not heard. I tremble for the fon of Fingal.

Why should the foe come by night? Why fhould the dark-haired warrior fail?" Distant, fullen murmurs rife : like the noife of the lake of Lego, when its waters thrink, in the days of froft, and all its bursting ice refounds. The people of Lara look to heaven, and foresee the ftorm! My fteps are forward on the heath. The fpear of Ofcar in my hand! Red stars looked from high. I gleamed, along the night.

I SAW Fillan filent before me, bending forward from Mora's rock. He heard the fhout of the foe. The joy of his foul arofe. He heard my founding tread, and turned his lifted fpear. "Comeft thou, fon of night, in peace? Or doft thou meet my wrath? The foes of Fingal are mine. Speak, or fear my fteel. I stand not, in vain, the shield of Morven's race." "Never mayft thou ftand in vain, son of blue eyed Clatho! Fingal begins to be alone. Darknefs gathers on the laft of his days. Yet he has two fons who ought to fhine in war.

Who ought

* That is, two fons in Ireland. Fergus, the fecond son of Fingal, was, at that time, on an expedition, which is mentioned in one of the leffer poems. He, according to some traditions, was the ancestor of Fergus, the son of Erc or Arcath, commonly called Fergus the fecond in the Scotch hiftories. The beginning of the reign of Fergus over the Scots, is placed, by the most approved annals of Scotland, in the fourth year of the VOL. II.

D

fifth

ought to be two beams of light, near the steps of his departure."

"SON of Fingal," replied the youth, "it is not long fince I raised the fpear. Few are the marks of my fword in war. But Fillan's foul is fire! The chiefs of Bolga * crowd around the shield of generous Cathmor. Their gathering is on that heath. Shall my fteps approach their hoft? I yielded to Ofcar alone, in the ftrife of the race, on Cona !"

FILLAN, thou shalt not approach their hoft; nor fall before thy fame is known. My name is heard in fong: when needful I advance. From the skirts of night I shall view them over all their gleaming tribes. Why, Fillan, didft thou speak of Ofcar! Why awake my figh? I muft forget

the warrior, till the ftorm is rolled

away.

fifth age: a full century after the death of Offian. The genealogy of his family is recorded thus by the Highland Senachies; Fergus Mac-Arcath Mac Chongael, Mac-Fergus, MacFion-gäel na buai'; i. e. Fergus the fon of Arcath, the fon of Congal, the, fon of Fergus, the fon of Fingal the victorious. This fubject is treated more at large, in the differtation annexed to the poem.

*The fouthern parts of Ireland went, for fome time, under the name of Bolga, from the Fir-bolg or Belge of Britain, who -fettled a colony there. Bolg fignifies a quiver, from which proceeds Fir-bolg, i. e. bow-men; fo called from their ufing bows, more than any of the neighbouring nations.

After this paffage, Ofcar is not mentioned in all Temora. The fituations of the characters who act in the poem are so in

teresting,

away. Sadness ought not to dwell in danger, nor the tear in the eye of war. Our fathers forgot their fallen fons, till the noise of arms was paft. Then forrow returned to the tomb, and the fong of bards arofe." The memory of those, who fell, quickly followed the departure of war: When the tumult of battle is paft, the foul, in filence, melts away, for the dead.

*

CONAR was the brother of Trathal, firft of mortal men. His battles were on every coaft. A thousand ftreams rolled down the blood of his foes. His fame filled green Erin, like a pleasant gale.

terefting, that others, foreign to the fubject, could not be introduced with any luftre. Though the episode, which follows, may seem to flow naturally enough from the converfation of the brothers, yet I have fhewn, in a preceding note, and, more at large, in the differtation annexed to this collection, that the poet had a farther defign in view.

* Conar, the first king of Ireland, was the fon of Trenmor, the great-grand-father of Fingal. It was on account of this family-connection, that Fingal was engaged in fo many wars in the cause of the race of Conar. Tho' few of the actions of Trenmor are mentioned, he was the most renowned name of antiquity. The moft probable opinion concerning him is, that he was the firft, who united the tribes of the Caledonians, and commanded them, in chief, against the incurfions of the Romans. The genealogifts of the North have traced his family far back, and given a lift of his ancestors to Cuan-mór nan lan, or Conmor of the fwords, who, according to them, was the firft who croffed the great fea, to Caledonia, from which circumftance his name proceeded, which fignifies Great ocean. Genealogies of so ancient a date, however, are little to be depended upon.

The nations gathered in Ullin, and they bleffed the king; the king of the race of their fathers, from the land of Selma.

THE chiefs of the fouth were gathered, in the darkness of their pride. In the horrid cave of Muma, they mixed their fecret words. Thither often, they faid, the spirits of their fathers came; fhewing their pale forms from the chinky rocks reminding them of the honor of Bolga.

Why should Conar reign," they faid, "the fon of refounding Morven ?"

THEY came forth, like the ftreams of the defart, with the roar of their hundred tribes. Conar was a rock before them: broken they rolled on every fide. But often they returned, and the fons of Selma fell. The king ftood, among the tombs of his warriors. He darkly bent his mournful face. His foul was rolled into itself; and he had marked the place, where he was to fall; when Trathal came, in his ftrength, his brother from cloudy Morven. Nor did he come

* The chiefs of the Fir-bolg who poffeffed themselves of the fouth of Ireland, prior, perhaps, to the fettlement of the Caël of Caledonia, and the Hebrides, in Ulfter. From the fequel, it appears that the Fir-bolg were, by much, the most powerful nation; and it is probable that the Caël must have fubmitted to them, had they not received fuccours from their mother-country, under the command of Conar.

alone.

alone. Colgar

was at his fide, Colgar the fon of the king and of white-bofomed Solin

corma.

As Trenmor, cloathed with meteors, defcends from the halls of thunder, pouring the dark ftorm before him over the troubled fea: fo Colgar descended to battle, and wasted the ecchoing field. His father rejoiced over the hero: but an arrow came! His tomb was raised, without a tear. The king was to revenge his fon. He lightened forward in battle, till Bolga yielded at her ftreams!

WHEN peace returned to the land: When his blue waves bore the king to Morven then he remembered his fon, and poured the filent tear. Thrice did the bards, at the cave of Furmono, call the foul of Colgar. They called him to the hills of his land. He heard them in his mift. Trathal placed his fword in the cave, the spirit of his fon might rejoice.

that

* Colg-er, fiercely-looking warrior. Sulin-corma, blue eyes. Colgar was the eldest of the fons of Trathal: Comhal, who was the father of Fingal, was very young when the prefent expedition to Ireland happened. It is remarkable, that, of all the ancestors of Fingal, tradition makes the least mention of Comhal; which, probably, proceeded from the unfortunate life and untimely death of that hero. From fome paffages, concerning him, we learn, indeed, that he was brave, but he wanted conduct.