ARTES
LIBRARY
1817
VERITAS
SCIENTIA
OF THE
{ UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN |
M
TUEROR
AMOČNANC
HUINIIIIIN SAI'
JOSEPH MCDONOUGH
RARE BOOKS
ALBANY - N. Y.

+
}.
1
828
M172
1807
F

Mlac Phersoni, James
THE
POEMS OF OSSIAN,
IN
THE ORIGINAL GAELIC,
WITH A
LITERAL TRANSLATION INTO LATIN,
BY THE LATE ROBERT MACFARLAN, A. M.
TOGETHER WITH
A DISSERTATION ON THE AUTHENTICITY
OF THE POEMS,
BY SIR JOHN SINCLAIR, BART.
AND
A TRANSLATION FROM THE ITALIAN OF THE ABBE CESAROTTI'S DISSER-
TATION ON THE CONTROVERSY RESPECTING THE AUTHENTICITY
OF OSSIAN, WITH NOTES AND A SUPPLEMENTAL ESSAY,
BY JOHN M'ARTHUR, LL. D.
PUBLISHED UNDER THE SANCTION OF THE HIGHLAND
SOCIETY OF LONDON.
MAGNA EST VERITAS ET PREVALEBIT.
VOL III.
LONDON:
PRINTED BY W. BULMER AND CO. CLEVELAND-ROW;
SOLD BY G. AND W. NICOL, BOOKSELLERS TO HIS MAJESTY,
PALL-MALL; CREECH, BELL AND BRADFUTE, CONSTABLE
AND CO, EDINBURGH; AND ARCHER, DUBLIN.
1807.
...
i
Ry. st.
Botley
10-17-40
41752
CONTENTS OF THE THIRD VOLUME.
ORIGINAL POEMS WITH LATIN TRANSLATIONS.
TIGHMORA. Duan III.
Duan IV.
Duan V.
Duan VI.
Duan VII.
Duan VIII.
Conlaoch is Cuthona
Notes
-
page 4
46
84
120
158
194
240
259
A Translation from the Italian of the Abbé Cesarotti's Historical
and Critical Dissertation on the Controversy respecting the
Authenticity of Ossian's Poems, by John M'Arthur, LL. D.
Notes by the Translator
293
332
Supplemental Observations on the Authenticity of Ossian's Poems,
by John M'Arthur, containing the following Subjects.
1. Oral Tradition, ancient Song and Music
364
2. Of the ancient Name and Inhabitants of Britain, and
Progress of Letters among the Caledonians
379
404
3. Philological Inquiries, and the Affinity of the Celtic, or
Gaelic, with the Oriental and other Languages
4. A Summary of the Evidence adduced in Support of the
Authenticity of Ossian's Poems, with further Proofs 432
The original Episode of Faineasolli's, with a literal English
Translation
486
The Original of Ossian's Address to the Sun in Carthon, with a
literal Latin and English Translation
494
Topography of some of the principal Scenes of Fingal and his
Warriors, viz.
1. Description of Selma, by Alex. Stewart, A. M.
498
CONTENTS.
2. Description of the River Cona, and the Banks of the
River Ete, by the Rev. Donald Macnicol
page 523
3. Description of Inis-Connel and Inis-Eraith, the Scene of
Daura, as in the Songs of Selma; also the Scenes of Cath-
luina and Laoi-Fraoch, by the Rev. William Campbell
523
4. Description of the Scenes of Daura and Erath, by the
Rev. Dr. John Smith
524
5. Description of the Vicinity of Selma, the River Connel,
and the Valley of Ete, by the Rev. Ludovick Grant 527
6. Description of Morven and its Antiquities, by the Rev.
Norman Mac Leod
531
7. Probable Conjectures respecting Fingal and Ossian's burial
Places
8. A Specimen of Ossiamic Music
534
541
Notices of Books which treat of the Celtic Language, Customs,
Manners, and Antiquities
543
Gaelic Books published in the 16th, 17th, and 18th Centuries 562
Gaelic and Irish Manuscripts existing in Great Britain and
Ireland
566
DIRECTIONS TO THE BINDER.
The Specimen of Ossianic Music to face page 541.
A Map of Selma and part of the Fingalian Territories in Argyle-
shire, to face the blank page at the end of Topographic
Accounts,
TEMORA
CARMEN TERTIUM.
TOM. III.
B
}
Carminis III. Argumentum.
Lucis adventu, Fingal, concione ad populum habitâ, Gallum Morni
filium exercitui præfecit; quippe horum temporum mos erat, ut rex,
nisi egregiam illius virtutem et scientiam summum rerum discrimen
postulasset, se a prœlio abstraheret. Rex cum Ossiano ad rupem
Cormulem se recipit, quæ prælii campo supereminebat. Carmen belli-
cum bardi decantant. Prælium per totam aciem commissum descri-
bitur. Galli Morni filii virtus præ aliis enituit; Turlathonem Moruthi
regulum, cum aliis famæ inferioris ducibus interfecit. Ex alterâ
parte, Foldathus, qui exercitui Hiberniæ præerat (nam Cathmor
Fingalis exemplo a prœlio abstinebat), fortiter pugnat; Connalem
Dunloræ principem occidit, et Gallum ipsum petit. Gallus interim à
sagitta fortuitá saucius, a Folano Fingalis filio, qui facinora fortissima
patrat, protegitur. Nox adventat. Fingalis cornu receptui canit;
cui, cum carmine gratulabundo in quo Galli et Folani laudes præcipuè
celebrantur, obviam bardi proveniunt. Duces ad epulas discumbunt:
Connalem Fingal quærit. In Connalis et Duthcaronis historiam poeta
digreditur, quæ annales Hiberniæ antiquiores fusius tractat. Ad
tumulum Connali congerendum Carril mittitur. Hujus libri actio
diem ab incepto poemate secundam occupat.
[ 4 ]
TIGH MORA.
DUAN III.
v. 1-17.
Co esa mu ghorm shiubhal Lubhair?
Co fo lùbadh crom-charn nan ruadh,
Ard ag aomadh ri craoibh o chùlaobh,
Reub osag an dùbhra nan cruach?
Co th'ann ach Mac Chumhail an treun,
Tha lasadh measg deireadh nam blàr?
Tha 'liath chiamh air osaig o bheinn,
E tarruing garbh Luno nan lann.
Tha 'shùile garg air leirg Mhoiléna,
Air nàimhdibh treun tha gluasad ciar.
An cluinn thu guth an righ ag éirigh,
Mar bhriseadh treun nan sruth o shliabh,
'Nuair a thig iad o fhuaim nan cnoc
Air raon tha fo sheacadh na gréine?
Garbh chearbach a thearnas an nàmhaid,
Shil Shelma nan crann, bi suas ;
Bithibhse mar scòrr ar talmhuinn
[ 5 ]
TEMOR A.
CARMEN III.
QUIS
v. 1-17.
Quis (est) ille circa cæruleum cursum Lubaris?
Quis sub flexu curvi saxeti rufarum (caprearum),
Sublimis inclinans-se ad arborem à tergo,
Quam divulsit flamen in obscuritate collium ?
Quis est ibi nisi filius Comalæ strenuus,
Qui flammescit in extremo suorum prœliorum?
Est ejus canus capillus super flamine à monte,
Ipso extrahente ingentem Lunonem gladiorum.
Sunt ejus oculi minaces in clivum Molenæ,
In hostes strenuos, qui moventur fusci.
An audis tu vocem regis surgentem,
Velut eruptionem violentam fluminum è clivo,
Quando veniunt illa à sonitu colliculorum
In campum qui est sub exustione solis? [dit hostis,
(Valde extensis lateribus) vastè-fimbriatis descen-
Semen Selmæ arborum (surgite), estote sursum ;
Estote vos ipsi sicut scopuli vestræ terræ
6
DUAN III.
TIGHMORA.
An ciar shlios fo charradh nan àld.
Gath sòlais air m'anamsa féin
Mi faicinn nan treun a' m' chòir;
An uair is lag an nàmhaid thall
Cluinnear osna o spairn mo chléibhe:
Tha m' eagal mu ghluasad a' bhàis
Air a' chliu so tha snàmh mo dhéigh.
Co tharngeas gu còmhrag an lear,
Gu Alnecma nam feara treun ?
'S e m àmsa féin garbh àm a' chunnairt;
An sin a dhealras guineach mo lann :
Mar sin a rinn iad féin o shean
O Threunmor, fear riaghlaidh nan gaoth;
Mar sin a thearnadh sìos gu lear
Mòr Thràthal fo ghormadh nan sgiath.
Grad aomadh nan triath gus an righ,
Gach ciar dhiubh a' strì mu 'n bhlàr
Le iomradh nan gnìomh an robh brìgh,
Gach sùil ag iadhadh mu Eirinn gu mall.
Ach fada roimh na seòda treun
Sheas mac Mhorni nam beum cruaidh;
An sàmhchair sheas an gaisgeach féin.
Co nach cuala mu fheum o Ghall?
Anam mòr fo dhealradh nan gnìomh,
A gharbh làmh gu dìomhair m'a lann,
An lann a thug e o Shrumon suas,
'Nuair a cheileadh o chruadal Morni,
Sheas Fillean o Shelma thall
v. 18-45.
7
TEMORA.
In fusco latere rupium rivorum.
Est radius lætitiæ meo animo ipsius:
Videntis strenuos me coram;
Quando est iners hostis ex adverso
Auditur suspirium à luctamine mei pectoris :
Est meus metus circa invasionem mortis.
In famam hanc quæ natat me ponè
Quis se-trahit ad certamen in clivum,
Ad Alnecmam virorum strenuorum?
Est meum tempus ipsius asperum tempus periculi;
In illo coruscat acutus meus gladius:
Illo modo [se gesserunt] fecerunt nostri proavi olim
A Trenmore [rectore ventorum] viro regente ventos;
Illo modo descendebat deorsum ad aciem
Magnus Trathal sub cæruleo (colore) clypeorum.
Statim inclinaverunt-se principes ad regem,
Unoquoque fusco (homine) eorum certante de prœlio
Cum narratione factorum in quibus fuit vis,
Unoquoque oculo oblique-tuente Iernen lentè.
At longè ante heroas strenuos
Stetit filius Mornæ plagarum durarum ;
In silentio stetit bellator ipse.
Quis non audivit de ejus (meritis) usu à Gallo?
Animo magno sub coruscatione facinorum,
Ejus ingenti manu clam circa ejus gladium,
Gladium quem tulit ille à Strumone sursum,
Quando (amovebatur) celabatur à dura re Morna.
Stetit Folan à Selma ex adverso
8
TIGHMORA.
DUAN III.
1
Air sleagh am measg falbhan a chiabh.
Tri chuairt thog e shùile mall
Air Fionnghal an spairn o chliabh.
Shìolaidh sìos gun bhrìgh a ghuth,
Cha robh Fillean fo dhubhadh nam blår.
Ghrad-shìn e thall a cheum,
Is sheas e fo bheud thar sruth,
A dheoir a' dlùtha gu tiugh m'a ghruaidh.
O àm
gu àm a bhuail fo'shleagh
Liath chluaran nam magh le 'chrann.
Cha robh e gun fhaicinn do 'n righ,
'S e sealltuinn o thaobh a shùla.
Chunnaic a mhac féin fo strì
Na sòlais bha dìreadh 'na urla.
Thionndaidh e measg anam mhòir
An sàmhchair gu Mòra nan ùr-choill';
Cheil e a dheoire fo 'chiabh.
An sin chualas o thriath an guth.
"A cheud mhic Mhorni nan cruaidh lann,
A charradh nan carn fo stoirm,
Tarruing mo chòmhrag gu blàr
Mu shinns're nan sàr 's mu Chormac.
Cha mhaide balachain do shleagh,
Cha dhearrsa gun seagh do chruaidh.
Mhic Mhorni nan garbh each sa' mhagh
Faic do nàimhde; air d'aghairt, is buail.
Fhillein, seallsa air an triath,
Nach robh riamh an còmhrag mall;
v. 46-73.
9
TEMORA.
Super hasta in media agitatione suorum capillorum.
Ternis vicibus sustulit ille oculos terræ
Ad Fingalem in luctamine pectoris ;
Contraxit-se deorsum sine effectu ejus vox.
Haud fuerat Folan sub nigritie prœliorum.
Continuò tetendit ille suum passum,
Et stetit ille sub molestia ultrà rivulum,
[nam
Lacrymis sibi-appropinquantibus densè circa ejus ge-
(Indentidem) de tempore in tempus percussus est sub
Canus carduus camporum cum suo hastili.
[hasta
Non fuit ille non visus régi,
Cum ille aspiceret è latere sui oculi.
Vidit filium suum sub conflictu
Gaudii quod erigebatur in ejus pectore.
[num
Vertit-se ille inter (cogitationes) animum suum mag-
In silentio ad Moram novarum sylvarum;
Celavit ille suas lacrymas sub capillis.
(Tunc) in illo tempore audita est ex principe ejus vox.
"O prime fili Mornæ durarum plagarum,
Rupes saxetorum sub procella,
Ducito meum (agmen) certamen in aciem
Pro progenie heroum et pro Cormaco.
Haud baculum pueri est tua hasta,
Haud est coruscatio sine vi tuus durus (gladius).
Fili Mornæ ingentium equorum in campo
[feri.
Adspice tuos hostes; [perge rectâ] faciem versùs, et
Folan, adspice tu ad principem,
Qui fuit nunquam in certamine tardus ;
1
10
TIGHMORA.
DUAN III.
Ach cha las a mhòr anam gu thrian
An ard charraid nan sgiath garbh:
Fhillein, seallsa air an triath,
Tha cho làidir ri Lubar o shliabh
Gun chobhar, gun trian gàire.
Air Mòra nan nial air faire
Chi Fionnghal o 'n aird an strì.
Bi-sa, Oisein, ri làimh d'athar
Aig sruth tha 'g a chaitheadh o bheinn.
Fagaibhs' a bharda, am fonn ;
Gluaiseadh Selma gu lom a chòmhnaird;
'S e mo dheireadh lear a th' ann ;
Cuiribh dearrsa nach gann sa' chòmhrag."
Mar mhosglas suas gu grad a' ghaoth
Na garbh aomadh air faobhar a' chuain,
'Nuair a thogas an dorchadas baoth
Faoin thanas air taomadh nan stuadh
Thar Innis nan cruaidh leac,
Innis dubh-chòmhnuidh do cheo
'S an doimhne mhòir an ciar nam bliadhna;
Cho fuasach ri sin am fuaim
Bha 'g éirigh o shluagh air an raon.
Bha Gall le 'cheumaibh ard air ceann,
Liath dhearrsa nan àld fo 'leumadh ;
Thog na barda fonn r'a thaobh
Bhuail e o àm gu àm an sgiath.
An truscan na h-osaig o shliabh
Chluinnte gu 'thrian am fonn.
;
v. 74-101.
11
TEMORA.
At non ardet ejus magnus animus omnino
In ardua concertatione clypeorum ingentium:
Folan, adspice tu ad principem,
Qui est æque validus ac Lubar à clivo
Sine spuma, sine vasto fragore.
Super Mora nubium [vigil] in vigiliis
Cernet Fingal ex alto certamen.
Esto tu, Ossiane, ad manum tui patris
Ad flumen quod consumitur (currendo) à monte.
Omittite vos, bardi, cantum;
Pergat Selma ad nudam (partem) campi;
Est mea ultima acies quæ adest;
Immittite splendorem haud angustum in certamen."
Ut expergiscitur sursum ocyùs ventus
In ejus asperâ inclinatione per superficiem oceani,
Quando surgit in tenebris horrendis
Atrum spectrum effundens fluctus
Super insulam durorum clivorum,
Insulam nigram habitationem nebulæ
[rum ;
In profundo magno in [tenebris] fusco (spatio) anno-
Æque terribilis ac illud (fuit) sonitus
Qui oriebatur à populo in campo.
Erat Gallus cum suis passibus arduis ad caput,
Canis coruscationibus rivulorum sub ejus saltibus;
Sustulerunt bardi cantum ad ejus latus;
Percussit ille subinde clypeum.
In amictu flaminis è clivo
Audiebatur imperfecte cantus.
12
TIGHMORA.
DUAN III.
"Air Cròna," so mar thuirt na baird,
"Brisidh sruth o ard na h-oidhche
Atadh an iadhadh nan àld
Gu dearrsa na madainn is soillse;
'N sin thig e gu h-ìosal o charn
Le cragaibh nan ceud crann a' boillsgeadh.
Biodh mo cheuma fada o Chròna ;
;
Tha 'm bàs a chòmhnuidh uime féin.
Bithibhse mar shruthaibh o Mhòra,
Shil Mhòirbheinn is dorcha nial.
Co tha 'g éirigh o charbad Chlùtha?
Tha 'm monadh a dùbhradh roimh 'n righ,
A chiar choill' a freagradh ri fuaim,
Ri dealan a chruaidh' a' boillsgeadh.
Faic e measg a nàimhde treun,
Mar thanas nan leum colgach,
A sgapas na niala o bheinn;
Is e marcachd air steud na fiar ghaoith?
Coach Morni nan eacha srann?
Bi-sa mar d'athair, a Ghaill.
"Tha Selma fosgailt fada thall,
Làmha baird a' crith mu chlarsaich,
Deich gaisgich le daraig o 'n aird
Talla farsaing bu shàr fleagh.
Tha dearrsa gréine air an t-sliabh
Stuadh osaig gu ciar air an fheur.
C'uim tha thus' a Shelma, cho sàmhach?
Tha 'n righ a' tighinn a nall le' chliu.
v. 102-129.
13
TEMORA.
Super Cronâ," ecce quomodo locuti sunt bardi,
"Erumpit fluentum ex culmine noctis
Tumescens in mændris rivulorum
Usque ad coruscationem matutini-(temporis) et lucem;
Tunc veniet illud ad humile (solum) è saxeto
Cum saxis centum arborum resplendens.
Sint me passus procul à Crona;
Est mors habitans circa ipsam.
Estote vos instar fluminum à Mora,
O semen Morvenis, cujus est tenebrosa nubes.
Quis est surgens à curru Cluthæ ?
Est mons se-obumbrans præ rege,
Fusca sylva respondens ejus sonitui,
Et fulguri duræ-(armaturæ) resplendens.
Ecce eum inter suos hostes strenuum
Sicut spectrum saltuum furibundorum,
Quod dissipat nubes à monte;
Equitans super flumine feri venti?
Quis nisi Morna equorum frementium ?
Esto tu sicut tuus pater, Galle.
Est Selma aperta longè ex-adverso,
(Sunt) manus bardorum trementes circo citharas,
Decem bellatores cum quercibus ab arduo (monte)
In domicilio spatioso arduo, cujus est eximium con-
Et coruscatio solis super clivo
[vivium.
Et (ab unda) undosum flamen fuscè super herbâ.
Quare es tu, Selma, adeo silens ?
Est rex veniens huc cum suâ famâ.
14
DUAN 11I.
TIGHMORA.
Nach fhuasach garbh fhuaim na strì?
Tha glaine na sìth m'a ghruaidh.
B' fhuasach garbh fhuaim na strì,
Ach thilleadh an righ le buaidh.
Bi-sa mar d'athair, Fhillein."
Ghluais iad fo chaoin fhonn nam bard;
Bha 'n airme air ard a' gluasad
Mar luachair nan raon san fhoghar,
A ghéilleas fo aghaidh nan gaoth.
Air Mòra sheas an righ fo chruaidh;
Bha 'n ceò a' cur suas m'a sgéith,
'S i ceangailt' ri geug nan cruach
Air cragan dubh-ruadh Chormuil.
An sàmhchair sheas mi fhéin r'a thaobh
Mo shùile claon ri coille Chromla
Air eagal gu'm faicinn air raon
Sluagh an comhstri nach faoin còmhrag,
Bhiodh m'anam a' leum sa' chath,
Mo leth-cheum romham air an t-sliabh.
Bha dearrsa m'an cuairt o mo chruaidh;
Bu choltach mi ri sruth o Thromo,
A chuireas gaoth lom fo 'eigh
An truscan ciar na h-oidhche.
Chi balachan sud air an ard
Glan fo dhearrsa tlàth o 'n ear;
Tionndaidh's e chluasa 'na cheann
Gun iongantas gann m'an t-sàmhchair.
Cha'n ann ag aomadh thar an uild
v. 130-157.
15
TEMORA.
Nonne terribilis asper sonitus certaminis?
Est puritas pacis in ejus genâ.
Fuit terribilis asper sonitus certaminis,
Sed rediit rex cum victoriâ.
Esto tu sicut est tuus pater, Folan."
Processerunt illi sub blando cantu bardorum;
Fuerunt eorum arma in alto se-moventia
Sicut junci camporum in autumno,
Qui cedunt sub facie ventorum.
Super Mora stetit rex sub durâ (armatura);
❤
Erat nebula [se-erigens] se-mittens sursum circa ejus
Qui erat vinctus ad ramum collium
Super saxulo atro-rufo Cormulis.
In silentio steti ego ipse ad ejus latus,
Meis oculis obliquatis ad sylvam Cromlæ
(Præ) metu ne viderem super campo
[clypeum,
Populum in conflictu haud languidi certaminis,
Et esset meus animus saliens in conflictum,
Et meus semi-passus ante me [provecti] super clivo.
Fuit splendor circa è mea durâ-armatura ;
Fui similis ego flumini ex Tromone,
Quod ponit ventus (acer) nudus sub glaciem
In amictu fusco noctis.
Cernit adolescentulus id super cacumine
Purum sub coruscatione ab oriente;
Vertit ille suas aures in capite
[in silentio.
(Non sine magnâ admiratione) sine admiratione parca
'Non se inclinans trans rivulum
1
16
DUAN III.
TIGHMORA.
Bha Cathmor mar ard òige,
'Nuair chlosas caoin shìth an raon.
Ghluais esan an còmhrag a nall,
Mar stuadh ciar ard o mhòr chuan,
'Nuair chunnaic e an righ air Mòra,
Mhosgail anam na mòrchuis gu h-ard.
"Am buail righ Atha fhéin am beum,
Gun ard righ nan treun san raon?
Fholdaith, gluais mo chairde gu feum;
'S gath teine thu féin nach 'eil baoth.”
Ghluais a mach Foldath o Mhòma
Mar nial, truscan còmhnuidh nan taibhs.
Tharruing e mar theine fo bhuaireadh
Lann chruaidh o chruachann a thaoibh,
Is dh'iarr e do chòmhrag gluasad
H-uile cinneadh gu luath san fhraoch;
Mar stuaidh dhruimionn ghlas dol suas,
Thaom ard neart nan sluagh air an raon.
Bu mhòrchuiseach garbh a cheum fhéin,
A dhearg shùil fo fheirg 's i claon.
Ghairm e triath Chormuil o'n Dùn
Ratho nan tùr; is chual e.
"A Chormuil, tha 'n t-aisre fo'd shùil;
Sud uain'i air chùl an nàmhad;
Cuir do ghaisgeacha treun a null,
Eagal Shelma fo smùir ar fàgail
Is gu'n caisgeadh mo lann o chliu.
A bhaird Eirinn a's uaine snuagh,
v. 158-185.
17
TEMORA.
Erat Cathmor, sicut procerus juvenis,
Quando requiescit blanda pax super campo.
Promovit ille certamen huc,
Sicut undas fuscas arduas à magno oceano.
Quando vidit ille regem super Morâ,
Experrectus est ejus animus in superbia altè.
"An percutiet [dabit] rex Athæ ipse plagas,
Cum arduus rex strenuorum non sit in acie?
Foldathe, promove meos amicos ad (agendum) usum;
Es scintilla ignis tu ipse, quæ non est vana.
Processit Foldathus ex Moma
""
Sicut nubes, amictus habitationis spectrorum.
Traxit ille instar ignis sub effervescentia
Gladium durum a coxa lateris,
Jussit ille ad pugnam se-movere
Omnes nationes et confestim esse in erica;
Instar fluctuum jugosorum canorum euntium sursum,
Effusæ sunt arduæ vires populorum super campum.
Fuit superbus ingens passus ipsius,
Rubro ejus oculo sub irâ et obliquo.
Vocavit ille principem Cormulem ab Duno
Rathûs turrium; et auscultavit ille.
“O Cormul, est callis sub tuo oculo;
Ecce viridem eum ad tergum hostis ;
Mitte bellatores tuos strenuos illuc,
Præ metu ne Selma sub tenebris nos effugiat
Et reprimatur gladius meus à gloriâ.
O bardi Iernes, cujus est viridissima species,
TOM. III.
C
i
•
18
DUAN III.
TIGHMORA.
Na éireadh guth ri cluais le dàn,
Siol Mhòrbheinn a' tuiteam mu 'n stuadh
Gun fhilidh, gun luaidh, fo lann,
Droch naimhde thréin Chairbre o thuath.
Tachri air fear astair, fo chiar,
Dubh cheathach nan sliabh air Léna,
Mu'n taibhse fo ghiulan a triall,
Mu lochan nan liath-chuile ag éirigh.
Gu siorruidh cha tréig iad an talamh,
Gun fhonn, gu talla nan gaoth.
Cormul a' dorchadh is e siubhal;
A chinneadh a' dubhadh air a chùl:
Thuit iad sìos fo chraig na bruthaich.
Thuirt Gall ri Fillean òg o Shelma,
A shealladh falbh gu mall an déigh
An dubh-shùilich thalmhaidh o Ratho;
"Am faic thu ceuma Chormuil thall?
Biodh do ruighe-sa garbh is làidir;
'Nuair a chuireas tu 'n triath sin air chùl,
Thig air d'ais as-ur do Ghall,
An so tuiteam sìos sa' chòmhrag
Measg choi'-thionail mhòir nan sgiath."
Ghluais comhara truagh a' bhàis,
Fuaim fhuasach fhàs sgéith Mhorni.
Thaom a ghuth o Ghall. Air ard
Dh'éirich Fionnghal an carn Mhora.
Chunnaic e iad o thaobh
gu taobh
Ag aomadh mar aon an còmhrag.
v. 186-213.
19
TEMORA.
Ne oriatur vox ad aurem cum carmine,
Semine Morvenis cadente circa undam
Sine bardo, sine laude, sub telo,
Improbis hostibus strenui Carbaris à septentrione.
Occurret posthàc viator, sub fuscum (vesperem),
Atræ nebulæ clivorum super Lena,
Circa eorum spectra in ejus vecturâ euntia,
Circa stagnum canarum arundinum surgenti.
In æternum haud deserent illi terram,
Sine cantu, ad domicilium ventorum.
Cormule caligante, prout ille ibat;
Ejus natione nigrescente ad ejus tergum:
Ceciderunt illi deorsum sub saxum præcipitii.
Dixit Gallus Folani juveni à Selma,
Ejus intuitu eunte tardè post
Nigris oculis fortem-bellatorem à Ratho;
"An cernis tu passus Cormulis ex adverso?
Sit tuus lacertus asper et robustus;
Quando sepones principem illum ad tergum,
Veni retro denuo ad Gallum.
In hoc (loco) ruam ego deorsum in certamen
Inter concursum magnum scutorum."
Commotum est signum lugubre mortis,
Sonitus terribilis profundus clypei Mornæ,
Effusa est ejus vox a Gallo. In alto
Surrexit Fingal in saxeto Moræ.
Vidit ille eos à latere ad latus
Inclinantes-se [simul] instar unius in certamen.
20
DUAN III.
TIGHMORA.
Dearsadh air a dhubh charn féin
Sheas Cathmor o cheud sruth Atha;
An dà righ mar thanasaibh speur
A'seasadh leo féin air dà nial,
'Nuair thaomas iad a mach a' ghaoth
Togail stuaidh baoth a' mhòr chuain,
Na gorm thonna'g aomadh 'nan còir
Le comhara lorg nan torc,
Iadsa sàmhach dearsadh thall
Gaoth togail gu mall an ceò-chiabh.
Gath dealain an airde nan speur !
Co e féin ach treun lann Mhorni?
Tha 'm bàs air ciar astar do dhéigh,
A ghaisgich nan geur bheum an còmhrag,
Thu trusadh nam fear an cearb d' fheirge.
Mar òg chrann a bhuaineadh o bheinn
Le h-uile gheug féin r'a thaobh,
Thuit Turlath, uchd arda nam buadh,
A bhean ghasda, an aislinge faoin,
A'sgaoileadh aig baile a làmha,
A ruighe bàn do thilleadh an triatha,
'S i fo chadal an iomal nam mòr shruth
Measg falbhan a troma chiabh.
'S e 'thanas a th'ann, Oighchaomha;
Ghabh do ghaisgeachsa còmhnuidh air làr.
Na éisd-sa ri gaothaibh nan stuadh;
Na gabh iad mar fhuaim o'sgéith,
Aig a shruthaibh chaidh 'briseadh fo airm;
v. 214-241.
21
TEMORA.
Coruscans super atro saxeto suo
Stetit Cathmor à centum rivis Athæ;
Sunt duo reges sicut spectra cœlorum
Stantia [sola] secum super duabus nubibus,
Quando effundunt ventum
Tollentem undas insanas magni oceani,
Cæruleis fluctibus procedentibus obviam iis
Cum signis [tractus] semitæ balenarum,
Ipsis tacite coruscantibus ex adverso
Et vento levante tardè eorum nubigenas capillos,
Telum fulguris in summo cœlorum!
Quodnam illud est nisi efficax gladius Mornæ?
Est mors in fusco itinere te pone,
O bellator acutarum plagarum in certamine,
Te involvente viros in limbo tuæ iræ.
Instar novæ arboris, quæ excisa est ex monte
Cum omnibus ramis ipsius ad suum latus,
Cecidit Turla, pectore arduo victoriarum,
Ejus uxore speciosâ, in somniis vanis,
Tendente in urbe [domi] suas manus,
Suos lacertos candidos ad reditum principis,
Eâ sub somno in extremitate magnorum fluentorum
Inter vagationem suorum gravium capillorum.
Est illud ejus spectrum quod adest, Oichoma;
Cepit tuus bellator habitationem in humo.
Ne ausculta tu ventis undarum ;
Ne accipe eos ut sonitum ab ejus clypeo,
Ad ejus fluenta qui fuit fractus sub armis;
22
DUAN III.
TIGHMORA.
Ghluais thairis a toirm a chaoidh.
An sìth cha robh Foldath's a làmh';
Bha e 'g iadhadh 's a' snàmh am fuil,
Thachair Conall ris anns a' bhlàr
Cur ma seach cruaidh lanna is fuaim.
C'uim a chitheadh mo shùile na triath?
Tha thu, Chonnaill, fo liath nan ciabh.
Caraid nan coigreach a bh' ann,
'N Dunlòra nan carn caoinich,
'Nuair a thrusadh na speura sa' ghleann,
Bhiodh fleagh gun bhi gann sgaoilte;
Chluinneadh sìol coigrich a' ghaoth,
An sòlas nach faoin m' an bhord.
Mhic Charthuinn nam buaidh lann,
C'uim a shìn thu féin thall am fuil?
Tha aomadh craoibh sheacai mu d' cheann;
Tha teann ort sgiath nach 'eil slàn;
Tha do dhearg-fhuil air uisge nan sliabh,
Fhir bhrisidh nan sgiath àillidh.
Thog Oisian a shleagh am feirg;
Ghluais Gall thar an leirg gu Foldath;
Chaidh lagaich ma seach o thaobh ;
Bha 'shealladh nach faoin air Mòma.
Thog na triaith sleagha riabhach a' bhàis
Gun fhaicinn gun dàil thàinig iuthaidh;
Grad ghluais i do Ghall ro' a làimh;
Air talamh thuit a lann le fuaim.
Og Fhillean fo gharbh sgéith Chormuil
v. 242-269.
23
TEMORA.
Præteriit ejus fremitus in æternum.
In pace non fuit Foldathus et ejus manus ;
Erat ille circumiens et natans in sanguine.
Occurrit Connal ei in acie
Edens alternè duras plagas et sonitum.
Quare cernerent mei oculi principes?
Es tu, Connal, sub canitie capillorum.
O amice advenarum, qui fuisti,
In Dunlora saxetorum muscosorum,
Quum succingerentur cœli in valle,
Esset convivium sine parcimonia expositum;
Audiebat semen advenarum ventum
In lætitia haud inani ad tuam mensam.
Nate Carthone victricium telorum
Quare extenderis tu ex adverso in sanguine?
Est inclinatio arboris aridæ circa tuum caput;
Est (arcte) prope te clypeus qui non est integer;
Est tuus ruber sanguis super amnem clivorum,
Vir qui frangebas scuta elegantia.
Sustulit Ossianus suam hastam in ira;
Processit Gallus trans clivum ad Foldathum ;
Iverunt inertes vicissim ab ejus. latere ;
Erat ejus intuitus haud vanus in Momam.
Sustulerunt principes hastas subfuscas mortis
[Improvisa] sine videndo sine mora venit sagitta;
Confestim transiit ea Gallo per ejus manum;
In terram cecidit ejus gladius cum sonitu.
Est juvenis Folan sub ingenti scuto Cormulis,
24
DUAN III.
TIGHMORA.
'Ga sgaoileadh mòr fa chòir an triath'.
Chuir Foldath suas a sgairteachd gheur
A mhosgladh gu feum an raon,
Mar osaig o fhaobhar nam beann,
A thogas na lasaire mall
Mu Lumon nan crann fuaimear.
"Mhic Chlatho nan gorm shùl mall,
Og Fhillein," thuirt Gall, "thu fhéin
Gath teine nan speura ard,
A thuiteas air ciar chuan nam beuc
'S a cheanglas suas sgiatha nan stoirm;
Thuit Cormul fo do lann gu 'chùl.
Is og tha thu 'n cliu do shinns're.
Na gluais-sa cho grad, a thriath,
Gun chobhair o m' sgéith no m' shleagh.
air an t-sliabh ;
Tha mise mar dh'
Ach éiridh air ard mo ghuth;
Cluinnidh sìol Shelma am fuaim,
Bidh 'n cuimhne air buaidhe dh'aom.”
Ghluais a ghuth air gaoith nan carn;
Bhuail a shluagh gun dàil an cath;
Is minic a chual iad e féin
An Sruthmon nan treun san t-seilg,
'Nuair a ghairm è gu dearg is ruadh.
Sheas e ard am measg a' bhlàir,
Mar dharaig an sgàile nan stoirm
O àm gu àm an truscan ciar;
Air uairibh feuchainn a liath cheann:
v. 270-297.
25
TEMORA.
Illud expandens magnum præ principi.
Emisit Foldathus sursum clamorem acutum
Expergefaciens ad (agendum) usum aciem,
Instar flaminis ab extremitate montium,
Quod suscitat flammas tardas
Circa Lumonem arborum sonantium.
"Fili Clathûs cæruleorum oculorum lentorum,
Juvenis Folan," dixit Gallus, "(es) tu ipse
Sagitta ignis cœlorum arduorum,
Quæ cadit in fuscum oceanum gemituum
Et vincit suprà alas procellarum ;
Cecidit Cormul sub tuo telo in tergum.
Juvenis es tu in famâ tuorum proavorum.
Ne procede tu adeo promptus, o princeps,
Sine auxilio à meo clypeo aut meâ hastâ.
Sum ego instar ignavi in clivo;
At surget in altum mea vox;
Audiet semen Selmæ sonitum ;
Erit eorum recordatio de victoriis quæ præterierunt."
Perrexit ejus vox super ventos saxetorum.
(Irruit) percussit ejus populus sine mora in conflictum;
Sæpenumero audiverant illi eum ipsum
In Strumone strenuorum in venatione,
[capream.
Quando vocabat ille ad rubrum-cervum et rufam-
Stetit ille arduus in mediâ acie,
Sicut quercus in umbra procellarum
Identidem in amictu fusco;
Interdum ostendens suum canum caput:
26
DUAN III.
TIGHMORA.
Tionndaidh' 'n sealgair a shùil
gu h-ard
O chaolrath nan àld 'sna luachair.
Tha m'anam do dhéigh-sa, Fhillein,
Troimh astar glan caol do chliu ;
Tha thu 'g ioman nan nàimhde do chòir;
Treigidh Foldath, ge mòr e, an lear.
Ach thuit an dubh oidhche fo nial;
Chualas stoc Chathmhòir fo fhuaim;
Chuala Selma guth o'n righ
O Mhòra nam frìth fo cheò.
Thaom na baird am fonna féin
Mar dhealta air tréigeadh a' bhlàir.
Co thigeas o Shruthmon nan âld
Am measg falbhan nan àill' chiabh,
'S i brònach le ceumaibh mall
A gorm-shùil a nall gu h-Eirinn ?
C'uim tha Emhir chaoin fo bhròn?
Co tha coltach ri mòr nan cliu?
Théiring e sìos anns a' chòmhrag;
Thill mar chorr theine nial;
Thog e 'lann dhubh-ghorm am feirg;
Shiòlaidh iadsa fo mheirg o Ghall.
Tha sòlas, mar aiteal o ghleann,
A' tigh'nn a nall mu ghruaidh an righ;
Tha chuimhne mu chomhrag' o shean,
Mu laithibh beuma treun a shinns're,
'S e faicinn a mhic fo chliu.
Mar shòlas o ghréin gun nial,
v. 298-325.
27
TEMORA.
Vertit venator suum oculum in altum
Ab angusto-campo rivulorum et scirporum.
Est animus meus pone te, Folan,
Per iter purum angustum tuæ gloriæ;
Es tu abigens hostes te adversum;
[vum.
Deserit Foldathus, quantumvis magnus ille (sit), cli-
At cecidit atra nox sub nubem ;
Auditum est cornu Cathmoris sub sonitu;
Audivit Selma vocem regis
A Mora saltuum sub nebula.
Fuderunt bardi cantus ipsorum
Sicut rores super derelictionem aciei [pugnæ].
Quis venit a Strumone rivulorum
Inter agitationem pulchrarum comarum,
Eâ luctuosa cum gradibus lentis
Cæruleo oculo huc versùs Iernen?
Quare est Evirchoma blanda sub luctu?
Quis est similis magno-(viro) inclyto laudum ?
Descendit ille deorsum in certamen;
Rediit ille sicut eximius ignis nubium;
Sustulit ille gladium atro-cærulum in ira;
Fugerunt (hostes) illi sub rubigine à Gallo.
Est gaudium, sicut aura-strepera à valle,
Veniens huc circa genam regis ;
Est ejus recordatio de conflictu antiquo,
De diebus plagarum violentarum suorum proavorum,
Aspiciens suum filium sub famâ.
Sicut (est) gaudium à sole sine nube,
:
28
DUAN III.
TIGHMORA.
'S i coimhead sìos air craoibh a ghluais
Fo dearsa suas air gruaidh nan sliabh,
'S i crathadh 'na h-aonar a ceann
O thaobh nan gleann; mar sin bha 'n righ
Fo shòlas mu Fhillean a mhac.
"Mar shiubhal an torruinn air sliabh,
Raon Làra fo chiar is sàmhach,
Mar sin a bha ceuma Shelma
Taitneach is garbh do mo chluais.
Bha forum mòr thilleadh nan triath
Mar iolair gu ciar nan carn
'N déigh reubadh na faoibh air sliabh,
Donn shiola nam fiadh san aird.
Tha sòlas bhur sinns're san nial,
A chlann nan sruth liath o Shelma.'
""
B'e so guth oidhche nan caoin bhard
Air Mòra cruachan ard nan ruadh.
Ghluais boillsge o cheudaibh daraig,
A bhris's a tharruing gaoth o Chormul.
Bha cuirm is fleagh sgaoilte air thalamh;
Shuidh gaisgich fo fhaileus an airme.
Bha Fionnghal an sin fo a neart,
Sgiath fìor-ian m'a bheart a' fuaim
Caoin osag' a' bualadh o 'n iar,
A'siubhal gu'n trian ro' 'n oidhch.
Is fhada sheall an righ m' an cuairt;
'N sin thogadh leis suas a ghuth.
"Tha m'anam fo chall do shòlas,
v. 326-353.
29
TEMORA.
:
Cum ille despicit deorsum in arborem, quæ movit-se
Sub ejus coruscatione sursum super genâ clivorum,
Et quæ quatit in sua solitudine suum caput
Ex latere vallium; sic fuit rex
Sub gaudio circa Folanem suum filium.
"Instar itineris tonitrus super clivo,
Campo Laræ subfusco-(colore) et silente,
Instar hujus fuerunt passus Selmæ
Jucundi et ingentes meæ auri.
Fuit strepitus magni reditus principum
Sicut aquilæ versùs fuscam-(sedem) saxetorum
Post lacerationem prædæ in clivo,
Subfusci seminis cervorum in cacumine.
Est gaudium vestris proavis in nubibus,
O proles rivorum canorum Selmæ."
Fuit hæc vox noctis blandorum bardorum
Super Mora in collibus arduis rufarum-caprearum.
Processit splendor à centum quercibus,
Quas fregerat et avulserat ventus à Cormule.
Fuit epulum et convivium expositum super terram;
Sederunt bellatores sub umbra armorum.
Fuit Fingal ibi sub suo robore,
Alâ aquilæ circa galeam sonante
Molli zephyro [spirante] percutiente ab occidente
Et eunte leniter per noctem.
Diu dispexit rex in circuitum;
Tunc levata est ab eo sursum sua vox.
"Est animus meus sub amissionem solatii,
30
TIGHMORA.
DUAN III.
Mi faicinn briseadh mòr mo chairde.
Tha aomadh craoibh bu mhòr, gu làr,
Is thaom a' ghaoth gharbh mu Shelma.
C'àite triath Lòra nan dùn?
C'uim bhiodh Connal air chùl aig fleagh?
C'uin a dhì-chuimhn esa dàimh
Measg forum a shair thalla?
C'uim tha sibh sàmhach a'm'fhianuis?
Cha tuit thu, Chonaill, sìos ni's mò!
Tachradh sòlas ri d' anam, a thriath,
Mar dhearsa o ghréin a' soillseadh.
Gu ma luath do thriall gu d' 'shinns're
Measg torrunn gun isleadh na gaoith.
Tha d'anam, Oisein, mar ghath dealain;
Soillsich suas cuimhne an righ.
Mosgail a chòmhraga an gleannaibh,
gu strì.
'Nuair a ghluais e 'n toiseach gu
A Chonaill, bu liath do chiabha féin;
Bha d'òige, a thréin, measg m' dige:
An aon là chuir Carthonn gu beinn
Ar bogha gu leum nan ruadh
Gu Dunlòra nam baoth stuadh."
"Is iomadh," thuirt mi fhéin, “an dàn,
Ar n-astara nall gu Eirinn,
Innis aill' nan ceud gleann uaine.
Is tric a thog sinn suas na seoil
Air stuaidh nam mòr shiubhal gorm,
'Nuair thàinig sinn an laithibh a dh'fhalbh,
v. 354-381,
31
TEMORA.
Me vidente fracturam magnam meorum amicorum.
Est inclinatio arboris, quæ fuit magna, ad humum,
Et fusus est ventus asper circà Selmam.
Ubi (est) princeps Loræ tumulorum?
Quare esset Connal à tergo [absens] in convio?
Quando oblitus est ille advenarum
Inter strepitum ejus egregiæ habitationis?
Quamobrem estis vos taciti in meo conspectu ?
Non procides tu, Connal, amplius !
Occurrat lætitia tuo animo, o princeps,
Sicut coruscatio à sole splendente.
Celere sit tuum iter ad tuos majores
Inter tonitru sine submissione venti.
Est animus tuus, Ossiane, instar sagittæ fulguris ;
Illumina sursum memoriam regis.
Expergeface ejus certamina in vallibus,
Quando perrexit ille initio ad luctamen.
O Connal, fuerunt cani tui capilli ipsius;
[tutem:
Fuit tua juventus, strenue, (cum) inter meam juven-
In uno die misit Carthon ad montem
Nostros arcus ad saltatum rufarum caprearum
Juxta Dunloram insanorum fluctuum.”
"Plurima sunt," dixi ego ipse,"carmina
De nostris itineribus huc ad Iernen,
Insulam pulchram centum vallium viridium.
Sæpe levavimus nos sursum vela
Super fluctus magnorum cursuum cærulorum,
Quando venimus nos in diebus, qui abierunt,
32
DUAN III.
TIGHMORA.
Le cobhair gu garbh shliochd Chonair.
Mhosgail strìtha ard nam fuaim
Air Alnecma nan cruacha deas,
Aig siubhal Duthùla nan stuadh,
Faoin chobhar a gluasad fo eas.
Le Cormac théiring sìos gu blår
Dubh-carthonn, an sàr o Shelma.
Cha'n ann leis fhéin a théir'ng an triath;
Bha Connal an ciabh òige
A' togail f'a chòir a shleagh.
Fo d' fhocal-sa ghluais iad gu strì
Le cobhair gu righ na h-Eirinn.
Mar gharbh neart briseadh o mhòr chuan
Thionail Bolga gu cruaidh chòmhrag,
Colc-ullamh ard cheannard nan sluagh,
Triath Atha nan stuadh gorma.
Thaom iad cath sa' chéile air raon;
Las Cormac an taobh na strì
Glan mar chruthaibh a shinns're féin.
Ach fada fear cobhrach an righ
Ghearr Carthonn nam frith na nàimhde.
Cha do chaidill làmh Chonaill ri taobh
A mhòr athar air aomadh nan sliabh.
Ach choisinn Colc-ullamh an raon.
Mar cheò a tha taomadh 's a' triall,
Theich a ghaisgich o'n triath Cormac.
Las claidheamh Dhubh-charthuinn fo bhuaidh;
Las Conall fo chruaidh is sgéith mhòir,
1
v. 382-409.
33
TEMORA.
Cum auxilio ad asperum semen Conaris.
Experrecta sunt certamina ardua sonituum
In Alnecma tumulorum meridionarum
Juxta cursum Duthulæ fluctuum,
Inani spuma se-movente sub lapsu-fluminis.
Cum Cormaco descendit deorsum ad prælium
Ducarthon, eximius-vir à Selmâ.
Non [solus] fuit secum ipso quod descendit princeps;
Fuit Connal in capillis juventutis
Tollens propè eum suam hastam.
Sub tuo dicto perrexerunt illi ad luctationem
Cum auxilio ad regem Iernes.
Instar ingentis vis erumpentis à magno oceano
Coierunt Belgæ ad durum certamen,
Colgulla (existente) arduo ductore populorum,
Principe Athæ undarum cærularum.
Effuderunt illi certamen inter se in campo;
Exarsit Cormacus in latere luctaminis
Purus ut spectra proavorum ipsius.
At longè vir-auxiliator regis
Cecidit Carthon saltuum hostes.
Haud dormivit manus Connalis ad latus
Magni patris super descensu clivorum.
At potitus est Colgulla campo.
Instar nebulæ, quæ funditur et abit,
Fugerunt ejus bellatores a principe Cormaco.
Flammescebat gladius Ducarthonis sub victoriâ; [no,
Flammescebat Connal sub duro-gladio et clypeo mag-
TOM. III.
D
34
DUAN III.
TIGHMORA.
Chuireadh fasgath air cairdibh fo 'n ruaig,
Mar charraig' air chruaich nan scòrr,
'S an ceanna fo ghiuthas a' fuaim.
Thuit oidhche air Duthùla nan sìan;
Ghluais sàmhach na triaith air an raon,
Garbh shruth o na cruachaibh dol sìos;
Cha robh Carthonn gu 'thrian ri leum.
'C'uim a sheas thu m'athar féin ?
Tha mi cluinntinn nan treun air chùl.'
'Teich, a Chonaill, teich o'n raon;
Tha mo neartsa gu faoin is fann;
Fo lota thréig mi am blàr;
Leig sìthàimh do shàr an oidhche.'
'Cha bhi thu 'n a d'aonar,' thuirt Conall,
Measg dòghruinn is dorran a chléibh;
· Mar sgéith na h-iolair tha mo sgiath
Eadar cunnart an triaith''s a naimhde.'
Chrom e thar athair an dùbhra,
Dubh-carthonn nan cliu fo shuain.
Mhosgail là, is thuit an oidhch;
Cha robh bard ann an soillse air sliabh,
A cheuma fo iadhadh a smuainte.
Cia mar thréigeadh Conall an uaigh,
Gun a chliu bhi fo luaidh nam bard?
Chrom e 'm bogha air àros nan ruadh,
Fleagh dhìomhair mu chruachaibh nan carn.
Seachd oidhche leig e cheann air uaigh;
'Na aisling fhuar bha athair treun.
v. 410-437.
35
TEMORA.
Qui præberent tutamen amicis sub fugâ,
Sicut rupes in tumulo scopulorum,
Capitibus sub abietibus sonantibus.
Cecidit nox super Duthulam nimborum;
Iverunt taciti principes super campo,
Aspero torrente è montibus eunte deorsum; [iliens,
Haud erat Carthon usque ad tertiam ejus partem trans-
• Quare stetisti tu, mi pater ipsius?
Sum ego audiens strenuos-(hostes) à tergo.'
"
Fuge, Connal, fuge à campo;
Est meum robur inane et debile;
Sub vulnere reliqui ego prælium;
Permitte pacem-tranquillam forti in nocte.'
Haud eris tu solus,' dixit Connal,
Inter dolorem et angorem ejus pectoris ;
'Sicut ala aquile est meus clypeus
Inter periculum principis et suos hostes.'
Incurvavit-se super patrem in obscuritate,
Ducarthonem laudum sub sopore.
Experrectus est dies, et cecidit nox;
Haud fuit bardus in luce super clivo,
Passibus ejus sub obliquitate suarum cogitationum.
Quomodo desereret Connal sepulchrum,
Nisi ejus laus fuisset sub laude bardorum?
:
[rum.
Curvavit ille arcum super habitatione rufarum-caprea-
Epulis ejus secretis circa montes saxetorum. [chrum;
Septem noctes deposuit ille suum caput super sepul-
In somnio frigido fuit pater ipsius strenuus
36
DUAN III.
TIGHMORA.
An cearb nan dubh osag gun tuar,
Mar cheò a' dol suas o Légo.
Ghluais ceuma Cholgair a null,
Bard Thighmòra nan ard fhuaim.
Fhuair Dubh-carthonn nan lann a chliu
'S e dealradh air gaoith a thuar."
“Is taitneach,” thuirt an righ, " dhomh fhéin
Ard chliu nan treun air cheann nan triath,
Dha 'm bi bogha gu làidir am feum,
'Nuair a thaisicheas bròn iad gun fhìamh.
Mar so fhéin biodh m' ainm fo chliu.
'N àm gluasad o thùr nam bard
Dealradh glan air m'anam's e 'g éirigh.
A Charuill, chinn-fheadna nan lann,
Gabhsa bard, is tog an uaigh.
An nochd biodh Conall fo phràmh
'N a thigh caol gun leus an suain:
Na biodh anam na gairbh thriaith
Air seachairean an ciar nan gaoth.
A'priobadh gu gann air Moiléna
Chithear solus o 'n ré am measg chraobh',
Tha 'g aomadh o thaobh nan gleann;
Tog clachan fo bhoillsge tha fann,
Dhaibhs uil' a thuit thall sa' bhlàr.
Cha bu thriaith iad fhéin; ach bha 'n làmh
Co làidir 'ri trein anns a' chath.
B'e mo neart iad an cunnart nan lann;
Mo charraig an àm nan gath,
v. 438-465.
37
TEMORA
In limbo atrorum flaminum sine colore,
Sicut nebula iens sursum à Lega.
Moverunt-se passus Colgaris illuc,
Bardi Temoræ altorum sonorum.
Nactus est Ducarthon gladiorum suam famam
Illuminans super vento suum colorem.
""
"Est jucunda,” dixit rex, "mihi ipsi
Ardua fama strenuorum ad caput principum,
Quibus est arcus validus in necessitate,
Cum emolliat luctus eos sine timore,
Hoc modo ipso sit meum nomen sub famâ.
In tempore procedendi à lugubri-cantu bardorum
Coruscatio pura super meam animam surgentem.
O Carrul, dux-populi gladiorum,
Cape tu bardum, et extrue tumulum.
Hac nocte sit Connal sub somno
In domo angustâ sine scintillâ in sopore:
Ne sit animâ ingentis principis
(Errans) in errore in fuscâ-(alâ) ventorum.
Micante parcè super Molenâ
Cernitur lux a lunâ inter arbores,
Quæ inclinantur ab latere vallium;
Erige saxa sub coruscatione, quæ est languida,
Illis omnibus qui ceciderunt ex adverso in prœlio.
Haud fuerunt principes illi ipsi; at fuit eorum manus
Æquè valida ac strenuorum-(ducum) in conflict
Fuerunt illi meæ vires in periculo gladiorum,
Mea rupes in tempore sagittarum,
38
DUAN III.
TIGHMORA.
Am monadh air an d'éirich suas
Sgiath fhuaimear iolair mo chliu.
'S iadsa thog dealradh do bhuaidh;
Na dì-ch'nich, a Charuill, an ùir.'
Labhar o làn cheud do bhard
Dh'éirich ard marbh fhonn na h-uaigh.
Ghluais Carull rompa air a' charn ;
Mar thoirm o shruth aonaich tha 'm fuaim
A' taomadh m'a cheum 's e triall.
Bha sàmhchair an gleannaibh Mhoiléna,
Gach aon dhiubh fo iadhadh nan àld
Siubhal eadar na h-arda ciara.
Bha m' aomadh-sa thall thar mo sgéith,
Gutha tairis o thriall nam bard;
Fonn a' sìoladh o 'n ceumaibh gu
Bha m'anam a'lasadh gu h-ard,
Leth-dheanta na focala trom
thrian.
A' briseadh nam fonn air a' ghaoith.
Mar sin fhéin a chluinneas a' chraobh
An gleannan cumhann nam faoin bheann
Guth an eàrraich ag iadhadh m'a taobh,
A duille a taomadh m'a ceann,
'S a' fosgladh fo ghathaibh na gréine
Crathaidh a geuga's i' na h-aonar,
Toirm seillein an aonaich m'an cuairt:
Chi sealgair le sòlas a h-aomadh
O sheargadh 's o mhaoile nan cruach.
Sheas Fillean òg 's e fada thall,
v. 466–493.
39
TEMORA.
Meus mons in quo surrexit sursum
Ala sonora aquilæ meæ famæ.
Sunt illi qui elevaverunt coruscationem victoriæ;
Ne obliviscere, Carrul, eorum pulverem."
Clara à plena centuria bardorum
Surrexit ardua nænia sepulchri.
Processit Carrul ante eos super saxeto;
Sicut murmur à rivo montano est eorum sonitus
Fundentium-se circa ejus vestigia euntis.
Fuit silentium in vallibus Molenæ,
Unoquoque eorum sub maandris rivulorum
Euntium inter cacumina fusca.
Fuit mea inclinatio ex adverso super meum clypeum,
Vocibus amicis* ab itinere bardorum, [tiam partem.†
Et cantu decrescente ab eorum passibus usque ad ter-
Erat animus meus flammescens altè,
Semi-formatis verbis gravibus
Erumpentibus in modos super ventum.
Eo modo ipso audit arbor
In valle angustâ desertorum montium
Vocem veris se-obliquantem circa ejus latus,
Ejus foliis fundentibus-se circa ejus caput,
Et se-aperientibus sub radiis solis
Tremunt ejus rami, cum sit sola,
Murmure apis-montanæ circumcirca:
Cernit venator cum lætitia ejus declinationem
A marcore et calvitie tumulorum.
Stetit Folan juvenis longe ex adverso,
* i. e. appropinquantibus.
† i. e. imperfecte.
40
DUAN III.
TIGHMORA.
A cheann-bheart air làr a' boillsgeadh,
A dhubh chiabh gun trusadh m'a cheann,
Gath soluis, mac Chlatho, a' soillseadh.
Chual e guth an righ le sòlas;
Bha aomadh a chòrr thréin air sleagh.
"A shàir mhic," thuirt Fionnghal nan carbad,
"Chunna' mi do gharbh ghnìomh an còmhrag;
Bha sòlas air m'anam gun mhùig.
Tha cliu ar sinns're, thuirt mi fhéin,
A' briseadh o speuraibh nan nial.
A mhic Chlatho, tha thusa treun,
Ach ro theineal an strì nan sliabh.
Biodh do ghaisgich air do chùlaobh ;
'S iad do neart air urlar nan gleann.
Mar sin cha d'imich mise riamh,
Ged nach robh mi fo fhìamh nàimhde:
Bidh tusa fada fo do chliu,
Is chi thu ùir is uaigh nan sean.
Tha cuimhne na thuit a tigh'nn suas,
Gnìomh bliadhna nam buadh a bh' ann,
'Nuair théiring mi an tùs o chuan
Air innis a's uaine gleann.
Bha eisdeachd gach cluais ri a ghuth;
Sheall an ré o dhubh nan nial ;
Bha liath cheò ag éirigh o shruth,
Glas chòmhnuidh nan cruth a bha triall."
v. 494–519.
41
TEMORA.
Galeâ super humo coruscante,
Nigro capillo haud succincto circa ejus caput,
Et radio lucis, filio Clathûs, splendente.
Audivit ille vocem regis cum gaudio;
Erat inclinatio egregii herois super hastam.
66
“Præstantissime fili," dixit Fingal curruum,
Conspexi ego tua ingentia facta in certamine;
Fuit gaudium meo animo sine nebulâ.
Est fama nostrorum proavorum, dixi ego ipse,
Erumpens è cœlis nubium.
O fili Clathûs, es tu ipse strenuus,
At nimis ardens in luctamine clivorum.
Sint bellatores tui ad tuum tergum;
Sunt illi tuæ vires in planitie vallium.
Eo modo haud profectus sum ego unquam,
Etsi non eram ego sub metu hostium :
Eris tu diù sub tuâ famâ,
Et cernes pulverem et sepulchrum senum.
Est memoria eorum qui ceciderunt veniens sursum,
Facta annorum victoriarum, quæ fuerunt,
Quando descendi ego primum ab oceano
In insulam, cujus est viridissima vallis.
Erat auscultatio cujusque auris ad ejus vocem;
Prospexit luna à nigrore nubium ;
Erat cana nebula surgens è torrente,
Pallida habitatio formarum, quæ erant abeuntes."
:
TEMOR A.
CARMEN QUARTUM.
Carminis IV. Argumentum.
Nocte secundâ nondum præteritâ, Fingal primam suam in Hiberniam
expeditionem militarem, et nuptias cum Ros-crana hujus insulæ regis
filiâ celebratas, inter epulas enarrat. Coram Cathmore Hiberniæ
principes conveniunt. In quo rerum statu versabatur rex ostenditur ;
Sul-mallæ Conmoris filiæ, Inishunæ regis historia, quæ sub bellatoris
juvenis habitu, Cathmori in militiâ se comitem adjunxerat. Foldathi
morositas, qui exercitum pridie duxerat, jurgium inter se et Malthoem
redintegrat, cui Cathmor suâ intercessione finem imponit. Epulantur
principes, et Fonaris bardi carmen auscultant. Cathmor ab exercitu
semotus somno se reddit. Illi Cairbaris fratris anima per somnium
visa, belli eventum obscurè prædicit. Rex secum loquitur solus.
Sul-mallam invenit. Luce adveniente. Hac secum solâ locutâ, hic
liber ad finem perducitur.
[ 46 ]
TIGHMORA.
DUAN IV.
v. 1-17.
Fo
o dharaig," so labhair an righ,
“Shuidh mi sìos ri carraig nan sruth,
'Nuair dh'éirich Conall thall o chuan
Le sleagh Charthuinn nan ciabha dubh.
Fada uain a sheas an triath
A' tionndadh air sliabh a shùilean.
Bha chuimhn' air athair is a thriall
Air monadh fo chiar is uaine.
Dhorchaich mi san àite féin,
Mo smuainte fo smùir a' dol suas
Air m'anam mar cheò air beinn.
Ghluais romham righre Eirinn thall;
Is tharruing mi mo lann gu leth,
'Nuair thàinig na gaisgich a nall
Togail sùile gu sàmhach ma seach.
Mar nialaibh dubh speura iad féin
Feitheamh ri beumaibh beoil o ghuth,
[ 47 ]
TEMORA.
CARMEN IV.
v. 1-17.
""
SUB quercu," hoc locutus est rex,
"Sedebam ego infrà juxtà rupem rivorum,
Quando surrexit Connal ex adverso ab oceano
Cum hasta Carthonis capillorum nigrorum.
Procul a nobis stetit princeps
Vertens ad clivum suos oculos.
Erat ejus memoria super suo patre, et ejus itinere
Super monte sub fusco et viridi (colore).
Caligavi ego in loco ipso,
[bus sursum
Cogitationibus meis sub pulverulentis-tenebris eunti-
Super meum animum instar nebulæ super montem.
Moverunt-se præ me reges Iernes ex adverso;
Strinxi ego meum gladium dimidiatim,
Quando venerunt mei bellatores huc
Tollentes oculos tacitè vicissim.
Sicut nubes atræ cœlorum (erant) illi ipsi
Expectantes ictus oris à voce,
48
DUAN IV.
TIGHMORA,
Mo ghuth mar ghaoith tha tlàth is treun,
Chuireas o speur gach ceò is dubh.
'Sgaoil siuil gheal fo fhocal suas
Ri gaoith a bha fuaim o Chòna ;
;
Bha tri cheud dig-fhear a' chuain
A' coimhead cruaidh chopan a' chòmhraig:
Air a chrann an airde bha 'n sgiath
Dealradh sìos air domhann nam beuc.
'Nuair thuit an oidhch gu dubh o liath,
Bhuail mi cop caismeachd nam beum;
Bhuail mi is choimhid mi suas
Mu ruadh-chiabh is teine Ul-Eirinn.
Cha b'fhada uain reul ùr nan stuadh,
A dearg shiubhal gluasad measg nial.
Lean mi Ul thaitneach a' chuain
Fo bhoillsgibh fann fuar, is i triall.
Le madainn dhruid Eirinn an ceò ;
Bhuail sinn caladh mòr Mhoiléna,
Gorm shiubhal nan uisge fo thòrr,
Am meadhon fuaim coille ag éirigh.
Cormac 'na thalla dhìomhair féin
O neart Cholc-ullaimh, triath' nam faoibh.
