They now lounge along in loose
great coats, of coarse russet, equally mean and cumbersome, and
betray manifest marks of dejection -- Certain it is, the government
could not have taken a more effectual method to break their
national spirit.
We have had princely sport in hunting the stag on these mountains.
These are the lonely hills of Morven, where Fingal and his heroes
enjoyed the same pastime; I feel an enthusiastic pleasure when I
survey the brown heath that Ossian wont to tread; and hear the
wind whistle through the bending grass -- When I enter our
landlord's hall, I look for the suspended harp of that divine
bard, and listen in hopes of hearing the aerial sound of his
respected spirit -- The poems of Ossian are in every mouth -- A
famous antiquarian of this country, the laird of Macfarlane, at
whose house we dined a few days ago, can repeat them all in the
original Gallick, which has a great affinity to the Welch, not
only in the general sound, but also in a great number of radical
words; and I make no doubt that they are both sprung from the
same origin. I was not a little surprised, when asking a
Highlander one day, if he knew where we should find any game? he
replied, 'hu niel Sassenagh', which signifies no English: the
very same answer I should have received from a Welchman, and
almost in the same words.
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