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ments contained in his Dissertation concerning the era of Ossian, 

 prefixed to his poems, and in the notes attached to them, and also of 

 the poems themselves, published by Macpherson, to see how far he 

 agrees or disagrees with history, with himself, or with Ossian ; and 

 how far Ossian agrees with both. In doing this, we shall generally 

 make use of the pocket edition of Ossian's Poems, printed by Eller- 

 ToN and Byworth, London, 1807, because the text of that edition 

 seems to have been printed from the edition of the poems, where, as 

 the translator said, he resigned them for ever to their fate. But as 

 there are some statements in the notes to the earlier editions, which 

 have not been inserted in the pocket edition, and as there are varia- 

 tions in the translation between the two editions, both of which may 

 be necessary to notice, M'e shall also take occasion to refer to the edi- 

 tion printed by Fitzsimons, Dublin, 1762. Referring to these different 

 editions, the first shall be marked n. ed. p. and the latter o. ed. p. 



In the course of this examination we shall see how far the internal 

 evidence, which it is said these poems furnish of their own authenti- 

 city, sustains the opinions of those who are advocates for their ancient 

 origin. This examination applies not only to the poems, as published by 

 Macpherson, but also to the originals published by the {Society, and 

 might perhaps be sufficient to decide the question as to their authen- 

 ticity. But there is an internal evidence that bears strongly on the 

 question, which is to be found in what is called the Gaelic originals 

 of these poems, and on which both societies seem to have more reli- 

 ance to prove the authenticity of the poems, than on the testimonies 

 furnished to the Committee. This internal evidence we are told, is to 

 be found "in the language of the Gaelic originals, which furnishes 

 complete internal evidence of its own originality." — (See the Poems 

 of Ossian in the original Gaelic, Introduction, vol. i. page 4, and 

 Dissertation on the Authenticity, &c., pp. 96 and 170.) As this kind 



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