THE 73 POEMS OF OSSIAN; TRANSLATED BY JAMES MACPHERSON, ESQ. TO WHICH ARE PREFIXED A PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE AND DISSERTATION ON THE ÆRA AND POEMS OF OSSIAN. BOSTON: CROSBY AND NICHOLS. X PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. As Swift has, with some reason, affirmed that all sublunary happiness consists in being well deceived, it may possibly be the creed of many, that it had been wise, if after Dr. Blair's ingenious and elegant dissertation on the venerable Ossian," all doubts respecting what we have been taught to call his works had forever ceased since there appears cause to believe, that numbers who listened with delight to "the voice of Cona," would have been happy, if, seeing their own good, they had been content with these poems accompanied by Dr. Blair's judgment, and sought to know no more. There are men, however, whose ardent love of truth rises, on all occasions, paramount to every other consideration; and though the first step in search of it should dissolve the charm, and turn a fruitful Elen into a barren wild, they would pursue it. For these, and for the idly curious in literary problems, added to the wish. of making this new edition of "The Porms of Ossian" as well-informed as the hour would allow, we have here thought it proper to insert some account of a renewal of the controversy relating to the genuineness of this rich treasure of poetical excel. ence. |