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Mr. Macpherson, although then in town, a fingle line. Thus fruitless hitherto has been every attempt to discover a single stanza of an original-excepting what hath been tranflated from the English, to impofe it as a fpecimen of the original !'

In our Review of Mr. M'Nicol's "Remarks on Dr. Johnfon's Journey to the Western Islands," we quoted a paffage of which Mr. Shaw takes very particular notice, and in a manner of which we could not have formed the flighteft fufpicion. We fhall beg the Reader's indulgence for quoting it again, for the fake of relating a circumftance which happened in confequence of it, which it would be unpardonable to omit.

I fhall not take up my time, fays Mr. Shaw, with making obfervations on the illiberalities and fcurrilities of which it is made up: but only will point out to the world fuch a fresh inftance of impofture as will aftonish; in which Mr. M'Nicol triumphs as having proved the authenticity of Offian's poems. The book was written on purpose to eftablish the genuineness of those poems. How far it hath fucceeded, appears from the following fraud, the only argument adduced. "But as Dr. "Johnfon may think it too great a trouble to travel again to "the Highlands for a fight of old MSS. I fhall put him "in a way of being fatisfied nearer home. If he will call fome "morning on John Mackenzie, Efq; of the Temple, Secretary "to the Highland Society, he will find in London more vo"lumes in the Galic language and character, than perhaps he "will be pleased to look at, after what he hath faid. Among

thefe is a volume which contains fome of Offian's poems. On reading the laft fentence, I was overjoyed that the originals of Offian were at laft difcovered, notwithstanding my own bad fuccefs in meeting with them. Being impatient to see them, I accordingly loft no time in waiting on Mr. Mackenzie, and having looked over thefe volumes in MS. found no compofition of Offian therein. They are MS. written in the Irish dialect and character, on the fubject of Irish and Highland genealogy.There is every reafon to believe, that this is the very MS. if any, that was left at Becket's by Mr. Macpherson some time ago, with a view to impose it as that of Offian, for I am credibly informed that this piece was sent to Mr. Mackenzie by him.'

If we are to credit Mr. Shaw, there seems to have been a general combination among his countrymen, to fupport the reputation of Offian, at the expence of almoft" every virtue under heaven!" In their ideas, the very honour of Scotland is deeply interested in the difpute: and the highest encomiums, bestowed upon its present state of letters, will not atone for the flightest attempt to rob the "bard of other times" of his "bearded thistle," or his "four grey ftones of the dufky heath!'

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In my tour in the Highlands, fays Mr. Shaw, a respectable minifter begged I would fet about a tranflation of Fingal, and that he and others would undertake to prove it the compofition of Offian, and procure affidavits for that purpose.'

A gentleman promifed to ornament a fcalloped shell with filver, if I should bring him one from the Highlands, and to fwear it was the identical fhell out of which Fingal uted to drink!'

We fhould fuppofe this laft circumftance to be rather ludicrous than ferious. But Mr. Shaw marks it with a very folemn interjection!-as much as to fay-" How Scotchmen-how my Own countrymen are addicted to lying!"

But truth-TRUTH is our Author's "dear delight !"—yea, as he himself affures us in page 37. "it is dearer to him than his country!" We are not to wonder that he remained "un corrupted e'en among" Scotchmen! The fcalloped shell is ftill without its filver, and Fingal without its Earfe!

We have now difcharged the duty of impartial critics, by prefenting the Reader with a general view of this pamphlet, together with an enumeration of fome of the most striking facts that are produced in fupport of the Author's appeal:- for an Appeal it may be juftly called ;-an appeal to the common fenfe and reafon of mankind; and above all, a direct and unambiguous appeal to gentlemen, whofe profeffions and characters in life would, we should imagine, fecure their integrity, and render them fuperior to the meaner artifices of timid impofture, or the more daring affeverations of direct and palpable falfhoo. But, what fhall we fay? what can we think? To fay the leaft, we are Staggered. To give the fofteft terms to our feelings, we are shocked. There must be impofture :-there must be falfhood fomewhere.

