rpih WW BO v t; -:v„. * S a\ >s, ^ s* - " I ESSAY ON THE AUTHENTICITY OF THE POEMS OF OSSIAN. ON THE AUTHENTICITY SECTION III. Of the Mode in which these Poems 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 public 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 which 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 Mr Macpherson : — The first is, That they remained, during that period, unconquered, and consequently un- mixed with any other people : — the other is, That, in consequence of this permanency of political situation, their language remained unaltered and unmixed with any foreign idiom. Let us attend to these two circum? stance's separately. 58 ON THE AUTHENTICITY PART I. The political Situation of Caledonia, during the last fifteen Centuries, — The Dominion and Influence of the Celts, — The supposed Invasion qfRiada, — 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 * Chiverius, 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 orio-in. 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 Gothones, who are represented as having a different origin, and speaking a different language, from the Celts. It ap- pears from the testimony of Cassar, that, even in his time, this last race of people were continually advancing to the westward, and encroaching on the territories of the Celts. The Belg£e, one of their most power- ful tribes, had crossed the Rhine, and, even then, occupied a part of Gaul. Tacitus re- cords the opinion, that this race had passed CO 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 discus- 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 afford an interesting subject of speculation to philosophic minds. That the Highlands of Scotland, however, have remained, at all times, entirely exempt from foreign invasion and intermixture, must * Hist, of Scotland, vol. i. p. 45. 62 ON THE AUTHENTICITY be understood with a few slight limitations. 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 u race that existed at the beginning of the " XT2L ascribed to Fingal." # Being now here, as we are at this day, it Is of very little 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 Bssda, 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 Beeda before us; and, without any pretension to antiquarian lore, I shall only beg leave to state plainly all that he * Page 378. note. 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 u Scotti,-\ then inhabiting that part of Ire- * I use the edition of Baeda published at Cambridge, in 1722, cum notis Jocmnis 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 : — c 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 Riada ; the Dalriadan kingdom ; 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 Joseph Scaliger, in his notes on the Chronicon of Eusebius, (p. 175.) has well observed, " that it is not properly a name, but an appellation, de- " scriptive of the wandering and predatory manner of life " which characterised those tribes, who, by their incur- " sions, infested the Roman province in Britain. They " were called Scotti" he observes, "just as the Arabs " were called Bedouins, or Saracens." It may be proper to add, that the names Scots and Scotland are totally un- known, at this day, to the Highlanders. They call themselves Albanich, and their country Albin. 66 ON THE AUTHENTICITY of the Highlands of Scotland. Will my read- ers forgive me, for presenting it in Basda'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 " Prittones et Pictos tertiam Scottorum na- " tionem, in Pictorum parte recepit, qui duce " Reuda, de Hibernia progressi, vel amicitia, " velferro, sibimet, inter eos, sedes quas hac~ " tenus habsnt, vindicarunt ; a quo videlicet " duce, usque hodie Dalreudini vocantur, nam 11 eorum lingua Daal partem significat ;" — 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 amongst them which they now " possess ; from which leader, they are, at 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 Baeda, 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 Baeda, 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 * The venerable author is wrong; daal signifies a field. t " Armorica" says he, " quasi ar-mor, i. e. " on the " sea." 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, Baeda 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 Mr 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 turies 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 be over-run, and dispossessed of their terri- tories, by the comparatively small and ill-ac- coutered horde, which could, at this period, be thrown in from the adjacent coast of Ire- land ? Within a century and a half before, Tacitus informs us, that an Irish chieftain, who had accompanied his father-in-law to Rome, and with whom he himself had fre- quently conversed, assured him, " that, at " that period, a single Roman legion, with " a few auxiliaries, would have been suffi- " cient for the reduction of the whole island."* * Tac. Agric. c. 24. 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 off 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 ;f 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 be, " 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 Highlands 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 abolition of the Druidical order, been long deprived of the lights of philosophy, which had, in former times, rendered Britain illustrious, and made her 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 Celts 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 £ dern Authors considered. — Avowed Imitations, and accidental coincidences of Thought and Ex- pression, in Authors who could not possibly have had any Communication with each other. — Ca- nons of Criticism, applicable to this Subject, with Examples. There is no part of his Dissertation 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 part of his Treatise the most incon- clusive, 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 character of a person who is supposed to have lived OF OSSIAN'S POEMS. 139 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 seem impossible 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 expect, that, in every page, the tones of modern polished society would introduce themselves, and produce a discordant note; that the ideas of agriculture, of commerce, and, especially, the ideas of Christianity, which, in these times, occupy so much space 140 ON THE AUTHENTICITY in every mind, would, from time to 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 Sw r ift'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 palpable imitations of ancient authors, with whom he could not possibly have been acquainted, this poetry must be modern, and Ossian must be abandoned. But, on the other hand, if we discover nothing but what it was natural for Ossian to say and think, in the period and country in which he lived; if we rind 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 require, that these poems should be referred to the person and to the age to which they have been 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 we 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. 384. t Georg. lib. iv. v. 415. OF OSSIAN'S POEMS. U3 cannot possibly entertain any doubt of the imitation. The * 2ualis in Eurota ripis, aut perjuga Cynthi" * of Virgil, is avowedly an imitation of Ho- mer's C 0«J y 'AgTtfJUq £K7* X.CCT «££0£ lo^iai^cc.f Virgil's "Ipsa decoram " Ccesariem nato genetrix lumenque juventce,% is as unquestionably borrowed from Homer's In these instances, and in numberless others, which occur in the Greek and Ro- man writers, there can be no doubt of in- * Mn. lib. i. v. 502. t Odyss. lib. vi. V. 102. % Mn. lib. i. v. 593. § Odyss. lib. vi. v. 305. 