Ossian Collection > Fingal of Ossian

THE AUTHENTICITY of the POEMS of OSSIAN. 9
infomuch that there is a Word commonly ufed in the Highlands
to this Day, when they would exprefs any Thing which is of
the moft remote or unknown Antiquity, importing, that it
belongs to the Age of Flngal.
I am farther informed, that after the Ufe of Letters was in-
troduced into that Part of the Country, the Bards and others
began early to commit feveral of thefe Poems to Writings that
old Manufcripts of them, many of which are now deftroyed or
loft, are known and attefted to have been in the Pofleffion of
fome great Families ; that the moft valuable of thofe which re-
mained, were colledted by Mr. Macpherfon during his Journey
through that Country * ; that though the Poems of OJJian, fo
far as they were handed down by oral Tradition, were, no
Doubt, liable to be interpolated, and to have their Parts dif-
joined and put out of their natural Order, yet by comparing to-
gether
• When I was in Scotland in 1772, feveral of the Gentlemen, who had fupplied Mr.
Macpherfon with thefe Manufcripts, complained of his ftill keeping them, notwithftanding
he had folemnly promifed, and even given fome his Note of Hand to return them again.
I do not mention this to injure Mr. Macpher/on^i Charafter, but to remind him of his
Engagements, and induce him to reftore the Papers intruded to him ; to put it in the
Power of thofe they belonged to, to oblige others who may hereafter go among them.
As I only traverfed a fmall Part of the Country, and had no Intention then of publifliing
any of 0/j7a«'s Poems, I made no Inquiries about them. One Mr. Macnab indeed, who
has a Farm under the Earl oi Breadalbane, recited to me a Verfe or two, which, when
tranflated, I found to be that Pafl'age in the Firll Book of Ternora, where Ofcar kills
Cairbar. He told me that not many Years back, a Set of idle People (as he termed them)
got a Livelihood by finging the 7 oem% of OJ/i an. I likewife took Notice that in the
Highlands many Dogs went by the Names oi To/car, Ofcar, and other Heroes frequent in
OJJian'% Poems ; a certain Sign they were Names well known and familiar to the People
of the Country.