Note 1 — Zhukovsky.

It will immediately occur to the readers of Ossian, that the personages, sentiments, and scenery of this poem are derived from him. The conviction of their high antiquity (notwithstanding what Adelung has written) is very general in the north of Europe, and I have often heard that conviction expressed by those who have gone very profoundly into the history of Runic and Gothic poetry. Whatever be their date, the inquiry as to their literary merit is very distinct from it. With the exception of Gray’s Elegy, (of which I have seen a collection of more than one hundred and fifty versions,) there is nothing, probably, in our language, which has been more frequently translated. There are many translations and imitations in Russian besides this of Zhukovsky,—by Kostrov, Grædich, Visheslavtzev, Oserov, Kapnist, &c.

To the first edition I added a specimen of Dutch poetry, of which Ossian was the subject, and ventured to speak of the great excellence of Vondel, Hooft, Helmers, Tollens, and other poets of Holland. I have now decided on publishing a little volume of specimens, in which I have made considerable progress.