shall probably hear more of the fame kind after the present poems make their appearance. Whether these fufpicions are suggested by prejudice, or are only the effects of ignorance of facts, I shall not pretend to determine. To me they give no concern, as I have it always in my power to remove them. An incredulity of this kind is natural to perfons who confine all merit to their own age and country. These are generally the weakest as well as the most ignorant of the people. Indolently confined to a place, their ideas are very narrow and circumfcribed. It is ridiculous enough, to see such people as these are branding their ancestors with the defpicable appellation of Barbarians. Sober reason can eatily difcern where the title ought to be fixed with more propriety.

"As prejudice is always the effect of ignorance, the knowing, the men of true taste, despise and difmiss it. If the poetry is good, and the characters natural and striking, to them it is a matter of indifference, whether the heroes were born in the little village of Angles in Juteland, or natives of the barren heaths of Caledonia. That honour which nations derive from ancestors worthy or renowned is merely ideal. It may buoy up the minds of individuals, but it contributes very little to their importance in the eyes of others. But of all those prejudices which are incident to narrow minds, that which measures the merit of performances by the vulgar opinion concerning the country which produced them, is certainly the most ridiculous. Ridiculous, however, as it is, few have the courage to reject it; and I am thoroughly con

vinced, that a few quaint lines of a Roman or Greek epigrammatift, if dug out of the ruins of Herculaneum, would meet with more cordial and universal applause than all the most beautiful and natural rhapsodies of all the Celtic bards and Scandinavian fcalders that ever exifted."

After the publication of Temora, Mr. Macpherson was called to an employment which withdrew him for fome time both from the muses and his country. In 1764 governor Johnstone was appointed chief of Penfacola, and Mr. Macpherson accompanied him as his fecretary. If we are not mistaken, fome difference arose between the principal and his dependent, and they parted before their return to England. Having contributed his aid to the fettlement of the civil go. vernment of that colony, he vifited several of the West-India islands, and some of the provinces of NorthAmerica, and returned to England in the year 1766.

He foon returned to his studies, and in 1771 produced "An Introduction to the History of Great Britain and Ireland," 4to. a work which, he says, "without any of the ordinary incitements to literary labour, he was induced to proceed in by the sole motive of private amusement." The fubject of this performance, it might reasonably be supposed, would not excite any violent controverfal acrimony; yet neither it nor its author could escape from several most gross and bitter invectives.

His next performance produced him neither reputation or profit. In 1773 he published "The Iliad of Homer" tranflated, in two volumes, 4to. a work fraught with

vanity and self-consequence, and which met with the most mortifying reception from the public. It was condemned by the critics, ridiculed by the wits, and neglected by the world. Some of his friends, and particularly Sir John Elliott, endeavoured to rescue it from contempt, and force it into notice. Their fuccess was not equal to their efforts. After a very acute, learned, and witty critique, which was univerfally ascribed to a gentleman still living, and inferted in the Critical Review, the new tranflation was confefsed to poffefs no merit, and ever fince has been configned to oblivion.

About this time seems to be the period of Mr. Macpherson's literary mortifications. In 1773, Dr. Johnfon and Mr. Bofwell made the Tour of the Hebrides; and in the course of it, the former took some pains to examine into the proofs of the authenticity of Offian. The refult of his enquiries he gave to the public in 1775, in his narrative of the Tour, and his opinion was unfavourable. I believe they (i. e. the poems, fays he) never exifted in any other form than that which we have feen. The editor or author never could shew the original; nor can it be shewn by any other. To revenge reasonable incredulity by refusing evidence is a degree of infolence with which the world is not yet acquainted; and stubborn audacity is the last refuge of guilt. It would be easy to thew it if he had it; but whence could it be had? It is too long to be remembered, and the language had formerly nothing written. He has doubtless inferted names that circulate in popular stories, and may have tranflated fome wandering ballads, if any VOL. XXXVIII.

can be found and the names and fome of the images being recollected, make an inaccurate auditor imagine, by the help of Caledonian bigotry, that he has formerly heard the whole." A gain, have yet supposed no imposture but in the publisher, yet I am far from certain, that some tranflations have not been lately made, that may now be obtruded as parts of the original work. Credulity on one part is a strong temptation to deceit on the other, especially to deceit of which no personal injury is the consequence, and which flatters the author with his own ingenuity. The Scots have fomething to plead for their easy reception of an improbable fiction: they are feduced by their fondness for their supposed ancestors. A Scotchman muft be a sturdy moralift who does not love Scotland better than truth: he will always love it better than enquiry, and, if falfhood flatters his vanity, will not be very diligent to detectit. Neither ought the English to be much influenced by Scotchauthority; for of the past and present state of the whole Erse nation, the Lowlanders are at least as ignorant as ourselves. To be ignorant is painful; but it is dangerous to quiet our uneasiness by the delufive opiate of hafty perfuafion."

The opinions above declared by Dr. Johnfon incensed our author so much, that he was prompted by his evil genius to fend a menacing letter to his antagonist, which produced the severe, spirited, and farcaftic reply which has been already printed in the European magazine. Whether his warmth abated, or whether he had been made fenfible of his folly by the interpofition of friends, we know not; but certain it is, we hear no more afterwards of this Вь ridiculous

r

idiculous affair, except that our author is supposed to have assisted Mr. Nicol in an answer to Dr. Johnson's Tour, printed in 1779.

