Ossian Collection > Critical dissertation on the poems of Ossian, the son of Fingal

ON THE POEMS OF OSSIAN. 27
more happily imagined for this purpofe than tlie whole management
of the lall battle, wherein Gaul the fon of Morni, had befought
Fingal to retire, and to leave to him and his other chiefs the honour
of the day. The generofity oftlicKingin agreeing to tliis propo-
fal ; the majeQy with which he retreats to the hill, from whence
he was to behold the engagement, attended by his Bards, and
waving the lightning of his fword ; his perceiving the chiefs over-
powered by -iuimbers, but loth to deprive them of the glory of
vittory by coming in perfon to their afiillance ; his fending Uliin,
the Bard, to animate their courage ; and at lal!;, when the din-
ger becomes more prefTmg, his rifing in his might, and interpofing.
hke a divinity, to decide the doubtful fate of the day ; are all cir-
cumftances contrived with fo much art as plainly difcover the Cel-
tic Bards to have been not unpraftifed in Heroic poetry.
The flory which is the foundation of the Iliad is in itfelf as fimplc
as that of Fingal. A quarrel arifes between Achilles and Agamem-
non concerning a female flave ; on which, Achilles, apprehending
himfelf to be injured, withdraws his afiiftance from the reft of the
Greeks. The Greeks fall into gicat diflrefs, and befeech h.im to be
reconciled to them. He refufes to fight for them in perfon, but
fends his friend Patroclus ; and upon his being ilain, goes forth to
revenge his death, and kills Hedtor. The fubjed: of Fingal is this:
Swaran comes to invade Ireland : CuchuUin, the guardian of the
young King, had applied for afliflance to Fingal, who reigned in the
oppolite coaft of Scotland. But before Fingal's arrival, he is hurried
by rafh counfel to encounter Swaran. He is defeated ; he retreats -,
and defponds. Fingal arrives in this conjundure. The battle is
for fome time dubious ; but in the end he conquers Swaran ; and the
remembrance of Swaran's being the brother of Agandecca, who had
once faved his life, makes him difmifs him honourably. Homer it is
true has filled up his llory with a much greater variety of particulars
than Offian ; and in this has fliown a compafs of invention fuperior
to that of the other poet. But it muft not be forgotten, that though
Homer be more circumflantial, his incidents however are lefs di-
verfified in kind than thofe of Oflian. War and blooddied reign
throughout the Iliad; and notwithftanding all the fertility of Ho-
mer's invention, there is fo much uniformity in his fubjefts, that
there are few readers, who, before the clofe, are not tired of perpetual
E 2 fighting.