Ossian Collection > Poems of Ossian

46 DISSERTATION OX
retained b^' memory, or committed to writing, their
compositions, and founded the antiquity of their fair.i-
lies on the authority of their poems.
The use of letters was not known in the north of
Europe till long after the institution of the bards : the
records of th' families of their patrons, their own,
and more ancient poems, were handed down by tra-
dition. Their poetical compositions were admiraljly
contrived for that purpose. They were adapted to
music; and the most perfect harmony was observed.
Each verse was so connected with those Avhich pre-
ceded or followed it, that if one line had been remem-
bered in a stanza, it was almost impossible to forget
the rest. The cadences followed in so natural a gra-
dation, and the words were so adapted to the common
turn of the voice, after it is raised to a certain key,
tliat it was almost impossible, from a similarity of
sound, to substitute one word for another. This excel-
lence is peculiar to the Celtic tongue, and is perhaps
to be met with in no other language. Nor does this
choice of words clog the sense, or weaken the expres-
sion. The numerous flexions of consonants, and va-
riation in declension, make the language very copious.
The descendants of the Celta;, who inhabited Bri-
tain and its isles, were not singular in this method of
preserving the most precious monuments of their na-
tion. The ancient laws of the Greeks were couched
in verse, and handed down by tiadition. The Spar-
tans, through a long habit, became so fond of this cus-
tom, that they would never allow their laws to be
committed to writing. The actions of great men, and
the evdogiums of kings and heroes, were preserved in
the same manner. All the historical monuments of
the old Gennans were comprehended in their ancient
songs ; which were either hymns to their gods, or ele-
gies in praise of their heroes, and were intended to
perpetuate the great events in their nation, which
were carefully interwoven with them. This species of
composition was not committed to \vriting, but deli-
vered by oral ti-adition. The care they took to have
the poems taught to their children, the uninteiTiipted
custom of repeating them upon certain occasions, and