Bu/o- 
 
 Mar tnhuir dhomhail, *n uair a ghluaiseas gu gear 585 
 Fuaim afaidh air aghaiah nan speur, 
 Taomadh tuinn,-\ o thaohh gn taohh, 
 JJI2. oomadh an ulas-chinn baosh. 
 Gun eo/as air suibhal a chuain.% 
 
 MR MACPHERSON S 
 
 Morn:::g pours from t^ie east. The misty heads of. 
 the mou itains rise. Vallevs shew, on every side, the 
 gray wiudiui:; of their streams.* His host heard the 
 shield of Cathmor. At oace, they rose arouud, like a 
 
 * Thf ."i/jslatov is sensible, that he has not been able to do jus- 
 tice to this beautiful description of the mornins:, the favourite 
 theme of puts. It can be duly felt and admired by tho<o only uho 
 have Ji-.d an opportunity of observing; these appearances in a 
 mountain., country.
 
 LITERALLY TRANSLATED. 371 
 
 A ray of light awoke in the east : 
 The lofty heads of the mountains rose in mist: 380 
 There was seen, in the bottom of every valley. 
 Its own winding, blue-flowing stream : * 
 There was heard the shield of warlike Cathraor : 
 The race of Bolgic Erin was roused. 
 Like the turgid sea, when fiercely advances S8j 
 The sound of swelling winds, on the face of the sky; 
 Tumbling -f- the waves from side to side, 
 As they incline their gray, troubled, heads. 
 In ignorance of the course of the ocean. J 
 
 TRANSLATION. 
 
 crowded sea, when first it feels the wines of the wind. 
 Tlie waves know not whither to roll; they lift their 
 troubled heads. % 
 
 \ Perhaps hotter " taomidh tuiim," " billows tumble, i;i- 
 " dining." 
 
 J This simile, in which the ho^t of Cathnior, awakening from 
 sleep, and advancin;; in undetenniiied nio\eii\i-iit, at the first 
 ^ound of hij shield, is rompared to the undeeide<l motions of the 
 billows, when the sea is first assailed b> the inds, thoui,'h ex-
 
 372 TEMORA, BOOK VII. 
 
 Trom is mall gu Lon nan sruth, 390 
 
 Ghluais Suilmhala nan rosg tla ; 
 Ghluais; is thionnda w' oigh Je hron, 
 A gorm shuilfuidh shilleadh hla. 
 'N uair a thanig i gu carraig chruaidh 
 Dubh-chroma, air gleannan aim Lon,* 395 
 
 Sheall i, o bhristeadh a ceil. 
 Air righ Atha, dh' aom i sios. 
 
 " Biiail tend, a mhic Alpin nam form, 
 
 MR MACPHEESON S 
 
 Sad and slow retired Suilmalla to Lona of the streams. 
 She went, and often turned ; her blue eyes rolled in 
 tears. But, when she came to the rock, that darklv co- 
 
 tremely beautiful and appropriate, is of singular difiiriilty in 
 translating. JNIr Marpherson lias givni flic giMieral idea very 
 slightly, but justly. The present translation is literal. 
 
 Mr Laing has remarked, that the expression here u>ed by Mr 
 ^Tacphcrson, " the wings of the wind," is borroAved from Bu- 
 chanan's Psalms. It has been shewn already, that it is niurh 
 more ancient than Buchanan. It Mill appear now, that, in (liis 
 instance at least, Ossian has nothing to do v ith it. 
 
 * Perhaps better " an Loin.''
 
 LITERALLY TRANSLATED. 873 
 
 Sad and slow, to streamy Lona, 390 
 
 Retired Suilvala, of the mild eye; 
 Slie retired ; but the maiden returned in sorrow. 
 Her blue eye bathed in warm tears. 
 When she arrived at the rugged rock 
 Of Du-chroina, in the vale of Lona, 39-5 
 
 She looked, in the distraction of her mind. 
 On tlie king of Atha, and sunk down. 
 
 " Strike tlie string, son of melodious Alpin. 
 
 TKANSLATION. 
 
 vered Lena's vale, she looked, from her bursting soul, on 
 
 the king, and sunk at <jnce behind. 
 " Sou of Alpin, strike the string.
 
 374 TEMORA, BOOK VII. 
 
 " Am bheil solas arm clarsaich nan nial^^ * 
 
 '^ Taom air Ossein ; agns ossun gn trom, 400 
 
 " Ta anam a snamh ann ceo. 
 
 " Chualas thu, bhaird, a 'm oiche ; 
 
 " Ach siuhhladh fonn eatrom uamfein; -f 
 
 " 'S aiteas caoin thuireadh do dh* Ossein, % 
 
 " Am bliadhna ciar na h' aoise. 405 
 
 MK MACPHERSON S 
 
 " Is there aught of joy in the harp ? * pour it, then, on 
 " the soul of Ossian^ it is folded in mist. 
 
 * JMr Macpherson translates this of " the harp" in general ; but 
 the poet is here addressing a deceased bard, and requests him to 
 sokice him in his solitary sadness, with his aerial harp, which, ac- 
 cording to the well-known mythology of the Caledonians, was 
 imagined to be heard, from time to time, in the passing breeze. 
 It is here properly called " the harp of the clouds."' 
 
 + Mr Macpherson's translation of this verse is probably intend- 
 ed to be very finej and is, perhaps, very fine: but the finery is not 
 Osfian's.
 
 LITERALLY TRANSLATED. 876 
 
 " Is there delight iu the harp of the clouds?* 
 
 " Pour it on Ossian, whilst his sigh is heavy; 400 
 
 " His sou: swims in mist. 
 
 *' I nave heard thee, O bard, in my night, (blind- 
 ness ;) 
 " But let light airs depart fro n me.f 
 " Mild sadness (sorrow) is tiie delight of Ossian,| 
 " In hh gray years of age. 405 
 
 TRANSLATION. 
 
 " I hear thee, O bard, iit my night. Hut cease the 
 lightly-trembling sound. f The joy of grief belongs 
 to Ossian,t amidst his dark-brown years. 
 
 J *' Tlir joy of grief is one of those expressions, on which Mr 
 I.riinp; animadverts, as too retined for the period of O^sian. The 
 iearned jentlenia:i is ri<;iit ; and lie w ill oe i)!;a?cd to find, th;it it 
 i- not ()ssian\, but Mr James .Maepher>on's. Indeed, ;i very 
 ili^lit analv^iis ill l)e sufficient to shew, thai thi? noted 'vj r ,- 
 sioii, ' thejoy of i;rief." l)orders, very nearly, n|)on the conl.ies 
 of non-nse. xi^ht ' e not ;i.> \^\\ -ay. ' thv a Mil. .ie~-, of hlack- 
 ' ni ; ' ' the >oftn of li.ird" ;" < "ill. .. > in:,'<iii.us S'"n- 
 tleuian, who, --pe.-iliiii , of the cubi'ji; sea, obicrvcd. ' that the 
 ' tiJi' \va-> highly low ?'
 
 376 TEMORA, BOOK VII. 
 
 " A dhreuthan iiaine, thulaich nan taibhse 
 " A thaomas do cheann air gaoith oiche, 
 " Ni bheil f fhathrom am chluaisjein ; 
 " Nafaiteal tannais ami do gheug ghlais. 
 '' 'Slionmhor ceumna nam marbh hu treun, 410 
 
 " Air osnaihh duhh aisrigh nan sian, 
 " N' uair a ghluaseas a ghealach o'n ear, 
 " Mar ghlas-sgiath, dubh-shiubhal nan speur. 
 
 " Ullin, a Charril, a Raono ! 
 " Guth aimsir a dli aom o shean, 415 
 
 " Cluinneam sibh ann dorchadas She/ma, 
 " Affus moso[luib/ise anam nan dan. 
 " Ni 'n cluinneam sibh a shiol namfonn ! 
 " Cia 'n talla do neoil am bheil 'ur suain ? 
 " Na 'n tribhuail sibh clarsach nach trom, 420 
 
 MR MACPHERSON S 
 
 " Green thorn of the hill of ghosts, that shakest thy 
 " head in nightly winds ! 1 h. . lo sound in thee. Is 
 " there no spirit's windy skirt now rustling in thy leaves? 
 " Often are the steps of the dead in the dark-eddying 
 " blasts, when the moon, a dun shield from the east, is 
 " rolled along the sky.
 
 LITERALLY TRANSLATED. 377 
 
 " Green thorri of the eminence of ghosts, 
 " That bendest thy head in the wind of night_, 
 '' Tliy rustUng is not in my ear ; 
 " No music of ghosts in thy green branches. 
 " Frequent are the steps of the vahant dead, 410 
 " On tlie breezes of the dusky ascent of storms, 
 " Wlion the moon advances from tbe east, 
 " Like a gray shield, darkly traversing the sky. 
 
 " Ullin, and Carril, and Ryno ! 
 " \ oices of the time that has passed of old, 415 
 '' Let me hear you in the darkness of Selma, 
 " And awaken tlie soul of song. 
 " 1 hear you not, ye race ol" melody ! 
 " 111 wliat recess of the clouds is vour slumber? 
 " Do ye loiieh (strike) the airy liarj), 420 
 
 TRANSLATION. 
 
 " I'lliii, ("anil, ainl ^^ no, voices of the days of old ! 
 *' let ine hear you, uliile vet it is dark, to jdease and 
 " awake iny soul. I hear vou not, vf >ons ot song: iit 
 " what hall of the clouds is voui rtsl' Do ye touch the 
 " >iiado\vv Udvp,
 
 3T8 TEMORA, BOOK VII. 
 
 " Ann tnisgan ceo-rnaidne, is gmaim ; 
 " Far an ei/ich, gufuaimar, a ghrian,^ 
 ^' O stuaigh 7iari ceann glas ? 
 
 MR MACPHERSON S 
 ^ robed with morning mist, where the rustling sun* 
 
 * It is still a. notion, amongst the vulgar, in the Highlands of 
 Scotland, that the sun, as he rises, and passes along in the firma- 
 ment, makes a rustling noise, which may be heard. It may not 
 be uninteresting to those, who study the history of the human 
 mind, which is often developed in popular superstitions, to trace 
 similar notions in another people, placed in nearly the same state
 
 LITERALLY TRANSLATED. S79 
 
 ^' In the gloomy skirts of mornmg*s mist, 
 
 " Where rises, resounding, the sun,* 
 
 " From the green-headed waves of the east?'* 
 
 TRANSLATION. 
 
 " comes forth from its sreen-headed waves ? 
 
 of society with the Caledonians. Tacitus, (DcMor. Germ, c.45.) 
 speakins; of the Suiones, (the Swedes,) says, " that they believe, 
 " that the sound of the (^merging sun is heard ; and that the forms 
 " of the gods, and tlie rajs of their heads, are seen." Does Taci- 
 tus, in the latter < lause of this sentence, allude to the phenomenon 
 of the Aurora liorealis, so conspicuous in thoie regions ?
 
 APPENDIX.
 
 APPENDIX, 
 
 No. I. 
 
 ENQUIRY 
 
 INTO THE EXISTENCE OF THE 
 
 DRUIDICAL ORDER IN SCOTLAND. 
 
 1 HE singular faUility, by which the Celts have 
 lost their once widely- extended influence in 
 western Europe, furnishes a very striking circum- 
 stance, even amidst the multiplied vicissitudes 
 which occur in the history of nations. That they 
 occupied, at one period, the whole territ>ny, ex- 
 tending from the Straits of Gibra'tar io the north- 
 ern extremity of Scotland, is generally allowed. 
 In the limes previous to Ca-sar's mvaisiou of Bri- 
 tain, they were, by the lestiniony of Tacitus, still
 
 384 APPENDIX. 
 
 more powerful than at that period. The Celtic 
 Gauls extended their incursions into Germany, as 
 far as Bohemia, to which one of" tlieir tribes gave 
 its name.* 
 
 The impression of national character and man- 
 ners is not soon, or easily, effaced. Much Celtic 
 blood, more or less contaminated, runs, at this 
 day, in the veins of every inhabitant of western 
 Europe ; and much of the influence of Celtic cha- 
 racter may still be traced. How the Gothic rage, 
 of undervaluing every thing that is Celtic, has be- 
 come, of late, so fashionable, it is not easy to say ; 
 but, in a philosophical point of view, it will pro- 
 bably be allowed, that aome account of the few re- 
 maining traces of the institutions of that once 
 powerful people, is a desideratum, in literature. 
 
