A

mor,

Night comes on. Fingal gives a feast to his ar my, at which Swaran is prefent. The king commands Ullin his bard, to give the song of peace; a cuftom always obferved at the end of a war. Ullin relates the actions of Trengreat grandfather to Fingal, in Scandinavia, and his marriage with Inibaca, the daughter of a king of Lochlin, who was an ceftor to Swaran; which confideration, toge ther with his being brother to Agandecca, with whom Fingal was in love in his youth, induced the king to release him, and permit him to return, with the remains of his army, into Lochlin, upon his promife of never returning to Ireland, in a hoftile manner. The night is spent in fettling Swaran's departure, in fongs of bards, and in a conversation, in which the story of Grumal is introduced by Fingal. Morning comes. Swaran departs ; Fingal goes on a hunting party, and finding Cuchullin in the cave of Tura, comforts him, and fets fail, the next day, for Scotland; which concludes the poem.

FINGAL,

AN ANCIENT

EPIC POEM

IN SIX BOOKS.

T

BOOK VI. (1)

he clouds of night come rolling down, and

reft on Cromla's dark brown fteep. The ftars of the north arife over the rolling of the waves of Ullin; they fhew their heads of fire through the flying mift of heaven. A diftant wind roars in the wood; but filent and dark is the plain of death.

Still on the darkening Lena arofe in my ears the tuneful voice of Carril. He fung of

the

[1] This book opens with the fourth night, and ends on the morning of the fixth day. The time of five days, five nights, and a part of the fixth day is taken up in the poem. The fcene lies in the heath of Lena, and the mountain Cromla on the coaft of Ulfter.

the companions of our youth, and the days of former years; when we met on the banks of Lego, and fent, round the joy of the fhell. Cromla, with its cloudy fteeps, anfwered to his voice. The ghofts of thofe he fung, came in their ruftling blafts. They were feen to bend with joy towards the found of their praise.

Be thy foul bleft, o Carril, in the midft of thy eddying winds. O that thou would come to my hall, when I am alone by night! And thou doft come, my friend, I hear often thy light hand on my harp; when it hangs on the diftant. wall, and the feeble found touches my ear. Why doft thou not speak to me in my grief, and tell when I fhall behold my friends? But thou paffeft away in thy murmuring blaft; and thy wind whiftles through the gray hair of Offian.

Now on the fide of Mora the heroes gathered to the feaft. A thousand aged oaks are burning to the wind. The ftrength [2]

of

[2] By the ftrength of the fhell is meant the liquor

cannot

the herpes drunk: of what kind' it was,
be ascertained at this diftance of time. The trans-
lator has met with feveral ancient poems, that
mention wax-lights and wine as common in the

1 halls

of the fhells goes round.

And the fouls of

But the king of

warriors brighten with joy.
Lochlin is filent, and forrow reddens in the eyes
of his pride. He often turned toward Lena, and
remembered that he fell.

Fingal leaned on the fhield of his fathers. His gray locks flowly waved on the wind, and glittered to the beam of night. He faw the grief of Swaran, and spoke to the first of Bards.

None

Raife, Ullin, raife the fong of peace, and footh my foul after battle, that my ear may forget the noife of arms. And let a hundred harps be near, to gladden the king of Lochlin. He 'must depart from us with joy. ever went fad from Fingal. Ofcar! the lightning of my fword is against the strong in battle: but peaceful it lies by my fide, when warriors. yield in war.

Tren

halls of Fingal. The names of both are borrowed
from the Latin, which plainly fhews, that our
ancestors had them from the Romans, if they
had them at all. The Caledonians in their fre-
quent incurfions to the province, might become
acquainted with those conveniencies of life, and
introduce them into their own country, among
the booty which they carried from South Britain.

Trenmor [3], faid the mouth of the fongs, lived in the days of other years. He bounded over the waves of the north: companion of the ftorm. The high rocks of the land of Lochlin, and its groves of murmuring founds appeared to the hero through the mift; he bound Trenmor purfued

his white bofomed fails.

the boar, that roared along the woods of Gormal. Many had fled from its prefence; but the fpear of Trenmor flew it.

Three chiefs, that beheld the deed, told of the mighty ftranger. They told, that he ftood like a pillar of fire in the bright arms of his valour. The king of Lochlin prepared the feaft, and called the blooming Trenmor. Three days he feafted at Gormal's windy towers; and got his choice in the combat.

The land of Lochlin had no hero, that yielded not to Trenmor. The fhell of joy went round with fongs in praife of the king of Morven; he that came over the waves, the first of mighty men.

Now when the fourth gray morn arofe, the hero launched his fhip; and walking along

the

[3] Trenmor was great grandfather to Fingal. The ftory is introduced, to facilitate the dismiffion of Swaran.