Ossian Collection > Poems of Ossian

74 CRITICAL DISSERTATION
grand and beautiful than they are in reality. Tha
Ossian has followed this course, and, building up
on true history, has sufficiently adorned it with po
etical fiction for aggrandizing his characters anc
facts, will not, I believe, be questioned by raos
readers. At the same time, the foundation whicl
those facts and characters had in truth, and tin
share whicli the Poet himself had in the transac
tions which he records, must be considered as n<
small advantage to his work. For truth makes ai
impression on the mind far beyond any fiction ; an(
no man, let his imagination be ever so strong, re
lates any events so feelingly as those in which h
has been interested; paints any scene so naturall;
as one which he has seen; or draws any character
in such strong colours as those which he has pei
sonally known. It is considered as an advantag
of the epic subject to be taken from a period so di;
tant, as by being involved in the darkness of trad
tion, may give licence to fable. Though Ossian"
subject may at first view appear unfavourable i:
this respect, as being taken from his own times, ye
■when we reflect that he lived to an extreme old age
that he relates what had been transacted in anothe
country, at the distance of many years, and afte
all that race of men who had been the actors wer
gone off the stage; we shall find the objection in
great measure obviated. In so rude an age, whe
no written records were known, when tradition wt
loose, and accuracy of any kind little attended t<
what was great and heroic in one generation, easil
ripened into the marvellous in tlie next.
The natural representation of human charactei
in an epic poem is highly essential to its merit, an»
in respect of this, there can be no doubt of Homer
excelling all the heroic poets who have ever wrot>
But though Ossian be much inferior to Homer i
this article, he will be found to be equal at least,
not superior, to Virgil ; and has indeed give
the display of human nature, which the simple O'
currences of his times could be expected to furnisi
No dead uniformity of character prevails in Fii
gal ; but, on the contrary, the principal characte;