 * Tac. dc Mot. Germ. c. 28. 
 
 The numerous settlements of tlie Celts, on (he enstern side ol" 
 the Rhine, as Casaubon well observes, ( .^nimailversinnes in lib. iv. 
 Strabonis,) may be traced in the names of cities and places 
 which end in diinum, " a Celtic word," says ho, " whicii si^iiifiC'^ 
 " an eminence." He adds, " that all places, so called, are acfii- 
 " ally situated on an eminence. Dun, in Gaelic, has still this sij:- 
 " nification."
 
 APPENDIX. 3S5 
 
 which it were well worthy of our most learned an- 
 tiquarians to supply. 
 
 Of these, one of the most singular and import- 
 ant is that of Druidism, which is attributed, uni- 
 versally, by the Greek and Roman writers, to the 
 nations of Celtic stock. " As the Persians," says 
 Diogenes Laertius, " have their Magi, and the 
 " Indians their Gyninosophists, the Celts liave 
 " their Druids and their vSemnothei."* The reli- 
 gion of the Druids extended over all Transalpine 
 Gaul;-^ and, as we shall see afterwards, prevailed 
 even on the Italian side of the Alps. From an ex- 
 pression of Pliny, it would appear, that it extended 
 also to Spain and Portugal.;|: 
 
 With rei^ard to the existence of the Druidical 
 
 * Dins;. Lacrt. in I'roomio. 
 
 f Sc<' Ausonius ('arm. 10. I'lavius \'opi>rus in N iiini'riano, 
 iiifornis us, that tlio I iiipcror Diorlcliaii, h liilst \('i a Mihalloni in 
 the arin\, iodftcd with a Dniidos in I'un^ria, fniiw ISiahani,) 
 ivho prfdiclfd tu him, that hr ?hi>al<l he, OEir (la>, ciiipcror ; a 
 prediction on whirh he unift)rml\ relied, till it was areom- 
 pli-h.d. 
 
 I " Cellicii^, (a people (if Spain, I a Crlti/i'ii-^, ix l.u'iitaiiia ud- 
 reiiissr vianil'tstum est, iACHls, lini^iui, (ipiiiilonim icun!iulis." 
 
 Plin. Ili^t. Nat. iili. iii. e. S 
 
 2 B
 
 386 APPENDIX. 
 
 order in Britain, all authors agree. Caesar, whose 
 account of this hierarchy is unquestionably the 
 most authentic, as well as the most liberal, informs 
 us, that their institutions were first invented in 
 Britain ; * and that the youth, who wished to be 
 instructed in them, resorted thither, from the other 
 parts of Celtic Europe. Pliny, at a still later pe- 
 riod, informs us, " that the magical arts of the 
 " Druids were cultivated in Britain with so much 
 " attention, that this island should seem to have 
 " first communicated those arts to the Persians," 
 who so much excelled in ihem.f 
 
 But it must be remembered, that, at the period 
 of which we speak, Caledonia, also, was inhabited 
 by Celts. Indeed, it seems to be certain, that the 
 Caledonians, especially those who occupied the 
 western part of the island, were of the very same 
 
 * " Ibi disciplina reperta.'" Bell. Call. lib. vi. 
 
 + " Britannia hodie earn (scilicet Druidarum magicam artem) 
 " attonile celebrat, tantis ceremoniis, ut dedisse Pcrsis videri possit." 
 The Oriental origin of Druidism, as well as of many other im- 
 portant particulars in the manners of the Celts, will receive 
 strong confirmation from the proposed work of the ingenious Mr 
 Gunn, who has already traced so successfully the history of the 
 Caledonian harp. 
 
 10
 
 APPENDIX. S87 
 
 race with their southern neighbours, wno, accord- 
 ing to the opinion of Baeda, already cited, emigra- 
 ting originally from Gaul, by the nearest passage. 
 Can expedition suited to the imperfect navigation 
 of the times,) and, travelling northwards, arrived, 
 at length, in Caledonia. This progress of popula- 
 tion has, we know, taken place universally, in the 
 old world. From the account given by Ca?sar, of 
 the navigation of the Veneti of Brittany, and of 
 their early intercourse with this island, it is ren- 
 dered highly probable, that Britain received its 
 first inhabitants from that quarter: and this also is 
 the opinion of Tacitus, vvlio enjoyed such a favour- 
 able opportunity of being well informed on this 
 subject. After noticing the various opinions which 
 had been advanced, concerning the original popu- 
 lation of this island, he achis, '' To one, who forms 
 " his opinion upon the whole, it a|)i)(\irs eiedihle, 
 " that the (lauls occupied this tenitt)rv, which lay 
 " in their vicinity. In the siipt rstifio/is oi" the one, 
 " you may trace the sacnd ritrx ot'Uie oilier. Their 
 " language is not very dillerenl."* 
 
 * " In univn-^iim tanun a^timanli." Si\ Ai;rif. i". 11
 
 S88 APPENDIX. 
 
 Such was the matured opinion of this acute his- 
 torian; nor let it be objected, that South Britain 
 only is intended in this passage. Tacitus, though 
 he sometimes distinguishes those who inhabited to 
 the north of the walls, by the name of Caledo- 
 nians, just as frequently applies to them that of 
 Britons.* 
 
 If, then, Caledonia was inhabited by Celts, who, 
 passing northwards from Gaul, by South Britain, 
 carried along with them, as we know they did, the 
 language of Gaul, by what mode of reasoniu;^ can 
 it be argued, that they left behind them the rt li- 
 gious institutions of tiieir ancestors ? By every 
 argument, founded on analogy, we are led to con- 
 clude, that, with the language, and other habits of 
 their original soil, they also carried with them the 
 Celtic institution of Druidism. 
 
 That Druidism prevailed in Ireland, there is 
 abundant proof. In a very ancient work, the Trias 
 Thaumaturga of Colgan, we have a hymn, addres- 
 sed to St Patrick, in the Irish language, by Fia- 
 
 * Agric. c. 25. 26. 2T. and 29. where the soldiers of GaUacu? 
 ire termed Britons.
 
 APPENDIX. 380 
 
 chus, who is denominated, " Episcopus Sleptensis :" 
 it begins thus : 
 
 " Genair Padruic in Nemthur." 
 
 In this hymn, there occurs frequent mention of 
 the Druids. I shall select one, in verses 41 and 
 42: 
 
 " A Dhriiidhe, ar Laoghaire, 
 " Tichlc Phadruic ni cheiltis/^ 
 
 That is: " Thou, O Druid, didst not conceal from 
 Leogairc, the arrival of Patrick." 
 
 In a well-written Itinerary of Treland, published 
 in Dublin, in 1787, by Robert Wilson, I find the 
 following passage: 
 
 " In 1784, there was found a curious tomb- 
 " stone, on Callan mountains, (in Irish, Altoh- no 
 " greinc, or ' the altar of the sun,'} about eight 
 " miles west of the town of Kniiis, with the follow- 
 " ing inscription, in Irish : ' Beneath this tlag is 
 " interred Connan, the turhulent and swit't-t'ooted.' 
 " The stone is of granite, between seven and eight 
 " feet long, and from three to tbin- in breadth. In 
 " an hi>torical tale," says Mr Wilson, '' written..
 
 390 APPENDIX. 
 
 " as is supposed, by Ossin, in 296, the author thus 
 " apostrophises : * But the intrepid hero, Conan, 
 " was not at this bloody battle ; for, going to the 
 " adoration of the sun, on the preceding May,* he 
 " was cut off by the Leinster troops, and his body 
 " lies interred on the north-west side of the dreary 
 " mountain of Callan.' This stone," adds the wri- 
 ter of the Itinerary, " has been long celebrated in 
 " the county of Clare. On the south side of this 
 *' mountain, is a very large Druidical altar, the 
 " most regular of the kind now remaining, and of 
 " the highest antiquity. It stands about half a 
 " mile distant from the high road leading from 
 " Ennis to Ibraban, on the right hand.'' 
 
 The direct proof of the existence of Druidism 
 in Scotland is, it must be acknowledged, of consi- 
 derable difficulty; arising partly from the nature of 
 the institution itself, and partly from the long pe- 
 riod that has elapsed since its abolition. 
 
 The Druids, as we are informed by ancient au- 
 thors, affected secrecy in a high degree. They 
 
 * Sec, afterwards, of the worship of Belis, or Beleims, the Sun, 
 by the Celts
 
 APPENDIX. S91 
 
 retired from the observation of the world, into 
 thick groves and forests,* and studiously conceal- 
 ed their mysteries from the vulgar. " They 
 " taught obscurely," says Laertius, " and in short 
 " sentences, tliat the gods are to be worshipped ; 
 " and that no evil should be done." 
 
 Seventeen centuries, too, have elapsed, since 
 this order has been abolished. In England, as we 
 learn from Tacitus, it had been abolished at a still 
 earlier period. Indeed, the Druids appear to have 
 rendered themselves universally obnoxious to the 
 ruling powers, both at home and abroad, by their 
 ambition, and by their cruel rites. Augustus, on 
 account of their horrid sacrifices, forbade the ex- 
 ercise of the Druidical rites to the citizens of 
 Rome ; Tiberius banished tlie professors of this 
 institution from the city; and Claudius endeavour- 
 ed, as far as in him lay, to extirpate Druidism, 
 even in Gaul itself.f 
 
 We need not wonder, then, that so few monu- 
 
 S<"C Lucan's Pharsalia, lib. i. 
 
 + Pliny Hist. Nat. lib. xxx. c. 1.; Suctonids in Au^usto, Ti- 
 bcrio, ct Claudio; and Aurrlius Victor.
 
 392 APPENDIX. 
 
 ments of this ancient hierarchy have remained to 
 these times ; or that, in the slight notices which 
 ancient historians afford us of the state of Caledo- 
 nia^ at this early period, we should have little in- 
 formation concerning our Druids. Mr Laing ob- 
 serves, " that the fact appears to be certain, that 
 " there never was a Druid in Scotland ; other- 
 " wise," says he, " Tacitus, who describes the de- 
 " struction of their order in England, must have 
 '' remarked their influence, or existence, in the 
 '' Caledonian war."* 
 
 But I may be permitted to remark, that, if this 
 argument be good for any thing, it might also 
 serve to prove, that there never were any Druids in 
 England. In the very minute and interesting de- 
 tail, which is given by Tacitus, of the conduct of 
 the war, under Ostorius, and of the final defeat 
 and captivity of Caractacus,^ we meet not with 
 the slightest allusion to " the influence, or exist- 
 " ence, of the Druids" in England. It appears, 
 jndeed, that, as far . s regards the testimony of Ta- 
 
 * Page 391. 
 
 ^ Tac. Annal. lib xii, c. 33
 
 APPENDIX. 89S 
 
 citus, had the fourteenth book of his Annals, ia 
 which the history of the extermination of the 
 Druids in England is narrated, shared the same 
 fate with some other portions of his raluable wri- 
 tifti^s^ we should have had no evidence, from him, 
 that the order had ever existed there. Nor does 
 it appear, ' that, even in this instance, Tacitus 
 would have made mention of the fate of the 
 Druids, had it been merely a domestic transaction, 
 as it is represented to have been in Scotland. But 
 the fortunes of the Druids were, on this occasion, 
 intimately connected with Roman history. Pub- 
 lius Suetonius, the Roman governor, had resolved 
 on an expedition against Anglesea, then a recep- 
 tacle of deserters. Anglesea was the sacred re- 
 treat, and chief residence, of tiie Druids. Though 
 exempted from the services of war, they stjind for- 
 ward in defence of their sanctuarv, and are dc- 
 stroyed. 
 
