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Authorship of Ossian-History of the Controversy-
Fingal-Cuchullin-The Landing of Swaran-The
Council of the Chiefs-Council Advises Retreat
-Cuchullin Decides to Attack-Deaths of
Duchomar and Cathbat-Cuchullin's
Chariot-The Battle-Cuchullin's
Feast-The Story of Grudar
and Brassolis.

Os'sian-Fin'gal.

OSSIAN was a Celtic bard who is supposed to have lived in the second or possibly the third century. His father was Fingal, a name famous in the ancient annals of both Scotland and Ireland. The original language of these people, from long disuse, became almost obsolete, and was only preserved through the oral traditions at the fireside. Sometime about the middle of the last century it was publicly stated by a Gaelic scholar that there still remained in the old Celtic language fragmentary relics of the most wonderful writings since the age of Homer.

A few years later Mr. James Macpherson, a gentleman of classical attainments but of the most ordinary poetic ability, issued a volume of poems which he claimed to have collected in the Highlands of Scotland. This gave rise to one of the most

animated discussions in the history of literature.

The poems at once took rank among the most ancient classics. They were translated into the languages of Europe and read with admiration by Goethe, Schiller and Napoleon. The question was as to their authenticity. Some claimed, and among them Dr. Johnson, that they were the composition of Mr. Macpherson himself. The discussion transcended the bounds of legitimate criticism and became one of national importance. It was London against Edinburgh. Mr. Macpherson, being a man of dignity and spirit, naturally resented the aspersions cast upon his honor. He challenged his accusers to an investigation, which for some reason they declined. The question long remained an open one, but the more recent critics we believe generally concede the claim of antiquity which places Ossian among the first of our legendary poets.

The longer poems are supposed to occupy a day each. The day was usually given over to battle, while at night the opposing chiefs met and feasted. A bard was always present, who sang the glories of the Celtic wars. Such is the outline of Fingal, the longest and best known of the entire series.

Fin'gal.

Cuchullin sat by Tura's wall; by the tree of the rustling leaf. His spear leaned against the mossy rock. His shield lay by him on the grass. As he thought of mighty Cairbar,' a hero whom he slew in war, the scout of the ocean came,-Moran,' the son of Fithil.

"Rise," said the youth, "Cuchullin, rise; I see the ships of Swaran. Cuchullin, many are the foe: many the heroes of the dark-rolling sea."

"Moran!" replied the blue-eyed chief, "thou ever tremblest, son of Fithil. Thy fears have much increased the foe. Perhaps

1 Cairbar, a strong man.

2 Moran signifies many; and Fithil, or rather Fili, an inferior bard.

it is the king' of the lonely hills coming to aid me on green Ullin's plains."

"I saw their chief," says Moran, "tall as a rock of ice. His spear is like that blasted fir. His shield like the rising moon. He sat on a rock on the shore; his dark host rolled like clouds around him. Many, chief of men! I said, many are our hands of war. Well art thou named the Mighty Man, but many mighty men are seen from Tura's windy walls.

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He answered, like a wave on a rock, 'Who in this land appears like me? Heroes stand not in my presence; they fall to earth beneath my hand. None can meet Swaran in the fight but Fingal, king of stormy hills. Once we wrestled on the heath of Malmor, and our heels overturned the wood. 2 Rocks fell from

their place; and rivulets, changing their course, fled murmuring from our strife. Three days we renewed our strife, and heroes stood at a distance and trembled. On the fourth, Fingal says that the king of the ocean fell; but Swaran says he stood. Let dark Cuchullin yield to him that is strong as the storms of Malmor.'''

"No!" replied the blue-eyed chief, "I will never yield to man! Dark Cuchullin shall be great or dead! Go, Fithil's son, and take my spear. Strike the sounding shield of Cabait." It hangs at Tura's rustling gate; the sound of peace is not its voice. My heroes shall hear on the hill."

He went and struck the bossy shield. The hills and their rocks replied. The sound spread along the wood; deer start by the lake of roes. Curach' leapt from the sounding rock; and

1 Fingal the son of Comhal and Morna the daughter of Thaddu. His grandfather was Trathal, and great-grandfather Trenmor, both of whom are often mentioned in the poem. Trenmor, according to tradition, had two sons; Trathal, who succeeded him in the kingdom of Morven, and Connar, called by the bards Conar the Great, who was elected king of all Ireland, and was the ance-tor of that Cormac who sat on the Irish throne when the invasion of Swaran happened.