Cha 'n es'a mhàin a theich o'n treun;
Bha Roscranna nam beus r'a thaobh ;
Roscranna nan gorm-shùil gun bheud,
Nighean gheal-làmhach àillidh an righ.
Glas, liath is air crann bha gun chruaidh
Ghluais suas do mo cheumaibh Cormac;
v. 18-45.
49
TEMORA.
Mea voce instar venti qui est mollis et validus, [rem.
Qui (abigit) mittit à cœlo singulam nebulam et nigro-
Expansa sunt vela candida sub verbum sursum
Ad ventum qui erat sonans à Cona;
Erant trecenti juvenes oceani
Intuentes durum umbonem certaminis :
Super (malo) arbore in alto erat clypeus
Coruscans deorsum super profundum gemituum.
Quando cecidit nox ad nigrum à cano (colore),
Percussi ego umbonem monitionis plagarum;
Percussi ego et suspexi ego sursum
Ad rufum capillum et ignem Ul-Iernes.
Haud (fuit) diu à nobis stella nova undarum,
Rutilo ejus cursu se-movente inter nubes.
Secutus sum Ulam jucundam oceani
[iter.
Sub coruscationibus languidis frigidis, eâ faciente
Cum matutinâ-luce approperavit Ierne in vapore;
(Attigimus) percussimus portum magnum Molenæ,
Cæruleo cursu aquarum sub tumulo
In medio sonitu sylvarum surgentium.
Cormacus (fuit) in domicilio secreto ipsius
A viribus Colgullæ, potentis exuviarum,
Non fuit ille solus qui fugerat à strenuo;
Erat Roscranna venustatum ad ejus latus,
Roscranna cæruleorum oculorum sine defectu,
Filia manus-candida formosa regis. [dura-cuspide
Leucophæus, canus et super arbore quæ erat sine
Processit sursum ad meos passus Cormacus;
TOM. III.
E
50
DUAN IV.
TIGHMORA.
2
Fiamh gåire air gaisgeach nam buadh,
Bha dorran air 'anam is dòghruinn.
"Chi mi airm ghailbheach Thréinmhòir;
An so féin tha ceuma an righ;
Tha Fionnghal mar dhearrsa ag éirigh
Air anam bha ciaradh fo strì
Is luath thu féin fo chliu, a thriath ;
Ach's làidir treun tha nàimhde Eirinn,
Mar fhorum nam mòr shruth o shliabh,
Mhic Chumhil nan srian's nan carbad."
"Ge mòr iad, theid an taomadh sìos
O m'anam, is e 'g éirigh suas;
Cha sìol nan lag ar triathan,
A righ do'm bu ghorm sgiathach sluaigh.
C’uim a bhiodh an t-eagal mall
Ag iadhadh dall mar thaibhs fo chiar?
Fàsaidh anam nan treun air àm
A chinneas nàimhde nach gann air sliabh.
Na taomsa gruaim, a righ Eirinn,
Air òg a tha 'g éirigh gu còmhrag.
Thuit deura an righ gu làr;
Ghlac e làmh an t-sàir an sàmhchair.
“Shìl Thréinmhoir nan garbh ghnìomh fo lann,
Cha d'théid nial uam air dealra do chléibh,
Tha lasadh an teine do shinns're;
Chi mi, a righ, do mhòr chliu;
Tha comhara do thriall gu còmhrag
Mar ghath soluis air ciaradh speur.
v. 46-73.
51
TEMORA.
Lento risu super bellatore victoriarum,
Erat iracundia super ejus animo et angor.
"Video ego arma frementia Trenmoris;
In hoc ipso (loco) sunt passus regis ;
Est Fingal sicut coruscatio surgens
Super animum, qui offuscabatur sub certamine.
Es citò tu ipse sub famâ, o princeps;
At validi, strenui sunt hostes Iernes,
Instar strepitus magnorum torrentium à clivo,
O fili Comalæ frænorum et curruum."
66
Quanquam magni illi, ibit eorum effusio deorsum
Ab meo animo, eo surgente sursum;
Non sunt semen ignavorum nostri principes,
O rex, cui sunt cæruleo-scutati populi.
Quare esset timor tardus
Circumiens cœcus instar spectri sub fusco-vapore?
Crescit animus strenuorum in tempore
Quo fiunt hostes (numerosi) haud parci super clivo.
Ne funde tu torvitatem, o rex Iernes,
Super juvenem, qui est surgens ad certamen."
Ceciderunt lacrymæ regis ad humum;
Prehendit ille manum egregii in silentio.
"Semen Trenmoris ingentium factorum sub telo,
Haud ibit nubes a me super coruscationem tui pectoris,
Quod est flammescens in igne tuorum majorum ;
Video ego, rex, tuam magnam gloriam ;
Sunt signa tui cursus ad certamen
Sicut radius lucis super fusca-(facie) cœlorum.
52
DUAN IV.
TIGHMORA.
Ach feith-sa ri Cairbre, a thréin,
Mo mhac féin le beum nan lann;
Tha e gluasad shìl Eirinn gu feum
O shruth nan gleann tha fada thall."
(C
Thàinig sinn gu talla an righ,
Bha 'g éirigh an sìth nan carn;
Air an taobh bha ciar shruth nam frìth,
Seana chomhara siubhail nan àld,
Daraga leathan fo choinneich m'an cuairt
Is na bethe a' gluasad fo ghaoith.
Leth cheilte an coille nan cruach
Roscranna thog luaidh nan laoch.
Bha 'geal-làmh air clàrsaich thall;
Chunnaic mi a gorm-shùil mall
Mar ghlan thaibhs an iomairt a' triall
Leth-cheilte an cearb nan dubh nial.
Tri lài bha fleagh air Moiléna;
Bha annir na beus orm a' snàmh.
Chunnaic Cormac mi dorchadh an Eirinn;
Thug e brollach gun bheud do mo làimh.
Thàinig i le 'sùilibh caoin
Measg chiabhaibh bha taomadh trom:
Thàinig i-grad ghluais san raon
Colcullamh nach faoin. Thog mi sleagh.
Bha dealra mo lainn measg mo shluaigh.
Theich Alnecma; thuit nàmhaid gun bhuaidh :
Thill Fionnghal fo luaidh nam bard.
Is cliùthar, Fhillein, esa fhéin,
v. 74-101.
53
TEMORA.
At expecta tu Carbarem, strenue,
Meum filium ipsius cum plagâ telorum ;
[usum
Est ille promovens semen Iernes ad (rem gerendam)
A rivo vallium, quæ sunt longè ex adverso."
"Venimus nos ad domicilium regis;
Quod erat surgens in (tranquillitate) pace saxetorum;
Super eorum latere erat fuscus rivus saltuum,
Et prișca signa cursûs rivulorum,
Quercus spatiosæ sub musco circumcirca,
Et betulæ nutantes sub vento.
Semicelata in sylvâ tumulorum
Roscranna (celebrabat) tollebat laudem bellatorum.
Erat ejus candida manus super citharâ ex adverso;
Vidi ego ejus cærulum oculum lentum
Sicut purum spectrum in ludendo iens
Semicelatum in orâ atrarum nubium.
Tres dies fuit convivium super Molenâ ;
Erat virgo venustatum mihi innatans,
Vidit Cormacus me caligantem in Ierne;
Dedit ille sinum sine defectu meæ manui.
Venit illa cum suis oculis blandis
Inter capillos qui fundebantur graves:
Venit illa-Statim se-movis in campo
Colgulla haud infirmus. Sustuli ego hastam.
Fuit coruscatio mei teli inter meum populum.
Fugit Alnecma; cecidit hostis sine victoria:
Rediit Fingal sub laude bardorum.
Est inclytus, Folan, ille ipse,
54
DUAN IV.
TIGHMORA.
A bhuaileas beum an neart a shluaigh;
Tha na barda le dàn 'na dhéigh
An tìr fhada nan treun nàimhde.
Ach es' a bhuaileas cath 'na aonar
'S gann do'n àm tha aomadh a gnhìomh :
Tha e dealradh an diugh mar sholus,
Am màireach am brollach a' bhàis:
Tha 'chliu an aon fhonn gu baoth.
Tha ainm an aon raon, gun cuimhne
Ach sgaoileadh aon uaighe fo fheur."
Mar sin bha focail ard an righ
Air Mora nam frìth 's nan ruadh.
Tri barda o Chormul an sìth
Gu taitneach cur sìos an luaidh.
Thuit cadal caoin is faoin fo 'n fhuaim,
Air garbh chearb nan sluagh fo oidhche.
Thill Carull le 'bhardaibh fhéin
O uaigh an ard thréin o Dhun Lòra.
Cha ruig sanas na maidne an treun
Air leabaidh gun leus a mhòir fhir:
Mhic Charthuinn nan ciabha ciar,
Cha chluinn thusa saltrach' nan ruadh
Ri caol thalla uaigh air chòmhnard.
Mar thaomas garbh bhruaillean nan nial
Mu sholus roimh chiaradh na h-oidhche,
'Nuair a shoillsicheas iadsa gu 'n trian
Air fairge nan sìan a' boillsgeadh;
Mar sin a bha coi'-thional Eirin
v. 102-129.
55
TEMORA.
Qui (edit) percutit plagam in viribus sui populi;
Sunt bardi cum carmine eum ponè
In terra longinqua strenuorum hostium.
At illi, qui (edit) percutit conflictum solus
Vix ad tempus inclinant-se ejus facta:
Est ille coruscans hodie ut lux,
Cras in sinu mortis:
Est ejus fama in unâ cantione inani.
Est ejus nomen in uno campo, sine memoriâ
Præter expansionem uniùs sepulchri sub gramine.'
Illo modo fuerunt verba ardua regis
Super Mora saltuum et rufarum-(caprearum).
Tres bardi à Cormule in pace
Jucundè mittebant deorsum laudem.
Cecidit somnus blandus et languidus sub sono,
Super ingentem oram populorum sub nocte.
Rediit Carrul cum suis bardis ipsius
A sepulchro ardui herois de Dunlora.
Haud attinget monitio matutini-temporis strenuum
Super lecto sine scintilla magni viri:
Fili Carthonis capillorum fuscorum,
Non audies tu conculcationem rufarum-caprearum
Ad angustum domicilium tui sepulchri super planitie.
Ut funditur asper tumultus nubium
Circa lucem præeuntem offuscationi noctis,
Quando lucescunt illæ usque ad tertiam (partem)
Super mari nimborum resplendente;
Sic fuit conventus Iernes
56
DUAN IV.
TIGHMORA.
Mu Chathmor ag éirigh an soillse.
Esa 's aird' am measg nan triath
A' togail gun chial a shleagh,
Mar tha éirigh no tuiteam nam fonn
O Fhonnair, do nach lom clàrsach.
Teann air, ag aomadh air carraig
Tha Sùilmhall bhanail nan gorm-shùil,
Nighean Chonmhoir an ùrla's glaine,
Nighean righ Innis uaine nan tùr.
Gu 'chobhair thàinig fo ghorm-sgiath
Mòr Chathmor nan triath, a chaisgeadh naimhde.
Chunna' Sùilmhall a thriall
An talla farsuing nam fial chlàra,
Cha'n ann gun fhios a dh'iadh a shùile
Air ainnir nan ùr chiabh àillidh.
An treas là a bhriseadh o chuan,
Thàinig Fili nan luaidh le dàn
O shruthaibh is chruachaibh Eirinn.
Labhair e mu thogail na sgéithe
An Selma nan triath; labhair e
Mu chunnart Chairbre, ceann nam Bolg
Thog Cathmor a shiuil an Clùba;
Bha na gaotha an cùl nan tìr thall.
Tri lài bha 'chòmhnuidh air tràigh,
A shùile 'g iadhadh mu ard thalla Chonmhoir;
Nighean coigrich 'na chuimhne a ghnàth,
Bha 'osna ard an còmhnuidh.
Fo ùrachadh gaoith air a' chuan
*
:
v. 130-157.
57
TEMORA.
Circa Cathmorem surgentem in luce.
Ipse est procerissimus in medio principum
Tollens imprudenter suam hastam,
Ut est elatio aut depressio cantuum
A Fonnare, cui non est nuda cithara.
Prope eum inclinans-se super rupem [lorum oculorum,
Est Sulmalla (modesta) se-gerens instar-feminæ cæru-
Filia Conmoris pectoris quod erat purissimum,
Filia regis Inisunæ turrium.
In ejus auxilium venit sub cærulo clypeo
Magnus Cathmor principum, qui opprimeret hostes.
Vidit Sulmalla ejus incessum
In domicilio spatioso hospitalium mensarum,
Et non sine sensu obliquabantur ejus oculi
Circa virginem nitidorum capillorum formosorum.
Tertio die erumpente ex oceano,
Venit bardus laudum cum carmine
A fluentis et tumulis Iernes.
Locutus est ille de tollendo clypeum
In Selma principum; locutus est ille
De periculo Carbaris, capitis Belgarum.
Elevavit Cathmor sua vela in Cluba;
Erant venti in tergo terrarum ex adverso.
Tres dies fuit ejus habitatio super littore,
[moris;
Ejus oculis obliquantibus-se circa arduam aulam Con-
Filiâ peregrinorum in ejus memoria semper,
Erat ejus suspirium altum in perpetuum.
Sub renovationem venti super oceano
1
58
DUAN IV.
TIGHMORA.
An armaibh o chruaich thàinig òg
Thogail lainn fo Chathmor nan sluagh
Air raonaibh fo fhuaim a' chòmhraig,
Sùilmhalla nan ruighe geal-làmh
'S i dìomhair fo cheann-bheart do chruaidh,
A ceuma an aisre an t-sàir;
A gorm-shùil ag iadhadh le sòlas
Mu mhòr thriath, 's a chòmhnuidh m'a shruth.
Bu bharail le Cathmor an treun
Gu'n robh ceuma nam beus air Lumon,
'S i dlùthadh air àros nan ruadh ;
Bu bharail gu'n robh làmh-gheal thall
A' togail mall a ruighe do ghaoith
A' taomadh caoin o Eirinn aird,
Talamh uain a h-annsa féin.
Gheall e gu 'n tilleadh e le raimh,
Le siuil bhàn gu 'ghràdh fo ghruaim.
Tha 'n òigh gu teann ort fhéin, a Chathmhoir,
Aig carraig nan clach, 's i fo chruaidh.
Sheas arda nan triath m'an cuairt,
Ach Foldath nan dubh-ruadh fàbhraid.
Es' ag aomadh air craoibh fada thall
Filleadh 'anma san àm am mòirchuis,
A chiabh 'na gagan an aisre na gaoith',
Fonn òrain 'g a mhùchadh 'na bheul,
Bhuail e chraobh an sin le feirg,
Grad ghluais e fo mheirg* gus an righ.
Samhach is mòr aig an ord
* Probably mheirghe.
v. 158-185.
59
TEMORA.
In armis à tumulo venit juvenis
Sublaturus telum sub Cathmore exercituum
Super campis sub sonitu ejus certaminis,
Sulmala lacertorum manibus candidis
Secretò sub galeâ ex duro-ferro,
Ejus passibus in vestigiis egregii-(viri);
Ejus cæruleo oculo se-obliquante cum gaudio
Circa magnum principem, et ejus habitatione circum
Erat opinio apud Cathmorem strenuum
[rivulum.
Quod erant passus venustatum super Lumone,
Et eâ appropinquante ad sedem rufarum caprearum ;
Erat opinio quod erat ejus manus candida ex adverso
Tollens lentè ejus lacertum ad ventum
Se-effundentem blandè ab Ierne altâ,
Terra viridi sui amatoris ipsius.
Promisit ille quod rediret ille cum suis remis,
Cum velis albis ad amorem sub tetricitate.
Est virgo (arctè) prope te ipsum, Cathmor, [turâ,
Ad rupem (lapidosum) lapidum, et eâ sub durâ arma-
Stetit celsitudo principum in circuitum,
Præter Foldathum atro-ruforum superciliorum.
Ille inclinans-se super arborem longè ex adverso
Plicans suum animum eo tempore in superbiam,
Capillo in morem nodi in semita venti,
Et modis cantionis suffocatis in ejus ore,
Percussit ille arborem tunc cum ira.
Statim progressus est sub rubigine* ad regem.
Tacitus et magnus ad montem (vel, ad truncum (arboris)
* i. e. vexillo.
60
TIGHMORA.
DUAN IV.
Sheas Hidala, an t-òg thriath ;
Bha chiabha a' sgaoileadh m'a ghruaidh
An imeachd nan dual fo dhearrsa.
Bu chaoin a ghuth an Claonrath féin,
Gleannan còmhnuidh a thréin shinns're.
Bu chaoin a ghuth 'nuair bhuail e clàrsach
An talla ard a's gàirich sruth.
“A righ Eirinn," thuirt treun le sèimh,
"So ùine chur nam fleagh m'an cuairt;
Tog gutha nam barda air magh,
Chur siubhal na h-oidhche so uain;
Tillidh anam ni 's géire o'n dàn
Gu comhstri nam blàraibh tuathal.
Shuidhich dùbhra o cùl mu Eirinn;
O bheinn gu beinn tha aomadh nial
Le cearbaibh ciara ag éirigh.
Fada thall air thaobh nan sliabh
Garbh cheuma nan liath thaibhse,
Taibhse na thuit anns a' bhlàr
Ag aomadh gu dàn o 'n slanaibh.
Eireadh o Chathmor na clàrsaich'
Chuireas dearrsa air sàir sa' ghaoith."
"Fo dhì-chuimhn gach duine tha marbh,"
Thuirt Foldath an garbh fheirg,
"Nach do ghéill mi gu h-ìosal sa' bhlàr?
C'uim an cluinneadh leam dàn air an leirg?
Cha robh mo shiubhal faoin san strì;
Bha lagaich gun bhrìgh ri mo chùlaobh ;
v. 186-213.
61
TEMORA
Stetit Hidalla, juvenis princeps;
Erant ejus capilli se-expandentes circa ejus genam
Inter motum cirrhorum sub coruscatione.
Erat blanda ejus vox in Clonrâ ipsâ,
•
Convalle habitationis ejus strenuorum majorum.
Blanda erat ejus vox, quando pulsabat citharam
In domicilio alto, cujus est maximè sonorum flumen.
"Rex Iernes," dixit strenuus cum mansuetudine,
"Est hoc tempus mittendi epulas in circuitum;
Eleva voces bardorum super campo,
Ut depellant cursum noctis hujus à nobis ;
Revertetur animus acrior à carmine
Ad concertationem prœliorum asperorum.
Insedit caligo usque ad tergum circa Iernen;
A monte ad montem est inclinatio nubium
Cum fimbriis fuscis surgentium.
Procul ex adverso super latere clivorum
(Sunt) ingentes passus canorum spectrorum,
Spectrorum, eorum qui ceciderunt in prœlio
Inclinantium-se ad carmen ex suis nimbis.
Surgant a Cathmore citharæ
Quæ mittent coruscationem super egregios in vento."
"Sub oblivione (sit) quisque homo qui est mortuus,'
Dixit Foldathus in asperâ irâ,
"Nonne cessi ego (abjectè) humiliter in acie?
Quare audiatur à me carmen in clivo?
Haud fuit meum iter languidum in luctamine;
Fuerunt inertes sine vi ad meum tergum;
62
TIGHMORA.
DUAN IV.
Theich nàimhde o mo lainn an sìth.
An Claonrath nam frìth fo Dhùbhra
Togadh Hidala guth clàrsaich,
Oigh bhanail o choill' an tòrr
A' coimhead air òr do chiabha.
Fàg Lubar a's fuaimaire raoin;
So tuineas nan daoine fo chliu."
""
Righ Eirinn,” thuirt Malthos an triath,
"Leat féin-sa tha riaghladh nam blàr;
'S tu teine ar sùile air sliabh,
Air monadh tha ciar gu h-ard.
Mar osaig do shiubhal thar sluagh;
Chuir thu milte fo thruaigh am fuil:
Ach, 'na d'thilleadh, a thréin le buaidh,
Co chuala fo luaidh do ghuth?
Tha sòlas nam feargach am bàs;
Tha 'n cuimhne a' tàmh air gach beum,
Bhuail an lann gu feum an cath;
Tha strì 'g a filleadh féin 'nan cliabh
Is cluinnear an cian am mòrchuis.
Thriath Mhoma, bha do shiubhal féin
Mar chiar shruth a' leum o ghleann;
Bha 'm bàs ag aomadlı suas mu d' cheum.
Thog sinn uile gu beud ar lainn;
Cha robh sinne gu lag air do chùlaobh;
Bha na nàimhde dlùtha is làidir.”
Chunnaic Cathmor am fearg ag éirigh,
Is aomadh nan treun r'a thaobh,
v. 214-241.
63
TEMORA
Fugerunt hostes a meo telo in pace.
In Clonra saltuum sub Durâ
Tollat Hidalla vocem citharæ,
Virgine verecundâ à sylva tumuli
Intuente in aurum tuorum capillorum.
Relinque Lubarem cujus sunt maxime sonori campi;
Hæc est habitatio virorum sub laude."
"Rex Iernes," dixit Malthus princeps,
"Tibi ipsi est ordinatio prœliorum;
Es tu ignis nostrorum oculorum in clivo,
In monte qui est fuscus altè.
Sicut flamen tuus cursus super exercitum;
Misisti tu millia sub miseriam in sanguine :
At in tuo reditu, strenue, cum victoria,
Quis audivit sub laude tuam vocem?
Est gaudium iracundorum in morte;
Est eorum memoria immorans super quâque plagâ,
Quam percussit eorum gladius usque ad effectum in con-
Est certamen se-plicans ipsum in eorum pectore [flictu;
Et auditur in longum eorum fastus.
Princeps Momæ, fuit tuus cursus ipsius
Sicut fuscus torrens saliens à valle;
Erat mors inclinans-se sursum circa tuum vestigium.
Sustulimus nos omnes ad damnum nostra tela ;
Non fuimus nos inertes ad tuum tergum;
Hostes fuerunt compacti et validi.”
Vidit Cathmor eorum iram nascentem,
Et inclinationem strenuorum ad suum latus,
64
DUAN IV.
TIGHMORA.
Leth tharruingt' an lanna gu beumadh,
Sùilean sàmhach a' téimeadh fo phlaosg.
A nis a bhitheadh còmhrag garbh,
Mar lasadh dubh-fhearg an righ.
Rùisg e 'lann mar dhealan oidhche
Ri solus is soillse nan crann.
"A chlann na mòirchuis," thuirt an treun,
“A
Cuiribh anam fo bheus is smachd ;
Fo dhorchadh na h-oidhche leibh féin.
C'uim a ghluaiseadh gu beudaibh m'fhearg?
Am bi comhstri mo làimh' ruibh maraon?
Cha 'n àm so, a dhaoine, gu strì.
O'n chuirm sibh mar nialaibh o m' thaobh ;
Na mosgladh sibh anam an righ."
Thuit iad sìos o thaobh an trein ·
Mar dhà mheall dubh do cheò san iar,
An uair tha madainn chiuin sa' bheinn;
'S a sheallas eatorra féin a' ghrian
Glan bhoillsgeadh air chraig nan carn.
Dorcha tha 'n aomadh dubhadh thall
Gu lòn nan cuilc mall fo'n tòrr.
Shuidh triatha an sàmhchair ri cuirm;
Bha 'n sealladh air uairibh mu 'n righ,
Gharbh cheuma air eadun a' chuirn
Measg sìtheachadh 'anma o strì.
Shìn an sluagh mu thaobh an raoin ;
Thuit cadal claon air faoin Mhoiléna ;
Ghluais guth o Fhonnar caoin araon
v. 242-269.
65
TEMORA.
Semi-strictos eorum enses ad ictus,
Oculos tacitos mordentes inter aperiendum.
Nunc foret certamen asperum,
Nisi exarsisset atra ira regis,
Nudavit ille gladium sicut fulgur noctis
Ad lumen et splendorem arborum.
"Filii superbiæ," dixit strenuus,
[tionem ;
(Tenete) mittete animum sub modestiam et coerci-
Sub caligine noctis (este soli) cum vobis ipsis.
Quare pergeret ad damna mea ira?
An erit colluctatio mearum manuum cum vobis simul?
Non est tempus hoc, o viri, ad rixam.
Ab epulis (abite) vos sicut nubes a meo latere;
Ne expergefacite vos animum regis.
""
Ceciderunt illi deorsum à latere strenui
Sicut binæ moles nigræ ex nebulâ in occidente,
Quando est matutinum-tempus tranquillum in monte;
Despicit inter eas ipsas sol
Purus splendens super rupem saxetorum.
Tenebrosa est eorum declinatio ex adverso
Ad pratum arundinum tardarum sub tumulo.
Consederunt principes in silentio ad epulum;
Fuerunt eorum aspectus interdum ad regem,
Ejus grandibus passibus super facie saxeti
Inter subsidentiam animi à rixâ.
Extendebantur populi circa latus campi;
Cecidit somnus obliquè super declivem Molenam
Procedebat vox à Carrule blando tantùm
TOM. III.
F
66
DUAN 1V.
TIGHMORA.
O chraoibh, bha fada thall ag éirigh.
Ghluais a ghuth mu mholadh an righ,
Ard shiol Larthoinn o fhrìth Lumoin.
Cha chualadh le Cathmor a luaidh,
'S e sìnnte fo fhuaim gharbh shruth:
Bha forum na h-oidhche 'na chluais,
Is caol-fheada nan dual chiabha.
Thàinig gu 'aisling a bhràthair
Leth-fhaicte troimh fhàs thaoibh a nial.
Bha sòlas measg dorchadh a ghàire;
O Charull ghluais dàna gu triath ;
Bha gaoth fo nial bu doirche cearb,
Ghlac esa o gharbh uchd oidhche
'S e 'g éirigh o mholadh nan carbad
Gu talla nam marbh an soillse.
Gu leth am measg aldaibh nam fuaim,
Thaom esa gu fuar is fann.
;
"Tach'readh sòlas do d' anam féin:
Chualas caismeachd o threun air magh;
Thug am bard an dàn le feum.
Tha astar mo cheuma sa' ghaoith;
Tha mo chruth an talla ciar
Mar dhealan nan slan fo fhuath,
'Nuair a bhriseas e claon air sliabh,
Stoirm oidhche a' triall o Thuath.
Cha bhi am bard air chall o d'uaigh,
'Nuair a thaisgear thu suas san ùir.
Tha sìol nan dàn mu threin ag luaidh;
v. 270-297.
67
TEMORA.
Ex arbore, quæ erat longè ex adverso surgens.
Procedebat ejus vox circa laudem regis,
Alti seminis Larthonis ex saltu Lumonis.
Haud audiebatur à Cathmore sua laus,
Eo extenso sub sonitu asperi torrentis:
Erat fremitus noctis circa ejus aurem,
Et exilis stridor suorum cincinnatorum capillorum.
Venit ad ejus somnium suus frater
Semivisus per inane latus ejus nubis.
Erat gaudium inter tenebras ejus risûs;
A Carule processerant carmina ad principem;
Erat ventus sub nube, cujus erat obscurissima fimbria,
Quam prehendit ille ab aspero sinu noctis
Surgens a laude curruum
Ad domicilium mortuorum in luce.
Dimidiatim inter rivulos sonituum,
Effudit-se ille frigide et languide.
"Occurrat lætitia tuo animo ipsius;
Audivi signum à strenuo in campo;
[tate.
Dedit bardus carmen (cum esset opus) cum necessi-
Est iter meorum passuum in vento;
Est mea forma in domicilio fusco
Sicut fulgur nim borum sub terrore,
Quando rumpitur obliquum super clivo,
Procellis noctis ruentibus à septentrione.
Non erit bardus absens tuo sepulchro,
Quando conderis tu sursum in tellurem.
Est semen carminum de strenuis loquens;
68
DUAN IV.
TIGHMORA.
Tha d'ainm mar fhuaim o ghaoith tha ciuin.
Tha toirme trom a' bhròin sa' ghleann;
Tha guth fada thall air Lubar.
Ni's labhra, fhaoin thaibhse nan carn,
Bha 'm marbh, nach robh fann, cliùthar.
Dh'at am forum fada mall;
Cluinnear osag nan crann araon.
Is luath a thuislich thu faoin, a Chathmhoir !"
Fillte suas 'na bhaoth chruth fhéin
Air garbh uchd nan speur fo ghaoith,
Chrith an darag fo ghluasad sa' bheinn,
Fead ag iadhadh gun leus m'a ceann.
Chlisg Cathmor o aisling nan ciar;
Ghlac e bàs shleagh nan triath 'na làimh;
Phlaoisg a shùil air faoin shlios nan sléibh;
Cha'n fhac ach dubh-chearb na sìan oidhche.
"'S e guth mo bhràthar fhéin a bh'ann;
A nis cha 'n fhaicear gann a chruth:
Gun lorg tha 'ur n-astar sa' ghleann,
Shiol imeachd na h-oidhche fo dhubh.
Is minic, mar shoillse ghath speur,
Chithear leum air beinn a tha fàs,
Sibhse teicheadh air osaig leibh fhéin
Roimh ghluasad ar ceumana mall.
Gluaisibh, a lagaich, o thréin;
Cha 'n 'eil gliocas no feum 'ur dàil,
Bhur sòlas cho dona ribh fhéin,
Mar aisling gun leus am pràmh,
v. 298-325.
69
TEMORA.
Est tuum nomen sicut sonus à vento qui est lenis.
Sunt murmura gravia luctûs in valle;
Est vox procul ex adverso juxtà Lubarem.
Aliquanto clariùs-inania spectra saxetorum,
Fuit mortuus, qui non erat imbecillus, inclytus.
Intumuit strepitus longinquus tardus 10
Auditur flamen arborum unà.
Cito lapsus es tu (inaniter) inanis, Cathmor.
Replicati sursum in terribilem suam figuram
Super turbido sinu cœlorum sub vento,
Tremuit quercus sub ejus motu in monte,
Stridore circumeunte sine flammâ ejus caput.
Exiluit Cathmor ex somnio furvorum (spectrorum);
Prehendit ille* mortis-hastam principium in manum;
Aperuit-se ejus oculus in vacuum latus clivorum;
Non vidit nisi atrum limbum nimborum noctis.
"Est vox mei fratris ipsius, quæ adfuit;
Nunc haud cernitur parcè ejus forma:
Sine vestigio est vestrum iter in valle,
O semen peragrans noctem sub nigrore.
Sæpenumero, sicut lux jubaris cœlorum,
Cernimini salientes super monte, qui est desertus,
Vos fugientes super flamine (soli). cum vobis ipsis.
Præ motu nostrorum passuum tardorum.
Discedite, o ignavi, à strenuis ;
Non est sapientia nec vis in vestrâ viciniâ,
Vestrâ lætitiâ æquè vili ac vos ipsi,
Instar somnii sine scintillâ inter somnum,
* i. e. mortiferam,
70
DUAN IV.
TIGHMORA.
No smuainte fo sgiathaibh tha lom,
Ag aisig a null thar a' chliabh.
An tuislich Cathmor féin gu luath
Dubh-thaisgte gun tuar an tigh caol,
Anns nach éirich a mhadainn o stuadh,
A sùilean leth fhosgailt's i baoth?
As m'fhianuis, a thanais gun brìgh,
Buinidh còmhrag nan righ dhomh féin:
As m'fhianuis gach smuaine ach strì.
Mar iolair na frìthe o bheinn
Siùbhlams' a mach air an raon
Ghlacadh dealra nach faoin de chliu.
An gleannan dìomhair nan sruth mall
Fanaidh anam nach sàr fo mhùig;
Thig bliadhna is aimsire nall;
Bithidh esan a ghnàth fo smùir;
An osaig fo nialaibh thig bàs
Cuiridh liath-cheann air làr gun chliu:
Tha thanas an dùbhra nan carn
Ag iadhadh 's a' snàmh mu 'n lòn;
Cha bhi astar air monadh nan speur,
No 'n gleannaibh san treun a' ghaoth.
Mar sin cha teid thu, Chathmhoir, sìos;
Cha bhalachan * gun fhiach thu air raon,
Tha comhrachadh leabaidh nan ruadh
Air cruachaibh fuara nam fuaim ard.
Bhuail mi mach am measg nan righ,
Mo shòlas am frìth nam fuath,
* ba-laochan.
v. 326-353.
71
TEMORA.
Aut cogitationis sub alis quæ sunt nudæ,
Transeuntis ultrà per pectus.
An labetur Cathmor ipse citò
Atrè-conditus sine colore in domo angustâ,
In qua non orietur aurora ab undâ,
Ejus oculis semi-apertis ipsâque crudâ?
E meo conspectu, o spectrum sine vi,
Pertinet certamen regum ad me ipsum:
E meo conspectu omnis cogitatio præter conflictum
Sicut aquila saltuum à monte
Ibo ego prorsùm super campum
Ad rapiendum coruscamen haud vanum famæ.
In convalle secretâ rivorum tardorum
Manet animus haud egregius sub vapore;
Venient anni et tempora huc ;
Erit ille semper sub pulverulenta-caligine ;
In flamine sub nebulis veniet mors
Mittens ejus canum caput super humum sine fama :
Est ejus spectrum in umbra saxetorum
Circumiens et natans circa paludosum-pratum ;
Non erit ejus iter super monte cœlorum,
Nec in vallibus in quibus est validus ventus.
Haud ita ibis tu, Cathmor, deorsum;
Haud tirunculus* sine pretio tu in campo,
Qui notat lectos rufarum-caprearum
Super collibus frigidis sonituum altorum.
Ictûs-instar-irrui ego prorsûm in mediis regibus,
Meâ lætitiâ in saltu larvarum,
* i. e. rudis heros.
1
72
DUAN IV.
TIGHMORA.
Anns am brisear an sluagh le strì
Mar ghaoith a tha dìreadh a' chuain."
So thuirt, Alnecma an treun,
Anam dealradh gu beud do'n triath.
Bha treunas mar theine fo leus
A glanadh gu feum 'na chliabh.
Aill' is ard a cheum air an raon,
Gath soluis no maidne o ear,
Liath choi'-thional fhear air an leirg
Ag aomadh 's a' taomadh an soillse.
Bha 'shòlas mar thanas nan speur,
'Nuair a shìneas e cheuma air cuan
Is e faicinn nan tonna fo bheus,
Gun a' ghaoth a bhi treun o thuath.
Ach togaidh e na stuaidh gun dàil
'G an ioman' gu tràigh na fuaime.
Air bruachan nan luachar thar àld
Chaidil nighean an t-sàir o Lumon;
Thuit a ceann-bheart o ceann air lår;
Bha h-aisling thall 'na tìre féin.
An sin a bha madainn air raon;
An liath-shruth a' taomadh o chruaich,
Na h-osaga ciara is faoin
Dubh-aomadh air faobhar nan stuadh.
An sin a bha forum gu seilg,
'N sin gluasad nan triath o'n talla,
Na b'airde na càch air an leirg
Treun Atha nan alda cama;
v. 354-381.
73
TEMORA.
In quo franguntur exercitus cum colluctatione
Instar venti qui est ascendens (adversum) mare."
Hoc dixit Alnecma strenuus,
Animo coruscante ad damnum principi.
Erat strenuitas sicut ignis (inflammatus) sub flamma
Se-purgans ad rem-gerendam in ejus pectore.
Decorus est et arduus ejus passus in campo,
Radio lucis auroræ ab oriente,
Cano conventu virorum super clivo
Se-movente et effundente in lucem.
Fuit ejus gaudium sicut spectri cœlorum,
Quando ille tendit passus super oceanum
Spectans undas (tranquillas) sub modestia,
Cum non sit ventus validus à septentrionę.
At tollit ille undas sine morâ
Eas agens ad littus fragoris.
In ripulâ juncorum trans rivulum
Dormiebat filia egregii a Lumone;
Cecidit (galea) capitis-machina è capite in humum;
Erat ejus somnium ultrà in terrâ ipsius.
Illic est aurora super campo;
Canus torrens se-fundens à colle,
Flamina fusca et vana
Atrè se-inclinantia super aciem undarum.
Illic erat strepitus ad venandum;
Illic motus principum ex eorum habitatione,
Erat procerior quam cæteri
quam cæteri super clivo
Heros Athæ rivulorum flexuosorum;
74
DUAN IV.
TIGHMORA.
Bha shùil ag aomadh air a luaidh,
Sùilmhalla nan cuacha glana;
O'cheumaibh, is e mòr air sliabh,
Le mòrchuis thionndaidh is' a gruaidh
Cur a bogha fo thaifeid theann.
Mar sin bha aisling fhaoin na h-òigh,
'Nuair a thàinig r'a còir Atha:
Chunnaic e gruaidh a b'àillidh snuagh,
Measg siubhal a cuach-chiabha.
Dh'aithnich e òigh o Lumon thall.
Cia tha 'n comas do shàr a dheanamh
Dh'éirich osna; thuit na deoir,
Grad thionndaidh e mòr a cheuma.
Cha 'n àm so dhuitse féin, a righ
D'anam mhosgladh fo strì dhìomhair;
Tha còmhrag a' taomadh o'n fhrìth
Mar shruthaibh ciara o mhonadh sianar.
Bhuail e copan caismeachd a sgéithe,
Aite còmhnuidh guth ciar nam blàr.
Ghluais Eirinn m'an cuairt do 'n ard thriath
Fuaim sgéith' iolair riabhaich nan carn.
Chlisg òigh o'caoin chadal 'san uair,
Ciabh àillidh m'a gruaidh a' dol mall;
Thog i ceann-bheart o eundan na cruaich.
Chrith ise fo thruaigh anns a' bhall.
C'uim bhiodh fios doibh an Eirinn m' an òigh,
Nighinn Innis nan còrr gheug uaine?
Bha 'cuimhne mu shinns're nan righ,
v. 382-409.
75
TEMORA.
Erat ejus oculus se-inclinans super ejus amicam,
Sulmalam cincinnorum nitidorum };
Ab ejus passibus, et eo magno super clivo,
Cum superbiâ avertit illa suam genam
Mittens suum arcum sub nervum arctum.
Sic fuit somnium vanum virginis,
Quando venit eâ coram Atha:
Vidit ille ejus genam, cujus erat pulcherrimus color,
Inter motum ejus cincinnatorum capillorum.
Agnovit ille virginem de Lumone transmarinâ.
Quid est in potestate egregii facere;
Ortum est ejus suspirium; ceciderunt lacrymæ,
Ocyus avertit ille ingens suos passus.
Non tempus hoc tibi ipsi, o rex
Tuum animum expergefaciendi sub luctamine arcano ;
Est certamen se-effundens à saltu
Sicut torrentes furvi à monte nimboso.
Percussit ille umbonem monitionis sui clypei,
Locum domicilii vocis atræ præliorum.
Movit-se Ierne in circuitum ardui principis
Et clangoris clypei aquila variæ saxetorum.
Exiluit virgo ex blando somno in (ea) hora,
Cirrho formoso circa ejus genam eunte lentè; [muli.
Sustulit illa (galeam) capitis machinam de facie tu-
Tremuit illa sub miseria in loco.
Quare esset notitia iis in Ierne de virgine,
Filia Insulæ eximiorum ramorum viridium?
Erat ejus memoria circa prosapiam regum,
76
DUAN IV.
TIGHMORA.
'S bha h-anam a' strì fo mhòrchuis.
Bha 'ceuma glan air chùl nan carn
Aig gorm shruthan nam blàr air chòmhnard;
Aite faicinn nan ruadh sa' ghleann,
Seal m' an d'thàinig a nall an còmhrag.
An sin air uairibh ghluaiseas suas
Guth Chathmhoir gu cluais Shulmhalla;
Bha h-anam fo chiaradh gun tuar;
Thaom i focala fuar air gaoith.
"Ghluais aislinge caoine uam féin;
Thréig iad m'anam fo bheud is dòghruinn:
Cha chluinn mi guth seilg anns a' bheinn;
Tha mi ceilte an cearb a' chòmhraig.
Tha mi sealltuinn sìos o mo nial;
Cha 'n 'eil dearrsa gu thrian air mo cheumaibh.
Tha mi faicinn a' ghaisgich dol sìos;
Tha righ na mòir sgéithe ag éirigh ;
Es' a chois'neas buaidh an cunnart,
Triath Shelma nan sleagha's nam beuma.
Thaibhs Chonmhoir, a thréig sinn fo nial,
Bheil do cheuma a' triall na gaoithe?
An tig thu air uairibh dhuinn sìos
Gu talamh nan sìan a tha baoth,
Athar neartoir Shùlmhalla fo bhròn;
Is ceart gu'n tig thu fhéin, a thriath';
Chualam d'fhocal fo shìan na h-oidhche
'N àm m'éirigh gu Eirinn nan sgiath,
Innis àillidh nan ceud shruth a' boillsgeadh.
v. 410-437.
77
TEMORA
Et erat ejus animus luctans sub superbiâ.
Erant ejus gradus elegantes in tergo saxetorum
Ad cæruleum rivum viretorum super planitie;
Locum conspicandi rufas-(capreas) in valle,
Paulò antequam venisset huc certamen.
Illic aliquando procedit sursum
Vox Cathmoris ad aurem Sulmalæ ;
Erat ejus animus sub obscuritate sine colore;
Effudit illa verba frigida super ventum.
"Abscesserunt insomnia blanda à me ipso ;
Deseruerunt illa meum animum sub damno et angore:
Haud audio ego vocem venationis in monte;
Sum ego celata in limbo certaminis.
Sum ego despiciens deorsum de mea nube; [passibus.
Non est coruscatio usque ad tertiam partem* super meis
supermeis
Sum ego videns bellatorem euntem deorsum ;
Est rex magni clypei (surgens) inter surgendum;
Ille qui comparabit victoriam in periculo,
Princeps Selmæ hastarum et plagarum.
O spectrum Conmoris, qui reliquisti nos sub nube,
An sunt tui passus pervagantes ventum?
An venis tu interdum ad nos deorsum
Ad terram nimborum qui sunt horridi,
Pater valide Sulmalæ sub luctu?
Certum est quòd venis tu ipse, o princeps;
Audivi tuam vocem sub nimbo noctis
In tempore meæ surrectionis ad Iernen clypeorum,
Insulam formosam centum rivorum resplendentium.
* i. e. imperfecta.
78
DUAN IV.
TIGHMORA.
Thig taibhse ar sinns're an guth
Gu anam tha dubhadh fo bhròn,
'Nuair a chi iad 'nan aonar fo dhubh
Sìol teaghlaich m' an dùnadh an ceò.
Gairm mi, athar thréin, dhuit féin,
'Nuair bhios Cathmor fo bheud air làr.
An sin bithidh Suilmhalla gun fheum
Measg dòghruinn le féin m' a sàr."
v. 438-445.
79
TEMORA.
Veniunt spectra nostrorum proavorum in voce
Ad animam, quæ nigrescit sub moerore,
Quando cernunt in sua solitudine sub nigrore
Semen familiæ circa quod clauditur nebula.
Voca me, pater strenue, ad te ipsum,
Quando erit Cathmor sub damno super humo.
Tunc erit Sulmala (inutilis) sine usu
[virum.
In medio angore (sola) secum ipsa propter egregium
TEMOR A.
CARMEN QUINTUM.
1
TOM. III.
G
!
Carminis V. Argumentum.
Poeta, Conæ lyram paucis allocutus, exercitus ex utrâque Lubaris fluvii
ripâ dispositos describit. Folano imperium Fingal mandat; Gallo
tamen Mornæ filio, qui in manu vulnus prælio superiori acceperat, ut
suo adjuvet consilio, imperat. Belgarum copiarum Foldathus dux
constituitur. Mutuus utriusque partis impetus describitur. Fortia
Folani facinora. Rothmarem et Culminum occidit. Ut verò altero
agmine vincit Folanus, alterum Foldathus vehementèr urget. Der-
midem Duthnonis filium vulnerat, totumque agmen fugat. Dermidis
secum reputat, et tandem Foldathum manu suâ adortus sustinere
statuit. Principibus his duobus sibi invicem appropinquantibus, in
Dermidis auxilium Folanus subitò advenit; Foldathum petit atque
interficit. Quo modo se in Foldathum mortuum gesserit Malthus.
Universum Belgarum exercitum in fugam Folanus convertit. Clathô
istius herois matre compellatâ, hic liber exit.
[ 84 ]
;
13
TIGHMORA.
DUAN V.
v. 1–17.
THUS', tha chòmhnuidh am measg nan sgiath,
Tha cho arda sa' chiar thalla,
A chlarsach, o d' aite thig sìos,
Is cluinneam gu mìn do ghuth.
Mhic Alpinn, buail-sa an teud;
Mosgail 'anam do 'n treun bhard:
Ghluais torman shruth Lora uam fhéin
Coi'-thional nan sgeul a bha ann.
Mi seasadh an nialaibh nam bliadhna,
'S gann am fosgladh 's is ciar na dh'fhalbh;
'Nuair a thig dhomh an sealladh gun deanamh,
Tha e doilleir ag iadhadh m' an àm..
Cluinneam thus' a chlarsach o Shelma;
Tillidh m'anam gu dàna dhomh féin,
Mar aiteal na gaoithe tha mall,
Thogas grian o shàmhchair nan gleann,
Aite còmhnuidh do 'n dall cheò.
:
[85]
1
TEMORA.
CARMEN V
v. 1-17.
O ru, quæ habitas in mediis clypeis,
Quæ es adeo ardua in fusco domicilio,
O cithara, à tuo loco veni deorsum,
Et audiam molliter tuam vocem.
Nate Alpino, pelle tu chordam;
Expergefacito suum animum strenuo bardo:
Amovit murmur rivi Loræ à me ipso
Turbam historiarum quæ fuerunt.
Me superstite in nubibus annorum,
Est angusta earum apertura et fuscum id quod abiit;
Quando venit ad me earum aspectus sine formâ,
Est is caliginosus se-obliquans circa eorum tempus.
Audiam te, O cithara de Selma ;
Redibit meus animus ad carmina mihi ipsi,
Sicut aura venti qui est lentus,
Quam tollit sol è tranquillitate vallium,
Loco habitationis cæcæ nebulæ.
86
DUAN V.
TIGHMORA.
Tha Lubar a' dealradh a'm' fhianuis
Is i taomadh gu fiar ro' ghleann;
Air gach taobh air cruachaibh nach ìosal
Ard choltach nan righre gu h-ard ;
An sluagh a' taomadh dlùth m'an cuairt,
Ag aomadh suas gu guth nan triath,
Mar gu 'n labhradh an sinns're o stuadh
A’tearnadh o fhuair ghaoith nan sliabh.
Iadsa mar charraigibh shuas,
An ciar cheann fo bhuaireadh nan craobh,
An stoirm is ceò a' snàmh m'an cuairt:
Ard air an aomadh tha sruth
A' taomadh a chobhair air gaoith.
Fo fhocalaibh arda righ Atha
Thaom Eirinn gun tàmh air an raon
Mar fhuaim, nach 'eil faoin, o dhealan ;
Garbh chearbach an tearnadh gu Lubar,
Rompa Foldath as-ùr le 'cheumaibh.
Thréig an righ an raon do bheinn;
Shuidh e sìos fo gheugaibh daraich:
Tha siubhal nan sruthan ris féin;
Thog e dealradh nam beuda thairis,
Sleagh alluidh nan righ bha 'na làimh ;
Bu dhealradh ise féin do shluagh
An garbh mheadhon a' chruaidh chòmhraig.
Teann air sheas ainnir nan triath,
Nighean Chonmhoir nan sgiath gorma,
Glan aomadh ri carraig's i fann:
v. 18-45.
87
TEMORA.
Est Lubar coruscans in meo conspectu
Se-fundens flexuose per vallem;
In singulo latere super tumulis haud humilibus
Ardua est species regum sublimè ;
Eorum exercitibus se-fundentibus arctè in circuitum,
Et se-inclinantibus sursum ad vocem principum,
Quasi loquerentur eorum majores ex nube
Descendentes à frigido vento clivorum.
Ipsi (sunt) velut rupes suprà,
Earum fusco capite sub jactatû arborum,
Procellis et nebulis natantibus in circuitum:
Sublimè super earum acclivitate est torrens
Effundens suam spumam super ventum.
Sub dictis arduis regis Athæ
Fudit-se Ierne sine requie in campum
Sicut sonitus, qui non est languidus, à fulgure;
(Fuit) vastè-fimbriatus eorum descensus ad Lubarem,
Ante eos Foldatho denuo cum ejus passibus.
Reliquit rex campum (petens) montem;
Sedit ille deorsum sub ramis quernis:
Est cursus rivorum juxta ipsum ;
Tollebat coruscationem damnorum supra se,
Hastam tremendam regum, quæ erat in ejus manu;
Erat lumen ea ipsa suo populo
In aspero (concursu) medio duri certaminis.
Prope eum stabat virgo principum,
Filia Conmoris clypeorum cæruleorum,
Elegans se-inclinans ad rupem, eâ languida:
88
DUAN V.
TIGHMORA.
Cha bu shòlas dhìse an strì;
Cha robh anam na mìne mu fhuil.
Tha gleannan uaine sgaoilte thall
Aig iomal meall o'n glaine sruth;
An sàmhchair tha ghrian air an àld,
'S a' tearnadh o 'n ard na ruaidh :
Orrasa bha sùile nam beus
Measg smuaintibh bha 'g éirigh 'na cliabh.
Chunnaic Fionnghal air an ard
Treun mhac Bhorbair, ant sàir Dhubhail :
Chunnaic Eirinn gu domhail a nall
Fo sgiathaibh nan carn an dùbhra.
Bhuail e copan, comhara chòmhraig,
Caismeachd do mhòr shluagh gu géilleadh,
'Nuair chuireadh e romp' a sheòda
Gu leirg o'm bi mòrchuis ag éirigh.
'S lìonar ghluais na sleagha fo ghréin,
Fuaim nan sgiath a freagradh m'an cuairt,
Cha robh eagal ag iadhadh mar nial
Measg coi'-thional gailbheach nan sluagh;
Bha esa féin an righ ri 'n taobh,
A neart nach faoin o Shelma thall.
Bha sòlas a' dealradh m'an laoch;
Chualas gu caoin a ghuth mall.
"Mar imeachd na gaoith' air an stuadh
Sìol Shelma nam fuaim dol sìos ;
Tha iadsa mar uisge o chruaich,
Nach caisgear am buaireadh a strì.
v. 46-73.
89
TEMORA.
Non erat gaudium ei luctamen;
Non erat animus benignæ circa sanguinem.
Est convallis viridis expansa ex adverso
Ad extremitatem molis, unde et purissimus rivus;
In tranquillitate est sol super rivulo,
Et sunt descendentes ex alto rufæ-capreæ :
Versùs eas erant oculi venustatum
Inter cogitationes quæ surgebant in ejus pectore.
Vidit Fingal in alto
Strenuum filium Borbaris, egregii Duthulis:
Vidit lernen (venientem) densè huc
Sub alis saxetorum in obscuritate.
Percussit ille umbonem, signum certaminis,
Monitionem suo magno populo parendi,
Cum mitteret ille præ-iis suos heroas
In clivum unde esset gloria oritura.
Numerosæ processerunt hastæ sub sole,
Sonitu clypeorum respondente in circuitum.
Non fuit metus circumiens ut nubes
Inter conventum frementem exercituum;
Erat ille ipse rex circa eorum latus,
Robur haud imbecillum à Selma ex adverso.
Erat gaudium coruscans circa bellatorem;
Audita est benignè ejus vox lenta.
"Instar cursus venti super undâ
Semen Selmæ sonituum est iens deorsum ;
Sunt illi sicut flumen à præcipitio,
Cui non resistitur in tumultu șui impetûs.
90
DUAN V.
TIGHMORA.
A so féin a ghluaiseas mo chliu
Chuir ainm dhomh as-ùr o'n tìr;
Cha robh mi mo dhearrsa air chùl,
Bhur ceumans' a dlùthadh a m' dhéigh.
Cha robh mi féin mar chruth bha faoin,
A' dubhadh baoth 'n ur fianuis thall.
Cha bu thorrunn mo ghuth do laoich;
O mo shùilibh cha taomadh am bàs.
'Nuair a thigeadh sliochd mòirchuis gun fheum,
Cha tuiteadh iad féin fo mo rosg
Fo dhì chuimhn an talla nan teud,
Mar dhubh-cheò o bheinn a síoladh.
Tha dealan ùr dol suas bhur còir:
Cha lìonor an còmhrag a cheuma;
Cha lìonor; ach tha e gu còrr.
Cumaibh 'n dubh-chiabh òg o éiginn;
Thugaibh air ais Fillean le sòlas.
Na dhéigh so bidh 'chòmhrag 'na aonar.
Tha dhealbhsa mar shinns're nan còrr ghnìomh ;
Tha 'anam mar dhealan an cliu.
Mhòir mhic Mhorni a' mhòir charbaid,
Biodh do cheuma a' falbhh m' an òg ;
Biodh do ghlaodh 'na chluais le garbh ghuth
O chearb is o fhalbhan a' chòmhraig.
Cha'n ann gun fhios tha feum do thriath
Ard bhriseadh nan sgiath an comhstri."
Shìn an righ a cheum gun dàil
Gu ard charraig chathair Chormuil;
v. 74-101.
91
TEMORA.
Ex hoc ipso procedet mea fama
Mittens nomen mihi denovo ex (hac) terrâ;
Non fui ego coruscatio ad tergum,
Vestris passibus approperantibus me pone.
Non fui ego velut forma quæ erat imbecilla,
Nigrescens inaniter in vestro conspectu ex adverso;
Non fuit tonitru mea vox bellatoribus;
A meis oculis haud effundebatur eorum mors.
Quando veniret proles superbiæ sine vi,
Non cadebant illi ipsi sub meum conspectum
Sub oblivione in aula chordarum,
Sicut atra nebula de monte subsidentes.
Est fulgur novum iens sursum vobis coram:
Haud sunt plurimi in certamine ejus passus;
Haud plurimi; at est ille egregius.
Conservate nigrum-cirrum novum ab angustiis ;
Reducite retro Folanem cum lætitiâ.
Posthac erit ejus certamen in solitudine.
Est structura ejus ut proavorum egregiorum factorum;
Est ejus animus instar fulguris in famâ.
Magne fili Mornæ magni currûs,
Sint tui passus euntes circa juvenem ;
Sit tuus clamor in ejus aure cum ingente voce
E limbo et e motu ejus certaminis.
Non est sine peritia quod prodest principi
Altè frangere clypeos in concertatione.
Tetendit rex gradum sine mora
Ad arduam rupem cathedræ Cormulis;
92
DUAN V.
TIGHMORA.
O àm gu àm bhuail dearrsa thall
A ghorm-sgiath nam ball's na mòirchuis.
'Nuair ghluaiseas mall ard righ nan triath,
Tha 'shùil a sealltuinn borb o'thaobh
Mu shiubhal nan daoin' a' dùnadh.
Leth liath a bha chiabha sa' ghaoith
M'a ghnùis nach robh faoin fo dhùbhra,
A thuar a'lasadh le sòlas fiar,
Mise dorchadh 's a' triall 'na dhéigh.
A nis a thàinig Gall an triath,
A sgiath bhallach air iall ri laoch;
Labhair e, 's e grad a' dol sìos ;
"Mhic Fionnghail tog sgiath ri m' thaobh,
Tog ard ri mo thaobh i, thréin;
Saoilidh nàimhde gu 'r feum mo shleagh,
'S iad 'g a faicinn a' soills' an mo làimh.
Ma thuiteas mi, thréin, air chruaich,
Ceil, Oisein, an uaigh air an raon,
Cha 'n imrich an làmh so a' chruaidh.
Na cluinnear orm luaidh tha faoin ;
Na cluinneadh ainnir chaomh mi féin,
'S i deargadh fo bheus a ciabha.
Fhillein, fo shùilean an righ
Na dì chuimhn dhuinn strì nam beum;
C'uim a thigeadh na gaisgich o'n fhrìth
Thoirt cobhair do raon a tha 'm feum.'
Leum an sonn an trom an t-sluaigh,
Sgiath bhallach a' fuaim r'a thaobh.
v. 102-129.
93
TEMORA.
De tempore in tempus percussit fulgor ex adverso
Ejus cæruleum clypeum umbonum et superbiæ.
Quando procedit tardus arduus rex principum,
Est ejus oculus despiciens sævè de latere
Circa cursum virorum se-inter claudentium.
Semicani erant ejus cincinni in vento
[ritate,
Circa ejus vultum, qui non erat languidus sub obscu-
Ejus colore flammescente cum lætitiâ ferâ,
Me caligante et eunte eum pone.
Nunc venit Gallus princeps,
Ejus clypeo umbonigero in loro ad bellatorem;
Locutus est ille, et eo ocyus eunte deorsum;
"Fili Fingalis, tolle clypeum ad meum latus,
Tolle altè ad meum latus illud, o strenue;
Credent hostes quod usui est mea hasta,
Illis eam conspicientibus in luce in mea manu.
Si cadam ego, strenue, super colle,
Cela, Ossiane, sepulchrum super campo,
Haud sustinet manus hæc durum-(gladium).
Ne audiatur de me mentio quæ est vana;
Ne audiat uxor blanda de me ipso,
Eâ erubescente sub venustate suorum cirrorum.
O Folan, sub oculis regis
Ne oblivio sit nobis certatio plagarum;
Quare veniant heroes à saltu
Ad ferendum opem aciei quæ est in necessitate."
Prosiluit bellator in (frequentiam) gravitatem populi,
Clypeo variegato sonante ad ejus latus.
1
94
DUAN V.
TIGHMORA.
Lean mo ghuth treun garbh-ghnìomh nam buadh
Roi' 'astar gu bualadh nan laoch.
"C'uim a thuiteadh mac Mhorni san ùir
Gun aithris a chliu an Eirinn?
Tha gnìomha nan gaisgeach air chùl,
Gun chuimhne, gun diù ri éirigh;
Tha 'n astar gun stoirm air an raon;
Cha cluinnear gu faoin an guth,"
Mo shòlas mu cheumaibh an triath,
Mo thriall gu carraig an righ,
E suidhe an seachran a chiabha
Measg gaoith nan carn liath's nam frìth.
Mar bhruachaibh dubh an sluagh ag aomadh
Gu chéile aig taomadh na Lubair,
So Foldath mar chaol nial air beinn,
Og Fhillean a dealradh o dhùbhra :
Gach aon fhear le 'shleagh anns an t-sruth
A' taomadh a ghuth fo gharbh chòmhraig.
Bhuail Gall copan Shelma nam fuaim;
Thuit an sluagh an cruadal a' bhlàir.
Mar a thaomas dà àld o chruaich,
·
Bha cruaidh air chruaidh a dealradh thall,
Dà àld thig o 'n aonach le fuaim
O dhà charraig ghruamach nan carn
'S iad a' measgadh an geal chobhair shìos.
Faicse mac a' chliu air sliabh
E gearradh sìos ard neart an t-sluaigh!
Tha 'm bàs air an osaig m' an triath,
v. 130-157.
95
TEMORA.
Secuta est mea vox valida ingentia facta victoriarum
Per iter usque ad percussionem bellatorum.
"Quare caderet filius Mornæ in tellurem
Sine recitatione ejus famæ in Ierne?
Sunt facta bellatorum à tergo,
Sine recordatione, sine hodie surgendo;
Est eorum iter sine procellâ super campo;
Haud auditur languidè eorum vox,'
Meo gaudio circa passus principis,
Et meo itinere ad rupem regis,
""
Illo sedente in vagatione suorum capillorum
Inter ventum saxetorum canorum et saltuum. [tibus
Instar crepidinum atrarum exercitibus se-inclinan-
Ad se mutuo ad flumen Lubaris,
Ecce Foldathum sicut angustam nubem super monte,
Juvenem Folanem coruscantem ex obscuritate:
Quemque virum cum ejus hastâ in flumine
Effundentem suam vocem sub aspero certamine.
Percussit Gallus umbonem Selmæ sonituum;
(Irruit) cecidit populus in crudum-periculum prælii.
Ut effundunt-se duo torrentes à præcipitiis,
Erat durum super duro-(ferro) coruscans ex adverso,
Duo torrentes qui veniunt à jugis cum fremitu
A duabus rupibus torvis saxetorum
Miscentes albam spumam infra.
Aspice tu filium famæ super clivo
Cædentem deorsum arduum robur populi!
Est mors super flamine circa principem,
96
DUAN V.
TIGHMORA.
Na gaisgich gu 'n trian gun bhuaidh
Mu astar Fhillein an cruas blàir.
Rothmar, sgiath chopach a shluaigh,
Aig dà charraig shuas fo bheumaibh;
Dà dharaig fo ghaoith o stuaidh
An geuga m'a chruaidh a' leumadh.
Phlaoisg e 'shùile dorcha thall
Ag iadhadh mall m'a chairde féin,
'S e feitheamh an sàmhchair ri Fillean.
Chunnaic an righ an còmhrag treun;
Bha 'anam ag éirigh gun fhìamh.
Mar thuiteas clach Lòda le fuaim
O iomall cruaiche nan druim ard,
'Nuair thogas taibhs an talamh shuas,
Thuit Rothmar nan cruaidh sgiath air làr.
Teann air bha do cheuma, Chùilmhìn;
Thàinig òg nan ciabh ùr fo dheoir;
Ghearr e 'n osag le beumaibh o chùlaobh,
Roimh mheasgadh an dealradh nan lann
Ri Fillean do nach gann a' bhuaidh.
Chuir e bogha fo thaifeid réidh,
Le Rothmar nan ceud sruth shuas;
Bha 'n comhara mu ruaidh sa' bheinn,
'S gath gréin' a' leum thar chruaich.
C'uim, a mhic Chùl-àluinn nam beus,
C'uim, a Chùilmhìn gu treun dhearrsa?
Gath tein e tha losgadh m' an cuairt;
Teich gu luath, a mhic Chùl-aluinn;
ל
v. 158-185.
97
TEMORA.
Bellatores usque ad eorum tertiam partem sine vic-
Circa iter Folanis in duris-(rebus) prælii. [toriâ
Est Rathmor, clypeus umboniger sui populi,
Apud duas rupes supra sub plagis;
Duabus quercubus sub vento ex undis
Aperuit ille suos oculos torvus ex adverso
[bus.
