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

.M4 A CRITiCzVL DISSERTATION ON
Bat: Offian-'s genius, thoTigh (fhiefly turned towards the
fubiimc an'l pathetic, was not cor fined to it: in fubjefts
alfo of grace and delicacy, he difcovcrs the hand of a rnafter.
Take for an example the following elegsnt defcription af
Agandecca, wherein the tcndernefs of Tibullus feems unit-
ed with the maje.ly of Virgil, " The daughter of the fnow
overheard, and left the hall of her fecret figh. She came in
all her beauty ; like the moon from the cloud of the eaft.
Lp'.-elinefs was around her as light. Her fteps were like
the mufic of fongs. Siie faw the youth and loved him.'
lie was the ftolen figh of her foul. Kcr blue eyes rolled on
him in fccrct: And fac bleft the chief of MorvcnV" Seve-
ral other in'Jances might be produced of the feelings of love?
and friendrfiip painted by our author with a moft natural
'7.nd happy d-elicaCy.
The Smplicity of OJian's manner adds great beauty to
hir. defciip'iions, and indeed to his whole poetry. We meet
with no aficiflsd ornairicntr. ; no fofced refinement ; no
riiarks either in ftyle or thought of a ftudied endeavour to
fhine and fparkfe. Offian appears eveiy where to be prompt-
ed by his feelings ; and to fpeak from the abundance of his
heart. I remember no more than one inftance of what can
be called quaint thought in thir. whole coUeflion of his
works. It is in the firft book of Fingal, where from thi
tomb of two lovers two lonely yews are mentioned to have*
fprung, " whofc branches wiflied to meet on high." This
fympathy of thctrces with the lovers, may be recKoned to
border on an Italian conceit; and it is fomewhat curious to
find this lingle inilance of that fort of wit in our Celtic
poetr)'.
The ** joy of grief," is one of OfTiasT's remarkable ex-
preffions, fcveral times repeated. If any one fliall think
that it needs fo be juftified by a precedent, he may find it
twice