ARGUMENT to Book III. MORNING Coming on, Fingal, after a speech to his people, devolves the command on Gaul, the son of Morni; it being the cuftom of the times, that the king fhould not engage, till the neceffity of affairs required his fuperior valour and conduct. The king and Offian retire to the rock of Cormul, which overlooked the field of battle. The bards fing the war-feng. The general conflict is defcribed. Gaul, the fon of Morni, diftinguishes himself; kills Tur-lathon, chief of Moruth, and other chiefs of leffer name. On the other hand, Foldath, who commanded the Irish army (for Cathmor, after the example of Fingal, kept himself from battle) fights gallantly; kills Connal, chief of Dun-lora, and advances to engage Gaul himself. Gaul, in the mean time, being wounded in the hand, by a.random arrow, is covered by Fillan, the fon of Fingal, who performs prodigies of valour. Night comes on. The horn of Fingal recalls his army. The bards meet them, with a congra tulatory fong, in which the praifes of Gaul and Fillan are particularly celebrated. The chiefs fit down at a feaft; Fingal miffes Connal. The epifode of Connal and Duthcaron is introduced; which throws further light on the ancient hiftory of Ireland. Carril is difpatched to raise the tomb of Connal. The action of this book takes up the fecond day, from the opening of the poem. TEM ORA: ་ A N 3 EPIC WH POEM. BOOK III. HO is that, at blue-ftreaming Lubar? Who, by the bending hill of roes? Tall, he leans on an oak torn from high, by nightly winds. Who but Comhal's fon, brightening in the last of his fields? His grey hair is on the breeze. He half unheaths the fword of Luno. His eyes are turned to Moi-lena, to the dark moving of foes. Doft thou hear the voice of the king? It is like the bursting of a stream, in the defart, when it comes, between its ecchoing rocks, to the blafted field of the fun! " WIDE-SKIRTED comes down the foe! Sons of woody Selma, arife. Be ye like the rocks of our land, on whofe brown fides are the rolling of ftreams. A beam of joy comes on foul. I fee the foe mighty before me. my foul, It is when HE is feeble, that the fighs of Fingal are heard: left death fhould come, without renown, and darkness dwell on his tomb. Who shall lead the war, against the host of Alnecma? It is, only when danger grows, that my fword fhall fhine. Such was the cuftom, heretofore, of Trenmor the ruler of winds! and thus defcended to battle the blue-fhielded Trathal !" Each THE chiefs bend toward the king. darkly feems to claim the war. They tell, by halves, their mighty deeds. They turn their eyes on Erin, But far before the reft the fon of Morni ftands. Silent he ftands, for who had not heard of the battles of Gaul? They rofe within his foul. His hand, in fecret, fcized the fword. The word which he brought from Strumon, when the ftrength of Morni failed *: I Strumon, fream of the bill, the name of the feat of the family of Gaul, in the neighbourhood of Selma. During Gaul's expedition to Tromathon, mentioned in the poem of Oithona, Morni his father died. Morni ordered the word of Strumon, (which had been preserved, in the family, as a relique, from the days of Colgach, the most renowned of his ancestors) to be laid by his fide, in the tomb at the fame time, leaving it in charge to his fon, not to take it from thence, till he was reduced to the laft extremity. Not long after, two of his brothers being flain, in battle, by Coldaronnan, chief of Clutha, Gaul went to his father's tomb to take the fword. His addrefs to the fpirit of the deceased hero, is the fubject of the following fhort poem. ON 5ON his fpear leans Fillan of Selma, in the, wandering of his locks. Thrice he raifes his eyes fisɗt.odw dmot els to "Breaker of ecchoing fhields, whofe head is deep in hades; hear me from the darknefs of Clora, O fon of Colgach, hear! No rustling, like the eagle's wing, comes over the course of my ftreams. Deep bofomed in the midft of the defart, O king of Strumon, hear! Dwelleft thou in the fhadowy breeze, that pours its dark wave over the grafs ? Ceafe to ftrew the beard of the thiftle; O chief of Clora, hear! Or rideft thou on a beam, amidst the dark trouble of clouds ? Poureft thou the loud wind on feas, to roll their blue waves over ifles? hear me, father of Gaul; amidst thy terrors, hear! The rufling of eagles is heard, the murmuring oaks thake their heads on the hills: dreadful and pleasant is thy approach, friend of the dwelling of heroes. 3 MORNI. Who awakes me, in the midst of my cloud, where my locks of mift fpread on the winds? Mixed with the noife of ftreams, why rifes the voice of Gaul? Como in GA UL. Tost 2011 My foes are around me, Morni: their dark fhips defcend from their waves. LoGive the fword of Strumon, that beam which thou hideft in thy night.deydi mentio Take the fword of refounding Strumon; I look on thy war, my fon;' I look, a dim meteor, from my cloud: blue fhielded Gaul, deftroy." 201ŝi baks to all to thigh ob bull of oow Clatho was the daughter of Cathulla, king of Iniftore. Fingal, in one of his expeditions to that ifland, fell in love. |