Et earum ramis circa ejus duram-armaturam salienti-
Obliquantes-se tardè circa suos amicos ipsius,
Ipso expectante in tranquillitate Folanem.
Vidit rex certamen strenuum;
Erat ejus animus surgens sine metu.
Sicut cadit saxum Lodæ cum sonitu
Ab extremitate præcipitii Drumardæ,
Cum levat spectrum terram sursum,
Cecidit Rothmar durorum clypeorum ad humum.
Prope eum erant tui passus, Culmine;
Venit juvenis capillorum nitidorum sub lacrymis;
Secabat ille auram cum plagis à tergo,
Antequam misceretur in coruscatione telorum
Cum Folane, cui non erat angusta victoria.
Ponebat ille arcum sub nervum tentum
Cum Rothmare centum rivorum suprà;
Erant eorum observationes circa rufas in monte,
Radio solis saliente trans colles.
Quamobrem, fili Culallinis venustatum,
[tionem?
Quamobrem, o Culmine, (is) ad strenuam corusca-
Est telum ignis ille qui urit in circuitum;
Fuge ocyùs, o fili Culallinis;
TOM. III.
H
98
DUAN V.
TIGHMORA.
Cha bu choimeas bhur n-aithriche féin
Ann an comhstri nam beum air raon.
Tha mâthair Chùilmhìn anns an talla,
A sùil air gorm chlàra nan sruth;
Tha fiar ghaoth ag éirigh o fhairge
Ag iadhadh's a tarruing gu dubh
Mu chruth is mu thaibhs a mic;
Tha donnal chon 'nan àite féin,
A sgiath gun fheum san tall' am fuil.
"Na thuit thu, a mhòir chia bha treun
An còmhrag nam beud an Eirinn !"
Mar ruadhaig fo fhiui gu dìomhair
Sinnte sìos m' a sruthanaibh féin;
Chi sealgair an luighean gu fheum
Bidh cuimhne a ceum 'na chliabh :
Mar sin a shìnear mac Chùil-àluinn
Fo shùile an t-sàir air sliabh,
Barr a chiabh' an sruthan caol,
Fuil a briseadh air aomadh a sgéithe.
Bha làmh san àm air lann gun bheud,
A chruaidh a thréig an treun an cunnart.
"Thuit thu," thuirt Fillean, 's e brònach,
"Ma's an cualadh air chòir do chliu.
Chuir d'athair air feachd thu le còmhrag;
Tha 'bharail gu 'n cluinn e as ùr
Do gnìomha a' dlùthadh m'a chluais.
Tha e liath aig a shruthaibh féin;
Tha 'shùil air Moiléna nan sìan;
v. 186-213.
99
TEMORA.
Haud erant pares vestri patres ipsorum
In contentione plagarum super campo.
Est mater Culmini in aulâ,
Oculo ejus versùs cærulea plana rivorum;
Est ferus ventus surgens à mari
Se-obliquans et se trahens atrum
Circa formam et spectrum sui filii;
Est ululatus canum in loco ipsorum,
Ejus clypeus sine usu in aulâ in sanguine.
“Num cecidisti tù, magne vir, qui eras strenuus
In certamine damnorum in Ierne!"
Instar rufæ-(capreæ) sub sagittâ secretò
Extensæ deorsum circa rivulos suos ipsius;
Cernet venator talum sine vi
Erit memoria ejus passuum in ejus pectore:
Hoc modo extenditur filius Culallinis
Sub oculis egregii-viri super clivo,
Extremo ejus cirrhorum in rivulo angusto,
Et sanguine erumpente super inclinationem ejus clypei.
Erat ejus manus in eo tempore super gladio sine damno,
Duro-telo quod defecit strenuum in periculo.
"Cecidisti tu," dixit Folan, atque ipso moesto,;
66
Priusquam audita est probè tua fama.
Præfecit tuus pater exercitui te cum bello;
Est ejus opinio quod audiet ille denuo
Tua facta accedentia ad suam aurem.
Est ille canus ad suos rivos ipsius;
Est ejus oculus versùs Molenam nimborum ;
100
TIGHMORA.
DUAN V.
Ach cha till thu gu siorruidh, a threin,
Le faoibh o do cheud nàimhdibh.
""
Thaom Fillean an ruaig thar Eirinn,
Es' a leantuinn ro' threun fhuaim an raoin.
Ach triath air thriath thuit Mòrbheinn sìos
Fo dhubh fheirg gun chéill' Fholdaith.
Fada thall air slios nan sliabh
Le tuille a's trian de chòmhrag.
Sheas Dearmud an àigh fo ghruaim,
Siol Shelma m' an cuairt a' taomadh.
Bhris Foldath a sgiath fo 'lainn;
Theich a shluagh gu mall air sliabh.
An sin thuirt an nàmhaid le mòrchuis,
"Theich iadsa, a's thòisich mo chliu.
A Mhalthos, gu Cathmor nam mòr ghnìomh,
Cuireadh faire air mòr thonn a' chuain;
Air talamh tuitidh nàmhaid treun;
Mu lochan fo bheinn bidh 'uaigh ;
Cha 'n éirich fonn mharbh-rann da féin;
Bidh thanas gun fheum fo ghruaim
An ceò mu lòn cuilceach a' chàthair.'
Chuala Malthos an smuainte ciar
A dhearg shùil cur sìos is sàmhach;
Math'aithne air mòirchuis an triath':
Chuir e shealladh mu 'n righ air ard bheinn;
Thionndaidh e an dorchadh a chléibh
Is bhuail an treun a lann an còmhrag.
An caol ghleannan Chlòna fo dhubh
v. 214-241.
101
TEMORA.
At non redibis tu in æternum, o strenue,
Cum exuviis à tuis primis hostibus."
Effudit Folan fugam super Iernen,
Ipse insequens per vehementem sonitum aciei.
At princeps super principem, cecidit Morven deorsum
Sub atrâ irâ sine ratione Foldathi.
Longè ex adverso super latere clivorum
Cum pluribus quam tertiâ (parte) certaminis *
Stetit Dermid faustitatis sub torvitate;
Prole Selmæ in circuitum se-fundente.
Fregit Foldathus ejus clypeum sub suo telo;
Fugit ejus populus tardè super clivum.
66
In illo-(tempore) dixit hostis cum superbia,
Fugerunt illi, et cœpit mea fama.
O Malthe, ad Cathmorem magnorum facinorum,
Ponat vigiliam ad magnam undam oceani;
In terrâ cadet hostis strenuus;
Juxta lacusculum sub monte erit ejus sepulchrum ;
Non surget cantus næniarum illi ipsi;
Erit ejus spectrum sine vi sub tetricitate
In nebulâ circa pratum-paludosum arundineum musci.'
Audivit Malthus in cogitationibus fuscis.
Suum rubrum oculum mittens deorsum et tacitus;
Est optima ejus notitia de superbiâ principis:
(Direxit) misit ille suum intuitum ad regem in alto
Vertit-se ille in tenebris sui pectoris
Et immisit strenuus suum telum in certamen.
In angustâ convalle Clonæ sub nigrore.
* i. e. exercitus.
[monte;
102
DUAN V.
TIGHMORA.
Tha aomadh dhà chraoibh thar an t-sruth;
An sin a sheas sàmhach am bròn
Sìol Dhuthno nan còmhrag còrr;
Fuil a taomadh 's ag iadhadh m'a thaobh,
A sgiath sgoillt' is briste air raon.
Ri carraig a sheas a shleagh mhòr.
C'uim, a Dhearmuid, cho dubhach do bhròn ?
"Tha mi cluinntinn garbh fhuaim a' chòmhraig
Mo chairde air chòmhnard leò féin,
Mo cheuma gu mall, air a' mhòr mhagh;
Sgiath bhriste an comhstri gun fheum.
'M bi esan a ghnàth fo bhuaidh?
Bidh Dearmud san uaigh le cliu,
Seal mu 'n éirich an dùbhra suas.
Gairmidh mi thusa gu còmhrag,
Is tach'ream ri mòrchuis Fholdaith."
Ghlac e shleagh le sòlas ciar,
Mac Mhorni an triath g'a thaobh.
"Mhic Dhuthno, caisg-sa do luaths;
Tha do cheuma gun tuar fo fhuil;
Cha leat-sa garbh chopan do sgéith;
C'uim a thuiteadh an triath gun airm ?”
"Shil Mhorni, dhomhsa do sgiath;
Is tric a dh'aom i sìos an còmhrag:
Caisgidh mi shiubhal air sliabh.
Shil Morni, faic clach air chòmhnard;
Clach a thog a liath cheann suas
Roi' 'n fheur a tha fuaim an gaoith:
v. 242-269.
103
TEMORA.
Est inclinatio duarum arborum super flumen ;
Illic stetit tacitus in morore
Semen Duthnonis certaminum eximiorum ;
Sanguine se-effundente et circumdante ejus latus,
Ejus clypeo fisso et fracto super campo.
Ad rupem stabat ejus hasta magna.
Quare, o Dermid, ita tristis tuus luctus?
"Sum ego audiens asperum sonitum certaminis
Et meos amicos in planitie (solos) secum ipsis,
Meis passibus tardis super magno agro,
Et clypeo fracto in concertatione (inutili) sine usu.
An erit ille semper sub victoria ? *
Erit Dermid in sepulchro cum gloria,
Paulo antequam surgat obscuritas sursum.
Vocabo ego tete ad certamen,
Et occurram ego superbiæ Foldathi."
Prehendit ille suam hastam cum gaudio fusco,
Filio Mornæ principe juxta ejus latus.
"Nate Duthnone, reprime tu tuam celeritatem ;
Sunt tui passus sine colore sub sanguine;
Haud est tibi cæruleus umbo tui clypei;
Quare cadat princeps sine armis ?"
"Semen Mornæ, mihi (trade) tuum clypeum;
Sæpius inflexit ille deorsum certamen :
Sistam ego ejus iter super campo.
Semen Mornæ, ecce saxum in planitie;
Saxum, quod sustulit ejus canum caput supra
Per gramen, quod sonat in vento:
* i. e. victor.
104
DUAN V.
TIGHMORA.
Tha treun do mo chinneadh san uaigh;
Taisg an sin mi suas san oidhche."
Ghluais e gu mall air a' chruaich;
Chunnaic e fo bhuaireadh an raon,
Garbh dhearrsa a' chòmhraig dol suas
Briseadh mu'n cuairt da gu claon.
Mar lasair an oidhche sa' ghleann
Ag éirigh fada thall san fhraoch,
A nis a' mùchadh fo mhùig a ceann,
A nis a' togail a dearg shruth baoth
'N àm éirigh is aomadh nan gaoth:
Mar sin fhéin a thachair còmhrag
Sùile Dhearmuid na mòir sgéith.
Roimh shluagh bha ceuma mòr an Fholdaith
Mar chiar luing air faobhar nan stuadh,
'Nuair a ghluaiseas i mach o dhà Innis
Dol air h-aghairt 's a' tilleadh air chuan
Measg bhuaireidh an fhuair ghairbh ré.
Chunnaic Dearmud le feirg a thriall;
Chuir e suas gu 'thrian a neart;
Ach threig e cheumaibh air sliabh ;
Thuit deura o threun nam feart.
Chuir e stoc athar fo fhuaim ;
Bhuail e tri chuairt a mhòr sgiath;
Tri chuairt a ghairm e ceann an t-sluaigh:
Chuala Foldath e shuas, an triath,
Measg gàire is fuaim a' chòmhraig.
Chunnaic Foldath le sòlas an treun;
v. 270-297.
105
TEMORA.
Sunt strenui de mea gente in sepulchro ;
Conde illic me sursum in nocte."
Movit-se ille tardè super collem;
Vidit ille sub tumultu aciem,
Asperam coruscationem certaminis euntem sursum
Et erumpentem in circuitum illi obliquè.
Ut flamma in nocte in valle
Surgens procul ex adverso in erica,
Nunc suffocans sub vapore suum caput,
Nunc tollens suum rutilum flumen insanum
In tempore ortûs et inclinationis ventorum:
Hoc modo ipso occurrit certamen
Oculis Dermidis magni clypei.
Ante ejus exercitum sunt passus magni Foldathi
Instar fuscæ navis in summo undarum,
Quando movetur illa extrà è duabus insulis
Pergens prorsum et revertens super oceano
Inter tumultum frigidæ spatiosæ lunæ.
Vidit Dermid cum ira ejus iter;
[suas vires;
(Intendit) misit ille sursum usque ad tertiam (partem)
At defecerunt illæ ejus passus super clivo;
Ceciderunt lacrymæ à strenuo virtutum.
Misit ille cornu patris sub sonitum ;
Percussit ille ter suum magnum clypeum;
Ter vocavit ille caput populi :
Audivit Foldathus eum supra, princeps,
Inter fremitum et sonitum certaminis.
Conspicatus est Foldathus eum gaudio strenuum;
106
DUAN V.
TIGHMORA.
:
Thog e suas gu feum a shleagh,
Is i nighte gu leth am fuil.
Mar charraig a's ruadh shrutha claon
A' taomadh dearg le 'taobh an stoirm;
Mar sin fo sheachran fal' an laoch,
Ciar cheannard nan daoine fo airm.
Air gach taobh a dh'aom an sluagh
O chomhstri gu buaidh an dà righ.
Thog mar aon am faobhair suas-
Grad thàinig an cruaidh na Selma
Fillean o iomall an t-sluaigh.
Tri ceuman air ais a dh'aom Foldath
O'n dearrsa bhuail claon a shùilean,
A thàinig mar dhealan o nial,
Chur dion air triath bha fo leoin.
Sheas e 's e fàs suas am mòrchuis
Gairm uile gu còmhrag a' chruaidh.
Mar thach'reas air sgiathaibh leathan treun
Dà iolair air éiginn an gaoith'
A'strì air an itibh gu léir,
Ghluais grad gu beud an dà shaoi.
Ma seach tha ceuma nan righ
Air aghairt gu strì o 'n dà chruaich;
Bha 'n còmhrag a' ciaradh dol sìos
Air an lannaibh fo chli nam buadh.
Bha sòlas nan treun ann do chliabh,
A Chathmhoir air faobhar nan sliabh,
An sòlas tha dìomhair a ghnàth
v. 298-325.
107
TEMORA.
Sustulit ille sursum ad rem gerendam suam hastam,
Eâque lotâ dimidiatim in sanguine.
Ut rupes, rubris rivulis obliquis
Se-fundentibus rutilos per ejus latus in procella;
Sic (erat) sub erratione sanguinis heros,
Fuscus ductor virorum sub armis.
In singulo latere inclinavit-se populus
A concertatione pro victoriâ duorum regum.
Sustulerunt (simul) ut unus acies-telorum sursus—
Ocyus venit in durâ-armaturâ Selmæ
Folan ab extremo populi.
Tres passus retro inclinavit-se Foldathus
A coruscamine quod percussit obliquè suos oculos,
Quod venit ut fulgur à nube
Ut præstaret munimen principi qui erat sub vulnere.
Stetit ille crescens sursum in superbiâ
Et vocans omnes ad certamen ejus duri-(ferri).
Sicut occurrunt sibi-mutuo super alis latis validis
Duæ aquilæ cum difficultate in vento
Contendentes super suis pennis omnibus,
Moverunt-se ocyus ad damnum duo heroes.
Vicissim sunt passus regum
Progredientes ad certamen à duobus tumulis;
Erat eorum certamen fuscè iens deorsum
Super eorum armis sub vi victoriarum.
Erat lætitia strenuorum in tuo pectore,
O Cathmor in extremo clivorum,
Lætitia quæ est secreta de more
108
DUAN V.
TIGHMORA.
'N àm éirigh cunnairt nan sàr.
Cha do lùb a shùile mu shliabh ;
Bha shealladh ag iadhadh gu h-ard
Mu righ Shelma a b'àilghiosaich tuar.
Chunnaic e a ghluasad air Mòra
Am mòrchuis a chòrr arma.
Thuit Foldath gu mall air a sgéith,
Sleagh Fhillein ro' thriath gu làr:
Cha do choimhid an t-òig-fhear gu 'thrian
Cur roimhe nan ceuda sa' bhlàr.
Ghluais suas do ceud ghuthaibh a' bhàis—
"Mhic Fhionnghail bi mall an triall.
Nach fhaic thu cruth àillidh tha thall,
Dubh chomhara mharbh air sliabh ?
Na dùisg-sa righ Eirinn as-ùr,
Mhic Chlatho nan sùile gorma.
""
Chunnaic Malthos am Foldath air làr
Is dhorchaich an sàr mu 'n triath;
Ghluais gàmhlas o 'anam gu bàrr,
Mar charraig am fàsach nan sliabh,
Air an adhadh gu dubh sruth nan sìan,
'Nuair a dh'imicheas sìos ceò mall,
Na cranna a seacadh gu 'n trian,
Fo osagaibh ciar-dhubh nan carn.
Labhair e ri triath fo bhàs,
A' foineachadh o shàr m'a uaigh ;
"An éirich do liath chlach an Ullin,
No air Mòma nan iomadh coill',
v. 326-353.
109
TEMORA.
In tempore, quo oritur periculum egregiorum.
Non se flexerunt ejus oculi circa aciem ;
Erat ejus intuitus se-circumflectens in altum
Circa regem Selmæ, cujus erat lætissimus vultus.
Vidit ille ejus motum super Morâ
In superbia eximiorum armorum.
Cecidit Foldathus lentè super clypeum,
Hastâ Folanis per principem usque ad humum:
Non adspexit juvenis usque ad ejus tertiam partem
Agens præ se centurias in prœlio.
Moverunt-se sursum ei centum voces mortis-
"Fili Fingalis, esto lentus in itinere.
Nonne vides tu formam decoram quæ est ex adverso,
Nigrum signum mortis super clivo?
Ne expergefacito regem Iernes denuo,
Fili Clathus oculorum cæruleorum."
Conspicatus est Malthus Foldathum super humo,
Et caligavit heros propter principem ;
Movit-se odium ab ejus animo usque ad summum,
Ipso instar rupis in desertis clivorum,
Super quam se-obliquat atrè rivulus nimborum,
Quando vadit deorsum nebula tarda,
Arboribus arescentibus usque ad earum tertiam partem
Sub flaminibus fusco-atris saxetorum.
Locutus est ille ad principem sub morte,
Quærens ab egregio de suo sepulchro ;
"Surgetne tuum canum saxum in Ullina,
An super Moma multarum sylvarum,
110
DUAN V.
TIGHMORA.
Anns an coimhead an solus gu
dìomhair
Air gorm-shruth Dhalriabhaich nan carn?
An sin tha ceuma mall na h-òigh',
Do nighean chòrr nan gorm shùil, Léna.”
"An cuimhne dhuit is', a thriath,
Gun mhac dhomh ag iadhath mo dhéigh,
Gun òg dhomh gu còmhrag air sliabh,
Gu mise a dhìoladh, a thréin?
A Mhalthos, chaidh mo dhìoladh féin;
Cha robh mise, a thréin, an sìth;
Tog uaigh do na mharbh mi sa' bheinn
M'an cuairt do thigh caol gun bhrìgh.
Is tric a thig mi sìos gu luath
O osaig gu h-uaighibh mo nàimhde,
'Nuair chi mi iad a' sgaoileadh shuas
Feur fada fo ghluasad nan gaoth."
Ghreas 'anam a null le fuaim
Gu caol ghleann fo chruachaibh Mhòma;
Thàinig e an aisling gun tuar
Gu dearrsa Léna a' stuaim chòmhraidh',
'S i cadal mu shruth an Dalruaidh
Air tilleadh o ruaig nam fiadh.
Bha bogha caoin ri taobh na h-òigh
Gun taifeid, na h-osaga tlàth a snàmh
Mu h-uchd bàn le 'ciabhaibh:
Fo éididh na h-àille an òige
Shìn air talamh òigh chòrr nan triath.
Dubh-aomadh o chearbaibh nan cruach
1
v. 354-381.
111
TEMORA.
In quibus intuetur lux secretò
In cæruleum flumen Dalruæ saxetorum?
Illic sunt passus tardi virginis,
Tuæ filiæ egregiæ cæruleorum oculorum Lenæ.”
"An recordatio (est) tibi illa, o princeps, [ponè,
(Cum non sit filius) sine filio mihi obliquè-eunte me
Sine juvene mihi ad certamen in clivo,
Ad me ulciscendum, strenue ?
O Malthe, facta est ultio mea ipsius;
Non fui ego, o strenue, in pace;
Eleva sepulchrum iis, quos occidi ego in monte
In circuitum domus angustæ sine substantia.
Sæpe veniam ego deorsum velociter
Ab flamine ad sepulchra meorum hostium
Quando cernam ego ea spargentia supra
Gramen longum sub motu ventorum."
Properavit ejus anima prorsum cum sonitu
Ad angustam vallem sub præcipitiis Momæ;
Venit illa in somnio sine colore
Ad splendorem Lenæ modesti sermonis,
Eâ dormiente juxta flumen Dalruæ
Post reditum à sectandis cervis.
Erat arcus lævis ad latus virginis
Sine nervo, auris mollibus natantibus
Circa ejus sinum candidum cum ejus cirris:
Sub amictu pulchritudinis in juventute
Extendebatur super terrâ virgo eximia principum.
Atrè se-inclinans ab oris tumulorum
112
DUAN V.
TIGHMORA.
1
Thàinig Foldath gun tuar am fuil;
Chunnaic is' e air uairibh o stuadh,
E'g a cheileadh air uairibh an ceò.
A' briseadh fo rachd na deoir
Bha 'fios mu thriath mòr air làr,
Dhise bha 'n dearrsa bu chòrr
O'anam an uair bu mhòr stoirm.
Bha thusa ma dheireadh air chùl,
A Dhearrsa-Léna nan sùil gorm.
Garbh chearbach o fhuaim shruthan Lubair
Theich Bolga gu cùlaobh nan sliabh ;
Bha Fillean m' an ceumaibh a' dlùthadh;
Air an fhraoch chuir e dùbhra bàis.
Bha sòlas ard Fhionnghail m'a mhac.
Ghluais Cathmor fo thlachd nan gorm sgiath.
Tréig, a Chlatho nan gorm shùil,
Tréig-sa talla nan ùr theud;
Faic dearrsa tha dealradh gu' chùl;
Tha seacadh nan sluagh m'a cheum.
Na coimhid ni 's fhaide 's e dorch';
Gu h-eatrom o chaol-mheadhon clàrsaich
Buaileadh dighe nan sàr am fuaim;
Cha shealgair tha tearnadh o 'n fhàsach,
O dhealta air carnaibh nan ruadh;
Cha chrom e am bogha air gaoith;
Cha chaill e 'liath fhiui air magh.
Fada shíos an dearg a' chòmhraig,
Faic comhstri gu dhomail r'a thaobh
v. 382-409.
113
TEMORA.
Venit Foldathus sine colore in sanguine;
Vidit illa eum nunc e nube,
Et se-celantem nunc in nebula.
Prosilientis sub singultû in lacrymas
Fuit ejus notitia de principe magno super humo,
Illi fuit coruscatio quæ erat eximia
Ab ejus anima, quando erant magnæ procellæ.
Fuisti tu ultima eum ponè,
Dersalena oculorum cæruleorum.
Vastè-fimbriata à sonitu fluentorum Lubaris
Fugit Bolga ad tergum clivorum ;
Erat Folan circa eorum vestigia arctè-appropinquans ;
Super ericam immittebat ille obscuritatem mortis.
Erat gaudium altum Fingalis circa suum filium.
Movit-se Cathmor sub decore cæruleorum clypeorum.
Relinque, Clatho cæruleorum oculorum,
Relinque tu aulam novarum chordarum;
Aspecta coruscamen quod splendet usque ad tergum;
Quod est arefaciens populos circa ejus gradum.
Ne aspice longius, quoniam caligat;
Leviter ex tenui medio citharæ
Pellant virgines heroum earum sonum;
Non venator est qui descendit à desertis,
A rore super saxetis rufarum ;
Non curvat ille arcum super ventum;
Non perdit ille canam sagittam in agro.
Procul infra in rubore certaminis,
Aspice certamen confertum ad ejus latus
TOM. III.
. I
114
DUAN V.
TIGHMORA.
Ag imeachd an iadhadh an strì,
Bàs mhìlte a' dìreadh m'a lann.
Tha Fillean mar thanas nan speur,
A thearnas treun o chearb nan sìan;
Tha 'n fhairge am bruaillein fo 'cheum
Is e leumadh o thonn gu tonn;
Tha 'astar a' lasadh 'na dhéigh;
Crathaidh innise an ceud cheann
Air cuan ag éirigh gun bheus thall.
Tréig a Clatho nan gorm shùil,
Tréig-sa talla nan ùr theud.
v. 410-420.
115
TEMORA.
1
Euntis in obliquitate concertationis,
Morte millium surgente circa ejus telum.
Est Folan sicut spectrum cœlorum,
Quod descendit violens ab orâ nimborum;
Est æquor (horrescens) in horrore sub ejus passibus
Subsilientis ab unda ad undam
Est ejus iter flammescens id ponè;
Quatiunt insulæ sua centum capita
[verso.
Super oceano surgente (immanè) sine modo ex ad-
Relinque, Clatho cæruleorum oculorum,
Relinque tu aulam novarum chordarum.
TEMOR A.
CARMEN SEXTU M.
Carminis VI. Argumentum.
Hic liber a Fingalis oratione initium sumit, qui Cathmorem suis subsi-
dium ferentem descendere videt. Ossianum ad opem Folano ferendam
rex præmittit. Ipse ne prælium inter filium et Cathmorem spectet,
se pone rupem Cormulem condit. Ossianus progreditur. Cathmoris
descensus describitur. Ordines suorum turbatas restituit, prælium
instaurat, et priùs ad manus cum Folano ipse venit, quam Ossianus
adesse potuit. Ossiani adventu, heroes isti pugnâ absistunt. Ossiano
et Cathmore duellum meditantibus nox intervenit. Ad locum quo
Cathmor et Folanus conflixerant Ossianus revertitur. Folanum vul-
nere lethali afflictum, saxo innixum observat. Sermonem conferunt.
Moritur Folanus. Ab Ossiano in antro vicino corpus deponitur. Ad
Fingalem revertitur exercitus Caledoniorum. Illi suos interroganti,
filium esse occisum dicitur. Se ad rupem Cormulem tacitus abstrahit.
Ut Fingalis exercitus recedit, Belgæ progrediuntur. Branum e Fin-
galis canibus unum in Folani clypeo, anti ostium cavernæ quâ jacebat
heros ille, cubantem Cathmor repperit. Quid super hac re cogitat.
Exercitum tristis petit. Illum patris Borbar-duthulis exemplo solari
Malthos conatur. Cathmor quietem petit. Hunc librum, qui circiter
mediam noctem ab incepto poemate tertiam finitur, Sul-mallæ carmen
concludit,
[ 120 ]
+
TIGHMORA.
DUAN VI.
v. 1-17.
"THA Cathmor ag éirigh sa' charn,
'N glac Fionnghal an lann o Luno?
Ciod a thigeadh do'd chliu-sa san àm,
Mhic Chlatho 'n uchd bhàin 's nan sùil gorm?
Na tionndaidh do rosgan uam féin,
A nighean nan treun Innisthorc:
Cha chaisg mi do dhearrsa, dheò-gréine,
Tha dealradh air m'anam an nochd.
Eireadh coille chearbach o Mhòra,
Eireadh eadar còmhrag 's mi féin.
C'uim a chítheam an strì so air chòmhnard,
Eagal tuiteam do 'n dubh-chiabhach threun.
Am measg nam fonn, a Charuill, taom
Ard fhuaim nach 'eil faoin o chlàrsaich.
An so tha guth carraig tha caoin,
Liath shiubhal shruth baoth o fhàsach.
Athar Oscair, tog-sa do shleagh;
[ 121 ]
TEMORA.
CARMEN VI.
v. 1-17.
""
EST Cathmor surgens in saxeto;
An prehendet Fingalis gladium à Lunone?
Quid accideret tuæ famæ eo tempore,
[rum?
Fili Clathûs pectoris candidi et oculorum cæruleo-
Ne averte tua lumina à me ipso,
O filia strenuæ Inistorcæ:
Non reprimam ego tuam coruscationem, jubar solis,
Quod resplendet super meam animam hac nocte.
Surgat sylva fimbriata à Mora,
Surgat inter certamen et me ipsum.
Quare cernam certationem hanc super planitie,
Præ metu ne cadat nigro-capillatus strenuus.
Inter modos, o Carrul, funde
Arduum sonum qui non est vanus è citharâ.
In hoc (loco) est vox rupis, quæ est blanda,
Canus cursus fluminis insani e desertis.
Pater Oscaris, tolle tu tuam hastam ;
122
DUAN VI.
TIGHMORA.
Dion air magh glan òg nan arma:
Ceil do cheuman o Fhillean san uair.
Mu 'n eol da mi-earbsa m'a chruaidh.
Cha 'n éirich nial uam féin, mo mhac;
Cha bhi do theine fo smachd, a thréin.
Fo charraig cheileadh an sonn
Am fuaim nam fonn o Charull thall;
Mi dealradh an sòlas nach gann,
Sleagh Thighmòra am' làimh 's mi triall.
Chunna' mi air chòmhnard Mhoiléna
Baoth bhruaillean a' chòmhraig ag éirigh ;
Strì a' bhàis ag iadhadh gu mall;
Sluaigh a briseadh fo dealradh nan lann.
Bha Fillean mar lasair o speur;
O sgéith gu sgéith garbh cheum an trein;
Leagh còmhrag o fhianuis an laoich
Is e filleadh an raoin fo mhùig.
A nis sìos tha triall gu strì
Mòr Chathmor an righ 'na armaibh;
Sgiath iolair dubh aomadh m'an cuairt
Thar teine a chruaidh cheann-bheirt.
Gun chùram ghluais e ard cheuma
Mar gu'm biodh sealg Eirinn air làimh.
Thog e suas air uairibh a ghuth;
Thionail Eirinn fo dhubh m'an cuairt;
Thionndaidh 'n anama sìos mar shruth
Le iongantas mu 'n ceumaibh 's an tuar;
Mar dhearrsa maidne an treun
v. 18-45.
123
TEMORA
Protege in acie purum juvenem armorum :
Cela tuos passus a Folane in (hoc) tempore.
Ne sit nota ei diffidentia de suo duro-(ferro).
Haud surget nubes à me ipso, mi fili;
Haud erit tuus ignis sub coercitione, o strenue."
Sub rupe celabatur heros
In sonitu cantuum à Carrule ex adverso,
Me coruscante in gaudio haud (exiguo) angusto,
Hastâ Temoræ in meâ manu et me eunte.
Vidi ego super planitie Molenæ
Insanum tumultum certaminis surgentem;
Luctamen mortis se-obliquans tardè;
Populos turbatos sub fulgore telorum.
Erat Folan sicut flamma è cœlo;
A clypeo ad clypeum (erat) ingens passus strenui;
(Evanuit) liquefactum est certamen è conspectu bel-
Implicantis aciem sub nigrorem-vaporosum. [latoris
Nunc deorsum est pergens ad luctamen
Magnus Cathmor rex in suis armis;
Alâ aquilæ atrè-se-inclinante in circuitum
Super ignem duræ (galeæ) capitis-machinæ.
Sine cura movit ille arduos passus
Quasi esset venatio Iernes ad manum.
Elevavit ille sursum aliquando suam vocem ;
Convenit Ierne sub nigrore in circuitum;
Reversi sunt eorum animi deorsum instar fluminis
Cum admiratione circa suos passus et suum timorem;
Sicut coruscatio matutini-temporis (erat) strenuus
124
DUAN VI.
TIGHMORA.
Ag éirigh air beinn bha fo fhuaith,
Fear siubhail air astar leis féin
Sealltuinn sios o thaobh a ghruaidh'
Air leirg nan cruth fuar fo dhubh.
Grad o charraig ghlais Mhoiléna
Súilmalla nan ceuman àillidh :
Ghlac darach a sleagh o geal làimh.
Leth-aomta chaochaill i chruaidh;
Bha sùile sìos air righ na h-Eirinn
O fhalbhan is éirigh a ciabh':
Cha strì so measg chairdibh air raon;
Cha chuspaire faoin th' air an réidh,
Mar gu'm biodh òg laoich o Lumon
A' dlùthadh fo shùilibh Chonmhoir.
Mar charraig Runo dùbhradh shuas,
A' glacadh 'nan ruaig na niala,
'S i fàs am measg dubhadh a gruaidh
Thar sliabh nan glas chruach's nan liath shruth,
Mar sin bu mhò Cathmor Atha
'N àm tional nan sår m' an cuairt.
Mar osagaibh siubhal a' chuain,
Gach aon dhuibh is stuadh f'a còir,
Mar sin a bha 'fhocuill do 'shluagh
Cur a ghaisgich m'an cuairt do ʼn tòrr.
An sàmhchair cha robh Fillean shuas;
Bha 'fhocuill measg fuaim a sgéith :
Mar iolair an treun air a' chruaich,
Gach ite fo ghruaim m'a chliabh,
v. 46-73.
125
TEMORA.
Assurgens super montem, qui fuit sub spectris,
Viatore in itinere (solo) secum ipso
Despiciente deorsum è latere suæ genæ
Super clivum formarum frigidarum sub nigrore.
Est celer a rupe canâ Molenæ
Sulmala graduum elegantium:
Eripuit quercus ejus hastam ex candidâ manu.
Semi-propendens expedivit illa duram-(hastam);
Erant ejus oculi deorsum super regem Iernes
Ex agitatione et surrectione cirrorum :
Non est luctatio hæc inter amicos in planitie;
Non scopi vani sunt in plano,
Veluti ac si essent juvenes bellatores à Lumone
Appropinquantes sub oculis Conmoris.
Instar rupis Runonis caligantis supra,
Comprehendentis in earum fugâ nubes,
Et crescentis inter nigritiem suæ genæ
[tium,
Super clivo canorum tumulorum et rapidorum torren-
Sic erat major Cathmor Athæ
In tempore conventus egregiorum in circuitum.
Ut flamina pervadentia oceanum,
Unoquoque eorum cum undâ eo coram,
Sic erant ejus dicta suo populo
Mittentis suos bellatores circa tumulum.
In tranquillitate non erat Folan supra;
Erant ejus verba inter sonitum sui clypei:
Instar aquila (erat) strenuus super tumulo,
Quâque pennâ sub torvitate circa ejus pectus,
E
126
DUAN VI.
TIGHMORA.
E gairm nan gaoth gu charraig féin,
'Nuair a chi e fo cheum na ruaidh
Air Luthar a's dubh-luach'raich raon.
Thaom iad sa' chéile sa' bhlàr,
Ard righre nan sàr o thaobh gu taobh
A losgadh teine mu anam an sluaigh.
Leum Oisian air sleagh is e triall,
Craobh is carraig dol suas gun dàil
Eadar am blàr is e féin.
Ach chuala mi chruaidh nach robh mall
Measg forum mo mhàile sa' bheinn.
'N àm éirigh an soillse o chruaich
Chunna mi an sluagh a' géilleadh,
An ceuman air ais anns an uair,
Sùile corrach gu 'n gruaidh' ag éirigh;
Thachair tréin am buaireadh a' chath',
Dà righ nam flath nan gorm sgiath ;
Mòr is dorch am meadhon nan gath
Measg soillse bha garbh strì nan triath.
Bhuail suas mu Fhillean baoth,
Bron a lasadh 's a' taomadh ro'm' chliabh.
Thàinig mi; cha d' theich an righ;
Cha d'thàinig e le strì a' m' choir.
Mar charraig de eithe anns an fhrìth,
Fuar is garbh a bha brìgh an t-seoid.
An sàmhchair bha ar ceuma suas
Air dà thaobh buaireidh an t-sruth'.
Thionndaidh sinn mar aon fo ghruaim,
v. 74-101.
127
TEMORA.
Ipsâ vocante ventos ad suam rupem ipsius,
Quando videt illa sub passibus rufas (capreas)
Juxta Lubarem, cujus est atro-juncea planities.
Effusi sunt illi inter-se in prælium,
Ardui reges egregiorum à latere ad latus
Inflammantes ignem circa animos sui populi.
Prosiluit Ossianus super hastâ proficiscens,
Arbore et rupe euntibus sursum sine morâ
Inter prælium et eum ipsum.
At audivi ego durum-(ferrum) quod non erat tardum
Inter crepitationem meæ lorica in monte.
In tempore surgendi in lucem ex præcipitio
Vidi ego populum cedentem,
Eorum passibus retro in eâ horâ,
Oculis vacillantibus ad suas genas surgentibus;
Occurrerant-sibi strenui in tumultu conflictus,
Duo reges nobilium-virûm et cæruleorum clypeorum;
Magna et atra in medio telorum
Inter lucem erat aspera luctatio principum.
Irrui sursum circa Folanem insanus,
Dolore flammescente et se-fundente per meum pectus.
Veni ego; haud fugit rex ;
Non venit ille cum vi in meam viciniam.
Sicut rupes ex glacie in saltu,
Gelida et aspera erat vis herois.
In silentio erant nostri passus sursum
Super duobus marginibus tumultûs torrentis.
Conversi sumus nos simul sub torvitate,
128
TIGHMORA.
DUAN VI.
I
Is thog sinn ruinne cruaidh nan sleagh.
Thog sinn sleigh; ach thuit an ciar;
Bha sàmhchair air sliabh fo dhorcha,
Ach gu'n cluinntear ceuma nan triath
A'fuaim air an leirg a' falbh.
Thàinig mi gus an àit' a bha faoin,
Anns no chuireadh le Fillean cath:
Cha robh focall no fuaim air an raon,
Sgiath bhriste is ceann-bheart nam flath
Air talamh is gath gun fheum.
C'àite bheil Fillean nan sgiath?
鲁
​C'àit' an t-òg thriath o Mhòirbheinn?
Chual e 's e ri carraig nan sliabh,
Bha'g aomadh gu 'trian air mòr-shruth:
Chual e, 's e dorcha is fann:
An sin chunnaic mi thall an laoch.
C'uim a sheasas an truscan do dhùbhra
Mac Shelma m' an dlùthadh a' choill' ?
An dealradh tha d'astar, mo bhrathair,
An liath raon nan sàr a bha treun.
Is fhada bha do strì, a thriath;
Stoc Fhionnghail 'ga d'iarruidh sa' chruaich,
Gluais gu neulaibh d'athar fhéin,
Gu 'chuirm air eudan nan sliabh.
An ceò an fheasgair suidhidh 'n righ
'S e cluinntinn guth cli na clàrsaich
O chaoin Charull a's fuaim'oire fonn :
Thoir sòlas do 'n aois, a chòrr thriath,
v. 102-129.
129
TEMORA.
Et levavimus nos cuspides duras hastarum;
Levavimus hastas; at cecidit fusca-(nox);
Erat silentium super clivo sub tenebris,
Nisi quod audiebantur passus principum
Sonantes in clivo abeuntium.
Veni ego ad locum qui erat desertus.
In quo commissum est à Folane certamen :
Non erat vox nec sonus super agro,
Clypeo fracto et galeâ principum
Super terrâ et sagittâ (inutili) sine utilitate.
Ubi est Folan clypeorum?
Ubi juvenis princeps à Morvene?
J
Audivit ille, et eo juxta rupem clivorum, [num rivum:
Quæ inclinabatur usque ad tertiam-(partem) super mag-
Audivit ille, et eo caligante et languido :
Tunc vidi ego ex adverso bellatorem.
Quare stat in amictu obscuritatis
Natus Selmâ, circa quam arcta est sylva?
In splendore est tuum iter, mi frater,
In cano agro egregiorum, qui fuerunt strenui.
Diutina fuit tua luctatio, o princeps;
Cornu Fingalis te quærente in monte,
Perge ad nubes tui patris ipsius,
Ad ejus epulum super facie clivorum.
In nebulâ vesperis sedet rex
Audiens vocem fortem citharæ
A blando Carrule cujus est maxime sonorus cantus:
Exhibe solatium ejus senectuti, præstantissime princeps.
TOM. III.
K
130
DUAN VI.
TIGHMORA,
Fhir-bhriseadh nan sgiath, bi falbh.
" 'N d'thig sòlas mu lagaich, a thriath?
Cha'n 'eil, Oisein, mo sgiath dhomh féin;
Tha i briste is sgaoilt air an t-sliabh ;
Bhriseadh ite eoin riabhaich na speur
Air mo cheann-bheirt fo bheum a' chòmhraig.
'Nuair a theicheas an nàmhaid
gu dian,
Bidh aithriche thriath fo shòlas ;
Ach éirigh an osna gu 'trian,
'Nuair theid gaisgich gu dìth air chòmhnard.
Cha 'n fhaicear le Fillean an righ;
C'uim a bhiodh e fo strì a' bhròin ?"
Mhic Chlatho a's guirme sùil,
Og Fhillein, na dùisg mo chliabh.
Nach robh thu do theine gun mhùig,
'S nach bi sòlas as-ùr air thriath?
Cha'n 'eil lìonadh do chlui dhomh fhéin;
Mar ghréin tha 'n treun do mo thriall:
Tha e coimhead mo cheuma le sòlas,
Gun fhaileas a' còmhnuidh m'a ghnuùis.
Suas, Fhillein, gu Mòra nan tòrr;
Tha cuirm anns a' cheò sgaoilte.
""
Oisein, thoir dhomh féin mo sgiath,
Na h-ite tha ciar fo ghaoith:
Cuir iadsa mar ri Fillean, a thriath,
Gus nach caill e ach trian d'a chliu.
Thréin Oisein, tha laigs' orm fhéin;
Cuir mise fo bheud sa' chòs.
v. 130-157.
131
TEMORA.
Vir-ruptor clypeorum, esto proficiscens.
"An veniet solatium propter imbecillos, princeps?
Non est, Ossiane, meus clypeus mihi ipsi ;
Est ille fractus et sparsus super clivum ;
Fractæ sunt pennæ avis subfuscæ cœlorum
Super mea galeâ sub ictibus certaminis.
Quando fugit hostis rapidè,
Erunt patres principum sub solatio ;
At surget eorum suspirium usque ad tertiam-(partem),
Quando interibunt bellatores in campo.
Non cernetur à Folane rex;
Quare esset ille sub vi luctus ?"
Fili Clathûs, cujus est maxime cæruleus oculus,
Juvenis Folan, ne expergefacito meum pectus.
Nonne fuisti tu ignis sine nebulâ,
Et non erit gaudium denuo principi?
Haud est (æqualitas) expletio tuæ famæ mihi ipsi;
(At) instar solis est strenuus meo itineri:
Est ille intuens meos passus cum gaudio,
Sine umbra commorante circa ejus vultum.
Sursum, o Folan, ad Moram tumulorum;
Est epulum in nebulâ appositum.
"Ossiane, da mihi ipsi meum clypeum,
Pennas, quæ sunt fuscæ super vento:
Pone ea juxta Folanem, o princeps,
Ut ne perdat ille nisi tertiam partem suæ famæ.
Strenue Ossiane, est imbecillitas super me ipsum ;
Pone me sub clade in cavernâ.
132
DUAN VI.
TIGHMORA.
Na tog orm clach anns a' bheinn
Eagal foineachd mu Fhillean ni 's mò.
Thuit mise ann mo cheud chath
Gun chliu is gun rath air mo lann.
Biodh do ghuthsa a mhàin, a thriath
'Na shòlas do m'anam 's e triall.
C'uim a bhiodh bard a còmhradh
M'an dearrsa òg o chaoin Chlatho ?"
Bheil d' anam air fiaradh nan gaoth,
Oig Fhillein, a bhriseadh na sgiatha?
Biodh sòlas a' leantuinn an laoich
Ro' fhilleadh gharbh nan ciar nial.
Tha sàmhla do mhòr shinns're, Fhillein,
An cruthan ag aomadh m' an sìol;
Tha mi faicinn an tein air an aonach,
Gorm sgaoile an ceò fo shìan
Mu Mhòra measg fiaradh na gaoith'.
Tach'radh sòlas ri mo bhràthair.
Thréig thusa na sàir 's iad fo bhròn.
Mu thiomchioll na h-aoise tha 'n nàmhaid,
Cliu a' sìoladh o airidh 's e 'n ceò:
Tha thusa d'aonar air an t-sliabh,
A righ nan liath chiabh o Shelma.
Chuir mi e an carraig nan còs
Aig fuaim nan sruth mòr san oiche;
Bha dearg reul a' sealltuinn o'n tòrr,
Nach do chuir am fear òg an soillse:
Thog na gaotha mall a chiabh.
v. 158-185.
133
TEMORA.
Ne erige super me saxum in monte
Præ metu ne quæratur de Folane amplius.
Cecidi ego in meo primo conflictu
Sine fama et sine successu meo telo.
Sit tua vox solùm, o princeps,
In gaudium meo animo abeunti.
Quare esset bardus loquens
De coruscamine juvene à blandâ Clatho?"
An est tua anima super gyratione ventorum,
Juvenis Folan, qui frangebas clypeos?
Sit gaudium sequens bellatorem
Per plicaturam asperam fuscarum nubium.
Sunt simulachra tuorum magnorum avorum, Folan,
Eorum formæ propendentes circa suum semen;
Sum ego conspiciens eorum ignem super jugo,
Cæruleam expansionem eorum nebulæ sub nimbo
Circa Moram inter gyrationem venti.
Occurrat gaudium meo fratri,
Reliquisti tu egregios sub luctu.
In circuitum senectutis est hostis,
Famâ subsidente a promerito et eo in nebulâ :
Es tu in solitudine super clivo,
Rex canorum capillorum à Selma.
Posui ego eum in rupe cavernarum
Juxta sonitum fluminum magnorum in nocte;
Erat rutila stella despiciens de tumulo,
Quæ non exponebat adolescentem in lucem :
Levabant venti tardè ejus cirrum.
134
DUAN VI.
TIGHMORA.
Bha mi 'g éisdeachd-cha chualas fuaim :
Bha 'n gaisgeach gun tuar am pràmh.
Mar dhealan air neul dubh-dhonn
Ghluais smuainte gu trom mo chliabh;
Mo shùile mar thein an mo cheann,
Mo cheuma nach mall air sliabh
Measg forum mo chruaidh mhàile.
Tach'ridh mise is righ Eirinn :
Measg co'-thional cheud tach'ridh sinn.
C'uim a theicheadh an neul so féin,
A chuir dearrsa nan speur air chùl?
Lasaibh tein athair nan cruach,
Lasaibh suas, mo shinns're féin;
Is cuiribhse mo cheum fo shoillse-
Caithidh mis' an nàmhaid am feirg.
Ach mar tilleadh mise féin,
Tha 'n righ fo bheud is e gun mhac;
Tha liath chiabh measg nàimhdibh an trein
A làmh an robh feum fo smachd.
A chliu a' sìoladh sìos an Eirinn.
Na faiceam gu siorruidh an sàr
An deireadh nam blàr fo smal.
Ach cia mar thilleam féin do 'n righ?
Nach foinich e le brìgh m'a mhac ?
C'uim nach d'thug thu Fillean o 'n strì?
Tach'ridh Oisian shìos an nàmhaid ;
O shùilibh a chairdean tha thriall.
Ard Eirinn a's uaine gleann,
v. 186-213.
135
TEMORA.
Eram ego auscultans-haud audiebatur sonus :
Erat bellator sine colore in sopore.
Sicut fulgura super nube atro-fuscâ
Movebant cogitationes graviter meum pectus;
Meis oculis instar ignis in meo capite,
Meis passibus haud tardis super clivo
Inter strepitum meæ duræ lorica.
Occurremus. ego et rex Iernes:
Inter concursum centuriarum occurremus nos.
Quare evaderet nubes hæc ipsa,
Quæmisit splendorem cœlorum ad tergum?
Accendite ignem aeris præcipitiorum,
Accendite sursum, mei proavi ipsius;
Et mittite vos passus meos sub lucem-
Consumam ego hostem in ira.
At ni redeam ego ipse
Est rex sub damno et sine filio;
Est canum caput inter hostes strenui
Ejus manu, in qua fuit vis, (repressâ) sub coercitione;
Ejus famâ (vanescente) subsidente in Ierne.
Ne videam in æternum egregium-(virum)
In extremo prœliorum sub labe.
At quomodo redeam ipse ad regem ?
Annon quæret ille cum vi de suo filio?
Quare non duxisti tu Folanem e luctamine?
Occurret Ossianus infrà hosti;
Ab oculis suorum amicorum est ejus iter.
Ardua Ierne, cujus est viridissima vallis,
136
DUAN VI.
N VI
TIGHMORA,
Is taitneach do mo chluasaibh d'fhuaim.
Tha mi grad air do shluagh fo lann,
A sheachnadh sùilean an righ fo ghruaim.
Ach cluinneamsa gu h-ard an righ
Air Mòra nam frìth an ceò :
Tha e gairm a dhà mhac o 'n strì;
Tha mi tighinn 's mi sìos fo bhròn:
Tha mi tighinn mar iolair o chruaich,
Thachair teine nan stuadh an oiche,
E'g iteach o'n fhàsach so shuas
Le 'sgiathaibh dubh-loisgte an soillse.
Fada thall m' an righ air Mora
Thaom Mòrbheinn o bhriseadh an raoin.
Thionndaidh an sùilean o'n mhòr thriath
Gach aon diubh ag aomadh g'a thaobh
'S a shealladh gu baoth o'shleagh.
'Nam meadhon sheas sàmhach an righ,
A smuainte strì dol suas m'a chliabh,
Mar thonnaibh air lochan nam frìth,
Gach aon diubh fo chobhar's e liath.
Sheall e sìos; cha 'n fhac e mac
Le sleagh ghlan fo smachd 's e triall.
Ghluais 'osana suas gun dàil
A cheil e fo shàmhchair a' bhròin.
An sin sheas mis' fo dharaig thall;
Cha d'éirich guth mall uam fhéin.
Ciod a b'urrainn mi labhairt san àm,
Ri Fionnghal measg bròin an tréin ?
;
v. 214-241.
137
TEMORA.
Est jucundus meis auribus tuus sonitus.
Sum ego citò apud tuum populum sub telo,
Ut effugiam oculos regis sub torvitate.
At audio ego altè regem
Super Mora saltuum in nebulâ :
Est ille vocans binos filios à luctamine;
Sum ego veniens, cum sim infra sub mœrore:
Sum ego veniens sicut aquila à præcipitio,
Quæ occurrit igni nubium in nocte,
Pennis acta è desertis hisce supra
Cum alis atrè-ustis in luce.
Procul ex adverso circa regem super Morâ
Effudit-se Morven (post turbationem) è fractura aciei.
Aversi sunt eorum oculi à magno principe;
Unoquoque eorum inclinante-se ad suum latus
Et intuente ferè à suâ hastâ.
In eorum medio stabat tacitus rex,
[suum pectus,
Ejus cogitationibus certatim euntibus sursum circa
Instar undarum super lacusculo saltuum,
Singulis earum sub spuma et eâ canâ.
Despexit ille deorsum; non vidit ille suum filium
Cum hastâ fulgenti sub ejus potestate, et ipso eunte.
Mota sunt ejus suspiria sursum sine morâ,
Quæ celavit ille sub silentio sui moeroris.
In illo (tempore) stabam ego sub quercu ex adverso;
Haud orta est vox lenta à me ipso.
Quid possem ego loqui in eo tempore,
Rege Fingale inter dolorem strenui?
138
DUAN VI.
TIGHMORA.
A nis a ghluais am focal suas;
Dh'aom an sluagh air ais o'ghuth.
"C'àit' am bheil mac Shelma, an triath,
Am fear a dh'imich an sgéith còmhraig?
Cha 'n fhaic mi a cheum air an t-sliabh
'S e tilleadh o thriall na mòirchuis
Measg co'-thional còrr mo shluaigh.
Na thuit an ruadh òg air a bheinn,
Es' bu mhòrchuisich ceum air cruaich?
Thuit e, sibh sàmhach 'n a dhéigh,
Sgaoilte sgiath chomstri gu luath.
Cuiribh mo mhàile chruaidh ruim fhéin;
Mac an Luinn a bha ciar donn.
Tha mi mosgladh air ard na beinne;
Bi-m am màireach an còmhrag nan sonn.
Arda air Cormull bha craobh
A lasadh fo ghaoith is i fuaim;
Bha liath chearb de cheò air a taobh
A sgaoileadh gu caoin m'an cuairt.
""
An sin bha ceuman an righ am feirg
Fada thall o chearb an t-sluaigh.
Bha 'chòmhnuidhse riamh air an leirg,
'Nuair lasadh còmhrag gharbh m'a chliabh.
Air dà shleagh shuas a mhòr sgiath,
Truagh chomhara ciar a' bhàis,
An sgiath sin fo bhualadh an righ
An oiche roimh strì nam blàr.
An sin fhéin a dh'aithnich na laoich
v. 242-269.
139
TEMORA.
Nunc motum est ejus dictum sursum ;
Inclinavit-se populus retro à sua voce.
"Ubi est filius Selmæ, princeps,
Vir qui profectus est in alâ certaminis ?
Non cerno ego ejus passum super clivo
Redeuntis ab profectione magnarum rerum
Inter conventum eximium mei exercitus.
An cecidit rufus-capreolus juvenis super monte,
Is cujus superbissimus erat passus super præcipitio?
Cecidit ille, vobis silentibus eum ponè,
Sparsus est clypeus certaminis citò.
Ponite meam loricam duram prope me ipsum ;
Et natum Lunone qui est fuscus subniger.
Sum ego expergiscens super summo montis;
Ero cras in colluctatione heroum.
Ardua super Cormule erat arbor
Flammescens sub vento et sonans;
Erat canus limbus nebulæ super ejus latere
Se-spargens molliter in circuitum.
Illic erant passus regis in ira
Procul ex adverso ab limbo populi.
Erat ejus habitatio semper super clivo,
[pectus.
Quando flammescebat certamen asperum circa ejus
Super duabus hastis supra erat ejus magnus clypeus,
Atrox signum fuscum mortis,
Clypeus ille sub percussione regis
In nocte ante luctamen prœliorum.
In illo ipso (tempore) agnoverunt bellatores
140
DUAN V1.
TIGHMORA.
Am a ghluaisidh gu baoth chòmhrag:
Cha do thog e a sgiath gu faoin,
Gus an éireadh r'a thaobh an comhstri.
Bha 'cheuman a' beumadh gu h-ard
Is dealradh fo shàr ghath chraoibh.
Cho fuathasach ri cruth nam fuath
Fo neulaibh dubh fuar na h-oidhche,
'Nuair a chuireas e fo thruscan gruaime
A dhlùth chleasa truagh an leth shoillse,
'S e gabhail do charbad nan gaoth
Air bruaillean baoth an fhaoin chuain mhòir.
Gun sìoladh o stoirm a' ghairbh chòmhraig
Bha Eirinn nam mòr thriath thall;
Bha 'm faileas fo ré air a chòmhnard,
Mall thoirm an déigh comhstri a' bhlàir.
'Na aonar bha ceuma Chathmhoir
Air aghairt 's air ais air an t-sliabh,
E ag aomadh fo 'armaibh gu léir
Air Mòirbheinn nan treun fo ruaig.
Nis thàinig e gus a' chòs
San robh còhnuidh òig Fhillein san oidhche;
Bha aona chraobh air taobh an t-sruth' mhòir,
Bha tuiteam o 'n tòrr 's a' boillsgeadh.
An sin fo ré ri faicinn shìos
Sgiath bhriste aig triath mac Chlatho,
Is teann air 'na shìneadh air feur
Cas mholach an treun chu, Bran.
Cha'n fhac es' an triath air Mòra;
v. 270–297.
141
TEMORA.
Tempus ejus profectionis ad insanum certamen:
Non levabat ille suum clypeum inaniter,
Donec surgeret ad ejus latus concertatio.
Erant ejus passus percutientes altè
Et coruscantes sub eximio (flamma) radio arboris.
Æque terribilis ac forma larvarum
Sub nubibus atris-gelidis noctis,
Quando ponit illa sub amictum torvitatis
Ejus agiles lusus infaustos in dimidia luce,
Ipsâ assumente sibi currum ventorum
Super tumultu insano vani oceani magni.
Nondum desæviens à procella certaminis
Erat Ierne magnorum heroum ex adverso;
Erat eorum imago sub lunâ super campo,
Et lentum murmur post colluctationem prælii.
In solitudine erant passus Cathmoris
Protenus et retro super clivo,
Illo movente-se sub armis totis
In Morvenem strenuorum sub fugâ.
Nunc venit ille ad cavernam
In quâ erat habitatio juvenis Folanis in nocte }
Erat una arbor in latere torrentis magni,
Qui erat cadens à tumulo et coruscans.
Illic erat sub luna conspiciendus infra
Clypeus fractus apud principem, filium Clathûs,
Et prope eum extensus super gramine
Pedem-hirsutus strenuus canis, Brannus.
Haud vidit ille principem super Morâ;
142
DUAN VI.
TIGHMORA.
Ghluais e 'na chòdhail air gaoith:
Shaoil leis gu 'n do dhùnadh do shealgair
A ghorm shùil an cearbaibh a phràimh.
Cha ghluaiseadh osag air an t-sliabh
Gun fhios do leum riabhach nan ruadh.
Chunnaic esa cù an uchd bhàin ;
Chunnaic e an sgiath bhriste thall;
Thill dùbhra air ais air a chliabh ;
Bha smuainte dubhach 'g éirigh ciar
Mu thuiteam nan triath air an raon.
፡፡
Thig sluagh mar shruth tha taomadh sìos ;
Thig cinne nach fhiach 'nan déigh;
Ach comhraichidh trian diubh an sliabh
Dol thairis le 'n gnìomhaibh treun;
Freag'ridh na cruachain an iarruidh
Ro'shiubhal nam bliadhna dhubh-chiar ;
Bidh gorm shruth ag iadhadh m'an cliu.
Dhiubhsa féin biodh treun o Atha,
'Nuair a chuirear air làr a cheann.
Tach'readh guth nan àm tha thall,
Ri Cathmor ann am mall ghaoith,
'Nuair a leumas e osaga ciar
Air iomall dubh-riabhach nan stoirm."
Thionail Eirinn m' an cuairt do 'n righ
A chluinntinn guth a' chumhachd thréin,
Gach eudan ag aomadh le sòlas,
An solus nam mòr chraobh.
Thréig na bha fuasach a' chruach;
v. 298-325.
143
TEMORA.
Movit-se ille in ejus occursum super vento:
Credebatur ab eo quod clauderetur venatori
Cærulus oculus in fimbriis sui soporis.
Haud movebatur aura super clivo
Quin nosceretur ab eo saltus fusco-maculosus rufarum.
Vidit ill canem pectoris candidi;
Vidit ille clypeum fractum ex adverso ;
Reversa est obscuritas retro super ejus pectus;
Erant cogitationes tristes orientes fuscè
Circa casum principum super acie.
Venit populus instar fluminis, quod funditur deorsum;
Venit progenies quæ est nullius pretii ejus à tergo;
At signabit tertia pars eorum clivum
Transiens cum suis factis fortibus;
Respondebunt tumuli quæstionibus
Per cursum annorum atro-fuscorum ;
Erit cæruleus rivus se-obliquans circa eorum famam.
Ex iis ipsis sit strenuus-vir ex Atha,
Quando ponetur in humum ejus caput.
Occurrat vox temporum, quæ sunt ultrà (hoc),
Cathmori in lentis ventis,
Quando saltabit ille in flaminibus fuscis
In extremitate atro-maculosâ nimborum."
Convenit Ierne in circuitum regis
Ad audiendum vocem ejus potestatis strenuæ,
Singulo vultu se inclinante cum gaudio
In luce magnarum arborum.
Reliquerunt qui fuerunt terribiles præcipitium;
}
144
DUAN VI.
TIGHMORA.
Bha Lubar ag iadhadh ro'n t-sluagh.
B'e Cathmor an teine o speur,
Bha dealradh a chairde gu léir;
'Nam meadhon bha urram do 'n righ,
An anama ri sòlas a' strì.
Cha robh sòlas air 'anam na fiamh
;
Cha bu choigreach an triath do chòmhrag.
"C'uime tha 'n righ fo bhròn ?”
Thuirt Malthos a b'fhiadhaiche sùil:
"Bheil nàmhaid aig Lùbar nan tòrr?
Bheil acsa na thogas o'chùl
Sleagh fhada is ùr gu bàs?
Cha 'nann cho mìn ri so, a thriath,
Bha Borbair na feile, d'athair féin,
An righ a thogadh gu feum sleagh.
Bha fhearg mar theine losgadh riamh;
Bha 'shòlas an cian mu nàimhdibh,
A thuiteadh marbh fo spairn nan sgiath.
Tri lài bha cuirme do thriathaibh
O laoch nan liath chiabh àillidh,
'Nuair shìn Calmar a bhàs air sliabh,
Thug cobhair do Ullin o Lâra,
Caoin thalamh nan sàr 's nan sruth.
'S tric a dh' fhairich e le' làimh
Ruinn na cruaidh a bhuail an lot,
Chuir nàmhaid am blàr air chùl;
'S tric a dh' fhairich e le' làimh ;
Bha sùile an t-sàir fo leas.
;
:
v. 326-353.
145
TEMORA.
Erat Lubar se obliquans per populum.
Erat Cathmor ignis è cœlo,
Qui illuminabat suos amicos omninò;
In eorum medio erat honos regi,
Eorum (amore) animis cum gaudio certantibus.
Non erat gaudiam super ejus animo nec metus;
Non erat (imperitus) peregrinus princeps certamini.
"Quare est rex sub moerore ?"
Dixit Malthus, cujus erat ferissimus oculus:
"An est hostis ad Lubarem tumulorum?
Est apud-eos qui tollat à tergo
Hastam longam et novam ad mortem
Non æquè mitis ac hoc, o princeps,
Fuit Borbar hospitalitatis, tuus pater ipsius,
Rex qui tollebat ad rem-gerendam hastam.
Erat ejus ira instar ignis urens semper;
Erat ejus lætitia diutina circa suos hostes,
Qui cadebant mortui sub luctamine clypeorum.
