The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1805-11-05

OSSIAN'S POEMS.


the difpu.e refpetting the authenticity of OH
ans Poems. The following fImmary extract
f.otn the report Of the committee of the High
lad iociety on this fuhjea, will therefore pro-
b,hiy prov. interefing.-Aiere. dd1.
On the wi:cie, the committee beg leave to
report, that there are two qucltions to which it
has dirctted its inquiries, Oh the fubject which
the iocie;y was pleafcd to refer to it., and on
which it now iubmits the bsG evidence it has
teen able to procure.
LIST. What poetry, OF what kind, and of what
degree of excellence e:iaed anciently in the
Hs HANDS of Scotland, which was generally
known by the denomination of OT,1ie, term
derived from the universal belief that its father
and principal compoirr was OiiiT the ion OF
Fingal?
Cd. How far that collection of flch poetry,
Publiihed by Mr. James Macpherson is genu-
inc?
as to the frft of thefe queftions, the commit
tee can with confidence itate its opinion, that
fuch poetry did exit, that it was common, ge-
neral, add in great abundance that it WAS of
mott imPreihve and itriking fort, in high de-
gree eloquent, tender aud fubime.
The fecond quet;on is much more difficult
to aniwer decilivcly. The frcond queition is
much more difficult to anfwer declvely. The
committee pofeiIed of no documents to (hew
how much of his collection Mr.. Macpherson OBJ
tanned in the form in which he has given it to
tie world. The poems and fragments OF POI
ems which the committe has been able to pro-
cure, contain often the fubGance, and fone-
tnies aImoit the literal exprellions (the ip,EAza
1stbe3 OF paiiages given by Mr.. Macpherson in
the poems Of which he has publiihed the tranf-
ia'oas. But the committee has net been able
tn oofafI aGy one poem the fame in title and te-
nor with tie poems pubiihed by him. 1t is i,i-
chnsd to believe that he was in ute to lupply to
Chains, and 10 give connection, by inf; ring
pafiages which he did not find, and 70 add what
he conceived to be dignity and delicacy to the
original competition, By ftrkng out paiiases,
by toiteoing Incidents, by refining the language,
IN ihort, by changing what he conGdered as too
hmPie or too rude for modern ear, and elevat-
Ing what in his own opinion was below the
handard OF good poetry. To what degree,
however, ne exerciiec thefe liberties, ii is i'm
poilible for the committee to determine The
advantages he poheiied, which the committee
hogan I, enquiries toe late to enjoy, OF collect
rig from the oral recitation of a uumber OF D r.
1'nF now no more, very great number Of the
~ poems on the ia'rc fubiv6ts, and then co.,
iatIns thgfe different copies or editions, if thew
may be 70 called, rejecting what was ipurious or
corrupted in one copy, and adopting from ano-
finer i'ntthing more genuine and excellent III its
place, afforded him al opportunity of putting
together what might fairly enough be called an
original whole, Of much moe beauty, and with
much fever bIeminics than the committee be.
Hrves it now pofibie for any pcfCou, or combi-
nation or perions to obtain.
The committe thinks it difcovers fome differ
ence Between the ityle both of the original Zone
book Of which is given by Macpherfon) and Of
Is'n2r0, and that of the tianllaton of Fingll,
and of the FINAL portion of the original OF that
poem, which is received from his executors
There is more The appearance Of limpicity and
originality H. the latter than in the former. Per-
haps Gheu be rubliicd Finsal, Mr.. Macphei-
fon, unknown an author, and obfcure as
man, was more olfiident, more cautious, and
more attentive, than when at a tubfequent .
rod he pnblihed 1'emOra, huihed with the aJ-
Plauie OF the world, and diftinguillied as a man
ct talents, aud au author oi big and rIting repu-
tltioH. Whoever will examine the original pre-
hxsti 10 fJme of the editions Of the 7th book of
Temora, aud compare it with the tranllation,
Viii. in the opinion OF the committee diicover
ioine iihPeHeetfons, fpme modernihng CT the
eXpreiiion may be aliowed) in the Giciic, which
do not occur in the specimen of Fingsl, given
I'm appendix 10 this report-and, in the Euglini,
more OF 0oie and inflated expreiEou (Which
however VAS an error into which Macpher(on
was apt total) ,han is to be found in his earlier
frinliatOus. lie had then attained height
which, to any man, but particularly to a man
oi 10 idhyume aud fon,ewhat onident difDoiiti-
on like Macpherfon, is apt to give 4 degree of
careieliheis aud preiumpton, that would rather
Command than c1nciiate the public fulfrage,
AID in The fecurity of the worlds appaufe,
rejects tie ben means of obtaining it. H
thought, it may he, he had only to produce a.
iother work like FingaI, to- reap the fine adj
vantage aud the fame honour which thar had
pro; ured him; and was rather fjlicitous to ob-
tain thefs quickly, ~ ba1y pnbhcation than
60 deere ;hcm By a carefn! collection Of what
original materials he had procured, or by d.
lNtnt iea,ch to iupply the dcled5 of tbofe ma.
te-ials.
[Thr Hirhland focieiy have f'id great deal
but tive iuhfan'e m few words IS that IN,
poems are not f1s9 ereJ and this AL periIns &C.
qulnted wNh Ce;,C hifory or language knew
rOrc--a1d next that, the trarlstion is only H.
aide 80 eTo,p1iogJ iIch as were made 10 IN,
trdn!iai'sn Of Homer by topS.-bmsra.