In 1775 Mr. Macpherson published "The History of Great-Britain, from the restoration to the acceffion of the house of Hanover," in two vols. 4to. a work which has been decried with much clamour, but without much argument or proof. The author appears to have been influenced by some prejudices in favour of the Tory party; but his performance as far as we have had an opportunity of comparing his narrative with his authorities, is not liable to the censure thrown out upon it. In this publication he certainly acted with great fairness, as along with it he published the proofs upon which his facts were founded, in two quarto volumes, entitled, "Original Papers, containing the fecret History of Great Britain, from the restoration to the acceffion of the house of Hanover. To which are prefixed, extracts from the Life of James II. as written by himself." These papers were chiefly collected by Mr. Carte, but are not of equal authority. They however clear up many obscurities, and set the characters of many persons in past times in a different light from that in which they have been usually viewed, Soon after this period, the tide of fortune flowed very rapidly in Mr. Macpherson's favour, and his talents and industry were amply sufficient to avail himself of every favourable circumstance which arofe. The resistance of the colonies called for the aid of a ready writer to combat the arguments of the Americans, and to give force to the reasons which influenced

the conduct of government, and he was selected for the purpose. Among other things (of which we should be glad to give a more particular account) he wrote a pamphlet, which was circulated with much industry, entitled "The Rights of Great-Britain afferted against the claims of the Colonies; being an answer to the declaration of the General Congress," 8vo. 1776, and of which many editions were published. He also was the author of "A short History of the Oppofition during the laft Seffion of Parliament," 8vo. 1779, a pamphlet which, on account of its merit, was by many afcribed to Mr. Gibbon.

But a more lucrative employment was conferred on him about this time. He was appointed agent to the nabob of Arcot, and in that capacity exerted his talents in several appeals to the public in behalf of his client. Among others, he published " Letters from Mahommed Ali Khan, Nabob of Arcot, to the Court of Directors. To which is annexed, a State of Facts relative to Tanjore, with an Appendix of Original Papers," 4to. 1777; and he was supposed to be the author of "The History and Management of the East-India Company, from its Origin in 1600 to the present Times, vol. I. containing the Affairs of the Carnatic; in which the Rights of the Nabob are explained, and the Injustice of the Company proved." 4to. 1779.

In his capacity of Agent to the Nabob, it was probably thought requifite that he should have a feat in the British parliament. He was accordingly in 1780 chosen member for Camelford, but we do not re

collect that he ever attempted to speak in the house. He was alfo rechofen in 1784 and 1790.

For a few years last past his health began to fail, and he returned to his native country in expectation of receiving benefit from the change of air. He continued however to decline, and after lingering fome time, died at his feat at Bellevue, in Inverness, on the 17th of February 1796.

He appears to have died in very opulent circumstances, and by his wili, dated June 1793, gave various annuities and legacies to several persons to a great amount. He alfo bequeathed 1000l, to John Mackenfie, of Figtree court, in the Temple, to defray the expence of printing and publishing Offian in the original. He directed 3col. to be laid out in erecting a monument to his memory, in fome confpicuous fitua ion at Bellevue aforesaid, and ordered that his body should be carried from Scotland, and interred in the Abbey-church of Wettminster, the city wherein he had paffed the greatest and best part of his life,

He was accordingly brought from the place where he died, and buried in the poets-corner of the church.

Interesting history of Don Pedro and Dona Ignez de Castro. From Murphy's Travels in Portugal.

THERE are but few personages recorded in hiftory, who have been oftener celebrated by dramatic writers than this princess. There have been no less than five tragedies formed from her pitiful narrative; viz, two in English, one in French, one in Spanish, and one in Portuguese. The latter, perhaps, approaches the nearest to

the truth of history, and is not inferior in point of poetical merit. The author, Senhor Nicole Luis, had no occafion to refort to fiction to heighten the paffions of an audience, as the fimple facts are fufficient to fill up all the scenes of pity and terror, and to shew to what lengths love and revenge are capable of transporting the humanmind.

The subject of this tragical piece is as follows: Don Pedro, fon of Alonso the fourth, king of Portugal and heir apparent to the crown, having fallen in love with a lady of the court, named Dona Ignez de Castro, thought he could not share the crown which awaited him with a more amiable perfon. She united to all the charms of beauty, the most graceful and accomplished manners. The Prince, waving all confiderations of birth and fortune, was privately married to her by the bishop of Guarda.

Notwithstanding the nuptials were performed with all the secresy imaginable, yet they reached the king's ear, who had premeditated a confort for Don Pedro in the king of Caftile's daughter. He questioned him as to the truth of the report; but, knowing his father's arbitrary disposition, he thought it prudent then to conceal the fact.

The nobility also had intimation of the marriage, and the preference given to Ignez had awakened their jealousy. Hence they took every opportunity of representing her as a woman of the greatest ambition, and pretended that very fatal consequences were to be apprehended from such an alliance; they alfo condemned the prince as a rash and disobedient fon.

The king, who was a man of Bbz weak