Ossian Collection > Report of the Committee of the Highland Society of Scotland, appointed to inquire into the nature and authenticity of the poems of Ossian

18 RETORT ON THE
« that, with the view of obtaining for themfelves the
« vain rewards of this world, they arc more defir-.
* ous, and more accuftomed to compofe vain, tempt-
* ing, lying worldly hiflories, concerning the Tua-
* tha de dannan, and concerning warriors and cham-
1 pions, and Fingal the fon of Cumhall, with his
c heroes, and concerning many others which I will
' not at prefent enumerate or mention, in order to
' maintain or reprove, than to write and teach, and
c maintain the faithful words of God, and of the
* perfect way of truth.'
But the queflion remaining for the inquiry of the
Committee was the nature of that genuine poetry
which the Highlanders ufcd then to repeat and to ad-
mire ? and how far what, in later times, has been
given to the world, correfponds with that genuine*
ancient poetry ? if any, and what additions or alter-
ations have been made ? or if a new and more re»
fined poetry, founded on the traditionary materials
current over the Highlands, has been fubftituted
in the room of the ancient and original compofi-
tions ? In purfuing this inquiry, and in laying its
refult before the Society, the Committee has thought
the mofl fatisfattory method would be, to give firil
an account of the collections made by perfdns who
have fucceffively been engaged in collecting the an-
cient poetry of the Highlands \ and 2dly, of what
the Committee itfelf had been able to procure o{
the fame fpecies of compofition. But before enter*
ing into this detailed account, it may be proper for
the Committee to premife a few Obferyations on the
general*