With locks expos'd to every gust of wind,
And tearful eye, that fpoke her anxious mind,
Stood forth, the tale of hapless love to fing;
To footh the foul of Morven's mighty king.
The feaft forgot, the chiefs no more rejoice;
But mournful liften to her plaintive voice.
For well they knew where Salgar's || corfe was laid,
And Colma's tomb, the fnow-white-bofom'd maid.
Hard was her lot, fair virgin! all alone,

On mountain wilds to vent her fruitless moan;
To chide her lover's abfence, as unkind,
And waste her voice of mufic in the wind:
With tears of death, in anguish, to deplore
Her fallen friends, who rife, alas! no more.

Her fad complaint the fair Minona fung,
In words that drop'd from Colma's tuneful tongue.

Ah! why, my Salgar! this delay ?
Where ftray thy ling'ring feet?
Didft thou not promife in the day
Thy love at night to meet?

Here is the rock, and here the tree,
Thine own appointed fpot;

Thy promise canft thou break with me?
And is my love forgot?

For thee I'd dare my brother's pride;
My father's houfe would fly;
For thee forfake my mother's fide;
With thee to live and die.

Be hush'd, ye winds! how loud ye braw!!
Stream! ftand a moment ftill,
Perhaps my love may hear me call,
Upon the neighbouring hill.

Ho! Salgar! Salgar! mend thy pace;
To Colma hafte away.

"Tis I, and this th' appointed place :
Ah! wherefore this delay ?

Kind moon! thou giv'ft a friendly light;
And lo! the glaffy stream,

And the grey rocks, through dufky night
Reflect thy filver beam.

Yet I defcry not Salgar's form:
No dogs before him run.
Shall I not perish by the storm,
Before to morrow's fun ?

But what behold I, on the heath ?

My love my brother! laid

O fpeak, my friends! nor hold your breath,
T'affright a trembling maid.

They anfwer not-they fleep-they're dead
Alas! the horrid fight-

Here lie their angry fwords, ftill red
And bleeding from the fight.

Ah! wherefore lies, by Salgar flain,
My brother, bleeding here?

VOL. IV.

T

Why

274

This Colma's plaint; and thus with mufic's tongue;
The fweetly blushing maid of Torman fung,
The foft Minona; while her fluttering breaft
Bespoke an heart with tender grief opprefs'd;
The fympathetic forrow catch'd around,
And heroes dropp'd their tears upon the ground.

Next Ullin came and touch'd the founding ftring,
And Alpin's well known fong ftood up to fing:
That fong the tuneful bard to Ryno fung,
When Ryno liv'd to hear his tuneful tongue :
Heard now no more! för, in their lowly bed,
Both reft in filence, flumbering with the dead.
But ere they fell, as Ullin took his way,
Home from the chace, he heard, and caught, the lay.
All fad, they fung behind the rolling stream;
Morar, the firft of men, their mournful theme.
Morar, whofe foul with Fingal's might compare,
Whofe fword, like Ofcar's fword, a meteor in the air.
But ah! he fell; his fire, bent down with years,
And blooming fifter fhedding fruitless tears,
Minona fair; who now forfook the throng,
Her heart too full to lift to Ullin's fong.
So, when the shower-prefaging winds are loud,
The moon retires behind the western cloud.

To raife the fong, did I in concert join;
Mixing the founds of Ullin's harp with mine.

The following letter is inferted at the request of a correspondent to whom we are under obligations.

To the Author of the Annual
Register.

and which I fuppofe will be inferted in your next Regifter, was written by John Norris, Efq; lately deceased, fudent in the temple, fellow of Caius college in Cambridge, and only fon of Anthony Norris,

T2

Norris, Efq; of Barton in the county of Norfolk.

He was a young gentleman, who, with an elegant talle for the polite arts, had penetrated far into the abftrufe sciences. When he took his degree of batchelor of arts he was amongst the first on whom the univerfity conferred its honours for their mathematical knowledge, and was fecond to none in defert. He laft year obtained the middle bachelors prize for the beft compofition in Latin profe, and the fable of the Rainbow was one of his firft productions in English verfe.

An Account of

*Fingal, an ancient epic poem, in fix books, together with feveral other poems, compofed by Offian the fan of Fingal; tranflated from the Galic language, by James Macpherfon.

By a happy and uncommon union of fo extenfive a genius, with intenfe application, at the age of 24 he had juftly accquired fame to himself was an ornament to the focieties to which he belonged, and an honour to his family.

And with every accomplishment which could make him agreeable to his acquaintance, having blended every quality which would have rendered him ufeful to mankind, his death is not only a private loss, but a public calamity. I am, Sir, yours, S. C.

Books for 1761.

For line of from among his for

ROM the publication of thefe extraordinary poems, the ingenious editor has a double claim to literary applaufe. One, as having with equal induflry and tafte recovered from the obfcurity of barbarifm, the ruft of fifteen hundred years, and the last breath of a dying language, thefe ineftimable relicks of the genuine fpirit of poetry and the other, for prefenting them to the world in an English tranflation, whofe expreffive fingularity evidently retains the majestick air, and native fimplicity of a fublime original. The venerable author, and his elegant tranflator, thus have mutually conferred immortality on each other.

The poem, which ftands firft in order as well as merit in the collection, is named from the prin cipal hero of it, Fingal. This celebrated chief, influenced by the courage and generofity fo eminent in his character, leads his warriors from the Highlands of Scotland, and among them his fon Offian the poet, to aid the infant king of Ireland, whofe dominions, then under the guardianship of Cuchullin, were invaded by Swaran king of Scandinavia; the moft terrible warrior of his time, and the very reverfe of Fingal in every thing but perfonal valour. Immediately before the arrival of Fingal, the forces commanded by Cuchullin are defeated near Tura on the coaft of Ulfter. And whilft this gallant leader, regardless of his own fafety, takes every measure which bravery or defpair can fuggeft to repel his enemy; hips of Fingal are descryed, and

the

The differtation prefixed to thefe poems, is, for its curious matter, inferted in another part of this work.