 Thus, the mention of the Druidical Order oc- 
 curs necessarily, ow this occasion, in the historian; 
 but it was inconsistent with the classical correct- 
 ness of the biographer of Agricola to violate the 
 unity of his subject, by any direct notices of a
 
 894 APPENDIX. 
 
 class of men, whose history and character were al- 
 together foreign to it. Nor can it be fairly infer- 
 red, that, even in the life of Agricola, no allusion 
 is made to ^ the influence and existence" of the 
 Druids in Caledonia. We read, concerning the 
 preparations which were made against the Ro- 
 mans, before the battle of the Grampians, '^ that 
 '' the Britons relaxed in no respect in their exer- 
 " tions, in arming the youth, and in confirming 
 " the combination of the states, by public meet- 
 " ings, and hy sacrifices" * But what sacrifices, it 
 may be asked, were ever practised, or heard of, 
 amongst the Celts, except the horrid immolations 
 of the Druids ? 
 
 But, though no direct evidence is furnished, by 
 the Greek and Roman writers, of the existence of 
 the Druids in Caledonia, it might be expected, 
 that, from the permanent state of society in the 
 Highlands, during so many ages, some internal 
 proofs, at least, might be found in the traditions, 
 and popular superstitions, of the country. 
 
 * Tac. Agric. c. 27.
 
 APPENDIX. S95 
 
 1. As to tradition, it is uniform and express; 
 " that the family of Fingal, having been appoint- 
 " ed, according to the custom of the Celts,* on 
 " some emergency, to the temporary sovereignty, 
 " found themselves so firmly established in laeir 
 " power, that they refused to resign it to the 
 " Druids, as had been done on former occasions ; 
 " that the Druids endeavoured to reduce the Fin- 
 '^ gallians by force, calling in the Scandinavians 
 " (the people of Lochlin) to their aid ; but that 
 " they were overcome^ and finally extermina- 
 
 "ted."t 
 
 There is reason to believe, at the same lime, 
 that, notwithstanding the extinction of the Druids, 
 as an order, several individuals of them continued 
 to exist, under the patronage of princes and great 
 men, for several centuries after the period of Fin- 
 gal. In Adoninaa's Life of St Columba, we read 
 of the Mocidruidi, or '^ sons of the Druids," in 
 Scotland. In the same work, we are informed, 
 
 * See C'apsar de Bell, fiall. lib. i. r. Ifi. 
 
 + See the poems entilled, " I)arj;o, the Son of the Druid of 
 " Bel," and " Conn, the Son of Dari^o," in J)r Smith s Scandana, 
 p. 22;} and 213.
 
 396 APPENDIX. 
 
 " that, at the castle of the king, the saint was 
 " interrupted, in the discharge of his religious 
 " offices, by certain Magi ;" by whom, according 
 to the application of the term by Pliny, in the 
 passage cited above, we are undoubtedly to under- 
 stand the Druids.* 
 
 It appears, that it is this same circumstance, 
 which is related in an extract from an ancient 
 Gaelic manuscript of the twelfth or thirteenth 
 century, of which a fac-simile is given in the Ap- 
 pendix to the Committee's Report, and which is 
 thus translated by Dr Donald Smith : 
 
 " After this, St Columba went, upon a time, to 
 " the king of the Picts ; namely, Bniidhi, son of 
 " Milchu, and the gate of the castle was shut 
 " against him ; but the iron locks of the town 
 " opened instantly, through the prayers of Columb 
 " Cille. Then came the son of the king, to wit. 
 
 * I cite the entire passage from Adomnan : " Jiixfa Brud/ri 
 " mimiCioiicm, dum ipse sanctus, cum paucis fratribiis dei laiidcs, ex 
 " more celebrarent, quidam Magi ad ens propius accedcntes, in qiiaji' 
 " turn pofcranf, prohiherc conabantuv ; ne dc ore ipsorum divinoe lau- 
 ' dis sonvf ivjrr Gentiles aiidiretur populos, 
 
 A'ifa S. Coltimba', lib. i. c, 3P.
 
 APPENDIX. SM 
 
 ** Maelchu, and his Druid, to argue keenly against 
 " Culumb Cille, in support of Paganism."* 
 
 2. In the superstitions still prevalent in the 
 Highlands of Scotland, we meet with very distinct 
 traces of the character and fate of the Druids. 
 Toland, in his Essay on the Druids, first remark- 
 ed, that, in the popular belief conceining the 
 Fairies, or, as they arc called by the Highlanders, 
 the Daoine sliith, or " Men of Peace," we have the 
 evident reliques of the history of the Druidical 
 Order. This elegant mythology is still to be found 
 entire in the Highlands, f And it may be obser- 
 ved, that, in the habitations assigned to these 
 imaginar}' beings, \vc may trace the sacred reces- 
 ses of the Druids; and, in the dece})tive powers 
 ascribed to tliem, tlicir magical arts. h\ the 
 peevish jealousy and envy, which ihcy are sup- 
 
 App. Hcport, p. 311. 
 
 t Of this invtholojiy, with the ar!;umciil t'i)uii(lo<l on it. I li.ive 
 had occasion to jjivc an a<counl. at -onic lcii!;tti, in .i >ni;ill tract, 
 entitled, " Skctrhos of Mic tiirc-(|uc S(cncr\ in l*crtli>liir<-. with 
 " Noiicfs conciTninj; the Natural lli-toi\ .and l'o|iular J^upcr- 
 " stitions of the C'ounti\."'
 
 398 APPENDIX. 
 
 posed to entertain against mankind^ we may re- 
 cognise tne feelings of a once powerful order_, who 
 found themselves at length reduced to seek shel- 
 ter in caves, and in forests ; deprived of the high 
 influence, which they had enjoyed ; and stripped, 
 no doubt, of the wealth which they had accumu- 
 lated, through a series of ages.
 
 APPENDIX. S99 
 
 DRUIDICAL CIRCLES. 
 
 Another circumstance, which seems to prove 
 incontestibly the existence of the Druids in Scot- 
 land, is the frequency of the circles of stones, the 
 places of Druid ical worship, especially in the 
 northern and western counties. These are called 
 clacJiam, " the stones," by the Highlanders; the 
 term most commonly used by them, at this day, 
 for a place of worship. These circles abound in 
 the western isles, particularly in the Harris, which 
 is said to have been, like Anglesea, one of the 
 sacred retreats of the Druids. * Toland mentions 
 several of these circles ; and Mr Pennant de- 
 scribes one of them very particularly, f 
 
 Within a few hundred yards of the place where 
 I now sit, there is a clachan, or circle of stones, 
 
 * Sec Henry's History of IJritaiii, book i. cl'ap, 2. , 1 
 * Tour, vol. ii. p. JS.
 
 400 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 Still called the " Clachan of Aberfoyle." It is si- 
 tuated on a rising ground, facing tlie south ; and 
 preserved inviolate from the plough. It is twenty 
 feet in diameter precisely, and consists of fourteen 
 oblong stones, of a rude shape, and from four to 
 five feet in length ; there is placed, in the centre, 
 one stone, of a more regular figure, and evidently 
 assisted by the hand of art. Il is four feet six 
 inches in height, three feet six inches in breadth, 
 and sixteen inches in thickn^^ss; it terminates, at 
 the top, in a sharp spherical angle, and is nearly 
 of the following figure :
 
 APPENDIX. 401 
 
 All these stones appear formerly to have stood on 
 one end, but have now fallen down. There is a 
 wider interval, or opening, between the stones of 
 the circumference, facing the meridian.
 
 402 APPENDIX. 
 
 THE 
 
 FESTIVALS 
 
 BELTEIN AND SAMHIN. 
 
 1 ^E Highlanders still retain distinct traces of the 
 two grand festivals of the Druids ; the Beltein, or 
 Fire of Belis, the Sun^ or Apollo of the Celts ; and 
 the Samh-thein, or Samhin, the Fire of Peace, 
 kindled on Hallow-eve. The Beltein was the fes- 
 tival of the commencement of the Druidical year, 
 the first of May ; and is, at this day, the term 
 used to denote that season. AccordinGf to tradi- 
 tion, the people assembled, on that day, on the 
 summits of the highest mountains, and kindled 
 large fires in honour of Belts, or the Sun, the be- 
 neficent parent of the joys of summer. The Samh- 
 iit, again, or Fire of Peace, was kindled on the 
 evening preceding the first day of winter, when.
 
 APPENDIX. 40J 
 
 according to tradition, the people assembled on 
 the tops of hills and eminences, to have justice 
 administered to them by the Druids, and to re- 
 ceive a portion of the sacred fire, for the use of 
 their habitations, during the ensuing season. This 
 festival is still, in some degree, observed, over a 
 great part of Scotland, by kindling fires on Hal- 
 low-eve, on hills and eminences, and by many su- 
 perstitious rites, evidently borrowed from the Drui- 
 dical mysteries.* 
 
 I consider, then, this worship of Befis, the Apollo 
 of the Celts, which prevailed in Caledonia; and 
 the preservation of his proper appellation, in the 
 name of the festival which was celebrated in ho- 
 nour of him; together with many expressions -f- 
 and allusions to this name, which still remain, as 
 affording an irrefragable |)roof of the existence of 
 Druidism in Scotland. 
 
 Mr Laing, indeed, treats with scorn, *' this ety- 
 " mology of Bc/'tein, from Be/, an Assyrian deity," 
 
 Soe tliesr superstitions boaiitifully illustrated by Burns, in his 
 poeni, entitled, " Hallow-een." 
 
 f riui-:, Gubha-hliiil, or " the jeopardy of Uel," the fiery ordeal, 
 is the term still u-cd to denote imminnt tLvtstr.
 
 404 APPENDIX. 
 
 says he, ironically, " once worshipped in theHigh- 
 " lands of Scotland."* But, notwithstanding the 
 decisive tone of the learned gentleman, I must be 
 permitted to observe, on the unquestionable au- 
 thority of ancient authors, that, whilst Bel, or 
 Belts, was an Assyrian, he was also a Celtic, divi- 
 nity, worshipped in the very western extremity of 
 Celtic Europe. 
 
 In the account given by Juhus Capitolinus, of 
 the siege of Aquileia, in Cisalpine Gaul, we are 
 informed, that '' the god Belenus, their Apollo, 
 " fought in defence of the besieged." In Grute- 
 rus, accordingly, we have an account of several 
 altars, found in that city, inscribed " Apollini Be- 
 "leno."f 
 
 Nor was Belenus the Apollo of Cisalpine Gaul 
 only, but also of the Transalpine. From the 
 poems of Ausonius, we learn, that Belenus was the 
 god of the Druids, and worshipped by the Armo- 
 rici,| the inhabitants of that part of Gaul which 
 
 * Page 434. note. 
 
 t See Gherardus Joan. Vossius, de Origine et Progressu Idolo- 
 latiiae, Tom. i. p. 389, &c. 
 
 J See PlUiii Hist. Nat. lib. iv, c. 31. with the note of Father
 
 APPENDIX. 405 
 
 extends along the Bay of Biscay, including Brit- 
 tany.* If we consult our maps, we shall find, that 
 this Assyrian deity had not a much longer journey 
 to make " into the Highlands of Scotland," than 
 into Armoric Gaul. 
 
 That this Belenus was also called Belts, we learn 
 from Herodian, who, relating the siege of Aqui- 
 leia, above referred to, tells the same story of the 
 interference of this local divinity, '^ whom," says 
 he, " they call Belis, and to whom they pay ex- 
 
 Harduin, who derives the name from the Celtic Ar-mor, that is, 
 " upon the sea." 
 
 * A'fC reticebo senem 
 Nomine Phaebicum 
 Qui Beleni tedituus 
 Stirpe sattis Druidum 
 Genlis Aremoricte 
 Burdigali cathedram 
 Nati opera obtinuil. 
 
 Ausonius, carm. 10. 
 
 And, again, 
 
 Tu Bajorassis, stirpe DrniiUtrum saliu, 
 
 Si farna uon J'allit fidtirt, 
 Beleni sacratum ducis e tcmplo genus. 
 
 (arm. 4.
 
