His life was continually employed in wars, and to his exploits he often refers, to sooth his sorrows, when, in old age, he could no longer lift the spear. He lived to old age. He survived almost all his family and compan ions. Malvina alone, the (laughter of Toscar, a petty prince of one of the Hebrides Isles, his son Oscar's wife, remained to attend and to comfOrt him, and probably survived him ; to her he addressed most of his poems, or rather history. He lost his eyesight, which lie feelingly laments. But, according to a poem in the possession of the writer of this article, it is said that he recovered it before he died. This may have been. The mode in which he recovered it partakes of the marvellous. We have, however, known several old men, who could see but very imperfectly for years, and yet whose sight un proved some time before they died. At what period Ossian died cannot now be exactly ascertained; as little can we ascertain with any degree of historical accuracy where he was buried. His tomb, at least a tomb called Ossian's, is believed by the natives, who cherish his me mory with pious veneration, to be in Glen Almond, some miles north of Crieff, in Perthshire, next to Glenco, one of the most romantic glens in Caledonia. Considering that the scene of his warlike exploits was generally in the west and south-west of Scotland, or in Ireland, though he warred also against the king of the world, it admits of some doubt whether his body could have been deposited in the rocky and sublime valley of the river Almond.
Here it may not be improper to remark, that every tribe, at least sixteen in number, vied with one another to do honour to a prince, a poet and a warrior, whose name to the present hour is so sacredly cherished ; and to ques tion whose poems is so keenly resented.
Many of these poems, which have made such a noise over all Europe, must have been lost. Indeed, the few that remain furnish abundant proof of the fact, that they came down to us in a mutilated state. In this state, however, we boldly venture to assert they have come down ; and had it not been for the patriotic and immortal exertions of Mr. James Macpherson, to whom his country men, and all lovers of taste, cannot be too grateful, by this time it is probable that not a fragment of them could be found.
The authenticity of these poems has been very naturally called in question ; and therefore the principal intention of this article is to place that subject in a proper point of view, premising that for our own parts it is a matter of very little consequence whether they are the poems of Ossian or of Mr. Macpherson. We must assert, however, that if Mr. Macpherson, whose abilities have not received from his adversaries their due mced of praise, could have composed such poems, so completely divested of all symptoms of imitation and modern ideas, it would be one of the greatest wonders that poetic history ever exhibited, and one of the highest attainments ever mortal bard has reached.
In stating the ,arguments on both sides in this contro versy, and the limits of our work only permit us to state them, the situation and character of Mr. Macpherson, we should think, is the first object of consideration.
That he was a man capable of writing beautiful Gaelic poems respecting the heroic age of our fathers, we do not deny ; for he had a lofty genius and daring which would attempt any thing in historical literature. But knowing, as he did, the character of his countrymen, to attempt to impose upon them a spurious modern composition under the name of Ossian, would have stamped his character with a degree of audacity which must have involved him in shame and defeat. Those who knew hint best, as Dr. Blair, Dr. Furguson, Mr. Home, and Dr. Carlyle, all concur in opinion, that he was the most unfit man upon earth to attempt such a design, even if it were practicable. What has been urged against him, as unreasonable and suspicious, in not satisfying cavillers, who by the by did not understand one word of his language, is to us'one of the strongest proofs of his honesty. Upon authority which cannot by any rational being be disputed, he asserted that he was merely the translator of the poems which bore the name of Ossian. He asserted that he had the originals in his possession, and invited all men to inspect them A part of them he published. To that part no one could object, as it bore the strongest marks of ancient composition. This part, 7th book of Temora, has been examined and criticised over and over again ; and by none more severely than by the author of this article, and yet every one was forced to confess, that it was a genuine composition, of an age long prior to that of Mr. Macpher son. Though it is not our purpose to draw the character of Mr. Macpherson, we must here observe, that nothing but an invincible principle of honesty could have prevent ed him from yielding to the opinion which attempted to make him the author of the poems which he ascribed to Ossian. Every motive urged an avowal of his poetic im posture, and we could shew that he was not insensible of the opportunity offered to hint, indeed pressed upon him, to make this avowal. But though we should suppose him altogether void of honourable principle, which was far from being the case, he knew well that twenty thousand Caledonians stood arrayed against him to oppose his claims to a sovereignty to which he had no title, but that of making it known to nations who never heard of it before.