Ossian Collection > Authenticity of the poems of Ossian

the words of inauy of the songs sung- on these occa-
sions, none of which were seen in print. They were
learned from hand to hand with great ease, thougli
some of them, such as M'Intyre's Bendouran, were
very long. The fact is, in the jiresent day, with such
vast quantities of printed matter at our command, we
can form no correct idea of the tenacity of the memory
when exercised on subjects, the sentiments of which
please. And if this could be the case with those
engaged iu the ordinary pursuits of life, what must it
have been with the bards who made the practice the
profession of their lives, having nothing else to attend
to? Besides all this, the peculiar construction of
Ossian's verse makes the task of committing it to
memory particularly easy ; especially if sung, a pur-
pose for which, I have no doubt, it was originally
framed. It is in octo-syllabic measure, Avith the
accent on the beginning of each line, instead of being-
placed towards the end as in all our English octo-
syllabic poetry. Add to this the vigorous style, so
nervous, so graphic, that not a superfluous word seems
to enter, while not a telling one seems to be omitted,
and you have poetry, the easiest committed to memory,
perhaps, of that of any age or country. But whence
the superiority of Ossian's poetry in this respect to
that of all other poets? The reason is obvious.
Having to live in the memory and be transmitted by
recitation, it required to be stripped of everything
superfluous and weak, to have nothing in it but the
very essence and spirit of poetry, "thoughts that
breathe and words that burn." That it is found so is,
in itself, no mean proof that Ossian was the author,
and oral recitation the means by which it has been
handed down to us. Let me further illustrate this by
referring to a bag-pipe player of the jjresent time.
With a strongly-developed musical talent it is quite
possible that a young lad may become passionately
fond of the instrument and its music, irrespective of
any other consideration. Let that of pecuniary gain,
perhaps fame, be added, and his enthusiasm will know
no bounds. I know such a one who is at present
undergoing training to be piper to one of the Highland
regiments stationed in Edinburgh: his comrades com-
plain that they cannot get him to accompany them iu
any of their excursions into the city, owing to the
devotedness with which he pursues his favourite