selections from Percy included "Chevy Chase," "Edward," "The Boy and
the Mantle," "King Estmere," "Waly, Waly," "Sir Patric Spens," "Young
Waters," "The Bonny Earl of Murray," "Fair Margaret and Sweet William,"
"Sweet William's Ghost," "The Nut-Brown Maid," "The Jew's Daughter,"
etc., etc.; but none of the Robin Hood ballads. Herder's preface
testifies that the "Reliques" was the starting-point and the kernel of
his whole undertaking. "Der Anblick dieser Sammlung giebts offenbar dass
ich eigentlich von _Englishchen_ Volksliedern ausging und auf sie
zurueckkomme. Als vor zehn und mehr Jahren die 'Reliques of Ancient
Poetry' mir in die Haende fielen, freuten mich einzelne Stuecke so sehr,
dass ich sie zu uebersetzen versuchte."--_Vorrede zu den Volksliedern.
Herder's Saemmtlichee Werke_, Achter Theil, s. 89 (Carlsruhe, 1821).

[52] Stanzas 44-46, book i. bring in references to ballad literature in
general and to "The Nut-Brown Maid" and "The Children in the Wood" in
particular.

[53] Book I. stanzas 32-34.

CHAPTER IX.

Ossian

In 1760 appeared the first installment of MacPherson's "Ossian."[1]
Among those who received it with the greatest curiosity and delight was
Gray, who had recently been helping Mason with criticisms on his
"Caractacus," published in 1759. From a letter to Walpole (June 1760) it
would seem that the latter had sent Gray two manuscript bits of the as
yet unprinted "Fragments," communicated to Walpole by Sir David
Dalrymple, who furnished Scotch ballads to Percy. "I am so charmed,"
wrote Gray, "with the two specimens of Erse poetry, that I cannot help
giving you the trouble to inquire a little farther about them; and should
wish to see a few lines of the original, that I may form some slight idea
of the language, the measures and the rhythm. Is there anything known of
the author or authors; and of what antiquity are they supposed to be? Is
there any more to be had of equal beauty, or at all approaching it?"

In a letter to Shonehewer (June 29,) he writes: "I have received another
Scotch packet with a third specimen . . . full of nature and noble wild
imagination."[2] And in the month following he writes to Wharton: "If
you have seen Stonehewer, he has probably told you of my old Scotch
(rather Irish) poetry. I am gone mad about them. They are said to be
translations (literal and in prose) from the _Erse_ tongue, done by one
MacPherson, a young clergyman in the Highlands. He means