 406 APPENDIX. 
 
 '* cessive veneration, holding him to be Apol- 
 " lo."* 
 
 I shall conclude this subject, b}' taking notice 
 of a very remarkable passage of Plutarch : " De- 
 " metrius," says he, in his Treatise De Defectu 
 Oraculorum, " besides related, that there are many 
 " desart islands scattered about Britain, like the 
 " Sporades of the Greeks, some of which are 
 " named the islands of Demons, and others, of 
 " Heroes; that he, being sent by the emperor,"^ 
 " came into that which was nearest to the desart 
 " isles ; and having but a few inhabitants, who 
 " were held sacred and inviolable by the Britons. 
 " Upon his arrival," it is added, " there arose a 
 " great disturbance in the air ; many prodigies ap- 
 " peared; and winds and storms assailed the earth. 
 " When tills was over, one of the islanders told 
 " him, that one of their most eminent persons had 
 " just deceased," &c. 
 
 'Avo>7^a)ct. Uvcti i^i\onii."flierodian, lib. viii, c. 7 
 f Orig. /JawTj^evj.
 
 APPENDIX. 407 
 
 From this passage, it would seem, that the fol- 
 lowing conclusions may be fairly drawn : 
 
 1. " That the cluster of islands, here spoken of, 
 " as resembling the Sporades of the Archipelago, 
 " was the Hebrides." Anglesea cannot be in- 
 tended ; for it forms no cluster of islands. Nei- 
 ther can the Orkneys be meant; for we are in- 
 formed, on the unquestionable authority of Tacitus, 
 that they were unknown to the Romans, till to- 
 wards the close of the first century, when they 
 were discovered, for the first time, by the fleet of 
 Agricola.* But this voyage of Demetrius, men- 
 tioned by Phitarch, must have taken place under 
 the Emperor Cljaudius, whose expedition against 
 
 Eutropius, indeed, aPort?, th.it the islands, which were added 
 to the Roman empire, by ( laudiu>, were the Orlvne^s; but what 
 is the authority of ILulropius, eompared with tliaf ofTaritiis? 
 He furni.shes us, however, with a very iniporlani cinumstanee, 
 founded, no doubt, on tiie j^eneral iiiipreision whieh was enter- 
 tained, when lie wrote, and prol)al)ly Iianded down in lii>tory, 
 that the islands, conquered by t laudiu>, were " Vdra lirilaniil- 
 am, in ocrcmo positas,"-^^' situated lieyond Britain, in (he ocean." 
 The\ could not, then, be the t?cilt> islaud- ; iIm-n must ha\e I)Cch 
 the Hebrides.
 
 408 APPENDIX. 
 
 Britain, we know, took place about A. D. 43 ; for 
 it is certain, that, except Julius Caesar, Claudius 
 was the only Roman emperor that visited this 
 island, till after the death of Plutarch, who relates 
 the story. 
 
 2. " It would appear, that the emperor (^oo-sXei;?) 
 " had received his original information, concem- 
 " ing these islands, from some Celtic Britons.** 
 He seems to have been informed, that some of 
 them were called the islands of Demons ; probably 
 the Ifreoine, " the Cold island of Fingal," the 
 term used, at this day, by the Highlanders, to de- 
 nominate hell, or the place of torment; and others, 
 the islands of Heroes, undoubtedly the Flath-innis, 
 " the island of the Brave," the Celtic heaven. 
 
 3. " That the few Britons, who were found in 
 " one of those islands, n:ho zcere held sacred and in- 
 " violahle by their countrymen, were no other than 
 " the Druids." This character, we know, is uni- 
 versally ascribed to them, in ancient history, as 
 well as in tradition. It is even probable, that the 
 island, which Demetrius visited, was lona, formerly
 
 APPENDIX. 409 
 
 called, by the Highlanders, Innis-druineach, or the 
 " island of the Druids," and where, to this day, the 
 natives point out Claodh nan Druidhean, or the 
 " burying place of the Druids." Perhaps lona was 
 their sacred residence in Caledonia, as Anglesea 
 was in England.
 
 APPENDIX, 
 
 No. 11. 
 
 ORIGIN OF SUPERSTITION, 
 
 ILLUSTRATED IN THE 
 
 MYTHOLOGY OF THE POEMS OF OSSIAN, 
 
 PROFESSOR RICHARDSON 
 
 OF GLASGOW COLLEGE. 
 
 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 JVIankind, ill the earliest periods of human so- 
 ciety, were acquainted with the doctrines of true 
 rehgion. They heheved in llw existence, in the 
 power, wisdom, goodness, and superintending 
 providence of one Supreme Being; who, as the
 
 412 APPENDIX. 
 
 Creator^ and the Preserver, of all things, was the 
 object of their religious worship. It also appears, 
 that mankind, in the earliest ages, were in pos- 
 session of many useful, and even elegant, arts. 
 The proofs of these statements are presented, with 
 convincing evidence, in the Sacred Writings ; and 
 in the traditions of those heathen nations, of 
 whose opinions and antiquity we have any good 
 information. 
 
 It is no less certain, that, in process of time, and 
 even in a short time, all, or a great part, of this 
 important knowledge was lost: excepting in one 
 family, and afterwards in a very inconsiderable 
 nation, men ceased to believe in one Supreme Be- 
 ing. At the same time also, or rather previously, 
 so far from preserving the advantages arising from 
 useful and elegant arts, a great part of them be- 
 came not only uncivilized, but utterly rude and 
 savage. Scattered, as their numbers increased, in 
 tribes and families, over the face of the earth, 
 they degenerated into a state of barbarity, little 
 different from those fierce and irrational animals, 
 that inhabited the woods and desarts. 
 
 Yet none of the uncivilized, or barbarous, tribes
 
 APPENDIX. -413 
 
 and nations, of whom we have any certain ac- 
 counts, were altogether destitute of some rehgious, 
 or superstitious, opinions. If they knew not the 
 true God, they beheved in, and worshipped, a va- 
 riety of other beings, greatly superior to them- 
 selves, of a nature considerably different, and 
 whom, as taking interest in their welfare, they 
 were bound to adore. Yet opinions of this sort, 
 and the consequent observances, did not originate 
 either in revelation, or in the deductions of a well- 
 informed understanding. They were derived solely 
 from the impulses of passion and sensibility, co- 
 operating with those associations of thought which 
 proceed from the influences of a prompt and un- 
 governed imagination. 
 
 Here now, we have presented to us, an interest- 
 ing and important subject of inquiry : What are 
 those dispositions, those affections, those passions, 
 or those tendencies of sensibility, which, exciting, 
 promoting, or acting along with the combinations 
 of fancy, produced such sentiments, and laid the 
 foundation for a complex and extended system of 
 religious, or superstitious, woisiiip? A\ hat are those 
 principles, which have not their object within the
 
 414 APPENDIX. 
 
 visible sphere of creation ; that, as it were, con- 
 temn the authority of the senses, treat their no- 
 tices as imperfect, and, employing the guidance 
 and vigour of imagination, connect visible with 
 invisible beings ; and subject mankind to the do- 
 minion of agents existing in a different state, and 
 with whom they were hitherto unacquainted ? In 
 thus stating the matter, it seems, at first sight, 
 extraordinarj'^, that mere savages, who seem to 
 live for the purposes alone of animal gratification, 
 without much curiosity, and incapable of exten- 
 sive reasonings, should be influenced by feelings, 
 or sentiments, leading to such important conse- 
 quences. 
 
 Here, however, notwithstanding the apparent 
 difficulty, it will immediately occur, that there are 
 many feelings and passions, in the human mind, 
 such as surprise, fear, astonishment, and admira- 
 tion, which may induce even the most unimpro- 
 ved of the human race, to conceive the existence 
 of superior and invisible beings. Our inquiry is, 
 therefore, limited to the investigation of those 
 principles, which are not of a fugitive, or transient, 
 nature, but which act with so much uniformity.
 
 APPENDIX. 415 
 
 SO much steadiness, and are of such general, or 
 universal, extension, as to become the founda- 
 tion of a permanent, complicated, and universal, 
 system. Those, therefore, which seem to me to 
 be the most completely adequate to this effect, 
 and whose operation, in producing it, I proceed to 
 illustrate, are affection and admiration for friends 
 and heroic leaders, exciting such sorrow, at their 
 death, as induces their survivors to believe, that 
 they are not really, or altogether, dead; and to 
 imagine them in such a separate state of exist- 
 ence, as is suited to their powers and virtues.
 
 41* APPENDIX. 
 
 PART I. 
 
 JMen, even in the rudest periods of society, are 
 capable, in some measure, of distinguishing merit, 
 or demerit, in human actions ; they are capable of 
 being affected by, or of being grateful for, deeds 
 of kindness ; they are capable of entertaining suit- 
 able and corresponding sentiments towards ami- 
 able and respectable characters; they love, and 
 they admire : but love, friendship, and admira- 
 tion suppose the existence of those quaUties in 
 their object, which are fitted to excite them, else 
 these affections could not themselves exist. So 
 that here, we have two things very intimately and 
 habitually combined : we have feelings and affec- 
 tions, of a very peculiar kind, towards a particular 
 object; and an intellectual conviction, that certain 
 attributes, or properties, of a corresponding na- 
 ture, actually exist in it, I observe, therefore, that
 
 APPENDIX. 417 
 
 fondly attached as men are, in early ages, to their 
 friends and protectors, such persons are not only 
 the frequent subject of their thoughts, and topic 
 of their discourse ; but also, that whenever they 
 occur to their attention, or recollection, they are 
 intimately connected with superior and illustrious 
 qualities. The image of the individual, whom they 
 love or esteem, as it arises to their fancy, or to 
 their remembrance, is as inherently endowed with 
 peculiar powers and virtues, as he is invested ex- 
 ternally with an appropriate shape and figure. He 
 is not more inseparably connected, in their appre- 
 hension, with limbs of a certain proportion, or a 
 complexion of peculiar tints, than with active spi- 
 rit, and intrepid boldness. They can as little think 
 of him divested of these, as of that particular struc- 
 ture and colour of his external frame, by which his 
 person is known to them. He cannot be concei- 
 ved, as deprived of his mental, any more than of 
 his bodily, appearance. But, if certain qualities 
 be constantly and lial)itualjy cronibinod with any 
 particular object, their union will appear so close, 
 specially to uiiciiltivatcil minds, as to be account- 
 '(I inluMcnt. Xfcii have dilliciilty, and, conse- 
 
 2 J.)
 
 418 APPENDIX. 
 
 quently, they have dislike ; they have hesitation, 
 and even reluctance, in considering them as sepa- 
 rated from one another. The habit of always con- 
 necting the object and its customary properties, 
 or attributes, occasions pain, in a peculiar manner, 
 if they are suddenly and unexpectedly disunited. 
 This sensation, of consequence, becomes still more 
 acute, in the bosoms of those who are strangers to 
 reflection, than to such as are more accustomed to 
 distinguish and to discriminate. Men, in uncivi- 
 lized ages, are, therefore, so exceedingly afflicted, 
 by such unexpected separation, as to be willing, 
 in the moment of their distress, to admit any con- 
 sideration, or yield to any impression, that can les- 
 sen their uneasiness, or afford them relief. Sup- 
 pose now, that a person beloved, or almout reve- 
 red, by a rude Indian, or Celtic, family, is sudden- 
 ly deprived of life ; that he has no longer any 
 power of motion, or any principle of worthy and 
 affectionate conduct ; yet friendship and admira- 
 tion were ever intimately and inherently united 
 with his image, as it arose in Uieir conception ; 
 and these affections, now rendered more animated 
 
 by the shock they sustain, suppose him possessed 
 
 5
 
 APPENDIX. 419 
 
 oF corresponding qualities. How, therefore, are 
 their feelings, and even the tendencies of their un- 
 derstanding, affected f Will they acquiesce calmly 
 in the decrees of nature ? Will their love, or their 
 veneration, decay with instantaneous conviction, 
 and be buried with the deceased ? On the con- 
 trary, these affections are established, by habit, in 
 the constitution, and will, therefore, continue: they 
 are roused by a heavy stroke, and become exces- 
 sive ; the deceased is before them ; their affec- 
 tion for him is heightened with sorrow ; they love, 
 they respect, they venerate, the deceased. But 
 what do they venerate ? A nonentity ? Suffice it 
 to say, that, by the influence of admiration and 
 affection, there is a predisposition in the mind to 
 think of the dead, as if he still existed. Persons 
 of sensibility iiave surely felt it. Persons of sen- 
 sibility, in all periods, have felt it. The Africans, 
 near the Cape of Good Hope, according to the 
 accounts of an cnlighlcncd traveller, reproach 
 their friends, when they die, for leaving them. 
 The rude Morlachians, according to the account 
 of even a philosophical traveller, in the fust mo- 
 ments of their grief for a departed friejul, ex[)o>-
 
 420 APPENDIX. 
 
 tulate with him; and ask what had so offended 
 him, as to make him forsake them ? Virgil, too, 
 (for true poets speak the language of nature,) re- 
 presents ^neas in the affectionate recollection of 
 his father, as expressing a regret, somewhat tinc- 
 tured with blame, for having left him in the " time 
 "of need:" 
 
 Hie me pater optime, fzssvu 
 Desebis. 
 
