Ossian Collection > Works of Ossian, the son of Fingal > Volumes 3 and 4

An epic POE M. 131
my beam of fame. In the lonely vale of
fkreams, abides the little*) foul. Years
roU
* ) From this palTage we leai-n. In whr.t extreme con-
tempt an indolent and unwarlike life was held
in thofe .days of heroifm. Whatever a phUofo-
pher may fay, In praife of quiet and retirement,
I am far from thinking , but they weaken and
debafe the hiunaii mind. When the faculties of
the foul are not exferted, they lofe their vigoui-»
and low and circumfciibed notions take the pla-
ce of noble and enlarged ideas. A£lion , on the
contrai-y, and the viciflltudes of fortune which
attend if, call forth, by turns , all the powers
of the mind, and, by exercilTilg, ftrengthen them.
Hence it Is , that In great and opulent ftates »
when -property and Indolence are fecured to in-
dividuals , we feldom meet with that ftrength of
mind , which is fo common in a nation, not far
advanced In clvlllzatioi]. It is a curious , but
juft oblervation j that great kingdoms feldom
produce great characters , which muft be altoge-
ther attributed to that Indolence and dlsfipatlon,
which are the infeparable companions of too
much property and fecurity. Rome , It is cer-
tain , had more real great men within it , when
its power was confined within the narrow bounds
of Latium, than when its dominion extended
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