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THE

WORK S

OF

OSSIAN,

THE

SON of FINGA L

THE

WORK S

O F

ÓSSIAN,

THE

SON of FINGAL,

Tranflated from the GALIC LANGUAGE

By JAMES MACPHERSON.

VOL L. III.

Fortia facta patrum. VIRG.

PARIS:

Printed by J. FR. VALADE.

And fold by Theophilus BARROTS, Bookseller,
Quai des Auguftins.

M. DCC. LXXXIII.

LIBRARY

OHIO STATE UNIVERSITYTM

ΑΙ

1783

1.3

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DISSERTATION.

THE hiftory of thofe nations which originally poffeffed the north of Europe, is little known. Deftitute of the use of letters, they themselves had not the means of tranfmitting their great actions to remote posterity. Foreign writers faw them only at a diftance, and therefore their accounts are partial and undiftinct. The vanity of the Romans induced them to confider the nations beyond the pale of their empire as barbarians; and confequently their history unworthy of being inveftigated. Some men otherwife of great merit among ourselves, give into this confined opinion. Having early imbibed their idea of exalted manners from the Greek and Roman writers, they scarcely ever afterwards have the fortitude to allow any dignity of character to any other ancient people.

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Without derogating from the fame of Greece and Rome, we may confider antiquity beyond the pale of their empire worthy of fome attention. The nobler paffions of the mind never shoot forth more free and unreftrained than in these times we call barVOL. III. A iij

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