 In this state of feeling, in this disposition to con- 
 sider the dead as conscious and capable of thought, 
 imagination, the ready minister of every passion, 
 affords immediate and efficacious relief; she sepa- 
 rates the mind from the body, and reserves for it 
 all those thoughts and sentiments which suit the 
 grief of the mourner. The notion, indeed, that a 
 being, in full possession of vigour and activity, 
 and susceptible of the warmest affections, should 
 pass immediately into a state of non-existence, and 
 become nothing, exhibits a view so bleak, so 
 dreary, and so repugnant to every ardent prepos- 
 session, that the imagination shudders, and flies to 
 visions more solacing and more enlivening. Was
 
 APPENDIX. 4S1 
 
 it more natural for Matilda^ grieving for the loss 
 of tier husband^ to suppose him a nonentity, than 
 to conceive him existing in a disembodied state, 
 and often the witness of her complaint ? 
 
 Ye woods and wilds, whose melancholy gloom 
 Accords with my soul s sadness, and draws forth 
 The voice of sorrow from my bursting heart, 
 Farewell a while. I will not leave you long; 
 For in your shades I deem some spirit dwells. 
 Who, from the chiding stream, or groaning oak, 
 Still hears, and answers to Matilda's moan. 
 O Douglas, Douglas, if departed ghosts 
 Are e'er permitted to review this world, 
 Within the circle of that wood thou art. 
 And, with the passion of immortals, hear'st 
 My lamentation ! 
 
 Another circumstance operates, in a powerful 
 manner, to establish a conviction of the separate 
 state of the dead. The Celt, the Scythian, or In- 
 dian, grieving for the loss of his friend, falls 
 asleep, and beholds him in his dreams; he con- 
 verses with him, and enjoys unspeakable pleasure 
 in this ideal intercourse; he awakens; he looks 
 around for him, but sees him not; he calls, but re-
 
 422 APPENDIX. 
 
 ceives no answer ; he hears nothing but the roar- 
 ing of a stream, or the wind in the lonely forest; 
 he is filled with awe ; his heart is shaken ; he had 
 laid his friend in the dust, yet he beheld him ; his 
 feelings are as if in the presence of an invisible be- 
 ing, of him whom he saw in his vision, of his 
 friend disembodied, but still moved with affection. 
 There is not a more happy example of grief, ope- 
 rating and influencing the imagination, in this 
 manner, than where Achilles, immediately after 
 the death of Patroclus, is represented, in the Iliad, 
 as beholding, and as conversing with, his friend in 
 a dream : 
 
 Hushed by the murmurs of the rolling deep, 
 At length be sinks in the soft arms of sleep. 
 "When, lo! the shade, before his closing eyes, 
 Of sad Patroclus rose, or seemed to rise. 
 In the same robe he living -nore, he came, 
 In stature, voice, and pleasing look, the same. 
 Confused he wakes; amazement breaks the bands 
 Of golden sleep, and, starting from the sands, 
 Pensive he muses, with uplifted hands. 
 " 'Tistrue, tis certain, man, thougli dead, retains 
 Part of himself ; th" immortal mind remains :
 
 APPENDIX. 48S 
 
 The form subsists, without the body's aid, 
 Aerial semblance, and an empty shade ! 
 This night, my friend, so late in battle lost, 
 Stood at my side, a pensive, plaintive, ghost." 
 
 Ilijd, xxiU, 
 
 Thus, then, we have, in the spirits of the dead, 
 a numerous class of invisible, intelligent agents, 
 in whom mankind are deeply and affectionately 
 concerned ; and these are the immediate offspring 
 of the genuine sensibilities and natural associa- 
 tions of the human mind. I proceed to illustrate 
 the process by which such visionary beings are 
 exalted to the enjoyment of a happiness suited to 
 their condition, and not only so, but to great 
 power and authority over the fortunes and affairs 
 of men. 
 
 II. Esteem, friendship, and admiration, depri- 
 ved of their object, occasion sorrow. Though re- 
 moved even by death, the natural tendency of sor- 
 row is to affect the imagination so, as if the per- 
 son for whom we grieved wore, in some degree, 
 sensible of the change he had undergone. Tiie 
 generality of mankind, in the fir<t momenls of
 
 424 APPENDIX. 
 
 their sorrow for the death of friends, conceive of 
 the dead as of a sufferer. They must, therefore, 
 conceive him sensible ; and, if so, they conceive 
 him existing somehow apart from the body. 
 Under this impression, they think, they cannot 
 testify their regard for him in a manner suffi- 
 ciently strong and affecting. Accordingly, they 
 do every thing in their power to console the dead, 
 and to render his situation agreeable. They wash 
 his wounds, if he has fallen in battle ; they close 
 his eyes, and remove every thing offensive from 
 his external appearance; they honour him, and 
 celebrate his obsequies, with solemn pomp and 
 magnificent ceremony : 
 
 O more than brother ! think each office paid, 
 Whate'er can rest a discontented shade. 
 
 Here a striking effect ensues. By having per- 
 formed these operations, the sorrow of surviving 
 friends is relieved. They have discharged a duty; 
 they have gratified affection ; they have rendered 
 the offices of friendship to the deceased ; they are 
 somewhat satisfied, that he is sensible of what 
 they have done; that he is relieved, by their at-
 
 APPENDIX. 4S5 
 
 tention to the body, with which they still suppose 
 him to have some connection; and that he is 
 pleased, and has even some enjoyment, in this tes- 
 timony of their regard. Having thus bestowed 
 consciousness, and a new state of existence, on 
 the deceased, and being comforted themselves, 
 they transfer the condition of their own minds to 
 their friend, and believe, that he also is comfort- 
 ed. Thus, of consequence, they believe him ca- 
 pable of being rendered happy. In confirmation 
 of all this, let us remember, that, among rude na- 
 tions, the dead are never supposed to pass into a 
 state of ease, or felicity, till due obsequies are per- 
 formed to them. No spirits were permitted to 
 cross the Styx till they were inhumed. The In- 
 dians of North America entertain similar opinions; 
 and imagine, that certain rites are necessary, be- 
 fore the souls of departed warriors can arrive at 
 their blissful valleys. Upon this principle, also, is 
 founded the practice of those elegiac writers of 
 antiquity, and of those eminent moderns who 
 have imitated them, in lamenting the dead, and in 
 celebrating their virtues. The first part of the 
 elegy is generally elnploycd in rehearsing the
 
 2 APPENDIX. 
 
 praises of the deceased ; in expressing sorrow for 
 his departure ; and, in calling upon his friends to 
 honour his memory, and solemnize his obsequies. 
 The second part, containing the apotheosis, is 
 consolatory. The deceased is comforted, and is 
 not only pleased with their attentions, but is ca- 
 pable of enjoying happiness : 
 
 Extinctum nymph<B crudeli funere Daphnim 
 
 Flebant : vos coryli testes, etjlumina nymphis ; 
 
 Non ulli pastos Hits egere diebus 
 
 Frigida, Daphni, boves adjiumina, fife. 
 
 Spargite humum foliis 
 
 Et tumulum facite ; et tumulo superaddite carmen, 5fc. 
 
 Thus, the mourners, having discharged their duties 
 of respect, and having expressed the feelings of 
 affection, are themselves comforted ; and, transfer- 
 ring their own comfort to the deceased, they sup- 
 pose, in the second part, that he is not only relie- 
 ved, but rendered happy : 
 
 Candidus insuetum miratur limen Olympi, 
 Sub pedibusque videl nubes et sidera Daphnis. 
 Semper honos, nomenq; tuum laudesq; manehunt, S^c. 
 
 Weep no more, woeful shepherds, weep no more. 
 For Lycidas, your sorrow, is not dead,
 
 APPENDIX. 427 
 
 Sunk though he be beneath the watery floor : 
 So sinks the day-star in the ocean bed, 
 And yt anon repairs his drooping head, jfc. 
 
 III. As we have thus immortalized the dead, 
 and bestowed upon them a certain portion of ease 
 and of happiness, it remains, that we consider in 
 what manner they are to be exalted and rendered 
 powerful. As the sorrow of men, lamenting for 
 the death of dear and respected friends, is abated, 
 and as they suppose them possessed of such ami- 
 able or respectable qualities, as tend to confer, 
 and entitle them to, the enjoyment of happiness, 
 and deserve reward, they naturally conceive them 
 to be in a state of supreme felicity. But their no- 
 tions of felicity are suited to their own disposi- 
 tions, and the character of the deceased. Men, in 
 early periods, of enterprising minds, and of vigor- 
 ous bodies, never imagine, that the gallant war- 
 rior, so active and intrepid while alive^ is to re- 
 main, after his death, in inansit)iis of indolence 
 and listless pleasure. Tiiey never imagine, that he, 
 who was formerly so zealously interested in the 
 welhue of his nation, and iuul a l)osom glowing 
 wilii the liveliest allection, should now be unmind-
 
 428 APPENDIX. 
 
 ful of his friends, of those who lament his death, 
 and revere his memory. As he is removed from 
 among them, as their remembrance of him is 
 embalmed in their esteem, and as they are no 
 longer the witnesses of his weaknesses ; his fail- 
 ings, imperfections, and weaknesses, will be forgot- 
 ten. They dwell on nothing, but on his virtues; 
 they enlarge and increase his powers. But what 
 powers can he now possess ? Divested of the body, 
 he is deprived of strength ; and this, in rude ages, 
 must be accounted a great calamity. Yet an evil 
 of this kind maybe compensated. His nature is 
 no longer gross and corporeal ; he is a thin aerial 
 substance; he rises upwards; he sojourns on the 
 top of high mountains, or has a dwelling among 
 the clouds. In those countries, where there are 
 many hills, and many exhalations ; where the 
 clouds, and appearances of the atmosphere, are 
 frequently vaiying, can any thing be more natural 
 than to suppose, that the spirits of the dead are 
 carried about, or reside among them ? When a 
 ruler of the Roman state was deified, the eagle, 
 that conveyed, or attended, his spirit from the fu- 
 neral pile, ascended upwards. The splendid ap-
 
 APPENDIX. 499 
 
 pearances of the sky, on the summit of Olympus, 
 rendered it a fit place for the synod, or residence, 
 of preternatural beings. As clouds, storms, and 
 tempests, seemed to be driven, as it were, by living 
 agents, the spirits of the dead, having now attri- 
 buted to them preternatural power, rendered the 
 rain, and even the thunder and lightning, the sub- 
 jects of their dominion. As winds and exhalations 
 are apparently unsubstantial, bodily organs and 
 strength were held ineffectual, in directing, or in 
 restraining, them. What was the strength even of 
 Ajax against a mist, or the agility of Achilles 
 against a deluge ? But, by exalting distinguished 
 warriors to this new supremacy, their surviving ad- 
 mirers placed them in a situation suited to their 
 high character, and rendered them capable, as it 
 were, of protecting and preserving their friends : 
 
 Candidas insnctiim miralur limen Olympi: 
 Sub pedibusq; videt 7iubeit et siJera Daphnis. 
 Semper honos, noinenq; tuum, laudrsq: manebunt. 
 Ut Baccho Cereriq:, tibi nic vota quotannit 
 Agricoli facitnt. 
 
