ADVERTISEMENT. It is thought proper to give a specimen of the original Gaelic, for the satisfaction of those who doubt the authenticity of Ossian's poems. The Seventh Book of TEMORA is fixed 'on for that purpose, not from any other superior merit, than the variety of its versification. To print any part of the former collection was unnecessary, as a copy of the originals lay, for many months, in the bookseller's hands, for the inspection of the curious. Though the erroneous orthography of the bards is departed from, in many instances, in the following specimen, yet several quiescent consonants are retained, to shew the derivation of the words. This circumstance may give an uncouth appearance to the language, in the eyes of those who are strangers to its harmony. They ought, however, to consider, that a language is put to the severest test, when it is stripped of its own proper characters; especially when the power of one of them requires, sometimes, a combination of two or three Roman letters to express it. MACPHERSON. A SPECIMEN OF THE ORIGINAL OF TEMORA. BOOK VII. LINNA doir-choile na Leigo, An dlu'-ghleus, a measc na gaoith, Ta torman, a machair nan crán Se Conar ri Erin at' án, A taoma' ceo-tanais gu dlu' Air Faolan aig Lubhair nan sru' Dh'aom an tais an cheach an loin. Thaom osna, essin an fein, Ach phil an cruth aluin, gu diän Le cheo-leatain, mar shuibhal nan sian. Ata na sloigh na nsuain, san ám, An truscan cear na h'oicha: Dh' ilsich teina an ri, gu ard, Dh'aom é na aonar, air scia'. Thuit codál, mo shuillin a ghaischich, An codal so, don' fhear-phosda aig Clatho? Am bail coni do m' athair, an suain? Am bail cuina, 's mi 'ntruscan nan nial? Na schiubhal teina air Rethlan nan laoich? Ni marsin, air anam an ri, Thig gniomh seoid aluin na ncruai'-bheum. 'S cuina liom Faolan na shuain: Ghluais an ri, le sleagh, gu grad, Bhuail é 'n scia, an darra cuairt, Chluinte a screadan scé', sa n' fhasich- Leth-erich siol Albin nam buaigh Ni mo chodal, duitse é, sa nuair, Dh' erich i, sa n' oicha, le cruaim: Dh' erich a gu'-ach dh' aom é sios.- A dealra ri losga nan reul: Ni n' aslin do chodal u-fein, A nion Inis-uina na ncólg. Gu garg a mhosgul an torman; |