MISCELLANEOUS ANECDOTES. 



HARRINGTON'S OCEANA. 



It is strange that Harrington, so 

 little while ago, should be the first 

 man to find out so evident and de- 

 monstrable a truth, as that of pro- 

 perty being the true basis of power. 

 His Oceana, allowing for the differ- 

 ent situations of things (as the less 

 number of Lords then, those Lords 

 having no share in the Parliament, 

 and the like), is certainly one of the 

 best founded political pieces that 

 ever was writ. (Dean Lockier.) 



ELOQUENCE IN WINE. 



Sir Thomas More was sent by 

 Henry VIII. on an embassy to the 

 emperor of Germany, where, before 

 he delivered it, he commanded one 

 of his servants to fill him a beer- 

 glass of wine, which he drank off ; 

 and afterwards repeated, and at the 

 same time directing his servant to 

 bring him a third; the servant 

 knowing his master's usual tem- 

 perance, at first refused to fill him 

 another, being under a concern for 

 his behaviour, but on a second com- 

 mand of Sir Thomas, he did it; 

 which being drank, he then mado 

 his immediate address to the em- 

 peror, and delivered his oration in 

 Latin like one inspired, to the very 

 great admiration of all the auditors. 

 This I mention to show the influence 

 of wine ! (Life of Sir T. Moore.) 



OSSIAN'S roEMS. 



That there never existed poems 

 exactly in the form in which Fin- 

 gal and Temone were published by 

 Macpherson, seems now to be the 

 opinion generally entertained. But 

 it is still maintained by many, with 



the strongest appearance of reason, 

 that there certainly were poetical 

 compositions, consisting of songs 

 and ballads, and other pieces, exist- 

 ing in the Highlands many years 

 before Macpherson was born, of 

 which sufficient traces are even yet 

 to be found in various parts of that 

 country, some in a more, some in a 

 less perfect form. From these scat- 

 tered fragments it probably was, 

 that Macpherson, by imitations and 

 additions of his own, wrought his 

 work into a whole, and thus gave it 

 the appearance, in some degree, of a 

 regular epic poem. Nor is it diffi- 

 cult, perhaps, to conceive how these 

 fragments may have been handed 

 down from father to son, even with- 

 out the use of writing, among a peo- 

 ple, who, with scarcely any know- 

 ledge of agriculture, commerce, or 

 the useful arts, filled up the vacancies 

 of a pastoral life, by the recital of 

 those popular songs and ballads. 

 This is a practice not peculiar to 

 the Highlands of Scotland, but to 

 be found in all nations, who, by their 

 local situation in the midst of hills 

 and fastnesses, are cut off from any 

 great degree of intercourse with, 

 neighbouring countries, farther ad- 

 vanced in the arts of polished life. 

 Nor will it appear so very wonder- 

 ful if, in this manner, that poetry 

 may have been preserved, which is 

 believed by many to have existed 

 in the Highlands, when the powers 

 of the memory are considered, and 

 the strength it acquired by the per- 

 petual exercise of listening to the 

 bards, who were an appendage^ of 

 the state, and magnificence of a 

 Highland chieftain. (Sir William 

 Forbes.) 



