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

A DISSERTATION. xxv
own country, and that before any tranflation of mine appeared *.
How the gentleman came to fee my blunders before 1 committed
them, is not caly to determine ; if he did not conclude, that, as a
Scotfman, and, of courfe, defcended of the Milefian race,, I might-
have committed fome of thofe overfights, Vvhich, perhaps very un-
juftly, are faid to be peculiar to them.
From the whole tenor of the Irifli poems, concerning the Fiona,
it appears, that Fion Mac Conmal flouridied in the reign of Cormac,
which is placed, by the univerfal confent of the fenachies, in the
third century. They even fix the death of Fingal in the year 286,
yet his fon Oflian is made cotemporary with St. Patrick, who
preached the goipel in Ireland about the middle of the fifth age.
Ollian, tho', at that time, he mufl have been two hundred and fif-
ty years of age, had a daughter young enough to become wife to
the faint. On account of this family connexion, Patrick of the
FJciIms, for fo the apoftle of Ireland is emphatically called in the
poems, took great delight in the company of Oflian, and in hearing
* la Faulkner's Dublin Journal, of the ift December, 1761, appeared the following
Advertifement :
Speedily will be publiflied, by a Gentleman of this kingdom, who hath been, for
fome time paft, employed in tranflating and writing Hiflorical Notes to
FINGAL, A Poem,
Originally wrote in the Irifli or Erfe language. In the preface to which, the tranflator,
who is a perfedl mafler of the Irifh tongue, will give an account of the manners and
cuftoms of the antient IriOi or Scotch; and, therefore, moft humbly intrcats the pub-
lic, to wait for his edition, which will appear in a fhort time, as he will fet forth all
the blunders and abfurdities in the edition now- printing in London, and fliew the ig-
norance of the Englilb tranflator, in his knowlege of Irifh grammar, not underfland-
ing any part of that acciderice.
d the