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

THE POEMS OF 03SIAN. i9>
and heroifm, may poffibly be found to prevail in a mde
ftate of fociety, no one can fay. Aftonilliiiig inftances of
them we know, from hiftory, have fometimes appeared;
and a few characters diftinguifhed by thofe high qualitieSi,
might lay a foundation for a fet of manners being introdu-
ced into the fongs of the bards, more refined, it is pro-
bable, and exalted, according to the ufual poetical licence^
than the real manners of the country. In particular, with
refpeft to heroifm ; the great employment of the Celtic
•bards, was to delineate the charaders, and fiug the pralfes
of heroes. So Lucan :
Vos quoque qui fortes animos, belloque peremptos,
Laudibus in longum vates diiTunditis acvum
Plurima fecuri fudiftis carmina Bzrdi. Pharf. 1. r.
O o 2 Now
which SchcfTer has given us in his Lapponia, xire a proof
tliat natural tendernefs of lentiment may be found in a
country, into which the lead glimmering of fcieiice has ne-
ver penetrated. To moft Englifli readers thefe fongs arc
well loiown by the elegant tranflations of them in the Spec-
tator, N*^ 366 and 406. 1 lliall fubjoin Scheifcr's Latin ver-
fion of one of them, which has the appearance of being
ftridtly literal.
Sol. clariffimum emitte lumen in paludem Orra. Si'eni-
fas in lumma picearum cacumina fcircm me vifurum Orra
paludem, in ca enitercr, ut viderem inter quoa arnica, mea
cfletflores; omnes fufcinderem frutices ibi enatos, omnes
ramos prslecarem, hos virentes ramos. Curfum nubium
eflem fecutus, qua iter fuum iilituunt verfus paludem Or-
ra, fi ad te volare pofTem alls, cornicum alis. Scd milu
defunt alse, als querqueduloe pedefque, anferum pedes
plantsve bona:, qua defcrre me valeant ad te. Satis ex-
pedalli diu, per tot dies, tot dies tuos optimos, oculis tuis
jucundifiimis, corde tuo amidffimo. Quod fi longiffime
velles efi'ugere, cito tamen te confequerer. Quid firmius
validiufve cfie poteft quam contorti nervi-cateiijeve ferrs,
quae duriffime ligant r Sic amor contorquet caput noltrum'
mutat cogitationes & fententias. Puerorum voluntas, vo-
luntas venti; juvenum cogitationes, longas cogitationes,
Quos fi audirem omnes, a via, a via jufta declinarem. Unum
elt confilium quod capiam ; ita fcio viam rediorcm me re-,
perturum. Schefferi Lapponia, Cap. zj.