Tres dies erat epulum principibus
A bellatore canorum capillorum venustorum,
Quando extendebatur Calmar in morte super clivo,
Qui tulerat auxilium Ullinæ à Larâ,
Amœnâ terrâ egregiorum et rivorum.
Sæpe attrectavit ille cum sua manu
Cuspidem duri-ferri quod percussit vulnus,
Quod misit ejus hostem in prœlio ad tergum;
Sæpe attrectavit ille eam cum suâ manu;
Erant oculi egregii (viri) sub labe.*
TOM. III.
* i. e. guttà serená,
L
146
DUAN VI.
TIGHMORA.
Bha 'n righ mar ghréin do 'chairdibh féin;
Na aiteal treun do 'n geugaibh uaine;
Bha sòlas an talla nan teud;
Bha 'annsa mu threunaibh Bholga.
Tha 'ainm a tuinidh 'n diugh an Atha,
Mar chuimhne dubhach air fàs fhuathaibh,
'Nuair a thàinig is b'fhuathail an tàmh :
Ach shéid iad na garbh shianta uainn.
Eireadh gutha caoin na h-Eirinn
A thogail o bheud anam' an righ,
Esa mar dhealra nan speur,
A' boillsgeadh an ciaradh na strì,
'Nuair a chuir e gu sìth na trein.
Fhonnair o na liath charnaibh shuas
Taom tuire is luaidh nan àm ;
Taom iad air Eirinn nam buaidh,
Gus an sìolaidh a' chruaidh fo dhàn.”
"Dhomhsa," thuirt Cathmor an treun,
"Cha 'n éirich fonn nan teud na dàn
O Fhonnair aig Lùbar nan leum :
Bha iad neartor tha sinnte thall;
Na fuadaichse mall thriall nam fuath.
Fada, Mhalthos, fada uam,
Biodh Eirinn le luaidh is le fonn ;
Cha 'n 'eil sòlas mu nàmhaid tha fuar,
'S nach éireadh sleagh suas le sonn.
Le madainn a thaomas ar neart;
Tha Fionnghal fo bheart air a' chruaich."
v. 354-381.
147
TEMORA.
;
Erat rex sicut sol suis amicis ipsius;
Ut aura valida eorum ramis viridibus;
Erat gaudium in domicilio chordarum
Erat ejus amor circa strenuos Bolgæ.
Est ejus nomen habitans hodie in Atha,
Sicut memoria tristis de inanibus larvis,
Quando venerunt et erat terribilis earum mansio:
At difflârunt illæ asperos nimbos à nobis.
Surgant voces blandæ Iernes
Ad levandum è damno animum regis,
Ille est instar fulguris cœlorum,
Coruscans in offuscatione luctaminis,
Quando coégit ad pacem strenuos.
Fonar, ex canis illis saxetis supra
Funde nænias et laudes horum temporum ;
Funde ea super lernen victoriarum,
Donec subsidet res-dura sub cantu."
((
Mihi," dixit Cathmor strenuus,
"Non orietur cantus chordarum aut carminum
A Fonare apud Lubarem cataractarum ;
Fuerunt validi qui extenduntur ex adverso;
Ne fuga tu lentum iter larvarum.
Procul, Malthe, procul à me
Sit Ierne cum laude et cum cantu;
Non est gaudium propter hostem qui est frigidus,
Et cum non surgit hasta sursum cum heroe.
Cum matutino tempore effundet-se nostrum robur;
Est Fingal sub armaturâ super præcipitio."
148
DUAN VI.
TIGHMORA.
Mar thonnaibh dol air 'n ais fo ghaoith,
Thaom Eirinn o thaobh an righ;
Dubh domhail an raonaibh na h-oiche
Sgaoil crònan gun soillse o shluagh.
Fo chraoibh o bheinn gach bard air àm
'Na shuidhe thall fo 'chlàrsaich féin;
Thog iad am fonn nach robh gann,
Is bhuail iad ceòl caol mall o theud,
Gach aon diubh do thriath do 'n robh 'luaidh.
Ri losgadh an daraich bha thall,
Bhuail Sùilmhalla mall an·teud;
Bhuail i clàrsach o àm gu àm,
Gaoth ag iadhadh mu chiabha nam beus.
An dùbhra dubh bha Cathmor féin,
Fo chraoibh a bha aosda a cheann.
Bha lasadh an daraich o'n treun;
Chunnaic e i; cha 'n fhac i e thall;
Bha 'anam a' taomadh gu dìomhair,
'Nuair a chunnaic e shìos a sùil mhall;
Ach tha cruadal nam blàr do chòir,
Mhic Borbair nam mòr thriath.
Am measg nan teud o àm gu àm
A dh'éisd i thall mu triath's mu shuain :
Bha h-anamsa suas gun dàil;
B'e 'toilse, san tràth fo ghruaim,
A chur suas a fonn brònach féin.
Sàmhach an raon; air thaobh an sgiath
Theich osaig is sian na h-oiche.
v. 382-409.
419
TEMORA.
Instar undarum euntium retro sub vento,
Effudit-se Ierne à latere regis;
Atrum densum in agris noctis
Sparsum est murmur sine luce à populo.
Sub arbore ex monte singulo bardo suâ vice
Sedente ex adverso sub citharâ suâ;
Sustulerunt illi cantum qui non erat parcus,
Et pepulerunt illi melos tenue lentum è chorda,
Quisque eorum principi cui erat ejus studium.
Juxta exustionem quercus quæ erat ex adverso,
Pepulit Sulmala lentè chordam;
Pepulit illa citharam de tempore ad tempus,
Vento se-obliquante circa cirros venustatum.
In obscuritate nigra erat Cathmor ipse,
Et sub arbore, quæ erat vetusta, ejus caput.
Erat flamma quercûs (procul) à strenuo;
Vidit ille eam; non vidit illa eum ex adverso;
Erat ejus animus se-effundens secretò,
Quando vidit ille infra ejus oculum lentum ;
At est crudum-periculum prœliorum in tuâ viciniâ,
Fili Borbaris magnorum heroum,
Inter chordas de tempore in tempus [ejus soporem:
Auscultavit illa ex adverso circa suum heroa et circa
Fuit ejus animus (excitatus) sursum sine morâ;
Fuit ejus voluntas, in eo tempore sub tetricitate,
(Tollere) mittere sursum suum cantum lugubrem ipsius.
Est tranquillus ager; super lateribus alarum
Fugerunt flamina et nimbi noctis.
150
DUAN VI.
TIGHMORA.
Ghéill na barda; roi' a' chiar
Tha comhara' liath-dhearg a soillseadh
Fo bhoillsge glas nam faoin fhuath.
Dhorch' an speur, cruth faoin nam marbh
Measg tional nam balbh nial.
Gun smaointe bha aon nighean Chonmhoir
Mu lasadh bha falbh an cnàmh.
Bha thusa 'na d'aonar 'na miann,
A thriath Atha nach faoin carbad.
Thog ise gu caoin am fonn,
Is bhuail i a loma chlàrsach.
Thàinig Clungheal; cha d'fhuair òigh.
"C'àite bheil a chòrr shoillse?
Shealgaire o chòinich nan còs,
Am fac sibh gorm-shùil nan seòd boillsgeadh ?
Bheil a ceuma mu Lumon an fheir
Mu leapa o 'n leum na ruaidh?
Mise truagh! tha 'boghasa thall
An talla do 'n gnàth na cuirm.
-C'àite bheil gath soillse mo chléibh?"
(6
Tréig mi, luaidh Chonmhoir nan treun;
Cha chluinn mi thu féin air sliabh ;
Tha mo shùile air ard righ nam beum;
Tha 'astar fo bheudaibh nan gnìomh !
Esa dha 'm bheil m'anam gu léir
An ciar aimsir mo cheud aisling.
Domhann dorcha shìos an còmhrag
Cha'n fhaic gaisgeach, tha mòr, mo nial.
v. 410-437.
151
TEMORA.
Cesserunt bardi; per fuscam (noctem)
Sunt signa cano-rutila lucescentia
Sub coruscatione lucophæâ vanarum larvarum.
Offuscatum est cœlum, formis vanis mortuorum
Inter cœtum mutarum nubium.
Sine consilio erat sola filia Conmoris
Circa flammam, quæ erat abiens in carbones.
Fuisti tu solus in ejus mente,
Princeps Athæ haud inanis currûs.
Sustulit illa blande cantum,
Et pepulit illa suam nudam citharam.
Venit Clungal; haud invenit virginem.
"Quo loco est ejus eximius splendor?
O venatores à musco cavernarum,
An vidistis vos cæruleum-oculum heroum renidentem?
An sunt ejus gradus circa Lumonem graminis
Circa lectum ex quo saliunt rufæ (capreæ)
Me miserum! est ejus arcus ex adverso
In domicilio cui sunt assuetæ epulæ.
Quo loco est radius lucis mei pectoris ?"
Relinque me, o dilecta Conmoris strenuorum;
Non audio ego te ipsum super clivo;
Sunt mei oculi erga arduum regem plagarum;
Est ejus iter sub damnis facinorum ;
Ejus cui est meus animus omninò
In fusco tempore mei primi somnii.
Profundus tenebrosus infra in certamine
Non cernit heros, qui est magnus, meam nubem.
152
TIGHMORA.
DUAN VI.
C'uim, a ghrian Shùlmhalla nan còrr thriath,
Nach coimhead thu dòchas dhomh sìos?
Tha mo chòmhnuidh féin an duibhre,
O mo chùlaobh snàmh thaiream ceò;
Fo dhealta mo chiabha a' lùbadh :
Seall ormsa o'd nial, a sheoid,
A ghrian Shùlmhalla nam mòr thriath. * * *
v. 438-444.
153
TEMORA.
Quare, o sol Sulmalæ eximiorum heroum,
Non tueris tu spem mihi deorsum?
Est mea habitatio ipsius in obscuritate,
A meo tergo transnatante me nebulâ ;
Sub rore meis capillis se-flectentibus :
Intuere me è tua nube, o heros,
Sol Sulmalæ magnorum heroum. *
TEMOR A.
CARMEN SEPTIMUM.
Carminis VII. Argumentum.
Sub mediam noctem a poematis initio tertiam hic liber incipit. Poeta
nebulam describit quandam, quæ noctu ex Legæ lacu est orta, et
quam defunctorum umbræ quod temporis inter mortem et funebre
carmen intervenit, tenebant. Folani umbra super antrum in quo jace-
bat cadaver, est visa. Fingali ad rupem Cormulem vox ejus perfertur.
Trenmoris clypeum percutit rex, quæ res ipsum armatum esse pro-
diturum certissimo signo indicat. Quæ ex clypei sonitu mira oriuntur.
Sulmalla, somno excitata, Cathmorem expergefacit. Verbis ad mise-
rationem commovendam aptis inter se colloquuntur. Ut pacem hic
petat illa orat. Bellum protrahere statuit, atque in vicinam Lonæ
vallem, quam habitabat Druida senex, illam recedere jubet, usque-
dum proximi diei prælium fuerit finitum. Exercitum clypei sonitu
excitat. Clypeus describitur. Fonar bardus, Cathmoris rogatu pri-
mam Belgarum coloniam in Hiberniam a duce Larthone ductam,
narrat. Advenit lux. Ad vallem Lonam se Sulmalla recipit. Librum
concludit carmen lyricum.
i
*
A
[ 158 ]
TIGHMORA.
DUAN VII.
v. 1-17.
O LINNE doir-choille na Légo
Air uair éiridh ceò taobh ghorm nan tonn,
'Nuair a dhùnas dorsa na h-oidhche
Air iolair-shùil gréine nan speur.
Tomhail mu Lara nan sruth
Thaomas dubh-nial a's duirche gruaim:
Mar ghlais-sgéith ro' thaomadh nan nial
Snàmh seachad tha gealach na h-oidhche.
Le so éididh taibhsean o shean
An dlùth-ghleus am measg na gaoithe,
'S iad leumadh o osna gu osna
Air dubh-aghaidh oidhche nan sìan.
An taobh oiteig gu pàilliun nan seòd
Taomas iad ceathach nan speur,
Gorm-thalla do thanais nach bed
Gu àm éirigh fonn mhairbh-rann nan teud.
Tha torman am machair nan crann!
[159]
TEMORA.
CARMEN VII.
v. 1-17.
E LACU nemorosæ silvæ Legæ
[undarum,
Nonnunquam surgit nebula (xuavorλEupos) latere-cæruleo
Quando occluduntur portæ noctis
Acquilino-oculo solis cœlorum.
Vasta circa Laram fluentorum
Funditur atra nubes, cujus est caliginosissima torvitas:
Instar cani clypei per fundentes-se nubes
Natans-præter est luna noctis.
[pore)
Cum hoc vestiunt larvæ (antiquitus) ab antiquo (tem-
Suam arctam structuram inter ventum,
Illis salientibus a flamine ad flamen
Super atrâ facie noctis nimborum.
In latere flaminis ad domicilium heroum
Fundunt illæ nebulam cœlorum,
Cæruleam habitationem lemuribus haud vivis [rum.
Usque ad tempus surrectionis modorum næniæ chorda
Est sonor in planitie arborum!
160
DUAN VII.
TIGHMORA.
'S e Conar, righ Eirinn, a t' ann,
A' taomadh ceò tanais gu dlùth
Air Faolan aig Lubar nan sruth.
Muladach suidhe fo bhròn
Dh'aom an taibhs an ceathach an lòin :
Thaom an osag esan ann féin
;
Ach phill an cruth àluinn gu dian :
Phill e le 'chrom shealladh mall,
Le 'ched leadan mar shiubhal nan sìan.
Is doilleir so!
Ata na slòigh nan suain san àm
An truscan ciar na h-oiche.
Dh'ilsich tein an righ gu h-ard,
Dh'aom e 'na aonar air sgéith:
Thuit codal mu shùilibh a' ghaisgich ;
Thàinig guth Fhaolain 'na chluais.
"An codal so do 'n fhear-phòsda aig Clatho ?
'M bheil còmhnuidh do m'athair an suain?
'M bheil cuimhne 's mi 'n truscan nan nial,
'S mi m'aonar an àm na h-oiche ?”
"C'ar son tha thu a' m' aisling féin ?"
Thuirt Fionnghal's e 'g éirigh grad.
"An dì-chuimhn dhomhsa mo mhac
No 'shiubhal teine air reathlan nan laoch?
Ni mar sin air anam an righ
Thig gnìomh sheoid àluinn nan cruaidh bheum.
Ni'n dealan iad'a theicheas an dùbhra
Na h-oidhche 's nach fhàg a lorg.
v. 18-45.
161
TEMORA.
Est Conar, rex Iernes, qui adest,
Fundens nebulam larvalem densè
Super Folanem apud Lubarem fluentorum.
Moestus sedens sub luctu
Inclinavit-se larva in nebulam prati-paludosi:
Fudit flamen illam in se-ipsam;
At reversa est forma excelsa properè:
Reversa est illa cum suo curvo intuitu lento,
Cum nebuloso-crine instar cursûs nimborum.
Est tenebricosum hoc!
Sunt exercitus in sopore in hoc tempore
In amictu fusco noctis.
Subsedit ignis regis altè;
Inclinavit-se ille solus super hastam :
Cecidit somnus super oculos ejus bellatorum;
Venit vox Folanis in ejus aurem.
“An est somnus hic viro-desponso Clatho?
An est habitatio meo patri in sopore?
An est recordatio mei, cum sim in amictu nubium,
Cum sim solus in tempore noctis?"
66
Quamobrem est tu in meo somnio ipsius ?"
Dixit Fingal surgens properè.
"An oblivio mihi est meus filius
In suo itinere (igneo) ignis super planitie heroum ?
Non eo modo super animum regis
Veniunt facta heroum excelsorum durarum plagarum.
Non fulgur illi, quod fugit in obscuritate
Noctis et quod non relinquit ejus vestigium.
TOM. III.
M
162
DUAN VII.
TIGHMORA.
'S cuimhne leam Faolan 'na shuain:
Tha m'anam ag éirigh borb."
Ghluais an righ le 'shleagh gu grad,
Bhuail e 'n sgiath is fuaimneich cop;
An sgiath a dh'aom san oiche ard,
Ball mosglaidh do chath nan lot.
Air aomadh dubh nan sliabh,
Air ghaoith theich treud nan taibhse;
O ghleannan ciar nan iomadh lùb
Mhosgail guth a' bhàis.
Bhuail e 'n sgiath an dara cuairt;
Ghluais cogadh an aisling an t-sluaigh.
Bha comhstri' nan lann glas
A'dealradh air anam nan seòd,
Cinn-fheadhna a' druideadh gu cath;
Sluagh a' teicheadh-gnìomh bu chruaidh
Leth dhoileir an dealan na stailinn.
'Nuair dh'éirich an treas fuaim,
Leum féidh o chòs nan carn;
Chluinnte screadan eun san fhàsach,
'S gach aon diubh air 'osna-féin.
Leth dh'éirich sìol Albain nam buadh;
Thog iad suas gach sleagh bu ghlas;
Ach phill sàmhchair air an t-sluagh;
'S e bh'ann sgiath Mhòirbheinn nam fras.
Phill codal air sùilibh nam fear.
Bu dorcha trom an gleann.
Ni'm bu chodal duitse san uair,
v. 46-73.
163
TEMORA.
Est recordationi mihi Folan in suo sopore:
Est meus animus surgens violenter."
-
Movit-se rex cum suâ hastâ properè,
Percussit ille clypeum cujus est sonorus umbo;
Clypeum qui inclinabatur in nocte alta,
[rum.
Instrumentum expergefaciendi ad conflictum vulne-
Super declivitate atrâ clivorum,
Super vento fugit grex larvarum ;
Ex valliculâ fuscâ multorum flexuum
Experrecta est vox mortis.
Percussit ille hastam alterâ vice;
Movit-se bellum in somnio exercitûs.
Erat concertatio gladiorum leucophæorum
Coruscans super animum bellatorum,
Duces populorum accedentes ad conflictum;
Populus fugiens-facta quæ erant dura
Semi-obscura in fulgure chalybis.
Quando ortus est tertius sonor,
Saluerunt cervi è cavernis saxetorum ;
Audiebatur strepitus avium in desertis,
Et
unaquæque earum super suo flamine ipsius.
Semi-surrexit semen Albionis victoriarum;
Sustulerunt illi singulam hastam, quæ erat leucophæa;
At reversa est quies super populum;
Erat clypeus Morvenis imbrium.
Reversus est somnus in oculos virorum.
Erat tenebrosa (mœsta) gravis vallis.
Non erat somnus tibi in eâ horâ,
164
DUAN VII.
TIGHMORA.
A nighean shùil-ghorm Chonmhoir nam buadh.
Chuala Suil-mhalla am fuaim:
Dh'éirich i san oiche le gruaim ;
Tha 'ceum gu righ Atha nan colg;
Ni'm mosgail cunnart 'anam borb.
Trom a sheas i, 'suilean sìos.
Tha 'n speur an losgadh nan reul.
Chualas lethe sgiath nan cop.
Ghluais-ghrad sheas an òigh.
Dh'éirich a guth—ach dh'aom e sìos.
Chunnaic i e 'na stailinn chruaidh
A' dealradh ri losgadh nan reul:
Chunnaic i e 'na leadan trom
Ag éirigh ri osna nan speur.
Thionndaidh i'ceumna le fiamh.
"C'ar son a dhùisgeams righ Eirinn nam Bolg?
Ni 'n aisling do 'chodal thu féin,
A nighean Innis uaine nan colg."
Gu garg a mhosgail an torman :
O'n òigh thuit a ceann-bheart sìos;
Tha 'm forum air carraig nan sruth.
Plaosgadh o aisling na h-oiche
Ghluais Cathmor fo a chrann féin :
Chunnaic e an òigh bu tlàth,
Air carraig Lubair nan sliabh;
Dearg reul a' sealladh sìos
Measg siubhail a trom chiabh.
"C'e tha ro' oiche gu Cathmor
v. 74-101.
165
TEMORA.
Filia (xuαvotos) cæruleis oculis Conmoris victoriarum.
Audivit Sulmala sonitum:
Surrexit illa in nocte cum tetricitate ;
Est ejus passus ad regem Athæ mucronum;
Non quatit periculum ejus animum fortem.
(Mosta) gravis stetit illa, ejus oculis demissis.
Est cœlum in ardore stellarum.
Auditus est ab eâ clypeus umbonum.
Se movit-mox stetit virgo.
Surgebat ejus vox-at se-inclinavit illa deorsùm.
Vidit illa eum in ejus chalybe durâ
Resplendente ad flammam stellarum :
Vidit illa eum in ejus capillis gravibus
Surgentibus ad flatum cœlorum.
Avertit illa suos gradus cum metu.
"Quare expergefaciam regem Iernes Belgarum?
Non es somnium ejus somno tu ipse,
Filia Inisunæ cuspidatorum-gadiorum."
Violenter experrectus est sonor:
A virgine cecidit (galea) capitis-machina deorsùm ;
Est ejus sonitus super rupe fluentorum.
Semi-aperiens-oculos è somnio noctis
Movit-se Cathmor sub sua ipsius arbore:
Vidit ille virginem, quæ erat blanda,
Super rupe Lubaris clivorum;
Rutilâ stellâ despiciente deorsùm
Inter motum ejus gravium capillorum.
"Quis (venit) est per noctem ad Cathmorem
166
DUAN VII.
TIGHMORA.
An ciar aimsir 'aisling féin?
Bheil fios dhuit air strì nan cruaidh bheum?
C'e thusa, mhic duibhre nan speur?
An seas thu am fianuis an righ
Do chaol-thanas o'n àm o shean?
No'n guth thu o neul nam fras -
Le cunnart Eirinn nan colg sean?"
"Ni 'm fear siubhail duibhre mi féin,
Ni 'n guth mi o neul nan gruaim:
Ach tha m'fhocal le cunnart na h-Eirinn
An cualas duit copan nam fuaim ?
Ni 'n taibhs' e, righ Atha nan sruth,
A thaomas am fuaim air oiche."
“Taomadh an seòd a ghuth féin,
'S fonn clàrsaich do Chathmor am fuaim:
Tha aiteas, mhic duibhre nan speur,
A'losgadh air m'anam gun ghruaim.
So ceòl chinn-fheadhna nan cruaidh bheum
'N àm oiche air aisridh nan sìan,
'Nuair lasas anam nan sonn,
A' chlann an cruadal d'am miann.
Tha sìol meata an còmhnuidh 'nam fiamh
An gleannan nan.osna tlàth,
Far an aom ceò maidne ri sliabh
O ghorm-shiubhal sruthain nam blàr.”
"Ni'm meat' a chinn-uidhe nan sonn,
Na sinns're o'n thuit mi féin:
Bu chomhnuidh dhoibh dùbhra nan tonn
v. 102-129.
167
TEMORA
In fusco tempore sui somnii ipsius?
An est notitia tibi de certatione durarum plagarum?
Quis es tu, fili obscuritatis cœlorum?
An stas tu in conspectu regis
Tenue spectrum ex tempore antiquo ?
Anne vox tu à nube imbrium
Cum periculo Iernes gladiorum priscorum ?" *
"Non sum vir-viatorius obscuritatis ego ipse,
Nec vox ego à nube torvitatum :
At (venit) est meum dictum cum periculo Iernes;
An auditus est a te umbo sonituum?
Non spectrum est ille, rex Athæ fluentorum,
Qui fundit sonitum super noctem."
"Fundat heros suam vocem ipsius,
Est melos citharæ Cathmori sonitus :
Est lætitia, fili obscuritatis cœlorum,
Exardens super meum animum sine tetricitate.
Hicce (est) cantus ducum durarum plagarum
Tempore noctis super semita nimborum,
Quando flammescit animus heroum,
Prolis crudum periculum cui est voluptas.
Est semen meticulosum semper in trepidatione
In valliculâ halituum mollium,
Ubi se-acclinat nebula matutina ad clivum
A cæruleo cursû rivuli viretorum."
"Non meticulosi, o (dux) caput itineris heroum,
Proavi, unde (nata sum) cecidi ego ipse:
Erat habitatio illis obscuritas undarum
* i. e. bellicosæ olim.
168
DUAN VII.
TIGHMORA.
An tìr fhadda sìol colgach nam beum.
Ach ni 'n sòlas do m'anam, tlàth
Fuaim mall a' bhàis o 'n raon.
Thig esan nach géill gu bràth:
Mosgail bard focail is caoin."
Mar charraig is sruthan r'a taobh,
Am fàsach nam faoin bheann
Sheas Cathmor, ceann-feadhna nach maoin,
An deoir-
Mar oiteig air 'anam le bròn
Thàinig guth caoin na h-òigh
A'mosgladh cuimhne talmhuinn nam beann,
A caomh chòmhnuidh aig sruthain nan gleann,
Roimh 'n àm an d'thàinig e gu borb
Gu cobhair Chonmhoir nan colg fiar.
"A nighean coigrich nan lann,"
(Thionndaidh i a ceann o'n t-sonn)
"'S fhadda fo m' shùil an cruaidh
Crann flathal Innis uaine nan tonn.
Tha m'anam, do thubhairt mi fhéin,
An truscan nan sian ciar.
C'ar son a lasadh an dealra so féin,
Gus am pill mi an sìth o 'n t-sliabh ?
'N do ghlas m' aghaidh na d' fhianuis, a làmh-gheal,
'S tu togail do m' eagail an righ?
'S àm cunnairt, ainnir nan trom chiabh,
Am do m'anam, mòr thaïla na strì.
Atas e tomhail mar shruth
v. 130-157.
169
TEMORA.
In terrâ longinquâ seminis (bellicosi) aculeati plaga-
At non est gaudium meo animo benigno
Sonitus tardus mortis à campo.
Venit ille qui non cedit in æternum:
[rum.
Expergeface bardum verbi, quod est blandum."
Instar rupis, et fluento juxta ejus latus,
In desertis declivium montium
Stetit Cathmor, (dux) caput virorum haud molle,
In lacrymis-
Instar auræ super ejus animum cum mœrore
Venit vox blanda virginis
Expergefaciens memoriam terræ montium,
Ejus placidæ habitationis ad fluenta vallium,
Ante tempus quo venit ille strenuè
In auxilium Conmoris mucronum ferorum.
"Filia peregrinorum armorum,
(Avertit illa suum caput ab heroe),
"Est diu sub meo oculo in dura-armatura
Ramus splendidus Inisunæ undarum.
Est meus animus, dixi ego ipse,
In amictu nimbrorum atrorum.*
Quare flammescat coruscamen hoc ipsum,
Donec redeam ego in pace à clivo?
[candida,
An palluit meus vultus in tuo conspectu, o manus
Cum tolleres mihi in metum regem?
Est tempus periculi, virgo gravium capillorum,
Tempus meo animo, magnæ habitationi certationis.
Tumet ille ingens instar fluminis
170
DUAN VII.
TIGHMORA.
A' taomadh air Gaill nan cruaidh bheum.
An taobh carraig chòsach air Lona,
Mu chaochan nan sruthan crom
Glas an ciabh na h-aoise
Tha Claonmhal', righ clàrsaich nam fonn
00
Os a chionn tha crann daraich nam fuaim,
Agus siubhal nan ruadh-bhoc sliom.
Tha forum na strì 'na chluais
'S e 'g aomadh an smaointibh nach tiom:
An sin biodh do thalla, Shùilmalla,
Gus an ìlsich forum nam beum,
Gus am pill mi an lasadh na cruaidhe
O thruscan duibhre na beinn,
O'n cheathach a thrusas o Lona
Mu chòmhnuidh mo rùna féin."
Thuit gath soluis air anam na h-òighe;
Las i suas fa chòir an righ:
Thionndaidh i a h-aghaidh ri Cathmor,
A ciabh bhog anns na h-osna a' strì.
Reubar iollair nan speur ard
O mhòr shruth gaoithe nan gleann,
'Nuair a chi e na ruadh bhuic f'a chòir
Clann eilid nam faoin bheann,
Mu'n tionndaidh Cathmor nan cruaidh bheum
O'n stri mu 'n éirich dàn.
Faiceams thu, ghaisgich nan geur lann,
O thruscan an duibhre dhuibh,
'Nuair thogas ceò mu 'm chòmhnuidh féin,
v. 158-185.
171
TEMORA.
Se-fundens super Gallos durarum plagarum.
In latere rupis cavernosæ super Lonâ,
Prope rivulum aquarum flexuosarum
Canus in capillis senectutis
Est Clonmal, rex citharæ modorum ;
Supra ejus caput est ramus quernus sonituum,
Et iter ruforum capreolum nitentium.
Est fremitus certationis in ejus aure
Se-reclinantis cogitationibus haud mollibus :
In illo (loco) sit tuum domicilium, Sulmala,
Donec subsidat strepitus plagarum,
Donec redeam ego in flammâ duræ-armaturæ
Ab amictu obscuritatis montis,
A nebulâ, quæ se-succingit è Lonâ
Circa habitationem mei desiderii ipsius."
Cecidit radius lucis super animum virginis ;
Arsit illa sursum coram rege:
Vertit illa suum vultum ad Catḥmorem,
Ejus capillo molli in auris certante.
Avelletur aquila cœlorum altorum
A magno torrente ventorum vallium,
Quando videt illa rufos capreolos se coram,
Prolem capreæ desertorum montium,
Priusquam avertatur Cathmor durarum plagarum
A certatione circa quam orietur carmen.
Cernam ego te, bellator acutorum telorum,
Ab amictu obscuritatis atræ,
[ipsius
Quando se-tollit nebula circa meam habitationem
172
DUAN VII.
TIGHMORA.
Air Lòna nan iomadh sruth.
'Nuair is fhada o m' shùil thu, a sheoid,
Buail copan nam fuaim ard;
Pilleadh sòlas do m'anam, 's e 'n ceò,
'S mi ag aomadh air carraig leam féin.
Ach ma thuit thu, mar ri coigrich a ta mi!
Thigeadh do ghuth o neul
Gu òigh innis uaine, 's i fann.
"Og-gheug Lumoin an fheoir,
C' uim a dh'aomadh tu 'n stràchdadh nan sìan?
'S tric a thionndaidh Cathmor o 'n bhlàr
Dubh thaomadh air aghaidh nan sliabh ;
Mar mheallain domh fhéin tha sleagha nan lot
'S iad a' brunadh air còs nan sgiath.
Dh'éiream, mo sholus, o 'n strì,
Mar thein oiche o thaomadh nan nial.
Na pill, a dheò-ghréine, o'n ghleann,
'Nuair a dhlùthaicheas forum nan colg,
Eagal teicheadh do 'n nàmhaid o m' làimh,
Mar a theich iad o shean srath nam Bolg."
Chualas le Sonnmor air Cluanfhear,
A thuit fo Chormac nan geur lann.
Tri lài dhorchaich an righ
Mu 'n fhear a dh'aom an strì nan gleann.
Chunnaic mìn-bhean an sonn an ceò;
Bhrosnuich sud di siubhal
gu
sliabh :
Thog i bogha fo's ìosal
Gu dol mar ri laoch nan sgiath :
v. 186-213.
173
TEMORA.
Super Lonâ multorum fluentorum.
Quando es procul à meo oculo tu, o heros,
Percute umbonem sonituum arduorum;
Redeat solatium meo animo, cum sit in nebulâ,
Cum sim ego reclinata super rupem (sola) mecum ipsâ.
At si cecideris tu, apud peregrinos sum ego!
Veniat tua vox è nube
Ad virginem insulæ viridis, cum erit languida."
"Nove rame Lumonis (gramineæ) graminis,
Quare te-inclines tu in effusione nimborum?
Sæpe reversus est Cathmor à prœlio
Atrè-se fundente super faciem clivorum ;
Instar grandinis mihi ipsi est hasta vulnerum
Illisæ cavis clypeorum.
Surgam, mea lux, à certatione,
Sicut ignis noctis ab effusione nubium.
Ne redi, o tepide radie solis, a valle,
Quando appropinquat fremitus plagarum,
Præ metu ne fugiant hostes à meâ manu,
Ut fugerunt illi à majoribus Belgarum."
Auditum est à Sonmore de Clunare,
Qui cecidit sub Cormaco acutorum telorum.
Tres dies caligavit rex
Circa virum qui se-inclinavit in certatione vallium.
Vidit blanda uxor heroa in nebulâ ;
Commovit illud ei iter ad montem:
Sustulit illa arcum clam
Ad eundum cum bellatore clypeorum:
1
174
DUAN VII.
TIGHMORA.
Do'n ainnir luidh dùbhra air Atha,
'Nuair a shiubh❜ladh an gaisgeach gu gnìomh.
O cheud sruthan aonaich na h-oiche
Thaom slol Alnecma sìos
Chualas sgiath chaismeachd an righ;
Mhosgail an anam' gu strì;
Bha 'n siubhal am forum nan lann
Gu Ullin, talamh nan crann.
Bhuail Sonnmor air uairibh an sgiath,
Ceann-feadhna nam borb thriath.
Nan déigh lean Sùil-àluinn
Air aomadh nam fras;
Bu sholus is' air aonach,
'Nuair thaom iad air gleanntaibh glas;
Tha 'ceuman flathail air lom,
'Nuair thog iad ri aghaidh nan tom:
B' eagal di sealladh an righ
A dh' fhàg i'n Atha nam frìth.
'Nuair dh'éirch forum nam beum
Agus thaom iad sa' chéile sa' chath,
Loisg Sonnmor mar theine nan speur;
Thàinig Sùil-àluinn nam flath,
A folt sgaoilte san osna,
A h-anam ag ospairn m' an righ.
Dh'aom e 'n strì mu rùn nan laoch:
Theich namhaid fo dhùbhra nan speur;
Luidh Cluanfhear gun fhuil,
Gun fhuil air tigh caol gun leus.
v. 214-241.
175
TEMORA.
Nymphæ jacebat obscuritas super Athâ,
Cum iret heros ad rem-gerendam.
A centum rivulis jugi noctis
Effusum est semen Alnecmæ deorsum.
Audiebatur clypeus monitionis regis;
Experrectus est eorum animus ad certationem;
Erat eorum iter in strepitu armorum
Ad Ullinam, terram arborum.
Percutiebat Sonmor aliquando clypeum,
(Dux) caput-cohortium fortium heroum.
Eorum à tergo sequebatur Sulallin
Super inclinatione imbrium;
Erat lux illa super jugo,
Quando effundebantur illi super valles leucophæas;
Sunt ejus passus nobiles super nudâ (planitie),
Quando (ascendebant) se tollebant illi ad faciem tu-
Erat metus illi intuitus regis,
Qui reliquit eam in Athâ saltuum.
Quando ortus est fremitus plagarum,
Et effusi sunt illi inter se in conflictum,
Arsit Sonmor instar ignis cœlorum;
Venit Sulallin (speciosa) splendorum,
Ejus crine sparso in aurâ,
Ejus anima singultiente pro rege.
[mulorum :
Inclinavit ille certationem propter amorem bellatorum;
Evasit hostis sub obscuritate cœlorum;
Jacuit Clunar sine sanguine,
Sine sanguine in domo angustâ sine luce.
176
DUAN VII.
TIGHMORA.
1
Ni 'n d'éirich fearg Shonnmhoir nan lann;
Bha là gu dorcha 's gu mall.
Ghluais Sùil-àluinn mu 'gorm shruth féin,
A sùil an rachdaibh nan deur:
Bu lìonmhor a sealladh gu caoin
Air gaisgeach sàmhach nach faoin :
Ach thionndaidh i a sùilean tlàth
O shealladh an laoich thuathail.
Mhosgail blair mar fhorum nan nial;
Ghluais dorran o 'anam mòr;
Chunnas a ceuma le aiteas
'S a làmh gheal air clàrsaich nam fonn.
'Na chruaidh a ghluais an righ gun dàil;
Bhuail e 'n sgiath chòsach ard,
Gu h-ard air darach nan sìan,
Aig Lubar nan iomadh sruth.
Seachd copana bh' air an sgéith,
Seachd focail an righ d'a shluagh,
A thaomadh air osnaibh nan speur,
Air fineachaibh mòr nam Bolg.
Air gach copan tha reul de 'n oiche,
Ceann-mathann nan ros gun scleò,
Caol-dearrsa o neul ag éirigh,
Juil-oiche an truscan de cheò.
Tha Caoin-chathlinn air carraig a' dealradh,
Reul-dùbhra air gorm-thonn o'n iar
Leth cheileadh a sholus an uisge.
Tha Beur-theine, las-shuil nan sliabh
v. 242-269.
177
TEMORA.
Nec surrexit ira Sonmoris telorum;
Erat ejus dies tenebrosus et tardus.
[ipsius,
Movebat-se Sulallin circa suum cæruleum fluentum
Ejus oculo in eruptione lacrymarum:
Erat frequens ejus intuitus blandè
In bellatorem taciturnum haud vanum:
At vertit illa suos oculos molles
E conspectu herois fortis.
Experrecta sunt prælio instar fremitûs nubium
Abiit ira ab ejus animo magno;
Visi sunt ejus gradus cum lætitiâ
Et ejus manus candida super citharâ chordarum.
In durâ-armaturâ ivit rex sine morâ ;
Percussit ille clypeum multicavum arduum,
Arduè super quercu nimborum
Ad Lubarem multorum rivulorum.
Septem umbones erant super clypeo,
Septem dicta regis ad suum populum,
Quæ fundebantur super flaminibus cœlorum,
Super nationes magnas Belgarum.
Super singulo umbone est stella noctis,
Canmathan acuminum sine hebetudine,
Colderna è nube oriens,
Uloiche in amictu nebulæ.
Est Concathlin super rupe coruscans,
Reldura super cæruleo fluctu ab occidente
Semi-celans suam lucem in undâ.
Est Bertena, flammeus oculus clivorum
TOM. III.
N
178
TIGHMORA.
DUAN VII.
Sealladh sìos o choille san aonach
Air mall shiubhal sealgair's e triall
Ro' ghleannan an dùbhra braonach
Le faoibh ruadh-bhuic nan leum ard.
Tomhail am meadhon na sgéithe
Tha lasadh Tuinn-theine gun neul,
An rionnag, a sheall ro' 'n oiche
Air Lear-thonn a' chuain mhòir;
Lear-thonn, ceann-feadhna nam Bolg,
An ceud fhear a shiubhail air gaoith.
Leathan sgaoil siuil bhàn an righ
Gu Innis-fail nan iomadh sruth.
Thaom oiche air aghaidh a' chuain,
Agus ceathach nan truscan dubh,
Bha gaoth a' caochladh dlùth san speur;
Leum luingeas o thonn gu tonn;
'Nuair dh'éirich Tonn-theine nan stuadh,
Caoin shealladh o bhriseadh nan nial.
B'aiteas do Lear-thonn tein iuil nam buadh,
A' dealradh air domhan nan sìan.
Fo shleagh Chathmoir nan colg sean,
Dhùisg an guth a dhùisgeadh baird:
Thaom iad dubh o thaobh nan sliabh
Le clàrsaich ghrinn's gach làimh.
Le aiteas mòr sheas romp' an righ,
Mar fhear siubhail ri teas lâ 'n gleann,
'Nuair chluinneas e fada san réidh
Caoin thorman sruthain nam beann,
v. 270-297.
179
TEMORA.
Despiciens deorsum ex sylva in jugo
Super tardum cursum venatoris euntis
Per valliculam in obscuritate imbrifera
Cum exuviis ruforum capreolorum saltuum arduórum.
Ingens in medio clypei
Est flamma Tonthenæ sine nube,
Stellæ, quæ prospexit per noctem
In Lerthonem oceani magni;
Lerthonem, caput-cohortium Belgarum,
Primum virum, qui fecit-iter super vento.
Lata sparsa sunt vela alba regis
Ad Inisfalam multorum fluentorum.
Fudit-se nox super faciem oceani,
Et nebula amictuum atrorum ;
Erat ventus varians frequenter in cœlo;
Saliebat classis ab unda ad undam;
Quando surrexit Tonthena fluctuum,
Blandè prospiciens à diruptione nubium.
Erat gaudium Lerthoni ignis index victoriarum.
Coruscans super profundo nimborum.
Sub hasta Cathmoris mucronum priscorum
Experrecta est vox quæ expergefaceret bardos:
Effusi sunt illi atri à latere clivorum
Cum citharâ eleganti in singulâ manu.
Cum lætitiâ stetit ante eos rex
Instar viatoris per æstum diei in valle,
Quando audit ille procul in apertâ-planitie
Blandum murmur rivuli montium,
180
DUAN VII.
TIGHMORA.
Sruthain a bhriseas san fhàsach
O charraig thaoibh-ghlais nan ruadh-bhoc.
"C'ar son a chluinneam guth ard an righ
'N àm codail an oiche nam fras?
Am facas tanas nach bed
Measg d' aisling ag aomadh glas?
Air neul am bheil an àiteach fuar
A'feitheamh fonn Fhonnair nam fleagh?
Is lìonmhor an siubhal air réidh,
Far an tog an sìol an t-sleagh?
No 'n éirich ar crònan air thus
Mu 'n fhear nach tog an t-sleagh gu brath,
Fear chosgairt air gleann nan slòigh
O Mhòma nan iomadh bad?
Ni 'n dì-chuimhn dhomh dorchadh nam blàr,
Chinn-fheadhna nam bard o thùs,
Togar cloch dha aig Lubar nan carn,
Aite-còmhnuidh do Fholdath's d'a chliu :
Ach taom m'anam air àm nan laoch,
Air na bliadhnaibh san d'éirich iad suas
Air tonn Innis-uaine nan colg.
Ni 'n aiteas do Chathmor a mhàin
Cuimhne Lumoin, innis uaine na slòigh;
Lumon, talamh nan sruth,
Caoin chòmhnuidh nam bàn-bhroilleach digh,
Lumon nan sruth,
Tha thu dealradh air m'anam féin;
Tha do ghrian air do thaobh
v. 298-325.
181
TEMORA.
Rivuli, qui erumpit in desertis
[rum.
E rupe (уλαʊxоπλɛυр) latere glauco ruforum capreolo-
"Quare audio vocem arduam regis
In tempore somni in nocte imbrium?
An visum est spectrum haud vivum
Inter tuum somnium se-inclinans glaucum?
Super nube an est eorum habitatio frigida
Expectantium melos Fonaris conviviorum?
Est frequens eorum iter super plano,
Ubi tollit eorum semen hastam ?
Anne surget noster cantus primò
Circa virum qui non tollet hastam in æternum,
Virum qui consumpsit in valle populos
A Momâ multarum sylvularum?
Non oblivioni est mihi obscuratio prœliorum,
O dux-cohortium bardorum ab initio,
Erigatur saxum ei ad Lubarem saxetorum,
Locus-habitationis Foldatho et ejus famæ:
At funde meum animum super tempus bellatorum,
Super annos, in quibus surrexerunt illi sursum
In undis Inisunæ (bellicosa) aculeorum.
Non est gaudium Cathmori solùm
[rum ;
Memoria Lumonis, insulæ viridis (populosa) populo-
Lumonis, terræ fluentorum,
[virginum.
Blandæ habitationis (Euxoxoλ) candidis pectoribus
Lumon fluentorum,
Es tu coruscans super meum animum ipsius;
Est tuus sol ad tuum latus
182
DUAN VII.
TIGHMORA,
Air carraig nan crann bu trom.
Tha d'eilid chiar,
Do dhearg bàr mhòr am measg nam bad
A' faicinn air sliabh
An colg-chu a' siubhal grad.
Mall air an réidh
Tha ceumna nan digh,
Oigh làmh-gheal nan teud
'S nam bogha crom sa' mhagh,
Togail an gorm shùl tlàth
O'n leadan barr-bhuidh air sliabh nam flath.
Ni bheil ceumna Lear-thonn sa' bheinn,
Cean Innis nan geug uaine.
Tha e togail dubh dharach air tonn
An camas Chluba nan iomadh stuadh,
'N dubh-dharach a bhuain e o Lumon
Gu siubhal air aghaidh a' chuain.
Thionndaidh dighe 'n sùilean tlàth
O'n righ ma'n tuiteadh e sìos :
Ni'm facas leo riamh an long
Ciar mharcach a' chuain mhòir.
Ghlaodh a nis an righ a' ghaoth
Measg ceò na mara glais.
Dh'éirich Innis-fàil gu gorm.
Thuit gu dian oiche nam fras.
Bhuail eagal clann Bholga gu luath
Ghlan neoil o Thonn-theine nan stuadh.
An camas Chùlbeinn' dh'àitich an long,
:
v. 326-353.
183
TEMORA.
Super rupe arborum, quæ (sunt) erant graves.
Est tua caprea fusca,
Tuus ruber-(cervus) ramosus in medio sylvularum
Adspicientes super clivo
Venaticum-canem euntem velociter.
Tardi super aperta-planitie
Sunt passus virginum,
Virginum (AEUXOXEIgw) manibus-candidis chordarum
Et arcuum curvorum in agro,
Tollentium suos cærulos oculos blandos
A suis capillis flavacuminatis super clivo principum.
Non sunt passus Lerthonis in monte,
Caput insulæ ramorum viridium.
Est ille erigens atram quercum super undam
In portu Clubæ multorum fluctuum,
Atram quercum quam ceciderat ille è Lumone
Ad proficiscendum super faciem oceani.
Averterunt virgines suos oculos blandos
A rege ne caderet ille deorsum:
Non visa est ab illis unquam navis
Fuscè equitans in oceano magno.
Invocavit nunc rex ventum
Inter nebulam maris cani.
Orta est Inisfala viridans.
Cecidit (propere) violenter nox imbrium.
Percussit metus prolem Bolga (subito) velociter
Purgârunt-se nubes à Tonthenâ fluctuum.
In (portu) sinu Culbenæ locum-cepit navis,
184
DUAN VII.
TIGHMORA.
Far am freagradh a choille do thonn:
Bu chopach an sin an sruth,
O charraig Dubh-umha nan còs,
San dealra tanais nach bed
Le 'n cruthaibh caochlach féin.
Thàinig aisling gu Lear-thonn nan long,
Seachd sàmhla de na linne nach beò;
Chualas an guth briste trom.
Chunnas an sìol an ceò,
Chunnas sìol Atha nan colg,
'S an clann, cinn-uidhe nam Bolg:
Thaom iad am feachda féin,
Mar cheathach a' tearnadh o 'n bheinn,
'Nuair a shiùbhlas e glas fo 'n osna
Air Atha nan iomadh dos.
Thog Lear-thonn talla Shàmhla
Ri caoin fhonn clàrsaich nan teud.
Dh'aom eilid Eirinn o 'cheumnaibh
Aig aisridh ghlas nan sruth.
Ni 'n dì-chuimhn da Lumon uaine,
No Flathal gheal-làmhach nam buadh
'S i coimhead air marcach nan tonn
O thulaich nan eilid ruadh.
Lumon nan sruth;
Tha thu dealradh air m' anam féin.'
Mhosgail gath soluis o'n ear;
">
Dh'éirich ard chinn cheathach nam beanan;
Chunnas air cladach nan gleannan
v. 354-381.
185
TEMORA.
Ubi respondebat sylva undæ :
Erat spumosum ibi flumen
rupe
E Duthamæ (cavernosa) cavernarum,
In quibus coruscabant larvæ haud vivæ
Cum suis formis mutabilibus ipsarum.
Venit somnium ad Lerthonem navium,
Septem simulacra ex lineis haud vivis ;
Audiebatur eorum vox rupta (mosta) gravis.
Cernebatur eorum semen in nebulâ,
Cernebatur semen Athæ (bellicosæ) aculeorum,
Et eorum proles, (duces) capita-itineris Belgarum :
Effuderunt illi suas copias ipsorum,
Ut nebulam descendentem è monte,
Quando it illa cana sub flamine
Super Atham multarum sylvularum.
Erexit Lerthon domicilium Samlæ
Ad blandum modulamen citharæ chordarum.
Declinavit-se caprea Iernes ab ejus passibus
Ad colles glaucos fluentorum.
Nec est oblivio illi Lumon viridis,
Nec Flathal (λEUXOXEP) candidis-manibus victoriarum
Intuens equitationem fluctuum
A tumulo caprearum rufarum.
Lumon fluentorum ;
Es tu coruscans super meum animum ipsius."
Experrectus est radius lucis ab oriente;
Surrexerunt ardua capita-nebulosa montium;
Cernebantur in arenoso-littore vallicularum
186
DUAN VII.
TIGHMORA.
An crom chaochain ghlas-shruthach féin.
Chualas sgiath Chathmhoir nan colg;
Mhosgail sìol Eirinn nam Bolg
Mar mhuir dhomhail 'nuair ghluaiseas gu geur
Fuaim eiti air aghaidh nan speur
Taomadh tuinn o thaobh gu taobh
Ag aomadh an glas cheanna baoth
Gun eòlas air siubhal a' chuain.
Trom is mall gu Lòn nan sruth
Ghluais Suil-malla nan rosg tlàth:
Ghluais is thionndaidh 'n òigh le bròn
A gorm shùil fo shileadh blàth.
'Nuair thàinig i gu carraig chruaidh
Dubh chromadh air gleannan a Loin,
Sheall i o bhriseadh a céille
Air righ Atha-dh'aom i sìos.
Buail teud, a mhic Alpain nam fonn.
Bheil sòlas an clàrsaich an neoil?
Taom air Oisean, a 's osan gu trom,
Tha 'anam a'snàmh an ceò.
Chualas thu, bhaird, a' m' oiche:
Ach siùbhladh fonn eutrom uam féin.
'S aiteas caoin thuradh do Oisean
Am bliadhnaibh chiar na h-aoise.
A dhroighionn uaine thulaich nan taibhs,
A thaomas do cheann air gaoith oidhche,
Ni bheil d' fhorum na mo chluais féin,
No faiteal tanais na d' ghéig ghlais.
v. 382-409.
187
TEMORA.
Sui flexuosi rivuli (yλauxoppoos) cum glaucis fluminibus
Auditus est clypeus Cathmoris mucronum; [ipsorum.
Experrectum est semen Iernes Belgarum
Sicut mare vastum, cum movet-se acriter
Sonitus asper super faciem cœlorum
Fundentium undas à latere ad latus
Inclinantes cana capita insana
Sine notitiâ de cursu oceani.
(Mosta) gravis et tarda ad Lonam fluentorum
Processit Sulmala oculorum blandorum :
Processit et vertit virgo cum dolore.
Suum cæruleum oculum sub distillatione tepidâ.
Quando venit illa ad rupem duram
Atre-se curvantem super valliculam Lonæ,
Adspexit illa è fracturâ mentis †
Ad regem Atha-inclinavit-se illa deorsum.
Pelle chordam, nate Alpino cantuum.
An est gaudium in citharâ nubium?
Funde super Ossianum id, ejus suspirio gravi.
Est ejus animus natans in nebulâ.
Auditus es tu, barde, in meâ nocte:
At abeat melos leve à me ipso.
Est gaudium blanda threnodia Ossiano
In annis fuscis senectutis.
O sentis viridis tumuli lemurum,
Qui fundis tuum caput super ventum noctis,
Non est tuus strepitus in meâ aure ipsius,
Nec aura spectri in tuo ramo glauco.
* i. e. lacrymis tepidis.
† i. e. demens.
"
188
TIGHMORA.
DUAN VII.
Ach's lìonmhor ceum nam marbh bu treun,
Air osna dubh-aisridh na beinn',
'Nuair ghluaiseas a' ghealach on ear,
Mar ghlas-sgéith dubh shiubhal nan speur.
Ullin, a Charuill, a Raoinne,
Guthan aimsir a dh'aom o shean,
Cluinneam sibh an dorchadas Shelma,
Agus mosglaibhse anam nan dàn.
Ni'n cluinneam sibh shìl nam fonn :
Cia an talla de neoil bheil ur suain?
Na thribhuail sibh clàrsach nach trom
An truscan ceò maidne is gruaim,
Far an éirich gu fuaimear a' ghrian
O stuaidh nan ceann glas.
v. 410-423.
189
TEMORA.
At frequens est passus mortuorum, qui fuerunt strenui,
Super flamine atræ semitæ montis,
Cum movet-se luna ab oriente
Sicut canus clypeus atrè-peragrans cœlos.
Ullin, Carrul, Rono,
Voces temporis quod (præteriit) se-inclinavit olim,
Audiam vos in caligine Selmæ,
Et expergefacite animum carminum.
Non audio vos, o Semen cantuum :
Ubi in habitatione nubium est vester sopor?
An pulsatis vos citharam haud gravem
In amictu nebulæ matutinæ et torvitate,
Ubi oritur sonorè sol
A fluctibus capitum glaucorum?
TEMOR A.
CARMEN OCTAVU M.
•
Carminis VIII. Argumentum.
Quarta a poematis initio incipit dies. Fingal eodem adhuc in loco com-
morans, quem priore nocte occupaverat, per nebulam quæ Cormulem
rupem insidebat subinde cernitur. Descensus illinc regis describitur;
qui Gallum, Dermidem, Bardumque Carrilem, ad vallem Clunam
demittit, Ferad-arthonem Cairbaris filium, unum adhuc ex stirpe
Conaris primi Hiberniæ regis, superstitem, ad Caledoniorum exerci-
tum inde deducturos. Copiis suis præest rex, et ad prælium instruit.
Deinde adversus hostes proficiscens, ad specum Lubarensem devenit,
sub qua Folani jacebat cadaver. Conspecto Brano cane, qui ad antri
ostium recumbebat, renovatur luctus. Aciem ordinat Cathmor. Heros
ipse, pugna, Fingalis et Cathmor acta, tempestas, et Belgarum fuga
describitur. Ad Lubaris fluvii ripam reges sub nube congrediuntur;
finitâque pugua, aspectus eorum et ora, colloquiumque et Cathmoris
mors enarrantur. Trenmoris hastam Ossiano more vetusto tradit
Fingal; quæ dum peraguntur, Cathmoris umbra in Lonensi valle
Sulmalla lugenti obvertitur. Adveniente deinde vespere, instruuntur
epulæ, adventusque Ferad-arthonis centum bardorum carminibus nun-
ciatur. Orationem habet Fingal; quâ finitâ, explicit poema.
TOM. III.
[ 194 ]
TIGHMORA.
DUAN VIII.
v. 1 17.
MAR ghlacas gaoth gharbh reoidh fo ghruaim
Ciar lochan càthair nan ruadh bheann;
Mar ghlacas's an oiche na fuaim,
Caol ruinne na fuar thonna thall
Sgaoileadh truscan de eith m' an cuairt,
Geal fo shùil maidne an t-sealgair
Tha uisge nan garbh charn a' gluasad,
Réir barail na tonna a' falbhan.
Faoin fhorum tha marbh m'a chluasaibh,
Gach tonn dhiubh a' dealradh an sàmhchair
Fo gheugaibh is bhàrr ruadh an fheoir,
Tha critheadh 's a feadadh fo ghaoith
Air an àiteachaibh baoth fo reòdh:
Cho sàmhach's cho glas a bha'n sluagh
Ri madainn dol suas o ear,
Gach gaisgeach o 'cheann-bheart de chruaidh
A'sealltuinn air cruaich an righ,
[ 195 ]
TEMORA.
CARMEN VIII.
v. 1–17.
Ur corripit ventus asper gelu sub torvitate
Fuscum lacusculum muscosum ruforum montium,
Ut corripit in nocte fremens,
Tenuia fastigia frigidarum undarum ex adverso
Expandens amictum glaciei in circuitum,
Candida sub oculo matutino venatoris
Est aqua asperorum saxetorum se-movens,
Secundùm ejus sententiam undis vacillantibus.
Vanus strepitus est mortuus circa ejus aures,
Singulâ undâ earum coruscante in tranquillitate
Sub ramis et apice rubro graminis,
Quæ sunt trementia et fistulantia sub vento
In eorum locis tristibus sub gelu:
Æquè tranquillus et pallidus erat populus
In matutino (tempore) iens sursum ab oriente,
Singulo bellatore è galeâ duræ-(chalybis)
Aspiciente collem regis,
196
DUAN VIII.
TIGHMORA.
Cruaich Fhionnghail thall fo nial,
A gharbh cheum a' dol sìos an ceò.
Air àm a chìte an t-ard threun
Leth fhaicte an leus a mhòir airm;
O smuainte gu smuainte ghluais còmhrag
Ag iadhadh gu domhail m'a chliabh.
Mar so a ghluais a mach an triath;
Lann Luinne nam beum a' soillseadh ;
Sleagh fhada a' druideadh o nial,
Leth fhaicte a sgiath's i boillsgeadh.
'Nuair a thàinig e uile fo cheum
Le 'liath chiabh ag éirigh ri gaoith
Fo dhealt a' taomadh m'an cuairt,
Ghluais a suas garbh fhuaim nan sluagh
Thar an cinneachaibh buaireadh gu strì,
Iad a' sgaoileadh an dealra m'an cuairt
Le 'n uile sgiath' fuaimear m'an righ.
Mar so tha gluasad glas a' chuain
M'an cuairt do fhuath o chruach nam beann,
'Nuair a thearnas e 'n gaoith air na stuaidh,
Fear astair fo ghruaim fada thall
A' togail a chinn thar a' bhruaich
'S e coimhead air bruailleinn a' chaoil,
E saoilsinn gu'm faicear an cruth
'Leth dhubh am measg comhstri nam beuc,
Garbh thonna fo àilghios m'an cuairt,
Gach baoth dhruim a' buaireadh fo chop.
Fada thall mac Mhorni nam beum,
v. 18-45.
197
TEMORA.
Collem Fingalis ex adverso sub nube,
Et ejus ingentem passum euntem deorsum in nebula.
Interdum cernebatur arduus strenuus (vir)
Semivisus in flammâ magnorum armorum ;
A cogitatione ad cogitationem se-movit certamen
Se-flectans vastè circa ejus pectus.
Hoc modo (exiit) se-movit extrà princeps;
Gladio Lunonis plagarum fulgente;
Hastâ longa se-protrudente è nube,
Semiviso ejus clypeo et coruscante.
Quando venit ille totus (gradiens) sub passibus
Cum ejus cano capillo surgente ad ventum
Sub rore se-fundente in circuitum,
Processit sursum ingens fremitus populorum
Per eorum gentes tumultuantes ad certationem,
Illis spargentibus suam coruscationem circumcirca
Cum suis omnibus clypeis sonoris circa regem.
Hoc modo est motus canus oceani
In circuitum larvæ è præcipitio montium,
Cum descendit illa in vento super fluctus,
Viatore sub tetricitate procul ex adverso
Tollente suum caput suprâ præcipitium
Et intuente tumultum freti,
Et credente quod cernitur forma
Semi-nigra inter concertationem mugituum,
Ingentibus undis sub ejus arbitrio in circuitum,
Et singulo insano dorso tumultuante sub spumâ.
Sunt longè ex adverso filius Mornæ plagarum,
1
!
198
DUAN VIII.
TIGHMORA.
Mac Dhuthno thréin is bard caoin Chòna.
Sheas iadsa, gach fear dhiubh gun fheum
Fo gharbh-chrann fhéin gun chuimhn air còmhrag.
Chum sinne o shùilibh an righ;
Cha do bhuadhaich linn strì nan raon.
Bha sruthan beag a' taomadh sìos,
Mi 'ga bhualadh gu thrian le sleagh,
Gun m'anam ag iadhadh r'a thaobh,
Ag éirigh baoth o smaoin gu smaoin
Mall osna o urlar mo chléibhe.
"Shil Mhorni," thuirt righ nan sluagh;
"A Dhearmuid, shealgair nan ruadh ciar,
C'uim a tha sibh cho dorcha san uair
Mar charraige air chruachaibh nan sliabh
Sileadh dubh uisge air an taobh?
Cha 'n 'eil fearg air m'anam gun fheum
Ri gaisgeachaibh treun nan sluagh,
Mo neart ann an còmhrag nam beum,
Mo shòlas an sìth an déigh buaidh.
Mo ghuth mar aiteal a' dol suas
Air madainn 's na ruaidh fo shéilg,
Og Fhillean cur a bhogh' air sheoil.
Cha'n 'eil an sealgair sin sa bheinn,
'S e druideadh air leum nan ruadh.
C'uim tha sìol bhrisidh nan sgiath
Cho fada so shìos fo dhùbhra?”
Nuair dhirich ar ceum gus an triath,
A shùilean a' tionndadh ri sliabh Mhòra,
v. 46-73.
199
TEMORA.
Filius Duthnonis strenui et bardus blandus Conæ.
Steterunt illi, singulus vir eorum sine vi
Sub ingenti arbore ipsius sine memoria certaminis.
Nos-tenuimus nos ab oculis regis;
Haud parta est à nobis certatio camporum.
Erat rivulus parvus se-fundens deorsum, [cum hasta,
Me eum percutiente (leviter) usque ad tertiam partem
Sine meo animo se-flectente ad ejus latus,
Surgente surdè à cogitatione ad cogitationem
Tardo suspirio ab imo mei pectoris.
"O semen Mornæ," dixit rex populorum;
"Dermid, venator rufarum-(caprearum) fuscarum,
Quare estis adeo (tetrici) tenebrosi hâc horâ
Ut rupes super præcipitiis clivorum
Stillantes atram aquam in suo latere?
Non est ira in meo animo sine necessitate
Adversùs bellatores strenuos exercituum,
Meas vires in certamine plagarum,
Meum solatium in pace post victoriam.
Est mea vox sicut aura iens sursùm
In matutino-(tempore) rufis capreis sub venatione,
Juvene Folane ponente arcum in rectum-statum.
Non est venator ille in monte.
Et ipse cursu-premens saltus rufarum-(caprearum)
Quare est semen (quod frangit hastas) frangendi has-
Tam longè hic infrà sub obscuritate ?"
Cum ascenderunt nostri passus ad principem,
Ejus oculis conversis ad clivum Moræ,
* Cum meus animus non se-flecteret.
[tarum
200
DUAN VIII.
TIGHMORA.
Bha 'dheoir gu dlù a' dol sìos
Mu ghorm-shùileach òg na fiall chòmhradh.
Ghlan dealradh a mhùig-se gu trian
Am fianuis sgiathan leathan a' chòmhraig.
"Feuch Cromall nan carraige fo chrann
Cathair na gaoithe, 's an ceann fo cheò;
Air an cùlaobh 'g iadhadh sa' ghleann
Tha Labha nan glan shruth's nam fiadh.
