Ossian Collection > Poems of Ossian > Volume 1

CXri A CRITICAL DISSERT ATIOX
though our author has artfully raanafjed It so as
to make Cathmor himself indirectly acknowledge
Fingal's superiority, and to appear somewhat ap-
prehensive of the event, after the death of Fillan,
which he knew would call forth Fin^al in all his
might. It is very remarkable, that although Os-
sian has introduced into his poems three complete
heroes, Cuthullln, Cathmor, and Fingal, he has,
however, sensibly distinguished each of their cha-
racters. Cuthullin is particularly honourable;
Cathmor particularly amiable; Fingal wise and
great, retaining an ascendant peculiar to himself
in whatever light he is viewed.
But the favourite figure in Temora, and the one
most highly finished, is Fillan. His character is
of that sort for which Ossian shews a particular
fondness; an eager, fervent, young warrior, fired
with all the impatient enthusiasm for military
glory, peculiar to that time of life. He had sketch-
ed this in the description of his own son Oscar ;
but as he has extended it more fully in Fillan, and
as the character is so consonant to the epic strain,
though, so far as I reniember, not placed in such
a conspicuous light by any other epic poet, it may
be worth while to attend a little to Ossian's man-
agement of it in this instance.
Fillan was the youngest of all the sons of Fin-
gal; younger, it is plain, than his nephew Oscar,
by whose fame and great deeds in war we may
naturally suppose his ambition to have been highly
stimulated. Withal, as he is younger, he is de-
scribed as more rash and fiery. His first appear-
ance is soon after Oscar's death, when he was em-
ployed to watch the motions of tlie foe by night.
In a conversation \\ith his brother Ossian, on that