I fell with fame; carry this fword to Branno's daughter. Let her give it to Oscar, when the years of his youth shall arife.

Son of Fingal, Gaul replied with a figh; shall 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 shall not behold me, ye feeble, but in the midst of my renown. Offian! I have heard from my father the mighty deeds of heroes; their mighty deeds when alone; for the foul increafes in danger.

Son of Morni, I replied and ftrode before him on the heath, qur fathers shall praise our valour, when they mourn our fall. A beam of gladnefs shall 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 spread death around « them. » — But why should we think of the

narrow houfe? The fword defends the valiant. But death pursues the flight of the feeble; and their renown is not heard.

We rushed forward through night; and

The ftory of his courtship of this lady is introduced, as an episode, in the fourth book of Fingal.

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

Shall (1) the fon of Fingal rush on a fleeping foe? Shall he come like a blast by night when it over-turns the young trees in fecret? Fingal did not thus receive his fame nor dwells renown on the gray hairs of Morni, for actions like these. Strike, Offian, ftrike the shield of battle, and let their thousands rife. Let them meet Gaul in his firft battle, that he may try the ftrength of his

arm.

or

(1) This propofal of Gaul is much more noble and more agreeable to true heroifm, than the behaviour of Ulyffes and Diomed in the Iliad, that of Nifus and Euryalus in the Æneid. What his valour and generofity fuggefted became the foundation of his fuccefs. For the enemy being dif mayed with the found of Offian's shield 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 probabi.

Lity.

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

I ftruck thrice my echoing shield. The ftarting foe arofe. We rushed on in the found of our arms. Their crowded steps fly over the heath; for they thought that the mighty Fingal came; and the strength of their arms withered away. The found of their flight was like that of flame, when it rushes through the blafted groves.

It was then the fpear of Gaul flew in its ftrength: it was then his fword arofe. Cremor fell, and mighty Leth. Dunthormo ftruggled in his blood. The fteel rushed through Crotha's fide, as bent, he rose on his spear; the black ftream poured from the wound, hiffed on the half-extinguished oak. Cathmin faw the fteps of the hero behind him, and afcended a blafted tree; but the fpear pierced him from behind. Shrieking, panting, he

fell; mofs and withered branches pursue his fall, and ftrew the blue arms of Gaul.

Such

Such were thy deeds, fon of Morni, in the firft of thy battles. Nor flept the fword by thy fide, thou laft of Fingal's race! Offian rushed forward in his ftrength, and the people fell before him, as the grafs by the staff of the boy, when he whiftles along the field, and the gray beard of the thistle falls. But careless the youth moves on; his steps are towards the defart.

Gray morning rofe around us, the winding ftreams are bright along the heath. The foe gathered on a hill; and the rage of Lathmon rofe. He bent the red eye of his wrath: he is filent in his rifing grief. He often struck his boffy shield; and his steps are unequal on the heath. I faw the diftant darkness of the hero, and I spoke to Morni's fon.

Car-borne (1) chief of Strumon, doft thou behold the foe? They gather on the hill in their wrath. Let our steps be towards the king (2). He shall rife in his ftrength, and the hoft of Lathmon vanish. Our fame is around us, warrior, the eyes of the aged (3)

(1) Car-borne is a title of honour bestowed by Offian, indifcriminately on every hero; as every chief in his time, kept a chariot or litter by way of ftate.

(2) Fingal.

(3) Fingal and Morni. VOL. II.

will rejoice. But let us fly, fon of Morni. Lathmon defcends the hill.

Then let our steps (1) be flow, replied the fair-haired Gaul; left the foe fay, with a fmile, «< Behold the warriors of night, they are, like ghofts, terrible in darkness, « but they melt away before the beam of the «eaft. » Offian, take the shield of Gormar who fell beneath thy fpear, that the aged heroes may rejoice, when they shall behold the actions of their fons.

:

Such were our words on the plain, when Sulmath (2) came to car-borne Lathmon Sulmath chief of Dutha, at the dark-rolling ftream of Duvranna (3). Why doft thou not

(1) The behaviour of Gaul, throughout this poem, is that of a hero in the most 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 encmy, became Fingal's firmeft friend and greatest hero, the poet paffes over one flip in his conduct, on account of his many virtues.

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

(3) Dubh-bhranna, dark mountain-stream. What river went by this name in the days of Offian is not eafily afcertained at this diftance of time. A river in Scotland, which falls into the fea