Tha còs an eudan dhonn na carraige,
Air an aird sgiath iolaire treun.
Tha dorch roimhe sgaoileadh nan darag,
Tha fuaim ri gaoith Chlunai sa' bheinn
An sin tha òg nan ciabh donn,
Mac Chairbre nan rosg gorm,
Ard righ nan sgiath leathan's nan sonn
O Ullinn nan ruadh 's nam mòr thìr.
Tha 'chluas ri guth Chondain tha liath;
Ag aomadh sìos an solus tha fann;
Tha 'chluas ris; tha nàimhde an triath
'N Tighmòra nam fuaim nach gann.
Thig esa mach o àm gu àm
An cearb nan ceòtha gus na ruaidh.
'Nuair a sheallas a' ghrian air a' ghleann,
Cha'n fhaicear e thall air a' chruaich
Aig carraig no ri fuaim nan sruth,
E'ga cheileadh o Bholga nan triath,
Tha còmhnuidh an ceud thall' a shinns're:
Innis da gu 'n togas an t-sleagh,
v. 74-101.
201
TEMORA.
Erant ejus lacrymæ frequenter euntes deorsùm
Propter(xvavoμμatov) ceruleis oculis juvenem liberalium ser.
Detersit coruscatio nebulam ejus mediocriter [monum.
In conspectu clypeorum latorum certaminis.
"Ecce Cromal rupium sub arbore,
Sedes venti, et earum capite sub nebulâ ;
Ad earum tergum se-obliquans in valle
Est Lava purorum rivorum et cervorum.
Est caverna in facie subfuscâ rupis,
Super cacumine ala aquilæ strenuæ.
Est caliginosa ante eam expansio quercuum,
Quæ sunt sonantes ad ventum Clunæ in monte:
Illic est juvenis capillorum subfuscorum,
Filius Carbaris oculorum cæruleorum,
Arduus rex clypeorum latorum et heroum
Ab Ullina rufarum et magnarum regionum. [canus;
Est ejus auris (attenta) ad vocem Condanis, qui est
Se-reclinantis deorsum in luce languidâ ;
Est ejus auris ad eum; sunt hostes principis
In Temora sonituum haud parcorum.
Venit ille foràs de tempore in tempus
In limbo nebularum ad rufas-capreas.
Quando despicit sol in vallem,
Non cernitur ille ex adverso super præcipitio
Ad rupem nec ad sonitum rivorum,
Se-celans à Bolga heroum,
Qui habitant in primo domicilio ejus majorum:
Narra illi quod tollitur hasta,
202
DUAN VIII.
TIGHMORA.
Is h-eagamh gu 'n leagh a nàimhde.'
""
"Shil Mhorni, tog-sa suas an sgiath,
A Dhearmuid tog ciar shleagh Thighmòra;
Biodh do ghuth sa, a Charuill, tha liath,
Le 'n gnìomhaibh gu sìol nam mòr thriath;
Thoir a rìs e gu taobh Mhoiléna,
Raon ciar nam beum 's nan thaibhs;
An so buaileamsa còmhrag leam féin,
An gleann cumhann nan ceud garbh ghnìomh.
M'an teiring sìos an oiche dhonn,
Thig-sa gu lom Dhun-mòra.
Coimhid o chiarad nan tom,
O na cheo is e trom is domhail
Mu Léna nam mòr shruthan mall;
Ma chithear mo bhrataiche caola
Air Lubar nan glas lubadh caoin,
Cha do ghéill an comhstri nan laoch
An raon deiridh a' bhaoith chòmhraig.”
Mar sin a chualas focuil an triaith:
Cha do fhreagair o 'n triall na treuna
Iad a' sìneadh an ceuma balbh
A' sealltuinn's a' falbh, o'n gruaidh
Air sluaigh, is gruaim, is fuaim na h-Eirinn,
Iad a' dorchadh air astar nan sliabh.
Cha do thréig iad an righ roimh riamh
Ann am meadhon nan sgiatha stoirmeal.
An déigh nan triath le chlàrsaich mall
Ghluais Carull fo cheann a bha liath;
v. 102-129.
203
TEMORA.
Et fortasse quod liquescent ejus hostes."
"Semen Mornæ, tolle tu sursùm clypeum,
Dermid, tolle fuscam hastam Temoræ ;
Sit tua vox, Carrul, qui es canus,
e;
Cum eorum factis ad semen magnorum principum ;
Adduc rursus eum ad latus Molenæ,
Planitiem fuscam plagarum et fuscorum lemurum;
In hoc (loco) (inibo) percutiam ego certamen mecum
In valle angustâ centum ingentium facinorum. [ipso*
Antequam descenderet deorsum nox subfusca,
Veni tu ad apertam-partem Dunmoræ.
Despice de obscuritate collium,
Ab nebulâ, quæ est gravis et vasta
Circa Lenam magnorum rivorum tardorum;
Si cernantur mea vexilla tenuia
Super Lubare glaucorum flexuum blandorum,
Haud cessi in concertatione bellatorum,
In acie postremâ insani certaminis.
Sic auditum est dictum principis:
Haud responderunt ab eorum itinere strenui
Tendentes passus taciti
Et spectantes inter abeundum, è suis genis
Super agmina, et torvitatem, et fremitum Iernes,
Et caligantes in itinere clivorum.
Haud reliquerunt illi regem antea unquam
In medio clypeorum procellosorum.
Pone principes cum citharâ tardus
Processit Carrul sub capite quod erat canum;
* i. e. solus.
204
DUAN VIII.
TIGHMORA.
Chunnaic e bàs sluaigh anns a' ghleann,
'S bu bhrònach is fann am fonn,
Mar aiteal caoin gaoith bha 'm fuaim,
Ma seach thig fo ghruaim air Légo
Mu lochan nan cuilc a tha ruadh,
'Nuair a thearnas air gruaidh sealgair
Caoin chadal air còineach nan còs.
“C'uim a tha aomadh a' bhaird o Chona,
Thuirt am mòr righ, "thar sruthan dìomhair?
An àm so do bhròn is do dhòghruinn,
Athair Oscair, nach còmhnuidh an sìothaimh ?
Biodh cuimhne air gaisgich an sith,
'Nuair nach cluinnear air strì na gruaim
Mu sgéith bhallaich an cruadal nam blàr.
Aoms' an sin am bròn thar sruth,
Air am buaileadh gaoth fhuar nan cruach;
Biodh san àm sin d'anam fo dhubh
Mu na gorm-shuilich sìnnte an uaigh.
Tha Eirinn ag iadhadh a' chòmhraig
Gu leathan, gu mòr, gu dorcha.
Tog, Oisein, do sgiathsa air chòmhla ;
Tha mi m' aonar sa' chomhstri, a thréin."
Mar thig guth fuasach o ghaoith
Air long an caol-ghlas Innis uaine
'G a bualadh ro' 'n doimhne tha faoin,
Ciar mharcach nam baoth thonna mòra;
Mar sin chuir guth uaibhreach an righ
Mòr Oisian gu strì nan sleagh.
v. 130-157.
205
TEMORA
:
Videbat ille mortem populi in valle,
Et erat lugubrè et languidum melos,
Instar auræ blandæ venti erat sonus,
Quæ alternè venit sub tetricitate super Legam
Circa lacusculum arundinum, quæ sunt rufæ,
Quando descendit super genam venatoris
Blandus somnus super musco cavernarum.
"Quare est inclinatio bardi de Cona,”
Dixit magnus rex, "6
super rivulum secretum?
An tempus hocce luctui et angori,
Pater Oscaris, qui non habitabat in tranquillitate?
Sit recordatio bellatorum in pace,
Quando nihil audietur de certatione (torvâ) torvitatis
Circa clypeum umbonigerum in crudo-periculo prælio-
Inclina-te tunc in luctu super rivum,
[rum.
In quem (illiditur) ferit ventus frigidus præcipitiorum ;
Sit in tempore illo tuus animus sub nigrore
Propter иvavoμμares extensos in sepulchro.
Est Ierne se-obliquans ad certamen
Latè, vastè, tenebrosè.
Tolle, Ossiane, tuum clypeum in occursum ;
Sum ego solus in concertatione, strenue."
Ut venit vox tremenda venti
Super navem in freto glauco Inisunæ
Eam percutiens per profundum, quod est inane,
Fuscè equitantem in insanis fluctibus magnis;
Modo illo misit vox imperiosa regis
Magnum Ossianum ad certationem clypeorum.
206
DUAN VIII.
TIGHMORA.
Thog e suas a' chruaidh an soillse,
An cearb dhubh gun bhoillsge a' chòmhraig,
Mar eudan re' leathan gun tuar,
An iomall chiar nam fuar nial,
Seal m' an éirich an stoirm air chuan.
Ard-fhuaimneach o chòinich Mhòra,
Thaom gu domhail còmhrag sgiathach.
Treun Fhionnghal a' gluasad a' mhòir shluaigh,
Righ Mhòirbheinn nan scorr-shrutha ciara.
Sgiath iolair a' sgaoileadh san ard,
A liath-fhalt a' taomadh m' a ghuaile,
Gharbh cheuma mar thorrunn nan carn.
'S tric a sheas e, 's a shealladh m' an cuairt,
Teine losgadh o bhuaireadh nan arm.
Bu choslach e ri carraig chruaidh,
Fo liath eith am bruachaibh nan àld,
A' choille fo ghaoith, is i fuaim;
Srutha dealradh m'a gruaidh 's m'a ceann,
Sgaoileadh ard an cobhar air osaig.
A nise bhuail e còs craig Lubair,
Is Fillean air chùlaobh an suain.
Bha Bran 'na shìneadh air a sgéith,
Ite fir còrr a' strì sa' ghaoith:
Glan o fhraoch chìte thall
Ceann cruaidh sleagh fhada an laoich.
Thog an dòghruinn do anam an triath,
Mar dhubh ghaoith tha fiaradh air loch.
Thionndaidh e 'cheuma air an t-sliabh,
V. 158-185.
20.7
TEMORA.
Levavit ille sursum duram-armaturam in lucem
In limbo atro sine splendore certaminis,
Instar faciei lunæ latæ sine colore
In extremitate fuscâ frigidarum nubium,
Paulo antequam surgit procella in oceano.
Arduo-sonorum à musco Moræ
Effusum est vastè certamen clypeatum,
Strenuo Fingale promovente magnum populum,
Rege Morvenis scopulosorum fluminum fuscorum,
Alâ aquilæ se expandente in alto,
Ejus cano crine effuso circa humeros,
Ingentibus passibus instar tonitrus saxetorum.
Sæpe restitit ille intuens circumcirca,
Igne flammescente ex tumultu armorum.
Erat similis ille rupi duræ
Sub glaucâ glacie in ripis rivulorum,
Sylva sub vento et eâ sonante,
[caput,
Fluentis coruscantibus circa ejus genam et circa ejus
Spargentibus altè suam spumam super flamen.
Nunc percussit ille cavernam saxi Lubaris,
Folane ad ejus tergum in sopore.
Erat Brannus extensus super ejus clypeum,
Pennis aquila eximiis certantibus in vento.
Purum ab ericâ cernebatur ex adverso
Caput durum hasta longæ bellatoris.
Excitavit se angor in animum principis,
Ut ater ventus, qui obliquatur super lacum.
Convertit ille suos passus super clivo
208
DUAN VIII.
TIGHMORA.
'Se 'g aomadh o'sgéith air a shleagh.
Leum Bran an uchd bhàin gu luath,
Gu astar righ nan sluagh le sòlas :
Thàinig e 's a shealladh air uaigh
Anns na shineadh 'na shuain an sealgair.
Moch 'sa mhadainn b' annsa do threun
Fuaim faoghaid mu bheinn nan ruadh.
An sin bha sileadh sìos de dheoir,
O 'anam mòr, an righ fo ghruaim.
Mar thaomas an ardaibh nan gaoth,
Stoirm uisge o fhaobhar nan cruach,
Ag fàgail shruth glan san fhraoch;
Grian a' dearrsadh air aonach nan stuadh ;
Ceanna uaine nan tom fo fheur:
Mar sin a ghluais an dealra baoth
O chòmhrag air laoch nan triath.
Leum e air a shleagh thar Lubar,
Is bhuail gu cùl a mhòr sgiath.
Bha aomadh is taomadh an t-sluaigh,
Le 'n uile ruinn chruaidh gu blàr.
Chual Eirinn gun eagal am fuaim;
Leathan ghluais i a sluagh gu réidh.
Bha Malthos ciar an sgiath an raoin,
Le sealladh nach faoin fo dhubh fhabhraid;
Is teann air bha, dealradh sa' ghleann,
Gath soluis nam bard 's nan triath,
Hidalla, bha riamh cho ciuin.
Bha gruaim Mhathronnain sa' chruaich,
1
v. 186-213.
209
TEMORA.
Inclinans-se ab ejus clypeo super ejus hastam.
Prosiluit Brannus pectoris candidi velociter
Ad iter regis populorum cum lætitiâ:
Venit ille, et ejus aspectu ad sepulchrum,
In quo extendebatur in suo sopore venator.
Multo mane erat oblectamentum strenuo,
Sonitus excitationis prædæ circa montem rufarum.
Tunc fuit distillatio deorsum lacrymarum
Ab animo magno regis sub tetricitate.
Ut effunduntur in culminibus ventorum
Procellæ pluviarum è summo præcipitiorum
Relinquentes flumina pura in ericâ,
Solem coruscantem super monte columnifero,
Et capita viridia collium sub gramine:
Itidem processit coruscatio terribilis
E certamine * super heroa principum,
Saluit ille super suâ hastâ trans Lubarem,
[peum.
Et percussit (penitus) ad tergum suum magnum cly-
Erat inclinatio et effusio populi
Cum eorum omnibus cuspidibus duris ad prælium.
Audivit Ierne sine metu sonitum;
[tiem;
Latum promovit illa suum populum ad apertam plaini-
Erat Malthos fuscus in alâ campi
Cum intuitu haud vano sub atro supercilio;
Et prope ad eum erat coruscans in valle
Radius lucis bardorum et principum,
Hidalla, qui erat semper ita tranquillus.
Erat torvitas Maronnanis in præcipitio,
TOM. III.
• futuro.
P
210
TIGHMORA.
DUAN VIII.
Rosga sealladh o ghruaidh air nàmhaid.
Air sleagh bha Clonar nan gorm sgiath,
Cormar ciar nan ciabha mòra
Gu domhail fo chomas na gaoithe.
Mall, o chùl tòrr ard nan còs
Ghluais gu mòr cruth còrr righ Atha;
An dà shleagh a' dealradh 'na làimh,
Is leth a ghlais sgéith thall ag éirigh,
Mar ghath teine an oiche dol suas
Air beanntaibh ruadh nam fuar thaibhse.
'Nuair a dhealradh leis uile am fàire,
Thaom an sluagh am buaireadh stri.
Bha sradadh dearg dealain na staillinn
A beumadh 's a' snàmh o dhà thaobh.
Mar thach'reas am bruailleinn dà chuan
Le 'n uile stuaidh, fo fhuaradh shian
An àm dhoibh faireachadh fo ghruaim
Ard chomstri cruaidh nan gaoth 's nan nial
An caol ghlas Lumoin nan crag fiar;
Air faobhar chruachan ard nam fuaim
Faoin astar nam fuath gun leus;
O'n osaig tha thuiteam air cuan
Ard choille o chruaich gach beinn
Measg cobhar is iadhadh nan torc:
Mar sin a thaom sa' chéile an sluagh;
Nis Fionnghal nam buadh, nis Cathmor
Ard leumadh a mach air a' chruaich,
Dubh aomadh a' bhàis air dà thaobh,
v. 214-241.
211
TEMORA.
Ejus oculo intuente à genâ super hostes.
Super hastâ erat Clonar cæruleorum clypeorum,
Et Cormar fuscus capillorum magnorum
Vastè sub potestate venti.
Tarda à tergo tumuli ardui cavernarum
Processit ingens forma eximia regis Athæ;
Binis hastis coruscantibus in ejus manu,
Et dimidio ejus glauci clypei ex adverso surgente,
Ut telum ignis in nocte iens sursum
Super montibus rufis frigidarum larvarum.
Quando coruscatum est ab illo omnino in luce,
Effusus est populus in tumultum pugnæ.
Erant scintillæ rutilæ fulguris chalybis
Ferientes et natantes è duobus lateribus.
Sicut occurrunt in tumultu duo maria
Cum omnibus suis fluctibus, sub frigidis nimbis
In tempore quo illi sentiunt sub torvitate
[rum
Arduam concertationem duram ventorum et nimbo-
In freto glauco Lumonis saxorum ferorum;
Super summo præcipitiorum arduorum sonituum
Est inane iter larvarum sine flammâ ;
Ab earum flamine cadit super oceanum
Ardua sylva è præcipitio cujusque montis
Inter spumam et circumcursum balenarum:
Modo illo fusus est inter se populus;
Nunc Fingal victoriarum, nunc Cathmor
Est ardue saliens prorsum super colle,
Atrâ inclinatione mortis ad duo latera,
ار
•
212
TIGHMORA.
Liath dhealradh o chomhstri na cruaidhe,
A'leantuinn suas gairbh astair nan triath,
'S iad a' sìneadh an ceuma fo fhuaim,
Gearradh sìos garbh fhaobhar nan sgiath.
Thuit Mathronnan fo làimh an righ,
Sinnte sìos thar strì nan sruth;
R'a thaobh thionail uisge na frith
Liath leumadh thar aomadh a sgéithe.
Bhuail Cathmor an Clonar a chruaidh;
Cha do thuit e gun tuar air làr;
;
Ghabh darag a' chiabh bha m'a ghruaidh,
A gharbh cheann-bheart a gluasad mall;
Tuitidh deoir o Thlàthmhìn san talla
Fo eirigh uchd banail na fiall.
t
Cha do dhi-chuimhn mise féin
Sleagh fhada nan treun an còmhrag.
Bha aomadh nam marbh fo mo bheum,
Og Hidala gun fheum sa' chomhstri.
A chaoin ghuth Chlonrath nan sruth ciar,
C'uim a thogas air triath a' chruaidh?
Truagh! nach tach'readh an talla fial,
An strì mu 'n iadhadh na luaidh?
Chunnaic Malthos ìosal an triath;
Ghlac dubhar a thriall 's, e gun chli:
Air dà thaobh liath àldain nan sliabh
Chrom sinn an ciaradh na strì.
Théiring sìos an speur air a' chuan;
Bhris gutha m' an cuaírt o fhiar ghaoith,
DUAN VIII.
v. 242-269.
213
TEMORA.
Cano coruscamine è concertatione durorum armorum,
Et sequente sursum asperum iter principum,
Illis extentendibus suos passus sub sonore,
Et cædentibus deorsum asperam aciem clypeorum.
Cecidit Maronnan sub manu regis,
Extensus deorsùm super certationem rivorum;
Ad ejus latus coacta est aqua saltûs
Canè saliens super inclinationem ejus clypei.
Adegit Cathmor in Clonarem suum durum (ferrum);
Non cecidit ille sine colore in humum;
Prehendit quercus capillum qui erat circa ejus genam,
Asperâ galea se-movente tardè;
Cadent lacrymæ à Tlaminâ in aula
Sub surrectione pectoris honesti liberalitatis.
Haud oblitus sum ego ipse
Hastam longam strenuorum in certamine.
Fuit (casus) inclinatio mortuorum sub meo ictu,
Juvene Hidalla sine vi in concertatione.
O blanda vox Clonræ fluentorum fuscorum,
Quare tollis in principem durum ferrum?
Miserum! quod non occursum est in aula hospitali,
In certatione circa quam se-flectunt laudes?
Vidit Malthos humilem principem;
Prehendit (tristitia) nigror ejus iter, illo sine vi:
Super binis lateribus* glaucorum rivulorum clivorum
Nos-curvavimus nos in offuscationem certationis.
Descendit deorsùm cœlum super oceanum;
Eruperunt voces circumcirca ex frigido vento,
* i. e. ripis.
214
DUAN VIII.
TIGHMORA.
An truscanaibh teine gach cruaich,
Garbh thorrunn a' fuaim o cheò baoth.
An dùbhra shìolaidh sìos an nàmhaid;
Sheas Mòrbheinn gun chàil is gun tuar;
Bha m' aomadh thar sruthan a' chathair
Measg forum nach gann mu mo chluais.
'N sin chualas guth fuasach an righ,
Is toirm shìl Bholga o strì.
Chit' an treun o àm gu àm
An dealan a cheum, nach robh mall.
Bhuail mi sgiath chaismeachd nam fuaim,
Mi sìneadh Alnecma nan sluagh;
Iad
ag iadhadh an ciaradh nan gleann
Fo cho-thional mùig, nach 'eil gann.
Sheall a' ghrian gu 'trian a nial;
Ceud sruthan dol sìos an soillse.
Bu mhall an ceò air thaobh' nan sliabh,
Air eudan nan liath-charn a' boillsgeadh.
C'àit' am bheil na gaisgich treun?
Mu shruth, mu bheinn, mu chraoibh o ard?
Mi cluinntinn fuaim arma nam beum:
Tha 'n stri-sa mu iadhadh nan carn,
An achlais dhubh mhall nan ceò.
Mar sin tha strì nam fuath thaibhs féin
An oiche dhubh, air beinn nan nial,
Iad a' comhstri mu sgiathaibh garbh treun
Gaoith gheamhraidh, tha beumadh nan sian,
Thar taomadh is aomadh nan tonn.
v. 270-297.
215
TEMORA.
In amictibus ignis quoque præcipitio,
Ingenti tonitru sonante ex nebulâ terribili.
In obscuritate resedit deorsum hostis ;
Stetit Morven sine mente et sine colore;
Fuit mea inclinatio super fluentum muscosum
Inter strepitum haud parcum circa meam aurem.
Tunc audita est vox terribilis regis,
Et fremitus seminis Bolgæ è certatione.
Cernebatur strenuus de tempore in tempus
In fulgure ejus passûs, qui non erat tardus.
Percussi ego clypeum monitionis sonituum,
Cum ego instarem Alnecmæ populorum;
Illis circumeuntibus in offuscatione vallium
Sub collectione nebulæ, quæ non est parca.
Despexit sol usque ad tertiam partem e núbe;
Centum fluentis euntibus deorsum in luce.
Erat tardus vapor super lateribus clivorum,
Super facie canorum saxetorum resplendens.
Ubi sunt bellatores strenui?
Circa fluentum, circa montem, circa arborem in alto?
Me audiente sonitum armorum plagarum :
Est eorum certatio circa flexus saxetorum,
In axillâ atrâ tardâ nebularum.
Modo illo est certatio tremendarum larvarum ipsarum
In nocte atrâ super monte nubium,
Illis contendentibus circa alas asperas validas
Venti hyemalis, qui dissecat nimbos
Super effusione et inclinatione undarum.
216
TIGHMORA.
DUAN VIII.
•
Ghluais mi thall; theich liath cheò mall;
A' dealradh fann sheas iads' aig Lubar,
Treun Chathmhor ri carraig nan àld
Leth aomta air sgéith, 's e fo dhùbhra,
A ghabh gu cùl sruth ùr nan carn,
Bha leum o charraig nan dos liath.
Bha ceuma garbh an righ gu triall;
Ach chunnaic e am fial fo fhuil;
Thuit glas lann Luinne r'a thaobh ;
Labhair e's a shòlas a dorchadh.
"An géill mac Bhorbair nan corn fial,
No 'n togar leis sgiach is sleagh?
Cha 'n'eil d' ainmse fo shanas, a thriath,
An ard Atha a's ciara magh,
Talla mòr nam fleagh's nan sàr ;
Thàinig e mar aiteal thar stuaidh
Gu mo chluais an tìr nam beann.
Thig-sa gu mo chuirmibh, a thréin;
Bithidh gaisgich fo bheud air àm.
Cha teine do nàimhdibh mi féin;
Cha shòlas do threun mu mharbh
No calmai garbh air làr an còmhrag.
Is eòlas dùnadh lot dhomh féin
Gach dìthan tha 'm frìth no 'n gleann ;
Ghlac mi 'n caoin cheanna sa' bheinn,
'S iad ag aomadh mu shruthaibh thall
Fo charnaibh, bu dìomhaire gaoth,
Is dorcha sàmhach am mòr thriath,
v. 298–325.
217
TEMORA.
Processi ego illuc; fugit cana nebula tarda ;
Coruscantes languidè stabant illi ad Lubarem,
Strenuo Cathmore ad rupem fluentorum
[tate,
Semi-inclinato super clypeum, atque ipso sub obscuri-
Quæ recepit ad ejus tergum rivum recentem saxeto-
Qui saliebat è rupe sylvularum canorum. [rum,
Erant passus ingentes regis (profecturi) ad proficiscen-
At vidit ille hospitalem-(virum) sub sanguine; [dum ;
Cecidit glaucus ensis Lunonis ad ejus latus;
Locutus est ille, et ejus gaudio caligante.
"Ceditne filius Borbaris cornuum hospitalium,
An tolluntur ab eo clypeus et hasta?
[ceps,
Non est nomen tuum (in occulto) sub susurro, o prin-
In arduâ Atha cujus est maximè fuscus ager,
Aulâ magna conviviorum et egregiorum;
Venit id ut aura trans undas.
Ad meam aurem in terrâ montium.
Veni tu ad meas epulas, o strenue;
Erunt bellatores sub damno nonnunquam.
Non ignis hostibus ego ipse;
Non gaudium est strenuo propter mortuos
Nec fortes asperos humi in certamine.
Est notitia claudendi vulnus mihi ipsi
Et cujusque herbæ quæ est in saltu aut in valle;
Prehendi ego earum mollia capita in monte,
Illis se-inclinantibus circa rivos ex adverso
Sub saxetis, quorum erat maximè secretus ventus.
Est caliginosus tacitus magnus princeps,
218
TIGHMORA.
DUAN VIII.
Righ Atha nan ciar shruth's nan dàimh."
"Aig Atha, 's ciara sruth,
Tha éirigh carraig dhuibh fo chòinich ;
Air a ceannn tha seachran nan geug
Fo bhaoth astar nan treun ghaoth;
Dorcha fo h-eudan tha còs
Ri glan shruthan is mòr fuaim:
Anns an àite sin féin, a thréin,
Chuala mi ceuma nan dàimh,
'Nuair a ghluais iad gu talla nan teud
Is nan slige gun bheud fo dhàn ;
Las sòlas mar theine dhomh féin
Air m'anam mu charraig nan crann.
Biodh, an dorcha, an so mo chòmhnuidh
An gleannan còmhnard m' eòlais féin.
O so bidh mo dhìreadh gu luath
Air aiteal tha ruagadh nan cluaran,
Is coimhdidh mi sìos gun ghruaim
Air Atha nan cruach is nan sruth."
“C'uim a labhras an righ m' an uaigh?
Oisein, thréig a thuar an laoch!
Biodh sòlas mu anamsa shuas
Mar shruth a tha fuaim gu baoth,
Ard Chathmor, ceann faoili nan dàimh.
A mhic, tha mo bhliadhna m'an cuairt,
Iad a' sanas an cluasaibh an righ,
Iad a' glacadh mo shleaghsa uam,
Dol thairis gun luaidh mu strì.
v. 326-353.
219
TEMORA.
Rex Athæ fuscorum rivorum et advenarum."
Apud Atham, cujus est maxime fuscus rivus,
Est ascensio rupis atræ sub musco;
Super ejus capite est vagatio ramorum
Sub tremendo itinere validorum ventorum ;
Caliginosa sub ejus facie est caverna
Juxta purum rivulum cujus est magnus sonitus :
In loco illo ipso, o strenue,
Audiebam ego gressus advenarum,
Quando procedebant illi ad aulam chordarum
Et concharum sine damno sub carmine;
Flammescebat lætitia instar ignis mihi ipsi
Super meum animum circa rupem arborum.
Sit, in tenebris, in hoc (loco) mea habitatio
In valliculâ planâ meæ notitiæ ipsius.
Abhinc erat meus ascensus velociter
Super flamine quod est fugans carduos,
Et despiciam ego deorsum sine torvitate
Super Atham præcipitiorum et fluentorum."
"Quare loquitur rex de sepulchro ?
Ossiane, reliquit ejus color bellatorem!
Sit gaudium circa ejus animum suprà
Instar fluminis quod est sonåns graviter,
Circa Cathmorem, caput hospitalitatis advenarum.
O fili, sunt mei anni mihi in circuitum,
Illis susurrantibus in aures regis,
Illis abripientibus meam hastam mihi,
Euntibus-trans sine loquendo de certatione.
220
TIGHMORA.
DUAN VIII.
"C'uim nach sìolaidh," their iadsa féin,
"Liath Fhionnghal o fheum ann a thùr?
Bheil do shòlas an lotaibh nam beum?
An deuraibh nan treun fo mhùig?
A liath bhliadhna, sìolaidh mi féin;
Cha 'n 'eil sòlas no feum am fuil.
Tha deura mar gharbh ré nan speur
Cur anam fo bheud 's fo dhubh.
'Nuair a shìneas mo shlios sìos an sìth,
Guth garbh nam baoth strì 'am' chluais
'Ga mo mhosgladh an talla nan righ
'S a' tarruing gun chli mo chruaidh.-
Cha tarruing sin mo chruaidh ni's mò:
Glacsa sleagh d'athar, a thréin fhir;
Tog suas i an còmhragaibh còrr,
'Nuair a ghluaiseas a mhorcuis gu beuma.
"Tha mo shinns're air mo thriall,
Mo ghnìomha do thriathaibh fo 'n sùilibh.
'Nuair ghluaiseas mi a mach air sliabh,
Air mo raonsa tha liath an dùbhra.
Chum mo làmh na lagaich o bheud,
'S leagh mòrchuis gun fheum fo m' fheirg,
Gun sòlas mu thuiteam nan treun
Mo shùile ag iadhadh mu leirg.
Tach'ridh mo shinns're mise thall
Aig talla nan garbh ghaoth fhiar
An truscanaibh soluis neo-ghann,
Sùile lasadh gu mall do thriaith.
v. 354-381.
221
TEMORA.
(6
Quare non (quiescat) subsidat," dicunt illi ipsi,
"Canus Fingal à re-gerendâ in ejus turre?
An est tuum gaudium in vulneribus plagarum?
In lacrymis strenuorum sub nebula ?
O cani anni, subsidam ego ipse;
Non est gaudium nec utilitas in sanguine.
Sunt lacrymæ instar (procellosæ) asperæ lunæ cœlorum
Mittentis animum sub damnum et nigrorem.*
Quando extendo meum latus deorsum in pace,
Est vox aspera insanæ certationis in meâ aure
Me expergefaciens in aulâ regum
Et stringens sine vi meum durum-(gladium).
Haud stringet ea meum durum-gladium amplius:
Prehende tu hastam tui patris, o strenue vir;
Tolle sursum eam in certamine eximio,
Quando proficiscitur superbia ad plagas.
"Sunt mei proavi in meo itinere,
Et mea facta principibus sub eorum oculis.
Quando prodeo ego super clivum,
In meâ acie est cana eorum obscuritas.
Servavit mea manus infirmos à damno,
Et liquefacta est superbia sine vi sub meâ irâ,
Sine gaudio circa casum strenuorum
Meis oculis se-obliquantibus circa aciem.
Occurrent mei majores mihi ultra (hunc orbem)
In aulâ asperorum ventorum turbineorum
In amictibus lucis haud parcæ,
Oculis flammescentibus tardè principibus.
* i. e. mustitiam.
222
DUAN VIII.
TIGHMORA.
Do dhonaibh an armaibh
gun
fheum
Mar ré iad an dùbhra nan speur,
Tha trusadh tein oiche m'a gruaidh
Dearg sheachran air eudan gun tuar.
“Athar nan triath ard, o Thréinmhoir,
Thus' tha chòmhnuidh leat fhéin am fiar ghaoith,
Mo shleaghsa do Oisian nam beuma;
Biodh do shùile fo shòlas a laoich,
Chunna mise féin thu air àm
An dealra neo-fhann an neulaibh.
Mar sin biodh do shealladh neo-ghann
Mu mo mhacsa, 's e togail na sgéithe;
Mar sin bidh cuimhne air ard threun,
Air do mhòr ghnìomh, a thriath nan garbh bheum.
Cha 'n 'eil annad fhéin ach gaoth."
Shìn e 'n t-sleagh mhor do mo làimhse,
Is thog e air ard clacha ciar
Gu labhairt mu iadhadh àm-sa,
'S an liath cheann an còineach nan sliabh.
Fo chloich dh'àdhlaic triath a lann
'S glan chopan o shlios a sgéithe;
E dorchadh fo smuaintibh neo-ghann;
Bhris focail gu mall o'chliabh.
"'Nuair thuiteas tusa, chlach, fo smùir,
'S tu air chall am measg còineach nam bliadhna,
An sin thig fear siubhail o chùl
E feadadh air t'ùir, 's è triall.
Cha 'n aithne dhuits, a laig gun fheum,
v. 382-409.
223
TEMORA.
Vilibus in armis sine vi
Instar lunæ (sunt) illi obscuritate cœlorum,
Quæ est succingens ignem aeris circa suam genam
Rutilè vagantem super facie sine colore.
Pater principum arduorum, o Trenmor,
Tu qui es habitans (solus) tecum ipso in turbineo vento,
Mea hasta est Ossiano plagarum ;
Sint tui oculi sub gaudio, o bellator,
Vidi ego ipse te nonnunquam
In coruscatione haud languidâ in nubibus.
Itidem sit tuus intuitus haud parcus
Circa meum filium, illo tollente clypeum ;
Itidem erit recordatio ardui strenui-(Trenmoris),
Tuorum magnorum facinorum, princeps asperarum
Quanquam nihil sit in te nisi ventus." [plagarum.
Tetendit ille hastam magnam meæ manui,
Et sustulit ille in altam saxa fusca
[poris sui,
(Ut loquerentur) ad loquendum de circumstanciis tem
Eorum capitibus (existentibus) in musco clivorum.
Sub saxo sepelivit princeps suum gladium
Et
purum umbonem è latere sui clypei;
Ipso caligante sub cogitationibus haud parcis,
Eruperunt dicta lentè ex pectore.
[liginem
"Quando cades tu, o saxum, sub pulverulentam ca-
Et tu eris (amissus) in amissione inter muscum anno-
Tunc veniet viator a tergo
Fistulans-ore super tua pulvere, et pergens.
Haud notitia est tibi, imbecille sine vi,
[rum,
爨
​224
DUAN VIII.
TIGHMORA.
So monadh Mhoiléna fo chliu,
Anns na ghéill an righ a shleagh fhéin
An deireadh a bheum' air an raon.
Grad o fhianuis, a thrian de thuar,
An deireadh nam beum gu'n cùl.
Cha'n 'eil cliu no luaidh ann do ghuth ;
Do chòmhnuidh mu chaochan chruach,
Tha do bhliadhna gu luath fo dhubh
Cha bhi cuimhne no luaidh ort fhéin,
Fhir a's dona sa' bheinn fo cheò.
Tha mo chlius' an truscan nan treun,
Gath soluis do'n àm nach 'eil beò:
Shiubhail mise a mach an cruaidh
Shaoradh laigse gun bhuaidh an armaibh.”
E lasadh suas 'na chliu mòr féin
Grad sgaoil an treun a cheuma còrr
Fo fhuaim daraig Lubair sa' bheinn,
Thar taomadh is beucadh sruith mòir
Ag iadhadh sìos o thòrr an soillse.
Gorm raona caol fo aomadh cruaich
Caoin thoirm nam fuaran shuas o charn
Bha sgaoile brataich mhòir nan sluagh
A' taomadh air fuar ghaoith nam beann.
So chomhara iuil an òig righ
O fhaoin nam frìth an dìomhair gleinn.
Glan bhriseadh an athair o iar,
Sheall grian a' dol sìos o speuraibh :
Chunnaic an treun na sluaigh air sliabh!
v. 410-437.
225
TEMORA.
Hunc (esse) montem Molenæ sub famâ,
In quo tradidit rex hastam ipsius
In postremâ plagarum super planitie.
Ocius ex ejus conspectu, o tertia pars principis,
In fine plagarum usque ad earum (ultimam) tergum.
Non est fama nec victoria in tuâ voce;
Tuo domicilio circa rivulum tumulorum,
Sunt tui anni citò sub nigritie;
Non erit memoria nec laus tibi ipsi,
Vir, qui es vilissimus in monte sub nebulâ.
Est mea fama in amictu strenuorum,
Radius lucis tempori quod non est vivum :
Exii ego foràs in durâ armaturâ
Ut conservarem infirmitatem sine victoriâ in armis.
Flammescens sursum in suâ famâ magnâ ipsius
Statim dispandit strenuus suos passus eximios
Sub sonitu quercùs Lubaris in monte
Trans effusionem et fremitum torrentis magni
Se-obliquantis deorsum à tumulo in luce.
In cæruleo campo angusto sub declivitate præcipitii
Et blando murmure fontium supernè è saxetis
Erat expansio vexilli magni populorum
Se-fundentis super frigidum ventum montium.
Hocce signum viæ juvenis regis
E desertis saltuum secretarum vallium,
Purè dirumpens aera ab occidente,
Despexit sol iens deorsùm è cœlis:
Vidit strenuus (Fingal) populos super clivo;
TOM. III.
Q
226
DUAN VIII.
TIGHMORA.
1
:
Chual e guth an t-sòlais m'a cheumaibh
Briseadh 's a' sgaoileadh m'an cuairt,
Glan dearrsa dol suas o chruaidh.
Ghlac aiteas còrr cridh mòr an righ,
Mar shealgair 'na ghleann uaine féin
'N déigh frasa tha sìoladh am frìth.
Carraig ghlas tha boillsgeadh air beinn,
An droighionn gorm air sgoirm nan carn
'S e crathadh a chinn air gaoith mhall,
Na ruadha coimhead o'n àiridh.
Liath thall aig còinich chaoin nan còs
Chrom Claonmhal' a cheann's e fo aois,
Gun léirsin na shùilibh fo ched.
Air maide bard còr is e caoineadh.
Glan làimh ris an siubhal a ciabh
Sùilmhalla nan triath, is i fann
Ri dànaibh thriath' Atha nan sgiath
Ann an laithibh na h-aois a bha thall.
Ghluais forum a' chòmhraig o'chluais;
Chaisg focuil fo bhuaireadh a chléibh,
Mall osna gu dìomhair dol suas.
Bha tanas'nam fuath, their iad féin,
Tric mar dhealan a' beumadh a smuainte:
Chunnaic e righ Atha an treun
Fo chrom chrann na beinn' air chùlaobh.
“C'uim a thàinig an dorch?" thuirt an digh;
"Shiubhail forum a' chòmhraig uainn:
Ann a dheireadh thig an righ còrr
v. 438-465.
227
TEMORA
Audivit ille vocem lætitiæ circa suos passus
Erumpentem et se-spargentem in circuitum, [armaturâ.
Et (vidit) puram coruscationem euntem sursum à durâ-
Cepit gaudium eximium cor magnum regis,
Ut venatoris in suâ valle viridi ipsius
Post imbres qui sunt se purgantes in saltu.
Rupes glauca est splendens super monte,
Sentis cæruleus super jugulo saxetorum
Quassans ejus caput super vento lento,
Rufis capreis tuentibus è montano vireto.
Canus ex adverso ad muscum mollem cavernarum
Curvabat Clonmal suos passus (et ipso) sub senectute
Sine visu in oculis sub nebulâ.
Super baculo erat bardus eximius et quiritans.
Pura ad ejus manum inter (motum) iter ejus capillorum
Erat Sulmala principum, atquè eâ languidâ.
Ad carmina principis Athæ clypeorum
In diebus sæculi quod (præterierat) erat ultrâ (hoc).
Abierat fremitus certaminis ab ejus aure;
Cessârunt verba sub tumultu ejus pectoris,
Lento suspirio furtim eunte sursum.
Erant spectra terrorum, dicunt illi ipsi,
Sæpe ut fulgur ferientia ejus (animum) cogitationes:
Vidit ille regem Athæ strenuum
Sub curvâ arbore montis ad tergum.*
"Quare venit caligo?" dixit virgo;
"Abiit fremitus certaminis a nobis:
In ejus fine veniet rex eximius
i. e. extinctum.
228
TIGHMORA.
DUAN VIII.
Thar còmhnard gu'shruthanan ruadh.
Tha grian a' sealltuinn sìos o iar,
An dubh cheò a' fiaradh o'n lòn
E sgaoileadh gu tiugh air na sliabhaibh
Mu luachair fo iadhadh nan tòrr.
O cheò tha do thearnadh, a righ!
Faic a cheuma cur sìos fo chruaidh.
Thig do chòs Chlaoinmhail o'strì,
Shair ghaisgich, do 'm bi mo luaidh."
'S e tanas righ Atha a th' ann,
A gharbh cheuma mall, a chruth fo leus.
Thuit esan an gearradh nan àld
Ag iadhadh o charnaibh le beuc.
" 'S e 'n sealgair a th' ann," thuirt an òigh,
Fear faoghaid nan tòrr mu na ruaidh:
Cha'n 'eil ceum da gu còmhrag nan seòd:
Bhean ghasta's i òg, a luaidh
'S i feitheamh fo ghruaim na h-oiche.
Tilleas esan o thaobh nan sliabh
Le faobhaibh nam fiadh eilid dhonn."
Sùil àillidh na h-òigh' mu na chruaich,
Garbh thanas gun tuar a 'dol sìos,
An sòlas a mhosgail i suas.
Thuit esa fo ghruaim's e gu 'thrian :
Shìolaidh an cruth gu mùgach thall
Measg gaoith nan carn mall a' triall.
Bha h-aithne mu thuiteam an triath';
"Tha righ Eirinn nan sgiath air làr !”
v. 466-493.
229
TEMORA.
Trans campum ad suos rivulos rufos.
Est sol despiciens deorsùm ab occidente,
Atrâ nebulâ se-obliquante à prato
Et se-spargente densè super clivos
Circa juncos sub circuitu tumulorum.
E nebulâ est tuus descensus, o rex !
Aspice ejus passus decendentes sub durâ-armaturâ.
Veni ad cavernam Clonmalis à certatione,
Eximiè bellator, cui erit mea laus.”
Est spectrum regis Athæ quod adest,
Ejus ingentes passus lenti, ejus forma sub flammâ.
Cecidit ille in (alveo) scissura fluentorum
Se-obliquans à saxetis cum fremitû.
"Est venator qui adest," dixit virgo,
"Vir prædatorius tumulorum circa rufas-(capreas):
Non est gradus illi ad certamen heroum:
Uxor decora, et illa juvenis, est ejus (laus) sermo
Eum expectans sub torvitate noctis.
Revertetur ille à latere clivorum
Cum exuviis ferarum caprearum subfuscarum."
Oculo formoso virginis circa præcipitium,
Ingenti spectro sine colore eunte deorsum,
In lætitiâ experrecta est illa sursum. [tertiam partem:
Cecidit ille sub tetricitate et (imperfecte) usque ad
Evanuit forma nebulosè ex adverso
Inter ventum saxetorum lente proficiscens.
Erat ejus notitia circa casum principis ;*
"Est rex Iernes clypeorum humi !”
* i. e. Erat ei notus casus principis.
*
230
DUAN VIII.
TIGHMORA.
Na biodh cuimhn air a bròn gu thrian,
Chaitheas anam na h-aoise gu barr.
Thuit dùbhra dubh air taobh Mhoiléna,
Liath iadhadh nam fiar shruth an gleann :
Chualas guth Fhionnghail ag éirigh
Is lasair o chiar chraobh nam beann.
Thionail thall na sluaigh fo shòlas,
Le sòlas leth dorcha fo ghruaim,
A' coimhead fo 'n gruaidhibh air mòr thriath
Gun anam am mòrchuis san àm.
Is caoin o fhàsaich nam faoin bheann
Ghluais guth mall nan teud gu cluais,
Mar thoirm nan sruth o shlios charn,
Iad fada thall an gleann nan cruach
Neo-throm air aomadh donn nan sliabh,
Mar osag chiar air sgéith nan stuadh,
'Nuair a ghlacas i fear nan dos liath
Am fiaradh na h-oiche fo ghruaim.
'S e focal chaoin Chondain a th' ann,
Is Carull le clàrsaichibh theud.
Thàinig an gorm-shùileach a nall
Gu Mòra nam mall shruth fo bheuc.
Grad bhris na fonna o bhaird
Air Léna nan carn 's nan ard thòrr;
A bhuail na slòigh uile an sgiath'
Measg tionndadh is fiaradh nam fonn.
Ghlan solas an eudan an righ,
Mar dhearrsa dol sìos o nial,
v. 494-521.
231
TEMORA.
Ne sit recordatus ejus luctus usque ad tertiam partem,
Qui consumit animam senectæ usque ad summum.
Cecidit obscuritas atra super latus Molenæ,
Cani obliquabantur flexuosi rivi in valle:
Audita est vox Fingalis surgens
Et flamma è fuscâ arbore montium.
Convenerunt ex adverso populi sub gaudio,
Sub gaudio semi-tenebroso sub tetricitate,
Tuentes sub eorum genis ad magnum principem
Sine animo in superbiâ in (eo) tempore.
Blanda è desertis inanium montium
Processit vox lenta chordarum ad aurem,
Ut murmur fluentorum è latere saxetorum,
Illis procul ex adverso in valle collium
Haud-gravibus super descensu subfusco clivorum,
Vel ut aura fusca super alâ undarum,
Quando opprimit illa virum cirrorum-canorum
In flexuoso-circuitu noctis sub tetricitate.
Erat vox blandi Condanis quæ aderat,
Et Carrulis cum citharis chordarum.
Venit (xvavoμμatos) cæruleis-oculis huc
Ad Moram tardorum fluentorum sub fremitu.
Ocyus eruperunt modi a bardis
Super Lenam saxetorum et arduorum tumulorum;
Percutiebant populi universi suos clypeos
Inter conversionem et circumflexionem modorum.
Enituit lætitia in vultu regis,
Sicut jubar iens deorsum à nube,
232
DUAN VIII.
TIGHMORA.
Air aomadh uaine nam mòr fhrìth,
Seal m'an éirich an fhiar lom ghaoth.
Bhuail e copan caismeachd a sgéith;
Grad chaisg e na sleibh m'an cuairt:
Bha aomadh nan sluagh ris an treun,
Ri guth an tìr féin thar na stuaidh.
"Shil Mhòirbheinn, sgaoilear an so fleagh;
Cuirear thairis an oich am fonn;
Tha 'n dearrsadh m'an cuairt air magh;
Shiubhail dùbhra nan torrunn a null.
Mo shluagh so mo charraige treun
O'n sgaoilear sgiath iolair gu cùl,
'Nuair a shiùbhlas mi mach gu beum,
Is mi glacadh dhomh féin mo chliu.
Tha, Oisein, mo shleaghsa do làimh;
Cha bhioran fann balaoich a crann,
A chuireas an cluaran air chall,
Air raon, is e mall 'na thriall.
'So sleagh nan garbh threuna an àm
Chur sìneadh nan làmh gu bàs.
Coimhid-sa ri sinns'ribh nan treun,
Tha mar dhearrsa nam fuath o speur.
'Nuair a ghlasas caoin sholus air chuan,
Gabh Artho nan sluagh ri d' thaobh
Gu Tighmòra, a's fuaimeara stuadh;
Cuir sa righre ghorm Eirinn fo'shùil,
Crutha àillidh thog cliu o shean
Gun dì-chuimhn na thuit anns a' bhlàr.
v. 522-549.
233
TEMORA.
Super declivitatem viridem magni saltus,
Paulo antequam surgat turbineus nudus ventus.
Percussit ille umbonem-monitorium clypei;
Statim repressit ille clivos in circuitum:
Fuit descensus populorum ad regem strenuum,
Ad vocem terræ ipsorum ultra undas.
"Semen Morvenis, expandatur hic convivium;
Transigatur nox (inter canendum) in modis;
Est coruscatio in circuitum in agro;
Abiit obscuritas tonitruum illuc.
Meus populus hic sunt meæ rupes validæ
[gum,
E quibus panditur ala-aquilina (omnino) usque ad ter-
Quando proficiscor ego-extrà ad plagam
Prehendens mihi ipsi meam famam.
Est, Ossiane, mea hasta in tuâ manu;
Haud bacillum infirmum tironis ejus arbor,
Quod mittit carduum in amissionem,*
In planitie, et eo tardo in ejus itinere.
Hæcce est hasta asperorum heroum in tempore
(Extendendi manus) mittendi extensionem manuum ad
Aspice tu ad majores strenuorum,
Qui sunt ut coruscationes larvarum è cœlis.
Quando canescet placida lux super oceano,
Cape Arthonem populorum ad tuum latus
[mortem.
Ad Temoram, cujus est maximè sonorus fluctus;
Pone tu reges cæruleæ Ullinæ sub ejus oculos,
Formas pulchras, quæ sustulerunt famam olim
Sine oblivione eorum qui ceciderunt in prælio.
í. e. Facit ut amittatur carduus.
234
DUAN VIII.
TIGHMORA.
Mosgail fonn do na sàir air an raon :
Cuireadh Carull gu luaidh an dàn;
Biodh sòlas mu ghluasad nan laoch
An ceò maidne mu iadhadh nan carn.
Eiridh am màireach mo shiuil bhàn
Gu Selma nan crann 's nan tùr
Garbh shrutha tha fiaradh o ghleann
Measg tuinidh nan ruadh fo mhùig.
v. 550-557.
23.5
TEMORA.
Expergeface melos egregiis in acie :
Emittat Carull ad eorum laudem carmen;
Sit lætitia circa progressum bellatorum
In nebulâ matutinâ in circuitum saxetorum.
Surgent cràs mea vela candida
Versus Selmam arborum et turrium
Et ingentia flumina quæ sinuantur per valles
Inter habitationem rufarum-caprearum sub nebulâ.
:
1
CONLOCHUS ET CUTHONA.
Argumentum.
Conlochus fuit minimus natu e Mornæ filiis, et Galli inclyti frater. Ille
Cuthonam Rumaris filiam amabat, cum Toscar Ceanfenæ filius, suo
amico comitatus Fergutho, pervenit ab Ierne ad Moram, ubi Conlo-
chus habitabat. Ille benignè acceptus est, et ex more temporum tres
dies epulatus est apud Conlochum. Quartâ die solvit navem, et
prætervehens Insulam undarum, unam ex Hæbudis, Cuthonam vidit
venantem, et captus ejus amore, cam abduxit per vim in sua nave.
Ille vi tempestatis compulsus est ad Ithonam insulam desertam. In-
tereâ Conlochus, factus certior de amica abreptâ, Toscarem velis
petivit, et eum paratum trajicere in Iernem agressus est. Illi com-
miserunt prælium, et ipsi cum suis comitibus mutuis vulneribus ceci-
derunt. Cuthona haud diu supererat, nam illa tertiâ die post præ
mærore e vita decessit. Fingal, auditâ eorum immatura morte, misit
Stornalem Morani filium qui eos sepeliret, sed bardum qui funereum
carmen diceret super eorum sepulchris mittere neglexit. Spectrum
Conlochi multò post ad Ossianum venit, orans ut ille, ejus, et Cuthonæ
laudes memoriæ traderet. Nam eo tempore fama negabat animas
vitâ defunctorum posse frui felicitate priusquam bardus eorum nænias
composuisset.
[240]
CONLAOCH IS CUTHONNA.
v. 1-20.
AN cuala Oisian guth neo-fhaoin?
No 'n gairm lài fo aomadh th' ann?
Tric mo smaoin air aimsir nan raon,
Mar ghréin fheasgair, tha claon an gleann.
Nuadhaichear mòr thorman na seilg,
Sleagh fhada nam marbh am làimh.
Is ceart a chual' Oisian an guth.
Co thusa, shìl dubhrai na h-oiche?
Tha clann gun ghnìomh an suain fo dhubh,
Gaoth am meadhon an tallai gun soillse.
Tha sgiath an righ a' fuaim air àm
Ri osaig cairn, a's àirde gruaim,
Sgiath chopanach balladh mo thallai,
Air an cuir mi car tamuil mo làmh.
'S ceart gu 'n cluinn mi mo chara' féin;
Is fada guth an tréin o 'luaidh !
C'uim astar air dubh-nial gun fheum,
A shil Mhorni nam beuma cruaidh?
An
gar dhuit cairde an triath fo aois,
Sår Oscar neo-bhaoth air cùl sgéith'?
[241]
CONLOCHUS ET CUTHONA.
v. 1-20.
AUDIVITNE Ossianus vocem haud vanam?
An est vocatus dierum sub inclinatione, * qui adest?
Est frequens mea cogitatio de tempore præliorum,
Instar solis-vesperis, qui est se-obliquans in valle.
Novatur magnum murmur venationis,
Hastâ longâ mortuorum in meâ manu.
Certè audivit Ossianus vocem.
Quis tu, semen obscuritatis noctis?
Proles sine factis in sopore sub nigritie,
Vento in medio ejus aulæ sine luce.
Est clypeus regis sonans interdum
Ad flamen saxeti, cujus est altissima torvitas,
Clypeus umboniger muri meæ aulæ,
Super quem pono ego parumper meam manum.
Est certum quod audio ego amicum meum ipsius;
Est diu vox strenui ab ejus laude !
Quare tuum iter super atrâ nube sine vi,
O semen Mornæ plagarum durarum ?
An est prope te amicus principis sub senectute,
Egregius Oscar haud vanus ad tergum clypei?
* i. e. qui se inclinaverunt.
TOM. III.
R
242
CONLAOCH IS CUTHONNA.
!
Is tric a bha 'n gaisgeach ri d' thaobh,
A Chonlaoich, 'n àm aomadh nan sleagh.
TAIBHS CHONLAOICH.
Bheil cadal air mìn-ghuth Chòna
Am meadhon tallai fo mhòr-ghaoith toirm?
An cadal do Oisian nan còrr ghnìomh,
'S an ro-chuan m'a chòmhnuidh fo stoirm?
Cha 'n 'eil uaigh tha fo léirsinn an Innis.
C'e fada bhi's sinne gun chliu,
A righ Shelma a's fuaimear gleann?
OISIAN.
'S truagh Oisian dh'a nach leir thu féin,
Is tu suidhe gun fheum air do neul.
An ceò thu bhar Lano, a thréin,
No tein-athair gun bheum air sliabh?
Co dhe tha cearb do thruscain baoith ?
Co dhe do bogha faoin nan speur?
Shiubhail e air osaig de ghaoith,
Mar fhaileus fo aomadh nan nial.
Thigse o do bhalla féin,
A chlàrsach nan treun le fuaim;
Biodh solus na cuimhne air beinn
I-thonn mu 'n éirigh an cuan.
Faiceamsa mo chàirde an gniomh.
Chi Oisian gu 'n trian na trein,
Air Innis tha dubh-ghorm fo nial;
v. 21–44. CONLOCHUS ET CUTHONA.
243
Sæpe fuit bellator ad tuum latus,
O Conloche, in tempore inclinandi hastas.
SPECTRUM CONLOCHI.
An est somnus molli voci Conæ
In medio aulæ sub magni venti fremitu?
An somnus est Ossiano egregiorum factorum,
Et aspero ponto circa ejus habitationem sub procellâ ?
Non est sepulchrum, quod est sub conspectu in insulâ.
Quamdiu erimus nos sine famâ,
O rex Selmæ, cujus est maximè sonora vallis?
OSSIANUS.
Est miser Ossianus cui non visus es tu ipse,
Et te sedente sine vi super tuâ nube.
An es nebula ab Lanone, o strenue,
An ignis aeris sine ictu super clivo?
Ex quo est limbus tui amictus vani?
Ex quo tuus arcus inanis cælorum?
Abiit ille super flamine ex vento,
Sicut umbra sub inclinatione nubium.
Veni tu à tuo muro ipsius,
O cithara strenuorum cum sonitu;
Sit lux memoriæ super monte
Ithonæ circum quam surgit oceanus.
Videam ego meos amicos inter rem-gerendam. [nuos
Videt Ossianus usque ad eorum tertiam partem stre-
Super insulâ, quæ est atro-cærula sub nube,
244
CONLAOCH IS CUTHONNA.
Tha còs Thonn nan sìan ag éirigh
Air carraig chòinich nan crom chrann :
Tha sruth a' torman' aig a bheul;
Tha Toscar a cromadh thar 'fhuaim;
Tha Ferguth fo mhulad r'a thaobh,
Cuthonn a' caoidh fada shuas.
Am bheil gaoth air aomadh nan tonn?
No 'n cluinn mi air chrom an guth?
TOSCAR.
Tha 'n oiche fo ghaillinn nan sìan;
Thuit coille gu 'n trian o chruaich ;
Tha dubh-shiubhal mara fo nial,
Tha beucail nan fiar-thonn m'an cuairt.
Thàinig tein-athair le beum,
'S le sealladh na fearnai do threun,
Chunnaic mi, Fherguith gun bheud,
An taibhs' dona bha treun o'n oiche;
Gun fhocal sheas e air bruaich,
A thruscan cur fuaim air gaoith.
Chunnaic mi dheura le truaigh,
Sean duine gun tuar, is e baoth,
'S trom smaointe ag taoma mu chliabh.
FERGUTH.
'Se d'athair, a Thoscair, a bh' ann;
Tha e faicinn a' bhàis m'a shìol:
Mar sin a bha choltas san àm
v. 45-68. CONLOCHUS ET CUTHONA.
245
Est caverna Thonæ nimborum surgens.
Super rupe muscosâ curvarum arborum;
Est rivus murmurans ad ejus ostium;
Est Toscar se-curvans super ejus sonitum;
Est Ferguthus sub mœstitia ad ejus latus,
Et Cuthona lugens procul suprà.
An est ventus super declivitate undarum?
Anne audio ego in curvaturâ (montis) eorum vocem?
TOSCAR.
Est nox sub tempestate nimborum ;
Cecidit sylva tertiata e præcipitio ;
Est atrum iter maris sub nube,
Est mugitus ferarum undarum circumcirca.
Venit ignis aeris cum plagâ,
Et cum refulgentia clypei imbecilli;
Vidi ego, Ferguthe sine defectu,
Spectrum vile, quod fuit strenuum in nocte;
Sine verbo stetit super crepidine,
Ejus amictu immittente sonitum super ventum.
Vidi ego ejus lacrymas cum misericordiâ,
Senem virum sine colore, atque illum inanem, [tus.
Et graves cogitationes se-fundentes circum ejus pec-
FERGUTHUS.
Est tuus pater, Toscar, qui adfuit;
Est ille cernens mortem circa suum semen :
Sic fuit ejus imago in tempore
246
CONLAOCH IS CUTHONNA.
'S an thuit mòr Ronnan fo nial.
O Eirinn! nan cnoc a's uaine feur,
Cia annsa leam féin do ghleinn!
Tha sàmhchair mu ghorm-shruth do shleibh,
Tha grian air do raoin gun bhi mall.
Is sèimh fonn do chlàrsaich an Selma,
Glan guth o do shealgair an Cromla.
Tha sinne 'n Ithonn nan garbh thoirm,
Trom is duilich fo mhara-bheuc thonn,
Na tonna le geal cheanna baoth,
Leum thairis air aomadh na tràgha;
Mise crithe ann am meadhon na h-oiche.
TOSCAR.
C'àit' na shiubhail anam a bhlàir,
Dheagh Fherguith nan leadan liath?
Chunna' mis' thu gun eagal o bhàs,
'S do shuilean dealarach an sòlas nan sgiath.
C'àit' na shiubhail anam a' bhlàir?
Cha robh eagal air sàra riamh.
Gluais, coimhid air glas lom na sàil:
Thuit a' ghaoth le sàrachadh shìan;
Tha crith air na tonna fo fhiamh
Gu 'n caidil a' ghrian an ciabh nan stoirm.
Gluais, coimhid am mòr chuan, gu 'thrian
Tha maduinn gu iar, is i liath.
Seallaidh solus nan speura o ear,
Le mòr-chuis, mar fhear, m'a shoillse.
v. 69-94. CONLOCHUS ET CUTHONA. 247
Quo cecidit magnus Ronnan sub nubem.
O Ierne! collium quorum est viridissimum gramen,
Quam charæ mihi ipsi tuæ valles!
[rum,
Est tranquillitas circa cærula fluenta tuorum clivo-
Est sol super tuis campis haud tardus.
Est mollis modus tuæ citharæ in Selmâ,
Jucunda vox à tuo venatore in Cromlâ.
Sumus nos in Ithona asperorum fremituum,
Graves et mosti sub marino fremitu fluctuum,
Fluctuum cum albis capitibus insanium
Transilientium super acclivitatem littoris;
Me tremente in mediâ nocte.
TOSCAR.
Quò profectus est animus prælii,
Bone Ferguthe crinium canorum?
Vidi ego te sine metu à morte,
Et tuos oculos micantes in gaudio clypeorum.
Quò abiit animus prælii?
Haud fuit metus super egregios (viros) unquam.
Move-te, intuere in glaucum æquor salis:
Cecidit ventus oppressus vi nimborum;
Est tremor super undas sub metu
Ne dormiat sol in cirris procellarum.
[partem
Move-te, intuere magnum oceanum, ad ejus tertiam
Est aurora (veniens) ad occidentem, atque eâ canâ.
Prospiciet lux cœlorum ab oriente,
Cum superbiâ, ut vir, propter suam lucem.
248
CONLAOCH IS CUTHONNA.
Sgaoil mise mo shiuil le sòlas
Fo thalla ard Chonlaoich nan triath;
Mo thurus gu Innis gun chala.
Glan Chuthonn' air tòir nan agh' ciar
Chunnaic mi, mar dhearrsa na soillse,
Teachd na bhoisge o na nialaibh;
A leadan mar dhubh-chùl na h-oiche,
Air geal urla ag éirigh gu dian.
I'g aomadh, a' tarruing an teud,
A ruighe glan air a déigh a' dol sìos,
Mar shneachda air Cromla gun bheud.
Thigse gu m'anam, a làmh-gheal,
Bhan-sealgair na sàr innis faoin.
