bard Olla, he invites Ofcar the son of Offian; refolving to pick a quarrel with that hero, and fo have fome pretext for killing him. Ofcar came to the feaft; the quarrel happened; the followers of both fought, and Cairbar and Ofcar fell by mutual wounds. The noife of the battle reached Fingal's army. The king came on, to the relief of Ofcar, and the Irish fell back to the army of Cathmor, who was advanced to the banks of the river Lubar, on the heath of Moilena. Fingal, after mourning over his grandfon, ordered Ullin the chief of his bards to carry his body to Morven, to be there interred. Night coming on, Althan, the fon of Conachar, relates to the king the particulars of the murder of Cormac. Fillan, the son of Fingal, is fent to obferve the motions of Cathmor by night, which concludes the action of the first day. The scene of this book is a plain, near the hill of Mora, which rofe on the borders of the heath of Moilena, in Ulfter.

AN

EPIC POEM (1).

BOOK FIRST.

THE
HE blue waves of Ullin roll in light.
The green hills are covered with day. Trees
shake their dusky heads in the breeze. Grey

(1) The first book of Temora made its appearance in the collection of leffer pieces, which were fubjoined to the epic poem of Fingal. When that collection was printed, little more than the opening of the prefent poem came, in a regular connection, to my hands. The fecond book, in particular, was very imperfect and confufed. By means of my friends, I collected fince all the broken fragments of Temora, that I formerly wanted; and the ftory of the poem, which was accurately preferved by many, enabled me to reduce it into that order in which it now appears. The title of Epic was impofed on the poem by myfelf. The technical terms of criticifim were totally unknown to Offian. Born in a diftant age, and in a country remote from the feats of learning, his knowledge did not extend to Greek and Roman literature. If therefore, in the form of his poems, and in feveral paffages of his diction, he refembles Homer, the fimilarity muft proceed from nature, the original from which

torrents pour their noify flreams.-- Two green hills, with aged oaks, furround a narrow plain. The blue course of a stream is

both drew their ideas. It is from this confideration that I have avoided, in this volume, to give parallel paffages from other authors, as I had done, in fome of my notes, on the former collection of Offian's poems. It was far from my intention to raife my author into a competition with the celebrated names of antiquity. The extenfive field of renown affords ample room to all the poetical merit which has yet appeared in the world, without overturning the character of one poet, to raise that of another on its ruins. Had Offian even fuperior merit to Homer and Virgil, a certain partiality, arifing from the fame defervedly beftowed upon them by the fanction of fo many ages, would make us overlook it, and give them the preference. Tho' their high merit does not ftand in need of adventitious aid, yet it must be acknowledged, that it is an advantage to their fame, that the pofterity of the Greeks and Romans, either do not at all exist, or are not now objects of contempt or envy to the prefent age.

Tho' this poem of Offian has not perhaps all the minutia, which Ariftotle, from Homer, lays down as neceffary to the conduct of an epic poem, yet, it is prefumed, it has all the grand effentials of the epopoca. Unity of time, place, and action is preferved throughout. The poem opens in the midft of things; what is neceffary of preceding tranfactions to be known, is introduced by episodes afterwards; not formally brought in, but feemingly rifing immediately from the fituation of affairs. The circumftances are grand, and the diction animated; neither defcending into a cold meanness not Swelling into ridiculous bombast,

there; on its banks ftood Cairbar (1) of Atha. His fpear fupports the king: the red eyes of his fear are fad. Cormac rifes in his foul, with all his ghaftly wounds. The grey form of the youth appears in darkness; blood pours from his airy fides.-Cairbar thrice threw his fpear on earth; and thrice he ftroked his beard. His fteps are short; he often stops and toffes his finewy arms. He is like a cloud in the defart, that varies its form to every blaft the valleys are fad around, and fear, by turns, the shower.

The king, at length, refumed his foul;' and took his pointed fpear. He turned his

The reader will find fome alterations in the diction of this book. Thefe are drawn from more correct copies of the original which came to my hands fince the former publication. As the most part of the poem is delivered down by tradition, the text is fometimes various and interpolated. After comparing the different readings, I always made choice of that which agreed belt with the fpirit of the

context.

was

(1) Cairbar, the fon of Borbar - duthul defcended lineally from Larthon the chief of the Firbolg, the firft colony who fettled in the fouth of Ireland. The Cael were in poffeffion of the northern coaft of that kingdom, and the first monarchs of Ireland were of their race. Hence arofe thofe differences between the two nations " which terminated, at laft, in the murder of Cormac, and the ufurpation of Cairbar, lord of Atha, who is mentioned in this place.

eyes to Moi-lena. The scouts of blue ocean came. They came with fteps of fear, and often looked behind. Cairbar knew that the mighty were near, and called his gloomy chiefs.

The founding fteps of his warriors came. They drew, at once, their fwords. There Morlath (1) ftood with darkened face. Hidalla's long hair fighs in wind. Red-haired Cormar bends on his fpear, and rolls his fide-long-looking eyes. Wild is the look of Malthos from beneath two shaggy brows. -Foldath ftands like an oozy rock, that covers its dark fides with foam. His fpear is like Slimora's fir, that meets the wind of heaven. His shield is marked with the ftrokes of battle; and his red eye defpifes danger. Thefe and a thousand other chiefs furrounded car-borne Cairbar, when the scout of ocean came, Mor-annal, from ftreamy Moi-lena.

(1) Mór-lath, great in the day of battle. Hidalla's mildly looking hero. Cor-mar, expert at fea. Málthos, flow to speak. Foldath, generous.

Foldath, who is here ftrongly marked, makes a great figure in the fequel of the poem. His fierce uncomplying character is fuftained throughout. He feems, from a paffage in the fecond book, to have been Cairbar's greateft confident, and to have had a principal hand in the conspiracy against Cormac king of Ireland. His tribe was one of the most confiderable of the race of the Firbolg.