4 fhall continue to be well received, he may venture to prophefy without the gift of that infpiration, to which poets lay claim. Through the medium of verfion upon verfion, they retain, in foreign languages, their native character of fimplicity and energy. Genuine poetry, like gold, lofes little, when properly transfused; but when a compofition cannot bear the teft of a literal version, it is a counterfeit which ought not to pass current. The operation must, however, be performed with fkilful hands. A Tranflator, who cannot equal his original, is incapable of expreffing its beauties. LONDON, ARGUMENT. ; 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 hofpitality, refuses to go.-Starno gathers together his tribes Fingal refolves to defend himself.-Night coming on, Duth-maruno proposes to Fingal, to observe 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. |