A Chleirich nuadh a theid don them, O hely man who roim 26. Com nach ocad leam u dun Ach thoir aire gu luath air Dia 27. goest to Romet. St. Patrick. 26. Why should I not permit you to mention them? but take care to make men of God. Now the last things are become first. Change thou therefore thy ways, old man with the grey locks‡. Ossian. 27. Phadruig mathug u cead beagann Patrick, since thou hast A labhairt duira given me leave to speak a Nach Aidmhich ùmas cead le little, wilt thou not per Dia Flath nan fiann arait' air thus 28. Chod tug mise comas duit init us, with God's leave, to mention the King of Heroes first*? St. Patrick. 29. I by no means give the leave, thou wicked grey †The contest here considerably resembles that at the beginning of Ossian agus an Clerich. The Roman Catholic superstition of later times in this pas sege evidently discovers itself: perhaps the innocent stof, mentioned in v. 24. may have some reference to the crosier. St. Patrick, Jesuit-like, seems willing to compound with Ossian; and to admit the Pagan songs, provided Ossian, on the other hand, would admiť Christianity. Part of this verse is scriptural, So the last shall be first and the "first last, for many are called but few chosen." Matth. xx. 16. and see al Mark iz. 35. Jesus Christ is here meant by the title of God. See v. 28. The opposition of Ossian scems to be considerably weakened in this verse: but he still wishes t e bia old superstitions maintain the superiority. at least. f Na comh'ad 'usa Daine ri Dia 31. Chomhad innse Fuina namsleagh 30. Compare not any to God; harbour not any such thoughts, old man! Long has his superior power stood acknow ledged, and it shall for ever continue.. Ossian. 31. I certainly would compare the hospitable Fingal to any man who ever looked the sun in the face. He never asked a favour of another, nor did he ever refuse when asked t. + Calin seems to have been offended at the gross reproaches which the Bumility of the Christian Apostle had just bestowed upon Lim with all the prodi- ' gality of one of Homer's heroes: and he answers with the rough but generena boldness of barbarous indo perdencs, Ossian. 36. The belief of the twelve Apostles I now take unto me: and if I have sinned greatly, let it be thrown into the grave. CRIOCH. N. B. In printing this Extract from the publication of Mr. Hill, it was omitted to insert the words "I observed in p. 19. that" before " Gaul" in 1. 4. of note p. 120. The last word of stanza 20. is to be read fcin; and Riochos in 1.2 of stanza 24. is to be read Riogh os. K No. IX. OBSERVATIONS ON THE CAELIC POEMS COLLECTED BY MR. HILL AND ON HIS REMARKS ACCOMPANYING THEM. BY DR. DONALD SMITH. THE original and translation of the foregoing Poem, as indeed all the rest of the Collection, abound in errors; the most remarkable of which shall now be pointed out. Stanza 2. "Oishein nan glonn" is translated "O Os→ sian! father of many children," instead of O Ossian of the deeds of prowess: Which mistake gave rise to the note of Mr. Hill" This is ever accounted a great honour among "Barbarians. See also Ossian agus an Clerich, v. 47." The passage which is here referred to, is equally errone-ous: For the original of it, "Mi fein agus Mathair is Goll "Triur bo mho Glonn san Fhein," is translated " Myself, my Father, and Gaul, were the "three who had most children among the heroes," instead of Myself, a my Father, and Gaul, were the three of greatest prowess among the heroes.. The error may have proceeded from mistaking Glass prowess, for Clann children: Stanza 7. "'Noavil ù'm bionan e s mac Cubhail "Dol na Thallamhsan gun iaruidh." There is no word in the Gaelic language that bears the inost distant likeness to 'Noavil, which begins this quota tion. It is to be presumed from the English that is given for it, Dost thou imagine, that the translator read, or took it; for An Saoil. And if we read it so, the literal translation of the passage is as follows Dost thou imagine that he was equal to the son of Comhal? That king who was over the heroes of Fingal. Into his hell unbidden. Instead of which it is thus rendered in the version of Mr. Hill Dost throu imagine that he is equal to the son "of Coinhal? that king who ruled over the nations, who "defeated all the people of the earth, and visited their "kingdoms unsent for." There seems but one way of accounting for so singular 4 translation of a very plain passage. Mr. Hill had observed (p. 16.), that he was "inclined to suspect that there are in "the song of Dermid killing the wild Boar, some words di"rectly derived from the English, as Bheist, thri, &c.” It did not, perhaps, occur to him that the Gaeliċ bèist and tri wese synonymous with the bestia and tria of the Latin; in which they were known for a whole millennium, and we know not how much leager, before the English language, |