Ossian Collection > Poems of Ossian, the son of Fingal

ON THE POEMS OF .OSSIAN. 71
might, and interposing, like a divinity, to de:ide the
doubtful fate of the day; are all circumstances con-
trived with so much art as plainly discover the Celtic
bards to have been not unpract.scd in heroic poetry.
The story which is the foundation of the Iliad, is in
itself as simple as that of Fingal, A quarrel arises be-
tween Achilles and Agamemnon concerning a female
slave; on which, Achilles, apprehending himself to be
injured, withdraws his assistance from the rest of the
b Greeks. The Greeks fall into great distress, and be-
D seech him to be reconciled to them. He refuses to
u tight for them in person, but sends his friend Patroclus;
(ind upon his bein^ slain, goes forth to revenge his
I death, and kills Hector. The subject of Fingal is this ;
liSwaran comes to invade Ireland : Cuthuiiin, the guar-
:iian of the young king, had applied for assistance to
Fmgal, who reigned in the opposite coast of Scotland.
But before Fingal's arrival, he is hurried by rash coun-
;iel to encounter Swaran. Ke is defeated ; he retreats;
vind desponds. Fingal arrives in this conjuncture. The
jattle is for some time dubious; but in the end he con-
quers Swaran ; and the remembrance of Swaran's being
:he brother of Agandecca, who had once saved his life,
nakes him dismiss him honourably. Homer, it is true,
las filled up his story with a much greater variety of
oarticulars than Ossian ; and in this has shown a com-
pass of invention superior to that of the other poet.
But it must not be forgotten, that though Homer be
jnore circumstantial, bis incidents, however, are les*
diversified in kind than those of Ossian. War and
ploodshed reign throughout the Iliad : and notwith-
j-tanding all the fertility of Homer's invention, there is
|(0 much uniformity in his subjects, that there are fevy
fcaders, who, before the close, are not tired of perps-
Kual fighting. Whereas in Ossian, the mind is relieved
Ijy a more agreeable diversity. There is a finer mix-
jure of war and heroism with love and fiiendship, of
jnartial with tender scenes, than is so be met with, per-
iiaps, in any other poet. The episodes too have great
jiroprietyi as natural, and proper to that age and country: