that Society for printing Ossian in the original, are familiar to him: That he believes he did repeat them often in Gaelic prior to the twelfth and fifteenth years of his age, and some of them even to his twentieth year; but that he cannot at this time recollect any particular passages of them:

That the contest between Fingal and the Spirit of Lodin, or Loda, he has often heard repeated, in the manner of a tale, but that he cannot at present recollect any part thereof:

That Carraig-Thura should properly be spelt Carraig Toure: That Carraig signifies a round rock, uneven and broken in the face of it, and very ill to ascend to the top: That Thura, or Toure, signifies a house, a castle, or a palace :

That Selma is the name of a place which is familiar to him: That he cannot say where it was situated; though it is generally believed that it was in the North of Scotland:

That he has heard in Gaelic poems, several addresses to the Sun, the Moon, the Evening Star, and to Malvina; but he cannot recollect any of them at present:

That he does not remember ever to have heard a poem, in which Oscar, the son of Caruth, killed Dermid, the son of Morni:

That he has heard the poem in Gaelic, called The Six Bards, in which each of them gave a description of the night; but that the landlord was not reckoned one of the Six Bards.

That there are three Gaelic poems, in each of which a maid is said to have fled to the Fingalians, for protection from great men, or heroes: That the names of those heroes are mentioned in each poem, as Borbar, Ullin, and, if he remembers right, Mack Rie na Hiarsemaile.

All which is truth, as he shall answer to God.

Sworn before me, one of His Majesty's Justices of the Peace for the County of Caithness, at Thurso, the twenty-fifth day of September, one thousand eight hundred and five years.

No. II.

Letter from the Rev. Mr. RosING to Sir JOHN SINCLAIR, accompanied by Extracts from SUHM's History of Denmark.

SIR,

HAVING observed, that, whatever in Ossian refers to Scandinavian persons, bears a strong conformity to the opinions and manners of those nations, I thought, that some instances of this might not be without some interest, and, though not be admitted as proofs, yet tend to corroborate what other proofs may be adduced. On this supposition, I have collected some instances of that nature, which I shall freely communicate, and if the parallel has not been drawn before, perhaps you may find something to your purpose in the following observations.

Cath Loda, Duan I. "He reaches the sounding shell to those who "shone in war," &c.] This is perfectly agreeable with the notions of a future state introduced by Odin. According to his tenets, only those who died in war, or at least in a violent manner, should come to Valhalla, the abode of Odin. There they should have seats according to their merits and exploits in war. They should be amused with continual fighting and blood-shedding, often be killed, but ever awake again. They should also there be sumptuously regaled with strong beer and bacon. But those who lived and died in peace, should go to Hel, where they should enjoy no pleasure, or at least pleasures far inferior to those of Valhalla; and the ill-natured were sent to Nixleim, where they should be tortured. On the contrary, the ideas of a future state that pervade the poems of Ossian, whenever he does not introduce Scandinavian persons, have much in common with those of the Joter, who were the first inhabitants of the North, and were settled there previous to the Gothes and Odin. For though they fancied a separate abode for the deceased, which they placed far towards the north, along the frozen sea, yet they also believed, that the deceased used frequently to dwell in their burialhills, at times appeared, and had horses, dogs, arms, and every other thing for their service, all of clouds and mist.

Cath Loda, Duan. I. "Fingal again advanced his steps, wide through "the bosom of night," &c.] The kings were, at the same time headpriests, and used frequently, especially on solemn occasions, to perform the rites themselves, which they generally did in the night, an instance

of which I have added under No. 2, of the enclosed paper. This, I believe, shews the propriety of the above, and a few other passages in Ossian.

Fingal. B. 3. "That your fame may reach the maid who dwells in "the secret hall."] That remark I do not recollect to have seen in Ossian applied to any, but to Auandecca. It is not improbable, that it refers to a custom among the Scandinavians, that virgins of great distinction, had a separate dwelling to themselves, which was called Jomfru-Bur, literally the cage, i. e. the dwelling of the maid. There no man was allowed to enter, and thither they often retired for safety from suitors whom they disliked. Under No. 3, I have quoted two passages, where that custom is mentioned.

Cathlin of Clutha. "A son of Loda was there...... They turned "battle in fields, before the kings of men."] The ancient Scandinavians paid much credit to sorcery, and attributed to it a great power in turning the issue of a combat or battle. It was especially ascribed to the descendants of the Joter and Fins, who were generally looked upon as sorcerers. When heroes entered upon a contest with antagonists, whom they suspected of such supernatural means, they used to tie thin cloth or skin round the blade of their swords, or resort to other means of breaking the charm. Sometimes they siezed the sword by the blade, and knocked away with the handle, when they fancied that the edge had been deadened, as they called it. Under No. 4, is a passage in which this superstition is mentioned.

