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

Vni PREFACE,
e^ifode defcribing fome of the firft exploits of his
youth, and his pafTion for Agandecca, " the firft of his
loves." In the fame Poem, Offian with a ftrange mix-
ture of tendernefs and ferocity, defcribes his courtfhip
with Everallin, the mother of Ofcar; and, in fhort,
there is no Tingle Poem in the whole colledtion which
affords fuch a general introduction to the charadlers and
incidents defcribed in the reft.
As to the improvement in the ftyle of the edition of
1773, we cannot coincide with the fentiments of the
tranflator. The elegant fimplicity of the former ver-
fion, is often ftrained into abfolute diftortion. In two
or three paffages where we judged that the late altera-
tions in the text had heightened its beauty, they have
been preferved ; but, in general, they are far inferior,
and feldom or never prcierable to the original tranfla--
tion. This point, however, we muft leave to the tafte
cf the reader.
We have reftored to this edition a Poem of confide-
rable length, and of diftinguiftied beauty, which has
been unaccountably fuppreffed by Mr. Macpherfon in
his edition of 1773, though, as it had been quoted ia
the Elements of Criticilm, by Lord Kamcs, its abfence
inuft have made a very fenfible blank.
Mr. Macpherfon has ol>Uged us with a Diflertation
conceniing the JEra of Oflian, and that nothing, how-
ever trifling, might be wanting, we have infLrte<l it.
The importance of this Dilfertation may be completely
afcertain^^d in a very few \\ ords. He tells us, that ia
ihe year of Chrift 211, Fingal, at the head of a Caledo-
nian army, gave battle to Caracul the fon of Severus,
F.mperor of Rome. At this time, we muft fuppofe
that Fingal was at leaft twenty years of age. He like-
vife tells UP, tliat Ofcar, the grandfon of Fingal, enga-
ged and defeated Caraufius, who, in the year 287, had
icized the government of Britain. At the time of tliis
fecond battle therefore, Fingal, if alive, muft have been
at the advanced age of nintty-fix. Now, the Poem of
Tuuora opeiio with the death of Ofcar, and doles wiiii