General and diffufe reprefentations of the opinions, customs, and manners of a people at large, may be given by one author, and may be controverted by another, without fubjecting either of them to the charge of intentional deceit. Candour will make due allowance for involuntary mistakes; and fome apology may be made for prejudice itself. Objects viewed in various lights adinit of various reprefentations; and imagination will always give different colours and different dimenfions to what is not fixed in its appearance, nor definite in its limits. But in matters of plain and unequivocal fact, there is no fcope left for the play of fancy. In fuch matters, fiction is impofition; and to mifreprefent, is to falfify.

The main object of the prefent controverfy is now reduced to a very narrow compafs. Can the editor of Offian produce the originals, which he pretends to have collected in the Highlands and Hebrides? If he can, what reafon hath he to give for refufing them? The world will no longer be fatisfied without them: REV. DEC. 1781.

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and the only alternative left to Mr. Macpherson, is, their immediate communication to competent and difinterested judges; or the infamy that ought ever to ftigmatize the character of an impoftor:-the contempt and execration of the wife and good; and particularly of those who, having been deluded by novelty, or charmed by ingenuity, gave too eafy credit to his honour and veracity.

Though we are ftaggered, we will not, as yet, fay, that we are convinced. We call on Mr. Macpherson to ftep forward to vindicate himself from the opprobrium that will otherwise blacken his name, as long as Offian is heard of; and for which all the beauties of Fingaland Temora can never make an adequate atone

ment.

Let not Mr. Macpherfon affect a contemptuous fuperiority to the accufations of his enemies. "They accufe from envy"It may be faid. So much the better for Mr. Macpherson's honour: They are fooner anfwered, especially as their charges refpect fact and not fpeculation. But let him not talk of anfwering by filence. The Public will not be fatisfied at so easy a rate; nor will he himself wish to difpenfe so easily with fo ferious a charge, if he hath the fupport of truth, or the sense of honour. If he is an honeft man, he ought not to bear it; and if he is a gentleman, he will not:-for affected indifference, like "ftubborn audacity, is frequently the laft refuge of guilt."

But Mr. Macpherson is not the only perfon whofe credit in point of veracity is affected by this controverfy. The names of feveral gentlemen are directly pointed out, who are declared to have been auxiliaries in the fraud. If Meffrs. Macqueen, Macleods, Macaulay, &c. &c. have truth on their fide, they will as openly repel the attack, as it hath been openly made, on their honour; and not fuffer the world to infer their guilt from their filence.

If Dr. Blair hath been made the dupe of artifice, he ought not to be too proud to confefs it. It will fhew a greatness of foul to disavow what he is unable to vindicate; and the world will forgive his credulity, when it is convinced that he had no fhare in the impofture.

N. B. Mr. Shaw hath afferted that Doctors Blair and Fergufon were concerned in a collufion, to impofe on Dr. Percy a pretended paffage of the original Galic of Offian, by making a young Highlander repeat before him fome lines, which he declares were only a tranflation of Macpherson's English. It is proper to obferve, that Dr. Ferguson hath pofitively denied the charge by a public advertisement. Mr. Shaw hath publicly acknowledged his mistake, so far as Dr. Ferguson was faid to be acceffary to the impofition: but he ftill avers the fact to be in the main true; and we have not heard that it was ever contradicted by Dr. Blair or Dr. Percy.

B..d.k.

ART.

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ART. IV. A new Tranflation of the First Epifile of Paul the Apoftle to the Theffalonians; offered to the Public as a Specimen of an intended Verfion of the whole New Teftament, with a Preface containing a brief Account of the Author's Plan. By Gilbert Wakefield, B. A. late Fellow of Jefus College, Cambridge; and now Claffical Tutor. at Warrington Academy. 8vo. 6d. Printed at Warrington by Eyres; Sold by Johnfon in St. Paul's Church yard, London. 1781.

THE

HE method which the Author hath adopted in this fpecimen, and which he intends to purfue through his whole defign, if his firft effay fhould meet with proper encouragement, will be beft explained by the following extracts from the Preface:

It is the Author's purpofe always to follow the phrafeology of the old verfion, except where some obfolete word or form of fpeech, fome grammatical inaccuracy, or fome perverfion of the fenfe, demands an alteration.

