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The WAR of CAROS,
CATHLIN of CLUTHA,
SUL-MALLA of LUMON,
WAR of INIS-THONA,
The SONGS of SELMA,

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FINGAL,

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DAR-THULA,

DEATH of CUTHULLIN,
BATTLE of LORA,

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ARGUMENT.

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FINGAL, when very young, making a voyage to the Orkney islands, was driven, by ftrefs of weather, into a bay of Scandinavia, near the refidence of Starno, king of Lochlin. Starno invites Fingal to a feaft. Fingal, doubting the faith of the king, and mindful of a former breach of hospitality, refufes to go.-Starno gathers together his tribes Fingal refolves to defend himself.-Night coming on, Duth-maruno proposes to Fingal, to obferve the motions of the enemy.-The king himself undertakes the watch. Advancing towards the enemy, he, accidentally, comes to the cave of Turthor, where Starno had confined Conban-carglas, the captive daughter of a neighbouring chief.-Her ftory is imperfect, a part of the original being loft.-Fingal comes to a place of worship, where Starno and his fon, Swaran, confulted the spirit of Loda, concerning the iffue of the war.-The rencounter of Fingal and Swaran.-Duän firft concludes with a defcription of the airy hall of Cruth-loda, fuppofed to be the Odin of Scandinavia.

CATH-L O D A.

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DUAN FIRST.

TALE of the times of old!

Why, thou wanderer unfeen! Thou bender of the thiftle of Lora; why, thou breeze of the valley, haft thou left mine

The

* The bards diftinguished thofe compofitions, in which the narration is often interrupted by episodes and apoftrophes, by the name of Duän. Since the extinction of the order of the bards, it has been a general name for all ancient compofitions in verfe. abrupt manner in which the ftory of this poem begins, may render it obfcure to fome readers; it may not therefore be improper, to give here the traditional preface, which is generally prefixed to it. Two years after he took to wife Ros-crana, the daughter of Cormac, king of Ireland, Fingal undertook an expedition into Orkney, to vifit his friend Cathulla, king of Iniftore. After ftaying a few days at Caric-thura, the refidence of Cathulla, the king fet fail, to return to Scotland; but, a violent ftorm arifing, his fhips were driven into a bay of Scandinavia, near Gormal, the feat of Starno, king of Lochlin, his avowed enemy. Starno, upon the appearance of ftrangers on his coaft, fummoned together the neighbouring tribes, and advanced, in a hoftile manner, towards the bay of Uthorno, where Fingal had taken fhelter. Upon difcovering who the ftrangers were, and fearing the va

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