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I) The spirit of Loda re-echoes, "I look on the nations, and they 



vanish : my nostrils pour the blast of death." 



: The first clause reminds us of Psalm civ. 32. " He looketh on 



the earth, and it trembleth." Here Macpherson seems ambitious of 



excelling the inspired writer. 



J "The little hills," says the Psalmist, "rejoice on every side." 



"The hills of Inistore rejoiced," replies Macpherson, in Carrick- 



Isaiah, in the spirit of propliecy, sings, "the heavens shall be 

 rolled together as a scroll;" and Macpherson rechants, "when the 

 skies were rolled together, then thy feast was spread." — Temora, 

 book iii. 



" He shall fly away as a dream, and shall not be found," says 

 Job, XX. 8-9. 



" We shall pass away like a dream : the hunter shall not know the 

 place of our rest," reiterates Macpherson: and again, in the Songs of 

 Selma, he repeats the thought, " my life flies away hke a dream ; 

 why should I stay behind ?" 



" We are consumed by thine anger, and by thy wrath are we 

 troubled," says the Psalmist, Ps. xc. 7. ; and Macpherson responds, 

 " they were consumed in the flames of thy wrath." 

 o A multitude of similar passages might be quoted, in which we at 

 once perceive not only the ideas, but the very words of Scripture ; 

 and yet shall we be told they are not imitations? Plagiarisms, indeed, 

 would be a more fitting appellation. 



Macpherson appears to have been so familiar with the language 

 of Scripture, that he frequently employs it, we should suppose, un- 

 consciously ; or with a marvellous carelessness or intrepidity of detec- 

 tion. Sometimes he conglomerates images and expressions from 

 different passages ; and works them up into one description. The 



VOL. XVI. K 