Tha h-uaire fo dheuraibh gun àireamh;
Tha i smuaine air Conlaoch neo-bhaoth.
C'àite 'm bheil do shìthse, òigh,
Chuthonn na mòr throma chiabh ?
CUTHONNA.
Craig chorrach tha g'aomadh air sàil,
Liath chranna fo aois le coinich;
Na tonna a' gluasad mu thràigh;
Air a thaobh Innis bhlàth nan ruadh :
An sin tha g' éiridh tùir mo rùin.
Oighean na seilge thill o'n bheinn:
Chunnaic e 'n sealladh air chùl.
C'àite nighean Rumair nam beum?
Cha do fhreagair na h-òighean fo ghruaim.
v. 95–120. CONLOCHUS ET CUTHONA. 249
Expandi ego mea vela cum gaudio
Infra domum arduam Conlochi principum ;
Meo itinere ad insulam sine portů.
Puram Cuthonam fugantem hinnulos fuscos
Vidi ego, sicut coruscationem lucis,
Descendentem cum splendore è nubibus,
Ejus crines, sicut nigrum tergum noctis,
Super candidum pectus surgens frequenter,
Ipsam se-inclinantem et trahentem nervum,
Ejus lacertum purum ad ejus tergum euntem deorsum
Instar nivis super Cromlâ sine labe.
Veni tu ad meam animam, o manus candida,
Venatrix egregiæ insulæ desertæ.
Sunt ejus horæ sub lacrymis sine numero;
Est illa cogitans de Conlocho haud vano.
Ubi est pax tua, o virgo,
Cuthona magnorum gravium cirrorum?
CUTHONA.
Est saxum præceps inclinans-se super salem,
Canis arboribus sub senectute cum musco,
Undis se moventibus circa littus ;
Juxta ejus latus viretum tepidum rufarum-caprearum:
Illic surgunt turres mei desiderii.
Virgines venationis reverterunt à monte:
Vidit ille earum intuitum versùs earum tergum
Ubi (est) filia Rumaris plagarum?
Haud responderunt virgines sub tetricitate.
!
250
CONLAOCH IS CUTHONNA.
Tha mo shìth-sa air cruachan Mhòrai,
Shil innis na tìr fada shuas.
TOSCAR.
Tilleadh an òigh gu sìth-sa féin,
Gu talla nan teud aig Conlaoch:
Is caraid do Thoscar an treun;
Bha fleagh do mo réir 'na mhòr thìr.
O Eirinn éireadh osag thlàth
Cur seòla gu tràigh na Morai,
Air Mòra, tha sàmhchair do 'n òigh ghlain.
Lài Thoscair tha snàmh gu dòghruinn.
Suidhidh mise an còs fo dhian
'S mi sealladh air grian an raoin;
Tha aiteal 'sna crannaibh o'nial
'S gu ciuin tha glan ainnir neo-fhaoin,
Cuthonn nan aoidh le 'guth bròin.
Ach is fada o mo chluais an òigh
An talla Chonlaoich nan corn fial.
CUTHONNA.
C'e an nial tha tuiteam orm féin,
Tha'g iomrachadh mo threuna shuas?
Tha mi faicinn an truscainn gun fheum,
Mar liath cheò air astar mo chruaich.
C'uin a thuiteas mi, Rumair thréin ?
Tha mulad mo chléibh gu mo bhàs.
Nach fhaicinnse Conlaoch nam beum,
v. 121-144. CONLOCHUS ET CUTHONA. 251
Est mea pax super collibus Moræ,
Semen insulæ terræ procul remotæ ad occasum.
TOSCAR.
Redeat virgo ad suam pacem ipsius,
Ad aulam chordarum Conlochi:
Est amicus Toscari strenuus-(vir);
Fuit convivium ex meo animo in ejus magnâ terrâ.
Ab Ierne surgat flatus mollis
Mittens vela ad littus Moræ,
Ad Moram, est tranquilla-habitatio virgini puræ,
Dies Toscaris sunt natantes ad angorem.
Sedebo ego in cavernâ sub tegmine
Adspiciens solem agri;
Est aura in arboribus à nube
Et tranquilla est elegans virgo haud inanis,
Cuthona in eorum murmure cum ejus voce luctûs.
At est procul à meâ aure virgo
In terrâ Conlochi cornuum hospitalium.
CUTHONA.
Quænam est nubes quæ est cadens in me ipsam,
Quæ est vehens meos strenuos (viros) sursùm?
Sum ego spectans eorum amictus sine utilitate,
Veluti canam nebulam iter facientem circum montem.
Quando cadam ego, Rumar strenue?
Es dolor mei pectoris ad meam mortem.
Nonne cernam Conlochum plagarum,
252
CONLAOCH IS CUTHONNA.
Mus tuit mi an tigh chaol gun chàil?
OISIAN.
Chi thus, a ghlan òigh, do rùn féin;
Tha astar an tréin air a' chaol,
Bàs Thoscair a' dorchadh m'a shleagh.
Tha lot, is e dubh, ann a thaobh,
Gun tuar e aig tonna nan uamh,
Is e feuchainn a chruth is e baoth.
C'ait' am bheil thu féin le d' dheòir,
'S ard thriath na Mòrai gu bàs?
Thréig an aisling ghlas mo chliabh;
Cha'n fhaic mi na triatha ni's mò.
A bharda nan àm a tha gun triall,
Cuiribh cuimhn' air Conlaoch le deoir,
Thuit an gaisgeach roimh iomall a lài;
Lion dorcha a thalla le bròn.
Sheall a mhathair air a sgiath air balla;
A's bha snàmh na fala 'ga còir.
B'aithne dhi-sa gu'n thuit thu, a thréin;
Chualas a guth fo bheud am Mòra.
Am bheil thu, digh, gun tuar gun fheum
Air taobh gaisgeich nam beum, Chuthonn?
Tha oiche tighinn; tillidh ghrian
Gun duine gu 'n toirt sios gu 'n uaigh;
Tha thusa cur eunlaith fo fhiamh ;
Tha do dheura mar shìan mu do ghruaidh;
Tha thu fhéin mar nial a's e glas,
1
v. 145–170. CONLOCHUS ET CUTHONA.
153
Priusquam cadam in domum angustam sine animâ?
OSSIANUS.
Cernès tu, pura virgo, tuum desiderium ipsius;
Est iter strenui super freto,
Morte Toscaris caligante circa ejus hastam.
Est vulnus, atque illud atrum, in ejus latere,
Sine colore ille (est) juxta undas cavernarum,
Et ostendens suam formam atque illam vanam.
Ubi es tu ipse cum tuis lacrymis,
Arduo principe Moræ (morituro) ad mortem?
Reliquit somnium glaucum meum pectus;
Non cerno principes amplius.
O bardi temporum quæ non præterierunt,
Mittite memoriam super Conlochum cum lacrymis,*
Cecidit bellator ante extremum suorum dierum;
Replevit caligo ejus aulam cum luctu.
Adspexit ejus mater ad ejus clypeum ad murum;
Et erat natatio sanguinis super eo.*
Fuit notum illi quod cecidisti tu, o strenue;
Audita est ejus vox sub damno in Morâ.
An es tu, o virgo, sine colore sine vi
Ad latus bellatoris plagarum, Cuthona?
Est nox veniens; redibit sol
*
Sine viro qui eos ferat deorsum in suum sepulchrum ;
Es tu (terrefaciens) mittens alites sub metum;
Sunt tuæ lacrymæ sicut nimbus circa tuam genam;
Es tu ipse sicut nebula et illa glaucâ,
* Revocate memoriam Conlochi.
254
CONLAOCH IS CUTHONNA.
Tha 'g éirigh gu fras o lòn.
Thàinig sìol Shelma o 'n ear,
Is fhuair iad Cuthonn gun tuar;
Thog iad an uaighean gu léir;
'S bha fois d'i ri Conlaoch nam buadh.
Na gluais-sa gu m'aisling, a thréin;
Fhuair Conlaoch nam beum a chliu;
Cùm fada do ghuth o mo thalla ;
Tuiteadh cadal fo fhaileus na h-oiché.
Truagh! nach dichuimhnichin mo chàirde
Gus nach fhaicear air ard mo cheum
Gus an tighinn le sòlas na 'n gara,
An dheighs mo chairis gun fheum
Le beud na h-aois chuir 'sa chaol-tigh fhuar.
v. 171–184. CONLOCHUS ET CUTHONA. 255
Quæ est surgens ad imbrem à prato.
Venit semen Selmæ ab oriente,
Et invenit Cuthonam sine colore;
Elevârunt illi eorum sepulchra omnium ;
Et fuit requies illi juxta Conlochum victoriarum,
Ne move-te ad meum somnium, o strenue;
Nactus est Conlochus plagarum suam famam;
Tene procul tuam vocem à meâ aulâ ;
Cadat somnus sub umbrâ noctis.
Miserum! quod non obliviscor meos amicos
Donec non cernatur apud superos meum vestigium
Usque dum veniam cum gaudio in eorum viciniam,
Postquam meum corpus inutile
Damno senectutis deponetur in angustâ domo frigidâ.
:
1
NOTES.
VOL. III.
S
[ 259 ]
NOTES TO TEMORA.
DUAN III.
P. 6. v. 43. AN lann a thug e o Shrumon suus,
'Nuair cheileadh o chruadal Morni.] Strumon, stream of
the hill, the name of the seat of the family of Gaul, in the neighbour-
hood of Selma. During Gaul's expedition to Tromathon, mentioned in
the poem of Oithona, Morni, his father, died. Morni ordered the sword
of Strumon, (which had been preserved in the family as a relique, from
the days of Colgach, the most renowned of his ancestors) to be laid by
his side, in the tomb: at the same time, leaving it in charge to his son,
not to take it from thence, till he was reduced to the last extremity.
Not long after, two of his brothers being slain in battle, by Coldaronnan,
chief of Clutha, Gaul went to his father's tomb to take the sword. His
address to the spirit of the deceased hero is the subject of the following
short poem:
GAUL. “Breaker of echoing shields, whose head is deep in shades ;
bear me from the darkness of Clora; O son of Colgach, hear!
"No rustling, like the eagle's wing, comes over the course of my
streams. Deep bosomed in the midst of the desert, O king of Strumon,
hear!
"Dwellest thou in the shadowy breeze, that pours its dark wave over
the grass? Cease to strew the beard of the thistle; O chief of Clora,
hear!
"Or ridest thou on a beam, amidst the dark trouble of clouds?
Pourest thou the loud wind on seas, to roll their blue waves over isles?
hear me, father of Gaul; amidst thy terrors, hear!
"The rustling of eagles is heard, the murmuring oaks shake their
heads on the hills: dreadful and pleasant is thy approach, friend of the
dwelling of heroes.
MORNI. "Who awakes me, in the midst of my cloud, where my
locks of mist spread on the winds? Mixed with the noise of streams,
why rises the voice of Gaul?
GAUL. "My foes are around me, Morni: their dark ships descend
260
NOTES TO TEMORA.
from their waves. Give the sword of Strumon, that beam which thou
hidest in thy night.
MORNI. "Take the sword of resounding Strumon; I look on thy
war, my son; I look a dim meteor, from my cloud: blue-shielded Gaul,
destroy."
P. 6. v. 45. Sheas Fillean o Shelma thall,] Clatho was the daughter
of Cathulla, king of Inistore. Fingal, in one of his expeditions to that
island, fell in love with Clatho, and took her to wife, after the death of
Ros-crana, the daughter of Cormac, king of Ireland.
Clatho was the mother of Ryno, Fillan, and Bosmina, mentioned in
the battle of Lora. Fillan is often called the son of Clatho, to distin-
guish him from those sons which Fingal had by Ros-crana.
P. 10. v. 81. Bi-sa, Oisein, ri laimh d'athar.] Ullin being sent to
Morven with the body of Oscar, Ossian attends his father, in quality of
chief bard.
P. 12. v. 120. Co ach Morni nan eacha srann?] The expedition of
Morni to Clutha, alluded to here, is handed down in tradition.
P. 14. v. 144. Mo shuile claon ri coille Chromla.] The mountain
Cromla was in the neighbourhood of the scene of this poem; which was
nearly the same with that of Fingal.
P. 16. v. 178. Ghairm e triath Chormuil o'n Dùn
Ratho nan tùr; is chual e.] Corm-uil, blue-eye. Dun-
ratho, a hill, with a plain on its top. Foldath dispatches here, Cormul
to lie in ambush behind the army of the Caledonians. This speech suits
with the character of Foldath, which is, throughout, haughty and pre-
sumptuous. Towards the latter end of this speech, we find the opinion
of the times, concerning the unhappiness of the souls of those who were
buried without the funeral song. This doctrine was inculcated by the
bards, to make their order respectable and necessary.
P. 20. v. 231. Turlath, &c.] Tur-lath or Tur-lathon, broad trunk of
a tree. Moruth, great stream. Oichaoma, mild maid. Dun-lora, the
hill of the noisy stream. Duth-caron, dark-brown man.
P. 22. v. 269. 'Og Fhillean fo gharbh sgeith Chormuil
'Ga sgaoileadh mor fa chòir an triath.] Fillan had been
dispatched by Gaul to oppose Cormul, who had been sent by Foldath to
lie in ambush behind the Caledonian army. It appears that Fillan had
killed Cormul, otherwise he could not be supposed to have possessed
himself of the shield of that chief.
NOTES TO TEMORA.
261
P. 24. v. 275. Mu Lumon nan crann fuaimear.] Lumon, bending
hill; a mountain in Inis-huna, or that part of South Britain which is
over against the Irish coast.
P. 26. v. 314. C'uim tha Emhir chaoin fo bhron?] Emhir-chaoin, or
chaomh, mild, or kind maid, the wife of Gaul. She was the daughter of
Casdu-conglass, chief of Idronlo, one of the Hebrides.
P. 28. v. 347. Bha Fionnghal an sin fo a neart,
Sgiath fhior-ian m' a bheart a fuaim,] The kings of
Caledonia and Ireland had a plume of eagle's feathers, by way of orna-
ment, in their helmets. It was from this distinguished mark that Ossian
knew Cathmor, in the second book.
P. 30. v. 372. Bha d'oìge, a threin, measg m'oige: &c.] After the
death of Comhal, and during the usurpation of the tribe of Morni,
Fingal was educated in private by Duthcaron. It was then he contracted
that intimacy with Connal, the son of Duthcaron, which occasions his
regretting so much his fall. When Fingal was grown up, he soon reduced
the tribe of Morni; and, as it appears from the subsequent episode, sent
Duthcaron and his son Connal to the aid of Cormac, the son of Conar,
king of Ireland, who was driven to the last extremity, by the insurrec-
tions of the Firbolg. This episode throws farther light on the contests
between the Cael and Firbolg.
P. 32. v. 385. Duthula,] A river in Connaught; it signifies, dark-
rushing water.
P. 32. v. 396.
Colc ullamh ard cheannard nan sluagh
Triath Atha nan stuadh gorma.] Colc-ullamh, firm look
in readiness; he was the brother of Borbar-duthul, the father of Cairbar
and Cathmor, who, after the death of Cormac, the son of Artho, suc-
cessively mounted the Irish throne.
P. 32. v. 399. Las Cormac an taobh na stri
Glan mar chruthaibh a shinns're féin.] Cormac, the
son of Conar, the second king of Ireland, of the race of the Caledonians.
This insurrection of the Firbolg happened towards the latter end of the
long reign of Cormac. He never possessed the Irish throne peaceably.
The party of the family of Atha had made several attempts to overturn
the succession in the race of Cona, before they effected it, in the mino-
rity of Cormac, the son of Artho. Ireland, from the most ancient
accounts concerning it, seems to have been always so disturbed by
domestic commotions, that it is difficult to say whether it ever was, for
262
NOTES TO TEMORA.
any length of time, subject to one monarch. It is certain, that every
province, if not every small district, had its own king. One of these
petty princes assumed, at times, the title of King of Ireland, and, on
account of his superior force, or in cases of public danger, was acknow-
ledged by the rest as such; but the succession from father to son, does
not appear to have been established. It was the divisions amongst
themselves, arising from the bad constitution of their government, that
at last, subjected the Irish to a foreign yoke.
P. 32. v. 406. Mar cheò a tha taomadh sa triall
Theich a ghaisgich o'n triath Cormac.] The inhabitants
of Ullin or Ulster, who were of the race of the Caledonians, seem, alone,
to have been the firm friends to the succession in the family of Conar.
The Firbolg were only subject to them by constraint, and embraced
every opportunity to throw off their yoke.
P. 36. v. 440. Ghluais ceuma Cholgair a null
Bard Thighmòra nan ard fhuaim.] Colgar, the son of
Cathmul, was the principal bard of Cormac, king of Ireland. The
following dialogue, on the loves of Fingal and Ros-crana, may be ascribed
to him:
ROS-CRANA. By night, came a dream to Ros-crana! I feel my
beating soul. No vision of the forms of the dead came to the blue eyes
of Erin. But, rising from the wave of the north, I beheld him bright
in his locks. I beheld the son of the king. My beating soul is high. I
laid my head down in night; again ascended the form. Why delayest
thou thy coming, young rider of stormy waves ?
But there, far distant, he comes; where seas roll their green ridges in
mist! Young dweller of my soul; why dost thou delay?—
FINGAL. It was the soft voice of Moi-lena! the pleasant breeze of
the valley of roes; But why dost thou hide thee in shades? Young love
of heroes rise! Are not thy steps covered with light? In thy groves thou
appearest, Ros-crana, like the sun in the gathering of clouds. Why dost
thou hide thee in shades? Young love of heroes rise!
ROS-CRANA. My fluttering soul is high: let me turn from the
steps of the king. He has heard my secret voice, and shall my blue eyes
roll in his presence? Roe of the hill of moss, toward thy dwelling I move.
Meet me, ye breezes of Mora! as I move through the valley of winds.
But why should he ascend his ocean? Son of heroes, my soul is thine!
My steps shall not move to the desert: the light of Ros-crana is here.
NOTES TO TEMORA.
263
FINGAL. It was the light tread of a ghost, the fair dweller of eddy-
ing winds. Why deceivest thou me with thy voice? Here let me rest in
shades. Shouldst thou stretch thy white arm from thy grove, thou sun-
beam of Cormac of Erin!
ROS-CRANA. He is gone; and my blue eyes are dim; faint-rolling
in all my tears. But, there, I behold him, alone; king of Selma, my soul
is thine. Ah me! what clanging of armour! Colc-ulla of Atha is near!
DUAN IV.
P. 46. v. 1. Fo dharaig" so labhair an righ, &c.] This episode has an
immediate connection with the story of Connal and Duth-caron, in the
latter end of the third book. Fingal, sitting beneath an oak, near the
palace of Selma, discovers Connal just landing from Ireland. The
danger which threatened Cormac king of Ireland induces him to sail
immediately to that island. The story is introduced, by the king, as a
pattern for the future behaviour of Fillan, whose rashness in the preceding
battle is reprimanded.
P. 48. v. 28. Bhuail mi is choimhid mi suas
Mu ruadh-chiabh is teine Ul-Eirinn.] Ul-erin, the guide
to Ireland, a star known by that name in the days of Fingal, and very
useful to those who sailed, by night, from the Hebrides, or Caledonia, to
the coast of Ulster.
P. 48. v. 42. Roscranna nam gorm-shuil gun bheud, &c.] Ros-crana,
the beam of the rising sun; she was the mother of Ossian. The Irish
bards relate strange fictions concerning this princess. Their stories,
however, concerning Fingal, if they mean him by Fion Mac-Comnal, are
so inconsistent and notoriously fabulous, that they do not deserve to be
mentioned; for they evidently bear, along with them, the marks of late
invention.
P. 50. v. 56. Ge mòr iad, theid an taomadh sios
O m'anam, is e g eirigh suas ;] Cormac had said that
the foes were like the roar of streams, and Fingal continues the metaphor.
The speech of the young hero is spirited, and consistent with that sedate
intrepidity, which eminently distinguishes his character throughout.
P. 52. v. 74. Ach feith-sa ri Cairbre, a thréin,] Cairbar, the son of
Cormac, was afterwards king of Ireland. His reign was short. He was
1
:
264
NOTES TO TEMORA.
succeeded by his son Artho, the father of that Cormac who was mur-
dered by Cairbar the son of Borbar-duthul. Cairbar, the son of Cormac,
long after his son Artho was grown to man's estate, had, by his wife
Beltanno, another son, whose name was Ferad-Artho. He was the only
one remaining of the race of Conar, the first king of Ireland, when Fingal's
expedition against Cairbar the son of Borbar-duthul happened. See
more of Ferad-Artho in the eighth book.
P. 52. v. 88. Mar ghlan thaibhs an iomairt a triall
Leth cheilte an cearb nan dubh nial.] The attitude of
Ros-crana is illustrated by this simile; for the ideas of those times, con-
cerning the spirits of the deceased, were not so gloomy and disagreeable,
as those of succeeding ages. The spirits of women, it was supposed,
retained that beauty, which they possessed while living, and transported
themselves, from place to place, with that gliding motion, which Homer
ascribes to the gods. The descriptions which poets, less ancient than
Ossian, have left us of those beautiful figures, that appeared sometimes
on the hills, are elegant and picturesque. They compare them to the
rainbow on streams; or, the gilding of sun-beams on the hills.
A chief who lived three centuries ago, returning from the war, under-
stood that his wife or mistress was dead. A bard introduces him speaking
the following soliloquy, when he came within sight of the place, where he
had left her, at his departure:
"My soul darkens in sorrow. I behold not the smoak of my hall.
No grey dog bounds at my streams. Silence dwells in the valley of
trees.
"Is that a rainbow on Crunath? It flies: and the sky is dark. Again,
thou movest, bright, on the heath, thou sun-beam clothed in a shower!
Hah! it is she, my love! her gliding course on the bosom of winds!"
In succeeding times the beauty of Ros-crana passed into a proverb;
and the highest compliment, that could be paid to a woman, was to
compare her person with the daughter of Cormac.
'S tu fein an Ros-cranna.
Siol Chormaic na n'ioma lann.
P. 56. v. 135. Teann air ag aomadh air carraig
Tha Sùilmhall bhanail nan gorm-shuil, &c.] In order
to illustrate this passage, I shall give, here, the history on which it is
founded, as I have gathered it from tradition. The nation of the Firbolg
NOTES TO TEMORA.
265
who inhabited the south of Ireland, being originally descended from the
Belge, who possessed the south and south-west coast of Britain, kept
up, for many ages, an amicable correspondence with their mother-
country; and sent aid to the British Belgæ, when they were pressed by
the Romans or other new comers from the continent. Conmor, king of
Inis-huna (that part of South Britain which is over against the Irish
coast) being attacked, by what enemy is not mentioned, sent for aid to
Cairbar, lord of Atha, the most potent chief of the Firbolg. Cairbar
dispatched his brother Cathmor to the assistance of Con-mor. Cathmor,
after various vicissitudes of fortune, put an end to the war, by the total
defeat of the enemies of Inis-huna, and returned in triumph to the resi-
dence of Con-mor. There, at a feast, Sul-malla, the daughter of Con-mor,
fell desperately in love with Cathmor, who, before her passion was
disclosed, was recalled to Ireland by his brother Cairbar, upon the news
of the intended expedition of Fingal, to re-establish the family of Conar
on the Irish throne. The wind being contrary, Cathmor remained, for
three days, in a neighbouring bay, during which time Sul-malla disguised
herself in the habit of a young warrior, and came to offer him her service
in the war.
Cathmor accepted of the proposal, sailed for Ireland, and
arrived in Ulster a few days before the death of Cairbar.
P. 56. v. 136. Sùilmhall, &c.] Suil-mhall, slowly-rolling eyes. Caon-
mor, mild and tall. Inis-huna, green island.
P. 56. v. 146. Thainig Fili nan luaidh le dàn
O shruthaibh a's chruaichaibh Eirinn.] Fili, an inferior
bard. It may either be taken here for the proper name of a man, or in
the literal sense, as the bards were the heralds and messengers of those
times. Cathmor, it is probable, was absent, when the rebellion of his
brother Cairbar, and the assassination of Cormac, king of Ireland, hap-
pened. Cathmor and his followers had only arrived, from Inis-huna,
three days before the death of Cairbar, which sufficiently clears his
character from any imputation of being concerned in the conspiracy with
his brother.
P. 56. v. 148. Labhair e mu thogail na sgeithe
An Selma nan triath; &c.] The ceremony which was
used by Fingal, when he prepared for an expedition, is related thus in
tradition: A bard, at midnight, went to the hall, where the tribes feasted
upon solemn occasions, raised the war song, and thrice called the spirits
of their deceased ancestors to come, on their clouds, to behold the actions
266
NOTES TO TEMORA.
of their children. He then fixed the shield of Trenmor on a tree on the
rock of Selma, striking it, at times, with the blunt end of a spear, and
singing the war-song between. Thus he did, for three successive nights,
and, in the mean time, messengers were dispatched to call together the
tribes; or, to use an ancient expression, to call them from all their streams.
This phrase alludes to the situation of the residences of the clans, which
were generally fixed in valleys, where the torrents of the neighbouring
mountains were collected into one body, and became large streams or
rivers. The lifting up of the shield, was the phrase for beginning a war.
P. 58. v. 177. Sheas arda nan triath mu'n cuairt
Ach Foldath nan dubh ruadh fabhraid, &c.] The surły
attitude of Foldath is a proper preamble to his after-behaviour. Chafed
with the disappointment of the victory which he promised himself, he
becomes passionate and overbearing. The quarrel which succeeds be-
tween him and Malthos, is introduced to raise the character of Cathmor,
whose superior worth shines forth in his manly manner of ending the
difference between the chiefs.
P. 60. v. 189. Claonrath.] Claon-rath, winding field. The th are
seldom pronounced audibly in the Gaelic language.
P. 62. v. 221. Righ Eirinn," thuirt Malthos an triath,
Leat fein-sa tha riaghladh nam blar; &c.] This speech
of Malthos is, throughout, a severe reprimand to the blustering beha-
viour of Foldath.
P. 64. v. 256. Thuit iad sios o thaobh an trein
Mar dha mheall dubh do cheo san iar, &c.] This com-
parison is favourable to the superiority of Cathmor over his two chiefs.
I shall illustrate this passage by another from a fragment of an ancient
poem, just now in my hands. " As the sun is above the vapours, which
his beams have raised; so is the soul of the king above the sons of fear.
They roll dark below him; he rejoices in the robe of his beams. But
when feeble deeds wander on the soul of the king, he is a darkened sun
rolled along the sky; the valley is sad below; flowers wither beneath the
drops of the night."
P. 66. v. 271. Ghluais a ghuth mu mholadh an righ
Ard shiol Larthoinn o fhrith Lumoin.] Lear-thon, sea
wave, the name of the chief of that colony of the Firbolg, which first
migrated into Ireland. Larthon's first settlement in that country is
related in the seventh book. He was the ancestor of Cathmor; and is
NOTES TO TEMORA.
267
here called Larthon of Lumon, from a high hill of that name in Inis-
huna, the ancient seat of the Firbolg. The character of Cathmor is pre-
served. He had mentioned, in the first book, the aversion of that chief
to praise, and we find him here lying at the side of a stream, that the
noise of it might drown the voice of Fonar, who, according to the custom
of the times, sung his eulogium in his evening song. Though other chiefs,
as well as Cathmor, might be averse to hear their own praise, we find it
the universal policy of the times, to allow the bards to be as extravagant
as they pleased in their encomiums on the leaders of armies, in the pre-
sence of their people. The vulgar, who had no great ability to judge for
themselves, received the characters of their princes entirely upon the
faith of their bards.
P. 66. v. 280. O Charull ghluais dana gu triath ;] Carull, the son of
Kinfena, by the orders of Ossian, sung the funeral elegy at the tomb of
Cairbar. See the second book, towards the end. In all these poems,
the visits of ghosts, to their living friends, are short, and their language
obscure, both which circumstances tend to throw a solemn gloom on
these supernatural scenes. Towards the latter end of the speech of the
ghost of Cairbar, he foretels the death of Cathmor, by enumerating those
signals, which, according to the opinion of the times, preceded the death
of a person renowned. It was thought that the ghosts of deceased bards
sung, for three nights preceding the death (near the place where his
tomb was to be raised), round an unsubstantial figure which represented
the body of the person who was to die.
P. 68. v. 314. 'Se guth mo bhrathar fein a bh' ann ; &c.] The soli-
loquy of Cathmor suits the magnanimity of his character. Though
staggered at first with the prediction of Cairbar's ghost, he soon comforts
himself with the agreeable prospect of his future renown; and, like
Achilles, prefers a short and glorious life to an obscure length of years
in retirement and ease.
P. 70. v. 338. An gleannan diomhair nan sruthmall
Fanaidh anam nach sàr fo mhuig; &c.] An indolent
and unwarlike life was held in extreme contempt. Whatever a philoso-
pher may say, in praise of quiet and retirement, I am far from thinking,
but they weaken and debase the human mind. When the faculties of the
soul are not exerted, they lose their vigour, and low and circumscribed
notions take the place of noble and enlarged ideas. Action, on the con-
trary, and the vicissitudes of fortune which attend it, call forth, by turns,
268
NOTES TO TEMORA.
all the powers of the mind, and, by exercising, strengthen them. Hence
it is, that in great and opulent states, when property and indolence are
secured to individuals, we seldom meet with that strength of mind which
is so common in a nation not far advanced in civilization. It is a curious,
but just observation, that great kingdoms seldom produce great charac-
ters, which must be altogether attributed to that indolence and dissipa-
tion, which are the inseparable companions of too much property and
security. Rome, it is certain, had more real great men within it, when
its power was confined within the narrow bounds of Latium, than when
its dominion extended over all the known world; and one petty state of
the Saxon heptarchy had, perhaps, as much genuine spirit in it, as the
two British kingdoms united. As a state, we are much more powerful than
our ancestors, but we would lose by comparing individuals with them.
P. 74. v. 399. Bhuail e copan caismeachd a sgeithe
Aite comhnuidh guth ciar nam blàr. &c.] In order to
understand this passage, it is necessary to look to the decription of
Cathmor's shield in the seventh book. This shield had seven principal
bosses, the sound of each of which, when struck with a spear, conveyed
a particular order from the king to his tribes. The sound of one of them,
as here, was the signal for the army to assemble.
P. 76. v. 411.
Bha ceuma glan air chúl nan carn
Aig gorm shruthan nam blàr air chòmhnard;] This
was not the valley of Lona to which Sul-malla afterwards retired.
P. 78. v. 438. Thig taibhse ar sinns're an guth
Gu anam tha dubhach fo bhròn,] Con-mor, the father
of Sul-malla, was killed in that war, from which Cathmor delivered Inis-
huna. Lormar his son succeeded Conmor. It was the opinion of the
times, when a person was reduced to a pitch of misery, which could
admit of no alleviation, that the ghosts of his ancestors called his soul
away. This supernatural kind of death was called the voice of the dead;
and is believed by the superstitious vulgar to this day.
There is no people in the world, perhaps, who give more universal
credit to apparitions, and the visits of the ghosts of the deceased to their
friends, than the ancient Scots. This is to be attributed as much, at
least, to the situation of the country they possess, as to that credulous
disposition which distinguishes an unenlightened people. As their busi-
ness was feeding of cattle, in dark and extensive deserts, so their journeys
lay over wide and unfrequented heaths, where, often, they were obliged
NOTES TO TEMORA.
269
to sleep in the open air, amidst the whistling of winds, and roar of water-
falls. The gloominess of the scenes around them was apt to beget that
melancholy disposition of mind, which most readily receives impressions
of the extraordinary and supernatural kind. Falling asleep in this
gloomy mood, and their dreams being disturbed by the noise of the ele-
ments around, it is no matter of wonder, that they thought they heard
the voice of the dead. This voice of the dead, however, was, perhaps, no
more than a shriller whistle of the winds in an old tree, or in the chinks
of a neighbouring rock. It is to this cause I ascribe those many and
improbable tales of ghosts, which we meet with in the Highlands: for, in
other respects, we do not find that the inhabitants are more credulous
than their neighbours.
DUAN V.
P. 84. v.7. LORA] Lora is often mentioned; it was a small and
rapid stream in the neighbourhood of Selma. There is no vestige of this
name now remaining; though it appears from a very old song, which the
translator has seen, that one of the small rivers on the north-west coast
was called Lora some centuries ago.
*
P. 86. v. 18. Tha Lubar à dealradh a' m' fhianuis
Si taomadh gu fiar ro' ghleann ; &c.] Fròm several pas-
sages in the poem we may form a distinct idea of the scene of the action
of Temora. At a small distance from one another rose the hills of Mora
and Lora; the first possessed by Fingal, the second by the army of
Cathmor. Through the intermediate plain ran the small river Lubar,
on the banks of which all the battles were fought, excepting that between
Cairbar and Oscar, related in the first book. This last-mentioned engage-
ment happened to the north of the hill of Mora, of which Fingal took
possession, after the army of Cairbar fell back to that of Cathmor. A
some distance, but within sight of Mora, towards the west, Lubar issued
from the mountain of Crommal, and, after a short course through the
plain of Moi-lena, discharged itself into the sea near the field of battle.
*The preceding note by Macpherson regarding Lora is here retained,
not as answering the description given of it by Ossian; but that the
reader may compare it with what is said respecting Lora in the descrip-
tion given of Selma at the end of this volume.
270
NOTES TO TEMORA.
Behind the mountain of Crommal ran the small stream of Lavath, on
the banks of which Ferad-artho, the son of Cairbre, the only person
remaining of the race of Cona, lived concealed in a cave, during the
usurpation of Cairbar, the son of Borbar-duthul.
P. 88. v. 48. Tha gleannan uaine sgaoilte thall, &c.] It was to this
valley Sul-malla retired, during the last and decisive battle between
Fingal and Cathmor. It is described in the seventh book, where it is
called the vale of Lona, and the residence of a Druid.
P. 92. v. 114. Mhic Fionnghail tog sgiath ri m' thaobh,] It is neces-
sary to remember, that Gaul was wounded; which occasions his requiring
here the assistance of Ossian to bind his shield on his side.
P. 96. v. 160. Rothmar, &c.] Roth-mar, the sound of the sea before a
Drumanard, high ridge. Cul-min, soft-haired.
storm.
beautiful locks. Strutha, streamy river.
P. 96. v. 169.
Mar thuiteas clach Loda le fuaim
Cull-allin,
O iomal cruaiche nan druimard,] By the stone of Loda
is meant a place of worship among the Scandinavians. The Caledonians,
in their many expeditions to Orkney and Scandinavia, became acquainted
with some of the rites of the religion which prevailed in those countries,
and the ancient poetry frequently alludes to them. There are some
ruins, and circular pales of stone, remaining still in Orkney, and the
islands of Shetland, which retain, to this day, the name of Loda or Loden.
They seem to have differed, materially, in their construction, from those
Druidical monuments which remain in Britain, and the western isles.
The places of worship among the Scandinavians were originally rude
and unadorned. In after ages, when they opened a communication
with other nations, they adopted their manners, and built temples. That
at Upsal, in Sweden, was amazingly rich and magnificent. Harquin, of
Norway, built one, near Drontheim, little inferior to the former; and it
went always under the name of Loden. Mallet, introduction à l'Histoire
de Dannemarc.
•
P. 96. v. 183. C'uim a Chùilmhìn gu treun dhearrsa?
Teich gu luath a mhic Chúil-aluin ;] The poet, metapho-
rically, calls Fillan a beam of light. Culmin, mentioned here, was the
son of Clonmar, chief of Strutha, by the beautiful Cul-allin. She was
so remarkable for the beauty of her person, that she is introduced, fre-
quently, in the similes and allusions of ancient poetry. Mar Chulaluin
Strutha nan sian; Lovely as Cul-allin of Strutha of the storms.
NOTES TO TEMORA.
271
P. 98. v. 193. Tha donnal chon' nan àite fèin,
A sgiath gun fheum'san tall' am fuil.] Dogs were
thought to be sensible of the death of their master, let it happen at ever
so great´a distance. It was also the opinion of the times, that the arms
which warriors left at home became bloody, when they themselves fell
in battle. It was from those signs that Cul-allin is supposed to under-
stand that her son is killed; in which she is confirmed by the appear-
ance of his ghost. Her sudden and short exclamation is more judicious
in the poet, than if she had extended her complaints to a greater length.
The attitude of the fallen youth, and Fillan's reflections over him, come
forcibly back on the mind, when we consider, that the supposed situa-
tion of the father of Culmin was so similar to that of Fingal, after the
death of Fillan himself.
P. 100. v. 241. An caol ghleannan Chlòna fo dhubh &c.] This valley
had its name from Clono, son of Lethmal of Lora, one of the ancestors
of Dermid, the son of Duthno. His history is thus related in an old
poem. In the days of Conar, the son of Trenmor, the first king of Ire-
land, Clono passed over into that kingdom, from Caledonia, to aid Conar
against the Firbolg. Being remarkable for the beauty of his person, he
soon drew the attention of Sulinin, the young wife of an Irish chief. She
disclosed her passion, which was not properly returned by the Caledo-
nian. The lady sickened through disappointment, and her love for Clono
came to the ears of her husband. Fired with jealousy, he vowed re-
venge. Clono, to avoid his rage, departed from Temora, in order to pass
over into Scotland; and, being benighted in the valley mentioned here,
he laid him down to sleep. There Lethmal descended in the dreams of
Clono, and told him that danger was near.
GHOST OF LETHMAL. "Arise from thy bed of moss, son of low-
laid Lethmal, arise! The sound of the coming of foes descends along
the wind.
CLONO. "Whose voice is that, like many streams, in the season of
my rest?
GHOST OF LETHMAL. "Arise, thou dweller of the souls of the
lovely; son of Lethmal, arise!
CLONO. "How dreary is the night! The moon is darkened in the
sky; red are the paths of ghosts along its sullen face! Green-skirted me-
teors set around. Dull is the roaring of streams, from the valley of dim
272
NOTES TO TEMORA.
forms I hear thee, spirit of my father, on the eddying course of the wind.
I hear thee; but thou bendest not, forward, thy tall form, from the skirts
of night."
As Clono prepared to depart, the husband of Sulmin came up, with his
numerous attendants. Clono defended himself, but, after a gallant re-
sistance, he was overpowered and slain. He was buried in the place
where he was killed, and the valley was called after his name. Dermid,
in his request to Gaul, the son of Morni, which immediately follows this
paragraph, alludes to the tomb of Clono, and his own connection with
that unfortunate chief.
P. 106. v. 318. Ma seach tha ceuma nan righ.] Fingal and Cathmor.
•
P. 108. v. 332. Thuit Foldath gu mall air a sgeith,] The fall of Fol-
dath, if we may believe tradition, was predicted to him, before he had
left his own country to join Cairbar, in his designs on the Irish throne.
He went to the cave of Moma, to enquire of the spirits of his fathers,
concerning the success of the enterprise of Cairbar. The responses of
oracles are always attended with obscurity, and liable to a double mean-
ing: Foldath, therefore, put a favourable interpretation on the predic-
tion, and pursued his adopted plan of aggrandizing himself with the
family of Atha.
FOLDATH, addressing the spirits of his fathers.
“Dark, I stand in your presence; fathers of Foldath, hear! Shall my
steps pass over Atha, to Ullin of the roes?
The Answer.
"Thy steps shall pass over Atha, to the green dwelling of kings. There
shall thy stature arise, over the fallen, like a pillar of thunder-clouds.
There, terrible in darkness, shalt thou stand, till the reflected beam, or
Clon-cath of Moruth, come; Moruth of many streams, that roars in
distant lands."
Cloncath, or reflected beam, say my traditional authors, was the name
of the sword of Fillan; so that it was, in the latent signification of the
word Cloncath that the deception lay. My principal reason for intro-
ducing this note, is, that this tradition serves to shew, that the religion
of the Fir-bolg differed from that of the Caledonians, as we never find
the latter enquiring of the spirits of their deceased ancestors.
NOTES TO TEMORA.
273
P. 108. v. 342. Chunnaic Malthos am Foldath air làr &c.] The cha-
racters of Foldath and Malthos are sustained. They were both dark and
surly, but each in a different way. Foldath was impetuous and cruel :
Malthos stubborn and incredulous. Their attachment to the family of
Atha was equal; their bravery in battle the same. Foldath was vain and
ostentatious: Malthos unindulgent but generous. His behaviour here,
towards his enemy Foldath, shews, that a good heart often lies concealed
under a gloomy and sullen character.
P. 108. v. 352. An eirich do liath chlach an Ullin,
No air Mòma nan iomadh coill', &c.] Moma was the
name of a country in the south of Connaught, once famous for being the
residence of an Arch-Druid. The cave of Moma was thought to be inha-
bited by the spirits of the chiefs of the Fir-bolg, and their posterity sent
to enquire there, as to an oracle, concerning the issue of their wars. Dal-
ruath, parched or sandy field. The etymology of Dardulena is uncertain.
The daughter of Foldath was, probably, so called, from a place in Ulster,
where her father had defeated part of the adherents of Artho king of
Ireland. Dor-du-lena; the dark wood of Moi-lena. As Foldath was proud
and ostentatious, it would appear, that he transferred the name of a place,
where he himself had been victorious, to his daughter.
P. 112. v. 396. Ghluais Cathmor fo thlachd nan gorm sgiath.] The
suspense, in which the mind of the reader is left here, conveys the idea
of Fillan's danger more forcibly home, than any description that could
be introduced. There is a sort of eloquence in silence with propriety.
A minute detail of the circumstances of an important scene is generally
cold and insipid. The human mind, free and fond of thinking for itself,
is disgusted to find every thing done by the poet. It is, therefore, his
business only to mark the most striking outlines, and to allow the ima-
ginations of his readers to finish the figure for themselves.
The book ends in the afternoon of the third day, from the opening of
the poem.
VOL. III.
}]}
1
?
274
NOTES TO TEMORA.
DUAN VI.
P. 120. v. 1. FINGAL speaks.
P. 122. v. 26. Sleagh Thigmòra.] The spear of Temora was that which
Oscar had received, in a present, from Cormac, the son of Artho, king
of Ireland. It was of it that Cairbar made the pretext for quarrelling
with Oscar, at the feast, in the first book.
P. 132. v. 164. C'uim a bhiodh bard a comhradh
M'an dearrsa og o chavin Chlatho ?] A dialogue be-
tween Clatho the mother, and Bosmina the sister of Fillan :
CLATHO. "Daughter of Fingal arise! thou light between thy locks.
Lift thy fair head from rest, soft-gliding sun-beam of Selma! I beheld
thy arms, on thy breast, white tossed amidst thy wandering locks; when
the rustling breeze of the morning came from the desert of streams.
Hast thou seen thy fathers, Bos-mina, descending in thy dreams? Arise,
daughter of Clatho; dwells there aught of grief in thy soul?
BOS-MINA. “A thin form passed before me, fading as it flew : like
the darkening wave of a breeze, along a field of grass. Descend, from
thy wall, O harp, and call back the soul of Bos-mina; it has rolled away,
like a stream. I hear thy pleasant sound. I hear thee, O harp, and my
voice shall rise.
"How often shall ye rush to war, ye dwellers of my soul? Your paths
are distant, kings of men, in Erin of blue streams. Lift thy wing, thou
southern breeze, from Clono's darkening heath: spread the sails of Fingal
toward the bays of his land.
"But who is that, in his strength, darkening in the presence of war?
His arm stretches to the foe, like the beam of the sickly sun; when his
side is crusted with darkness, and he rolls his dismal course through the
sky. Who is it, but the father of Bos-mina? Shall he return till danger
is past?
“Fillan, thou art a beam by his side; beautiful, but terrible, is thy
light. Thy sword is before thee, a blue fire of night. When shalt thou
return to thy roes; to the streams of thy rushy fields? When shall I be-
hold thee from Mora, while winds strew my long locks on their blasts?
But shall a young eagle return from the field where the heroes fall?
CLATHO. “Soft, as the song of Loda, is the voice of Selma's maid.
NOTES TO TEMORA.
275
Pleasant to the ear of Clatho is the name of the breaker of shields.
Behold, the king comes from ocean; the shield of Morven is borne by
bards. The foe has fled before him, like the departure of mist. I hear
not the sounding wings of my eagle; the rushing forth of the son of Clatho.
Thou art dark, O Fingal; shall the warrior never return?” ****
P. 134. v. 200. Caithidh mis' an namhaid am feirg.] Here the sen-
tence is designedly left unfinished. The sense is, that he was resolved,
like a destroying fire, to consume Cathmor, who had killed his brother.
In the midst of this resolution, the situation of Fingal suggests itself to
him in a very strong light. He resolves to return to assist the king in
prosecuting the war. But then his shame for not defending his brother
recurs to him. He is determined again to go and find out Cathmor.
We may consider him, as in the act of advancing towards the enemy,
when the horn of Fingal sounded on Mora, and called back his people
to his presence. This soliloquy is natural: the resolutions which so sud-
denly follow one another, are expressive of a mind extremely agitated
with sorrow and conscious shame; yet the behaviour of Ossian, in his
execution of the commands of Fingal, is so irreprehensible, that it is not
easy to determine where he failed in his duty. The truth is, that when
men fail in designs which they ardently wish to accomplish, they natu-
rally blame themselves, as the chief cause of their disappointment.
. P. 136. v. 225. Fada thall m'an righ air Mora
Thaom Morbhein o bhriseadh an raoin.] "This scene,"
says an ingenious writer, and a good judge," is solemn. The poet always
places his chief character amidst objects which favour the sublime. The
face of the country, the night, the broken remains of a defeated army,
and, above all, the attitude and silence of Fingal himself, are circum-
stances calculated to impress an awful idea on the mind. Ossian is most
successful in his night descriptions. Dark images suited the melancholy
temper of his mind. His poems were all composed after the active part
of his life was over, when he was blind, and had survived all the compa-
nions of his youth: we therefore find a veil of melancholy thrown over
the whole."
P. 138. v. 242. A nis a ghluais am focal suas ;
Dh'aom an sluagh air ais o ghuth.] I owe the first
paragraph of the following note to the same pen:
“The abashed behaviour of the army of Fingal proceeds rather from
shame than fear. The king was not of a tyrannical disposition: He, as
1
276
NOTES TO TEMORA.
his
he professes himself in the fifth book, never was a dreadful form, in their
presence, darkened into wrath. His voice was no thunder to their ears;
eye sent forth no death. The first ages of society are not the times
of arbitrary power. As the wants of mankind are few, they retain their
independence. It is an advanced state of civilization that moulds the
mind to that submission to government, of which ambitious magistrates
take advantage, and raise themselves into absolute power.”
It is a vulgar error, that the common Highlanders lived in abject sla-
very under their chiefs. Their high ideas of, and attachment to, the
heads of their families, probably led the unintelligent into this mistake.
When the honour of the tribe was concerned, the commands of the chief
were obeyed, without restriction: but, if individuals were oppressed,
they threw themselves into the arms of a neighbouring clan, assumed a
new name, and were encouraged and protected. The fear of this deser-
tion, no doubt, made the chiefs cautious in their government. As their
consequence, in the eyes of others, was in proportion to the number of
their people, they took care to avoid every thing that tended to dimi-
nish it.
It was but very lately that the authority of the laws extended to the
Highlands. Before that time the clans were governed, in civil affairs,
not by the verbal commands of a chief, but by what they called Clechda,
or the traditional precedents of their ancestors. When differences hap-
pened between individuals, some of the oldest men in the tribe were
chosen umpires between the parties, to decide according to the Clechda.
The chief interposed his authority, and, invariably, enforced the decision.
In their wars, which were frequent, on account of family feuds, the chief
was less reserved in the execution of his authority; but even then he
seldom extended it to the taking the life of any of his tribe. No crime
was capital, except murder: and that was very unfrequent in the High-
lands. No corporal punishment of any kind was inflicted. The me-
mory
of an affront of this sort would remain for ages, in a family, and
they would seize every opportunity to be revenged, unless it came
immediately from the hands of the chief himself; in that case it was
taken rather as a fatherly correction, than a legal punishment for
offences.
P. 138. v. 257. Arda air Cormull bha craobh
A lasadh fo ghaoith is i fuaim; &c.] This rock of
Cormul is often mentioned in the preceding part of the poem. It was
NOTES TO TEMORA.
277
on it Fingal and Ossian stood to view the battle. The custom of retiring
from the army, on the night prior to their engaging in battle, was uni-
versal among the kings of the Caledonians. Trenmor, the most renowned
of the ancestors of Fingal, is mentioned as the first who instituted this
custom. Succeeding bards attributed it to a hero of a later period. In
an old poem, which begins with Mac-Arcaith nan ceud srol, this custom of
retiring from the army, before an engagement, is numbered among the
wise institutions of Fergus, the son of Arch or Arcath, the first king of
Scots. I shall here translate the passage; in some other note I may,
probably, give all that remains of the poem. Fergus of the hundred
streams, son of Arcath who fought of old: thou didst first retire at night :
when the foe rolled before thee, in echoing fields. Nor bending in rest is the
king: he gathers battles in his soul. Fly, son of the stranger! with morn
he shall rush abroad. When, or by whom, this poem was written, is
uncertain.
P. 140. v. 295. Is teann air na shìneadh air feur
Cas mholach an treun chu, Bran.] I remember to
have met with an old poem, wherein a story of this sort is very happily
introduced. In one of the invasions of the Danes, Ullin-clundu, a con-
siderable chief, on the western coast of Scotland, was killed in a rencoun-
ter with a flying party of the enemy, who had landed at no great distance
from the place of his residence. The few followers who attended him
were also slain. The young wife of Ullin-clundu, who had not heard of
his fall, fearing the worst, on account of his long delay, alarmed the rest
of his tribe, who went in search of him along the shore. They did not
find him; and the beautiful widow became disconsolate.
was discovered, by means of his dog, who sat on a rock beside the body,
for some days. The stanza concerning the dog, whose name was Du-
chos, or Blackfoot, is descriptive.
At length he
"Dark-sided Du-chos! feet of wind! cold is thy seat on rocks. He
(the dog) sees the roe; his ears are high; and half he bounds away. He
looks around; but Ullin ɛleeps; he droops again his head. The winds
come past; dark Du-chos thinks that Ullin's voice is near. But still he
beholds him silent, laid amidst the waving heath. Dark-sided Du-chos,
his voice no more shall send thee over the heath!"
P. 144. v. 326. Bha Lubar ag iadhadh ro'ʼn t sluagh.] In order to
illustrate this passage, it is proper to lay before the reader the scene of
278
NOTES TO TEMORA.
1
the two preceding battles. Between the hills of Mora and Lona lay the
plain of Moi-lena, through which ran the river Lubar. The first battle,
wherein Gaul, the son of Morni, commanded on the Caledonian side,
was fought on the banks of Lubar. As there was little advantage ob-
tained on either side, the armies, after the battle, retained their former
position.
In the second battle, wherein Fillan commanded, the Irish, after the
fall of Foldath, were driven up the hill of Lona; but, upon the coming
of Cathmor to their aid, they regained their former situation, and drove
back the Caledonians in their turn; so that Lubar winded again in their
host.
P. 144. v. 338. Cha 'nann cho mìn ri so, a thriath
Bha Borbair na feile d' athair fein, &c.] Borbar-
duthul, the father of Cathmor, was the brother of that Col-ulla, who is
said, in the beginning of the fourth book, to have rebelled against Cor-
mac, king of Ireland. Borbar-duthul seems to have retained all the
prejudice of his family against the succession of the posterity of Conar,
on the Irish throne. From this short episode we learn some facts which
tend to throw light on the history of the times. It appears that, when
Swaran invaded Ireland, he was only opposed by the Cael, who possessed
Ulster, and the north of that island. Calmar, the son of Matha, whose
gallant behaviour and death are related in the third book of Fingal, was
the only chief of the race of the Fir-bolg, that joined the Cael, or Irish
Caledonians, during the invasion of Swaran. The indecent joy, which
Borbar-duthul expressed, upon the death of Calmar, is well suited with
that spirit of revenge, which subsisted, universally, in every country
where the feudal system was established. It would appear that some
person had carried to Borbar-duthul that weapon, with which, it was
pretended, Calmar had been killed.
P. 146. v. 362. Eireadh gutha caoin na h Eirinn.] The voices of Erin,
a poetical expression for the bards of Ireland.
P. 148. v. 386. Fo chraoibh o bheinn gach bard air àm
Na shuidhe thall fo chlarsich fein; &c.] Not only
the kings, but every petty chief had anciently their bards attending them
in the field; and those bards, in proportion to the power of the chiefs,
who retained them, had a number of inferior bards in their train. Upon
solemn occasions, all the bards, in the army, would join in one chorus ;
NOTES TO TEMORA.
279
either when they celebrated their victories, or lamented the death of a
person, worthy and renowned, slain in the war. The words were of the
composition of the arch-bard, retained by the king himself, who generally
attained to that high office on account of his superior genius for poetry.
As the persons of the bards were sacred, and the emoluments of their
office considerable, the order, in succeeding times, became very nume-
rous and insolent. It would appear, that after the introduction of Chris-
tianity, some served in the double capacity of bards and clergymen. It
was from this circumstance that they had the name of Chlere, which is
probably derived from the Latin Clericus. The Chlere, be their name
derived from what it will, became at last a public nuisance; for, taking
advantage of their sacred character, they went about in great bodies,
and lived, at discretion, in the houses of the chiefs; till another party of
the same order drove them away by mere dint of satire. Some of the
indelicate disputes of these worthy poetical combatants are handed down
by tradition, and shew how much the bards, at last, abused the privi-
leges, which the admiration of their countrymen had conferred on the
order. It was this insolent behaviour that induced the chiefs to retrench
their number, and to take away those privileges which they were no
longer worthy to enjoy. Their indolence, and disposition to lampoon,
extinguished all the poetical fervour which distinguished their prede-
cessors, and makes us the less regret the extinction of the order.
P. 150. v. 421. Thainig Clungheal; cha d' fhuair oigh.] Clungheal,
the wife of Conmor, king of Inis-huna, and the mother of Sul-malla.
She is here represented, as missing her daughter, after she had fled with
Cathmor.
P. 150. v. 430. Tréig mi, luaidh Chonmhoir nan treun ; &c.] Sul-malla
replies to the supposed questions of her mother. Towards the middle
of this paragraph she calls Cathmor the sun of her soul, and continues
the metaphor throughout. This book ends, we may suppose, about the
middle of the third night from the opening of the poem.
280
NOTES TO TEMORA.
DUAN VII.
P. 158. v. 13. AN taobh oiteig gu pailliun nan seod
Taomas iad ceathach nan speur, &c.] As the mist, which
rose from the lake of Lego, occasioned diseases and death, the bards
feigned that it was the residence of the ghosts of the deceased, during
the interval between their death, and the pronouncing of the funeral
elegy over their tombs: for it was not allowable, without that ceremony
was performed, for the spirits of the dead to mix with their ancestors,
in their airy halls. It was the business of the spirit of the nearest rela-
tion to the deceased, to take the mist of Lego, and pour it over the grave.
We find here Conar, the son of Trenmor, the first king of Ireland, per-
forming this office for Fillan, as it was in the cause of the family of Conar
that that hero was killed.
P. 160. v. 27. Is doillear so!] The following is the singular sentiment
of a frigid bard:
"More pleasing to me is the night of Cona, dark-streaming from
Ossian's harp; more pleasant it is to me, than a white-bosomed dweller
between my arms; than a fair-handed daughter of heroes, in the hour
rest."
Though tradition is not very satisfactory concerning the history of this
poet, it has taken care to inform us, that he was very old when he wrote
the distich, a circumstance, which we might have supposed, without the
aid of tradition.
P. 168. v. 133. Thig easan nach gèill gu brath:] Fingal is said to
have never been overcome in battle. From this proceeded that title of
honour which is always bestowed on him in tradition, Fionghal nam buadh,
FINGAL OF VICTORIES. In a poem, just now in my hands, which
celebrates some of the great actions of Arthur the famous British hero,
that appellation is often bestowed on him. The poem, from the phraseo-
logy, appears to be ancient; and is, perhaps, though that is not mentioned,
a translation from the Welsh language.
P. 170. v. 159. An taobh carraig chòsach air Lòna
Mu chaochan nan sruthan crom
Glas an ciabha na h aoise
Tha Claonmhal' righ clarsaich nam fonn ;] Claon-
NOTES TO TEMORA.
281
mhala, crooked eye-brow. From the retired life of this person, is insi-
nuated, that he was of the order of the Druids; which supposition is
not at all invalidated by the appellation of king of harps, here bestowed
on him; for all agree that the bards were of the number of the Druids
originally.
P. 172. v. 206. Chualas le Sonnmor air Cluan-fhear,] Son-mor, tall
handsome man.
He was the father of Borbar-duthul, chief of Atha, and
grandfather to Cathmor himself. Cluan-er, man of the field. This chief
was killed in battle by Cormac Mac-cona, king of Ireland, the father of
Ros-crana, the first wife of Fingal. The story is alluded to in some ancient
poems.
P. 474. v. 224. Suil-aluinn] Suil-alluin, beautiful eye; the wife of
Son-mor.
P, 176. v. 254. Na chruaidh ghluais an righ gun dàil; &c.] To avoid
multiplying notes, I shall give here the signification of the names of the
stars engraved on the shield. Cean-mathan, head of the bear. Caol-dearrsa,
slant and sharp beam. Ul-oiche, ruler of night. Cathlin, beam of the wave.
Reul-dùbhra, star of the twilight. Beur-thein, fire of the hill. Ton-thena
meteor of the waves. These etymologies, excepting that of Cean-mathan,
are pretty exact. Of it I am not so certain; for it is not very probable,
that the Fir-bolg had distinguished a constellation, so very early as the
days of Larthon, by the name of the bear.
P. 178. v. 278. Lear-thonn, céann-feadhna nam Bolg
An ceud fhear a shiubhail air gaoith.] To travel on the
winds, a poetical expression for sailing. Larthonn is compounded of
Lear, sea, and tonn, wave. This name was given to the chief of the first
colony of the Fir-bolg, who settled in Ireland, on account of his know-
ledge in navigation. A part of an old poem is still extant, concerning
this hero. It abounds with those romantic fables of giants and magicians,
which distinguished the compositions of the less ancient bards. The
descriptions contained in it are ingenious, and proportionable to the
magnitude of the persons introduced; but, being unnatural, they are in-
sipid and tedious. Had the bard kept within the bounds of probability,
his genius was far from being contemptible. The exordium of his poem
is not destitute of merit; but it is the only part of it, that I think worthy
of being presented to the reader.
"Who first sent the black ship, through ocean, like a whale through
282
NOTES TO TEMORA.
the bursting of foam? Look, from thy darkness, on Cronath, Ossian of
the harps of old! Send thy light on the blue-rolling waters, that I may
behold the king. I see him dark in his own shell of oak! sea-tossed
Larthon, thy soul is strong. It is careless as the wind of thy sails; as
the wave that rolls by thy side. But the silent green isle is before thee,
with its sons, who are tall as woody Lumon; Lumon which sends from
its top a thousand streams, white-wandering down its sides."
It may, perhaps, be for the credit of this bard, to translate no more
of this poem, for the continuation of his description of the Irish giants
betrays his want of judgment.
P. 180. v. 323. Lumon, talamh nan sruth,] Lumon was a hill, in
Inis-huna, near the residence of Sul-malla. This episode has an imme-
diate connection with what is said of Larthon in the description of
Cathmor's shield.
P. 184. v. 369. Thog Lear-thonn talla Shàmhla.] Shamhla, appari-
tions, so called from the vision of Larthon concerning his posterity.
P. 184. v. 374. Flathal.] Flathal, heavenly, exquisitely beautiful. She
was the wife of Larthon.
DUAN VIII.
1
P. 200. v. 86. AN Sin tha òg nan ciabh donn
Mac Chairbre nan rosg gorm, &c.] The youth here men-
tioned was Fearait-artho, son of Cairbre Mac-Cormac, king of Ireland.
He was the only one remaining of the race of Conar, the son of Trenmor,
the first Irish monarch, according to Ossian. In order to make this
passage thoroughly understood, it may not be improper to recapitulate
some part of what has been said in preceding notes. Upon the death
of Conar the son of Trenmor, his son Cormac succeeded on the Irish
throne. Cormac reigned long. His children were, Cairbar, who suc-
ceeded him; and Ros-crana, the first wife of Fingal. Cairbar, long
before the death of his father Cormac, had taken to wife Bos-gala, the
daughter of Colgar, one of the most powerful chiefs in Connaught, and
had by her Artho, afterwards king of Ireland. Soon after Artho
arrived at man's estate, his mother Bos-gala died, and Cairbar married
NOTES TO TEMORA.
283
Beltanno, the daughter of Conachar of Ullin, who brought him a son,
whom he called Ferad-artho, i. e. a man in the place of Artho. The
occasion of the name was this: Artho, when his brother was born, was
absent, on an expedition, in the south of Ireland. A false report was
brought to his father that he was killed. Cairbar, to use the words of
a poem on the subject, darkened for his fair-haired son. He turned to
the young beam of light, the son of Baltanno of Conachar. Thou shalt be,
Ferad-artho, he said, a fire before thy race. Cairbar soon after died,
nor did Artho long survive him. Artho was succeeded, in the Irish
throne, by his son Cormac, who, in his minority, was murdered by
Cairbar, the son of Borbar-duthul. Ferad-artho, says tradition, was
very young, when the expedition of Fingal, to settle him on the throne
of Ireland, happened. During the short reign of young Cormac, Ferad-
artho lived at the royal residence of Temora. Upon the murder of
the king, Condan, the bard, conveyed Ferad-artho, privately, to the
cave of Cluna, behind the mountain Crommal, in Ulster, where they
both lived concealed, during the usurpation of the family of Atha. A
late bard has delivered the whole history, in a poem just now in my
possession. It has little merit, if we except the scene between Ferad-
artho and the messengers of Fingal, upon their arrival, in the valley
of Cluna. After hearing of the great actions of Fingal, the young prince
proposes the following questions concerning him to Gaul and Dermid:
"Is the king tall as the rock of my cave? Is his spear a fir of Cluna ?