2 Meal-mór, a great hill.

3 Cabait, or rather Cathbait, grandfather to the hero, was so remarkable for his valor that his shield was made use of to alarm his posterity to the battles of the family. We find Fingal making the same use of his own shield. A horn was the most common instrument to call the army together, before the invention of bagpipes.

4 Cu-raoch signifies the madness of battle.

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 Cuchullin, said Lugar! son of the sea put on thy arms! Calmar lift thy sounding steel! Puno! dreadful hero, rise! Cairbar from thy red tree of Cromla! Bend thy white knee, O Eth! and descend from the streams of Lena. Caolt, stretch thy white 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 the murmuring rocks of Cuthon.'

Now I behold the chiefs, in the pride of their former deeds! Their souls are kindled at the battles of old; and the actions of other times. Their eyes are like flames of fire, and roll in search of the foes of the land. Their mighty hands are on their swords; and lightning pours from their sides of steel. They come like streams from the mountains; each rushes roaring from his hill. Bright are the chiefs of battle, in the armor of their fathers. Gloomy and dark their heroes follow, like the gathering of the rainy clouds behind the red meteors of heaven. The sounds of crashing arms ascend. The gray dogs howl between. Unequally bursts the song of battle; and 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!

"Hail," said Cuchullin, "sons of the narrow vales! hail, ye hunters of the deer! Another sport is drawing near: It is like the dark rolling of that wave on the coast! Shall we fight, ye sons of war! or yield green Innisfail 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'; spear?"

"Cuchullin!" calm the chief replied, "the spear of Connal

1 Cu-thon, the mournful sound of waves.

2 Crom-leach signified a place of worship among the Druids. It is here the proper name of a hill on the coast of Ullin or Ulster.

3 Ireland, so-called from a colony that settled there called Falans. Innisfail, i. e., the island of the Fa-il or Falans.

* Connal, the friend of Cuchullin, was the son of Cathbait, prince of Ton gorma, or the island of blue waves, probably one of the Hebrides.

is keen.

It delights to shine in battle, and to mix with the blood of thousands. But though my hand is bent on war, my Behold, thou first in Cormac's His masts are as numerous on

heart is for the peace of Erin.1 war, the sable fleet of Swaran.

our coast as reeds in the lake of Lego. His ships are like forests clothed with mist, 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 the streams roar through echoing Cona, and night settles with all her clouds on the hill !"

"Fly, thou chief of peace," said Calmar,' the son of Matha ; "fly, Connal, to thy silent hills, where the spear of battle never shone! Pursue the dark-brown deer of Cromla, and stop with thine arrows the bounding roes of Lena. But, blue-eyed son of Semo, Cuchullin, ruler of the war, scatter thou the sons of Lochlin and roar through the ranks of their pride. Let no vessel of the kingdom of Snow bound on the dark-rolling waves of Inistore. O ye dark winds of Erin rise! roar ye whirlwinds of the heath! Amidst the tempest let me die, torn in a cloud by angry ghosts of men; amidst the tempest let Calmar die, if ever chase was sport to him, so much as the battle of shields !''

"Calmar!" slow replied the chief, "I never fled, O son of Matha! I was swift with my friends in battle; but small is the fame of Connal! The battle was won in my presence; and the valiant overcame ! But, son of Semo, hear my voice, regard the ancient throne of Cormac. the land for peace, till Fingal come with thy choice, I lift the sword and spear. midst of thousands, and my soul brighten in the gloom of the fight!"

Give wealth and half battle. Or, if war be My joy shall be in the

1 Erin, a name of Ireland; from ear or iar, west, and in, an island. This name was not always confined to Ireland, for there is the highest probability that the Ierne of the ancients was Britain to the north of the Forth. For Ierne is said to be to the north of Britain, which could not be meant of Ireland. 2 Calm-er, a strong man.

3 The Galic name of Scandinavia in general; in a more confined sense, that of the peninsula of Jutland.

Inistore, the island of whales, the ancient name of the Orkney islands.

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