 Now Lyridas, the shepherds weep no more ; 
 f Jenreforth thou art (he (leniiis of the shore.
 
 480 APPENDIX. 
 
 In thy large recompence ; and shall be good 
 To all that wander in that perilous flood. 
 
 In this manner, there is Httle difficulty in concei- 
 ving how the spirits of the dead may, among even 
 the rudest nations, be immortalized and deified. 
 But the subject seems to receive particular illus- 
 tration, from the mythology (for a mythology 
 does exist,) in the Poems of Ossian, and which I 
 now proceed particularly to illustrate.
 
 APPENDIX. 4tl 
 
 PART II. 
 
 W E can scarcely conceive a rude people living 
 in a state of greater seclusion, than the early inha- 
 bitants of the Hebrides, and those islands and 
 coasts of Scotland that extend to the north and 
 west. Bounded, on two sides, by the Atlantic 
 Ocean, and separated from the rest of the world, 
 in every other quarter, by lakes, estuaries, and 
 gloomy forests; by tempestuous seas, and inacces- 
 sible mountains ; by a barren soil, and forbidding 
 climate, they had little intercourse with the rest of 
 mankind ; and no other knowledge, civilization, 
 or improvement, than arose from their own expe- 
 rience and observation. If ever their ancestors 
 enjoyed the advanlaues and information that be- 
 long to an improved condition, these liad been 
 long lost and forgotten ; so that their manners, 
 customs, and opinions, may be considered as en-
 
 432 APPENDIX. 
 
 tirelj'^ their own. In no region whatever, were the 
 dispositions, passions, and natural associations of 
 human thought, less liable, than among these ori- 
 ginal Celts, to be restrained, or directed, by any 
 thing foreign or extraneous. Whatever system, 
 therefore, or scheme of opinions, can be discerned 
 among them, must be the result of the unbiassed 
 impulses of the human heart, and of the immedi- 
 ate combinations of an active, but untutored, ima- 
 gination. It were indeed difficult, if not impos- 
 sible, in the history of any people, to point out a 
 system of unrevealed, and unphilosophical, reli- 
 gion, so genuine and so natural, so much the effect 
 of sensibility, affection, and imagination, opera- 
 ting, unrestrained by authority, unmodified by ex- 
 ample, and untinctured with artificial tenets, as in 
 the mythology of the Poems of Ossian. These 
 poems, however, have not been supposed to exhi- 
 bit, in the manners of the people whom they de- 
 scribe, any religious doctrines, or superstitious ob- 
 servances. It affords, in truth, no slight presump- 
 tion, or even internal evidence, of the authenticity, 
 at least, of these passages where religious opinions 
 occur, that the editor, or translator himself, not
 
 APPENDIX. 433 
 
 discerning their real import, conceived, and as- 
 serted, that they contained no mythology.* They 
 make no mention, indeed, of Jupiter, or any deity 
 of the Greeks and Romans ; they make no men- 
 tion of Odin, and scarcely of any Scandinavian 
 divinity, yet they disclose a mythological scheme, 
 certainly not very complicated, nor constructed of 
 many parts, but of whicli tlie particulars are very 
 consistent, the arrangements distinct, and the li- 
 mits suHiciently definite. 
 
 I. In perfect consistency witii the progress in 
 the preceding theory, those Celtic tribes, vvliose 
 manners are displayed by their cotemporary poet, 
 felt all the sorrow, for the death and final removal 
 of their friends and warriors, which flows from 
 very high admiration and unrestrained afl'ection. 
 This sorrow, influencing the combinations of a 
 wild and ungovcrned fancy, induced them to be- 
 
 * It :ii)i)oai>, indt'cd, voiiu-whar -iiijiular, that not only Mr 
 MarplnTxin, but also I)i lUair, and the Abhe Coarotti, tlic Ita- 
 lian tian-lator of ()>^ian, should h:i\c failfd in tracin;; any ni\tho- 
 loi^iial ideas in these poems; aiidlhat the\ sliould e\en take some 
 pain to ajiologize for the ah-enee of them. See Sir John Sinelair'* 
 ()ian, vol. iil. p. 2'.>T. d acq. ^"^. I'y the Author of thi. tUitvj.
 
 434 APPENDIX. 
 
 lieve_, that the departed were not altogether dead ; 
 and finally to believe, that they existed in a sepa- 
 rate and superior condition. They supposed them 
 exalted to celestial regions ; and that they so- 
 journed among the meteors and the clouds of 
 heaven. 
 
 " A cloud hovers over Cona ; its blue circling 
 " sides are high; the winds are beneath it, with 
 " their wings ; within is the dwelling oi" Fingal. 
 " His friends sit around the king, on mist, and 
 " hear the songs of Ullin. The lesser heroes, with 
 " a thousand meteors, light the airy hall." 
 
 Immediately after the death of a warrior, though 
 the grief of his friends was animated, and led them 
 to adorn him with every great and distinguishing 
 quality, yet, having been so lately one of them- 
 selves, they did not invest him with those high 
 powers which they afterwards conferred upon him; 
 and they imagined him, as well as tlicmselves, a 
 sufferer by the change ho had undergone. They 
 therefore testified their esteem, and expressed their 
 sorrow, in the most respectfid and affectionate 
 manner. But, by this operation, the violence of 
 their giief subsided, and they transferred the com- 
 
 7
 
 APPENDIX. 435 
 
 fort, which they themselves experienced, to the 
 deceased. They supposed iiiin not only relieved, 
 but happy; and, accordingly, the departed hero 
 did not rise to his airy hall, till his obsequies were 
 duly performed, and that he had heard " the song 
 " of his fame." 
 
 " No sleep comes down on Cathmor's eyes : 
 " dark, in his soul, he saw the spirit of low-laid 
 " Cairbre: he saw him, without his song, rolled in 
 " a blast of the night." 
 
 " Cairbre came to Cathmor's dreams, half-seen 
 " from his low-hung cloud. Joy rose, darkly, in 
 " his face; for he had heard the song of Carril ; 
 " a blast sustaiiu'd his dark-skirted cloud, which he 
 " seized in the bosom of night, as he rose, with his 
 " fame, towards his iatlur's hall. Joy met the 
 "soul of Cathnior! his voice was heard in Moi- 
 "" lena : the bard gave the song to C'airi)re : he 
 " travels on the witid : my I'orui is in my father's 
 '' hali." 
 
 Agre('al)ly to the same notions, the s[)irils of 
 men (hsliliite of anv nuril, r ot lliosc whose eon- 
 duct had incurred intamy, couUl never rise lo 
 eelesUal mansions ; but were rolled^ at the incrcv
 
 436 APPENDIX. 
 
 of the winds^ plaintive and malignant, over noi- 
 some fens, or by the margin of reedy lakes. 
 Those again, whose merit had never been very 
 eminently distinguished, but who had never suf- 
 fered disgrace, ascended as the attendants of il- 
 lustrious warriors, and were their ministers in the 
 clouds. 
 
 " The lesser heroes, with a thousand meteors, 
 " light the airy hall." 
 
 II. After mentioning the place of abode, assign- 
 ed to departed warriors, it may be proper to illus- 
 trate their powers. Divested of the body, they 
 could no longer exert bodily strength and agility. 
 They could bend no bow, but one of aerial tex- 
 ture ; nor wield a sword capable of inflicting 
 wounds. Their form was a thin, etherial, sub- 
 stance ; they were unfit for corporeal exertion ; 
 and could encounter no adversary, in deeds of va- 
 lour. Advanced, however, to immortality, cele- 
 brated by bards, who magnified their atchieve- 
 ments, and revered by surviving friends, they 
 could not be mournful : on the contrary, they had 
 conferred upon them a dominion of mighty power.
 
 APPENDIX. 437 
 
 and perfectly suited to tlieir present condition. 
 Those natural sentiments of justice, which arc in- 
 herent in every bosom, tended also to confirm 
 their opinion; for they thought it unjust, or un- 
 reasonable, that men, in the actual discharge of 
 important duties, and in the very exercise of dis- 
 tinguished virtue, should be deprived of the ad- 
 vantages, which they deserved, without being 
 otherwise duly compensated ; and, il' they thought 
 of compensating, their imagination, and convic- 
 tions of merit, could set no limits to the remune- 
 ration. Tlie contrast, between the imbecility ol" 
 departed spirits, so far as regards bodily exertions, 
 and their power over storms and kuipoN, i:, 
 strikingly illustrated, in the followin;^ passage: 
 
 " The blasts ol" tlic north o[)en lliy gates, O 
 " king! aiul I behold thee silling on mist, dimly 
 " gleaming, in all thine arms. Thy lorm, ikjw, is 
 " not the terror of the valiant; but like a walery 
 " cloud, when we see the stars behind it, wilii 
 " liieir v.eeping eyes. Thy shield is like the aged 
 "moon; ihv sword a vaj)i)ur, halt-kindied with 
 ^' iire. Dim and feeble 1^ the eiiief, who travelled 
 " in brightness bel'ore. But thy slepa are on the
 
 438 APPENDIX. 
 
 " winds of the desart, and the storms darken in 
 " thy hand. Thou takest the sun, in thy wrath, 
 " and hidest him hi thy clouds : the sons of httle 
 " men are afraid ; and a thousand showers de- 
 " scend. But, when thou comest forth in thy 
 " mildness, the gale of morning is near thy course; 
 *' the sun laughs, in his blue fields ; and the gray 
 " stream winds in the valley." 
 
 That the spirits of departed warriors were belie- 
 ved to possess supremacy over the tempests, and 
 that they employed their powers in behalf of their 
 friends, and against their enemies, is manifest, 
 from several passages. 
 
 " As Trenmor, clothed in meteors, descends from 
 " the halls of thunder, pouring the dark stream 
 " before him, over the troubled sea, so Colgar de- 
 " scendcd to battle." 
 
 The two following extracts not only illustrate 
 their power, but the manner also, in which they 
 might be addressed. 
 
 " If any strong spirit of heaven sits on that low- 
 " hung cloud, turn his dark ships from the rock, 
 ^' thou rider of the storms." 
 
 " O ye dark winds of Erin, arise ! and roar, y?
 
 APPENDIX. 439 
 
 ^ whirlwinds of the heath ! Amid the tempest, let 
 *' me die, torn by angry ghosts of men." 
 
 The power ascribed to the spirits of deceased 
 warriors was threefold : Tlie Hrst was that, which 
 I have now endeavoured to illustrate; namely, the 
 power of ruling the winds, and directing the tem- 
 pests. The second, of which examples shall now 
 he given, consisted in taking away lile, by secret 
 and unseen influences. 
 
 It was appreliended, that, if the immortalized, 
 and deified sjjjrits of the deceased, tver interested, 
 as they were su[)posed to Ix', in the welfare of 
 those formerly dear to them, j)erceived them in 
 danger, from unavoidable caiamity, they imme- 
 diately interposed, dissolved the union between 
 the soul and the body, and conveyed their friends, 
 from miserv, to enjoy the repose anrj h;i[)piness of 
 their aerial mansions. When Lamor, l)iind and 
 aged, receives infornuilion, thai his son had acted 
 so improperly as to incur di=<<z:raee, overwhelmed 
 with the misfortune, lie ihiis addresses himself to 
 the ghost of his ancestor: 
 
 '' S[)irit of the noble Ciarmalloii; carry Lanior to
 
 U9 APPENDIX. 
 
 ^^ his place: his eyes are <3ark; his soul is sad; and 
 *' his son hath lost his fame." 
 
 So too Suilmalla, apprehensive about the fate of 
 her husband : 
 
 *' Call me, my father, when the king is low on 
 " earth ; for then shall I be lonely in the midst of 
 '' woe." 
 
 The following passage is quite explicit: 
 
 " His hand is like the arm of a ghost, when 
 " he stretches it from a cloud : the rest of his 
 " thin form is unseen ; but the people die in the 
 *' vale." 
 
