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his sinewy arms. He is like a cloud in the desert, varying its form to every blast. The valleys are sad around, and fear, by turns, the shower! The king, at length, resumed his soul. He took his pointed spear. He turned his eye

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to Moi-lena. The scouts of blue ocean came. They came with steps of fear, and often looked behind. Cairbar knew that the mighty were near ! He called his gloomy chiefs.

The sounding steps of his warriors came. They drew, at once, their swords. There Morlath + stood with darkened face. Hidalla's long hair sighs in wind. Red-haired Cormar bends on his spear, and rolls his side-long-looking eyes. Wild is the look of Malthos from beneath two shaggy brows. Foldath stands, like an oozy rock, that

His eye against the moon: in most strange postures
We have seen him set himself.

"Like a cloud in the desert, varying its form to every blast."
4 Mór-lath, great in the day of battle. Hidalla', mildly look-
ing hero. Cor-mar, expert at sea. Málth-os, slow to speak.
Foldath, generous. Mór-annal, strong-breath; a very proper
MACPHERSON.

name for a scout.

Morannal, a prolongation of Moran, the scout of ocean in Fingal. The opening, the incidents, and the characters, are, with little variation, a repetition from Fingal.

covers its dark sides with foam 5. His spear is like Slimora's fir, that meets the wind of heaven. His shield is marked with the strokes of battle. His red eye despises danger. These, and a thousand other chiefs, surrounded the king of Erin, when the scout of ocean came, Mor-annal, from streamy Moi-lena. His eyes hang forward from his face. His lips are trembling, pale!

"Do the chiefs of Erin stand," he said, "silent as the grove of evening? Stand they, like a silent wood, and Fingal on the coast? Fingal, who is terrible in battle, the king of streamy Morven ?" "Hast thou seen the warrior ?" said

Cairbar, with a sigh. "Are his heroes many on the coast? Lifts he the spear of battle? Or comes the king in peace?" In peace he comes not, king of Erin. I have seen his forward spear. It is a meteor of death. The blood of

5 Foldath stands like an oozy rock, that covers its dark sides with foam.] Fingal, iii. 12. Eneid, vii. 586.

Ille velut pelagi rupes immota resistit.

Ut pelagi rupes.

Scopuli nequidquam et spumea circum

Saxa fremunt, lateri illisa refunditur alga.

6 Mor-annal here alludes to the particular appearance of Fingal's spear. If a man, upon his first landing in a strange country, kept the point of his spear forward, it denoted, in

thousands is on its steel. He came first to the shore, strong in the grey-hair of age. Full rose his sinewy limbs, as he strode in his might. That sword is by his side, which gives no second wound. His shield is terrible, like the bloody moon, ascending through a storm. Then came Ossian, king of songs. Then Morni's son, the first of men. Connal leaps forward on his spear. Dermid spreads his dark-brown locks. Fillan bends his bow, the young hunter of streamy Moruth. But who is that before them, like the

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those days, that he came in a hostile manner, and, accordingly, he was treated as an enemy; if he kept the point behind him, it was a token of friendship, and he was immediately invited to the feast, according to the hospitality of the times. MAC

PHERSON.

Hector's spear, held transversely by the middle, is the signal for a parley in the Iliad; and Fingal's forward, or reverted spear, is now the signal of war or peace.

7 In some traditions, Fergus, the son of Fingal, and Usnoth, chief of Etha, immediately follow Fillan in the list of the chiefs of Morven; but as they are not afterwards mentioned at all in the poem, I look upon the whole sentence to be an interpolation, and have therefore rejected it. MACPHERSON, 1st edit.

In the first book of Temora annexed to Fingal, in 1762, the passage partly rejected as an interpolation, stood originally thus: "Fillan bends his bow: Fergus strides in the pride of youth. Who is that with aged locks? A dark shield is on his side. His spear trembles at every step; and age is on his limbs. He bends

terrible course of a stream! It is the son of Ossian, bright between his locks! His long hair falls on his back. His dark brows are half-inclosed in steel. His sword hangs loose on his

his dark face to the ground; the king of spears is sad! It is Usnoth, O Cairbar! coming to revenge his sons. He sees green Ullin with tears, and remembers the tombs of his children. But far before the rest the son of Ossian comes, bright in the smiles of youth, fair as the first beams of the sun. His long hair falls' on his back. His dark brows are half hid beneath his helmet of steel," &c. Ipse ante alios pulcherrimus omnes.

141.

But far above the rest in beauty shines

The great Æneas, when the troop he joins :
Like fair Apollo when he leaves the frost

Of wintry Xanthus and the Lycian coast.

Eneid, iv.

Green wreaths of bays his length of hair inclose;

A golden fillet binds his awful brows.

His quiver sounds.

"Like fair Apollo, when he leaves the frost of wintry Xanthus," &c.; or, "Fair as the first beams of the sun. His long hair

falls on his back. His brows are half inclosed with steel. His sword hangs loose by his side." In this description of the Celtic Apollo, the first design was to connect the poem with Darthula and the Children of Usnoth, which immediately preceded this book in the collection of lesser poems annexed to Fingal. When the Temora, however, was published entire, the first part of the passage was expunged, and the latter altered; as the translator, in the course of composition, had either forgotten old Usnoth, or had found no opportunity to introduce him and Fergus again into the poem.

side. His spear glitters as he moves. I fled from his terrible eyes, king of high Temora ! "

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Then fly, thou feeble man," said Foldath's gloomy wrath. "Fly to the grey streams of thy land, son of the little soul! Have not I seen that Oscar? I beheld the chief in war. He is of the mighty in danger: but there are others who lift the spear. Erin has many sons as brave, king of Temora of groves! Let Foldath meet him in his strength. Let me stop this mighty stream. My spear is covered with blood. My shield is like the wall of Tura!"

"Shall Foldath alone meet the foe?" replied the dark-browed Malthos. "Are they not numerous on our coast, like the waters of many streams? Are not these the chiefs, who vanquished Swaran, when the sons of green Erin fled? Shall Foldath meet their bravest hero? Foldath of the heart of pride! take the strength of the people! and let Malthos come. My sword is red with slaughter; but who has heard my words!"

"Sons of green Erin," said Hidalla, "let not Fingal hear your words. The foe might rejoice, and his arm be strong in the land. Ye are brave, VOL. II.

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