214 



earlier, the fleet of Lochlin appeared " with groves of masts covered 

 with white bosomed sails." 



If these "internal evidences" be candidly considered, they must 

 be acknowledged to carry proofs very different from those which 

 Doctor Blair and the Highland Societies seem confident the internal 

 evidence contained in the poems should produce. Here we have 

 eleven examples of the " internal evidence" that these poems supply, 

 every one of which, it is submitted, should be sufficient to overthrow 

 the belief that the poems of Ossian could be written at the period to 

 which they are assigned. They apply as well to the poems pub- 

 lished by the Highland Society of London, under the title of " The 

 Poems of Ossian in the original Gaelic," as to the poems published 

 by Macpherson as translations from the poems of Ossian; for there 

 is scarcely one objection that can be made against the authenticity 

 and antiquity of Macpherson's publication, that may not with equal 

 force be made against the, so called, originals of the Society. There is, 

 however, another "internal evidence" yet remaining to be examined, 

 which belortgs to the last mentioned publication, and upon which the 

 Society seems to place its greatest reliance. This is the language of 

 " The Gaelic original," which the Society says, (Introduction, p. 4,) 

 " not only furnishes complete evidence of its own originality, but is in 

 fact greatly superior in point of poetical merit to the English." 



With the poetical merit of either the original or the translation 

 this inquiry has nothing to do; but the "internal evidence" fur- 

 nished by the language of the originals, being so much relied on, 

 calls for particular attention. Previously, however, to entering upon 

 the consideration of that subject, it may be necessary to examine the 

 nature of the evidence for the authenticity of the poems, furnished to 

 the committee of the Highland Society of Scotland, in the shape of 



