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

300 THE GENUINE HISTORY OF
dark, inaccurate, indirect, and contradiftory. No
regular and Heady light is diffufcd through the
whole, that, like the dawn of day, gradually in-
creafes as it continues, and enlarges as it pro-
ceeds, till it is carried at laft to a meridian bright-
nefs. But, in (lead of this, a mere twilight prevails
over the work, that gives us continually an in-
diilinftnefs of objefts, and jufl " flings half an
*' image on the draining eye ;'* that, clear in
the commencement, is gradually dimmed in the
progrefs, one (hade fpreading over another, till
the obje£ls, that firft attracted our attention, fuc'
celTively fmk from the fight and are forgotten,
and the author at laft is nearly lofing himfelf and
his reader in the dark.
This is, I believe, as juft a reprefentation as
can be given, even by the hand of candour itfelf,
of the conduct of Mr. Macpherfon in the general
profecution of his arguments. He has all the
marks of genius and fenfibility about him, but
of a genius not tutored in argumentadon, and
of a fenfibility not reduced under the difci-
pline of thought. He thinks ftrongly, but not
regularly. His mind fhoots out in vigorous and
fpirited fallies of fentiment : but it is not accuf-
tomed to keep up its vigour, and to maintain its
fpirit, in a painful deduction of ideas. Bleft by
nature with the power, but not borrowing from
the