OSS 
OSS 
f) 
a diftrift, or province; to which it gives name : fixty-five 
miles north-north-eaft of Samarcapd, and feventy fouth- 
weft of Kojend. Lat. 40. 30. N. Ion. 64. 40. E. 
OS'SA, a lofty mountain of Theflaly, near the Peneus, 
which runs between this mountain and Olympus; famous 
in the fabulous ftory of the giants ; (Homer, Virgil, Ho¬ 
race, Seneca, Ovid.) The bending and unbending of 
its pines, on the blowing of a ftrong north wind, formed 
a clafhing found like thunder; (Lucan.) It was once 
the refidence of the Centaurs, and was formerly joined 
to Mount Olympus; but Hercules, as fome report, fepa- 
rated them, and made between them the celebrated valiey 
of Tempe. This reparation of the two mountains was 
more probably effected by an earthquake, which happened 
about 1885 years before the Chriftian era. Its greateft cele¬ 
brity arifes from its being one of thofe mountains which 
the giants in their wars againlt the gods heaped up one 
on the other, to fcale the heavens with more facility. 
OS'SA, a river of Pruflia, which runs into the Viftula 
fifteen miles below Culm. 
OSSABAW', an ifland in the Atlantic, near the coaft 
of Georgia, twenty miles in circumference. Lat. 31.42. 
N. Ion. 81.17. W. 
OSSABAW'SOU'ND, a channel of the Atlantic, be¬ 
tween the iflands of Great W a flaw and Ofl’abaw. Lat. 31. 
43. N. Ion. 81.12. W. 
OSSAPE'E. See Ossipee. 
OSSA'RA, a town of Hindooftan, in Mohurbunge: 
eighteen miles north of Harriopour. 
OS'SAT (Arnaud d’), Cardinal, was born in 1536, of 
parents in humble life, at a village near Auch : he was 
left an orphan at an early age, and rofe in the world 
wholly by bis own merit and induftry. Entering into 
the fervice of a young nobleman of the houfe of Marca, 
he ftudied with him, and in time became his preceptor. 
In 1559 he took his pupil, with two otheryoung perfons, 
to Paris, where he carefully fuperintended their educa¬ 
tion, at the fame time taking care not to negleft his own 
ftudies. In philofophy he was a difciple of Ramus, and 
compofed a work in his mailer’s defence. After he had 
made what he deemed fufficient progrefs in his legal ftu¬ 
dies, he praftifed at the bar in Paris, and was greatly.ad- 
mired for his mafculine eloquence. He obtained the poft 
of a counfellor in the prelidial court of Melun : after this 
he went with Paul de Foix, archbiihop of Touloufe, who 
had been nominated by Henry III. ambaffador to thecourt 
of Rome, as his fecretary. After the death of that pre¬ 
late, in 1584, Oflat took holy orders, and was received 
into the houfe of cardinal d’Efte. The fecretary of ftate, 
Viileroi, made him charge d’affaires for the French court; 
and in this quality, at the beginning of Henry IVth’s 
reign, he was highly ferviceable in promoting the recon¬ 
ciliation of that king with the fee of Rome. In 1598 he 
was honoured with a cardinal’s hat ; and, in three years 
afterwards, was made bifliop of Bayeux. He died in 1604. 
An eminent French writer gives him the following cha» 
rafter: “ He was a man of great penetration, and Angu¬ 
larly prudent and circumfpeft in the management of af¬ 
fairs ; fo that it is faid of him, that he never made’a falfb 
ftep.” He left behind him a great number of Letters re¬ 
lative to the negociations in which he was engaged, which 
are reckoned models of political fagacity. The belt edi¬ 
tion is that of Amelot de la Houflaye, in 1698, in two 
vols. 4to. and five vols. nrao. 
OSS'EGG, a town of Bohemia, in the circle of Leit- 
meritz: eighteen miles north-north-weft of Leitmeritz. 
OSS'ELET, J'. [Fr. a little bone.] A very hard excref- 
cence, refemblinga little bone, on the infide of the knee, 
(and neveron theoutfide,) appearingtobe ofthe lamefub- 
ftance with the reft of the knee, and only diftinguilhable 
from the knee by its extending a little lower. 
OSS'EN, a town of Silefia, in the principality of Oels : 
two miles louth-weft of Mittelwald. 
