Ossian Collection > Poems of Ossian > Volume 3

ISO A CRITICAL DISSERTATION
affeiSlion to his children ; full of concern
about his friends y and never mentions A-
gandecca, his firft love, without the ut-
moft tendernefs. He is the univerfal pro-
te6ior of the diiirelTed j *' None ever went
*' fad from Fingal." '' O Ofcar ! bend
** the ftrong in arms ; but fpare the feeble
*' hand. Ec thou a itream of many tides
** agaiort the foes of thy people •, but like
" the gale that moves the grafs, to thofe
*' who a&. thine aid. So Trenmor lived ;
" fuch Trathal was : and j'uch has Fingal
** been. My arm was the fupport of the
" injured j the weak refttd behind the
*' lightning of my fteel.'" Thefe were the
maxims of true heroifra, to which he form-
ed his grandfon. His fame is reprefented
as every where fpread ; the greatclf heroes
acknowledge his fuperiority ; his eneniics
tremble at his name j and the highelf en-
comium that can bf- bellowed on one whom
the poet would mofl: exalt, is to fay, that
his foul was like the foul of Fingal.
To do juftice to the poet's merit, in fup-
porting fuch a character as this, I muli ob-
lerve, v/hat is not conmionly attended to,
that there is no part of poetical execution
more difficult, tlian to draw a perfeiSl cha-
a wife general, he commands his chief* to render tlie
vidlory complete, by a total rout of the enemy ; that
they might adventure no more for the future, to f-t
out any fleet againll him or his allies.