Is he a rough-winged blast on the mountain, which takes the green oak
by the head, and tears it from its hill? Glitters Lubar within his stride,
when he sends his stately steps along. Nor is he tall, said Gaul, as that
rock: nor glitter streams within his strides, but his soul is a mighty flood,
like the strength of Ullin's seas.
P. 204. v. 141. Biodh cuimhne air gaisgich an sith, &c.] Malvina is
supposed to speak the following soliloquy :
"Malvina is like the bow of the shower, in the secret valley of
streams; it is bright, but the drops of heaven are rolling on its blended
light. They say that I am fair within my locks, but on my bright-
ness is the wandering of tears. Darkness flies over my soul, as the
dusky wave of the breeze along the grass of Lutha. Yet have not
the roes failed me, when I moved between the hills. Pleasant, be-
neath my white hand, arose the sound of harps. What then, daughter
;
284
TEMORA.
NOTES TO •
of Lutha, travels over thy soul, like the dreary path of a ghost along
the nightly beam? Should the young warrior fall in the roar of
his troubled fields! Young virgins of Lutha arise, call back the wan-
dering thoughts of Malvina. Awake the voice of the harp along my
echoing vale. Then shall my soul come forth, like a light from the
gates of the morn, when clouds are rolled around them with their
sides.
"Dweller of my thoughts, by night, whose form ascends in troubled
fields, why dost thou stir up my soul, thou far-distant son of the king?
Is that the ship of my love, its dark course through the ridges of ocean?
How art thou so sudden, Oscar, from the heath of shields?"
The rest of this poem consists of a dialogue between Ullin and
Malvina, wherein the distress of the latter is carried to the highest
pitch.
P. 208. v. 202. Leum e air a shleagh thar Lubar,
Is bhuail gu cùl a mhor sgiath.] The Irish com-
positions concerning Fingal invariably speak of him as a giant. Of
these Hibernian poems there are now many in my hands. From the
language, and allusions to the times in which they were written, I should
fix the date of their composition in the fifteenth and sixteenth centu-
ries. In some passages, the poetry is far from wanting merit, but the
fable is unnatural, and the whole conduct of the pieces injudicious.
I shall give one instance of the extravagant fictions of the Irish bards,
in a poem which they most unjustly ascribe to Ossian. The story of
it is this: Ireland being threatened with an invasion from some part of
Scandinavia, Fingal sent Ossian, Oscar, and Ca-olt, to watch the bay,
in which, it was expected, the enemy was to land. Oscar, unluckily,
fell asleep before the Scandinavians appeared; and, great as he was,
says the Irish bard, he had one bad property, that no less could waken
him, before his time, than cutting off one of his fingers, or throwing
a great stone against his head; and it was dangerous to come near
him on those occasions, till he had recovered himself, and was fully
awake. Ca-olt, who was employed by Ossian to waken his son, made
choice of throwing the stone against his head, as the least dangerous
expedient. The stone, rebounding from the hero's head, shook, as it
rolled along, the hill for three miles round. Oscar rose in rage, fought
bravely, and singly vanquished a wing of the enemy's army. Thus
NOTES TO TEMORA.
285
the bard goes on, till Fingal put an end to the war, by the total rout
of the Scandinavians. Puerile, and even despicable, as these fictions
are, yet Keating and O'Flaherty have no better authority than the poems
which contain them, for all that they write concerning Fion Mac-comnal,
and the pretended militia of Ireland.
P. 212. v. 254. Tuitidh deoir o Thlàthmhìn san talla] Tla-min, mildly,
soft. The loves of Clonar and Tlamin were rendered famous in the
north, by a fragment of a lyric poem. It is a dialogue between Clonar
and Tlamin. She begins with a soliloquy, which he overhears.
TLAMIN. "Clonar, son of Conglas of I-mor, young hunter of dun-
sided roes! where art thou laid, amidst rushes, beneath the passing wing
of the breeze? I behold thee, my love, in the plain of thy own dark
streams! The clung thorn is rolled by the wind, and rustles along his
shield. Bright in his locks he lies: the thoughts of his dreams fly, dark-
ening, over his face. Thou thinkest of the battles of Ossian, young son
of the echoing isle !
"Half hid, in the grove, I sit down. Fly back, ye mists of the hi!l!
Why should ye hide her love from the blue eyes of Tlamin of harps?
CLONAR. "As the spirit, seen in a dream, flies off from our open-
ing eyes, we think we behold his bright path between the closing hills;
so fled the daughter of Clun-gal from the sight of Clonar of shields.
Arise from the gathering of trees; blue-eyed Tlamin, arise!
TLAMIN. "I turn me away from his steps. Why should he know of
my love? My white breast is heaving over sighs, as foam on the dark
course of streams. But he passes away in his arms! Son of Conglas,
my soul is sad.
CLONAR. "It was the shield of Fingal ! the voice of kings from Selma
of harps; my path is towards green Erin. Arise, fair light, from thy
shades. Come to the field of my soul; there is the spreading of hosts.
Arise on Clonar's troubled soul, young daughter of the blue-shielded
Clungal."
Clungal was the chief of Imor, one of the Hebrides.
mor.
P. 214. v. 288. C' ait' am bheil na gaisgich treun ?] Fingal and Cath-
The conduct here is perhaps proper. The numerous descriptions
of single combats have already exhausted the subject. Nothing new,
nor adequate to our high idea of the kings, can be said. A column of
mist is thrown over the whole, and the combat is left to the imagination
of the reader. Poets have almost universally failed in their descriptions
286
NOTES TO TEMORA.
of this sort. Not all the strength of Homer could sustain, with dignity,
the minutia of a single combat. The throwing of a spear, and the bray-
ing of a shield, as some of our poets most elegantly express it, convey
no magnificent, though they are striking ideas. Our imagination stretches
beyond, and, consequently, despises the description. It were, there-
fore, well for some poets, in my opinion (though it is, perhaps, some-
what singular), to have, sometimes, thrown mist over their single
combats.
P. 216. v. 320. Is eòlas dùnadh lot dhomh féin, &c.] Fingal is very
much celebrated, in tradition, for his knowledge in the virtues of herbs.
The Irish poems, concerning him, often represent him curing the wounds
which his chiefs received in battle. They fable concerning him, that he
was in possession of a cup, containing the essence of herbs, which in-
stantaneously healed wounds. The knowledge of curing the wounded
was, till of late, universal among the Highlanders. We hear of no other
disorder, which required the skill of physic. The wholesomeness of the
climate, and an active life, spent in hunting, excluded diseases.
P. 218. v. 333. Anns an àite sin fein, a threin,
Chuala mi ceuma nan daimh, &c.] Cathmor reflects,
with pleasure, even in his last moments, on the relief he had afforded to
strangers. The very tread of their feet was pleasant in his ear. His
hospitality was not passed unnoticed by the bards; for, with them, it
became a proverb, when they described the hospitable disposition of an
hero, that he was like Cathmor of Atha, the friend of strangers. It will
seem strange, that in all the Irish poems, there is no mention made of
Cathmor. This must be attributed to the revolutions and domestic con-
fusions which happened in that island, and utterly cut off all the real
traditions concerning.so ancient a period. All that we have related of
the state of Ireland before the fifth century is of late invention, and the
work of ill-informed senachies and injudicious bards.
P. 220. v. 378. Tach'ridh mo shinns're mise thall, &c.] The Celtic
nations had some idea of rewards, and perhaps of punishments, after
death. Those who behaved, in life, with bravery and virtue, were re-
ceived, with joy, to the airy halls of their fathers; but the dark in soul,
to use the expression of the poet, were spurned away from the habitation
of heroes, to wander on all the winds. Another opinion, which prevailed
in those times, tended not a little to make individuals emulous to excel
one another in martial achievements. It was thought, that, in the hall
NOTES TO TEMORA.
287
of clouds, every one had a seat raised above others, in proportion as he
excelled them, in valour, when he lived.
P. 222. v. 401. Fo chloich dh'àdhlaic triath a lann
'S glan chopan o shlios a sgeithe, &c.] There are
some stones still to be seen in the north, which were erected as memo-
rials of some remarkable transactions between the ancient chiefs. There
are generally found, beneath them, some pieces of arms, and a bit of half-
burnt wood. The cause of placing the last there, is not mentioned in
tradition.
P. 224. v. 431. Bha sgaoile brataich mhoir nan sluagh
A' taomadh air fuar ghaoith nam beann, &c.] The
erecting of his standard on the bank of Lubar, was the signal which
Fingal, in the beginning of the book, promised to give to the chiefs, who
went to conduct Ferad-artho to the army, should he himself prevail in
battle. This standard here is called the sun-beam. The reason of this
appellation, I gave in my notes on the poem intitled Fingal.
P. 226. v. 448. Liath thall aig còinich chaoin nan còs
Chrom Claonmhal a cheann's è fo aois,] The scene is
changed to the valley of Lona, whither Sul-malla had been sent, by
Cathmor, before the battle. Clonmal, an aged bard, or rather druid, as
he seems here to be endued with a prescience of events, had long dwelt
there in a cave. This scene is calculated to throw a melancholy gloom
over the mind.
P. 226. v. 465. Ann a dheireadh thig an righ corr] Cathmor had
promised, in the seventh book, to come to the cave of Clonmal, after
the battle was over.
P. 230. v. 494. Na biodh cuimhn' air a bròn gu thrian
Chaitheas anam na h-aoise gu barr.] Tradition relates,
that Ossian, the next day after the decisive battle between Fingal and
Cathmor, went to find out Sul-malla, in the valley of Lona. His ad-
dress to her follows:
"Awake, thou daughter of Conmor, from the fern-skirted cavern of
Lona. Awake, thou sun-beam in deserts; warriors one day must fail.
They move forth, like terrible lights; but, often, their cloud is near.
Go to the valley of streams, to the wandering of herds, on Lumon;
there dwells, in his lazy mist, the man of many days. But he is un-
known, Sul-malla, like the thistle of the rocks of roes; it shakes its grey
beard in the wind, and falls unseen of our eyes. Not such are the
!
288
NOTES TO TEMORA.
J
kings of men, their departure is a meteor of fire, which pours its red
course from the desert, over the bosom of night.
"He is mixed with the warriors of old, those fires that have hid their
heads. At times shall they come forth in song. Not forgot has the
warrior failed. He has not seen, Sul-malla, the fall of a beam of his
own: no fair-haired son in his blood, young troubler of the field. I
am lonely, young branch of Lumon, I may hear the voice of the feeble,
when my strength shall have failed in years, for young Oscar has ceased
on his field.".
Sul-malla returned to her own country. She makes a considerable
figure in another poem; her behaviour in that piece, accounts for that
partial regard with which the poet ought to speak of her throughout
Temora.
P. 232. v. 526. Bha aomadh nan sluagh ris an treun
Ri guth an tìr fein thar na stuaidh.] Before I finish
my notes, it may not be altogether improper to obviate an objection,
which may be made to the credibility of the story of Temora. It may
be asked, whether it is probable, that Fingal could perform such actions
as are ascribed to him in this book, at an age when his grandson, Oscar,
had acquired so much reputation in arms. To this it may be answered,
that Fingal was but very young (Book IV.) when he took to wife Ros-
crana, who soon after became the mother of Ossian. Ossian was also
extremely young when he married Ever-allin, the mother of Oscar.
Tradition relates, that Fingal was but eighteen years old at the birth of
his son Ossian; and that Ossian was much about the same age, when
Oscar, his son, was born. Oscar perhaps might be about twenty, when
he was killed in the battle of Gabhra (Book I.); so the age of Fingal,
when the decisive battle was fought between him and Cathmor, was just
fifty-six years. In those times of activity and health, the natural strength
and vigour of a man was little abated, at such an age; so that there is
nothing improbable in the actions of Fingal, as related in this book.
[ 289 ]
NOTES TO CONLAOCH AND CUTHONA.
P. 244. v. 50. CUTHONN a' caoidh fada shuas.] Cuthonn was the
daughter of Rumar whom Toscar had carried away by force. Cuthonn
signifies the mournful sound of the waves; a poetical name, given her on
account of her mourning to the sound of the waves; her name in tradi-
tion is Gorm-huil, the blue-eyed maid.
P. 244. v. 59. Chunnaic mi, Fherguith gun bheùd,
An taibhs' dona bha bhreun o'n oiche;] It was long
thought, in the north of Scotland, that storms were raised by the ghosts
of the deceased. This notion is still entertained by the vulgar; for they
think that whirlwinds, and sudden squalls of wind, are occasioned by
spirits, who transport themselves, in that manner, from one place to an-
other.
P. 246. v. 69. Mor Ronnan.] Maronnan was the brother of Toscar.
P. 246. v. 74. Selma.] Selmath, beautiful to behold, the name of Tos-
car's residence, on the coast of Ulster, near the mountain Cromla.
P. 244. v. 76. Ithonn.] Ithonn is compounded of I, an island, and
tonn, a wave, the island of waves, one of the uninhabited western isles,
probably the island of Tiree.
P. 252, v. 145, Tighcaol.] Tigh-caol, or caol tigh, the narrow house,
so often mentioned in the poems of Ossian, signifies the grave.
P. 252. v. 160. Sheall a mhathair air a sgiath air balla
A's bha snamh na faldʼg a còir.] It was the opinion
of the times, that the arms left by the heroes at home, became bloody
the very instant their owners were killed, though at ever so great a
distance.
VOL. III.
U
រ
A
TRANSLATION
(FROM THE ITALIAN)
OF THE
ABBÉ CESAROTTI'S
HISTORICAL AND CRITICAL DISSERTATION,
Respecting the Controversy on the Authenticity of
OSSIAN'S POEMS,
BY JOHN M'ARTHUR, LL. D.
ONE OF THE COMMITTEE OF THE HIGHLAND SOCIETY OF LONDON,
APPOINTED TO SUPERINTEND THE PUBLICATION OF
OSSIAN IN THE ORIGINAL GAELIC.
With Notes and Observations by the Translator.
:
[293]
TRANSLATION
OF THE
ABBÉ CESAROTTI'S
HISTORICAL AND CRITICAL DISSERTATION.*
THE
ment.
HE appearance of Ossian's poems was a pheno-
menon so unexpected and extraordinary, that it is
not surprising, they should have excited, during
even a period of enthusiasm, doubts and astonish-
In a country scarcely known to history,
mountainous, difficult of access, and almost con-
stantly shaded with mists; in a state of society the
most unpolished, wretched, and barbarous; without
trade, without learning, without arts and sciences;
how could such a transcendent genius arise, who
may be said to dispute the palm with the most cele-
brated poets of the most civilized nations; and with
those even, who for so many ages have been con-
sidered the models of the art? This novelty was too
much at variance with the generally received opi-
nion to be implicity believed without controversy.
Was there truly an Ossian? Was he really the
author of the poems which have been published under
his name? Can this be a spurious work? But when?—
How? By whom?-These are questions that for a
length of time have agitated and divided public
* See Note A, at the end of the Dissertation.
294
TRANSLATION OF THE
opinion in England; while Europe regarded with vene-
ration this surprising phenomenon. These are doubts
too which have existed among the literati and critics;
doubts which, although they may appear to be con-
siderably diminished, still exist in the minds of many
learned persons.
Whatever may be the opinion adopted, it is certain,
that either side present various embarrassing diffi-
culties, and may cause the most strenuous advocates
to waver.
DOCTOR BLAIR, a celebrated professor of rhetoric
and belles-lettres in the University of Edinburgh, in
his excellent Dissertation, published at the end of
the second volume of Ossian, examining the charac-
ter of the poems, entertains not the smallest doubt
of their authenticity. "The compositions of Ossian,"
Dr. Blair observes, "are so strongly marked with
characters of antiquity, that, although there were no
external proof to support that antiquity, hardly any
reader of judgment and taste could hesitate in re-
ferring them to a very remote æra. There are four
stages through which men successively pass in the
progress of society. The first and earliest is the life
of hunters; pasturage succeeds to this, as the ideas
of property begin to take root; next, agriculture ;
and lastly, commerce. Throughout Ossian's poems,
we plainly find ourselves in the first of those periods
of society; during which hunting was the chief
employment of men, and the principal method of
their procuring subsistence. Pasturage was not in-
deed wholly unknown, for we hear of dividing the
herd in the case of a divorce: but the allusions to
ABBE CESAROTTI'S DISSERTATION.
295
herds and cattle are not many; and of agriculture
we find no traces. No cities appear to have been built,
in the territories of Fingal. No arts are mentioned,
except those of navigation and of working in iron.
Every thing presents to us the most simple and
unimproved manners. At their feasts, the heroes
prepared their own repast; they sat round the light
of the burning oak; the wind lifted their locks, and
whistled through their open halls. Whatever was
beyond the necessaries of life was known to them
only as the spoil of the Roman province! The
picture of the social state of this people is consistent
from the beginning to the end, in all the poems of
Ossian."-No modern allusion ever drops from the
poet; but every where the same aspect of rude and
savage nature appears; a country wholly unculti-
vated, thinly inhabited, and recently peopled.
"The circle of ideas and transactions," continues
Dr. Blair," is no wider than suits such an age. Va-
lour and bodily strength are the admired qualities.
The heroes show refinement of sentiment indeed on
several occasions, but none of manners. They speak
of their past actions with freedom, and sing their
own praise. A rape, a private insult, was the cause
of war among their tribes. They had no expedient
for giving the military alarms, but striking a shield,
or raising a loud cry. Of military discipline or skill
they appear to have been entirely destitute.
"The manner of poetical composition bears all the
marks of the greatest antiquity. No artful trans-
itions, nor full and extended connection of parts,
such as we find among the poets of later times, when
}
296
TRANSLATION OF THE
order and regularity of composition were more
studied and known; but a style always rapid and
vehement, in narration concise even to abruptness,
and leaving several circumstances to be supplied by
the reader's imagination. The language has all the
figurative cast, which, partly a glowing and undis-
ciplined imagination, partly the sterility of language,
and the want of proper terms, have always introduced
into the early speech of nations; and, in several
respects, it carries a remarkable resemblance to
the style of the Old Testament. It deserves parti-
cular notice, as one of the most genuine and decisive
characters of antiquity, that very few general terms,
or abstract ideas, are to be met with in the whole
collection of Ossian's poems. The ideas of men, at
first, were all particular. They had not words to
express general conceptions. These were the conse-
quence of more profound reflection, and longer
acquaintance with the arts of thought and of speech.
Ossian accordingly never expresses himself in the
abstract. His ideas extended little farther than the
objects he saw round him. Even a mountain, a sea,
or a lake, which he has occasion to mention, though
only in a simile, are for the most part particularized;
it is the hill of Cromla, the storm of the sea of Malmor,
or the reeds of the lake of Lego.-All these are marks
so undoubted, and some of them too so nice and
delicate, of the most early times, as to put the high
antiquity of these poems out of question. Especially
when we consider, that if there had been any impos-
ture in this case, it must have been contrived and
executed in the Highlands of Scotland, two or three
ABBE CESAROTTI'S DISSERTATION.
297
nu-
centuries ago; as up to that period, both by manu-
scripts, and by the testimony of a multitude of living
witnesses, concerning the uncontrovertible tradition
of these poems, they can clearly be traced. To sup-
pose that two or three hundred years ago, when we
well know the Highlands to have been in a state of
gross ignorance and barbarity, there should have
arisen in that country a poet, of such exquisite
genius, and of such deep knowledge of mankind and
of history, as to divest himself of the ideas and man-
ners of his own age, and to give us a just and natural
picture of a state of society ancienter by a thousand
years; one, who could support this counterfeited
antiquity through such a large collection of poems,
without the least inconsistency; and who, possessed
of all this genius and art, had, at the same time, the
self-denial of concealing himself, and of ascribing his
own works to an antiquated bard, without the im-
posture being detected; is a supposition that tran-
scends all credibility.
"Another circumstance of the greatest weight
against this hypothesis is, the total absence of reli-
gious ideas from this work; for which the translator
has, in his preface, given a very probable account,
on the footing of its being the work of Ossian. The
druidical superstition was, in the days of Ossian, on
the point of its final extinction; and the Christian
faith was not yet established in those climates. But
had it been the work of one, to whom the ideas of
Christianity were familiar from his infancy; and who
had superadded to them also the bigotted superstition
of a dark age and country; it is impossible, but in
1
298
TRANSLATION OF THE
ཏཱིཧིཏི
Ir.
some passage or other, the traces of them would
have appeared."
""*
This sensible reasoning appears to be unanswerable.
But although the argument, drawn from the igno-
rance and barbarity of the Highlanders in the fif
teenth century, tends to prove that Ossian's poems,
as ushered into the world, cannot be the production
of a national poet of that era; it does not prove the
impossibility of their being an ingenious forgery of
a more modern writer; for instance, Mr. Macpher-
son, availing himself of the fabulous traditions
of the vulgar, and the notion of some rude ballads
anciently popular, unknown, and unworthy to be
noticed by the civilized part of Great Britain, might
have been pleased to exercise his genius in a new
and fantastic style, by composing a collection of
Caledonian poems, from the singular vanity and
caprice of deceiving the public, by ascribing them
to a chimerical bard, the son of a petty Highland
prince equally chimerical.
Such is the opinion adopted by the opponents
of the high antiquity and original character of those
poems. But this opinion, if thoroughly examined,
will appear still more improbable than the preced-
ing one. What Dr. Blair says on the difficulty of
supposing a poet capable of so totally divesting
himself of the ideas and manners of his own age, as
most perfectly to assume those of a very remote
period, and at the same time to be possessed of so
much self-denial as to renounce his own glory in
favour of an unknown person, militates more strongly
* See Note B, at the end of the Dissertation.
ABBE CESAROTTI'S DISSERTATION.
299
1
against the supposition of a modern impossure, in-
asmuch as an Englishman of our age is superior to
a Caledonian of the third century, with respect to
ideas, scientific knowledge, and social arts. Were he
even supposed to be a Caledonian poet of the fif
teenth century, the glory the same Englishman might
acquire from such an exquisite production of his
genius, would be more flattering to him than any
applause which a bard of three or four centuries
back could thereby gain among his tribes within the
narrow precincts of his mountains. The omission of
all religious ideas is still more incomprehensible in
this hypothesis. Every one knows the wonderful
effect of religious machinery in poetry, the imposing
decorations that it bestows, and the various aids
which it furnishes to the poets in works of the imagi-
nation. Homer himself, and Virgil, great masters as
they were, could not have spun out their poems, the
one to twenty-four cantos, and the other to twelve,
if Jupiter, Juno, Venus, and the other deities, had
not been summoned to their aid, in prolonging and
diversifying the action:-how then could it have
occurred to the mind of a modern poet to renounce
gratuitously his natural and legitimate right, and to
deprive himself of those means which afford the
most fertile source of variety, and of those wonder-
ful aids which furnish the most brilliant ornaments
of epic poetry? Besides, we ought to consider, that
a people, without the appearance of religious worship,
is a phenomenon repugnant to the generally received
opinion; and that a poetical story, which delineates
such a people, carries with it an air of improbability.
300
TRANSLATION OF THE
Would not then the composer of those poems by.
such omission, have been fearful of making his
readers believe them the offspring of a capricious
and disturbed imagination, wishing to sport with
the credulity of the public, and to excite surprise
by a singular extravagance of fancy? Whoever
has for the first time heard of a Celtic poem, would
surely expect the appearance of an Esso, a Then-
tatus, or such other divinity of the ancient Druids;
and perhaps already fatigued with the eternal repe-
tition of the Greek and Latin mythology, he might
be prepared to receive with pleasure and curiosity
the traditions of those romancers, their tales, theo-
gonies, and allegories, probably like those of the
ancient Edda, that he might reason upon and con-
trast them with those of the most renowned people.
Wherefore then deceive the hopes and expectations
of the public? Why should a mechanism, so inte-
resting for its novelty, be rejected, in order to sub-
stitute another more aerial and fictitious? No good
reason can be assigned; and hence, if we examine the
peculiar character of Ossian's poems, it will be found
that their beauties, as well as deformities, are equally
repugnant to the supposition of modern imposture.
With what delicacy of sentiment, with what hero-
ism of noble humanity, is the family of Fingal dis-
tinguished from all other heroes of ancient poetry;
so as to give the most interesting and wonderful
effect to those poems, and to constitute in my
opinion the strongest presumption of their authen-
ticity!
The quality of this species of poetry, according to
*
ABBE CESAROTTI'S DISSERTATION.
301
the commonly received opinion, is incompatible with
a rude and savage state of society. Be it reason or
prejudice, we are not disposed to believe, that the
most exquisite refinement of sentiment can be recon-
ciled to a total want of cultivation in the under-
standing, and to a life constantly devoted to war and
hunting. We might have expected from a Cale-
donian bard an Achilles, or a Diomedes; but that a Fin-
gal, or an Ossian, should have appeared, like two idols,
conceived in the fancy of a philosophical poet, or of
a virtuous and enlightened mind, who, desirous to
realize the conception of his imagination, had given up
his thoughts more to the beautiful and sublime than
to the credible, is what we had no right to expect,
With what hope, therefore, of being believed could
the fabricator of Ossian have thought of repairing to
the rocky cliffs of Caledonia, and there, where
eternal mists prevail, to fix the seat of virtue, creating
a family of heroes, capable of putting to the blush,
not only the heroes of Homer, but those even of the
cultivated, learned, and refined Virgil? But those
heroes, it will be said, according to the hypothesis
of the Ossianists, were real characters. I answer in
the words of an ancient author, that nature in a
moral, as well as in a physical sense, often produces
truths very improbable; but he, who invents a story,
and wishes it to be credited, does not scrupulously
search after the real truth, but what is probable, or
an approximation to the truth.
The principle, which indicates the defects of
Ossian, is different, and induces us not to adopt the
opinion, that he is only a fictitious name.
302
TRANSLATION OF THE
That a modern author, wishing to counterfeit an
ancient, may mingle his style with those whimsical
singularities, which characterize the supposed age, is
an artifice not at all extraordinary; and, if an author
did not avail himself of such aid, his aim would be
lost. But to carry such an idea beyond all reason-
able bounds, and that idly too, and without compul-
sion, is not to be easily believed by those who
have any knowledge of the nature of self-love.
Had the supposed author, in his tragical narrations,
used a style less concise and abrupt, and divested it
of those accessories, which might have rendered
the narrations more natural and probable; had his
adventures been somewhat less romantic and uni-
form; the old men not all blind; the sudden deaths
not so frequent and common: had the number of his
comparisons been reduced to one third: had, in fine,
the winds, mists, and torrents, not been resorted to
so often to embarrass his subject, overwhelming it
with useless, and sometimes with unseasonable cir-
cumstances: had the author been more moderate in
all those points, Ossian, I say, with the essential
colouring of his style, would have appeared neither
less original nor less ancient. It was extremely easy
for a modern poet to guard himself against the excess
of these modes, which indeed he ought to have
done, to avoid incurring the animadversions of many
fastidious readers of the present age, distracting
their attention by a perusal of them, opening a
field to derisions and parodies, and bringing on the
author, that worst of enemies to all books, ridi-
cule. It is certain, that Ossian's virtues are so
ABBE CESAROTTI'S DISSERTATION.
303
eminent and sublime, that they more than compen-
sate for all his foibles. It is also true, that to be
alive to those virtues, it is necessary to have an
energetic mind: but to feel his defects, it is sufficient
to have our ears open; and it is easier to find a
hundred hearers than one great energetic soul. It may
be said, that the author, mindful only to obtain his
end, was indifferent about the risk, because, in every
way, the censure would be solely directed against
his bard. But let the wish of obtaining credit for his
imposture be what it may, there can be no doubt
that he was eager to enjoy in secret the pleasure
of hearing himself praised, under the borrowed name
of Ossian. For there is no author of an anony-
mous book, who would willingly and freely risk the
censure and contempt of the public, were he even
positively certain of remaining unknown.
In this place, I may be permitted to ask a question,
which appears to me of some importance. Would a
poet, who, under the mask of Ossian, and in a style ap-
parently exotic, conscious of his powers to make him-
self admired as a genius, have not in the first instance
produced, in his natural language, some luminous
specimens of his superior talents in poetry? Would
not fame then have praised him throughout all civi-
lized Europe, as one of the most melodious swans of
the Thames, the rival of Pope and Milton? Were
Mr. Macpherson's abilities of the cast alluded to?
Could he be compared to either of those great poets?
I know not. But supposing, that he or any other
person were ambitious of trying the strength of his
own genius in this extraordinary manner, and that to
304
TRANSLATION OF THE
ascertain the nature and extent of his own abilities,
he should give himself out for Ossian, would it not
have been wise to try the opinion of the public with
one or two essays, without exhausting the whole store
of his poetical talents, by so long a series of Gaelic
poems, thus causing a perpetual violence to his genius
and self-love by not letting himself be known;
as if he had been desirous to renew spontaneously
the example of the man in the iron mask?* Let
us moreover remark, that, in admitting, for argu-
ment's sake, the supposition of a modern imposture,
the impostors are two instead of one: namely,
Macpherson and Smith. We must then persuade our-
selves, that in our time two wonderful men have
arisen, similar in ideas, in poetical merit, in skill of
disguising themselves so perfectly under a borrowed
name, and another age; who, in the heroism of an
extravagant modesty, had the obstinacy of sustain-
ing to the last moments of their lives their imposture.
Mr. Macpherson died quite impenitent, and without
any confession respecting this matter; and Mr. Smith,
although a minister, does not seem disposed to confess
his sin. † Let us consider all this, and then we can
decide, whether it be more difficult to conceive the
existence of Ossian, or the reality of a moral phæno-
menon so prodigious and unexampled. With all this
reasoning, however, I do not pretend to decide that
Ossian was a poet of the third century, but only to
prove the improbability of his being an author of
our age.
* See Note C, at the end of the Dissertation.
+ See Note D, at the end of the Dissertation.
ABBE' CESAROTTI'S DISSERTATION.
305
But all we have hitherto said is nothing but argu-
ment; questions of fact ought to be decided by
proofs of fact. On this head, therefore, the contro-
versy concerning the Gaelic poems exclusively be-
longs to the jurisdiction of the British critics. And,
with a view that the Italian readers may be enabled
to form a just judgment, it is proper they should be
made acquainted with all the most important allega-
tions advanced by the supporters of either party. It
would take up too much of the reader's time to
enumerate all the writings which have appeared in
England concerning this famous controversy, agi-
tated on both sides with warmth and acrimony. It
will therefore suffice to give an account of those
writers, who more steadily, and with greater preci-
sion, have reasoned on this subject.
The most respectable among the critics of Great
Britain, who declared himself against the authen-
ticity of Ossian's poems, and who for a while had the
scale of public opinion balanced in his favour, was
JOHNSON, a learned writer of high and deserved
celebrity. Residing in London, but of Scotch extrac-
tion, he undertook a tour to the Western Islands of
Scotland, which in the year 1775 he published His
subject led him naturally to speak of the dispute
concerning the authenticity of Ossian, which had
already kindled party discussions. The result of his
researches induced him to deny positively the origi-
nality of those poems. He began to oppose the possi-
bility of the fact, before he opposed the fact itself.
First, he frankly declares that he has not the least
knowledge of the Erse language, or Caledonian
VOL. III.
X
306
TRANSLATION OF THE
dialect,* and that he can only speak of it by what he
has heard; which confession is by no means favourable
to impress the readers with a predilection on his side,
or to induce them to acquiesce implicitly in his judg-
ment. Nevertheless, he takes upon himself to assert,
"that this language is but a rude speech of a barbarous
people, who had few thoughts to express, and were
content, as they conceived grossly, to be grossly
understood; that the Erse never was a written lan-
guage; and that the sounds of the Highlanders were
never expressed by letters, till some little books of
piety were translated, and a metrical version of the
Psalms was made by the synod of Argyle." It is
worth while to attend to his reflections. "When a
language," says he, "begins to teem with books, it
is tending to refinement; as those, who undertake
to teach others, must have undergone some labour
in improving themselves, they set a proportionate
value on their own thoughts, and wish to enforce
them by efficacious expressions; speech becomes
embodied and permanent; different modes and
phrases are compared, and the best obtains an esta-
blishment. By degrees, one age improves upon
another. Exactness is first obtained, and afterwards
elegance. But diction, merely vocal, is always in
its childhood. As no man leaves his eloquence
behind him, the new generations have all to learn.
There may possibly be books without a polished
* For the instruction of our readers we may observe, that the idiom
or dialect of the Highlanders, by various ancient and modern writers, is
promiscuously called Caledonian, Celtic, Earse, Erse, Galic, Gaelic,
and Caelic. Cesarotti.
:
307
ABBE CESAROTTI'S DISSERTATION.
1
language, but there can be no polished language
without books.
"That the bards could not read more than the rest
of their countrymen, it is reasonable to suppose;
because, if they had read, they could probably have
written; and how high their compositions may rea-
sonably be rated, an inquirer may best judge by
considering what stores of imagery, what principles
of ratiocination, what comprehension of knowledge,
and what delicacy of elocution he has known any
man attain who cannot read. The bard was a bar-
barian among barbarians, who, knowing nothing
himself, lived with others that knew no more. All
that has been done for the instruction of the High-
landers, the antipathy between their language and
literature still continues; and no man that has
learned only Erse, is at this time able to read.
"The Erse has many dialects, and the words used
in some islands are not always known in others.
Where the whole language is colloquial, he, that has
only one part, never gets the rest, as he cannot get
it but by change of residence. In a written speech.
nothing, that is not very short, is transmitted from
one generation to another. Few have opportunities
of hearing a long composition often enough to learn
it, or have inclination to repeat it so often as is neces-
sary to retain it; and what is once forgotten is lost
for ever."
These general reflections shew the sagacity of the
English critic, and have some appearance of truth.
But there is an answer of fact that weakens, if not
destroys, their strength. The Greek language, before
308
TRANSLATION OF THE
T
Homer, was not written more than the Erse; never-
theless, every one knows how regular, elegant, rich,
harmonious, and flexible Homer's works are. The
learned and ingenious Merian carried the opinion of
Woord so far, as clearly to demonstrate, that Homer
himself was ignorant of letters. If so, the Iliad and the
Odyssey were neither written nor copied, but learned
by heart; nor were they collected from MSS. but
from the mouth of the poet. Notwithstanding their
enormous length, there was some one, or perhaps
there were many, who loaded their memory with
this heavy deposit, and, by the aids of their reten-
tive faculties, transmitted them to posterity. It is
well known, that this faculty was highly cultivated
by the druids, and by the bards their ministers, and
was subject to a long and methodical discipline. By
these means the ancient poems were grafted on the
mind deeper than by reading. The head of a stu-
dious bard became a portable poetical library, and
every one of them had before his eyes the expres-
sions and manners of the most celebrated bards, and
was in this manner possessed of the means of imi-
tating, rectifying, and increasing their poems; ren-
dering more regular and perfect their poetical
language, which, although spoken, was not the same
as that used by the rabble.* But be this as it may,
Johnson boldly affirms, that
covered in the Erse language, five hundred lines of
which there is any evidence to prove them a hun-
dred years old."
there cannot be re-
Nor seems he disposed to rely at all on any
* See Note E, at the end of the Dissertation.
ABBE CESAROTTI'S DISSERTATION.
309
thing to be derived from inquiries and investi-
gations made in those regions. "They are not,
says he, "much accustomed to be interrogated by
others; and seem never to have thought upon inter-
rogating themselves; so that if they do not know
what they tell to be true, they likewise do not dis-
tinctly perceive it to be false. Therefore, their
answer to the second question was commonly such
as nullified the answer to the first. We heard of
manuscripts that were, or had been, in the hands of
somebody's father or grandfather, but at last we had
no reason to believe they were other than Irish, but
never any Erse manuscripts were to be found in the
Highlands."
66
From general propositions the critic descends to
particular assertions, and by directly attacking Mac-
pherson, maintains that the original of Ossian's poems
cannot be shown by him, nor any one else; and
treats the editor as a barefaced impostor, who dares.
to insult the public with unexampled impudence
and falsehood. "The editor, or author," says he,
'never could shew the original, nor can it be shewn
by any other; to revenge reasonable incredulity,
by refusing evidence, is a degree of insolence with
which the world is not yet acquainted; and stubborn
audacity is the last refuge of guilt. It would be easy
to show it, if he had it; but whence could it be had?
It is too long to be remembered, and the language
formerly had nothing written. He has doubtless in-
serted names that circulate in popular stories, and
may have translated some wandering ballads, if any
can be found; and the names and some of the
1
310
TRANSLATION OF THE
images being recollected, make an inaccurate author
imagine, by the help of Caledonian bigotry, that he
has formerly heard the whole."
He adds, "I asked a very learned minister in
Sky, who had used all arts to make me believe the
genuineness of the book, whether at last he be-
lieved it himself? but he would not answer. He
wished me to be deceived, for the honour of his
country; but would not directly and formally de-
ceive me.
"It is said, that some men of integrity profess to
have heard parts of it, but they all heard them when
they were boys; and it was never said that any of
them could recite six lines. They remember names,
and perhaps some proverbial sentiments; and hav-
ing no distinct ideas, coin a resemblance without
an original. The 'persuasion of the Scots, how-
ever, is far from universal; and in a question so
capable of proof, why should doubt be suffered to
continue ?"
The rude and vigorous attack of Johnson, drew
upon this celebrated author, from more than one
zealous Caledonian, some acrimonious answers; which
manifested rather a violent irritability of patriotism,
than clear and sober reasoning. Macpherson on his
part, in order to put an end to the question, replied
in the most simple and proper manner. He adver-
tised in the papers, that the original manuscript of
Ossian was deposited at Becket's the bookseller, and
would be left there for some months, to satisfy the
curiosity of the public. It is proper, however, to
notice, that either the advertisement was not very
ABBE CESAROTTI'S DISSERTATION.
311
widely circulated, or that but few cared to see a
manuscript, without having a knowledge of the lan-
guage in which it was written. Besides, most people
being prepossessed with the contrary opinion, and
relying entirely on the authority of Johnson, thought
it was useless to examine it any farther, since it
seems that some doubts were still remaining, whether
the original had been really deposited, and in what
language it was written.
In spite, however, of the sentence of death pro-
nounced by Johnson against all Gaelic or Erse ma-
nuscripts, a publication made its appearance in the
year 1778, entitled The Works of the Caledonian Bards,
containing various epic, elegiac, and pastoral com-
positions of other Highland bards different from
those of Ossian, and translated into English prose
by an author who did not then choose to put his
name to them, but who afterwards was known to
be a young Highlander, possessed of genius and un-
derstanding, and also thoroughly acquainted with
the Gaelic, which was his vernacular language.* The
name of the author here alluded to was John Clark.
The poems that he translated, although ancient, are
however, by his confession, far inferior to those pre-
viously published by Macpherson, and there are
some pieces even to be found among them, which
would not degrade Ossian himself.† Clark added
to his translation a copious series of annotations,
concerning the manners of the Caledonians, the
Celtic language, and above all the disputes on the
* See Note F, at the end of Dissertation.
† See Note G, at the end of the Dissertation.
3
•
312
TRANSLATION OF THE
authenticity of Ossian's poems, which he strenuously
supported; we shall have occasion hereafter to speak
more fully concerning this author, and the argu-
ments he so tenaciously urged in the cause. Mac-
pherson found a more respectable colleague, and
Ossian a more ponderous advocate for his legiti-
macy, in the person of John Smith, Minister of
Killrandon.* In the year 1780, he published a work
entitled Gaelic Antiquities, consisting of a history of
the Druids, particularly of those of Caledonia; a dis-
sertation on the authenticity of the poems of Ossian,
and a collection of ancient poems translated from
the Gaelic of Ullin, Ossian, Oran, &c. In addition
to the arguments in favour of the authenticity of
Ossian, formerly advanced by Lord Kaims, Dr. Blair,
and Mr. Macpherson, he gives the explicit declaration
of several respectable persons, who had repeatedly
heard the songs of Ossian recited, and who bear tes-
timony to have seen the originals of them; but the
most convincing proof is, that, which forms the
third part of his work. It consists of a collection of
no less than fourteen Gaelic poems, translated by
him into English, and far superior to those published
by Clark, eleven of which are ascribed to Ossian
himself, and the other three are said to be the com-
position of three of the most celebrated bards, co-
eval with Ossian, and who, united with him, formed,
as may be termed, the golden age of the Caledo-
nians. Although all these poems have the same
foundation and character of ideas and style, yet
* Now of Campbell-town in Argyleshire.
+ See Note H, at the end of the Dissertation.
ABBE CESAROTTI'S DISSERTATION.
313
there is a sufficient diversity, to demonstrate that
they are not counterfeited:
Facies non omnibus una,
Nec diversa tamen, qualem decet esse sororum.
To imitate Ossian to that degree, one must be an-
other Ossian.* It might have been expected, that
this new collection would have established, beyond
the possibility of doubt, the authenticity of Ossian ;
but party disputes among learned men are neither
less acrimonious, nor less obstinate, than those among
politicians. Johnson had given a severe blow to the
originality of the poems ascribed to the Scottish bard.
William Shaw, his countryman, undertook to over-
turn the whole from its very foundation, in a little
work published in 1781, entitled An Inquiry into the
Authenticity of the Poems ascribed to Ossian. † Con-
versant in the Gaelic language, of which he pub-
lished a dictionary, he seemed to be well qualified to
decide such a controversy. Johnson had formerly
asserted, that there was no possibility of finding a
Scotchman, who did not love his country better than
truth. Shaw pretends to belie the assertion; for the
honour, says he, of his Caledonian vanity, he would
have heartily wished Ossian to be a real being; but
that the love of truth compelled him to confess, that
Ossian is but a phantom. He undertakes to prove it
with arguments of fact, and to confute point by point,
all the arguments that were alleged in favour of
the authenticity of Ossian. It had been said, ob-
* See Note I, at the end of the Dissertation.
+ See Note K, at the end of the Dissertation.
314
TRANSLATION OF THE
T
serves Shaw, that the original manuscript would be
exhibited in the shop of Mr. Becket, the bookseller;
very well; no person has ever seen it. If with a
view of imposing on the credulity of the public, it
had been left, as announced, at Becket's, it could only
be an Irish manuscript, but never that of Ossian,
because the Erse dialect was never written, nor
printed.
Macpherson, adds Shaw, instead of turning Gaelic
into English, translated his own English into Gaelic;
and such is the poem of Temora, which he gave as
a specimen of the original, at the end of the second
volume; in this he even shewed his ignorance of the
orthography of that language. Ossian's mythology is
an accumulation of those superstitions that prevailed
in the Highlands in the fifteenth century, and which
Macpherson affects to despise, although he acknow-
ledged himself greatly indebted to them: for the
spirits that swarm in his poems, are nothing less nor
more than the common Highland idea of devils, that
even now are thought the authors of storms.
According to the opinion of Mr. Shaw, it is very
easy to pack together a variety of poetical ingre-
dients as Mr. Clark has done, in order to deceive
ignorant credulity. Clark himself is said to have
owned afterwards to Shaw, that his work was imagi-
nary and counterfeited. Smith asserts, that Macpher-
son was very ready to shew the originals to the best
judges; Shaw absolutely denies this, and says, that
whenever Macpherson was asked to do it, he always
gave an evasive answer. Sometimes he said the
manuscript was at his country-house, sometimes it
ABBE′ CESAROTTI'S DISSERTATION.
315
was in other people's hands, and at another time
the key was lost, or that he would shew it the first
opportunity.
Shaw undertook a journey to the Highlands of
Scotland and to the Hebrides in 1778, on purpose
to collect materials for his dictionary: he declares
having made researches with the greatest assiduity,
with a view to trace the poems of Ossian, but that all
his labours proved unsuccessful: thus, while he was
flattering himself with the hopes of being able to
convert Johnson, he became himself a sceptic. He
afterwards undertakes to examine minutely the ar-
guments urged by Smith and Blair, in favour of the
authenticity of Ossian, and endeavours to prove them
weak and groundless. Among those Highlanders he
questioned on the subject, some denied the fact,
others equivocated; no one openly and fairly con-
firmed the fact. He freely challenged all those per-
sons he named, to contradict him if they could.
In a signal and triumphant manner, he asserts he
had silenced Mr. Macleod, Professor of the Univer-
sity of Glasgow, quoted by Smith, as a very proper
person to examine and compare the original of Os-
sian, with Macpherson's translation. In a conversa-
tion that Shaw mentions to have had with him, Shaw
challenged him, or any man, to point out only six
lines of Ossian's original, offering to pay at the rate
of two shillings and sixpence for each word. Mac-
leod, he says, could neither repeat a single syllable,
nor undertake to procure from Mr. Macpherson,
although then in London, a single line. Another
important evidence was, that Mr. Macnicol also, in
316
TRANSLATION OF THE
his remarks on Johnson's journey, vapouringly in-
vited that critic to see a copious collection of MS.
volumes, all in the Gaelic language and ancient cha-
racters, in the possession of Mr. Mackenzie, secre-
tary to the Highland Society of London. Shaw, on
his first receiving the intelligence, ran with eager-
ness to see them; but to his utmost surprise, he per-
ceived them to be manuscripts written in the Irish
dialect and character, containing nothing else but
Irish or national genealogies. There is every rea-
son, observes Shaw, to believe that these are the
very manuscripts, which Mackenzie deposited at
Becket's, to prop the imposture, and delude the
public.
If we can believe Shaw, there was among the
Scotch a conspiracy to defend Ossian's reputation,
almost at the expense of every virtue. In proof of
this, he did not hesitate to assert, that both Blair
and Ferguson, those two celebrated Scotch authors,
conspired together to deceive Doctor Percy regard-
ing the subject of their idolized authenticity; and
having, for this purpose, translated from Macpher-
son's English, a short poem, or fragment, into the
Gaelic language, they caused it to be recited by a
young Highlander, in the presence of Doctor Percy
himself, as an original piece of Ossian. He also
adds, that if we were not to suppose (which seems
to be the opinion of a judicious and impartial jour-
nalist) this to be contrived for a mockery, it would
prove that the Scottish enthusiasm was highly ridi-
culous, and carried to the extreme, in attempting to
maintain what was known to be chimerical, and that
ABBE CESAROTTI'S DISSERTATION.
317
their disposition to any pious fraud is evident, in
propagating the Ossianic belief.*
After this publication, Ossian appeared utterly un-
done. But why?
Mulciber in Trojam, pro Troja stabat Apollo.
Shaw, with all his boldness, had no great cause to
triumph. It seems, that Macpherson did not trouble
himself to answer so insolent and impudent an attack.
A valiant champion, however, undertook to fight the
battle for him, and returned Shaw, as they say, tit for
tat. This was Clark himself, who, two years before,
had published the Works of the Caledonian Bards. He
represents Ossian's enemy in the most odious light,
as a man unprincipled, selfish, revengeful, ungrate-
ful towards his best friends, a flatterer of Johnson;
and above all, an impostor, a barefaced slanderer,
who was in perpetual contradiction with himself and
truth. He evidently proves all this by facts, by
authentic testimonies, by letters of the persons in-
troduced in this learned controversy, and by com-
paring Shaw's own writings, and contrasting his
former sentiments with those delivered in his in-
quiry.
Clark mentions, that Shaw had some years before
proposed to him to print a general collection of all
the Caledonian poems, and to publish them in frag-
ments, or as popular ballads; giving in separate
volumes the Gaelic text, and the English transla-
tion. He was angry with Macpherson, not because
he had published the supposed poems, but because he
See Note L, at the end of the Dissertation.
318
TRANSLATION OF THE
had mutilated them, or connected them together, in
a way that appeared to him better than the origi-
nals, so as to give them an epic and regular form.*
As to their authenticity, Clark confesses he never
heard the poems of Fingal or Temora recited by
any Highlander in the same arrangement in which
Mr. Macpherson has published them; but he declares
solemnly, that he frequently heard almost every pas-
sage in those two poems, recited by various persons
with no more difference from the translation, than
what the genius of the language required, and not
near so much as there is between the different
editions of those poems in the different parts of the
Highlands.
All the facts quoted by Shaw are, in Clark's
opinion, an accumulation of falsehood. He main-
tains, it is false, that the manuscripts, inspected by
Shaw at Mackenzie's, were all Irish. He saw them
many times, though always he only carelessly read a
few words here and there; and on being asked by Mr.
Mackenzie what he thought of them, he answered,
that he believed they were the composition of the
fifteenth century. It is false, continues Clark, that
the manuscripts deposited at Becket's were Irish;
still more false, that Macpherson refused to shew
him the originals of Ossian. Shaw never asked him
to shew them; for even if he had done it, Macpher-
son would not have been anxious to satisfy him,
being well convinced of the ignorance and motives
of the man. He maintains also, that the collusion
* See Note M. at the end of the Dissertation.
+ See Note N, at the end of the Dissertation.
✓
ABBE CESAROTTI'S DISSERTATION.
319
between Ferguson and Blair to deceive Percy, as
represented by Shaw, had no foundation in fact, as
Ferguson complained highly of the calumny, and
Shaw was compelled to retract it. And lastly, that the
offer made to Professor Macleod, to pay on pro-
ducing six original lines of Ossian at the rate of two
shillings and sixpence for each word, was equally
false. Macleod, in one of his letters to Clark, con-
tradicts it flatly. In the same letter, he affirms that
before Macpherson published his translation, he read
to him and other friends the greatest part of those
poems in Gaelic.* Clark, in the conclusion of his
work, subdues his antagonist with his own weapons,
by making comparisons between the sentiments con-
tained in his first publication, called Analysis of the
Gaelic Language, and those contained in his Inquiry
into the Authenticity of Ossian. Clark calls this
part of his answer "Shaw against Shaw," and con-
victs him of a perpetual contradiction and incohe-
rence. The whole of Clark's work, though written
with some bitterness, (excusable in a man accused of
imposture by an impostor,) breathes an air of veracity
and candour. But what gave validity to the cause of
Ossian more than any other proof, was the publica-
tion, by John Smith, in 1787, of the Gaelic originals
of those very poems, of which he had formerly pub-
lished the translation in his Gaelic Antiquities.
preserves in his notes," says the author of an English
* See Note O, at the end of the Dissertation.
+ See Note P, at the end of the Dissertation.
"He
↑ See Note H, at the end of the Dissertation, also referred to page
312.
320
TRANSLATION OF THE
•
journal, "the decency of his character, and scorns
to meddle with those debates, that were so furiously
agitated by his countrymen. He offers to the public
the original poems, and allows them to speak for
themselves." He is right; no proof could have been
more demonstrative than this. The cause of Smith
and Macpherson is perfectly identified. If the
poems of the former are legitimate, there is no rea-
son to brand those of the latter with suspicions of
being spurious. Besides, Smith in his notes exhi-
bited several passages in the Gaelic original of the
identical poems translated by Macpherson, quoting
afterwards a passage from a poem written by John
Barbour, Archdeacon of Aberdeen, who wrote the
life of King Robert Bruce in 1375.* He shews,
that about four hundred years before Macpherson
was born, the name of Fingal, and the poems of
Ossian, were well known in Scotland. He proves
also, that the same poems were familiar to Giraldus
Cambrensis, who lived in the twelfth century. "We
must allow," remarks the same journalist, "that
Smith's conduct had a great appearance of candour,
and that this was more apt to banish from our minds
those doubts, which were excited by the mysterious
behaviour of Macpherson, than all the arguments
adduced by many other writers." But, although
Macpherson had offered to present to the public the
original poems of Ossian, he was, perhaps, provoked
by the offensive observations and doubts of some
critics, and thought, that the groundless charge of
* See Note Q, at the end of the Dissertation.
ABBE CESAROTTI'S DISSERTATION.
821
imposture, brought against a man of honour, de-
served no answer but silent contempt:
La raison s'avilit en se justifiant.
Moreover, previously to the publication of Smith's
edition of the Gaelic poems, an English writer had
thrown a clear and distinct light on the question, by
a production calculated to settle the dispute concern-
ing the poems and their real author. In 1783, Thomas
Hill, the English gentleman alluded to, published a
small work containing several Gaelic songs and poems,
which he had collected, during a tour through the
Highlands of Scotland, in 1780, accompanied with
various interesting reflections relating to the great
Helen of British combats.* These poems are not indeed
calculated to remove all doubts, being mostly of that
class, which both Macpherson and Smith would have
rejected as spurious. Two of them only belong to
the subjects of Ossian; one is the death of Dermid,
slain by a venomous boar, on which there is a
poem in Smith's collection; and the other is on the
death of Oscar, which forms the first part of the
poem of Temora. Among other poems, one con-
tains a dialogue between Ossian and Saint Patrick;
another is a curious dispute betweeen the same
parties respecting the evidence and excellence of
Christianity, which dispute is also mentioned by
Macpherson, and by him considered a fictitious
production.
It may be interesting to lay before our readers the
result of the editor's observations, because it is the
* See Note R, at the end of the Dissertation.
VOL. III.
Y
322
TRANSLATION OF THE
best calculated to reconcile the jarring opinions of
parties, to fix the fluctuating ideas relative to the dis-
pute, and to confine the argument to precise terms.
In this controversy, according to Mr. Hill's opi-
nion, there is on both sides confusion and ambiguity.
Macpherson and his supporters, either would not, or
could not, produce the wished for manuscripts with-
out equivocation: but his adversaries, who were so
anxious in their demands, had not the least notion
of the Caledonian poems; none of them understood
the Gaelic language in which they were written,
not even excepting the great Johnson.
The question is naturally divided into three parts:
1. Is Ossian quite an imaginary being of Macpher-
son's creation? or a traditional hero of the Cale-
donians?
There can be no doubt, that Fingal and all his
family were among the Caledonians and Irish, a
race of ancient heroes, who were the rulers of those
countries; and that the two nations look upon
Ossian as the most famous of all their bards. The
history of Fingal is recited in the Highlands with
admiration and delight: and upon this the tradi-
tional novels and tales are chiefly founded. And
here I beg leave to assert, that this medley of fables
cannot be a stronger evidence against the reality of
Ossian's heroes, than the romances of Turpin and
Ariosto may be proofs whereon to deny the existence
of Charlemagne and his barons.
2. Are the ancient songs and poems, ascribed to
Ossian, respecting the history of his family, really
existing among the Caledonians? Did Macpherson
ABBE CESAROTTI'S DISSERTATION.
323
translate from the originals the poems which he pub-
lished under his name?
It is undeniable that there is in Scotland a great
number of songs and poems, which for many cen-
turies have been ascribed to this bard. Hill had
copies of the originals he published. In various
parts of Scotland, and especially in the shire of
Argyle, and district of Lochaber, and other places
on the western coast, he was acquainted with several
traditional possessors, some of one part some of an-
other, of the collections of those poems. These are
more or less copious, and have many considerable
variations. It is certain that the facts, the adventures,
and many fragments of the poems of Smith and Mac-
pherson, are to be found in them. There is not suf-
ficient ground therefore to doubt, that some of the
same orignals might have been procured in various
parts, and their transcripts so obtained may be
deemed authentic.*
3. But are these poems exactly corresponding to
those of Macpherson's Ossian?
This cannot absolutely be affirmed, and it might
even be denied without injuring in the least their
authenticity. Ossian's poems, whether recited or in
manuscript, are subject, as we have mentioned before,
to great variations in the different districts of the
Highlands of Scotland; not only from the difference
of dialects, but from the disunion, alterations, curtail-
ments, additions, and miscellaneous matter introdu-
ced into them by reciters or transcribers, in various
places, and at different times. The poems of that
* See Note S, at the end of the Dissertation.
$24
TRANSLATION OF THE
bard, it appears, were recited in fragments irregu-
larly, and were blended by the vulgar with popular
fables and other pieces on similar subjects, composed
by posterior bards and senachies, of a genius and
style different from that of Ossian, as might be
naturally expected in poems which pass through the
mouths of the vulgar, and are successively transmitted
by memory; and it is probable, that here and there
various collections and compilations of them might
be made, most of them indigested, without selection
or judgment, by inexperienced and ignorant persons.
It is therefore reasonable to think, that Macpherson
and Smith, having collected together the greatest
number they could of such manuscripts, consulted
the oldest and best informed people of those coun-
tries, and having compared the pieces with each
other, were enabled to select from the various read-
ings such as were most suitable to and consistent
with the general character of Ossian; they would
consequently put together the various fragments in
the most rational order, and according to the na-
tural connection of the subjects; thence had it in
their power to compile and publish a genuine trans-
lation, worthy of the name of that author. Smith
candidly confessed both for himself and for his col-
"After
league, that such had been their conduct.
the materials were collected," says he, "the next
labour was to compare the different editions; to
strike off several parts that were manifestly spurious ;
to bring together some episodes that appeared to
have a relation to one another, though repeated
separately; and to restore to their proper places
ABBE CESAROTTI'S DISSERTATION.
325
some incidents that seemed to have run from one
poem into another.*-I am very confident, that the
poems so arranged are different from all other edi-
tions; they have taken a certain air of regularity
and of art, in comparison with the disunited and
irregular manner of the original." In another place
Mr. Smith, speaking of Macpherson, remarks, "that
it must be confessed we have not the whole of the
poems of Ossian, or even of the collection translated
by Mr. Macpherson; yet still we have many of
them, and of almost all a part. The building is not
entire, but we have still the grand ruins of it." t
In short, although Macpherson had not explicitly
imparted to the public the particular quality of his
compilation, he gave, however, in various parts of his
annotations, sufficient hints that this was the method
he adopted. In this place it is proper to observe, that
the very system of Macpherson's work may perhaps
demonstrate his shyness in showing freely the origi-
nal. He had in his possession several manuscripts of
Ossian, and he had among them the genuine poems
of Ossian, which were not to be found in any other
edition though dispersed in all. But the true Ossian,
as published in English, was only to be found in
the compilation made by himself, and transcribed by
his own hand. Whatever manuscripts therefore he
might have offered to the public, the incredulous
and malicious, on comparing the translation with
the text, and finding them strictly uniform, would
have said, that Macpherson had counterfeited the
* See Note T, at the end of the Dissertation.
† See Note U, at the end of the Dissertation.
་
326
TRANSLATION OF THE
original, with a view to deceive the unwary. For this
reason, satisfied with having laid the matter of fact
before those few, who were acquainted with the
state of the different editions of Ossian, he scorned
perhaps to expose himself to the risk of bearing the
blame and slander, for that which ought to have
rather excited the public estimation and gratitude.
But, whatever may be thought concerning the
subject, the opinion of Mr. Hill, on the three ques-
tions above discussed, appears rational, and perhaps
more satisfactory than any other to the minds
of impartial critics; and ought even to have been
approved and cherished by Macpherson himself.
Perhaps we must think differently of what is given
in the latter part of his discourse, on two other ques-
tions, which he proposes as supplementary to the
preceding ones. 1. He asks, was Ossian Irish or
Scotch? 2. What true idea had their countrymen of
the Fingalians, and in what light ought we to con-
sider them? On the first question, he decides, that
Fingal and his family were Irish heroes, and that
Ossian's poems are originally from Ireland. He
assigns the following reasons. One of the principal
characters in the poems is St. Patrick, the apostle of
Ireland; the same poems are found among those
of the Scotch particularly on the coast opposite to
Ireland. In an account of the Irish customs, written
by one Good, a schoolmaster at Limerick, in 1556, of
which William Camden gives the following extract:
"The Irish," says the author, "think, that the souls of
the deceased are in communion with famous men of
those places, of whom they retain many stories and
ABBE CESAROTTI'S DISSERTATION.
327
sonnets; as of the giants, Fin-mac-huile, Oscar-mac-
oshin, and Oshin-mac-owin. And they say, through
illusion, that they often see them." With respect to
Gaelic manuscripts, Hill confesses, that he had not
been able to consult a sufficient number to deter-
mine, whether the most ancient and primitive manu-
scripts were Caledonian or Irish; but, from what came
under his notice, he seems inclined to believe them
Irish. As to the second question he says, that the Fin-
galians were considered by their countrymen as a
race of giants, and are represented as such in their
mythological songs. This, he remarks, has nothing
in it to surprize us, "for such were all the heroes
deified by the northern nations; such were Odin,
Thor, and the other Teutonic gods; such also were
Hercules, Bacchus, and the other heroes, or demi-gods,
of ancient Greece." This last observation is a conse-
quence of the preceding one, since neither Fingal,
nor any of his family, appears to have been of a
gigantic form in any of Ossian's poems translated by
Mr. Macpherson, and they are only found to be so
in the Irish editions.*
It is not my province to decide on the two last
opinions of this critic, but it is certain, that Macpher-
son could not be satisfied with them; he, who had pre-
viously combated these objections, first in his preface
to the poem of Fingal, and afterwards more forcibly
in the preliminary discourse to the poem of Temora,
by adducing arguments which appear to be decisive.
We shall leave the learned of both nations to de-
cide on the validity of the proofs, which Macpherson
* See Note W, at the end of the Dissertation.
7
}
T
328
TRANSLATION OF THE
adduces on the anteriority of the origin of the Cale-
donian Celts over the Irish Celts, and on the purity of
the Celtic mother tongue, which is much better pre-
served in the Highlands of Scotland, than in Ireland.
But if the poems or songs, which are prevalent in the
former country concerning the family and the heroes
of Fion Mac Comnal (Fingal son of Comnal) be such
as are represented by Macpherson, the pretensions of
the Irish are utterly vain and nugatory. There is no
alternative: it must be one of the two; either Os-
sian's poems, as published by Macpherson and Smith,
are not genuine, or Fingal and his family do not
belong to Ireland; and what is more important,
the traditional songs of the Irish nation are the
works of posterior senachies, or rhapsodists, who
were willing to claim the Caledonian heroes; and
they contain nothing but crazy tales, and foolish
romances.
Macpherson gives an analysis of the principal Irish
songs alluded to, several of which contain nearly the
same facts that are to be found in the real Ossian's
poems, and by quoting often the original words, he
proves the former to be full of contradictions, ana-
chronisms, allusions to modern times, and extravagant
and ridiculous tales. In spite of the general preten-
sion of the Irish nation, many of them call Fingal
and his race Fion d'Albion, the proper name of the
Highlands of Scotland.* Fingal, according to the
* See Note X, also Supplemental Observations on the authenticity of
Ossian's poems at the end of Notes to this Dissertation, under the Head
of the ancient Name and Inhabitants of Great Britain.
