ARGUMENT.

THIS book opens with a speech of Fingal, who sees Cathmor descending to the assistance of his flying army. The king dispatches Ossian to the relief of Fillan. He himself retires behind the rock of Cormul, to avoid the sight of the engagement between his son and Cathmor. Ossian advances. The descent of Cathmor described. He rallies the army, renews the battle, and, before Ossian could arrive, engages Fillan himself. Upon the approach of Ossian, the combat between the two heroes ceases. Ossian and Cathmor prepare to fight, but night coming on prevents them. Ossian returns to the place where Cathmor and Fillan fought. He finds Fillan mortally wounded, and leaning against a rock. Their discourse. Fillan dies his body is laid, by Ossian, in a neighbouring cave. The Caledonian army return to Fingal. He questions them about his son, and, understanding that he was killed, retires, in silence, to the rock of Carmul. Upon the retreat of the army of Fingal, the Fir-bolg advance. Cathmor finds Bran, one of the dogs of Fingal, lying on the shield of Fillan, before the entrance of the cave, where the body of that hero lay. His reflections thereupon. He returns, in a melancholy mood, to his army. Malthos endeavours to comfort him, by the example of his father Borbar-duthal. Cathmor retires to rest. The song of Sul-malla concludes the book, which ends about the middle of the third night from the opening of the poem. MACPHERSON.

TEMORA :

AN EPIC POEM.

BOOK VI.

CATHMOR' rises on his hill! Shall Fingal take the sword of Luno? But what shall become of thy fame, son of white-bosomed Clatho? Turn

1 I have, in a preceding note, observed, that the abrupt manner of Ossian partakes much of the nature of the drama. The opening of this book is a confirmation of the justness of this observation. Instead of a long detail of circumstances delivered by the poet himself, about the descent of Cathmor from the hill, whereon he sat to behold the battle, he puts the narration in the mouth of Fingal. The relation acquires importance from the character of the speaker. The concern which Fingal shews, when he beholds the rising of Cathmor, raises our ideas of the valour of that hero to the highest pitch. The apostrophes which are crowded on one another, are expressive of the per

not thine eyes from Fingal, fair daughter of Inisstore. I shall not quench thy early beam. It shines along my soul. Rise, wood-skirted Mora, rise between the war and me! Why should Fin

turbation of Fingal's soul, and of his fear for his son, who was not a match for the king of Ireland. The conduct of the poet, in removing Fingal from the sight of the engagement, is very judicious; for the king might be induced, from seeing the inequality of the combat between Fillan and Cathmor, to come to battle himself, and so bring about the catastrophe of the poem prematurely. The removal of Fingal affords room to the poet for introducing those affecting scenes which immediately succeed, and are among the chief beauties of the poem. They who can deny art to Ossian, in conducting the catastrophe of Temora, are certainly more prejudiced against the age he lived in, than is consistent with good sense. MACPHERSON, 1st edition.

In these notes of self-commendatory criticism, an obvious question is purposely overlooked; Whether the death of Fillan, in consequence of the removal of Fingal from the sight of the engagement, was an historical fact recorded by Ossian, or a mere epic artifice, employed to retard the catastrophe of the poem. In the epic poem of Fingal, the removal of that hero from the field, that his return might be the more magnificent, was a clumsy contrivance; but nothing can exceed the sentimental absurdity of the present expedient, to remove Fingal from the very sight of the engagement. The apostrophe to Clatho, in the hall of Selma, which the poet, or the son of Alpin, in the preceding book, delivers in person, is resumed by Fingal, who desires her not to turn her eyes from him; promises not to quench her early beam, and retires behind Mora, that he might have no opportunity, or temptation, to interpose for