OSSENI'GA, a town of Italy, in the Veronefe: fix 
miles north of Verona. 
Vol. XVIII, No. 1219.. 
OSS'F.OUS, arfj. [offeus, Lat.] Bony; refembling a bone. 
—To purfue the uffeous and l’olid part of goodnefs, which 
gives liability and reftitude to all the relt. Brown’s Chr. 
Morals .—A medullary, and con fequentlyo[)eous, fubftance, 
BiMoih. Bill. 
OSS'ETT, a village .in the Weft Riding of Yorkfhire, 
containing about 3500 inhabitants, of whom 1000 are 
employed in trade and manufaftures. It is three miles 
weft of Wakefield. 
OSS'ERBACH, a river of Germany, which runs into 
the Wichra near Frohburg, in the margravate ofMeilfen. 
OSS'IACH, a town of the duchy of Carinthia, 011 the 
lake Ofliacher : four miles fouth-weft of Feltkirchen. 
OSSl'ACHER SEE', a lake of Carinthia, four miles 
long and two wide: four miles north-eaft of Villach. 
OS'SIAN, [O’Sian, Irifli and Gothic, the Man of Song.] 
A Celtic bard, who, as well as Fingal and other heroes 
whom he is faid to have celebrated in his poems, is claimed 
both by the Highlanders of Scotland and by the Iriih. 
It is highly probable, that the name of Ollian and his he¬ 
roes would have been confined to thefe people, had not 
Macpherfon, about the middle of the latl century, pub- 
lilbed two volumes of poems, as the genuine offspring of 
this Celtic bard. The circumftances which he Hated as 
having attended the difcovery of thefe poems, and the 
nature and defcription of the poems themfelves, excited 
ftrong fufpicions of their authenticity, almofl as foon as 
they were given to the world: the controverfy to which 
thefe fufpicions gave birth, contributed to render them 
known and popular; however, it would be unfair to deny, 
that their intrinfic merits, though certainly very much 
mifreprelented and overrated, alfo obtained them popular 
applaufe ar.d favour. There were alfo other circum¬ 
ftances, befides the lingular and fufpicious nature of their 
difcovery and publication, and the poetic merit which 
they poffelfed, or were fuppofed to poflefs, which fixed 
on them the curiolity and intereft of men of philofophy 
and literature. They exhibited a mod uncommon and 
unparalleled pifture of human manners; a pifture which, 
if it were drawn from nature, would confound all the 
principles which philofophy had deduced from the hiftory 
of mankind : they alfo related events, not eafily recon¬ 
cilable to the authenticated hiftory of the country where 
the fcene was laid. On thefe accounts, the intereft of 
alrnoft ail dalles was fixed upon them : they were admired 
by the lovers of poetry, who, in their admiration, had 
not time or inclination to inveftigate their authenticity ; 
while, by thofe who viewed them more coolly and philo- 
fophically, and who could not permit themfelves to ad¬ 
mire before they were convinced of their authenticity, 
ftrong and various objections were urged againft their 
claim to be confidered as the poems of Ollian. The inte¬ 
reft which they excited was ftill farther increafed, by the 
Highlanders taking-up the queftion, both refpefting their 
authenticity and their poetical merits, as one in which 
their honour and pride were immediately and deeply con¬ 
cerned : they couW not tamely or quietly abandon the 
belief that Offian wrote thefe poems; and, when Mac¬ 
pherfon was charged with having forged them, the firm 
conviftion they had exprelfed of their authenticity, joined 
to thedifigrace which, through MacpherfoA, they thought 
would fall on themfelves, rendered them molt obftinate 
in their original belief. 
Whether Ollian and his heroes were Scotch or Iriih— 
the period during which they llourilhed—and the contro¬ 
verfy refpefting the authenticity ofthe poems—are points 
to which more attention has been given than to the-real 
merits of the compofitions themfelves. 
Although the claims of the Highlanders to Oflian and 
his heroes have been more urgent and repeated than thofe 
ofthe Iriih, there is good re'afon for believing that the 
lattef pollefs the greateft juftice. There are numberlefs 
traditions in Ireland concerning the Fions, a fpecies of 
militia inhabiting Leinller, and commanded by Fin Mac 
Coul: that this Fin Mac Coul is the lame as the Fingal 
D off 
