J. F. Campbell Collection > Popular tales of the West Highlands > Volume 4

OSSIAN TRADITIOXS, WRITIXGS, ETC. 83
the Long Island, is also subject to this objection. They
all knew something of Ossian's poems, and believed
them to be genuine, of very great antiquity, distinct
from and superior to all other Gaelic compositions ; but
there was only some published Gaehc for the poems of
Ossian which the English public knew, and the Celts
seem to mean one thing, while the Saxons meant
another. These collections have disappeared.
The quarto edition of Tingal and other translations
published, with a fine title page picture of Ossian, and
a lady in flowing robes, who might pass for any classi-
cal characters that ever conversed.
Temora and other poems ; this volume contains the
Gaelic of the seventh book of Temora, 423 lines. It
is said that a manuscript copy in the handwriting of
MacPherson of Strath Mashie, with all manner of cor-
rections, still exists. I have not seen it.
This edition is commonly bound with that of 1762,
and the selling price for the large quarto is now 5 s.
The following are specimens of the Gaelic, as
printed by MacPherson in 1763, in Eoman type. He
says it is " stripped of its own proper characters," that
" a copy of the originals of the former collection lay for
many months in the bookseller's hands for the inspec-
tion of the curious ;" and that the "erroneous spelUng
of the bards is departed from in many instances."
Published Gaehc and English, divided according to
the rh}i;hm : —
Linna doir-choille na Leigo,
From the wood -skirted waters of Lego,