No regard will be paid to common divifions and fubdivifions of chapter and verfe, which are altogether arbitrary, and not unfrequently very injudicious, interrupting the connection, and obfcuring the fenfe; but for the conveniency of reference, they will be ranged in the margin. Other divifions, as the fenfe and feries of the fubject fhall dictate, will be fubstituted in their room, to relieve the eye, and accommodate the reader.

• Where the idiom of the English language requires the insertion of one or more additional words, not expreffed in the original Greek, fuch infertion will be notified, as in the old verfion, by the Italic character, to prevent all misapprehenfion and complaint.

The Notes (affigning reafons for every deviation from the old verfion) fhall be as concife as perfpicuity will admit; and will be comprized in a feparate volume.

The Author intends to proceed in his work leifurely and with deliberation, and to avail himself of every advantage, that the execution of it may be as complete as poffible. He will be extremely glad of any communications from his friends and other candid and learned men, who will condefcend to adminifter to this useful undertaking.

No particular edition of the Greek Teftament will be exclufively followed. In various readings, and efpecially thofe of controverted texts, the first respect will be paid to the number and authority of the manufcripts, not altogether difregarding the scope and exigencies of the paffage. I fhall however be particularly circumfpect to adopt no readings, but what are countenanced by the authority of fome approved MSS.

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Such

420 Wakefield's Tranflation of the First Epift. to the Theffalonians.

Such is the general outline of our Author's plan. As a fpecimen of his abilities in executing it, we will present the Reader with his tranflation of the concluding part of the 4th chapter of the 1ft Epistle to the Theffalonians, together with the Notes at the end, defigned to justify his deviation from the old verfion.

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14.

But I would not have you ignorant, brethren, concerning them who are laid afleep, that you grieve not yourfelves, even as the rest of mankind who have no hope: for if we believe that Jefus died and rofe again, fo will God alfo bring through Jefus them who are laid afleep, as well 15. as him. For this we fay unto you by a direction from the Lord, that we who are alive, who remain unto the coming of the Lord, fhall not be beforehand with them who are 16. laid afleep. For the Lord himself will defcend from Heaven, with a commanding fhout, with a voice of an archangel, and with a trumpet of God, and the dead in Chrift fhall rife firft. Then we who are alive, who remain, fhall be caught up together with them in clouds, to meet the Lord in the air; and fo fhall we ever be with the 18. Lord. Wherefore encourage one another with these words.'

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Notes. — V. 14. τες κοιμηθέντας δια το Ιησε-them which fleep in Jefus, is neither agreeable to grammatical conftruction, nor the scope of the paffage. Ev Ings, not dia, would exprefs that meaning; as 1 Cor. xv. 18. And the Theffalonians had been converted but a fhort time, fo that very few, and most probably none, had died in the interval between their converfion and the writing of this Epiftle, to be the exclufive fubject of their forrow and confolation. Befides, the Apoftle is arguing from the refurrection of Chrift as the pattern, pledge, and mediate inftrument of our own: fo that an oppofition is required in the two correfponding claufes, av auTW, with him. What fenfe can this expreffion have when Chrift is already rifen? ev often means as well as, in the fame manner as. So Gal. iii. 9. The whole paffage may be thus exhibited at length: For if we believe upon good grounds, that Jefus died and rofe again, fo we muft believe, from confidering the defign of his refurrection that God will bring from among the dead, by the inftrumentality of the fame Jefus, thofe alfo who were laid afleep (i. e. all mankind), as certainly as he brought him thence.

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"V. 15. now, by a word; i. e. by a command or direction. Qiaowμer, prevent, in this fenfe [i. e. to go before], though a proper one, is become obfolete.

V. 16. xελvopati, a commanding fhout feems to exprefs the exaat meaning of the word φωνη-αρχαγγελος-σαλπιγγε α!! without the article. ε Xpis might perhaps be better rendered

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