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, Ttf$ y, co$ ouwofaci ts^ocxB ouyu* amatol ai^E? e f2$ Ttf? yytponq, fyc* 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." f Priam says, in nearly simi- lar terms, That is : — " For all these, I lament not so " much as for Hector alone, my bitter sor- * Matt. ch. xxv. ver. 32. f Genesis, ch. xliv. ver. 29. t Iliad, xxii. v. 424. 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- OF OSSIAN'S POEMS. 14T 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 eloquence of those countries have received their dis- tinctive and peculiar colouring. But, in Arabia, as well as in Caledonia, vegetables are covered 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 the 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 vrfapm X*^?? 00 !) his " winter's torrent," or his •o- " oliyoy" of Homer is, literally, " the paweth u in the valley," of the Oriental writer ; the " xvlioav" and " dfhoanqi sre7ro/(W," 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 confessedly' (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. 263. 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 them selves'' upon any account; because Milton's sun has " sole dominion" ascribed to him, Ossian must take care that his sun shall not "move "alone" but must find "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- " sophical, or scriptural allusion, remote from 172 ON THE AUTHENTICITY " the sphere of Ossians 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. The 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 inclemency of OF OSSIAN'S POEMS. 173 the elements. The shortness and uncertain- ty of human life, 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 : — u Behold our days declining, " (Said he, at times, to his friend,) " Like the leaf of the oak, like the grass of the hill: " One withers away after the other. " Like is the period of life, and of our years " To the quick rushing of a stone along a pre- cipice." Losga Taura, p. 288. " How quickly pass the days of the hero ! " He sweeps the heath, in the morning ', 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." Com, p. 266. « " Like a gleam of the sun, in winter, " Rushing rapidly over the heath of Lena ; te Such are the days of the Fingallians, " Like the sun between showers, departing." Cathula, 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 Taura, p. 305. The parallelisms, founded on the blind- * That is, of the star of morning. OF OSSIAN'S POEMS. 175 ness of Ossian, and that of Homer and Mil- ton, are surely nothing else than the natural expression of the feelings of persons placed in similar circumstances. Because Homel- and Milton were blind, must no other poet be so ? and to all men, who are blind, is not li 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 discovery in astronomy, which are far beyond my powers. Of the parallelism of Virgil's " Quale per incertam Lunam, sub luce maligna" fyc. and Ossian's " glimmering light of the moon, " when it shines through broken clouds," I would only say, that it amounts to nothing more than that men of genius, as I have al- ready suggested, in describing the ordinary appearances 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 merely OF OSSIAN'S POEMS. 17T 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 soliloquy 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 Scotland, where this grand fea- ture of nature is so frequently exhibited on M It8 ON THE AUTHENTICITY the most magnificent scale. But, accord- ing to Mr Laing, Ossian must have borrow- ed it from Milton's w 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 believe." OF OSSIAN'S POEMS. 179 Without recurring to the remarks, which I have formerly offered, and endeavoured to exemplify, 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 find, 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 communication with Homer. " Men," says the Psalmist, " are " like grass that groweth up : in the mom- 180 ON THE AUTHENTICITY " ing, it flourisheth, and groweth 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."f 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. OF OSSIAN'S POEMS. 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 stateliest tree of which he had read, and the other, from the stateliest tree which 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, are " echoing hills;" " streams pouring," — in Ossian, " from the "hills;" and, in Pope, "along the plain," and " roaring" as they pour. It is unneces- sary here to enter into a physical argument 182 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 : — " Cuchullin's sword was like the beam of " heaven, when it pierces the sons of the »# OF OSSIAN'S POEMS. 203 That is : — " They are found so polished in " rhyming ditties, f and in expression, that " they produce beauties of words and senti- " ment, of wonderful and exquisite inven- " tion ; whence you may find poets amongst c( 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 might not be difficult to shew, that rhyme had its first origin amongst the nations of Celtic stock. When we consider the ac~ f It is admitted by a learned journalist, (Edinburgh Review, No. VII. p. 206.) that rythmicis is the adjective agreeing with cantilenis. 20* ON THE AUTHENTICITY count of Caesar 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 Karnes, 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- u claimed the discovery of a new Gospel, I " verily believe, he would 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 Highlands 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 206 ON THE AUTHENTICITY Ossian, with as much taste as the learned gentleman, know, and value, the Sacred Vo- lume too highly u 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, that there 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 Kennedv. 208 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. 209 fragments of Ossian, that are before the public, 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 Gaelic poetry, by oral tradition, through a long period of time, that there is an old woman, now alive, and residing at Kirktown 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 acquainted with the historical tradition of the burning of Taura, the palace of Fingal, with all the wives of the Fingallians ; a story which forms the subject of one of the poems given in Dr Smith's Collection, entitled Losga Taura. Though Mr Macpherson be the next, in o 210 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, IT. Duncan 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 1780. 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 Society 5 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 Mackenzie, 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 Ossians 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 Ossian's Poems, of which I shall now give a faithful account. In return to his letter, of October 18. 1805, in which he obligingly expresses " his " readiness to answer any queries 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 were of his " own composition. This assertion I then placed " to the account of his vanity ; but I think " it right to state it to vou 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 charge ; 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 love of ancient * Report of the Committee, App. p. 89. OF OSSIAN'S POEMS. 