242 



printed on opposite pages, with a new translation of that Book, made 

 at the desire of Society, by the Rev. Thomas Ross. — (Vol. i. Dis- 

 sertation, p. c) 



It is observable that, in this letter, Doctor Blair admits that Mae- 

 pherson did deviate from his Gaelic originals ; that " he brought 

 together pieces that were scattered and broken;" that he selected 

 "such as he thought the best readings;" that "he left out some 

 rudenesses and extravagancies ;" and that " he interpolated in some 

 places, to connect together pieces of one whole which he found dis- 

 jointed." This means, in plain English, that Mr. Macpherson collect- 

 ed fragments of old poems and popular tales, and manufactured from 

 them tales to his own taste, and, to flatter his countrymen, fathered 

 them upon Ossian, an ancient bard. We now leave the reader to 

 judge if Doctor Blair has proved the genuineness of Ossian's poems. 



The testimony of Doctor Ferguson, though he understood Gaelic, 

 adds nothing to the proofs of the authenticity of the poems, and we 

 wonder how the Committee gave it a place in the Appendix. All 

 that the Doctor says relating to the poems, may be comprised in very 

 few words. The whole amount is, that he heard " an oldish man," 

 a tailor, in the year 1740, repeat some strains relating to a battle, 

 and single combat, which, upon the appearance of Mr. Macpheron's 

 publication, he recognized to be the single combat between Swaran 

 and Cuchullin in Macpherson's Fingal ; and he gives two lines from 

 the poem, which were all that he could remember. He adds, " I have, 

 at different times, heard other scraps or fragments repeated ;" but he 

 made no other use of them than to tell his friend John Home, that 

 such fragments were in the Highlands. He then says the frag- 

 ments he afterwards saw in Mr. Macpherson's hands, " by no means 

 appeared of recent writing ; the paper was much stained with smoke, 

 and daubed with Scot's snuff." It would be a pity to deprive the 



