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CATH-LODA:

A

POEM.

DUAN THIRD,

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Lochlin.

ran.

ARGUMENT.

Offian, after fome general reflections, defcribes the fi tuation of Fingal, and the pofition of the army of The converfation of Starno and SwaThe epifode of Cormar-trunar and Foinar - bragal. Starno, from his own example, recommends to Swaran, to furprize Fingal, who had retired alone to a neighbouring hill. Upon Swaran's refufal, Stárno undertakes the enterprize himself, is overcome, and taken prisoner, by Fingal. He is dismiffed, after a fevere reprimand

for his cruelty.

CATH-LODA:

A

POEM.

DUAN THIRD,

W

hence is the ftream of years? Whither

do they roll along? Where have they hid, in mist, their many-coloured fides? I look into the times of old, but they feem dim to Offian's eyes, like reflected moon - beams, on a diftant lake. Here rife the red beams of war There, filent, dwells a feeble race! They mark no years with their deeds, as flow they pafs along. Dweller between the fhields; thou that awakeft the failing foul, defcend from hy wall, harp, of Cona, with thy voices three! Come with that which kindles the paft: rear the forms of old, on their own dark-brown years!

4

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*) Uthorno, hill of ftorms, I behold my

race on thy fide. Fingal is bending, in night, Near him are

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over Duth - maruno's tomb.

the fteps of his heroes, hunters of the boar. -

By

*) The bards, who were always ready to fupply
what they thought deficient in the poems of Of
fian, have inferted a great many incidents be-
tween the fecond and third duän of Cath-loda.
Their interpolations are so easily distinguished
from the genuine remains of Offian, that it took
me very little time to mark them out, and to-
tally to reject them. If the modern Scotch and
Irish bards have fhewn any judgment, it is in
afcribing their own compofitions to names of
antiquity for, by that means, they themselves
have efcaped that contempt, which the authors
of fuch futile performances muft, neceffarily, ha,
ve met with, from people of true tale.
was led into this obfervation, by an Irifh poem,
just now before me. It concerns a defcent ma-
de by Swaran, king of Lochlin, on Ireland,
and is the work, fays the traditional preface
prefixed to it, of Offian Mac- Fion It however
appears, from feveral pious ejaculations, that it
was rather the compofition of fome good priest,
in the fifteenth or fixteenth century, for he

fpeaks,

I

By Turthor's ftream the host of Lochlin is deep in fhades. The wrathful kings flood on two hills; they looked forward from their boffy. fhields. They looked forward on the ftars of night, red-wandering in the weft. Cruth-loda bends from high, like a formless meteor in clouds. He fends abroad the winds, and marks them, with his figns. Starno forefaw, that Morven's king was never to yield in war.

He

fpeaks, with great devotion, of pilgrimage, and
inore particularly, of the blue eyed daughters of
the convent. Religious, however,
as this poet
was, he was not altogether decent, in the fcenes
he introduces between Swaran and the wife of
Congcullion, both of whom he reprefents as
giants. It happening unfortunately, that Cong-
ullion was only of a moderate ftature, his wife,
without hesitation, preferred Swaran, as a more
adequate match for her own gigantic fize. From
this fatal preference proceeded fo much mis-
chief, that the good poet altogether loft fight of
his principal action; and he ends the piece, with
an advice to men, in the choice of their wives,
which, however good it may be, I fhall leave
concealed in the obfcurity of the original.

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