ARGUMENT to Book VIII.

The fourth morning, from the opening of the poem, comes on. Fingal, ftill continuing in the place, to which he had retired on the preceding night, is feen, at intervals, thro' the mist, which covered the rock of Cormul. The descent of the king is described. He orders Gaul, Dermid, and Carril the bard, to go to the valley of Cluna, and conduct, from thence, to the Caledonian army, Ferad-artho, the fon of Cairbre, the only perfon remaining of the family of Conar, the first king of Ireland. The king takes the command of the army, and prepares for battle. Marching towards the enemy, he comes to the cave of Lubar, where the body of Fillan lay. Upon feeing his dog Bran, who lay at the entrance of the cave, his grief returns. Cathmor arranges the Irish army in order of battle. The appearance of that hero. The general conflict is defcribed. The actions of Fingal and Cathmor. A ftorm. The total rout of the Firbolg. The two kings engage, in a column of mift, on the banks of Lubar. Their attitude and conference after the combat. The death of Cathmor. Fingal refigns the Spear of Trenmor to Offian. The ceremonies observed on that occafion. The fpirit of Cathmor, in the mean time, appears to Sul-malla, in the valley of Lona. Her forrow. Evening comes on. A feaft is prepared: The coming of Feradartho is announced by the songs of a hundred bards. The poem closes, with a fpeech of Fingal.

TEMOR A:

AN

EPIC POE M.

BOOK VIII.

S when the wintry winds have feized the

waves of the mountain-lake, have feized them, in ftormy night, and cloathed them over with ice; white, to the hunter's early eye, the billows ftill feem to roll. He turns his ear to the found of each unequal ridge. But each is filent, gleaming, ftrewn with boughs and tufts of grafs, which shake and whiftle to the wind, over their grey feats of froft. So filent fhone to the morning the ridges of Morven's hoft, as each warrior looked up from his helmet towards the hill of the king; the cloud-covered hill of Fingal, where he strode, in the folds of mift. At times is the hero feen, greatly dim in all his arms.

From

From thought to thought rolled the war, along his mighty foul.

Now is the coming forth of the king. Firft appeared the fword of Luno; the fpear half iffuing from a cloud, the shield still dim in mist. But when the ftride of the king came abroad, with all his grey, dewy locks in the wind; then rofe the shouts of his hoft over every moving tribe. They gathered, gleaming, round, with all their ecchoing fhields. So rife the green feas round a fpirit, that comes down from the fqually wind. The traveller hears the found afar, and lifts his head over the rock. He looks on the troubled bay, and thinks he dimly fees the form. The waves fport, unwieldy, round, with all their backs of foam.

FAR-DISTANT ftood the fon of Morni, Duthno's race, and Cona's bard.

diftant; each beneath his tree.

We flood far

We fhunned the

eyes of the king; we had not conquered in the field. A little ftream rolled at my feet: I touched its light wave, with my fpear. I touched it with my fpear; nor there was the foul of Offian. It darkly rofe, from thought to thought, and fent abroad the figh.

"SON of Morni," faid the king, "Dermid, hunter of roes! why are ye dark, like two rocks, each with its trickling waters? No wrath gathers

on

on Fingal's foul, against the chiefs of men. Ye are my ftrength in battle; the kindling of my joy in peace. My early voice has been a pleafant gale to your ears, when Fillan prepared the bow. The fon of Fingal is not here, nor yet the chace of the bounding roes. But why should the breakers of fhields ftand, darkened, far away?"

TALL they ftrode towards the king; they faw him turned to Mora's wind. His tears came down, for his blue-eyed fon, who flept in the cave of ftreams. But he brightened before them, and spoke to the broad-fhielded kings.

"CROMMAL, with woody rocks, and mifty top, the field of winds, pours forth, to the fight, blue Lubar's freamy roar. Behind it rolls clear-winding Lavath, in the ftill vale of deer. A cave is dark in a rock; above it ftrong-winged eagles dwell; broad-headed oaks, before it, found in Cluna's wind. Within, in his locks of youth, is Ferad-artho *, blue-eyed king, the fon

of

* Ferad-artho was the fon of Cairbar Mac Cormac king of Ireland. He was the only one remaining of the race of Conar, the fon of Trenmor, the first Irish monarch, according to Offian. In order to make this paffage thoroughly understood, it may not be improper to recapitulate fome part of what has been faid in preceding notes. Upon the death of Conar the fon of Trenmor, his fon Cormac fucceeded on the Irish throne. Cormac reigned long. His children were, Cairbar, who fuc VOL. II. ceeded

M

of broad-fhielded Cairbar, from Ullin of the roes. He liftens to the voice of Condan, as, grey, he bends in feeble light. He liftens, for his foes dwell in the ecchoing halls of Temora.

He

Thou shalt be Cairbar, foon Artho was fuc

ceeded him, and Ros-crana, the firft wife of Fingal. Cairbar, long before the death of his father Cormac, had taken to wife Bos-gala, the daughter of Colgar, one of the most powerful chiefs in Connaught, and had, by her, Artho, afterwards king of Ireland. Soon after Artho arrived at man's eftate, his mother Bos-gala died, and Cairbar married Beltanno, the daughter of Conachar of Ullin, who brought him a fon, whom he called Ferad-artho, i. e. a man in the place of Artho. The occafion of the name was this. Artho, when his brother was born, was abfent, on an expedition, in the fouth of Ireland. A falfe report was brought to his father, that he was killed. Cairbar, to use the words of a poem on the fubject, darkened for his fair-haired fon. He turned to the young beam of light, the Son of Baltanno of Conachar. Farad-artho, he faid, a fire before thy race. after, died, nor did Artho long furvive him. ceeded, in the Irish throne, by his fon Cormac, who, in his minority, was murdered by Cairbar, the son of Borbar-duthul. Ferad-artho, fays tradition, was very young, when the expedition of Fingal, to fettle him on the throne of Ireland, happened. During the fhort reign of young Cormac, Feradartho lived at the royal refidence of Temora. Upon the murder of the king, Condan, the bard, conveyed Ferad-artho, privately, to the cave of Cluna, behind the mountain Crommal, in Ulfter, where they both lived concealed, during the ufurpation of the family of Atha. A late bard has delivered the whole history, in a poem juft now in my poffeffion. It has little merit, if we except the scene between Ferad-artho, and the meffengers of Fingal, upon their arrival, in the valley of Cluna. After hearing of the great actions of Fingal, the young prince propofes the following questions concerning him, to Gaul and Dermid, “Is the king tall as the rock of my cave? Is his

Spear