Our

We heard the words of the chief with joy, and moved in the clang of our arms. fteps are on the woody hill. Heaven burns with all its ftars. The meteors of death fly over the field. The diftant noife of the foe reached our ears. It was then Gaul spoke, in his valour; his hand half-unfheathed the fword.

Son of Fingal, be faid, why burns the foul of Gaul? My heart beats high. My fteps are disordered; and my hand trembles on my fword. When I look towards the foe, my foul lightens before me, and I fee their fleeping hoft. Tremble thus the fouls of the valiant in battles of the fpear? How would the foul of Morni rife, if we fhould rufh on the foe! Our renown would grow in the fong; and our fteps be ftately in the eyes of the brave.

Son of Morni, I replied, my foul delights in battle. I delight to fhine in battle alone, and to give my name to the bards. But what, if the foe fhould prevail; fhall I behold the eyes of the king? They are terrible in his displeasure, and like the flames of death. But I will not behold them in his wrath. Offan fhall prevail or fall. But fhall the fame of

the

ke a fhadow.

the vanquished rife? -- They pafs away li But the fame of Offian fhall ri fe. His deeds fhall be like his fathers. Let us rush in our arms; fon of Morni, let us rufh to battle. Gaul! if thou fhalt return, go to Selma's lofty wall. Tell to Evirallin, *) that I fell with fame; carry this fword to Branno's daughter. Let her give it to Ofcar, when the years of his youth shall arife.

Son of Fingal, Gaul replied with a figh; fhall I return after Offian is low? What would my father fay, and Fingal king of men? The feeble would turn their eyes and fay, "Behold the mighty Gaul, who left his friend "in his blood!" Ye fhall not behold me, ye feeble, but in the midst of my renown. Offi an! I have heard from my father the mighty deeds of heroes; their mighty deeds when alo ne; for the foul increases in danger.

Son of Morni, I replied, and ftrode before him on the heath; our fathers fhall praife our valour, when they mourn our fall. A beam of

glád

*) Offian had married her a little time before. The ftory of his courtship of this lady is introduced, as an episode, in the fourth book of Fingal.

gladness fhall rife on their fouls, when their eyes are full of tears. They will fay, "Our "fons have not fallen like the grafs of the field, "for they fpread death around them."

But why fhould we think of the narrow house? The fword defends the valiant. But death purfues the flight of the feeble; and their renown is not heard.

We rushed forward through night; and came to the roar of a ftream, which bent its blue courfe round the foe, through trees that ecchoed to its noife; we came to the bank of the ftreain, and faw the fleeping hoft. Their fires were decayed on the plain; and the lonely fteps of their fcouts were diftant far. I ftretched my fpear before me, to fupport my steps over the ftream. But Gaul took my hand, and、 fpoke the words of the valiant.

Shall the fon of Fingal rush on a fleeping foe? Shall he come like a blast by night, when

*) This propofal of Gaul is much more noble, and more agreeable to true heroifin, than the behaviour of Ulyffes and Diomed in the Iliad, or that of Nifus and Euryalus in the Æneid. What his valour and generosity suggested, became the

founda

when it overturns the young trees in secret? Fingal did not thus receive his fame, nor dwells renown on the gray hairs of Morni, for actions like thefe. Strike, Offian, ftrike the shield of battle, and let their thoufands rife. Let them meet Gaul in his firft battle, that he may try the ftrength of his arm.

My foul rejoiced over the warrior, and my bursting tears defcended. And the foe fhall meet Gaul, I faid: the fame of Morni's fon fhall arife. But rufh, not too far, my hero: let the gleam of thy fteel be near to OMan. Let our hands join in flaughter. - Gaul! doft thou not behold that rock? Its gray fide dimly gleams to the ftars, If the foe fhall prevail, let our back be towards the rock. Then fhall they fear to approach our fpears; for death is in our hands.

I ftruck

foundation of his fuccefs. For the enemy being dismayed with the found of Offian's fhield, which was the common fignal of battle, thought that Fingal's whole army came to attack them; fo that they fly in reality from an army, not from two heroes; which reconciles the story to probability.

B

Then let our fteps *) be flow, replied the fair haired Gaul; left the foe fay, with a fimile, "Behold the warriors of night, they are, like "ghofts, terrible in darkness, but they melt "away before the beam of the east." Offian, take the fhield of Gormar who fell beneath thy fpear; that the aged heroes may rejoice, when they fhall behold the actions of their fons.

Such were our words on the plain, when Sulmath **) came to car-borne Lathmon: Sulmath chief of Dutha at the dark-rolling ftream of Duvranna ***). Why doft thou not rush, fon

*) The behaviour of Gaul, throughout this poem, is that of a hero in the molt exalted fenfe. The modesty of Offian, concerning his own actions, is not lefs remarkable than his impartiality with regard to Gaul; for it is well known, that Gaul afterwards rebelled against Fingal, which might be fuppofed to have bred prejudices against him in the breaft of Offian. But as Gaul, from an enemy, became Fingal's firmest friend and greateft hero, the poet paffes over one flip in his conduct, on account of his inany virtues.

**) Suil - mhath, a man of good eye-fight.

What

***) Dubh bhranna, dark mountain - stream. river went by this name, in the days of Offian,