Gaul rushed forward on the foe. The feeble pafs by his fide; his rage is turned on Moma's chief. Now they had railed their deathful fpears: unfeen an arrow came. It pierced the hand of Gaul; his fteel fell founding to earth.-Young Fillan came (1), with Cormul's shield, and ftretched it large before the king. Foldath fent his shout abroad, and kindled all the field: as a blaft that lifts the broad winged flame, over Lumon's (2) echoing groves.

Son of blue-eyed Clatho, faid Gaul, thou art a beam from heaven; that coming on the troubled deep, binds up the tempeft's wing. --Cormul is fallen before thee. Early art thou in the fame of thy fathers.-Rush not too far, my hero, I cannot lift the fpear to aid. I ftand harmless in battle: but my voice shall be poured abroad.--The fons of Morven

(1) Fillan had been dispatched by Gaul to op pofe Cormul, who had been fent by Foldath to lie in ambush behind the Caledonian army. It appears that Fillan had killed Cormul, otherwife he could not be fuppofed to have possessed himself of the shield of that chief. The poet being intent upon the main action, pafles over flightly this feat of Fillan.

(2) Lumon, bending hill; a mountain in Inisor that part of South-Britain which is overagainst the Irish coaft.

huna

shall hear, and remember my former deeds.

His terrible voice rofe on the wind, the hoft bend forward in the fight. Often had they heard him, at Strumon, when he called them to the chace of the hinds.-Himself stood tall, amidst the war, as an oak in the skirts of a storm, which now is clothed, on high, in mift: then shews its broad, waving head; the mufing hunter lifts his eye from his own rushy field.

My foul purfues thee, O Fillan, thro' the path of thy fame. Thou rolledft the foe before thee.-Now Foldath, perhaps, would fy; but night came down with its clouds; and Cathmor's horn was heard. The fons of Morven heard the voice of Fingal, from Mora's gathered mift. The bards poured their fong, like dew, on the returning war.

Who comes from Strumon, they said, amidft her wandering locks? She is mournful in her fteps, and lifts her blue eyes towards Erin. Why art thou fad, Evir-choma (1) ? Who is like thy chief in renown? He defcended dreadful to battle; he returns, like a light from a cloud. He lifted the fword in

(1) Evir-choama, mild and stately maid, the wife of Gaul. She was the daughter of Cafdu-conglas, chief of I-dronlo one of the Hebrides.

wrath : they shrunk before blue-shielded

Gaul!

Joy, like the rustling gale, comes on the foul of the king. He remembers the battles of old; the days, wherein his fathers fought. The days of old return on Fingal's mind, as he beholds the renown of his fon. As the fun rejoices, from his cloud, over the tree his beams have raised, as it shakes its lonely head on the heath; fo joyful is the king over Éillan.

ear.

As the rolling of thunder on hills, when Lara's fields are ftill and dark, fuch are the fteps of Morven pleasant and dreadful to the They return with their found, like eagles to their dark-browed rock, after the prey is torn on the field, the dun fons of the bounding hind. Your fathers rejoice from their clouds, fons of ftreamy Cona.

Such was the nightly voice of bards, on Mora of the hinds. A flame rofe, from an hundred oaks, which winds had torn from Cormul's fteep. The feaft is fpread in the midft: around fat the gleaming chiefs. Fingal is there in his ftrength; the eagle-wing (1)

(1) From this, and feveral other paffages, in this poem, it appears, that the kings of Morven and Ireland had a plume of eagle's feathers, by way of ornament, in their helmets. It was from this diftinguished mark that Offian knew Cathmor,

of his helmet fornds: the ruftling blafts of the weft, unequal rushed thro' night. Long looked the king in filence round: at length, his words were heard.

:

My foul feels a want in our joy. I behold a breach among my friends.-The head of one tree is low the fqually wind pours in on Selma. Where is the chief of Dun-lora? Ought he to be forgot at the feaft? When did he forget the ftranger, in the midst of his echoing hall-Ye are filent in my prefence! Connal is then no more. Joy meet thee, O warrior, like a ftream. of light. Swift be thy course to thy fathers, in the folds of the mountain-winds. -Offian, thy foul is fire: kindle the memory of the king. Awake the battles of Connal, when firft he shone in war. The locks of Connal were grey; his days of youth (1)

in the fecond book; which custom probably he had borrowed, from the former monarchs of Ireland, of the race of the Caël or Caledonians.

(1) After the death of Comhal, and during the ufurpation of the tribe of Morni, Fingal was educated in private by Duth-caron. It was then he contracted that intimacy, with Connal the fon of Duth-caron, which occafions his regretting so much his fall. When Fingal was grown up, he foon reduced the tribe of Morni; and as it appears from the fubfequent episode, fent Duth-caron and his fon Connal to the aid of Cormac, the son of

were mixed with mine. In one day Duth caron first ftrung our bows, against the roes of Dun-lora.

Many, I faid, are our paths to battle, in green-hilled Inisfail. Often did our fails arife, over the blue-tumbling waters; when we came, in other days, to aid the race of Conar.

The ftrife roared once in Alnecma, at the foam-covered ftreams of Duth-ula ( 1 ). With Cormac defcended to battle Duth caron from cloudy Morven. Nor defcended Duth-caron alone, his fon was by his fide, the long-haired youth of Connal, lifting the firft of his fpears. Thou didst command them, O Fingal, to aid the king of Erin.

Like the bursting ftrength of a stream, the fons of Bolga rushed to war: Colc-ulla (2)

Conar, king of Ireland, who was driven to the laft extremity, by the infurrections of the Firbolg. This epifode throws farther light on the contests between the Caël and Firbolg; and is the more valuable upon that account.

(1) Duth-úla, a river in Connaught; it fignifies, dark-rushing water.

(2) Col-culla, firm look in readiness; he was the brother of Borbar-duthul, the father of Cairbar