213 " 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 acknowledgment 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 25th 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 a dread- " ful warfare ; and that it will give grounds " to critics and sceptics to cavil, and will " confirm, in part, what they have, for many 214 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 cathain na Feinne^) who " fought many battles under his sun-beam, " or gile-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 OSSIANS POEMS. 215 " 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 inclined to think, ap- " proach the nearest to the genuine strains " of Ossian that have yet been produced in " the Gaelic 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 queries which you have " put to me. The first being, i How far did " Dr Smith fabricate the poems which he " published under the title of Seandana?' If " you will have the goodness to send me " the copy you have of what he calls Sean- of what he has done himself, he has not formed a just estimate. * It will be seen, in the sequel, with what justice Mi- Kennedy has formed this estimate of his own poetical powers. 216 ON THE AUTHENTICITY " dana, composed by Ossian, Orran, Ullin, " &c. 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- " tor's, 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 Mr Kennedy, within ten days of his writ- ing; but so far has he departed from his promise, that I got it out of his hands, only a few months ago, after re- peated applications. And, after he had retained it for more than a year, I find it defaced about half way through the volume, with certain dots 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 he 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. 21t " sal of the three manuscripts, given to the " Highland Society, to enable me to quote " off every stanza composed by myself; j" as " otherwise, after a lapse of more than tvren- u 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 picked up by me, from oral tra- " dition, from the persons mentioned in my " report to the Society. " I hope," adds Mr Kennedy, " you will " not form the same opinion of me, in de- " daring myself a piece of a poet, that Dr " Smith has done, or when I, on honour, as- " sure you, that the Death of Carril is en- t This opportunity Mr Kennedy enjoyed, in 1806; having been examined on the subject before a Commit- tee of the Highland Society, to whom he gave an ac- count, in writing, of every line to which he lays 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 i785, " some years after his translations had been " published. " The genuine poetry of Ossian," says Mi- 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 which not one in a " thousand will be able to distinguish from " the real. It is this that has given rise u to so much dispute, and been productive " of so many fabrications." OF OSSIAN'S POEMS. 219 Such are the 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 the 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 be able to distinguish from the real" strains of Ossian, why might not Mr Mac- pherson, a man of far higher acquirements, do the same ? That Mr Kennedy, by interspersing, a- mongst his own compositions, some verses 220 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, that 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 claimed as his, possess any thing else, which might " approximate" them, in the slightest degree, to the Ossianic poetry, translated by Mr Macpherson, will 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, affords the most complete example, that could be adduced, of the insuperable difficulty of rivalling the Caledonian bard. It is a very easy matter for Mr Kennedy, or for any man, to say, " 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 1" (says Hotspur,) " or so can any man ; " But will they come when you do call for them ?"f Concerning the answer to Mr Kennedy's invocation, let us now enquire. I shall take the two first pieces, which he claims in his letter, Carril and Bas Ossian, which, be- 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 selected by the learned Chairman of the So- ciety's Committee, in his report, as speci- mens of Mr Kennedy's Collection. As this is a point of much consequence to our argu- ment, it is proposed to enter into a short analysis of these pieces, t Shakespeare's Henry IV. act iii. scene I. 222 ON THE AUTHENTICITY 1. Mr Kennedys Poem of Carril. With regard to the poem of Carril,* Mr Mackenzie observes, " that, with a simpli- " city bordering upon rudeness, it is ex- " tremely striking in the Gaelic; but very " difficult to be translated. It is given en- " tire," adds he, " in the Appendix, No. £% " 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 well. This poem, with its argument, appears to furnish a very * See Report, App. p. 336. OF OSSIAN'S POEMS. 223 just criterion, by which we may judge of Mr Kennedy's powers. Of the argument, I 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 up 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 Gaelic song. It is not one line only, which is occupied with this un- meaning amplification ; but the ** Monstrum horrendum, informe, ingens" stalks along through whole quatrains. I re- fer, for examples, which it were needless here to adduce, to all the late collections of 224 ON THE AUTHENTICITY Gaelic poems and songs, from Macdonald's to Macintyre's, not excepting the modern parts of Gillies' Perth Collection. This fal- setto in style, so totally unknown in the ge- nuine strains of Ossian, is the characteristic of modern 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, " Clachan agus talamh trom, " Thrcachailte le 'm buinn le stri ;" That is, " Stones and heavy earth " Were dug up by their heels in strife." Almost the veiy same words occur in a OF OSSIAN'S POEMS. 225 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 fuidh spairn an cos; 3 That is, u 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. Where- 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 he appears as an original, he betrays, at once, the charac- ter of the Gaelic poetry of the eighteenth] century. 326 ON THE AUTHENTICITY Thus, we have, St. 5. " They twined, and pulled, and drew."* Again : St. 7. u 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." 18. " 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 Mac- * 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. 227 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 ribaldry, put into the mouth " of Connar's wife." Taking into account the probability, that this 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, that Mr Kennedy will lay no claim, 328 ON THE AUTHENTICITY The introduction is precisely the same with that of Dr Smith's Diarmid : Smith. " Cia tiamhaidh thu n'ochd a ghleann Caotkan, " Gun ghuth gaothalr thu, 's 'gun cheol f* Kennedy. " 'S tiamhaidh bhi nochd ann gleann Caothan, " Gun ghuth gaidhir ann, gun cheol!" That is, u 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 (i. 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, if 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 debased this passage, by seve- ral interpolations, which declare their author, by the same false taste that reigns through- out his Carril. He introduces the heroes " Musical, elegant, comely, brave, " With wine, and conversation, and flesh : " Esteemed enough; and we knew not falsehood. " The heroes mild, brave, friendly, " Of much kindness; and extensive was their fame, " Generosity, hospitality," &c„ i 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 f30 ON THE AUTHENTICITY produce so bald a piece of poetry, as the above, I shall allow, that Mr 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 1780, 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 Dr Smith had never seen the " most of the additions," (in which he claims a property,) " having been composed in " spring 178.5, some years after Dr Smith's " translations had been published." Mr 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^share which he has had in the fabrication of his own collec- tion, the charge has, in the minds of many,* * See Mr Laing's Dissertation, and Edinburgh Review, No. XII. Art. 15. 