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

[ 295 3
I HAVE now gone over the whole extent
of Mr. Macpherfon's arguments with regard
to the Britilh hiflory. And I have gone over
them with a minutenefs of attention and a
pundluahty of reply, that was fcarcely ever be-
flowed upon a work before. This I owed to
the great credit which Mr. Macpherfon has ob-
tained by his differtation with the pubhc, to
the high efteem which I entertain for his abili-
ties and genius, and to the great importance and
obfcurity of the hiflory. Not a iingle argument
in the Introdu£tion, I believe, is omitted in the
reply to it. And my anfwers, I hope, have not
turned upon little and circumftantial points, but
on the main and effential parts of the queftion.
They have not fluttered merely in idle oftentations
of vidory over words and fyllables. And
they have not endeavoured to catch Mr. Macpherfon
infidioufly in the mere eddy of argumen-
tation. I have conftantly charged him home, I
think, upon the great and leading particulars of
the queftion. And when I have done this, when I
have (liewn the infufficiency of any argument as
to its principal end and defign, I have then endea-
voured to point out the fubordinate miflakes in
it. I have endeavoured to break the phalanx
that was particularly oppofed to me at the time
and, when the rout was begun, I havefludied to
improve the victory by purfuing the runaways,
and by picking up as many of them as I could.
U 4
Thcfc