Ossian Collection > Life and letters of James Macpherson

PUBLICATION OF " TEMORA ". 189
and the reviews praised it as a masterly piece
of criticism.
Macpherson was encouraged to proceed ; and
in March, 1763, he brought out the second instal-
ment of his work. This appears to have been
undertaken at Bute's suggestion, to whom it was
openly dedicated ; and it is said that the expenses
of its publication came out of that nobleman's
pocket. It was entitled Temora, cm Ancient Epic
Poem, in eight books, together with several other
Poems, composed by Ossian the son of Fingal,
translated from the Galic language. To this he
prefixed a separate dissertation, in which he
explained that he had collected the materials
for it on his journey in the Highlands and
Isles, and by the assistance of correspondents
since he left the country ; and that the story
of the poem, with which he had long been
acquainted, enabled him to reduce the broken
members of the piece into the order in which
they now appeared. For the ease of the reader
he had divided it into books, as he had pre-
viously done with the poem of Fiiigal; and
the title of Epic was also imposed upon it
by himself. For the satisfaction of those
who doubted the authenticity of this and the