232 ON THE AUTHENTICITY seemed t. 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, 1806,) 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 OSSIAN'S POEMS. 233 " the goodness to point out to me the man- " ner in which I might do so without of- " fence." Whilst 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, 1806. " REVEREND SIR, " On the subject of your letter, which I have but now received, I have long ago said all I have to say, and take no further concern in the question. If any allege he passed on me as ancient poetry what was his own composition, I have no interest in disputing his allegation. If 234 ON THE AUTHENTICITY I had, I would try if he could write such verses as he claims, (no doubt the best,) on any other given subject ; and examine whether these pas- sages were not furnished by a dozen or score of other contributors. 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, Aberfoyte. OF OSSIAN'S POEMS. 235 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 Dr Smith, they unquestionably contain many morsels of the most exquisite poetry, — pieces 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 already 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. 237 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; u Streams shifting their channels; " Nettles in the abode of mighty kings: " Great 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. 104. 2$8 ON THE AUTHENTICITY This passage Dr Smith thus translates, or rather paraphrases : f " Many were our days on the heath : we f have seen one race, like the leaf of autumn, ' pass ; we have seen another lift, in its i place, its green head, and grow old ; we 1 have turned away our foot from trees, lest ' we should crush them in youth, and we 1 have seen them again decay with years ; ' we have seen streams change their course, 1 and nettles growing where feasted kings. ' All this while, our joy remained, our days i were glad. The winter, with all its snow, 1 was warm ; the night, with all its clouds, ' was bright. The face of Mjnalla was a ' light which never knew a wane, an unde- 1 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. 239 Again, on the Death of Armor, 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. u 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!' u The children look out towards the main ; " They see the mist sailing along. e( He shakes his gray head, " His sigh is sad, his visage mournful. M I behold Crimina, with a faint smile, MR MACPHERSON S rt Who art thou, son of night ? Standest thou before me, " a form of the times of old? A voice, from the fold of a et cloud, to warn me of Erin's danger ?" " Nor lonely scout am I, nor voice from folded cloud ; * but I warn thee of the danger of Erin. Dost thou LITERALLY TRANSLATED. SI® ei Knowest thou of the strife of battle, (hard blows) ? " Who 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 ? u Or art thou a voice, from the showery clouds, " To tell the danger of ancient Erin . ? " " No traveller am I, " Nor voice from the frowning clouds ; 110 " But my words are of the danger of Erin. " Didst thou hear the resounding boss I " It is no ghost, king of streamy Atha, " That pours the sound on night." " Let the hero pour his voice 115 *'' As the melody of the harp, is the sound to Cathmor. " Joy, O son of the darkness of the sky, TRANSLATION. " hear that sound ! It is not the feeble, king of Atha, " that rolls his signs on night." " Let the warrior roll his signs ; to Cathmor, they are " the sound of harps. My joy is great, voice of night, 320 TEMORA > BOOK VII. u Losgadh air rnanam gun ghruaim.* " 'S e ceol ckinn-fheadhna nan cruaidh bheum, it rose, kindled, before the king.* She turned her face to Cathmor, from amidst her waving locks. u Sooner " shall the eagle of heaven be torn from the stream of " his roaring wind, when he sees the dun prey before * In the first line, much beauty is lost, by suppressing the " beam" of light ; and, in the second, the translation is false. It was not the " light/' but Suilvala, on whom " the beam of u light" had fallen, that " kindled," or brightened, " before the " king." LITERALLY TRANSLATED. 331 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, iS When she sees the roes before her, ■* The bounding sons of the low hills, ISO " Than the warlike Cathmor shall turn away " From the battle, which shall rise in song.f a Let me behold thee, hero of the sharp swords, TRANSLATION, * him, the young sons of the bounding roe, than thoi^ a O Cathmor, be turned from the strife of renown.f * Soon may I see thee, warrior, + In translating this beautiful and energetic simile, it must be •acknowledged, that Mr Macpherson has been uncommonly suc- cessful. He has caught the idea of his original very forcibly. Still, however, there is too much of his own. There is nothing in the Gaelic of " roaring" wind, or " dun prey." S32 TEMORA, BOOK VII. " 0* thrusgan an duibhre dhuibh, " 'Nuair a thogas ceo mum chomhnuidhfein 185 " Air Lona, nan iomadh smth. " 'Nuair isfadda o' m shuilean thu, sheoid, " Buail copan namfuaim ard. " Pillidh solas do m' anam, 's e 7 n ceo, " 'S mi g 9 aomadh air carraig learn fein. 190 " Acli mo thuit thu, marri coigi ich ata mi ; " Thigeadh do ghuth o neoil, " Gu oigh Inisuaine, 's if aim" " Og-gheug Lumoin anfheoir, " O uime dhb aomadh tu 'n strachda nan sian, 195 " Dubh thaomadh air aghaidh nan sliabh ? MR MACPHERSON S " from the skirts of the evening mist, when i^ is rolled w around me, on Lona of the streams. While yet thou " art distant far, Cathmor, strike the shield, that joy may " return to my darkened soul, as I lean on the mossy " rock - f but, if thou shouldst fall, I am in a land of LITERALLY TRANSLATED. 833 a 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 : tt Joy will return to my clouded soul, " Whilst I bend, lonely, over the rock. 190 " But, if thou fallest, I am with strangers : 4 TEMORA, BOOK VII. " Ghlaodk anois an righ a ghaoth. u Mea&g # ceo na marra glais, i( Dh eirich Inisfaile gu gorm. iC Thuit gu dian oiche namfras. 350 J " Am bliadhna ciar na Ji aoise. 405 Is there aught of joy in the harp ? * pour it, then, on the soul of Ossian ; it is folded in mist. * Mr Macpherson translates this of " the harp" in general; but the poet is here addressing a deceased bard, and requests him to solace 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." t Mr Macpherson's translation of this verse is probably intend- ed to be very fine j and is, perhaps, very 6ne ; but the finery is not Ossian's. LITEItALLY TRANSLATED. 