J. F. Campbell Collection > Report of the Committee of the Highland Society of Scotland, appointed to inquire into the nature and authenticity of the poems of Ossian

POEMS OF OSSIAN. 1/
a book not much known, and fomewhat difficult to
procure, the tranflation of the Forms of Prayer, and
Adminiflration of the Sacraments, and Catechifai
of the Chiiflian Religion, as ufed in the reformed
Clnirch of Scotland, into Gaelic, by Bifhop Carf-
well, printed at Edinburgh in ihe year 1567.
In his preface or introduction, the bifhop laments
and reproves the preference which the Highlanders
give to their ancient ballads over fuch Godly books
as that he was about to publifli
' But there is one great difadvantagc which v/e
' the Gaeil of Scotland and Ireland labour under,
' beyond the reft of the world, that our Gaelic
* language has never yet been printed, as the lan-
' guage of every other race of men has been :
' And we labour under a difadvantagc which is
' ftill greater than every other difadvantagc, that
* we have not the Holy Bible printed in Gaehc, as
' it has been printed in Latin and in Englifh, and
* in every other language ; and alfo, that we have
' never yet had any account printed of the anti-
' quities of our countr}'^, or of our anceftors ; for
' though we have fome accounts of the Gaeil of
' Scotland and Ireland, contained in manufcripts,
' and in the genealogies of bards and hifto'riogra-
* phers, yet there is great labour in writing them
' over with the hand, whereas the v/ork which is
' printed, be it ever fo great, is fpeedily fmifhed.
' And great is the blindnefs and fmful darknefs,
* and ignorance and evil defign of fuch as teach,
* and write, and culdvate the Gaelic language,
B ' diat