 Sudden death, without the agency of any visible 
 cause, affects the minds of a rude people, not only 
 with fear, but with astonishment; and they ascribe 
 such alarming events to the tremendous power of 
 superior, invisible, beings. When the army of the 
 Greeks was afRicted with a pestilential malady, the 
 calamity was attributed to the shafts of Apollo, 
 Ossian, in like manner, ascribes appearances, of 
 this nature, to the interposition of some friendly, 
 or unfriendly, spirit. 
 
 As the spirits of the dead were believed to rule
 
 APPENDIX. 441 
 
 in the atmosphere, and to have the power of 
 taking away Hfe, they were apprehended, in the 
 third place, to have the power of prescience ; and 
 that, as they possessed such ability, they were in- 
 cHned, on fit occasions, to grant a revelation of fu- 
 ture events. Man, by nature provident, is for ever 
 looking forward into the time to come ; and is so- 
 licitous about his for time,' in tlie after periods of 
 his life. He conceives the power of foreseeing 
 wimt events are about to befall him, and the dis- 
 covery of them, as a most important talent, and 
 most desira!)le sort oi" knowledge. It is natural 
 for him, therefore, if he believe in preternatural 
 rulers, to suppose, that a part oftlieir su])eriority 
 may consist in prescience. Believing, that they 
 can pass, in their aerial progress, with inconcei- 
 vable rapidity from one place to another, it is not 
 a violent transition to believe, that they can also 
 jiass from one time to another, and discry those 
 ev(Mits which arc; to ari-.(', at a I'uture, perhaps not 
 a very distant, period. [m;r_riniii'_:;, loo, that these 
 supt-rior Ix iugs mav ix' j)ro;)itialcd bv the atten- 
 tions and pravcrs of inoiials, tlicv will c.vpcet the 
 di-j>lav of their bcn'.voli ncr, in such occasional re-
 
 412 APPENDIX. 
 
 velation. Moreover, borrowing their notions of 
 these invisible rulers from their own experience 
 and observation, they suppose, that they bear some 
 resemblance to great men upon earth ; the more 
 so, if they actually believe them to be no other 
 than illustrious heroes exalted to immortality; and, 
 accordingly, none but their descendents, or per- 
 sons of distinguished merit, will presume to ap- 
 proach them ; nor will even these venture to ad- 
 dress them, but as suppliants, filled witi) aw^e, and 
 with veneration. The mode of revelation will also 
 be of a corresponding nature. These exalted be- 
 ings will not deign lo make themselves altogether 
 visible; or they will not overwhelm their votaries 
 by the splendour of their glory; and will impart 
 their knowledge obscurely, or by dreams and vi- 
 sions. All these particulars are illustrated in the 
 following sublime, yet very interesting, passage : 
 " Come, (said the hero,) O ye ghosts of my i'a- 
 " thers, who fought against the kings ot the world, 
 " tell me the deeds of future times, and your con- 
 '- verse in your caves, when you talk together, and 
 " behold your sons in the fields of the valiant. 
 " Trenmor came from his hill, at the voice of his-
 
 APPENDIX. US 
 
 " mighty sou. A cloud, like the steed of the 
 " stranger, supported his limbs; his robe is of the 
 " mist of Lano, that brings death to the people ; 
 " liis sword is a green meteor, half-extinguished ; 
 " his face is without form, and dark, lie sighed 
 " thrice over the hero, and tiirice the winds of the 
 " night roared aloud. INIany were his words to 
 " Oscar; but they onl\- came by halves to our ears: 
 " they were dark, as the tales of other times, before 
 " the liijflit of the sonci; arose." 
 
 It might be shewn, that the religion of the 
 Greeks and Romans proceeds upon similar prin- 
 ciples; in like maimer also, that of the ancient 
 Egy[)tian<, and that of the ancient Scandinavians. 
 In ihcir great original outliiu's^ they correspond 
 exactly witli the mythology exhibited in the Poems 
 of" Ossian.* 
 
 This Disroursc, with llic exception of some illustrations 
 lately added, on the fir>t |)rirl, was read heloie a iileiary ^oeiety, 
 ill (ila-j;ow College, ^o loiii: a:,o a-- tiie \<-ar 17" j; aiul, althoiij^ii 
 a considerable time ha> now intervened, the Author ha.-- not found 
 it neces-arv to alt<"r, or even to quality, tiie o]>inion, on ihii >uli- 
 ject, which lie wa? then led to enlcrtain.
 
 APPENDIX, 
 
 No. Til. 
 
 LETTER 
 
 AMES MACPHERSON, ESQ. 
 
 CAPTAIN MORISOX. 
 
 DEAR Sn?, August 18th, 1789. 
 
 I RETURN your letter, as Sir Jolm 
 is in the North. Not only Ossiuii, but much more, 
 is goinii; on; tlie rslabhshmu ihr wnok" hinguage, 
 on primitive, clear, uneninijf, and incontrovertible 
 principles. The (Jadie, now traced to its source, 
 has be( II alreadv touiid to l)c the most regular, the 
 Riost simple, and the most ])leasint5 ^^ ^^^^ ^"^^f ^"^
 
 446 APPENDIX. 
 
 almost to the eye, of any language either of past or 
 present times. 
 
 You may acquaint our worthy Iriend, the very 
 respectable amateur of the Gaelic language. Sir 
 James Foulis, of the above general intimation. 
 I am. 
 
 Very faithfully yours, 
 
 (Signed) J. Macpherson. 
 Captain Morison, Greenock.
 
 POSTSCRIPT. 
 
 1 HE recent publication of the inestimable origi- 
 nals oi" 0>sian, by Sir John Sinelair_, Bart, together 
 with a learned dissertation on tlieir authenticilv, 
 by hiinselt", and anotiier by Dr Macarthur^ whilst 
 it should seeiii to su|)ersede the necessity of fur- 
 ther (Hscussion, renders it, at least, proper to state 
 to tiie public a tew circumstances with respect to 
 the present attempt. 
 
 With regard to any superfluous coincidence of 
 argument, between tins I'Lssay, and those which 
 iiave j)receded it in pul)lualion, it is pn \-;iinied, 
 that none shall be Ibund. This I'^ssay was tcritlen 
 some years ago. It was read, in the Author's turn 
 ol giving a diseourx-, in the- weekly nieeliugs of 
 the Literary Society in Cilasgow College, in the
 
 418 POSTSCRIPT. 
 
 years 1803, 1804, and 1806. Having formerly re- 
 ceived the greatest delight from the perusal of the 
 Seventh Book of Temora, in the original, and 
 from many of the fragments of Gaelic poetry col- 
 lected by Dr Smith, it had long been his most 
 earnest wish to see the whole originals of MrMac- 
 pherson's translations given to the public. It was, 
 therefore, with the greatest pleasure, that he obser- 
 ved, in 180C), the intimation of their speedy ap-* 
 pearance, by Sir John Sinclair. 
 
 He delayed the publication of this Essay for 
 more than a year, in the expectation of the ac- 
 comphshment of this promise ; but much time 
 having elapsed, he began again to lose all hope of 
 seeing these valuable originals in their native dress. 
 It was only after every arrangement had been 
 made for the publication of this Essay, that the 
 Author, on his way to Edinburgh, observed, for the 
 first time, the splendid work of Sir Jcihn Sinclair 
 announced in a London newspaper. 
 
 It is, besides, necessary to take notice of this cir- 
 cumstance, in order to account for the manner in 
 which the original poetry of Ossian is spoken of 
 lliroughout this Essay, as still unpubhshed. Though
 
 POSTSCRIPT. 449 
 
 the Author has seen this great work, since his Es- 
 say went to press, it was too late to change its 
 form, or to accommodate it to existing circum- 
 stances ; nor did it appear to be of material con- 
 sequence to make such an alteration. The Seventh 
 Book of Temora, alone, is sufficient to establish 
 the argument of the incalculable superiority of the 
 original verse to Mr Macphcrson's prose transla- 
 tion ; and the manner in which the subject is 
 here spoken of, may even serve to shew how 
 much the publication of this poetry liuci been 
 desiderated amongst us, as well as the anticipa- 
 tions which had been formed of its intrinsic excel- 
 lence. 
 
 This singular poetry is now before the public. 
 It will speak for itself, and fully support every ar- 
 gument, which has been founded on the anticipa- 
 tion of its superior merit. As far as the Author has 
 hitherto had an opportunity of exaniinmg tiiese 
 originals, they appear to be, throughout, of an cx- 
 cellc nee and dignity similar and equal to tlic Se- 
 venth Book of Teuiorn. This whole Book, in par- 
 ticular, the Author has diligently compared, in Sir 
 2 F
 
 450 POSTSCRIPT. 
 
 John's edition, and in that which he now offers to 
 the public. There appears to be no material dif- 
 ference. In Sir John's, there occur some errors 
 in orthography, not easily to be avoided in the 
 Gaelic language. Thus, amongst others, we have 
 in verse 407, benan for btann. From verse 583 to 
 the end of verse 389, the difficulty of a difficult 
 passage is increased, by the want of punctuation. 
 In all this passage, the eye is relieved only by one 
 semicolon. 
 
 I observe, that, in verses 102 and 346, Sir John 
 reads cmr, " dark," instead of cearr, " oblique," as 
 Mr Macdiarmed had it. Cioj' is not unsuitable to 
 the sense of these passages ; but, perhaps, cta7T is 
 more poetical. 
 
 Briwadh, in verse 199, seems to be a provincial 
 term ; prontiadh is surely better. 
 
 Ciabh-bhog, as Sir John has it, verse l67, is nei- 
 ther so agreeable to the sense, or to the ear, as 
 ciabhag. 
 
 In Sir John's edition, the whole beauty of a pas- 
 sage, cited above as a fine instance of the parallel- 
 ism, or balancing, of the verses of the couplet, is 
 
 lost, by reading mo shollus, instead of am shollus. 
 
 10
 
 POSTSCRIPT. 451 
 
 With Sir John, and also in Mr Macfarlane's Latin 
 translation, it is, 
 
 " I arise, my light, (i. c. my love,) from the contest, 
 " Like a meteor of night from the bursting cloud." 
 
 In the edition offered above, it is, 
 
 " I arise like a li,;ht from the contest, 
 
 " Like a meteor of ni^ht from the bursting cloud." 
 
 These, however^ are venial ; perhaps, in a work 
 of such extent, unavoidable errors. The treasure 
 of verse, now presented to the public, has not been 
 surpassed, in importance and value, since the pe- 
 riod in which the poetry of Homer was first usher- 
 Cfl into the world i)y Lycurgus. The time will 
 ariive, wiien it shall be duly estimated by the 
 public. 
 
 ^ ct much remains still to be done. Mr Mac 
 phcrson deserves, and shall have, his full lut-cd of 
 praise. A\ an auspicious period, iie brouii,iil the 
 scal(('re(l liuibs ot" the l)ar(l loucthcr, and arranged 
 them not unliap[)ilv; but a slullul anatomist may 
 still iliscov'.'r uianv members disjointed and mis-
 
 458 POSTSCRIPT. 
 
 placed ; a reduction of some parts may be neces- 
 sary. Cesarotti has already remarked, concerning 
 one episode, that it is not introduced in its proper 
 place. Celtic scholars may yet find occupation in 
 restoring these valuable poems to their genuine 
 order and form.
 
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 David Macculloch, Esq. Glasgow. 
 
 Ranald Geo. Macdonald of Clanranald, Esq. 2 copies. 
 
 Ranald Macdonald of Staffa, Esq. 
 
 William Macdonald of St Martin's, Esq. 
 
 Alexander Macdonald of Glenalladale, Esq. 
 
 William Macdonald, Esq. Greenock. 
 
 Roderic Macdonald, Esq. Glasgow. 
 
 Robert Macdonald, Esq. 
 
 Reverend Mr Macdougall, Lochgoilhead. 
 
 Mr John Macdougall, Lettermaj-. 
 
 Mr Donald Macdougall, Auchindunan. 
 
 Captain A. Macdougall, Stirlingshire Militia. 
 
