Ossian Collection > Poems of Ossian, the son of Fingal > Volume 1

PREFACE.
TT is now above thirty years fince this tranflation of
-'• Oman's Poems has claimed the attention of the pu-
bhc. The univerfal admiration of all liberal and unpre-
judiced men, the only true criterion of literary merit,
muff now render every attempt to praife them futile
and fuperfluous.
In the year 1773, the tranflator, Mr. Macpherfcn,
publiflied a new eciltlon with confiderable alterations.
In a Pi-eface to this edition, he begins by informing the
reader, that '^ he ran over the whole with attention."
The reft oi the Preface might without injury to his li^
terary credit, be fuffered to fink peaceably into oblivi-
on. He concludes, by infonming us, that " a tranflator,
*' who cannot equal his original, Is Incapable of expref-
•** fmg Its beauties f." If we underlland the meaning of
this exprefiion, it feems to be, that Mi". Macphertbn
pofiefies a degree of poetical genius not inferior to the
original author ; and we are the more dii'pofed to adopt
this explanation, as he has^ in other pallages of this
ver)-- Preface mentioned his own verfion, in terms of the
higheft felf-complacency; it has even been generally
iniderftocd, on both fides of the Tweed, that he wifhed
to keep the queftioii refpefting the authenticity of thele
Poems In a Ibrt of oracular fufpence. This fufplcion Is
}jy no means llarted at prefent to fcrve a temporary
a 3
t In one of his riffcrtations alfo, wc meet with the foHowing extraordinar
hi'ik I coula write tnlerablc poLtry
i nol U'aiiflutc what 1 could nut iiUi