180 



of age, Conor, the granduncle of Fingal, according to Mr. Mac- 

 pherson, n. ed. p. 27, founded the Irish monarchy towards the close 

 of the first century, when he must have attained to a good round age. 

 Trathal, the brother ofConarand grandfather of Fingal, it appears 

 was older ; he must, therefore, have been born not later than the early 

 part of the first century, say A. D. twenty or thirty. If in the year 

 thirty, one hundred and sixty years must have elapsed before the 

 birth of Fingal in the year one hundred and ninety, giving at least 

 eighty years apiece to the two generations of Trathal and Comhal. 

 But from the year one hundred and ninety, when Fingal was born, 

 to two hundred and eighty-three, when he died, only ninety-three 

 years expired, which gives to the three generations of Fingal, Ossian, 

 and Oscar, only thirty-one years each. This is internal evidence, 

 but it must be acknowledged, that it is that kind of evidence that 

 exposes the glaring absurdity of the system of history, which Mr. 

 Macpherson founded on the authority of his son Ossian. 



Mr. Macpherson, not satisfied with the exhibition of his know- 

 ledge of Gaelic, in his etymology of the word Culdee, gives us ano- 

 ther specimen of the same kind, in his derivation of the words Cale- 

 donians and Scots, (n. ed. pp. 22-23.) These derivations are given, 

 not by way of conjecture, but are pronounced with unhesitating 

 effrontery ; but they are such as have not even the merit of probabi- 

 lity to support them, as must be evident to every person acquainted 

 with the Gaelic language. 



"The father of Ossian" tells us (n. ed. p. 27,) " Temora con- 

 tains . not only the history of the first migration of the Caledonians 

 into Ireland ; it also preserves some important facts concerning the 

 first settlement of the Firbolg or Belgse of Britain." This is asserted 

 positively, apd who dare deny the truth of it, when it comes attested 

 by Ossian himself, in *' the poem of Temora." None, surely, but the 



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