Poems of Ossian

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1787 edition. Excerpt: ... Poems Of Ossian James Macpherson PREFACE TO THE POEMS DISCOVERED BY EDMOND BARON De HAROLD, Gentleman of the bed Chamber, and Colonel Commander of the Regiment of Konigsfeld, in the Service of his M. S. H. the Eleftor Palatin. X he great Approbation, "which the Poems given to the Public by Mr. Macpherfon have receiv'd, induc'd me to enquire whether any more of this kind of poetry fubfifted. My endeavours woud have been fruitlefs had I expeted to find complete pieces, for none fuch certainly exift: but in fearching with affiduity and care, I found, by the help of my friends, feveral fragments of old traditionary fongs, which were very fublime, and particulary remarkable for their fimplicity and elegance. I compil'd thefe fragments, which are the more valuable as the tafte for this fpecies of ancient poetry every day decreafes in the country, and that the old language threatens yifibly to be foon extinguifh'd, for it loofes ground in proportion as the englifh tongue becomes predominant, the progrefs of which is very fenfible to any perfon who has been occupied in difquifitions of this nature. From thefe fragments I have compof'd the following Poems. They are all founded on tradition; but the drefs they now appear in is mine. It will appear lingular to fome that Oflian, at times, especially in the fongs of Comfort, feems rather to be an Hibernian than a Scotchman, and that fome of thefe poems formally contradict paflages of great importance in thofe handed to the public by Mr.Macpherfon, eipecially that very remarkable one of Evir-alien, where the description of her marriage with Oflian is efTentially different in all its parts from that given in the former poems. I will fubmit the folution of this probl