Ossian Collection > Life and letters of James Macpherson

4 JAMES MACPHERSON.
of their masters' rights, and always ready to de-
fend them at the point of the sword. They and
their fathers had always loved the clash of arms;
and had not these hardy sons of the mountain
but lately carried terror to the plains when they
descended to fight for a lost cause ? It was
natural that their wild songs should breathe of
the joys of battle, the glory of the victors, and
the desolation of the conquered. Many gentle
and noble traits in the character of the High-
landers were also reported ; and these, too, it
was said, were reflected in their poetry ; as
well as strange customs and superstitions else-
where unknown. For they served their clans
with a chivalrous devotion, and in life and death
were faithful to old traditions.
To keep alive the martial spirit of their
ancestors, the chiefs everywhere maintained
bards and senachies, who at great festivals com-
memorated the deeds of the clan. Sometimes
in the long nights of winter they would also
recount the feats of ancient days ; singing, as
they supposed, the very words of the master
himself, the prince of poets.
To this lonely Ossian, the last of his race, the
bards looked back with a reverent affection ;