Extracts from Mr. "Shaw's Analyfis. couplets of eight, though they do not rhyme, and seven, and fometimes nine fyllables. These feet are most commonly trochee and dactyle. The trochee occupies the firft, dactyle the fecond and third, and a long fyllable ends the line. Mr. Extracts from Mr. Macpherson published as a specimen, and which, in reality, is his own translation. If they believe themfelves, let them enjoy it, and not attempt to bully tye world into a belief of that, for which no fort of evidence has het been produced, After what has been faid, it is doubtful, whether the following paragraph of Mr. Shaw's pamphlet, ought to be read with more furprise or contempt. It is taken verbatim from p. 37. where he fays, "I never yet could disfemble nor "perfonate a hypocrite. Truth has always "been dearer to me than my country. "show Dr. Johnson, that there is one Scotch"man who loves truth better than his country, "and that I am a sturdy enough moralift to de"clare it." I can Though the hurry of avocations, more important to me than a detection of Mr. Shaw, (h) 2 has ག has induced me to be very brief in discuffing the fubject: I fear, the reader will think, that more than enough, to confute my antagonist, has been already written. But every day, that I delay the publication, brings new matter to my hands. Since my defign has become known, I have had feveral intimations relative to the ftrange conduct and unequalled abfurdity of Mr. Shaw, during his investigating peregrination, to ufe the words of his patron, through the Highlands of Scotland. This fubject, howéver, is too mean in itself, and too uninteresting to the public, to merit their attention. It is fufficient to obferve, that it would be difficult to diftinguifh, whether our Inquirer's vanity or his folly was greateft. In places where he was not known, at leaft where he thought he was not known, he endeavoured to pass for a man of fortune, who was making a tour of pleasure. Where men were no ftrangers to his fituation, he became a fuppliant for fubfcriptions to his Dictionary; thus asfuming the character of gentleman and beggar, as beft fuited his vanity or his neceffities. In fome places, however, what may be near the truth, came out; where he acknowledged, that he was travelling the Highlands, at the expence of fome per perfons in England, to gather facts and argu ments against the authenticity of Offian's Poems. Though nothing, our author fays, is to be implicitly taken for truth, there is an appearan ce of it, in what has been laft mentioned. Though his expences could not have been great, and the horses, he fo often and fo pompously mentioned, were only Highland ponies: it cannot be fuppofed, that from the wretched ftipend allowed to him as a private tutor, he could have defrayed thofe expences, fmall as they might have been. There is therefore renfon to believe, that another great writer loofed his purfe-ftrings for our author, upon the above occafion. There was the more need for this feasonable aid, as the disagreeable manner of our traveller disgufted the people in general; and made them, with regard to him, depart from the characteristical hofpitality of their country. To the inferior fort, who are by nature polite and affable to ftrangers, his forward prefumption became intolerable; and their aver fion to him and his inquiries, was much height? ened, by the ftrange and unintelligible gibbeJ rifh, which he fpoke, under the name of Gaelic? No wonder, therefore, that they were fo uncommunicative with refpect to a man, whom (h) 3 they they disliked for his manner, and defpifed for his ignorance. Doctor Johnfon, fomewhere in the RAMB LER, advifes 'his reader, when he wishes to know a man's private character, to apply to his fervants. John Stewart, who attended Mr. Shaw through the Highlands in that capacity, is at prefent hair-dreffer to a friend of mine. I inquired, if he remembered of his mafter creeping on all fours into houfes in the High. lands? He mentioned two inftances, as the only ones, he could point out. He faid, they we re obliged to creep into Mr. Shaw's father's in the ifle of Arran: The other inftance, I forbear to mention, as it would add no luftre to Mr. Shaw's character as a clergyman. I am well aware of the cenfure, I may meet with, even from the humane and liberal, for throwing out this infinuation against Mr. Shaw, on account of his original obfcurity. My benevolence is particularly hurt, while juftice to my coun. try compels my hand to draw the picture: But a man brought up in one of the humbleft cottages in the Highlands, might have even deigned to enter others equally low, without any national reflections. This obfervation flows not from that arrogance, with which assuming wealth wealth exfults over the fons of mifery and distrefs. To convince Mr. Shaw, how little I would have confidered his poverty as a ftigma, had he acted the part of an honeft man ; I fcruple not to inform him, that my own fami ly, during the lifetime of my father, was reduced from a ftare of opulence, to a fituation nearly equal to his own. I inquired at the fame John Stewart, as to the amazing fums of money, which Mr. Shaw talks of having spent for fnuff, whisky, &c. in the Highlands. As to the fnuff, he declares, it did not coft Mr. Shaw one penny. Whisky and money, given for information, he believes, could not exceed two guineas; at leaft he can depone, that it was within three; as he used generally to tell the people, after they had recited their poems, and he had taken them down in writing, that they had no merit, and therefore he would give them nothing for their trouble. Mr. Shaw fays, he ma. de offer to Profeffor Macleod of fo many halfcrowns; I wifh he had remembered another perfon, who stood far more in need of them, and had furely a prior claim upon Mr. Shaw. This poor fellow wore his cloaths in Mr. Shaw's fervice, who had the immorality to defraud him |