 Captain D. Macdougall, do. 
 
 Reverend Dr Macfarlane, Drynien. 
 
 Mr Walter Macfarlane, Glengyle. 
 
 Mr Duncan Macfarlane, Strathore. 
 
 Duncan ^Macfarlane, Esq. Glasgow. 
 
 Hugh Macfarlane of Callichra, Esq. 
 
 James Macfarlane of BalwiU, Esq. 
 
 Mr Alexander Macfarlane, Aberfoyle. 
 
 Mr John Macfarlane, Balfron.
 
 SUBSCRIBERS NAMES. 43 
 
 Mr Donald Maofarlane, Ledard. 
 
 Mr Donald Macfailane, Glendovv. 
 
 Mr Alexander Macfarlanc, student of divinity, Seill. 
 
 Mr Walter Macfcat, bookseller, (Jlasgow. 
 
 William Macfie, Es(]. (ireenork. 
 
 Ca[)t. Euan John Macgregor Murray of Glencairnaig. 
 
 Reverend Mr James Macgibbon, Inveruray. 
 
 John Macil'juham of Hyde Park, Esq. 
 
 John Macilroy, Esq. (Jlasgow. 
 
 Ceorge Macintosh, Esq. (Glasgow, 2 copies. 
 
 Charles Macintosh )f Lavern-hill, Esq. 
 
 John Mackintosh, Es(|. (Glasgow. 
 
 Andrew Mackintosh, Es(|. 
 
 Reverend Dr Joseph Maciutyre, Clenorchay. 
 
 Patrick Macintyre, Es(|. Denierara. 
 
 Duncan Macintyre Es(]. Callander. 
 
 John Macintyre, Escj, Hutcheson's-street, Clasgow. 
 
 Donald Macintyre, Esq. writer, do. 
 
 William (lonlon Mack, Esq. (Jlasgow. 
 
 ^^Jeorge Mackay, Esq. collector of excise, Greenock. 
 
 Mr Alexander Mackay of the Circulating Library 
 
 luliul)urgli, a copies. 
 John Mackcan, Es(|. (Jlast^ow. 
 l\lrs Mackellar, (uorge-street, do. 
 Mr Mackinlay, writer, Stirlintr. 
 Ihury .M;ickeii/,ie, Esq. ofllic I'Achetjuer. 
 James Mackenzie of Craii^ Park, l',s(|. 
 Kobert Mackenzie, Es(|. jiui. Duubarton. 
 .John Maclaclilaiie, l'.S(|. I'annachra. 
 Archibald MaclachkuK;, Esq. Charlestown.
 
 464 SUBSCRIBERS NAMES. 
 
 Colin Maclachlane, Esq. Glasgow. 
 
 Hugh Maclachlane, Esq. Demerara. 
 
 Reverend Mr George Maclatchie, Mearns. 
 
 Mr Alexander Maclaurin, West-port, Edinburgh. 
 
 Walter Ewing Maclea, Esq. of Cathkin. 
 
 John Norman Macleod of Macleod, Esq. 2 copies. 
 
 Reverend Dr John Macleod, Kilmodan. 
 
 Andrew Macmillan, Esq. Glasgow. 
 
 John iMacmurrich, Esq, do. 
 
 John Macmurrich, Esq. Jamaica-street, do. 
 
 Robert Macnab, Esq. do. 
 
 Archibald Macnab, Esq. Campbelfield, do. 
 
 Alexander Macnab, Esq. do. 
 
 Robert Macnair of Belvidere, Esq. 
 
 William Macneill, Esq. Glasgow. 
 
 Mr Alexander Macpherson, Auchrioch, 
 
 Mr Duncan Macpherson. Glasgow. 
 
 James Macpherson, Esq. Hutcheson's-street, do. 
 
 Mr Robert Macready of the Excise, Oban. 
 
 B. Macrocket, Esq. 
 
 Reverend Mr Mactavish, Inverchaolan. 
 
 Dr William Macturk, Prof. Eccl. Hist. Glasgow. 
 
 Charles Macvicar, Esq. Levenside. 
 
 James Martin, Esq. Antigua. 
 
 Benjamin Matthie, Esq. Glasgow. 
 
 David Matthie, Esq. do. 
 
 Thomas Meek, Esq. do. 
 
 Dr William Meikieham, Prof. Nat. Phil. Glasgow, 
 
 William Mel lis, Esq. do.
 
 SUBSCRIBERS NAMES. 46S 
 
 Capt. James Melville of the Earl Moira pxcise yacht. 
 
 Dr Melville, Stirlingshire Militia. 
 
 George Menzies, Esq. Chamberlain to his Grace the 
 
 Duke of Montrose. 
 Mr Menzies. 
 
 Mr Professor IMillar, Glasgow. 
 James Millar, Esij. do. 
 William Mills, Esq. 
 William Milne, Esq. 
 Duncan Monacli, Es'.\. (Glasgow. 
 James Monteith, J:',s(;. Br.chanan-street, do. 
 Henry Montcath, l^scj. of INIonkland. 
 Reverend Mr John ^lontcath, Houston. 
 John Montcath, llsq. Glasgow. 
 Mr John Moll'at, of the Excise. 
 Robert Mowbray, F.sq. liath-placc, Leith. 
 yp^neas Morison, Esii. Greenock. 
 Mr Robert Mnir, Glasgow. 
 Alexander Muirluad, J",sq. 
 Janu's Murdoch, Ivsij. (Glasgow. 
 iMrs Murray, Moinitriddel. 
 Reverend Mr Patrick Murray, Kilnnulock. 
 John Murray <ii Lintrose, Es(j. 
 \\'iHi;nn Munay, Es(|. R. N. 
 jNlr Prol'essor M\liie, (dasgow. 
 
 t: ci
 
 4M iUBSCRIBERS NAMlw 
 
 N. 
 
 John Napier of Ballikinren, Esq. 
 Mr Macvey Napier, for Society for the Signet Lib 
 brary. 
 
 O. 
 
 Major Robert Ogilvie, John's-place, Leith. 
 
 Robert Orr, Esq. 
 
 Mr A. Oswald, 2 copies. 
 
 P. 
 
 Captain Parker of Blochairn. 
 
 Charles S. Parker, Esq. Glasgow. 
 
 Duncan Paterson, Esq. Inverary. 
 
 Dugald Paterson, Esq. 
 
 A. H. Pattison, Esq. 
 
 William Penny, Esq. Glasgow. 
 
 John Peters, Esq. 
 
 William Pillans, Esq. Lcith-mount. 
 
 Patrick Playfair, Esq. Dalniarnoch. 
 
 David Prentice, Esq. Glasgow. 
 
 Robert Pringle, Esq. collector of excise, Orkney.
 
 SUBSCRIBERS NAMES. 4T 
 
 R. 
 
 Sir John Buchanan Riddel of Riddel, Bart 
 
 Right Hon. Lady Frances B. Riddel. 
 
 James Rankine, Esq. 
 
 Reverend Mr Rankine, S. Knapdale. 
 
 Robert Rainey, Esq. 
 
 Captain Rayiies, Stirlingshire Militia. 
 
 Reverend Mr Reid, New Cumnock. 
 
 Mr Professor Richardson, Glasgow. 
 
 Do. for the Library of the University. 
 
 Matthew Kichardson, Esq. 
 
 Henry Ritchie, Esq. 
 
 James Robertson, Esq. of Sancjuhar. 
 
 James Robertson, Esq. John-street, Glasgow. 
 
 James Kobertson, Escj. do. 
 
 WiHiam K(Mlger, I'.scj. do, 
 
 Charles Ros-;, E>;(|. 
 
 Basil Ronald, Es(i. Glasgow, 
 
 Sir Alexander Seton, Bart. 
 
 Coli;nl Janus I'rancis Scott, Ely Lodge, Fife, 2 copic.. 
 
 Mr .lainc-i Sands, jiuiior. 
 
 (.eorgc Seougall, Es(|. St. .lohn's-place, Leith. 
 
 Richard Seougall, Esij. Marionville.
 
 468 SUBSCRIBERS NAMES. 
 
 Joshua Senior, Esq. Glasgow. 
 
 William Shortridge, Esq. do. 
 
 James Smith, jun, Esq. of Jordan-hill. 
 
 John Smith of Craigend, Esq. 
 
 John Smith, Esq. 
 
 David Smith, Esq. 
 
 Stewart Smith, Esq. 
 
 Thomas Irvine Smith, Esq. 
 
 Archibald Sorely, Esq. Glasgow. 
 
 Archibald Speirs of Elderslie, Esq. 2 copies. 
 
 The Honourable, Mrs Speirs, 2 copies. 
 
 Peter Speirs of Culcruich, Esq. 2 copies. 
 
 Mrs Speirs, 2 copies. 
 
 Thomas Spens, Escj. Greenock. 
 
 James Spreule of Lint-house, Esq. 
 
 Alexander Stewart, Esq. St Andrevv's-square, Glasgow. 
 
 Mr Alexander Stewart, merchant. 
 
 Reverend Dr Charles Stewart, Strachur. 
 
 David Stewart, Esq. late of Jamaica. 
 
 Reverend Mr Francis Stewart, Craiguish. 
 
 James Stewart of Tar, Es(i. 
 
 James Stewart, Esq. 
 
 Reverend Mr John Stewart, Lismore. 
 
 William Stewart of Ardvorlich, Escj. 
 
 Patrick d. Ste-.vart, Esq. Perth. 
 
 Peter Stewart, Esq. Kent-street, Glasgow. 
 
 Peter Stewart, Esij. do. 
 
 John Stewart Es;]. writer do. 
 
 John Stewart of Leunicston, Esq.
 
 SUBSCRIBERS NAMES. 469 
 
 Richard Steel, Esq. Green-head, Glasgow. 
 Charles Stirling of Keninuir, Esq. 2 copies. 
 Reverend Mr R. Stirling, for the Leightonian Library, 
 
 at Dunblane. 
 Reverend Mr Stirling, Port. 
 Stirling Subscription Library. 
 Robert Struthers, Esq. Glasgow. 
 James Struthers, jun. Esq. do. 
 Thomas Strong, Esq. Leith. 
 Reverend Dr John Stuart, Luss. 
 James Sutherland of Duft'us, Esq. 
 Captain Swinton, Loretto, Musselburgh. 
 
 Re\erend Dr William Taylor, Principal of the Uni- 
 versity of (Glasgow. 
 Jt)lin Trmiant, Es(|. (ihsgow. 
 .I()hi\ ri'nnant, jun. Es(|. 
 Alexander Thomson, Esfj. Greenock. 
 Lieutenant A. Thomson, 7 1-th regiment. 
 
 J)r James L'lf, Gla>gou-.
 
 470 SUBSCRIBERS NAMES. 
 
 W. 
 
 Lieut, Gen. Wemyss, Wemyss Castle, 
 
 Archibald Wallace, Esq. Glasgow. 
 
 David Walker, Esq. 
 
 John Watson, Esq. 
 
 Reverend Mr Watson, South Ronaldsay. 
 
 James Watt, Esq. Greenock. 
 
 Mr Watt, Stirlingshire Militia. 
 
 John Weir, Esq. Greenock. 
 
 John White, Esq. Jeweller, Edinburgh, 3 copies. 
 
 Mrs White, 3 copies. 
 
 John White, Esq. Paisley. 
 
 Reverend Mr Whyte, Kilmarnock. 
 
 Alexander Wighton, Esq. George's-street, Glasgow. 
 
 Alexander Wilson Esq. Glasgow. 
 
 John Wilson, Esq. do. 
 
 James Wilson, Esq. Hurlet. 
 
 Jacob George Wrench, Esq. London. 
 
 James Wright, Esq. Stirling, 
 
 Thomas Wright, Esq. do. 
 
 Reverend Mr George Wright, Markiuch. 
 
 Mr John Wyllie, Glasgow. 
 
 John Wyllie, Esq. writer, Paisley.
 
 SUBSCRIBERS NAMES. 471 
 
 Y. 
 
 Mr Professor Young of Glasgow College. 
 
 riNn. 
 
 Ediniiuhou : 
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