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fide; he drew the bow: the fell. Unerring is thy hand, I faid, but feeble was the foe. We fought, nor weak was the ftrife of death: He funk beneath my fword. We laid them in two tombs of stones; the unhappy children of youth.

SUCH have I been in my, youth, O. Ofcar; be thou like the age of Fingal. Never feek the battle, nor fhun it when it comes.Fillan and Oscar of the dark-brown hair; ye children of the race; fly over the heath of roaring winds; and view the fons of Lochlin. Far off I hear the noise of their fear, like the forms of echoing Cona. Go: that they may not fly my fword along the waves of the north.For many chiefs of Erin's race lie here on the dark bed of death. The children of the ftorm are low; the fons of echoing Cromla.

THE heroes flew like two dark clouds; two dark clouds that are the chariots of ghofts; when air's dark children come to frighten haplefs men.

Ir was then that Gaul*, the fon of Morni, flood like a rock in the night. His fpear is glittering

*Gaul, the fon of Morni, was chief of a tribe that difputed long, the pre-eminence, with Fingal himself. They were reduced at last to obedience, and Gaul, from an enemy, turned Fingal's best friend and greatest hero. His character is some

glittering to the ftars; his voice like many ftreams. Son of battle, cried the chief, O Fingal, king of fhells! let the bards of many fongs footh Erin's friends to reft. And, Fingal, sheath thy fword of death; and let thy people fight. We wither away without our fame; for our king is the only breaker of fhields. When morning rifes on our hills, behold at a diftance our deeds. Let Lochlin feel the fword of Morni's fon, that bards may fing of me. Such was the cuftom heretofore of Fingal's noble race. Such was thine own, thou king of fwords, in battles of the fpear.

O SON of Morni, Fingal replied, I glory in thy fame.Fight; but my fpear fhall be near to aid thee in the midft of danger. Raife, raise the voice, fons of the fong, and lull me into reft. Here will Fingal lie amidst the wind of night. And if thou, Agandecca, art near, among the children of thy land; if thou fitteft on a blast of wind among the high-fhrowded mafts of Lochlin; come to my dreams *, my fair one, and shew thy bright face to my foul.

thing like that of Ajax in the Iliad; a hero of more ftrength than conduct in battle. He was very fond of military fame, and here he demands the next battle to himself.-The poet, by an artifice, removes Fingal, that his return may be the more magnificent.

The poet prepares us for the dream of Fingal in the next book.

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MANY a voice and many a harp in tuneful founds arofe. Of Fingal's noble deeds they fung, and of the noble race of the hero. And fometimes on the lovely found was heard the name of the now mournful Offian.

OFTEN have I fought, and often won in battles of the fpear. But blind, and tearful, and forlorn I now walk with little men. O Fingal, with thy race of battle, I now behold thee not. The wild roes feed upon the green tomb of the mighty king of Morven.-Bleft be thy foul, thou king of fwords, thou moft renowned on the hills of Cona!

FINGAL,

FING AL,

AN ANCIENT

EPIC POE M.

BOOK IV.

F 3

The action of the poem being fufpended by night, Offian takes that opportunity to relate his own actions at the lake of Lego, and his courtship of Evirallin, who was the mother of Ofcar, and had died fome time before the expedition of Fingal into Ireland. Her ghoft appears to him, and tells him that Ofcar, who bad been fent, the beginning of the night, to obferve the enemy, was engaged with an advanced party, and almost overpowered. Offian relieves his fon; and an alarm is given to Fingal of the approach of Swaran. The king rifes, calls his army together, and, as be bad promifed the preceding night, devolves the command on Gaul the son of Morni, while be himself, after charging his fons to behave gallantly and defend his people, retires to a hill, from whence he could have a view of the battle. The battle joins; the poet relates Ofcar's great allions. But when Ofcar, in conjunction with his father, conquered in one wing, Gaul, who was attacked by Swaran in perfon, was on the point of retreating in the other. Fingal fends Ullin his bard to encourage him with a war fong, but notwithstanding Swaran prevails; and Gaul and his army are obliged to give way. Fingal, defcending from the bill, rallies them again: Swaran defifts from the purfuit, possesses bimfelf of a rifing ground, restores the ranks, and waits the approach of Fingal. The king, having encouraged his men, gives the neceffary orders, and renews the battle. Cuchullin, who, with his friend Connal, and Carril bis bard, had retired to the cave of Tura, bearing the noife, came to the brow of the bill, which overlooked the field of battle, where he faw Fingal engaged with the enemy. He, being bindered by Connal from joining Fingal, who was himself upon the point of obtaining a complete victory, fends Carril to congratulate that hero on bis fuccefs.

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