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

THE BRITONS ASSERTED. 301
the fchools the habit, of thinking, the turn of his
argumentation is continually irregular, and the
general force of his reafonings weak and feeble.
He is admirably adapted for the bri/k elfays of a
fkirmifhing war. But he has unwarily entered
into a battle, where heavy armour and praftifed
evolutions are fure to gain the day. Not a fteadi-
ly diflinguifliing thinker, not a perfeveringly
accurate reafoner, hels foon confounded with the
multiplicity of his own ideas, and feldom fees the
object di[lin£l;ly at which he levels his argument.
Spending himfelf too much in attentions to the
colouring of his Itylc, and throwing himfelf out
zn a gay irradiation of language, he has no incli-
nation to examine his arguments feverely, and
no power to exert the rigours of criticifm upon
them; as the birds under the tropicks have
their fuperior gaiety of plumage deducted to
them, by the deprivation of almoft all the powers
of harmony.
From this want of difcrimination in his ideas,
and from this defeft of accuracy in his reafonings,
Mr. Macpherfon has even fallen into repeated
and grofs contradiftions. And this is the moft
(Iriking feature in the whole afpe^ of his work.
The inconfiftencies of his reafonings are fo great,
and the oppofitions in his quotations, remarks,
and incidents are fo palpable, that his arguments
have been compleatly deftroyed before, by being
only fet in array again ft each other. The coa-
trariety