Ossian Collection > Poems of Ossian

106 CRITICAL DISSERTATION
tlie particular advantages which Ossian possess-
ed. He appears clearly to have lived in a pe-
riod which enjoyed all the benefit I just now
mentioned of traditionary poetry. The exploits
of Trathal, Trenmor, and the other ances-
tors of Fingal, are spoken of as familiarly known.
Ancient bards are frequently alluded to. In one
remarkable passage Ossian describes himself as
living in a sort of classical age, enlightened by
the memorials of former times, which were con-
veyed in the songs of bards ; and points at a
period of darkness and ignorance which lay be-
yond the reach of tradition. ' His words,' says
he, ' came only by halves to our ears ; they were
dark as the tales of other times, before the light
of the song arose.' Ossian himself appears to
have been endowed by nature with an exquisite
sensibility of heart ; prone to that tender me-
lancholy which is so often an attendant on great
genius : and susceptible equally of strong and of
soft emotion. He was not only a professed
bard, educated with care, as we may easily be-
lieve, to all the poetical art then known, and con-
nected, as he shows us himself, in intimate
friendship with the other contemporary bards,
but a warrior also ; and the son of the most re-
nowned hero and prince of his age. This form-
ed a conjunction of circumstances uncommonly
favourable towards exalting the imagination of
a poet. He relates expeditions in which he had
been engaged ; he sings of battles in which he
had fought and overcome ; he had beheld the
most illustrious scenes which that age could ex-
hibit both of heroism in war and magnificence
in peace. For however rude the magnificence
of those times may seem to us, we must remem-
ber, that all ideas of magnificence are compara-
tive ; and that the age of Fingal was an aera of
distinguished splendoui- in that part of the world.