1889-90.] OSSIANIC POETRY. 217 



by the twenty-six differs very much in language and form from that pub- 

 lished by Smith and Macpherson, being more of the ballad form, and 

 evidently intended in many cases to be sung and recited on particu- 

 lar occasions, while that of Macpherson especially is of the Epic style. 

 As to the genuineness of these ballads there can be no question ; they 

 may not go back to the third century, but many of them are undoubtedly 

 hundreds of years old. 



The Dean of Lismore. 



Of the large manuscripts, the oldest is that of the Dean of Lismore, 

 which was written not in the old Gaelic letters, but in the current hand- 

 writing of the time. It bears date 1512 ; but it does not appear to have 

 been finished till about the year 1525. It contains in all over eleven 

 thousand lines, of which 2,665 ^^^ Ossianic. As it is written phonetically 

 it is extremely difficult to decipher ; but we are indebted to the great 

 industry, patience, and scholarship of the late Rev. Dr. Thomas Mc- 

 Lauchlan, of Edinburgh, for the publication of a considerable portion of 

 the text in its original form, with translations into English and into 

 modern Gaelic. Some of these poems seem to be very old, dealing as 

 they do with matters belonging to the fifth and sixth centuries, and nine 

 of them are ascribed to Ossian himself. In my opinion they are, however, 

 far inferior to those published by Smith and Macpherson. The discovery 

 of this volume disposes effectually of the contention of Dr. Johnson in 

 reference to Gaelic manuscripts. 



The Seann Dana : Rev. John Smith, D.D. 



These were first ^published in Gaelic in 1787, an English translation 

 having previously appeared. The authenticity of these poems was also 

 assailed, but the doctor's own statement in reference to them seems quite 

 reasonable and in accordance with the facts. He states that the material 

 was written down in fragments from recitation ; that he rejected what 

 was manifestly spurious ; compared the different portions and joined 

 them together, he in some instances furnishing the links. In this short 

 paper it is impossible to deal in detail with all the collectors. I shall 

 accordingly consider only the collections made by Macpherson and by 

 Campbell. 



James Macpherson. 



James Macpherson, having in 1759 published " Fragments of Ancient 

 Poetry," was prevailed upon by Lord Elibank, Dr. Blair, and others to 



