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

LETTERS TO MR. MACKENZIE.. 71
The most formidable objections that have been urged
against the authenticity of Ossian's poems, are those that
;:re founded, or pretended to be founded, on history ; so
ihat, besides getting answers to the printed queries, even
if these should be satisfactory, it would be necessary to
employ considerable historical research, in order to answer
such objections. You mention one made by Gibbon.
Whether he may be right or wrong in his assertion, (for
his assertions are not always to be trusted,) I have no op-
portunity of examining : at any rate, I think Ossian is
clear of this objection ; for the Gaelic word is obviously
an epithet, (signiijmg jierce-eye,') and might be as appli-
cable to any other as to the emperor Caracalla. If Mr
M* — in applying this epithet to Caracalla, should be
found in a mistake, as I apprehend he is in this, and in
one or two similar cases ; his mistakes, in my opinion,
make rather for than against the authenticity of the poems,
as a forger would not, by his own unnecessary commenta-
ries or conjectures, abstract from the credit of his text.
Fingal, according to the Irish histories, died
in the year 2S3
Caracalla's expedition against the Caledonians
happened in t 211
72
Fingal could hardly have been intrusted with
leading the Caledonians on so important
an expedition under the age of 25
So that, at this rate, he must have lived to
the age of 97
Which does not appear credible, even from many passages
of Ossian : so that Mr M' — , may have been mistaken
in applying the above epithet to Caracalla ; and if he was,
ihe objection falls to the ground.
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