Ossian Collection > Morison's edition of the Poems of Ossian, the son of Fingal

THE POEMS OF OSSIAN. 37s
..;; the enemy appeared, and he gave fo good an account
of them, that Fior., upon his arrival, found little to do, but
to divide the fpoil among his Ibldiers.
All thefe extraordinary heroes, Fidn, Ofilan, Ofcar, .mJ
Ca-olt, fays the poet, were
Siol Erin na gorm lann.
The foils o/Erin of blue Ji eel.
Neither fliall I much difpute the matter with him : He has
my confent alfo to appropriate to Ireland the celebrated
Ton-iofil. I fnall only fay, that they are different perfons
from thofe of the fame name, in the Scots poems ; and thatj,
though the ftupenduous valour of the firfl is fo remarkable*
they have not been equally lucky with the latter, in their
poet. It is extraordinary, that iv<j«, who lived fome ages'
Before St Patrick, fwears like a very good Chriftian.
Air an Dia do chum gach cafe.
By God, ivhofhaped every cafe.
It is worthy of being remarked, that, in the line quoted^
Offian, who lived in St Patrick's days, feems to have un^
derftood fomething of the Englifh, a language not then fub-
fifting. A perfon, more fanguine for the honour of hig
country than I am, might argue, from this circumftance,
that this pretendediy Itifh Ofiian was a native of Scotland ;
for my countrymen are univerfally allov/ed to have an c;<'
clufive right to the fecond-fight.
From the inftances given, the reader may form a com"
plete idea of the Irilh compolitions concerning the Fionas
The greateft part of them make the heroes of Flon.
Siol Alb IN a n'nioma caoile.
The race o/Albion ofmariyfirihs.
The reft make them natives of Ireland. But, the truth iji,
that their authority is of little confequcnce on either fide."
From the inftances I have given, they appear to have becrt
the