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

S4 LETTERS TO MR. MACKENZIE.
Terman's battHflg king ; I promised with my hand to win
the hero's dark-brown shield. Blest and victorious be my
chiefs, said Fingai of the mildest look ; Swaran, king of
roaring waves, thou art the choice of Fingai. "
Note l. The twelve chiefs of his council. — This alludes
to the northern custom of the king's having 12 counsellors,
chosen from his principal people, who sat with him to de-
cide on every matter of moment. This custom was intro-
duced by the Norwegians long afterwards into the Hebri-
des, where it continued to a late period. The king, as
chief judge, had the 13th of the matter in dispute for his
trouble.
2. Sixteen foster' d along with him — This alludes to ano-
ther custom which prevailed of old, and which continued
till very lately in the Highlands. A number of youths
proportioned to the rank of the chieftains, or commonly
15, were brought up in his family along with his son, in
order to make them the more attached to his person ever
after.
3. Mughan and Mudhan, are pronounced in the same
way in Gaelic, the dh and ugh being mute ; and both Mr
M'L. and Mr M. writing from oral recitation, each follow-
ed his own fancy, and wrote it differently.
4. Nothing can show the difference of editions more,
than that even the names of the principal characters in
the poems are not always the same.
5. For sluagh hosts, Mr M.'s edition was stuagh, roar-
ing waves. I could thus account for many variations.
As my hand is in, I will give you another passage, de-
scribing the combat of the two kings.
ORIGINAL.
Thachair Mac Cumhail nan cuach,
Is Manus nan ruag aigh