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

304 A CRITICAL DISSERTATION ON
lublimity is accompanied with more impetuofity and
fire ; Ofaan's with more of a Iblemn and awful gran-
deur. Homer hurries you along ; Ofiian elevates, and
fixes you in aftonifliment. Homer is mod fublime in ac-
tions and battles ; Offian, in defcription and fentime,nt. In
the pathetic, Homer, when he chufes to exert it, has
great power; but Offian exerts that power much oftener,
and has the character of tendernefs far more deeply im-
printed on his works. No poet knew better how to feize
and melt the heart. With regard to dignity of fentiment,
the pre-eminence muft clearly be given to Offian. This is
indeed a furprifing circumftance, that in point of humani-
ty, virtuous feelings of every kind, our rude Celtic bard
fhould be dlilinguiffied to fuch a de^gree, that not only the
heroes of Homer, but even thofe of the polite and refined
Virgil, are left far behind by thofe of Offian.
After thefe general obfei-vations on the genius and fpirit
of our author, I now proceed to a nearer view, and more
accurate examination of his works ; and as Fingal is the firft
great poem in this colledion, it is proper to begin with it.
To refufe the title of an epic poem to Fmgal, becaufe it is
not in every little particular exasflly conformable to the
practice of Homer and Virgil, were the mere fqueamifhnefs
and pedantry of criticifm. Examined even according to
Ariftotle's rule, it vvili be found to have all the effential re-
quifites of a true and regular epic ; and to have feveral of
them in fo high a degree, as at firft view to raife our af-
toniffiment on finding Offian's compofition fo agreeable to
rules of which he was entirely ignorant. But our aftonifli-
ment will ceafe, when we confider fi-om what fource Ari-
ftotle drew thofe rules. Homer knew no more of the laws
of criticifm than Offian. But guided by nature, he compo-
fed in veife a regular ftor'y, founded on heroic adions,
which