Morning coming on, Fingal, after a Speech to his people, devolves the command on Gaul, the fon of Morni; it being the cuf tom of the times, that the king should not engage, till the neceffity of affairs required his fuperior valour and conduct. The king and Offian retire to the rock of Cormul, which overlooked the field of battle. The bards fing the war-fong. The general conflict is defcribed. Gaul the son of Morni, diftinguishes himself; kills Tur lathon, chief of Moruth, and other chiefs of leffer name. On the other hand Foldath, who commanded the Irish army (for Cathmor, after the example of Fingal, kept himself from battle) fights gal lantly; kills Connal, chief of Dun-lora, and advances to engage Gaul himself. Gaul, in the mean time, being wounded in the hand, by a random arrow, is covered by Fillan, the fon of Fingal, who performs prodigies of valour. Night comes on. The horn of Fingal recalls his army, The bards meet them, with a congratulatory fong, in which the praifes of Gaul and Fillan are particularly celebrated. The chiefs fit down at a feaft; Fingal miffes Connal. The epifode of Con nal and Duthcaron is introduced; which throws further light on the ancient history of Ireland. Carril is dispatched to raise the tomb of Connal. The action of this book takes up the fecond day, from the opening of the poem. рост WHO is that, at blue-streaming Lufbar; by the bending hill of the roes? Tall, he leans on an oak torn from high, by nightly winds.-Who but Comhal's fon, brightening (1) This fudden apoftrophe, concerning Fingal, the attitude of the king, and the scenery in which he is placed, tend to elevate the mind to a just conception of the fucceeding battle. The fpeech of Fingal is full of that magnanimous generofity which diftinguishes his character throughout. The groupe of figures, which the poet places around his father, are picturefque, and defcribed with great propriety. The filence of Gaul, the behaviour of Fillan, and the effect which both have on the mind of Fingal, are well imagined. His fpeech upon the occafion is very beautiful in the original. Broken and unequal, the numbers reprefent the agitation of his mind divided between the admiration excited by the silence of Gaul, (when others boafted of their own actions) and his natural affection for Fillan, which the behaviour of that valiant youth had raised to the highest pitch. in the last of his fields? His grey hair is on the breeze: he half unsheaths the fword of Luno. His eyes are turned to Moi-lena, to the dark rolling of foes.-Doft thou hear the voice of the king? It is like the bursting of a ftream, in the defart, when it comes between its echoing rocks, to the blafted field of the fun. Wide-skirted comes down the foe! Sons of woody Morven, arise. Be ye like the rocks of my land, on whofe brown fides are the rolling of waters. A beam of joy comes on my foul; I fee them mighty before me. It is when the foe is feeble, that the fighs of Fingal are heard ; left death should come, without renown, and darkness dwell on his tomb.-Who shall lead the war, against the host of Alnecma? It is, "only when danger grows, that my sword shall shine.-Such was the custom, heretofore, of Trenmor the ruler of winds: and thus defcended to battle the blue-shielded Trathal. : The chiefs bend towards the king: each darkly feems to claim the war. They tell, by halves, their mighty deeds and turn their eyes on Erin. But far before the rest the fon of Morni ftood: filent he stood, for who had not heard of the battles of Gaul? They rofe within his foul. His hand, in fecret, feized |