independent of one another. In this fituation, it is probable, they continued long, without any inaterial revolution in the state of the ifland, until Crothar, Lord of Atha, a country in Connaught, the most potent chief of the Firbolg, carried away Conlama, the daughter of Cathmin, a chief of the Caël, who poffeffed Ulfter.

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Conlama had been betrothed, fome time before, to Turloch, a chief of their own nation. Turloch refented the affront offered him by Crothar, made an irruption into Connaught, and killed Cormul, the brother of Crothar, who came to oppofe his progrefs. Crothar himself then took arms, and either killed or expelled Turloch. The war, upon this, became general, between the two nations and the Cael were reduced to the laft extremity. In this fituation, they applied, for aid, to Trathal king of Morven, who fent his brother Conar, already famous for his great exploits, to their relief. Conar, upon his arrival in Ulfter, was chofen king, by the unanimous confent of the Caledonian tribes, who poffeffed that country. The war was renewed with vigour and fuccefs; but the Firbolg appear to have been rather repelled than fubdued. In fucceeding reigns, we learn from epifodes in the fame poem, that the chiefs of Atha made feveral efforts to become monarchs

of Ireland, and to expel the race of Conar.

To Conar fucceeded his fon Cormac (1), who appears to have reigned long. In his latter days he feems to have been driven to the laft extremity, by an infurrection of the Firbolg, who fupported the pretenfions of the chiefs of Atha to the Irish throne. Fingal, who then was very young, came to the aid of Cormac, totally defeated Colculla chief of Atha, and re-established Cormac (2) in the fole poffeffion of all Ireland. It was then he fell in love with, and took to wife, Ros-crana, the daughter of Cor raac, who was the mother of Offian.

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Cormac was fucceeded in the Irish throne by his fon, Caiibre; Cairbre by Artho,. his fon, who was the father of that Corin whofe minority the invafion of Swaran happened, which is the subject of the poem of Fingal. The family of Atha, who had not relinquished their pretenfions to the Irish throne, rebelled in the minority of Cormac, defeated his adherents, and murdered him in the palace of Temora. Cairbar (3), lord of Atha, upon this, mounted

(1) Book III.

(2) Book IV. (3) Book I.

the throne. His ufurpation foon ended with his life; for Fingal made an expedition into Ireland, and reftored, after various viciffitudes of fortune, the family of Conar to the poffeffion of the kingdom. This war is the fubject of Temora; the events, though certainly heightened and embellished by poetry, feem, notwithstanding, to have their foundation in true history.

Offian has not only preferved the history of the firft migration of the Caledonians into Ireland, he has also delivered some important facts, concerning the first fettlement of the Firbolg, or Belga of Britain, in that kingdom, under their leader Larthon, who was ancestor to Cairbar and Cathmor, who fuccefively mounted the Irish throne, after the death of Cormac, the fon of Artho. I forbear to transcribe the paffage, on account of its length. It is the fong of Fonar, the bard; towards the latter end of the feventh book of Temora (1). As the generations from Larthon to Cathmor, to whom the episode is addreffed, are not marked, as are those of the family of Conar, the firft king of Ireland, we can form no judgment of the time of the fettlement of the Firbolg. It is, however, probable, it was fome time before the Caël, or Caledonians, settled in Ulfter.

(1) Book VII.

-One important fact may be gathered from 0 this hiftory of Offian, that the Irish had no king before the latter end of the first century. Fingal lived it is certain, in the third century; fo Conar, the firft monarch of the Irish, who was his grand-incle, cannot be placed farther back than the close of the firft. The eftablishing of this fact lays, at once, afide the pretended antiquities of the Scots and Irish, and cuts off the long lift of kings which the latter give us for a millennium before.

Of the affairs of Scond, it is certain, nothing can be dependea pon, prior to the reign of Fergus, the fon of Erc, who lived in the fifth century. The true hiftory of Ireland begins fomewhat later than that period. Sir James Ware (1), who was indefatigable in his researches after the antiquities of his country, rejects, as mere fiction and idle romance, all that is related of the antient Irish, before the time of St. Patrick, and the reign of Leogaire. It is from this confideration, that he begins his hiftory at the introduction of chriftianity, remarking, that all that is delivered down, concerning the times of paganism, were tales of late invention, ftrangely mixed with anachronifms and inconfiftencies. Such being the opinion

(1) War. de antiq. Hybern. præ. p. 1.

of Ware, who had collected with uncommon industry and zeal, all the real and pretendedly antient manufcripts, concerning the hiftory of his country, we may, on his authority reject the improbable and felf-condemned tales of Keating and O'Flaherty. Credulous and puerile to the laft degree, they have difgraced the antiquities they meant to eftablish. It is to be wished, that fome able Irishman, who understands, the language and records of his country, may redeem › ere it is too late, the genuine antiquities of Ireland, from the hands of thefe idle i fabulifts.

By comparing the hiftory preferved by Offian with the legends of the Scots and Irish writers, and, by afterwards examining both by the teft of the Roman authors, it is eafy to discover which is the most probable. Probability is all that can be eftablished on the authority of tradition, ever dubious and uncertain. But when it favours the hypothefis laid down by cotemporary writers of undoubted veracity, and, as it were, finishes the figure of which they only drew the outlines, it ought, in the judgment of fober reafon, to be prefered to accounts framed in dark and distant periods, with little judgment, and upon no authority,

Concerning the period of more than a