315 " Is there delight in the harp of the clouds ? # " Pour it on Ossian, whilst his sigh is heavy ; 400 " His soul swims in mist. " I have heard thee, O bard, in my night, (blind- ness ;) " But let light airs depart from me.f u Mild sadness (sorrow) is the delight of Ossian, J a In his gray years of age. 405 TRANSLATION. " I hear thee, O bard, in my night. But cease the lightly-trembling sound.f The joy of grief belongs to Ossian,^ amidst his dark-brown years. £ " The joy of grief" is one of those expressions, on which Mr Laing animadverts, as too refined for the period of Ossian. The learned gentleman is right ; aud he will be pleased to find, that it is not Ossian's, but Mr James Macpherson's. Indeed, a very slight analysis will be sufficient to shew, that this noted expres- sion, " the joy of grief," borders, very nearly, upon the confines of nonsense. Might we not as well say, " the whiteness of black- " ness ;" " the softness of hardness ;" or, with an ingenious gen- tleman, who, speaking of the ebbing sea, observed, " that th* " tide was highly low V 376 TEMORA, BOOK VII. " A dhreuthan name, thulaich nan taibhse " A tlmomas do cheann air gaoith oiche, C{ Ni bheil f fhathrom am chluaisfein ; " Nafaiteal tannais ann do gheug ghlais. " 'Slio?imhor ceumna nam marbh bu treun, 410 " Air osnaibh dubh aisrigh nan sian, " W uair a gfiluaseas a ghealach o'n ear, " Mar ghlas-sgiath, dubh-shiubhal nan speur. " Ullin, a Charril, a Raono ! " Cuth aimsir a dfi aom o shean, 415 " Cluinneam sibh ann dorchadas Shelma, " Agus mosgluibhse anam nan dan. " Ni 'n cluinneam sibh a shiol namfonn ! " Cia 'n talla do neoil am bheil 'ur main ? " Na Vi tribhuail sibh clarsach nach trom, 420 MR MACPHERSON S " Green thorn of the hill of ghosts, that shakest thy " head in nightly winds ! I hear no sound in thee. Is u 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. 317 " Green thorn of the eminence of ghosts, " That bendest thy head in the wind of night, " Thy rustling is not in my ear ; " No music of ghosts in thy green branches. " Frequent are the steps of the valiant dead, 410 " On the breezes of the dusky ascent of storms, " When the moon advances from the east, " Like a gray shield, darkly traversing the sky. ** Ullin, and Carril, and Ryno! y the Celts. APPENDIX. 391 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, that 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 the 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- * See Lucan's Pharsalia, lib. i. + Pliny Hist. Nat. lib. xxx. c. l.j Suetonius in Augusto, Ti~ berio, et Claudio ; and Aurelius Victor. 392 APPENDIX. merits 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/j- we meet not with the slightest allusion to " the influence, or exist- " ence, of the Druids" in England. It appears, indeed, that, as far as regards the testimony of Ta- * Page 391. + Tac. Annal. lib xii. c. 33. APPENDIX. 393 citus, had the fourteenth book of his Annals, in which the history of the extermination of the Druids in England is narrated, shared the same fate with some other portions of his valuable wri- tings, 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 the Druids. Though exempted from the services of war, they stand for- ward in defence of their sanctuary, and are de- stroyed. Thus, the mention of the Druidical Order oc- curs necessarily, on 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 394 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- " fcions, in arming the youth, and in confirming " the combination of the states, by public meek " ings, and by 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. 87. APPENDIX. 395 1. As to tradition, it is uniform and express; # that the family of Fingal, having been appoint- iC ed, according to the custom of the Celts,* on f* some emergency, to the temporary sovereignty, " found themselves so firmly established in their " 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."f There is reason to believe, at the same time, 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 Adomnan'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 Caesar de Bell. Gall. lib. i. c. 15. + See the poems entitled, " Dargo, the Son of the Druid of " Bel," and " Conn, the Son of Dargo," in Dr Smith's Seandcma 3 p. 223 and 245. 396 APPENDIX. " that, at the castle of the king, the saint was " interrupted, in the discharge of his religious " offices, by certain Magi f 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, Bruidhi, son of u Milchu, and the gate of the castle was shut "against him; but the iron locks of the town te opened instantly, through the prayers of Columb " Cille. Then came the son of the king, to wit, * I cite the entire passage from Adomnan : — " Juxta Brudeci munitionem, dum ipse sanctus, cum paucis fratribus del laudes, ex more celebrarent, quidam Magi ad eos propius accedentes, in quan- tum poteran?., prohibere conabantur; ne de ore ipsorum divines lau- dis sonus inter Gentiles audiretur populos. Vita S. Columbae, lib. i. c. 38. APPENDIX. 397 i( Maelchu, and his Druid, to argue keenly against " Columb 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 concerning the Fairies, or, as they are called by the Highlanders, the Daoine shith, 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 imaginary beings, we may trace the sacred reces- ses of the Druids ; and, in the deceptive powers ascribed to them, their magical arts. In the peevish jealousy and envy, which they are sup- * App. Report, p. 311. t Of this mythology, with the argument founded on it, I have bad occasion to give an account, at some length, in a small tract, entitled, " Sketches of Picturesque Scenery in Perthshire, with " Notices concerning the Natural History and Popular Super- " stitions of the Country." 398 APPENDIX. posed to entertain against mankind, we may re- cognise the 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. 399 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 Druidical worship, especially in the northern and western counties. These are called clachans, " 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, * See Henry's History of Britain, book i. cbap. 2. \ 1. + Tour, yoI. ii. p. 38. 400 APPENDIX. still called the " Clachan of Aberfoyle." It is si- tuated on a rising ground, facing the 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. It is four feet six inches in height, three feet six inches in breadth, and sixteen inches in thickness ; it terminates, at the top, in a sharp spherical angle, and is nearly of the following figure : APPENDIX. 401 AH 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. %C 402 APPENDIX. THE FESTIVALS OF THE BELTEIN AND SAMHIN. 1 h 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. According to tradi- tion, the people assembled, on that day, on the summits of the highest mountains, and kindled large fires in honour of Belis, or the Sun, the be- neficent parent of the joys of summer. The Samh- in, again, or Fire of Peace, was kindled on the evening preceding the first day of winter, when, s APPENDIX. 403 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 Sal- 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 Be ] is, 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 proof of the existence of Druidism in Scotland. Mr Laing, indeed, treats with scorn, " this ety- " mology of Bd-tein, from Bel, an Assyrian deity," » See these superstitions beautifully illustrated by Bums, in his poem, entitled, " Hallow-e'en." t Thus, Gabha-oheil, or " the jeopardy of Bel," the fiery ordeal, js (be terra still used to denote imminent danger. 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 Belis, was an Assyrian, he was also a Celtic, divi- nity, worshipped in the very western extremity of Celtic Europe. In the account given by Julius 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 a 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,J the inhabitants of that part of Gaul which * Page 434. note, + See Gherardus Joan. Vossius, de Origine et Progressu Idolo- latriae, Tom. i. p. 389, &c. J See Plinii 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 Belis, 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, u they call Belis, and to whom they pay ex- Harduin, who derives the name from the Celtic Ar-mor, that is, a upon the sea." * Nee reticebo sertem Nomine Phoebicum Qui Beleni cedituus Stirpe satus Druidum Gent is Aremorica Burdigali cathedram Nati opera obtinv.it. Ausonius, carm. 10. And, again, Tu Bajocassis, stirpe Druidarum satus, Si fama non fallit fidem, Beleni sacratum ducis e templo genus. Carm. 4. 