Ossian Collection > Poems of Ossian

OJJ THE POEMS OF OSSlAN. 119
of human nature, which the simple occurrences of his
times could be expected to furnish. No dead uniform-
ity of character prevails in Fingal ; but, on the con-
ti'ary, the principal characters are not only clearly dis-
tinguished, but sometimes artfully contrasted, so as to
illustrate each other. Ossian's heroes are like Homer's,
all brave ; but their bravery, like those of Homer's
too, is of different kinds. For instance : the prudent,
the sedate, the modest and circumspect Connal, is fine-
ly opposed to the presumptuous, rash, overbearing, but
gallant and generous Calmar. Calmar hurries Cu-
thullin into action by his temerity ; and when he sees
the bad effects of his counsels, he will not survive the
disgrace. Connal, like another Ulysses, attends Cu-
thuUin to his retreat, counsels and comforts him under
his misfortune. The fierce, the proud, and the high-
spirited Swaran, is admirably contrasted with the calm,,
the moderate, and generous Fingal. The character
of Oscar is a favorite one throughout the whole poems.
The amiable warmth of the young warrior ; his eager
impetuosity in the day of action ; his passion for
fame ; his submission to his father ; his tenderness for
Malvina; are the strokes of a masterly pencil: the
strokes are few ; but it is the hand of nature, and
attracts the heart. Ossian's own character, the old
man, the hero, and the bard, all in one, presents to us,
through the whole work, a most respectable and vener-
able figure, which we always contemplate with pleasure.
Cuthullin is a hero of the highest class : daring, mag-
nanimous, and exquisitely sensible to honor. "We
become attached to his interest, and are deeply touch-
ed with his distress ; and after the admiration raised
for him in the first part of the poem, it is a strong
proof of Ossian's masterly genius, that he durst adven-
ture to produce to us another hero, compared with
whom, even the great Cuthullin should be only an in-