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he may establish his own ; and at the very time he is pilfering names 

 and incidents from their writings, to work into his own heterogeneous 

 tissue of falsehoods, he turns upon them with matchless ingratitude, 

 and accuses them of the very enormities which he is himself com- 

 mitting ! 



It is justly observed in Charles O'Conor's dissertation, that "the mo- 

 dern sentiments, manners, customs, and allusions they contain, affix 

 them to modern times ; and the ignorance of chronology, geography, 

 and ancient history, shews that Ossian, the son of Fingal, was in no 

 degree fit to personate OisiN, the son of Fiosrx, in the description of 

 things to which that prince was coeval. The son oi Fingal, therefore, 

 lived near our own times, and it is best known to Mr. Macpherson, 

 whether he is not in the whole or in part, alive to this day, (1766.) 

 Be it as it may, be he living, dying, or dead ; entire, maimed, or 

 interpolated ; his Erse language betrays him, and gives us the land 

 of his nativity with as much precision, as the shadow on Ahab's dial 

 did the time of the day ; and pity it is, that the parity does not hold 

 out in the other particular, as the sun of history would in that case 

 go ten degrees back on Mr. Macpherson's chronological time-plate, to 

 gain poor Ossian a long poetical day, and establish a monarchy of 

 Scots in Britain, five hundred years before it really commenced." 



The author intended to give an additional section on the manners, 

 and to direct the reader's attention to many revolting incongruities, 

 still farther illustrative of Macpherson's forgeries. But after what 

 has been already submitted to consideration, this would surely be 

 superfluous. The incongruities are too numerous and too glaring to 

 escape the observation of the most superficial reader. The wonder is 

 great that Macpherson could ever have deceived the reflecting and 

 intelligent ; it would be still greater, should there, at this day, be 

 found an individual of name and character, willing to stand forth as 