406 APPENDIX. u cessive veneration, holding him to be Apol- " lo."* I shall conclude this subject, by taking notice of a very remarkable passage of Plutarch: — " De- '• metrius," says he, in his Treatise De Defectu Oraculorwn, " 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 emperoiyj- " 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, ee there arose a " great disturbance in the air ; many prodigies ap- " peared; and winds and storms assailed the earth, " When this was over, one of the islanders told ct him, that one of their most eminent persons had " just deceased," &c. 'AttoXXwvo. hva» $e\ovTe<;.-'^HerQdian } lib. viii. c. 7 f Orig. /JoKT-^fif?. 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 Plutarch, must have taken place under the Emperor Claudius, whose expedition against Eutropius, indeed, asserts, that the islands, which were added to the Roman empire, by Claudius, were the Orkneys ; but what is the authority of Eutropius, compared with that of Tacitus? He furnishes us, however, with a very important circumstance, founded, no doubt, on the general impression which was enter- tained, when he wrote, and probably handed down in history, that the islands, conquered by Claudius, were " Ultra Britanni- am, in oceano positas,''' — " situated beyond Britain, in the ocean." They could not, then, be the Scilly islands ; they must have beea 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. u It would appear, that the emperor (@cm\evq) " had received his original information, concern- " 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, who were held sacred and in- " violable 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 Iona, 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 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 insuetum miratur lirnen Olympi: Sub pedibusq; videt nubes et sidera Daphnis. Semper honos, nomenq; tuum, laudesq; manebunt. Ut Baccho Cereriq;, tibi sic vota quotannis Agricolifacient. Now Lycidas, the shepherds weep no more j Henceforth thou art the Genius of the shore, 430 APPENDIX. In thy large recompence ; and shall be good To all that wander in that perilous flood. In this manner, there is little 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. 431 PART II. VV 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 advantages and information that be- long to an improved condition, these had been long lost and forgotten; so that their manners, customs, and opinions, may be considered as en- 432 APPENDIX. tirely 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 which the particulars are very consistent, the arrangements distinct, and the li- mits sufficiently definite. I. In perfect consistency with the progress in the preceding theory, those Celtic tribes, whose 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 affection. This sorrow, influencing the combinations of a wild and ungoverned fancy, induced them to be- * It appears, indeed, somewhat singular, that not only Mr Macpherson, but also Dr Blair, and the Abbe Cesarotti, the Ita- lian translator of Ossian, should have failed in tracing any mytho- logical ideas in these poems ; and that they should even take some pains to apologize for the absence of them. See Sir John Sinclair's Ossian, vol. iii. p. 297. et seq. — Note, by the Author of the Essay. % E 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 €t their wings j within is the dwelling of Fingal. a 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 themselves, a sufferer by the change he had undergone. They therefore testified their esteem, and expressed their sorrow, in the most respectful and affectionate manner. But, by this operation, the violence of their grief subsided, and they transferred the com- APPENDIX, 435 fort, which they themselves experienced, to the deceased. They supposed him 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 a of his fame." " No sleep comes down on Cathmor's eyes : t( 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." te Cairbre came to Cathmor's dreams, half-seen " from his low-hung cloud. Joy rose, darkly, in (c his face ; for he had heard the song of Carril : " a blast sustained his dark-skirted cloud, which he " seized in the bosom of night, as he rose, with his " fame, towards his father's hall. Joy met the "soul of Cathmor! his voice was heard in Moi- cc lena : the bard gave the song to Cairbre : he " travels on the wind ; my form is in my father's « hall." Agreeably to the same notions, the spirits of men destitute of any merit, or of those whose con- duct had incurred infamy, could never rise to celestial mansions ; but were rolled, at the mercy 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 ©f 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 their present condition. Those natural sentiments of justice, which are 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, if they thought of compensating, their imagination, and convic- tions of merit, could set no limits to the remune- ration. The contrast, between the imbecility of departed spirits, so far as regards bodily exertions, and their power over storms and tempests, is strikingly illustrated, in the following passage : — " The blasts of the north open thy gates, O H king ! and I behold thee sitting on mist, dimly et gleaming, in all thine arms. Thy form, now, is " not the terror of the valiant; but like a watery " cloud, when we see the stars behind it, with " their weeping eyes. Thy shield is like the aged " moon ; thy sword a vapour, half-kindled with " fire. Dim and feeble is the chief, who travelled " in brightness before. But thy steps are on the 138 APPENDIX. " winds of the desart, and the storms darken in u thy hand. Thou takest the sun, in thy wrath, " and hidest him in thy clouds : the sons of little " 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- •* scended 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, ye APPENDIX. 439 u 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 : — The first 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 be given, consisted in taking away life, by secret and unseen influences. It was apprehended, that, if the immortalized, and deified spirits of the deceased, ever interested, as they were supposed to be, in the welfare of those formerly dear to them, perceived them in danger, from unavoidable calamity, they imme- diately interposed, dissolved the union between the soul and the body, and conveyed their friends, from misery, to enjoy the repose and happiness of their aerial mansions. When Lamor, blind and aged, receives information, that his son had acted so improperly as to incur disgrace, overwhelmed with the misfortune, he thus addresses himself to the ghost of his ancestor : — " Spirit of the noble Garmallon, carry Lamor to 440 APPENDIX. t€ his place : his eyes are dark ; his soul is sad ; and f< 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 ci 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 afflicted 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 life, they were apprehended, in the third place, to have the power of prescience ; and that, as they possessed such ability, they were in- clined, 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 fortune, in the after periods of his life. He conceives the power of foreseeing what events are about to befall him, and the dis- covery of them, as a most important talent, and most desirable sort of knowledge. It is natural for him, therefore, if he believe in preternatural rulers, to suppose, that a part of their superiority 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 pass from one time to another, and discry those events which are to arise, at a future, perhaps not a very distant, period. Imagining, too, that these superior beings may be propitiated by the atten- tions and prayers of mortals, they will expect the display of their benevolence, in such occasional re- 4*2 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 with awe, and with veneration. The mode of revelation will also be of a corresponding nature. These exalted be- ings will not deign to 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 fa- " thers, who fought against the kings of 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. f( Trenmor came from his hill, at the voice of his APPENDIX. 