Carric Thura. "Utha was near; she had followed," &c.] Ladies going to war were not uncommon at all among the Scandinavians; and it was not only love and attachment to a certain person, that induced them to it; most often they were merely actuated by true martial spirit, and desire of fame. They were called Skioldmóer, i. e. shield-maids, appeared in the dress and armour of men, and often displayed no less ferocity and bravery than they. As late as the 8th æra, in the great battle of Bravalla-heath, three ladies of this description distinguished themselves among the first heroes of the age. Under No. 5, is an instance of a mother following her son to war.

Oina Morul." I denied the maid..... he came with battle," &c.] This manner of conducting courtship was quite in the spirit of ancient north, of which there are some instances under No. 6.

Cath-Loda. Duan. III. "Sleep descended on the foe. I rose like a VOL. I.

Р

"stalking ghost," &c.] Of scenes not inferior to this in barbarity, there are, alas! too many in our ancient history. Under No. 7, will be found one, which is not, however, of the most shocking.

Fingal. B. 5. "King of Morven, said the hero, lift thy sword and "pierce my breast."] This contempt of death was, perhaps, by no nation carried farther, than by the ancient inhabitants of the North. An instance of this I have translated under No. 8. It was not uncommon among them, that warriors when they grew old and unfit for war, or when they had been severely wounded in a battle, put a period to their life in some signal way. So did the famous Sterkodder in the 5th, and Sigund Ring, king of Denmark, in the 8th æra, and many others.

The sword of Fingal, which was made by a smith of Lochlin, was called Luno, and was said to kill a man at every stroke. Not finding that a name is given to any other sword in the poems of Ossian, I should be disposed to think, that Fingal has adopted this from the Scandinavian manners. Among them it was, from the most ancient times, very common to give names to swords, and sometimes also to other parts of their armature. Skrep was a famous sword from the second age. Tyrfing was another from a later period, of which it was thought, that it must take a man's life every time it was unsheathed, a superstition which proved the cause of the death of many innocent people. Krotta, Misteltien, Skum, were also names of famous swords.

In Carric Thura, the spirit of Loda says, "The king of Sora is my "son." If Loda is Odin, and Fhrothal Frode III. of Denmark, those words are literally true, for Frode III. was really descended from Odin, both by his father and mother.

Dar-Thula. "The blast came rustling through the hall," &c. Conlath and Cuthona. "The midnight wind is in my hall." From these expressions I should conclude, that the Caledonians, in the times of Ossian, constructed their houses in the same way, as the ancient Scandinavians, without windows and chimneys, but with a large opening in the roof, to emit the smoke from the fire-place, which was in the midst of the room. This manner of building prevailed in Norway, nearly till the end of the eleventh century.

Besides those of Swaran and Frode III. I find several invasions of Ireland and Scotland, between the 2d and the 8th centuries, but as none of them seem to have any connexion with the stories in the poems of Ossian, I shall only, under No. 9, give a catalogue of them. If you

should wish to have the particulars, I shall take a great deal of pleasure in furnishing you with them.

I regret not being yet in possession of Schôning's History of Norway, as I strongly believe that some additional information might be obtained from that work.

If in these extracts and observations you may find any thing to your purpose, I shall think myself extremely happy, to have been a means of contributing to an object so desirable.

Tottenham, 7th April, 1806.

Extracts from SUHм's History of Denmark, Vol. I.

No. I. P. 195. Hodbrod then resided in Solfiæld, and on Swaran's Hill, which has, no doubt, been called so after the famous Swaran in Ossian, (about A. D. 412.)

No. II. P. 244. (Sverting, king of the Saxons to the north of the Elbe, had been twice defeated by Frode IV. king of Denmark, and compelled to pay him a dishonourable tribute, on which account he entered into a conspiracy with another tributary king, to kill Frode.)

Sverting then went on a visit to Frode, who received him as his friend, and treated him as a guest. The meeting took place in the parish of Thorrager, in the county of Callée, in the diocese of Aarhuus, (NorthJutland), where a round temple was erected to the honour of Thor. Here Sverting watched the opportunity when Frode, during the night, performed the rites of the heathen worship, fell upon him, and set fire to the temple, by which Frode was killed, though not before he had slain Sverting too. (A. D. 450.)

No. III. P. 213. (During the minority of Frode IV. the court was extremely corrupted, wantonness and lasciviousness had arrived at the highest pitch, because, says the author, these ferocious warriours could not endure peace, their minds being habituated to violent occupations. One of the king's guardians had three sons. of one birth, who were all called by the name of Grep.)

At length the eldest Grep, sick of this disorderly life, fixed his thoughts upon Gunvar, (the king's sister); but, a stranger to the tenderness of love, he claimed her person as his prey. Terrified at this, she shut herself up in her Jomfru-Bur (maiden-house), and had herself guarded by thirty courtiers (which means warriors, champions).