Ossian Collection > Fingal, an ancient epic poem

PREFACE.
converfation in which the ftory of Grumal is in-
troduced by Fingal. Morning comes. Swaran
departs ; Fingal goes on a hunting party, and find-
ing Cuchullin in the cave of Tura, comforts him,
and fets fail, the next day, for Scotland ; which
concludes the poem.
The ftory of this poem is fo little interlarded
with fable, that one cannot help thinking it the
genuine hiflorj of Fingal's expedition, embellifhed
by poetry. In that cafe, the compofitions of Of-
fian are not lefs valuable for the light they throw
on the ancient ftate of Scotland and Ireland than
they are for their poetical merit. Succeeding ge-
nerations founded on them all their traditions con-
cerning that period ; and they magnified or varied
them, in proportion as they were fwayed by cre-
dulity or defign. The bards of Ireland, by
afcribing to Oflian compofitions which are evi-
dently their own, hare occafioned a general belief,
in that country, that Fingal was of Irifh extrac-
tion, and not'of the ancient Caledonians, as is faid
in the genuine po^tns of CiHan. The inconfift-
encies between thofe fpuricus pieces prove the ig-
norance of their authors. In one of them Oilian
is made to mention himfelf as baptifed by St. Pa-
trick, in another he fpeaks of the famous crufadc,
which was not begun in Europe for many centu-
ries after.
Though this anachronifm quite deflrcys the
authority of the bards with refpect to Fingal ; yet
their defire to make him their countryman, fhews
how