shield. The hills, the rocks reply. The sound spreads along the wood": deer start by the lake of roes. Curach leaps from the sounding

In the 1st editions, "Strike the sounding shield of Cabait," from the alteration of which to the more alliterative "shield of Semo," the note is at variance with the text. But the horn, the most common instrument, before the recent invention of bagpipes, is converted into the shield, to conceal the two succeeding imitations of Hardyknute's, and of Alecto's horn.

10 The sound of peace is not its voice. My heroes shall hear on the hill.] First edit. From the ballad of Hardyknute : When low down in a grassy dale,

They heard their father's horn,

That horn, quoth they, ne'er sounds in peace,

We've other sport to bide;

And soon they hied them up the hill,

And soon were at his side.

The hills, the rocks reply; The sound spreads along the

wood.] Hardyknute.

That trees in green wood shuke thereat,

Sa loud rang ilka hill.

En. viii. 514. Qua protinus omne
Contremuit nemus, et sylvæ intonuere profundæ,
Audiit et Triviæ longe lacus; audiit amnis

Sulphurea Nar albus aqua, fontesque Velini;

Et trepida matres pressêre ad pectora natos.

"Deer start by the lake of roes ;" and the shield, to which all the effects of Alecto's horn are thus ascribed, is suspended like a bell at the castle gate; but a shield resounding, when struck, like an alarm bell (in the Fragments, "It never rings in peace," from Hardyknute), could have been suggested only by an Indian gong.

rock; and Connal of the bloody spear! Crugal's breast of snow beats high. The son of Favi leaves the dark-brown hind. It is the shield of war, said Ronnar! the spear of Cuthullin, said Lugar! Son of the sea, put on thy arms! Calmer, lift thy sounding steel! Puno! dreadful hero, arise! Cairbar, from thy red tree of Cromla! Bend thy knee, O Eth; descend from the streams of Lena. Ca-olt, stretch thy side as thou movest along the whistling heath of Mora: thy side that is white as the foam of the troubled sea, when the dark winds pour it on rocky Cuthon".

Now I behold the chiefs, in the pride of their former deeds! Their souls are kindled at the battles of old; at the actions of other times. Their eyes are flames of fire. They roll in search of the foes of the land. Their mighty hands are on their swords. Lightning pours from their sides of steel 13. They come like streams from

12 Cu-raoch signifies the madness of battle. Cruth-geal, faircomplexioned. Cu-thon, the mournful sound of waves. MAC

PHERSON.

These and others, Crugal, Lugar, Favi, Puno, dreadful hero! are fictitious names of the translator's invention.

13 Lightning pours from their sides of steel.] Iliad, ii. 457. Απο ΧΑΛΚΟΥ ΘΕΣΠΕΣΙΟΙΟ,

ΑΙΓΛΗ ΠΑΜΦΑΝΟΩΣΑ δι αιθερος ωρανον ικε.

the mountains; each rushes roaring from his hill. Bright are the chiefs of battle, in the armour of their fathers. Gloomy and dark their heroes follow, like the gathering of the rainy clouds 14 behind the red meteors of heaven. The sounds of crashing arms ascend. The grey dogs howl between. Unequal bursts the song of battle. Rocking Cromla echoes round. On Lena's dusky heath they stand, like mist that shades the hills of autumn; when broken and dark it settles high, and lifts its head to heaven '5.

66

Hail," said Cuthullin, sons of the narrow

14 Gloomy and dark-like the gathering of the rainy clouds.] -MACPHERSON's Highlander, 1. 155.

Here ends the moving host its winding road,

And here condenses, like a sable cloud,

That long was gathering on the mountain brow,

Then broke in thunder on the vales below.

15 Like mist that shades the hills---when broken and dark, it settles high.] POPE's Iliad, v. 645.

The low-hung vapours, motionless and still,
Rest on the summits of the shaded hill,

Till the mass scatters, as the winds arise,

Dispersed and broken, through the ruffled skies.

"The whole compass of nature cannot afford a more exact representation of a numerous army, drawn up in a line of battle, and expecting the charge;" a sufficient reason for transferring it to Ossian. Pope's note, ib. 1. 641.

vales! hail, hunters of the deer! Another sport is drawing near: It is like the dark rolling of that wave on the coast! Or shall we fight, ye sons of war! or yield green Erin' to Lochlin! O Connal', speak, thou first of men! thou breaker of the shields ! thou hast often fought with Lochlin : wilt thou lift thy father's spear

16 Ireland, so called from a colony that settled there, called Falans. Innis-fail, the island of the Fa-il or Falans.

PHERSON.

MAC

"Or yield green Inisfail," in the first edition; and these capricious alterations, which have rendered the notes so frequently irreconcileable with the text, are a proof, that the supposed translator had no prototype to adhere to.

17 Connal, the friend of Cuthullin, was the son of Caithabit, prince of the Tongorma, or the island of blue waves, probably one of the Hebrides. His mother was Fioncoma, the daughter of Congal. He had a son by Foba of Conachar-nessar, who was afterwards petty king of Ulster. For his services in the war against Swaran, he had lands conferred on him, which, from his name, were called Tir-chonnuil, or, Tir-connel, i. e. the land of Connal. MACPHERSON.

This minute genealogy has undoubtedly some foundation in Irish history, or romance; but the translator, as usual, confounds Connal Cearnach, the cousin of Cuthullin, and Knight, or Master of the Order of the Red Branch, with Connal Golban in the fourth century, whose surname is transferred to the heath of Golban at the end of the book, and from whom the county of Tirconnel derives its name. The prince of Tongormo, however, is just such a fiction as Cuthullin, chief of the isle of Sky. O'BRIAN's Dict. MAC CURTIN's Ant. of Irel. 83. 123. KEATING, 190. 369.

"the

"Cuthullin!" calm the chief replied, spear of Connal is keen. It delights to shine in battle; to mix with the blood of thousands. But though my hand is bent on fight, my heart is for the peace of Erin. Behold, thou first in Cormac's war, the sable fleet of Swaran. His masts are many on our coast, like reeds in the lake of Lego. His ships are forests cloathed with mist 18, when the trees yield by turns to the squally wind. Many are his chiefs in battle. Connal is for peace! Fingal would shun his arm, the first of mortal men! Fingal, who scatters the mighty, as stormy winds the heath; when streams roar through echoing Cona; and night settles with all her clouds on the hill!"

"Fly, thou man of peace," said Calmar ", "fly," said the son of Matha; go, Connal, to thy silent hills, where the spear never brightens

18 His masts are many on our coast like reeds.---His ships are forests cloathed in mist.] An alteration of Milton's, "Thick as autumnal leaves that strew the brook," from THOMSON'S Autumn :

Like a long win'try forest, groves of masts,

Shot up their spires.

19 Calm-er, a strong man.

MACPHERSON.

From Calmar, a Swedish city. Matha is literally Matthew the apostle.