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The genuine history of the Britons asserted against Mr. Macpherson ...

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THE BRITONS ASSERTED. 19^-<br />

fpe£tive compliment on a recent and notorious<br />

event, tranfgreffed <strong>the</strong> bounds <strong>of</strong> reality, and<br />

threw in imaginary incidents ; and that <strong>the</strong>re-<br />

fore we could not reafon from any, even, <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong><br />

fafts which are recorded by him. And yet here<br />

<strong>Mr</strong>. Macpherfon can reafon from his ufe <strong>of</strong> words<br />

only. We are taught before by our author,<br />

that "k is idle to fearch for faft in <strong>the</strong> Hj^per-<br />

" boles <strong>of</strong> poetry.'' And yet here he himft f<br />

fearches for a faft in fome lines, which he<br />

fupp<strong>of</strong>es to be fo hyperbolical, as to be full<br />

<strong>of</strong> ** invention, exaggeration, and flattery;" and<br />

even fearches for it in a criticifm upon a fmgle<br />

word. If Claud ian looks unfriendly upon his<br />

Hypo<strong>the</strong>fis, even his particular and recent in-<br />

cidents are all hyperbole and fancy. But if<br />

he can be brought to caft <strong>the</strong> coldeft look<br />

<strong>of</strong> favour upon it, even his language, even a<br />

word confeffedly poetical, is nei<strong>the</strong>r hyperbo-<br />

lical nor poetical any more.—So far for con-<br />

lillency : now for propriety. Tcthys, it is faid,<br />

fignifies Ocean, a name by u^hich ihc channel<br />

between Ireland and Caledonia was never digni-<br />

fied. And this criticifm, we are triumphantly<br />

told, " is fufficient to delitroy <strong>the</strong> whole force <strong>of</strong><br />

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