4*3 " mighty son. 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 ; " his sword is a green meteor, half-extinguished ; " his face is without form, and dark. He sighed " thrice over the hero, and thrice the winds of the " night roared aloud. Many were his words to " Oscar; but they only came by halves to our ears: " they were dark, as the tales of other times, before " the light of the song arose." It might be shewn, that the religion of the Greeks and Romans proceeds upon similar prin- ciples ; in like manner also, that of the ancient Egyptians, and that of the ancient Scandinavians. In their great original outlines, they correspond exactly with the mythology exhibited in the Poems of Ossian.* * This Discourse, with the exception of some illustrations lately added, on the first part, was read before a literary society, in Glasgow College, so long ago as the year 1775; and, although a considerable time has now intervened, the Author has not found it necessary to alter, or even to qualify, the opinion, on this sub- ject, which he was then led to entertain. APPENDIX, No. III. LETTER JAMES MACPHERSON, ESQ. CAPTAIN MORISON. DEAR SIR, August 18th, 1789. I return your letter, as Sir John is in the North. Not only Ossian, but much more., is going on; the establishing the whole language, on primitive, clear, unerring, and incontrovertible principles. The Gaelic, now traced to its source^ has been already found to be the most regular, the most simple, and the most pleasing to the ear, and 446 APPENDIX. almost to the eye, of any language either of past or present times. You may acquaint our worthy friend, 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 of Ossian, by Sir J ohn Sinclair, Bart, together with a learned dissertation on their authenticity, by himself, and another by Dr Macarthur, whilst it should seem to supersede the necessity of fur- ther discussion, renders it, at ieast, proper to state to the public a few circumstances with respect to the present attempt. With regard to any superfluous coincidence of argument, between this Essay, and those which have preceded it in publication, it is presumed, that none shall be found. This Essay was written some years ago. It was read, in the Author's turn of giving a discourse, in the weekly meetings of the Literary Society in Glasgow College, in the 448 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 Mr Mac- pherson's translations given to the public. It was, therefore, with the greatest pleasure, that he obser- ved, in 1806, 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- complishment 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 John 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 throughout this Essay, as still unpublished. 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 Macpherson'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 had 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 examining these originals, they appear to be, throughout, of an ex- cellence and dignity similar and equal to the Se- venth Book of Temora. 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 beann. From verse 383 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 ciar, " dark," instead of cearr, " oblique," as Mr Macdiarmed had it. Ciar is not unsuitable to the sense of these passages ; but, perhaps, ctarr is more poetical. Brunadh, in verse 199, seems to be a provincial term ; pronnadh is surely better. Ciabh-bhog, as Sir John has it, verse 167, 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. U POSTSCRIPT. 451 With Sir John, and also in Mr Macfarlane's Latin translation, it is, " I arise, my light, (i. e. 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 light from the contest, " Like a meteor of night 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- ed into the world by Lycurgus. The time will arrive, when it shall be duly estimated by the public. Yet much remains still to be done. Mr Mac pherson deserves, and shall have, his full meed of praise. At an auspicious period, he brought the scattered limbs of the bard together, and arranged them not unhappily ; but a skilful anatomist may still discover many members disjointed and mis- 452 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. SUBSCRIBERS NAMES. His Grace the Duke of Argyle. His Grace the Duke of Atholl, President of the High- land Society of Scotland. Eight Honourable Lord Apsley. Honourable Mrs Abercrornby. John Alexander, Esq. Glasgow. The Reverend John Allan, Row. William Alston, Esq. Glasgow. Robert Austin, Esq. do. Mr Thomas Arrol, merchant, Edinburgh. Ensign Amory, Stirlingshire Militia. B, Honourable W. L. Bathurst. Alexander Bankier, Esq. of the Excise. 454 SUBSCRIBERS NAMES. Alexander Baillie, Esq. Glasgow, 3 copies. Dr John Barclay, physician, Edinburgh Thomas Bissland of Ferguslie, Esq. James Black, Esq. Glasgow. William Blair of Blair, Esq. 2 copies. John Blair, Esq. Commissary of the Isles. Robert Cunninghame Bontine of Ardoch, Esq. Captain Donald Brodie, Castle Carrich. Reverend Mr Broadfoot, Kirkwall. Captain Birnie Brown, Leith. James Brown, Esq. Glasgow. James Bruce of Kinnaird, Esq. James Bruce, Esq. York-place. James Bruce of Pitfowlis, Esq. Hector Macdonald Buchanan of Ross, Esq. Major Alexander Buchanan, younger of Auchlessie. Archibald Buchanan of Auchintorlie, Esq. Reverend Dr Walter Buchanan, Edinburgh. Reverend George Craig Buchanan of Makeanston, minister of Kinross. Thomas Buchanan, Esq. Glasgow. C. Right Honourable Lord Cullen. Sir Alexander Campbell of Ardkinglas, Bart. Lady Campbell. Arch. Campbell of Blythswood, Esq. M. P. 2 copies. SUBSCRIBERS NAMES. 455 Archibald Campbell of Drumsynie, Esq. Mrs Campbell. Archibald Campbell, Esq. sheriff-clerk of Argyle. 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Reverend Dr Gavin Gibb, Strathblane. N. Gibson, Esq. writer, Paisley. Andrew Gilbert, Esq. Glasgow. John Gillies, Esq. do. Reverend Mr John Gillespie, Arrochar. Robert Goodwin, Esq. William Glen, Esq. Glasgow. Lewis Gordon, Flsq. Dep. Secretary to the Highland Society of Scotland. George Gordon, Esq. Gogar-house. John Gordon, Esq, Glasgow Wm. C. Cuninghame Graham of Gartmore, Esq. 5 copies. Mrs Cuninghame Grah?i», 5 copies. SUBSCRIBERS NAMES. 