Norwich bulletin., 1922-07-24
Famous Literary Mysteries
Who Wrote OssIan,s Poems

Who was Ossian? Did he write the poems that were attributed to him? These two questions caused much dis eussion among literary people at the end of the eighteenth century. It was be- gun shortly after the publication in lS6g of an epic poem entitled "Fingal,'s by James MacPherson. and became still more pronounced when the same pub fisher brought out, a year later, "Te- mora" reputed by the same poet.
 The genuineness of these poetieal writings was severely questioned, but the publisher maintained his position without submitting the necessary proofs. Both poems are the record of the deeds of a great Celtic hero, Fingal. These and some minor poems MaePher- son attributed to Ossian, the son of Fingal, and alleged that his version was literal translation of works which had been transmitted orally in the Gae- lie language from bard to bard until the introduction of writing permitted them to be committed to hnanuseript.
 Immediately upon the publication of ''FingaP' 1t attained an immense popu larity. It was translated within a year into all the principal languages Of Flu rope, and numbered among it's admirers the ripest scholars and the most distin- guished men of genius of the age.
 MacPherson disdained the question of authenticity in the introduction to Ire mora and although he then professed to be able to meet it by the production of the originals. he generally maintain ed throughout the controversy an angry silence.
 At first the authority of Dr. Blair, who wrote an elaborate critical disser- tation in favor of the authenticity of the
 poems, was regarded as of paramount authority throughout Europe and not withstahding the emphatic denunciation of Dr. Johnson, and the objections of other critics, the believers in the gen. uineness of Ossian continued to hold l their ground until Malcolm Laing's un- | sparing criticism, first in the introduc- 1 tion to his History Of Scotland and afterwards in an annotated edition of | the poems themselves, in which he gave death blow to the position of those | who maintained the integrity of the Os- sianic epies.
 The first big movement into the truth Of the controversy was started in 179T
 when the Highland Society appointed committee to Inquire into the authentic | ity of the poems. This committee work | ed diligently for eight years, and in l 1905 published a statement to the effect l any one poem the same in title and ten
 or with the poems published by Mac Pherson; that they were inclined to be- l lieve that he was in the habit of lin- l serting passages which he did not find | and to add what he conceived to be 1 dignity and delicaey to the original, by
 striking out passages; by softening. in eidents and by refining the language \ but they were unable to find to what de- I gree he had exercised these liberties.
 Tn 1907, after the death of MaePher- son and in accordance with his. will, ap- peared Gaelic originals of the poems | with a Eatin translation, and accom- panied by a new dissertation on theil
 authenticity by Sir John Sinclair. Thi:
 started new and most singular contre versf.
 In this controversy 1t was brought eu ] that these original manuscripts, all e which were in the handwriting of Mae Phersen, were translated by him iron 1.-the English, and this charge seems t. be about as well substantiated as tha
 of the original fabrication.
 What appears really to have been de cided is that Qssian was real or myth
 ical Irish bard of the aecond or thirt
 century. of whom there Is probably n
 authentic information; although some brief poems, which cannot be trace, further back than the eleventh cen tury are attributed to him.
 There are numerous traditions regard ing ossian both in Scotland and Ire and That MacPherson possessed con siderable and often conflicting mater
 ial, collected in the Highlands, which h
 worked up into a continuous whole i
 epic form, and that he himself. produces the connecting links, seems beyond doubt.