Why doft thou wander in defarts, like a light thro' a cloudy field? The young roes are pant ing, by their fecret rocks.` Return, thou daughter of kings; the cloudy night is near.

It was the young branch of Lumon, Sulmalla of blue eyes. She fent the bard from her rock, to bid us to her feaft. Amidft the fong we fat down, in Conuior's ecchoing hall. White moved the hands of Sul-malla, on the tremb

The exact correfpondence in the manners and cuftoms of Inis - huna, as here defcribed, to thofe of Caledonia, leaves no room to doubt, that the inhabitants of both were originally the fame people. Some may alledge, that Offian might transfer, in his poetical defcriptions, the manner of his own nation to foreigners. The objection is easily anfwered; for had Offlan used that freedom in this paffage, there is no reason why he fhould paint the manners of the Scandinavians fo different from thofe of the Caledonians. We find, however, the former very different in their cuftoms and fuperftitions from the nations of Britain and Ireland. The Scandinavian nanners are remarkably barbarous and fierce, and feem to mark out a nation much lefs advanced in civil fociety, than the inhabitants of Britain were in the times of Offian.

trembling ftrings. Half-heard, amidst the found, was the name of Atha's king: he that was abfent in battle for her own green land. Nor abfent from her foul was he; he came midft her thoughts by night: Ton-thena looked in, from the fky, and faw her toffing arms.

The found of the fhells had ceafed. Amidst long locks, Sul- malla rofe. She fpoke with bended eyes, and afked of our courfe thro' feas, "for of the kings of men

riders of the wave *).”

are ye, tall Not unknown, I faid,

*) Sul-nalla here discovers the quality of Offian and Ofcar, from their ftature and ftately gait. Among nations, not far advanced in civilization, a fuperior beauty and ftateliness of perfon were infeparable from nobility of blood. It was from thefe qualities, that those of family were known by trangers, not from tawdry trappings of ftate injudiciously thrown round them. The cause of this diftinguishing property, must, in some measure, be afcribed to their unmixed blood. They had no inducement to intermarry with the vulgar and no low notions of intereft made them deviate from their choice, in their own sphere. In ftates, where luxury has been long

:

eftab

I faid, at his ftreams is he, the father of our race. Fingal has been heard of at Cluba, blueeyed daughter of kings. Nor only, at

Cona's ftream, is Oflian and Ofcar known. Foes trembled at our voice, and fhrunk in other lands.

Not unmarked, faid the maid, by Sulmalla, is the fhield of Morven's king. It hangs high, in Conmor's hall, in memory of the paft; when Fingal caine to Cluba, in the days of other years. Loud roared the boar of Culdarnu, in the midst of his rocks and woods. Inis

huna fent her youths, but they failed; and virgins wept over tombs. Careless went

the king to Culdarnu. On his fpear rolled the ftrength of the woods. He was bright, they faid, in his locks, the first of mortal

1

men.

eftablifhed, I am told, that beauty of perfon is, by no means, the characteristic of antiquity of family. This must be attributed to thofe enervating vices, which are infeparable from luxury and wealth. A great family, (to alter a little the words of the historian) it is true, like a river, becomes confiderable from the length of its course: but, as it rolls on, hereditary distempers, as well as property, flow fucceffively into it.

men.

Nor at the feaft were heard' his words. His deeds paffed, from his foul of fire, like the rolling of vapours from the face of the wandering fun. - Not careless looked the blue eyes of Cluba on his fately fteps. In white bofoms rofe the king of Selma, in midst of their thoughts by night. But the winds bore the stranger to the ecchoing vales of his Nor loft to other lands was he, like a meteor that finks in a cloud. He came forth, at times, in his brightness, to the diftant dwelling of foes. His fame came, like

roes.

the found of winds, to Cluba's woody vale *).

Dark

*) Too partial to our own tiines, we are ready to mark out remote antiquity, as the region of ignorance and barbarifim. This, perhaps, is extending our prejudices too far. It has been long remarked, that knowledge, in a great measure, is founded on a free intercourfe between mankind; and that the mind is enlarged in propor tion to the obfervations, it has made upon the inanners of different men and nations.

If

we look, with attention, into the hiftory of Fingal, as delivered by Offian, we shall find that he was not altogether a poor ignorant hunter,

con

Darknefs dwells in Cluba of harps: the race of kings is diftant far; in battle is Conmor of pears; and Lormar *) king of ftreams. Nor darkening alone are they; a beam, from other lands,

confined to the narrow corner of an ifland. His expeditions to all parts of Scandinavia, to the north of Germany, and the different ftates of Great Britain and Ireland, were very numerous, and performed under fuch a character, and at fuch times, as gave him an opportunity to mark the undisguifed manners of mankind.

War and an active life, as they call forth, by turns, all the powers of the foul, prefent to us the different characters of men: in times of peace and quiet, for want of objects to exert them, the powers of the mind lie concealed, in a great measure, and we fee only artificial paffions and manners. It is from this confideration I conclude, that a traveller of penetration could gather more genuine knowledge from a tour of ancient Gaul, than from the minutest obfervation of all the artificial manners, and elegant refinements of modern France.

*) Lormar was the fon of Connor, and the brother After the death of Conmor, Lor

of Sul-malla.

mar fucceeded him in the throne.