Moran* the son of Fithil! 66 Arise," says

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the youth,

Cuthullin, arise. I see the ships of the north! Many, chief of men, are the foe. Many the heroes of the sea-borne Swaran !" "Moran!" replied the blue-eyed chief, "thou ever tremblest, son of Fithil ! Thy fears have increased the foe. It is Fingal, king † of deserts, with aid to green Erin of streams." beheld their chief," says Moran, " tall as a glittering rock. His spear is a blasted pine. His shield the rising moon! He sat on the shore! like a cloud of mist on the silent hill! Many, chief of heroes! I said, many are our hands of war. Well art thou named, the Mighty Man: but many mighty men are seen from Tura's windy walls."

"He spoke, like a wave on a rock, who in this land appears like me? Heroes stand not in my pre

Who can

sence: they fall to earth from my hand. meet Swaran in fight? Who but Fingal, king of Selma of storms? Once we wrestled on Malmor; ‡ our heels overturned the woods. Rocks fell from

of that people. We have the testimony of Tacitus, that one legion only was thought sufficient, in the time of Agricola, to reduce the whole island under the Roman yoke; which would not probably have been the case had the island been inhabited for any number of centuries before.

* Moran signifies many; and Fithil, or rather Fili, an inferior bard.

Fingal the son of Comhal, and Morna the daughter of Thaddu. His grandfather was Trathal, and great grandfather Trenmor, both of whom are often mentioned in the poem.

Meal-mór, a great hill.

their place; rivulets, changing their course, fled murmuring from our side. Three days we renewed the strife; heroes stood at a distance and trembled. On the fourth, Fingal says, that the king of the ocean fell! but Swaran says, he stood! Let dark Cuthullin yield to him, that is strong as the storms of his land!”

"No!" replied the blue-eyed chief, “I never yield to mortal man! Dark Cuthullin shall be great or dead! Go, son of Fithil, take my spear. Strike the sounding shield of Semo.* It hangs at Tura's rustling gate. The sound of peace is not its voice! My heroes shall hear and obey." struck the bossy shield. The hills,

He went. He

the rocks reply. deer start by the

The sound spreads along the wood lake of roes. Curach† leaps from the sounding rock; and Connal of the bloody spear! Crugal's breast of snow beats high. The son of Favi leaves the darkbrown hind. It is the shield of war, said Ronnar! the spear of Cuthullin, said Lugar! son of the sea put on thy arms! Calmar lift thy sounding steel ! Puno! dreadful hero, arise! Cairbar from thy red tree of Cromla! Bend thy knee, O Eth! descend from the streams of Lena. Ca-olt stretch thy side as

* Cabait, or rather Cathbait, grandfather to the hero, was so remarkable for his valour, that his shield was made use of to alarm his posterity to the battles of the family. We find Fingal making the same use of his own shield in the 4th book. A horn was the most common instrument to call the army together.

+ Cu-raoch signifies the madness of battle.

Cruth-geal, fair-complexioned.

thou movest along the whistling heath of Mora: thy side that is white as the foam of the troubled sea, when the dark winds pour it on rocky Cuthon.*

Now I behold the chiefs, in the pride of their former deeds! Their souls are kindled at the battles of old; at the actions of other times. Their eyes are flames of fire. They roll in search of the foes of the land. Their mighty hands are on their swords. Lightning pours from their sides of steel. They come like streams from the moutains; each rushes roaring from his hill. Bright are the chiefs of battle in the armour of their fathers. Gloomy and dark their heroes follow, like the gathering of the rainy clouds behind the red meteors of heaven. The sounds of crashing arms ascend. The grey dogs howl between. Unequal bursts the song of battle. Rocking Cromla + echoes round. On Lena's dusky heath they stand, like mist that shades the hills of autumn: when broken and dark it settles high, and lifts its head to heaven!

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Hail," said Cuthullin, 66 sons of the narrow vales! hail, hunters of the deer! Another sport is drawing near: It is like the dark-rolling of that wave on the coast! Or shall we fight, ye sons of war! or yield green Erin ‡

* Cu-thón, the mournful sound of waves.

+ Crom-leach signified a place of worship among the Druids. it is here the proper name of a hill on the coast of Ullin or Ulster.

Ireland, so called from a colony that settled there called Falans. Inis-fail, the island of the Fa-il or Falans.

to Lochlin! O Connal * speak, thou first of men! thou breaker of the shields! thou hast often fought with Lochlin: wilt thou lift thy father's spear?" "the spear

"Cuthullin!" calm the chief replied,

shine in battle; to

But tho' my hand

of Connal is keen. It delights to mix with the blood of thousands. is bent on fight, my heart is for the peace of Erin.† Behold, thou first in Cormac's war, the sable fleet of Swaran. His masts are many on our coast, like reeds in the lake of Lego. His ships are forests cloathed with mist, when the trees yield by turns to the squally wind. Many are his chiefs in battle. Connal is for peace! Fingal would shun his arm the first of mortal men! Fingal, who scatters the mighty, as stormy winds the heath; when streams roar thro' echoing Cona and night settles with all her clouds on the hill! Fly, thou man of peace," said Calmar,‡ “fly," said the son of Matha; " go, Connal, to thy silent

:

* Connal, the friend of Cuthullin, was the son of Caithbait prince of the Tongorma or the island of blue waves, probably one of the Hebrides. His mother was Fioncoma the daughter of Congal. He had a son by Foba of Conacharnessar, who was afterwards petty king of Ulster. For his services in the war against Swaran he had lands conferred on him, which, from his name, were called Tir-chonnuil or Tir-connel, i. e. the land of Connal.

+ Erin, a name of Ireland; from ear or iar West, and in an island. This name was not always confined to Ireland, for there is the highest probability that the Ierne of the ancients was Britain to the North of the Forth. For Ierne is said to be to the North of Britain, which could not be meant of Ireland. STRABO, 1. 2. &. 4. CASAUB, 1. 1.

Cálm-er, a strong man.

hills, where the spear never brightens in war! Pursue the dark-brown deer of Cromla: stop with thine arrows the bounding roes of Lena. But, blue-eyed son of Semo, Cuthullin, ruler of the field, scatter thou the sons of Lochlin ;* roar thro' the ranks of their pride. Let no vessel of the kingdom of Snow bound on the dark-rolling waves of Inis-tore.+ Rise, ye dark winds of Erin, rise! roar whirlwinds of Lara of hinds! Amid the tempest let me die, torn, in a cloud, by angry ghosts of men; amid the tempest let Calmar die, if ever chace was sport to him, so much as the battle of shields !"

"Calmar!" Connal slow replied, "I never fled, young son of Matha! I was swift with my friends in fight; but small is the fame of Connal! The battle was won in my presence; the valiant overcame! But, son of Semo, hear my voice, regard the ancient throne of Cormac. Give wealth and half the land for peace, till Fingal shall arrive on our coast. Or, if war be thy choice, I lift the sword and spear. My joy shall be in the midst of thousands; my soul shall lighten through the gloom of the fight!"

66

pleasant is the

"To me," Cuthullin replies, noise of arms! pleasant as the thunder of heaven, before the shower of spring! But gather all the shining tribes that I may view the sons of war! Let them pass along the heath, bright as the sun-shine before a

* The Galic name of Scandinavia in general,

+ The Orkney islands.