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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 ftrode,

bard, who preferred thefe winter fcenes to the irriguous vales of May. - To me, fays he, bring back my woods, which strew their leaves on blafts: Spread the lake below, with all its frozen waves. Pleafant is the breeze on the bearded ice; when the moon is broad in heaven, and the Spirit of the mountain roars. Roll away the green vales of Mays they are thoughts of maids, &c. Such are the words of this winter poet, but what he afterwards adds. gives us to underftand, that thofe frigid fcenes were not his fole delight: for he speaks, with great tendernefs, of the oak-lighted hall of the chief; and the ftrength of the shells, at night, when the course of winds is abroad.

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If the fimile of a frozen lake aptly illuftrates the ftillness and filent expectation of an army, lying under arms, waiting for the coming of their king, fo the comparison of the fudden rifing of waves around a fpirit, is also very expreffive of the tumultuous joy of Fingal's army, upon the appearance of that hero. An ancient bard fenfible of the beauty of this paffage, has happily imitated it, in a poem, concerning Kenneth Mac Alpin, king of Scotland. - I had occafion to quote this piece, in a note in the preceding book. Kenneth had retired privately, by night, to a hill in the neighbourhood of his army, and, upon his return, next morning, the bard fays, that he was like the form of a fpirit, returning to his fecret bay. In the skirt of a blast he flands. The waves lift their roaring heads. Their green backs are quivering round, Rocks eccho back their joy.

in the rolling of mift. At times is the hero feen, greatly dim in all his arms. From thought to thought rolled the war, along his mighty foul.

Now is the coming forth of the king.First 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 echoing shields. So rife the green feas round a spirit, 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, unwieldily, round, with all their backs of foam.

Far-diftant ftood the fon of Morni, Duthno's race, and Cona's bard. We ftood fardiftant; each beneath his tree. We shuned 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 spear. 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, hun

ter of roes! why are ye dark, like two rocks, each with its trickling waters? No wrath gathers on the soul of Fingal, against the chiefs of men. Ye are my ftrength in battle; the kindling of my joy in peace. My early voice was a pleasant 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 shields 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-shielded kings.

Crommal, with woody rocks, and mifty top, the field of winds, pours forth, to the fight, blue Lubar's ftreamy roar. Behind it rolls clear-winding Lavath, in the ftill vale of deer. A cave is dark in a rock; above it strongwinged eagles dwell; broad-headed oaks, before it, found in Cluna's wind. Within in his locks of youth, is Ferad-artho (1),

(1) 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

blue-eyed king, the fon of broad-shielded Cairbar, from Ullin of the roes. He liftens to the voice of Condan, as, grey, he bends

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 fuceceded him, and Rofcrana, 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 took to wife 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 the poem on the fubject, darkened for his fair-haired fon. He turned to the young beam of light, the fon of Beltanno of Conachar. Thou shalt be Ferad-artho, he faid, a fire before thy race. Cairbar, foon after, died, nor did Artho long furvive him. Artho was fucceed. ed, in the Irish throne, by his fon Cormac, who in his minority, was murdered by Cairbar, the fon 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 short reign of young Cormac, Ferad-artho lived at the royal palace 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,

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in feeble light. He liftens, for his foes dwell in the echoing halls of Temora. He comes, at times, abroad, in the skirts of mist, to pierce the bounding roes. When the fun looks on the field, nor by the rock

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ftream, is he! He shuns the race of Bolga, who dwell in his father's hall. Tell him that Fingal lifts the fpear, and that his foes, perhaps, may fail.

Lift up, O Gaul, the shield before him. Stretch, Dermid, Temora's fpear. Be thy voice in his ear, O Carril, with the deeds of his fathers. Lead him to green Moilena,

where they both lived concealed, during the ufur pation of the family of Atha. All thefe particulars, concerning Ferad-artho , may be gathered from the compofitions of Offian : A bard, lefs ancient, has delivered the whole hiftory, in a poem just now in my poffeffion. It has little merit, if we except the fcene 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 fpear a fir of Cluna? Is he a roughwinged blaft, on the mountain, which takes the green oak by the head, and tears it from its hill Glitters Lubar within his ftrides, when he fends his ftately steps along? Nor is he tall, faid Gaul, as that rock: nor glitter ftreams within his ftrides, but his foul is a mighty flood, like the Strength of Ullin's feas. »

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