Braffolis*, faireft of his fifters, all alone, raised the fong of grief. She fung of the actions of Grudar, the youth of her fecret foul.She mourned him in the field of blood; but ftill fhe hoped for his return. Her white bofom is feen from her robe, as the moon from the clouds of night. Her voice was fofter than the harp to raise the song of grief. Her foul was fixed on Grudar; the fecret look of her eye was his. When fhalt thou come in thine arms, thou mighty in the war?

TAKE, Braffolis, Cairbar came and faid, take, Braffolis, this fhield of blood. Fix it on high within my hall, the armour of my foe. Her foft heart beat against her fide. Distracted, pale, the flew. She found her youth in all his blood; fhe died on Cromla's heath. Here refts their duft, Cuchullin; and these two lonely yews, fprung from their tombs, with to meet on high. Fair was Braffolis on the plain, and Grudar on the hill. The bard shall preferve their names, and repeat them to future times.

PLEASANT is thy voice, O Carril, faid the blue-eyed chief of Erin; and lovely are the words of other times. They are like the calm

* Braffolis fignifies a woman with a white breaft.

fhower

shower* of spring, when the fun looks on the field, and the light cloud flies over the hills. O ftrike the harp in praife of my love, the lonely fun-beam of Dunfcaich. Strike the harp in the praise of Bragéla †, of her that I left in the Isle of Mift, the fpoufe of Semo's fon. Doft thou raise thy fair face from the rock to find the fails of Cuchullin?The fea is rolling far diftant, and its white foam fhall deceive thee for my fails. Retire, for it is night, my love, and the dark winds figh in thy hair. Retire to the halls of my feafts, and think of the times that are paft: for I will not return till the ftorm of war is ceased. O Connal, fpeak of wars and arms, and fend her from my mind, for lovely with her raven-hair is the white-bofomed daughter of Sorglan.

P

* Homer compares foft piercing words to the fall of snow.
—επεα νιφάδεσσιν ἐοικότα χειμερίησιν.

But when he speaks, what elocution flows!
Like the foft fleeces of defcending fnows.

РОРЕ.

Bragéla was the daughter of Sorglan, and the wife of Cuchullin.-Cuchullin, upon the death of Artho, fupreme king of Ireland, paffed over into Ireland, probably by Fingal's order,. to take upon him the adminiftration of affairs in that kingdom during the minority of Cormac the fon of Artho. wife Bragéla in Dunfcaich, the feat of the family,

He left his

in the ifle of Sky, where the remains of his palace is ftill fhewn; and a stone, to which he bound his dog Luath, goes ftill by his name.

CONNAL,

CONNAL, flow to speak, replied, Guard against the race of Ocean. Send thy troop of night abroad, and watch the ftrength of Swaran. Cuchullin! I am for peace till the race of the defart come; till Fingal come, the first of men, and beam, like the fun, on our fields. THE hero ftruck the fhield of his alarmsthe warriors of the night moved on. lay in the heath of the deer, and flept amidst the dufky wind. The ghofts* of the lately dead were near, and fwam on gloomy clouds. And far diftant, in the dark filence of Lena, the feeble voices of death were heard.

The reft

*It was long the opinion of the ancient Scots, that a ghost was heard fhrieking near the place where a death was to happen foon after. The accounts given, to this day, among the vulgar, of this extraordinary matter, are very poetical. The ghost comes mounted on a meteor, and furrounds twice or thrice the place deftined for the perfon to die; and then goes along the road through which the funeral is to pass, shrieking at intervals ; at last, the meteor and ghost disappear above the burial place.

FINGAL,

FINGA L,

AN ANCIENT

EPIC POEM.

BOOK H.

ARGUMENT to Book II.

The ghost of Crugal, one of the Irish heroes who was killed in battle, appearing to Connal, foretels the defeat of Cuchullin in the next battle; and earnestly advifes him to make peace with Swaran. Connal communicates the vifion; but Guchullin is inflexible; from a principle of honour he would not be the first to fue for peace, and he refolved to continue the war. Morning comes; Swaran propofes difhonourable terms to Cuchullin, which are rejected. The battle begins, and is obftinately fought for fome time, until, upon the flight of Grumal, the whole Irish army gave way. Cuchullin and Connal cover their retreat: Carril leads them to a neighbouring hill, whither they are foon followed by Cuchullin himself, who defcries the fleet of Fingal making towards the coaft; but, night coming on, he loft fight of it again. Cuchullin, dejected after his defeat, attributes his ill fuccefs to the death of Ferda his friend, whom he had killed fome time before. Carril, to fhew that ill fuccefs did not always attend those who innocently killed their friends, introduces the episode of Comal and Galvina.