Ossian Collection > Poems of Ossian > Volume 1

THE POEMS OF OSSIAN. ]2I
Other than an allegory contrived to illustrate
some moral truth. The poet, says this critic,
must begin with fixing on some maxim or in^
struction which he intends to inculcate on man-
kind. He next forms a fable, like one of ^sop's,
wholly with a view to the moral ; and having
thus settled and arranged his plan, he then
looks into traditionary history for names and
incidents, to give his fable some air of probabi-
lity. Never did a more frigid, pedantic notion
enter into the mind of a critic. We may safely
pronounce, that he who should compose an epic
poem after this manner, who should first lay
down a moral and contrive a plan, before he
had thought of his personages and actors, might
deliver indeed very sound instruction, but would
find few readers. There cannot be the least
doubt that the first object which strikes an epic
poet, which fires his genius, and gives him any
idea of his work, is the action or subject he is
to celebrate. Hardly is there any talc, any sub-
ject a poet can chuse for such a work, but will
afford some general moral instruction. An epic
poem is by its nature one of the most moral of
all poetical compositions : but its moral tendency
is by no means to be limited to some conmion-
place maxim, which may be gathered from the
story. It arises from the admiration of heroic
actions, which such a composition is peculiarly