459 Brig. Gen. Graham Stirling of Duchray and Auchyle. Colonel James Graham, Glasgow. Robert Graham of Fintry, Esq. Robert Graham, Esq. W. S. John Alexander Graham, Esq. Leith. Mrs John Alexander Graham. Captain John Graham of the Duchess of Montrose ex- cise yacht. Mrs John Graham. William Graham of East Vale, Esq. Robert Graham of Whitehill, Esq. John Graham, Esq. Glasgow. Walter Graham, Esq. do. James Graham, Esq. do. James Graham, Esq. do. George Graham of Duniverig, Esq. Mr John Graham Blaruskan. Mr Walter Graham of Brachern. Mr Duncan Graham, Blarhulichan. Mr David Graham, writer in Kippen. Alexander Grant, jun. Esq. Glasgow. James Grant, Esq. Anderston. James Grant, Esq. writer, Edinburgh. Mr Greenlaw. Mr Robert Grieve, North Leith. Mr Robert Grindlay, Glasgow. John Guthrie, Esq. do. 460 SUBSCRIBERS NAMES, H. Robert Haddow, Esq. John Hagart of Cairnmuir, Esq. advocate. James Haig, Esq. Reverend Robert Haldane, Drumelzier. Reverend Dr George Hamilton, Gladsmuir. James Hamilton, Esq. of the Excise, Edinburgh. John Hamilton of North Park, Esq. Mr John Hamilton. Hugh Hamilton, Esq. Mr John Hannay, messenger at arms, Glasgow. George Henderson, Esq. Greenock. Charles Houshold, Esq. Glasgow. Andrew Hunter, Esq. do. John Hynd, Esq. I. Mr William Jack, Glasgow. William Jamieson, Esq. do. Mr Professor Jardine, Glasgow College. JefTeray, Esq. writer, Edinburgh. Reverend Mr James Jeffrey, Balfron. William Johnstone, Esq. William Irvine, Esq. SUBSCRIBERS NAMES. 461 K. William Kerr, Esq. Secretary to the General Post Office. Robert Kerr, Esq. Bruntisland. Mr John Kelly, do. L Mrs Malcolm Laing. David Laird, Esq. Gavin Lang, Esq. writer, Paisley. John Laurie, Esq. Glasgow. John Laurie, Esq. ironmonger, do. John Leckie, Esq. of Broich. David Lillie, Esq. John Likely, Esq. banker, Paisley. Michael Lining, Esq. John Longnruir, Esq. Glasgow. John Loudon, Esq. M. His Grace the Duke of Montrose, 5 copies. Her Grace the Duchess of Montrose, 5 copies. Sir John Macgregor Murray of Lanark, Bart. Lady Macgregor Murray. 4.62 SUBSCRIBERS NAMES. Reverend Sir Harry Moncre iff Well wood, Bart Reverend Dr George Macartney, Whitehall, Ireland. Captain A. C. Macartney, R. A. Chatham. Joseph Macartney, Esq. Dublin. Miss Macartney, St JamesVplace, Leith. Mr William Isaac Macartney, do. Peter Macadam, Esq. Glasgow. John Maccaul of Craigbank, Esq. David Macculloch, Esq. Glasgow. Ranald Geo. Macdonald of" Clanranald, Esq. 2 copies. Ranald Macdonald of Staffa, Esq. William Macdonaid of St Martin's, Esq. Alexander Macdonald of Glenalladale, Esq. William Macdonald, Esq. Greenock. Roderic Macdonaid, Esq. Glasgow. Robert Macdonald, Esq. Reverend Mr Macdougall, Lochgoilhead. Mr John Macdougall, Lettermay. Mr Donald Macdougall, Auchindunan. Captain A. Macdougall, Stirlingshire Militia. Captain D. Macdougall, do. Reverend Dr Macfarlane, Drymen. Mr Walter Macfarlane, Glengyle. Mr Duncan Macfarlane, Strathore. Duncan Macfarlane, Esq. Glasgow. Hugh Macfarlane of Callichra, Esq. James Macfarlane of Balwill, Esq. Mr Alexander Macfarlane, Aberfoyle. Mr John Macfarlane, Balfron. m Mr Donald Mil fill .1', Ledard. Mr Donald Macfar: Mr Alexander Macfarlane, stodent of divk. 8* Mr Walter Macieat, hot gam. William Macfie, Esq. Greenock. Capt. Ewan John Macgregor Murray of Glencairaaig. Reverend Mr James Macgibbon, Inveraray. John Macilquham of Hyde Park. E John Macilroy, Esq. Glasgow. George Macim ;w, 2 copies. Charles Macintosh >f Lav era-hill, Z John Mackintosh, E _ ow. Andrew Mackintosh, Esq. Reverend Dr Joseph Macintyre, Glenorchay. Patrick Macintyre .nerara. Dvmcan Macintyre. Esq. Callander. John Macintyre, Esq. Hotcheson's- street, Glasgow. Donaid Macintyre, B r, do. William Gordon Mack, El i.-^ow. George Mackay. Esq. collector o: -reeoock. Mr Alexander Ma . library Edinburgh, S : - ; John Mackean, Esq. Glasgow. Mrs Mack Mr Mackmia Henry Mackenzie. Z iTcheqaer. James Mackenzie c : / I Robert Mackenzie, Esq. job. Dunbarton. John Maclachlane, Esq. Bannachra. Archibald Maclachlane, Esq. ChariestowB. 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 Macmurrich, Esq. do. John Macmurrich, Esq. Jamaica-street, do. Robert Macnab, Esq. do. Archibald Macnab, Esq. Campbelneld, 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 Meikleham, Prof. Nat. Phil. Glasgow. William Mellis, Esq. do. SUBSCRIBERS NAMES. 465 Capt James Melville of the Earl Moira excise yacht. Dr Melville, Stirlingshire Militia. George Menzies, Esq. Chamberlain to his Grace the Duke of Montrose. Mr Menzies. Mr Professor Millar, Glasgow. James Millar, Esq. do. William Mills, Esq. William Milne, Esq. Duncan Monach, Esq. Glasgow. James Monteith, Esq. Buchanan-street, do. Henry Monteath, Esq. of Monkland. Reverend Mr John Monteath, Houston. John Monteath, Esq. Glasgow. Mr John Moffat, of the Excise. Eobert Mowbray, Esq. Bath-place, Leith. JEneas Morison, Esq. Greenock. Mr Robert Muir, Glasgow. Alexander Muirhead, Esq. James Murdoch, Esq. Glasgow. Mrs Murray, Mountriddel. Reverend Mr Patrick Murray, Kilmudock. John Murray of Lintrose, Esq. William Murraj^ Esq. R. N. Mr Professor Mylne, Glasgow. 2 G 466 SUBSCRIBERS NAME!. N. John Napier of Ballikinren, Esq. Mr Macvey Napier, for Society for the Signet Lib* brary. Major Robert Ogilvie, JohnVplace, Leith. Robert Orr, Esq. Mr A. Oswald, 2 copies. 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. Leith-mount. Patrick Playfair, Esq. Dalmarnoch. David Prentice, Esq. Glasgow. Robert Pringle, Esq, collector of excise, Orkney. SUBSCRIBERS NAMES. 467 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 Raynes, Stirlingshire Militia. Reverend Mr Reid, New Cumnock. Mr Professor Richardson, Glasgow. Do. for the Library of the University. Matthew Richardson, Esq. Henry Ritchie, Esq. James Robertson, Esq. of Sanquhar. James Robertson, Esq. John-street, Glasgow. James Robertson, Esq. do. William Rodger, Esq. do. Charles Ross, Esq. Basil Ronald, Esq. Glasgow. S. Sir Alexander Seton, Bart. Colonel James Francis Scott, Ely Lodge, Fife, 2 copies. Mr James Sands, junior. George Scougall, Esq. St. JohnVplace, Leith. Richard Scougall, Esq. 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, Esq. Greenock. James Spreule of Lint- house, Esq. Alexander Stewart, Esq. St Andrews-square, Glasgow. Mr Alexander Stewart, merchant. Reverend Dr Charles Stewart, Strachur. David Stewart, Esq. late of Jamaica. Reverend Mr Francis Stewart, Craignish. James Stewart of Tar, Esq. James Stewart, Esq. Reverend Mr John Stewart, Lismore. William Stewart of Ardvorlich, Esq. Patrick G. Stewart, Esq. Perth. Peter Stewart, Esq. Kent-street, Glasgow. Peter Stewart, Esq. do. John Stewart Esq. writer do. , John Stewart of Lennieston, Esq. SUBSCRIBERS NAMES. 463 Richard Steel, Esq. Green-head, Glasgow. Charles Stirling of Kenmuir, 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 Duffus, Esq. Captain Swinton, Loretto, Musselburgh. T. Reverend Dr William Taylor, Principal of the Uni- versity of Glasgow. John Tennant, Esq. Glasgow. John Tennant, jun. Esq. Alexander Thomson, Esq. Greenock, Lieutenant A. Thomson, 74th regiment. U. Dr James Ure, Glasgow, 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, Markinch. Mr John Wyllie, Glasgow. John Wyllie, Esq. writer, Paisley. SUBSCRIBERS NAMES. 471 Mr Professor Young of Glasgow College, ERRATA. Page 9. line 11. For Britannnos, 1 ead Britannos. S3. 7. Dele the mark of reference, and the whole note to which it refers. — — 50. 4. from the bottom, for margin, read margins. i 123. 8. Dele it is. 176. 9. Dele also. i 293. to 1. 1 > . Add of. 330. line 10. For Faceams, read Faiceams, 362. — 9. For Cear, read Cearr. Edinburgh : Printed by James Ballantyne & C©» 8 I 470 SUBSCRIBERS NAMES. W. Lieut. Gen. Wemyss, Wemyss Castle. Archibald Wallace, Esq. Glasgow. David Walker, Esq. John Watson, Esq. Reverend Mr WTTrC *-*•» * — ,J ~ John Wyllie, Esq. writer, Paisley. SUBSCRIBERS NAMES. 471 Y. Mr Professor Young of Glasgow College. FINIS. Edinburgh : Printed by James Ballantjne & C®. % 8 I "J * m 612 Deacidified using the Bookkeeper process. 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