THE tear is in the eye of youth. He faultering said to me, Cuchullin, raise thy boffy fhield. Defend thee from the hand of thy friend. My foul is laden with grief: for I muft flay the chief of men.

I SIGHED as the wind in the chink of a rock. I lifted high the edge of my fteel. The funbeam of the battle fell; the first of Cuchullin's friends.

UNHAPPY is the hand of Cuchullin fince the hero fell.

MOURNFUL is thy tale, fon of the car, faid Carril of other times. It fends my foul back to the ages of old, and to the days of other years.

-Often have I heard of Comal who flew the friend he loved; yet victory attended his fteel; and the battle was confumed in his prefence.

COMAL was a fon of Albion; the chief of an hundred hills. His deer drunk of a thousand ftreams. A thousand rocks replied to the voice of his dogs. His face was the mildness of youth. His hand the death of heroes. One was his love, and fair was she! the daughter of mighty Conloch. She appeared like a fun-beam among women. And her hair was like the wing of the raven: Her dogs were taught to the Her bow-ftring founded on the winds foreft. Her foul was fixed on Comal.

chace.

of the

Often

met

met their eyes of love. Their courfe in the chace was one, and happy were their words in fecret. But Gormal loved the maid, the dark chief of the gloomy Ardven. He watched her lone fteps in the heath; the foe of unhappy Comal.

ONE day, tired of the chace, when the mift had concealed their friends, Comal and the daughter of Conloch met in the cave of Ronan *. It was the wonted haunt of Comal. Its fides were hung with his arms. A hundred fhields of thongs were there; a hundred helms of founding fteel.

REST here, he faid, my love Galvina; thou light of the cave of Ronan. A deer appears on Mora's brow. I go; but I will foon return, I fear, she said, dark Grumal my foe; he haunts the cave of Ronan. I will reft among the arms; but foon return, my love.

*The unfortunate death of this Ronan is the subject of the ninth fragment of ancient poetry published last year; it is not the work of Offian, though it is writ in his manner, and bears the genuine marks of antiquity.—The concife expreffions of Offian are imitated, but the thoughts are too jejune and confined to be the production of that poet.-Many poems go under his name that have been evidently compofed fince his time; they are very numerous in Ireland, and fome have come to the tranflator's hands. They are trivial and dull to the last degree; swelling into ridiculous bombaft, or finking into the lowest kind of profaic ftyle. 3

HE

He went to the deer of Mora.

of Conloch would try his love.

The daughter

She cloathed

her white fides with his armour, and ftrode from the cave of Ronan. He thought it was his foe. His heart beat high. His colour changed, and darkness dimmed his eyes. He drew the bow. The arrow flew. Galvina fell in blood. He run with wildness in his fteps and called the daughter of Conloch. No anfwer in the lonely rock. Where art thou, O my love! He faw, at length, her heaving heart beating around the feathered dart. O Conloch's daughter, is it thou? He funk upon her breast.

THE hunters found the hapless pair; he afterwards walked the hill. But many and filent were his steps round the dark dwelling of his love. The fleet of the ocean came. He fought; the ftrangers fled. He fearched for his death over the field. But who could kill the mighty Comal! He threw away his dark-brown fhield. An arrow found his manly breaft. He fleeps with his loved Galvina at the noife of the founding furge. Their green tombs are feen by the mariner, when he bounds on the waves of the

north.

FINGA L,

FIN GA L,

AN ANCIENT

EPIC PO E M.

BOOK III.

E

Cuchullin, pleafed with the ftory of Carril, infifts with that bard for more of his fongs. He relates the actions of Fingal in Lochlin, and death of Agandecca the beautiful fifter of Swaran. He had fcarce finifhed when Calmar the fon of Matha, who had advifed the first battle, came wounded from the field, and told them of Swaran's defign to surprise the remains of the Irish army. He himself propofes to withstand fingly the whole force of the enemy, in a narrow pass, till the Irish should make good their retreat. Cuchullin, touched with the gallant propofal of Calmar, refolves to accompany him, and orders Carril to carry off the few that remained of the Irifb. Morning comes, Calmar dies of his wounds; and, the fhips of the Caledonians appearing, Swaran gives over the pursuit of the Irish, and returns to oppofe Fingal's landing. Cuchullin afhamed, after bis defeat, to appear before Fingal, retires to the cave of Tura. Fingal engages the enemy, puts them to flight; but the coming on of night makes the victory not decifive. The king, who had obferved the gallant behaviour of his grandfon Ofcar, gives him advices concerning his conduct in peace and war. He recommends to him to place the example of his fathers before bis eyes, as the best model for his conduct; which introduces the epifode concerning Fainafóllis, the daughter of the king of Craca, whom Fingal had taken under his protection, in his youth. Fillan and Ofcar are dispatched to` obferve the motions of the enemy by night; Gaul the fon of Morni defires the command of the army, in the next battle; which. Fingal promifes to give him. Some general reflections of the poet clofe the third day.