Ossian Collection > Poems of Ossian > Volume 3

ON THE POEMS OF 0S3IAN. I79
in all that variety of lights which give the
full difplay of a charafler. And though
He6lor faithfully difcharges his duty to his
country, his friends, and his family, he is
tinclured, however, with a degree of the
fame favage ferocity, which prevails among
all the Homeric heroes. For we find him
infulting over the fallen Patroclus, with
the moft cruel taunts, and telling him, when
he lies in the agony of death, that Achil-
les cannot help him now ; and that, in a
ftiort time, his body, Gripped naked, and
deprived of funeral honours, (hall be de-
voured by the vultures *. Whereas, in the
character of Fingal, concur almoit all the
qualities that ennoble human nature j that
can either make us admire the hero, or
love the man. He is not only unconquer-
able in war, but he makes his people hap-
py by his wifdom in the days of peace.
is truly the father of his people. He
is known by the epithet of '* Fingal of
*' the mildefl look ^" and diftinguifhed, on
every occafion, by humanity and generofi-
ty. He is merciful to his foes f j full of
* Iliad, xvi. 830. II. xvii. 127.
f Wlien he commands his fons, after Swaran is
taken prifoner, to " purfae the reft of Lochlin, over
" the heath of Lena ; that no vefTei may hereafter
*• bomid on the dark-rolling waves of Iniflore ;'' he
means not afluredly, as fome have mifreprefented
him, to order a general flaughter of the foes, and to
prevent their iiiving themfcives by flight ; but, like