ABBE CESAROTTI'S DISSERTATION.
329
accounts of all the Irish poems, flourished in the
reign of Cormac, who by general assent is placed in
the third century; nevertheless, his son Ossian, in
these same songs, makes himself contemporary with
Saint Patrick, who is given out as the son-in-law of
our bard, though it is notorious that the Saint went
to Ireland to preach the Gospel about the middle of
the fifth century; and we find besides, here and there,
mention of Ossian, and of the pilgrimage of his he-
roes to the Holy Land, the Crusades, the Daughters
of the Convent; Erragon King of Denmark, of two
nations, alluding to the reunion of Norway and Den-
mark. Nay we have a threatened invasion of Ireland
by France mentioned, and such like absurdities, which
are in constant contradiction with chronology, and
the history of Ossian.* All the records we have of
the manners, ideas, and customs of the fifth century,
are full of tales strangely romantic, of magic, sor-
cery, witchcraft, enchanted castles, maids bewitched,
gigantic heroes, not however resembling Hercules,
or Bacchus, as Mr. Hill will have it, but like the
heroes of Morgante and Ricciardetto;t of these, tak-
ing all things together, no traces whatever are to
be found in the Caledonian Ossian. The exploits of
Fingal were mostly achieved in Ireland, and as being
related to the family of the kings of Ulster, accord-
ing to Macpherson, the Irish, in the subsequent cen-
turies, were actuated by the ardent wish of appro-
priating to themselves all those heroes so famous in
tradition, and which gave their senachies an oppor-
* See Note X, at the end of Dissertation.
† See Note Y, at the end of Dissertation.
t
330
TRANSLATION OF THE
tunity to compose various songs on their history,
altering and counterfeiting them so as to suit their
purpose, and the predominant ideas of the people of
that country. The same author believes he can
assign the epoch of this novelty, and the circum-
stances that influenced the public credulity.
Whatever may be the prevailing opinion concern-
this point, the question fundamentally can only be
interesting to the two rival countries. It is enough
for us to believe, first, that poems and stories of a
character so different, cannot be the production of
the same author, nor of the same epoch. Secondly,
that the bard, who has been represented to us as a
Scotchman, is one of the most transcendant geniuses
that ever adorned the history of poetry, or that ever
graced the annals of valour and glory. The parallel
between the Asiatic and the Caledonian Homer, is
truly striking; both anterior to the epoch of letters,
both blind, both extempore poets, both distorted in
their limbs, and in want of some Esculapius to bring
them together into one body.* There was nothing
:
* It does not appear that the Caledonian bard was distorted in his
limbs on the contrary, Ossian appears from his poems to have been a
handsome and stately person. "The sound of shells had ceased. Amidst
long locks, Sul-malla rose. She spoke with bended eyes, and asked of
our course through seas, for of the kings of men are ye, tall riders of
the wave;" alluding to Ossian and Oscar; see Sul-malla of Lumon,
Ossian, in relating to Malvina his courtship of Everallin (Fingal, B. IV.),
says, "Daughter of the hand of suow! I was not so mournful and
blind. I was not so dark and forlorn, when Everallin loved me! A
thousand heroes sought the maid, she refused her love to a thousand.
The sons of the sword were despised: for graceful in her eyes was
Ossian." In other parts of Ossian's poems there are allusions to
ABBE CESAROTTI'S DISSERTATION.
331
further required to render them perfectly equal, than
that both should be of the same country, parents,
name, and period of existence.
But whatever may be said or thought on the sub-
ject, the works of the Celtic Homer (Ossian) do
exist; they are all of the same brilliant and harmoni-
ous colouring, and they have a certain author. Let
that author have existed in the times of Caracalla,
or of Saint Patrick; let him be a native of Morven,
or of Ulster; let him belong to the family of a petty
king, or to that of a simple Highlander, it is all the
same to those who consider him in the light of a
poet. Let such as do not like to name him Ossian,
call him Orpheus: doubts may be entertained
whether Fingal was his father, but no one will say,
that he was not the son of Apollo.
1
his blindness, but none to his being distorted in his limbs. It is there-
fore presumed, that Cesarotti was under a mistake in this parallel, and
had in view the Lacedæmonian bard Tyrtæus, who we are told was of
short stature and much deformed, blind of one eye, and also lame. He
was nevertheless a warrior, as well as poet. (Justin, lib. iii. c. 5.) In
the Supplemental Observations at the end of the Notes, under the head
of Oral Tradition, &c. we shall have occasion to notice this ancient poet,
and the war songs which he composed. Trans.
[332]
5
NOTES
BY THE TRANSLATOR OF CESAROTTI'S
DISSERTATION.
Note A, referred to p. 293.
THE ABBE' CESAROTTI, author of the Historical and Critical Disser-
tation, relative to the controversy on the authenticity of Ossian's poems,
is well known in the republic of letters; not only for his elegant translation
into Italian of the poems of Ossian, as published by Macpherson, and his
translation of Homer into Italian, but also for his erudition as author of
Reflections on the Philosophy of Language and Taste, and other ace-
demical and miscellaneous works. He was many years one of the pro-
fessors at the University of Padua ; and, in the year 1796, the writer of
these notes, on his way to Venice, became personally acquainted
with him. It was then he first learned, that Cesarotti had given to
the public, in 1763, an Italian version of Ossian's Fingal, and some
other poems of the Caledonian bard, soon after Macpherson's trans-
lations had been first published. In 1772, Cesarotti published at
Padua his second edition, in four volumes octavo; which included
Temora, and the other poems in Macpherson's quarto edition of
1763. In the year 1780, another Italian edition of Cesarotti's Ossian
was published at Nice, in three small volumes closely printed; to which
he prefixed translations of Macpherson's Preface, a Preliminary Disser-
tation on the Æra and Authenticity of Ossian's Poems, and a Disser-
tation concerning the Caledonians.
And in 1801, a complete edition of Cesarotti's works was published at
Pisa in ten volumes, four of which contain Ossian's poems, and the
NOTES ON Cesarotti's DISSERTATION.
333
$
former dissertations, together with Dr. Blair's Critical Dissertation, with
notes by the translator. In this edition Cesarotti has given a Historical
and Critical Dissertation of his own on the controversy respecting the
authenticity of Ossian, now for the first time, it is believed, translated
into English. In addition to the notes occasionally interspersed at the
bottom of the pages of Cesarotti's text, he has annexed many interest-
ing supplementary observations at the end of each book, or division of
the poems.
These, with the variety of notes on Dr. Blair's critical
Dissertation, may be deemed of sufficient importance and interest, to be
noticed hereafter, should a new English translation of Ossian be car-
ried into execution, in the mode now in contemplation under the aus-
pices of the Highland Society.
Here it may not be improper to mention a well known fact; namely,
that Bonaparte, while passing through the gradations of his military
career, was in the constant habit of reading Cesarotti's translation of
Ossian.+ The works of the Celtic, as well as of the Grecian hard, were
his inseparable pocket-companions both in garrison, and in the field;
and on his being raised to the Consular dignity, and afterwards annexing
Italy to France, he did not pass over in silence the talents of the learned
Cesarotti, but availed himself of the earliest opportunity to confer on him
ecclesiastical dignities, and other signal marks of favour.
There is little doubt, that, on several occasions, Bonaparte has been
actuated by the elevated sentiments of Ossian; more especially by those
which inspire a love of fame and contempt of death. But how far the
modern conqueror may have imitated the examples of Fingal or his
warriors, as forcibly delineated by Dr. Blair in the following passage,
must be left to the discriminating judgment of the future historian.
"In all the sentiments of Fingal there is a grandeur and loftiness
to swell the mind with the highest ideas of human perfection. Where-
ever he appears, we behold the hero. The objects, which he pursues,
are always truly great; to bend the proud, to protect the injured, to
defend his friends, to overcome his enemies by generosity more than
* A translation of Cesarotti's notes and observations on the first book
of Fingal is given at the end of the Dissertation prefixed to the first
volume.
+ The Nice edition, printed in three small volumes, 12mo.
334*
NOTES BY THE TRANSLATOR
t
by force.
A portion of the same spirit actuates all the other heroes.
Valour reigns; but it is a generous valour, void of cruelty, actuated
by honour, not by hatred. We behold no debasing passions among Fin-
gal's warriors; no spirit of avarice or insult; but a perpetual conten-
tion for fame; a desire of being distinguished and remembered for
gallant actions; a love of justice; and a zealous attachment to their
friends and their country. Such is the strain of sentiment in the works
of Ossian."
There are not wanting examples to prove, that Bonaparte, in his ad-
dresses to his army, both before and after any great battle, as well as in
his proclamations and instructions to general officers, is a close imitator
of the concise and energetic style of Ossian. In confirmation of
this observation, we have, among many others, a striking instance in
his instructions to General Kleber on quitting Egypt and returning to
France.
These instructions are dated Alexandria, Aug. 2d, 1799, and were pub-
lished at full length, in the year 1800, with many original intercepted
letters, from the officers of the French army in Egypt to their friends in
Europe; and their authenticity is unquestionable. In one passage Bona-
parte says, "Accustomed to look for the recompense of the toils and diffi-
culties of life in the opinion of posterity, I abandon Egypt with the deepest
regret! The honour and interests of my country, duty, and the extra-
ordinary events, which have recently taken place there, have alone
determined me to hazard a passage to Europe, through the midst of
the enemy's squadrons. In heart and in spirit, I shall be in the midst
of you. The army I intrust to your care is entirely composed of my
own children."
The original runs thus: "Accoutumé à voir la recompence des peines et
des travaux de la vie dans l'opinion de la postérité, j'abandonne l'Egypte
avec le plus grand regret. L'intérêt de la patrie, sa gloire, l'obéissance, les
évènemens extraordinaires qui viennent de s'y passer, me decident seuls à
passer au milieu des escadres ennemies, pour me rendre en Europe. Je serai
d'esprit et de cœur, avec vous. L'armée, que je vous confie, est toute com-
posée de mes enfans.”
We find in Plutarch and Strabo, that Alexander the Great of Mace-
* Plut. in Vita Alexandri. Strabo, lib. 13.
of CesarottI'S DISSERTATION.
335
don, and the Ptolomies of Egypt, as well as the philosophers and states-
men of their time, held Homer in such high estimation, that they did
not hesitate to assist in strictly revising and reviewing his poems, restor-
ing some verses to their former readings, and rejecting others which were
deemed spurious. The edition of Homer, prepared by Alexander, is
recorded to have been kept in a casket, (such was the inestimable value
the hero put upon it,) which was found among the spoils of Darius; and
thence it was named the edition of the casket.
Bonaparte has, in addition to what we have already noticed, recently
given a substantial proof of his veneration for the Celtic bard, as well as
for whatever relates to Celtic literature, by establishing under his imme-
diate auspices a Celtic Academy at Paris. Why should not Great
Britain follow an example so laudable, by establishing at some one of
our Universities a professor of the Celtic language? Why should a lan-
guage so useful to the antiquary be neglected in the Island, where it is
still spoken? Why ought not the Celtic bard to be as much admired in
his own as in foreign countries? Homer had justice done to his genius
by his countrymen, independent of auxiliary aid; whereas Ossian's sub-
lime effusions have been left to rulers, philosophers, and poets of other
nations to appreciate. His merits have in his native land been even
decried by men, who were influenced by sceptical notions, or were
ignorant of the language in which his sentiments are conveyed. By
the Abbé Cesarotti and other learned foreigners, who are convinced of
the intrinsic value and genuineness of Ossian's works, his fame is amply
vindicated and by the patriotic zeal and exertions of Dr. Blair and a
few private individuals of this country, the authenticity of his poems is
clearly established.
:
It may not be uninteresting to mention, that there is in the National
Library at Paris (formerly the King's) a curious Celtic manuscript, pur-
porting to be the speech of Clovis, the founder of the French monarchy,
to his army on taking the field.* It is said to be bound up with MSS.
in the Persian, Arabic, and other languages. Efforts are making to
obtain a copy of this MS. from Paris, with a fac simile of a few lines of
the original to prove the age of the writing. The composition is said
to be in the energetic style of the celebrated speech of Galgacus the
* Clovis reigned King of the French in Gaul from 481 to 508.
+
+
1
:
T
t
336
NOTES BY THE TRANSLATOR
Scottish chief, pronounced at the head of an army of Caledonians,
when about to engage the Romans on the Grampian hills.*
The first sentence of the speech of Galgacus is thus given in Gaelic.
"Co tric 'sa bheir mi fa 'near abhair a chogai so, agus an teinn anns
am bheil sinn, tha mor mhisneach agam gu'm bi 'n la 'n diu, agus ur
aonachd inntinn, nan toiseach saorsai Bhreatain gu leir."
In Latin by Tacitus:
"Quotiens causas belli et necessitatem nostram intueor, magnus mihi
animus est, hodiernum diem consensumque vestrum, initium libertatis
totius Britanniæ fore."
The following is a translation of the passage:
"Whenever I reflect on the causes of this war, and the necessity to
which we are reduced, great is my confidence that this day and your
unanimity will prove the beginning of universal liberty to Britain."
In French by Monsieur de la Bleterie:
"Plus je considere la cause pour laquelle nous combattons, et l'étât
où nous sommes reduits, plus je compte sur votre zéle unanime; et ce
jour est à mes yeux l'époque d'une revolution, qui doit affranchir toute
la Bretagne du joug de ses tyrans."
Note B. referred to p. 298.
The substance of Dr. Blair's Dissertation was originally delivered in
1763, soon after the first publication of Fingal, in the course of his lec-
tures in the University of Edinburgh; and, at the desire of several of
the hearers, it was afterwards enlarged and given to the public. In the
year 1765, Dr. Blair published a second edition, to which was added an
appendix, containing a variety of undoubted testimonies establishing
the authenticity of Ossian's poems.
In the Appendix to the Report of the Highland Society of Scotland,
lately published, respecting Ossian, there are inserted in chronological
order, no fewer than eleven letters addressed to Dr. Blair, between the 4th
Feb. 1760, and 2d Oct. 1764; all bearing the most explicit testimony,
drawn from internal evidence, of the great antiquity of the poems, and
* Tacitus in his life of Agricola has given Galgacus's speech at full
length.
of cesarotTI'S DISSERTATION.
337
*
none of them insinuating the most remote suspicion, that Mr. Macpher-
son had either forged or adulterated any one of the poems, which he pub-
lished and ascribed to Ossian. The following highly respectable per-
sons are the writers of the letters alluded to: viz. 1. Sir John Mac-
pherson, Bart.; 2. Sir James Macdonald; 3. Dr. John Macpherson,
minister of Sleat; 4. Lachlan Macpherson, of Strathmashie; 5. Dr.
John Macpherson, of Sleat; 6. Angus Macneill, minister of Hovemore;
7. Neil Macleod, minister of Ross; 8. Mr. Alexander Macaulay; 9.
Mr. Donald Macleod, minister of Glenelg; 10. Mr. Donald Macqueen,
minister of Thilmuir; 11. Lord Auchinleck.
There is likewise an interesting letter inserted in the Appendix to said
Report, page 56, from Dr. Blair to Henry Mackenzie, Esq. the editor,
dated the 20th Dec. 1797, in which he gives a particular account of the
circumstances relating to the first discovery and publication of the
poems, of Ossian.
Although the question, that has been so long a subject of contro-
versy, may be fairly presumed to be set at rest, it must, however, be gra-
tifying to the reader, to have pointed out to him the principal authorities
and testimonies recently adduced in support of the authenticity of
Ossian, that he may, if necessary, refer to them, and thence draw his
own conclusions.
Note C, referred to p. 304.
The specimens which Mr. Macpherson gave of his talents for poetry
prior to his translation of Ossian, are by no means favourable to the
arguments of those persons, who, from that circumstance, drew infer-
ences that his mental powers were equal to fabricate such poems as are
ascribed to the Celtic bard.
In 1758, about two years prior to his publication of the frag-
ments of ancient poetry translated from the Gaelic, he published his
first poetical effusions in a poem called Death, and soon after published
a heroic poem, in six cantos, under the popular name of the Highlander.
An anonymous writer, in the Edinburgh Magazine, notices this last
poem as a “ tissue of fustian and absurdity;" and Mr. Campbell, in his
History of Poetry in Scotland, published at Edinburgh in 1798, com-
pares extracts from it with others taken from his translation of Fingal and
Temora, and adduces irrefragable proofs, that the author of that poem
was not competent to compose such poems as those ascribed to Ossian.
VOL. III.
Z
338
NOTES BY THE TRANSLATOR
Mr. Campbell has besides established beyond a doubt," that poems
ascribed to Ossian did exist, and were universally known in the Highlands,
prior to Mr. Macpherson's first attempts to translate them; that they are
neither wholly, nor, chiefly of his own invention: neither are they literary
forgeries; but that he, with the assistance of others, collected and arranged
them in a systematic form, as translated and presented by him to the pub-
lic." In 1773, Mr. Macpherson published a translation of the Iliad of
Homer, in two volumes quarto; a work, as noticed in the Supplement to
the third edition of the Edinburgh Encyclopædia Britannica, "fraught
with vanity and self-consequence, and which met with the most morti-
fying reception from the public. It was condemned by the critics, ridi-
culed by the wits, and neglected by the world."
Note D, referred to p. 304.
In illustration of the observations made by the learned author in
the text, namely, "that Mr. Macpherson died quite impenitent,
and without any confession respecting the imputation of imposture;
and that Mr. Smith, although a minister, does not seem disposed to
confess his sin, it may not be improper to notice, that Mr. Macpherson
bequeathed a legacy of one thousand pounds to defray the expenses of
preparing for the press, and publishing the original poems. That in his
lifetime, as far back as the year 1784, he had it in serious contempla-
tion to print the originals, as appears from his letter to the Highland
Society of London, inserted in Sir John Sinclair's Dissertation, prefixed to
this work, p. lxxxi: of which a fac simile is given in the Appendix, No.
III. And that, in the same year, a sum of about one thousand pounds
was actually remitted from the East Indies to Mr. Macpherson; being
the amount of a subscription made by some Scotch gentlemen in that
quarter, for the purpose of printing the original poems in Gaelic, as ap-
pears also in the said Dissertation prefixed, and Appendix, No. III.
A reference to four letters from the Rev. Mr. Smith to Henry Mac-
kenzie, Esq. lately published in the Appendix to the Report of the High-
land Society of Scotland, joined to the other proofs adduced, leaves
little or no scope for further controversy respecting the genuineness of
Ossian's poems. In Mr. Smith's last letter, dated the 21st June, 1802, he
emphatically, and with his usual candour, observes towards the conclusion,
"That Fingal fought, and that Ossian sung, cannot be doubted. That
the poems of Ossian extended their fame for ages over Britain and
ין
F
OF CESAROTTI'S DISSERTATION.
339
Ireland, is also clear from Barbour, Cambden, Colgan, and many other
old writers of the three kingdoms. That at least the stamina, the bones,
sinews, and strength of a great part of the poems, now ascribed to him,
are ancient, may, I think, be maintained on many good grounds. But
that some things modern may have been superinduced, will, if not al-
lowed, be at least believed on grounds of much probability; and to
separate the one from the other, is more than the translator himself,
were he alive, could now do, if he had not begun to do so from the
beginning."
Note E, referred to p. 308.
The learned Sir William Jones, in his fourth discourse, published
in the Asiatic Researches,* has given additional strength to the argu-
ments of the Abbé Cesarotti. At the close of his inquiry respecting
the history and language of the Arabs, he justly observes, that "when
the King of Denmark's ministers instructed the Danish travellers to col-
lect historical books in Arabic, but not to busy themselves with pro-
curing Arabian poems, they certainly were ignorant that the only monu-
ments of old Arabian history are collections of poetical pieces, and the
commentaries on them; that all memorable transactions in Arabia were
recorded in verse; and that more certain facts may be known by read-
ing the Hamásah, the Diwan of Hudhail, and the valuable work of
Obaidullah, than by turning over an hundred volumes in prose, unless
indeed those poems are cited by the historians as their authorities.
"That we have none of the Arabian compositions in prose before the
Koran, may be ascribed, perhaps, to the little skill, which they seem to
have had in writing, to their predilection in favour of poetical measure,
and to the facility with which verses are committed to memory; but all
their stories prove that they were eloquent in a high degree, and pos-
sessed wonderful powers of speaking without preparation, in flowing
and forcible periods. Writing was so little practised among them that
their old poems, which are now acceptable to us, may almost be consi-
dered as originally unwritten: and I am inclined to think, that Samuel
Johnson's reasoning on the extreme imperfection of unwritten languages
was too general; since a language that is only spoken may nevertheless
be highly polished by a people, who, like the ancient Arabs, make the
improvement of their idiom a national concern, appoint solemn assemblies
* Vol. II. p. 14, 15.
340
NOTES BY THE TRANSLATOR
1
for the purpose of displaying their poetical talents, and hold it a duty
to exercise their children in getting by heart their most approved com-
positions."
Dr. Johnson's reasoning, on the extreme imperfection of unwritten
languages, was not only too general, as noticed by Sir William Jones in
the above quotation, but his arguments were not borne out by facts, so
far as they were founded on the hasty assertions, " that the Gaelic or
Erse language (of which he confessed having no knowledge) is but a
rude specch of a barbarous people, that it never was a written language,
and that the sounds of the Highlanders were never expressed by letters
till some books of piety were translated, and a metrical version of the
Psalms was made by the Synod of Argyle."
That the Gaelic language is adapted to convey the most heroic actions
and refined sentiments, that it is rich in pure and simple primitives, and
valuable to the antiquary in his researches into the affinity and philo-
sophy of languages, no person having a competent knowledge of the
Gaelic can deny. That it was a written language, from a very remote
period, down to the beginning of the 17th century, has been proved
by fac-simile specimens of writings exhibited in the Appendix to the
Report of the Highland Society of Scotland, and by a collection of
curious Gaelic MSS. in the possession of that Society. In comparing
some of these fac similes with specimens of writings exhibited by Mr.
Mabillon, in his Re Diplomaticâ, and by the late Mr. Astle in his
Origin and Progress of Writing, they are ascertained to be writings of
the eighth, ninth, tenth, and eleventh centuries. A poem, in the said
collection, ascribed to Ossian, of which a fac simile of the writing is
given in the said Report, is ascertained to be a writing of the ninth, or
tenth century. All the Gaelic MSS. alluded to, in the possession of the
Highland Society of Scotland, with the single exception of the Dean
of Lismore's volume, are written in the very ancient form of character,
which was common of old to Britain and Ireland.
Proofs are also given, that so late as the middle of the 17th century
the Gaelic language had not ceased to be used in legal deeds or writings
in some parts of Scotland; and the Highland Society's Report (Appen-
dix, p. 312) mentions there being in their collection of Gaelic MSS.
a deed of fosterage between Sir Norman Macleod and John Mackenzie
dated in the year 1645.*
* See Notices of Gaelic MSS. in possession of the Highland Society,
at the end.
of CESAROTTI'S DISSERTATION.
341
Had such incontrovertible evidence been adduced, at the time Dr.
Johnson affirmed that the Gaelic never was a written language, and that
there could not. be recovered in that language five hundred lines, of
which there is any evidence to prove them a hundred years old, he would
not have so expressed himself. What would have been the Doctor's
opinion had there been laid before him 11,000 MS. verses of Gaelic
poems, composing a small part of the collection of the Highland Society
of Scotland, ascertained, on the authority of the late Mr. Astle, to be
writings of the ninth, tenth, and eleventh centuries; besides, a variety of
other authentic MSS. proved to have been written at different periods
very remote, and long before the art of printing was known in Europe?
There is no doubt that his capacious and enlightened mind would have
been open to conviction; and he would have acquired substantial glory
in retracting the errors of his former opinions, founded upon prejudice
and fallacious principles.
Note F, referred to p. 311.
The poems in the collection of the Caledonian bards, translated by
John Clark, are, 1. Morduth, an ancient heroic poem in three parts.
2. The Chief of Scarlaw. 3. The Chief of Feyglen. 4. The Cave of
Creyla. 5. Colmala and Orwi. 6. The old Bard's Wish. 7. Duchoil's
Elegy. 8. Sulvina's Elegy. 9. Oran-molla. 10. The Words of Woe. 11.
The Approach of Summer. 12. The ancient Chief.
A fragment of Morduth is published in the original Gaelic by Mr.
Gillies in his Collection of ancient Gaelic Poems, and the original of the
old Bard's Wish is given in Macdonald's Collection of Gaelic Poems.
See further notices of these two last poems in the subsequent note.
Note G, referred to p. 311.
The ancient heroic poem, called Morduth, of which Mr. Clark,
has, in his Collectlon of the Caledonian Bards, given a prose version
in English, has been lately translated by the ingenious Mrs. Grant of
Lagan into verse, and published in her Collection of Poems. This
poem consists of three books or divisions, and is ascribed to Douthal,
who was bard to Morduth, King of the Caledonians. A beautiful frag-
ment of the original was published at Perth, in 1786, in Gillies's Collec-
tion of ancient Gaelic Poems.
}
1
342
NOTES BY THE TRANSLATOR
The address to the sun setting among the clouds after the check that
the Caledonian chieftain had received in battle with Swaran, King of
Lochlin, is equal in sublimity to any apostrophe of a similar nature in
Ossian. The following are the two first lines in the original published
by Gillies; but the Gaelic reader is recommended to peruse the whole.
“ Cuime tha thu gruamach san iaṛ
"A Ghrian à luinn ag astar nan nial”?
The following is the whole address to the sun, as translated by Mr.
Clark, a gentleman, who has given evident proofs of his classical taste
and knowledge of the Gaelic language.
"Why dost thou frown in the west, fair-haired traveller of the sky?
Our foes were not of the feeble. Often have the dark clouds concealed
thy own beauty in the day of the storm.
But, when thou drivest the wind from thy lands, and pursuest the
tempest from thy fields; when the clouds vanish at thy nod, and the
whirlwind lies still at thy desire; when thou lookest down in triumph on
our land, and shakest the white locks of thy awful majesty in pride
above our hills; when we behold thee clothed in all thy loveliness, we
rejoice in the conquest thou hast made in heaven, and bless thy friendly
beams, O Sun!
"But retire to thy heathy bed with smiles, bright monarch of the
sky, for we will yet be renowned."
The reader may compare the above address to the sun with that of
Ossian, as translated by Macpherson, in Caricthura and in Carthon. In
the Gaelic Antiquities published by Mr. Smith, there are also two beautiful
addresses of Ossian to the sun, but in different strains of composition :
the one, at the beginning of Gaul, on Ossian's having retired in the night
to the ruins of Fingal's palace, and there lamented his reverse of fortune.
The other, a very long address, at the opening of the poem of Trathal.
Ossian feeling the sun warm on the tomb of Trathal, who was grand-
father to Fingal, and generalissimo of the Caledonian army in their wars
with the Romans, addresses that luminary in the most sublime and ener-
getic style! The address to the sun in Carthon, as translated by Mac-
pherson, was said by his opposers to be a close imitation of Satan's ad-
dress to the sun in Milton's Paradise Lost. In the Report of the
Highland Society of Scotland, there is given a new and more faithful
translation of the address to the sun in Carthon, as well as of that in
of cesarottI'S DISSERTAtion.
343
1
Caricthura; to which are annexed, in the Appendix of the Report, the
Gaelic originals. It was natural for Ossian, as well as Milton, who were
both blind, to make frequent addresses to the sun; hence, it need not
surprise us, that Ossian, in his address to that luminary in Carthon,
should have made the following allusion to his loss of sight: "To me is
the light in vain, as I can never see thy countenance; whether thy
yellow golden locks are spread on the face of the clouds in the east; or
thou tremblest at thy dusky doors in the ocean.”
In the Old Bard's Wish, translated by Mr. Clark, the author of that
poem also alludes thus to his blindness: "Tell me, for my sight is failed,
O Wind! Where does the reed of the mournful sound raise its waving
head? On what fertile mead is the gathering of its strength? Whistle along
its locks as thou passest, friendly blast, and direct me to its dwelling.
Send me thy aid, arm of strength! place me before the kindness of the
sun, when his darting favours are from the centre of the azure arch.
Spread forth thy broad wing, green-robed branch, and be the shield of
my dim eyes from the fervour of the mid-day blaze.”
The original of the Bard's Wish will be found in Macdonald's collec-
tion of Gaelic poems. Although tradition does not pretend to give us the
name of the author of this poem, yet let him be an ancient or a modern
bard, it must be admitted, by those competent to judge of its beauties in
the original Gaelic, that it is a most elegant and spirited composition,
and would not disgrace even Ossian or his cotemporary bards.
Note H, referred to p. 312.
14.
The Collection of ancient poems, translated and published by the
Rev. Mr. Smith, in a quarto volume in 1780, and of which he afterwards
published the Gaelic originals in 1787, consists of the following poems:
1. Dargo. 2. Gaul. 3. Duthona. 4. Dermid. 5. Finan and Lorma.
6. Cathluina. 7. Cathula. 8. Manos. 9. Trathal. 10. Dargo, the son
· of Druival. 11. Cuthon. 12. The Fall of Tura. 13. Cathlava.
The Death of Artho.
There is prefixed to Mr. Smith's translation a history of the Druids,
particularly of those of Caledonia; and a Dissertation on the Authen-
ticity of Ossian's Poems. The poems are also interspersed with a
variety of notes and observations respecting the Gaelic language, cus-
toms, and manners of the Highlanders.
•
•
344
NOTES BY THE TRANSLATOR
}
+
Note I, referred to page 313.
The Baron Edmund de Harold, colonel in the service of the Elector
Palatine, &c. published, at Dusseldorf, in the year 1787, an English
version of seventeen little Caledonian poems, which he had discovered.
with the following titles.-The Songs of Tara; The Song of Phelim ;
Evir-allen; Sulmora; Ryno's Song on the Death of Oscar; Malvina,
a dramatic poem; Kinfena and Sira; A Song by Ossian, after the
defeat of the Romans; Bosmina; The Songs of Comfort; The last
Song of Ossian; Sulima; Sitric; Lamor; Larnul, or The Song of
Despair; The Death of Asala; The Morning Song of the Bard Dlorah.
-All these poems the Baron ascribed to Ossian, except that of Lamor,
which is supposed to be of a more remote antiquity; and that of Sitric,
which appears to be of the ninth century. In the translation of the
song of Ryno, on the death of Oscar, which appears to be the best in
this small collection, the Baron has followed accurately all the in-
flections of the old Celtic language; but reasonable doubts may be
entertained as to their authenticity. The style is neither so figurative
nor so bold as in those published by Macpherson, and the translator
himself informs us, that having only collected fragments, he has been
obliged to put them together and to fill up the chasms, so that the
manner and form in which they appear is entirely owing to the trans-
lator. A still more remarkable difference between those and the poems
discovered by Macpherson, is, that in Ossian's poems no mention is to
be found of any deity, while those translated by the Baron, on the con-
trary, are filled with the most sublime descriptions of the Supreme
Being. Macpherson's Ossian appears to have been a native of the
Highlands of Scotland, and Harold's Ossian seems to be a native of
Ireland. In fact, this collection of ancient poems is dedicated to Henry
Grattan, Esq. the distinguished Irish patriot and orator; and the
Baron de Harold, the translator, informs us that, though in the service
of a foreign state, he is a native of Ireland, but left that country at an-
early period of life.
In justice to the Baron de Harold's candour, and in order to convey
to the minds of our readers the motives which induced him to publish
translations of the fragments he had discovered in Ireland, we think it
proper to give his own words, in the preface to the poems.
"The great
approbation which the poems given to the public by Mr. Macpherson
of CesarottI'S DISSERTAtion.
345
?
have received, induced me to enquire whether any more of this kind of
poetry existed. My endeavours would have been fruitless, had I ex-
pected to find complete pieces, for none such certainly exist; but in
searching with assiduity and care, I found, by the help of my friends,
several fragments of old traditionary songs, which were very sublime,
and particularly remarkable for their simplicity, and elegance. I com-
piled these fragments, which are the more valuable, as the taste for this
species of poetry every day decreases in the country, and that the old
language threatens visibly to be soon extinguished, for it loses ground in
proportion as the English tongue becomes predominant, the progress of
which is very sensible to any person who has been occupied in disqui-
'sitions of this nature. It will appear singular to some, that Ossian, at
times, especially in the Songs of Comfort, seems rather to be an Hi-
bernian, than a Scotchman, and that some of these poems formally
contradict passages of great importance in those handed to the public
by Mr. Macpherson, especially that very remarkable one of Evir-allen,
where the description of her marriage with Ossian is essentially dif-
ferent in all its parts, from those given in the former poem.
!
"I will submit the solution of this problem to the public: I am in-
terested in no polemical dispute or party, and give these poems such as
they are found in the mouths of the people, and do not pretend to
ascertain what was the native country of Ossian. I honour, and revere
equally a bard of his exalted talents, were he born in Ireland, or in
Scotland.
"It is certain that the Scotch, and Irish, were, united at some early
period: that they proceed from the same originis in disputable; nay, I
believe that it is proved beyond any possibility of negating it, that the
Scotch derive their origin from the Irish.
"This truth has been brought in question but of late years; and all
ancient tradition, and the general concert of the Scotch nation, and of
their oldest historians, agree to confirm the certitude of this assertion.
"If any man still doubts of it, he will find, in Macgeoghan's History
of Ireland, an entire connection, established by the most elaborate dis-
cussion, and most incontrovertible proofs."
Note K, referred to pȧge 313.
The learned Abbé Cesarotti is mistaken in saying that Mr. Shaw is a
countryman of Doctor Johnson. Mr. Shaw is a native of the Island of
346
NOTES BY THE TRANSLATOR
Arran, which, with the Isle of Bute, form the shire of Bute, where the
Gaelic language is spoken, but not in the same purity as in other
districts, more especially in parts of the shires of Argyle and Inverness.
Doctor Johnson was born at Litchfield, Staffordshire, in 1709, where
his father had been many years before, a bookseller; and, from his own
confession, he was totally unacquainted with the Gaelic language, and
never had been in Scotland, until he made his tour to the Hebrides, in
1773, when the authenticity of the poems of Ossian made a part of his
inquiries, which he gave to the public in 1775.
It may be proper to remark that Mr. Shaw, in his Analysis of the
Gaelic language, the first work he published, professes himself a strenuous
believer in Ossian's poems, and the history of Fingal; but how he after-
wards became a sceptic, we will leave his subsequent controversial
writings to explain. See note P. In his native isle (Arran) he must
have heard, in his youth, recited many traditional songs and fragments
respecting Fingal, and his warriors; and places are shewn at this day
which bear his name. Mr. Pennant, in his voyage to the Hebrides,
(p. 206), mentions Fingal's caves, on the western shore of Arran.
"The most remarkable," says he, "are those of Fin-mac-cuil, or Fingal,
the son of Cumhal, the father of Ossian, who, tradition says, resided in
this island for the sake of hunting. One of these caverns is an hundred
and twelve feet long, and thirty high, narrowing to the top like a Gothic
arch." Mr. Martin, in his Description of the Western Isles (p. 219),
says:
"There are several caves on the coast of this isle (Arran); those
on the west are pretty large, particularly in Drum-crucy; an hundred
men may sit or lie in it; it is contracted gradually from the floor
upwards to the roof. In the upper end there is a large piece of rock
formed like a pillar; there is graven on it a deer, and underneath it a
two-handed sword. There is a void space on each side of the pillar.
The south side of the cave has a horse-shoe engraven on it. On each
side of the door, there is a hole cut out, and that, they say, was for
holding big trees, on which the cauldrons hung for boiling beef and
venison. The natives say that this was the cave in which Fin-mac-coul
lodged during the time of his residence in this isle, and that his guards
lay in the lesser caves, which are near this big one."
of CESAROTTI'S DISSERTATION.
347
Note L, referred to p. 317.
Shaw, in his reply to Clark, qualified the story of the scalloped shell,
by declaring that it was an anecdote he set down on a blank page at
some distance from the finis of the MS. of his Enquiry into the Authen-
ticity of Ossian, for the sake of his own memory, as a laughable cir-
cumstance, without any intention of publishing it. When he delivered
the MS. to be printed, he drew his pen across that anecdote, and con-
fesses he was much displeased and surprised when he saw that the
printer had brought it forward to the place where it stands in print. He
laments his negligence, and asks pardon for the imputation, trusting that
the ingenuity of this confession will give him a right to credit in what
he shall affirm, and what he shall deny. It may be proper to add, that
it was a custom among the Highlanders to drink their beverage out of
scalloped shells. Hence the expression " a' cur n'a slige chreachain mu'n
cuaart," that is, "putting round the shell," was the common phrase for
drinking, or making merry. With regard to the person (a Highland
clergyman) who asked him to translate Fingal, Shaw. confesses that he
does not know that he seriously intended to have the experiment tried ;
for it was not at all likely that he should embrace such a proposal.
Note M, referred to p. 318.'
Mr. Shaw, in his reply to this part of Mr. Clark's answer, says, "It
is true, that upon a supposition which I then thought probable, I en-
couraged Mr. Clark to offer to the public a genuine collection of High-
land poetry; for I was yet willing to believe that much Highland poetry
was somewhere to be found. But I am now convinced it is only in the
moon, for on earth I could never see it. The MSS. of Mr. Clark, like
those of Mr. Macpherson, were always invisible.”
Here again Mr. Shaw, as in most of his arguments, harps (as we are
free to confess, with some reason) on the silent and mysterious conduct
of Mr. Macpherson; for had the originals been published in the state
they now are, soon after his translation, Doctor Johnson and Mr.
Shaw would have been for ever silenced.
Note N, referred to p. 318.
The MSS. left at Becket's for public inspection by Mr. Macpher-
son, were the originals now published, also a valuable miscellaneous
•
348
NOTES BY THE TRANSLATOR
collection of Gaelic original MSS. afterwards presented by the Highland
Society of London to the Highland Society of Edinburgh, in January,
1803,* containing no less than 11,000 verses, composed at different
periods. In the Report of the Committee of the Highland Society,
these poems are noticed to have been composed at different periods,
from the time of our most ancient Scottish bards down to the beginning
of the sixteenth century. Among the more ancient, are poems of Conal,
son of Edirskeol; Ossian, son of Fingal; Fergus Fili (Fergus the Bard);
and Caoilt, son of Ronan, the friends and cotemporaries of Ossian. The
titles of two of these poems, purporting them to be the composition of
Ossian, and another ascribed to his brother, Fergus the Bard, are in-
serted in the Report, with English translations. †
The oldest MS. of this collection was ascertained by the late Mr.
Astle to be a writing of the ninth or tenth century, and is called
Emanuel, a title which the old Gaelic writers gave to many of their mis-
cellaneous writings. It contains ancient history, written on the autho-
rity of Greek and Roman authors, and interspersed with notices of the
arts, armour, dress, superstition, and usage of the Caledonians of the
author's own time. It also contains an interesting account of Cæsar's
expedition to Britain. The learned author of this Gaelic MS. is not
named, but it is inferred from his work, that it was composed between
the fifth and eighth centuries.
In this collection there is a parchment book, which contains MSS.
by different hands, appearing to have been written in the tenth or
eleventh century; and the late Mr. Donald Smith has, in the Ap-
pendix to the abovementioned Report, given curious fac similes of the
original writings; also English translations of some passages, consisting
of religious and historical subjects.
There is also in the collection an ancient Life of St. Columba, evi-
dently appearing to be a writing of the twelfth or thirteenth century, of
which a fac simile of the original Gaelic writing is also given in the said
Appendix.
The author's name, of the Life of St. Columba, the founder of Icolm-
kill monastery, is not mentioned; but there is reason to infer that it is
compiled from the life said to have been written by Adamnanus, abbot
* See Catalogue of MSS. at the end.
+ See Report, p. 92; and Dr. Donald Smith's account of this collec-
tion, in the Appendix to the Report, p. 310.
OF CESAROTTI's dissertation.
349
of Icolmkill, who flourished in the seventh century. He wrote also
the lives of some other monks of the sixth century. There is in the
Advocate's Library at Edinburgh, a Life of Columba, in MS. extracted
from the Pope's library, and translated, it is said, from the Latin into
Gaelic, by father Calohoran. There is also a large volume of Columba's
Life, apparently compiled from Adamnanus, by Manus (son of Hugh)
O'Donnel of Tyrconnel. Adamnanus cites a former Life of Columba,
written by Commenius Albus.
Mr. Martin, in his Tour through the Western Isles of Scotland, p. 264,
mentions having discovered two manuscripts, written in the Irish cha-
racter, containing the Life of St. Columba. The one in the custody of
John Mackneal, and the other in the possession of Macdonald of
Benbecula.
Mr. Sacheverel, governor of the Isle of Man, who visited Iona in
1688, also mentions a MS. book, of ancient inscriptions, at Icolmkill,
that was presented by Mr. Frazier, son to the Dean of the Isles, to the
Earl of Argyle, in King Charles the Second's time; which, as Bishop
Nicolson observes in his Historical Library, (if still in being), might
probably throw some light upon the history of this Saint.—But it is to be
lamented that this MS. volume, containing three hundred Gaelic in-
scriptions, was afterwards lost, in the troubles of the Argyle family.
In the Bodleain Library, Oxford, there is an old vellum MS. of 140
pages, in the form of a music book, containing the works of Columba in
verse, with some account of his own life, his exhortations to Princes, and
'his Prophecies.
It is much to be regretted that these, with many other Gaelic or
Irish manuscrips still existing in the United Kindoms, have not been
printed, with verbal translations into Latin or English: and, were a
laudable spirit of enquiry and research to be encouraged, there is no
doubt that many valuable Gaelic or Irish MSS. might, notwithstanding
the various accidents and ravages of time, still be recovered.
The above train of evidence relative to the existence of Gaelic MSS.
at different remote periods, completely overturns Dr. Johnson's general
reasoning on unwritten languages, and the non existence of Gaelic MSS.
of more than a hundred years old; consequently the principal pillar,
which supported his fabric of scepticism, being destroyed, all the other
arguments, advanced against the authenticity of Ossian's poems, fall to
the ground.
350
NOTES BY THE TRANSLATOR
J
Note O, referred to p. 319.
Mr. Shaw, in his reply to this accusation, qualifies his former asser-
tion, and observes, "With respect to Mr. M' Leod, I now say again,
what I have said before, that I offered him half a crown a line for any
part of Ossian that he would repeat. Such offers at a jovial table are
not very serious. My intention was to provoke him to repeat something,
but the provocation had no effect. What he has heard Mr. Macpherson
read, he has not distinctly told us; and the passages which he has
received from Mr. Macpherson he does not tell us the length of, nor
consequently, whether they are not such as might be occasionally
fabricated."
It is to be regretted that a controversy of this nature should, in the
outset, have been carried on with so much acrimony, and with so many
bitter invectives on both sides; so as to render it necessary for either
party to contradict the other, or to make unqualified assertions, without
having proofs to support them.
Note P, referred to p. 319.
66
an
ALTHOUGH the writer of this note has not seen Mr. Clarke's Answer
to Mr. Shaw's Inquiry into the Authenticity of Ossian, yet he believes
the grounds on which Mr. Clarke founded his arguments to shew Mr.
Shaw, in contradiction with himself, are principally drawn from his
first publication, entitled an Analysis of the Gaelic Language. At the
close of Mr. Shaw's Introduction to that work, he justly remarks,
acquaintance with the Gaelic, being the mother tongue of all the lan-
guages in the west, seems necessary to every antiquary who would
study the affinity of languages, or trace the migrations of the ancient
races of mankind. Of late it has attracted the attention of the learned
in different parts of Europe; and shall its beauties be neglected by
those who have opportunities, from their infancy, of understanding it!
Antiquity being the taste of the age, some acquaintance with the Gaelic
begins justly to be deemed a part of the Belles Lettres. The language
that boasts of the finished character of Fingal, must richly reward the
curiosity of whoever studies it. Of this Sir James Foulis is a rare
instance, who, in advanced years, has learned to read and write it; and
now drinks of the Pierian spring untainted, by reading fragments of
poetry in Fingal's own language.”
1
of CesarottI'S DISSERTAtion.
351
Mr. Shaw might have likewise added the name of an English gentle-
man, the late General Sir Adolphus Oughton, commander in chief in
Scotland, who studied and acquired a competent knowledge of the
Gaelic.
Mr. Shaw has also said, in his Analysis of the Gaelic Language,
under the head of Prosody, that, "The Gael, when their language was
formed, seem to be in that state of society when the arts of peace and
war were not entirely strangers; when it was an approved maxim to
"bind the strong in arms, but spare the feeble hand, be a stream of
many tides against the foes of the people, but like the gale that moves
the grass to those who ask the aid."-PARCERE SUBJECTIS DEBEL-
LARE SUperbos. Such was the genius of the language in the days of
Trenmore and Fingal.
In another part, treating of the measure of Gaelic poetry, he re-
marks, that, "All compositions have hitherto been orally repeated, and
which by different persons will ever be differently performed; whereas,
had these pieces, been written, every one would have repeated them
alike. Even Ossian's poems could not be scanned; for every reciting
bard pronounced some words differently, and sometimes substituted one
word for another. Nevertheless the poetry always pleases the ear, and
is well adapted to the music for which it was originally intended; and
the language and composition seldom fail to please the fancy and gain
approbation." Mr. Shaw, afterwards, with great ingenuity, treats of
the Gaelic measures, under the heads of dactyles, spondees, jambs,
troches, &c. and exhibits specimens of the irregular and various
measures of Ossian's poetry.
It is but fair in this place to notice that Mr. Shaw, in his reply to
Mr. Clark, contained in an appendix to the second edition of his
Inquiry into the Authenticity of Ossian, (and which the learned Abbé
Cesarotti appears not to have seen) rests the strength of his arguments
on the mysterious conduct of Mr. Macpherson, by withholding from the
public the Gaelic originals. "If Fingal (says Shaw) exists in Gaelic,
let it be shewn; and if ever the originals can be shewn, opposition may
be silenced." With respect to that part of Clark's Answer Shaw against
Shaw, wherein he is shewn to be at variance with himself, on the grounds,
principally of what has been quoted in this note from his Analysis, Shaw
replied with candour, and more than usual moderation, that, "if they
even contained all the contradictions pretended to be found, it would
352
NOTES BY THE TRANSLATOR
1
prove only, what I very willingly confess, that with respect to the abun-
dance of Erse literature, I have changed my mind. I once certainly be-
lieved too much. I perhaps now believe too little; but when my present
belief shall be overpowered by conviction, I have already promised to
change my mind again."
We have no doubt that the period of Mr. Shaw's conviction is now
arrived, when, in addition to the evidence arising from the variety of
materials lately collected and reported upon by a committee of the
Highland Society of Scotland, in their Inquiries into the Authenticity of
Ossian's Poems, there is now published, what has been so long expected,
the originals from which Mr. Macpherson translated. The internal
evidence arising from a particular examination of the nature and con-
struction of the language, and from the comparison, and as it were
analysis of these originals, and Mr. Macpherson's translation of them,
will doubtless remove the stumbling-block on which Dr. Johnson's and
Mr. Shaw's incredulity was founded. In fact, there is every reason to
believe that Mr. Shaw was not at heart so obstinate a sceptic as he
professed in his Inquiry into the Authenticity of Ossian: and although
it brought upon him the acrimonious invectives of his opponents, yet it
not only gratified Doctor Johnson, in being, as he conceived, so well
supported, and that too by a Highlander; but it secured to Mr. Shaw
ever after the Doctor's friendship and patronage. The burden of their
argument was a cry of "shew us the manuscripts,"" Produce the ori-
ginals, or a transcript of a transcript of the original." "I look not," says
Mr. Shaw, in his reply to Mr. Clark, " for Ossian's own hand writing, but
I look for a transcript of a transcript from some copy, however distant.”
A strict examination of the originals now published, will at all events
afford Mr. Shaw, or any Gaelic scholar, the means of discovering either
the internal evidence of their authenticity, or internal proofs of their
fabrication.
Note Q, referred to p. 319.
JOHN BARBOUR wrote the Life and heroic Actions of King Robert
Bruce, in ancient Scottish verse, from which Sir John Sinclair has given
a quotation, in page xxv. of his Dissertation prefixed to this work. This
ancient poem has always been in great estimation, and possesses con-
siderable merit, having run through several editions. It is founded on
materials and facts which the author received from some of those
OF CESAROTTI'S DISSERTAtion.
353
gallant heroes who had fought under that illustrious prince Robert
Bruce, when he drove the English out of Scotland.
Note R, referred to p. 321.
IN the Report of the Committee of the Highland Society of Scot-
land, appointed to enquire into the nature and authenticity of
Ossian's poems, page 50, and Appendix, No. VIII. and IX. there are
Critical Strictures on the editions of Ancient Gaelic Poems, collected
by Mr. Hill, together with specimens of the corruption of the original
poetry and of the incorrectness of his translation. Among other re-
marks, the following is made by the ingenious reporter: "Mr. Hill pub-
lished these translations with the original Gaelic prefixed, first in the
Gentleman's Magazine, and afterwards in a small pamphlet. He sub-
joined remarks of his own upon the question, much agitated at the time,
of the genuineness of Macpherson's Fingal, and on the general nature
of Gaelic poetry. These remarks are written in general with candour
and impartiality, and with considerable acuteness, as far as the author's
limited information enabled him to judge of the subject: but it were
unreasonable to expect from the imperfect materials furnished by a de-
sultory tour in the Highlands, made by a person ignorant of the lan-
guage, as well as the manners of the country, a very satisfactory dis-
cussion of questions, on which a well-informed judgment can only be
the result of laborious inquiry, and the examination of many documents,
not more difficult to procure, than to read or understand when pro-
cured. This remark might perhaps be applied, in a more or less con-
siderable degree, to most of the writers on the subject, and to none
more justly than to the most celebrated of the number, Dr. Samuel
Johnson."
Note S, referred to in p. 323.
THE most conclusive evidence is adduced in the Dissertation prefixed
to the first volume of this work, that a manuscript of Ossian's poems,
in Gaelic, actually existed at the Scottish College of Douay in Flanders,
previous to Mr. Macpherson having made any collection of those
poems. It appears that Ossian's poems, in the manuscript folio volume
alluded to, were collected and written by the late Rev. John Farquharson,
a Roman Catholic clergyman, about the year 1745, while living at Strath-
glass in the North Highlands. This manuscript he carried with him
VOL. III.
A a
到
​354
NOTES BY THE TRANSLATOR
to the college of Douay, where he was made prefect of studies; and on
his leaving that place in 1773, he left the MS. at the college. The
concurrent testimony of the venerable Bishops Cameron and Chisholm,
of the Roman Catholic persuasion, and of the Rev. James Macgillivray,
who were students at the college of Douay between the years 1763
and 1773, as exhibited in their correspondence with Sir John Sinclair,
inserted in his Dissertation, will at the present moment be perused with
the most lively interest, by all impartial enquirers after truth, and ad-
mirers of Gaelic literature.
Note T, referred to p. 325.
THERE is an evident mistake in the quotation given from Smith in
the text. The fact is, that Smith, in an addenda to his Dissertation on
the Authenticity of Ossian's Poems, gives an account of the poems
translated by himself, in his work on the Gaelic Antiquities; and the
extract given in the text is exclusively applied to them, and not te
those translated by Macpherson.
Note U, referred to p. 325.
THE poems of Homer, the prince of epic poets, were transmitted
orally for ages in detached and irregular fragments, in the same manner
as Ossian's, and were at length digested and connected into the epic
form, at Athens, by the assiduity of Solon, Pisistrates, and his son Hip-
parchus. These poems were originally sung, or recited, in fragments,
and each of the rhapsodies, or pieces, took its name from the contents,
such as "The Battle of the Ships,"" The Death of Dolon,”—“ The
Valour of Agamemnon,"-" The Grot of Calypso,"-" The Slaughter of
the Wooers," and the like. Lycurgus, it is reported on the authority of
ancient writers, was the first who made them known in Greece in their
detached form; that law-giver having, while in Ionia, carefully tran-
scribed them from perfect copies with his own hand, and thence brought
them to Lacedæmon. It, however, appears from undoubted testimony,
that until Solon's time, these poems were not digested into the regular
form now transmitted to us, but had been only circulated among the
Athenians, in separate or detached pieces, and were sung or repeated
in recitative.
It therefore appears to have been a task no less laborious than Mac-
pherson's, to collate the originals and prepare the text of the Iliad and
of CesarotTI'S DISSERTATION.
355
Odyssey, in its pristine purity. Homer composed his poems and flou-
rished, according to the Arundelian Marbles, anno 907 before Christ,
and Pisistratus, and his son Hipparchus, who first put together the con-
fused parts of Homer for publication, flourished about the year 500
before Christ. Hence we perceive that near four centuries had elapsed,
before the traditionary works of Homer were reduced into the epic
form, or noticed among the learned of that age as a regular work.
Supposing Homer's verses to have been all as correctly measured, as
they are now transmitted to us, yet it cannot be supposed that
this was the case at the period of their being collected from oral
tradition; or that vanity had not led some poetical reciter, or rhapso-
dist, to make additions or transpositions of his own, and even to alter
some lines and interpolate others; or that necessity might not have in-
duced others to supply chasms, to connect the detached parts.-In
short, the perfect poems given to us cannot be the identical Greek com-
posed by Homer, no more than we can presume to say that those of
Ossian, collected by Macpherson, are literally in every part the identical
Gaelic composed by that bard; since it is obvious, even to the most
strenuous advocates for the authenticity of Ossian's poems, that
they must have been arranged, digested, and connected by or under the
authority of him, who had mind enough to make the collection.
From the testimony of ancient writers, there appear to have been
seven poets of inferior talents, who bore the name of Homer. Con-
tending nations, districts, and cities, claimed the honour of his birth.
The Celtic bard too, has had his imitators in Ireland and Scotland, who
assumed the name of Ossian; and his birth has been claimed by both
countries: (See note X). But in the concluding words of Cesarotti we
may remark, Let Ossian be a native of Morven, or of Ulster, no one will
say, he was not the son of Apollo.
Note W, referred to p. 327.
THROUGHOUT the whole of Ossian's poems, collected and translated
by Macpherson, there is no mention made of the apostle St. Patrick,
neither is there a single allusion thrown out relative to the Christian
religion, or its tenets; nor a single hint given of the customs or manners
of a more advanced age than that early one, in which they are supposed
to have been written. St. Patrick appears, from every authority to be
relied upon, to have been born in Scotland, at a place called Kirk, or
356
NOTES BY THE TRANSLATOR
Kil-Patrick, near Dunbarton, and to have flourished in Ireland about
the middle of the fifth century. Ossian is supposed to have flourished
at the end of the third or beginning of the fourth century, about
150 years before the era of St. Patrick, consequently before the intro-
duction of Christianity into the remote regions of the Western Highlands
of Scotland.
After the train of evidence adduced in the Dissertation prefixed to
this work, proving from the concurrent authorities of Barbour, Boethius,
Bishop Leslie, Bishop Douglas, Lyndsay, Lord Hailes, Nicolson and
Colgan, that the poems current in the Highlands were composed by
Ossian, a Scottish bard; it is only necessary here to remark, that
supposing Macpherson's genius capable of fabricating the poems ascribed
to Ossian, would he not in one part or another have been thrown off
his guard, and discovered the imposture, by introducing some allusions
to St. Patrick, or the rites of the Christian religion? The inference
therefore, to be fairly drawn from this apparent anachronism in the Irish
poems ascribed to Ossian, is, that inferior poets might have assumed
the name of Ossian in Ireland as well as in Scotland, like the in-
ferior poets who assumed the name of Homer in Ionia, Attica, and other
parts of ancient Greece. This opinion receives some weight from that
of Colgan, an Irish author of great learning and research, who mentions
that St. Patrick had a convert dignified with the name of Ossin, or
Ossian.
The Scotch, as already noticed, claim for their country the honour of
having given birth to St. Patrick, and there are many circumstances
favouring this tradition, though Mr. O'Halloran, an Irish writer, sup-
poses that he was rather a native of Wales. In a burying place in the
churchyard of Old Kirk, or Kilpatrick, there is a stone of great
antiquity, with a figure said to be that of St. Patrick upon it; and some
go so far as to assert that he was buried under it.*
Mr. Pennant says,
"Ireland will scarce forgive me if I am silent about the birth place of
its tutelar saint. He first drew breath at Kirkpatrick, and derived his
name from his father, a noble Roman (a Patrician) who fled hither in
the time of persecution."+
The place of his nativity and burial, whether in Ireland or Scotland,
* See Statistical Account by the Rev. John Davidson.
+ Pennant's Tour, Vol. II. p. 160, 5th edition.
OF CESAROTTI'S DISSERTATION.
357
has been a subject of as much controversy with the religious of both
nations, as Homer's birth place was formerly among the cities of
Greece. It is however admitted by the Scottish writers, that St. Co-
lumba, the founder of the monastery of Icolmkill, and who flourished in
the sixth century, was a native of Ireland. But that he died, worn out
with age, at Iona, and was interred there. The Irish pretend, as Mr.
Pennant remarks, that in after times he was translated to Down,
where, according to the epitaph, his remains were deposited with those
of St. Bridget, and St. Patrick. But this is totally denied by the Scots,
who affirm that the contrary is shewn in a life of the saint, extracted
out of the Pope's library, and translated from the Latin into Gaelic, by
father Calohoran, which decides in favour of Iona, the dispute. This
Gaelic MS. is in the Advocate's library at Edinburgh (1693). In
short whether Ossian, the son of Fingal, or the Irish apostle St. Patrick,
or St. Columba, were natives of Scotland or Ireland, we do not
consider of sufficient importance for such keen controversy as the
subject has, at different periods, excited among writers of both nations;
for the fact being established either way, can neither augment or dimi-
nish the weight of external evidence necessary to prove that Fingal
fought, and that Ossian sung, in Gaelic, in Ireland as well as in Scotland.
Nor can it be denied that the language peculiar to both countries was
radically the same, being derived from the same parent stock; and
that the Irish and Scotch were one and the same people.
Although it may be lamented that the Gaelic language has been on
the decline for many years, yet it is flattering to the admirers of Celtic
literature, that it has survived Ossian as a living speech in parts of
Scotland and Ireland for fifteen hundred years; and there is now a
probability, before it becomes a dead or unspoken language, that from
the fond attention of the Highlanders and Irish to their vernacular
tongue, it may survive our ancient bard, as long as the language of
Homer survived him as a living speech in the states of Greece, namely,
more than two thousand years.
Note X, referred to p. 328, 9.
As we have the testimony of ancient writers, that there were seven
other poets of inferior note, who bore the name of Homer, may it not
be reasonably conjectured, by way of reconciling the apparent anachro-
nisms in the Irish poems ascribed to Ossian, the son of Fingal, and
t
NOTES BY THE TRANSLATOR
358
រ
*
:
published by Mr. Hill, the Baron de Harold, Miss Brookes, and others,
that there might have been one or two other inferior poets, cotempo-
raries with Saint Patrick, and even posterior to that period, who bore the
name of Ossian; or who chose to assume a name in the days of old so
renowned in poetic lore?
The question, whether the Scots, derived from the Celtic origin, had
first been established in Ireland, and migrated thence to the north-
west coasts of Great Britain, has been (as noticed by Mr. Hume) dis-
puted with as great zeal, and even acrimony, between the Scottish and
Irish antiquaries, as if the honour of their respective countries were
most deeply concerned in the decision. We need not therefore be sur-
prised, that the same zeal has been evinced by each nation in claiming
Ossian as her native bard. Homer had contending nations and cities to
claim the honour of his birth; and many ages had elapsed before it was
ascertained that he was a native of Ionia.
Neither need we be surprised that the bards and traditional preservers
of ancient Gaelic songs in Scotland and Ireland, have ever been fond of
ascribing them all to so divine a bard as Ossian, especially such poems
as relate to the wars, in which he bore a part, and to the exploits of
his own race. This may be the cause why there are so many ancient
poems in both countries ascribed to Ossian, the son of Fingal. And it
must be confessed there is some difficulty in separating the genuine from
the spurious, so as to clear them from the mist of obscurity, in which
they are enveloped.
Note Y, referred to p. 329.
As it may not be unacceptable to the reader, we shall give a brief ex-
planation of the terms Morgante and Ricciardetto, alluded to in the
text, by the Abbé Cesarotti.
1. Morgante, or rather Il Morgante Maggiore, is an epic poem or
romance, composed in the fifteenth century, by Luigi Pulci, a Floren-
tine of noble descent. This poem is generally regarded as the prototype
of the Orlando Furioso of Ariosto. The author appears to have lived
on terms of intimacy with Lorenzo di Medici, who, in one of his poetical
effusions titled La Caccia col Falcone, mentions him with great freedom
and jocularity. This poem of Morgante, as observed by Mr. Roscoe,
in his Life of Lorenzo di Medici, "is the singular offspring of the way-
ward genius of Pulci, and has been as immoderately commended by its
:
OF CESAROTTI'S DISSERTAtion.
359
admirers as it has been unreasonably condemned and degraded by its
opponents; and while some have not scrupled to prefer it to the pro-
ductions of Ariosto and Tasso, others have decried it as vulgar, absurd,
and profane." It is said by Crescimbeni, that Pulci was accustomed to
recite this poem at the table of Lorenzo, in the manner of the ancient
rhapsodists.
2. Ricciardetto is the name of a burlesque poem in thirty cantos,
written by Nicolas Fortiguerri, (under the feigned name of Niccolo
Carteromaco), a learned Italian prelate, who flourished in the beginning
of the last century. The author wished to prove to a party of wits and
critics at Rome, how easy it is for a man of imagination to write in
the style of Ariosto, whom some of them had preferred to Tasso. In
this poem he gives full scope to his imagination; and its extravagance
would be fatiguing beyond measure, were it not supported by the greatest
ease of versification, and perpetual sallies of pleasantry and genius.
-
J
+
SUPPLEMENTAL OBSERVATIONS
ON THE
AUTHENTICITY OF OSSIAN'S POEMS,
BY JOHN M'ARTHUR, LL. D.
363 ]
SUPPLEMENTAL OBSERVATIONS
ON
THE AUTHENTICITY OF OSSIAN'S POEMS.
In these observations it is proposed to discuss in a
cursory manner the following subjects, which could
not be brought within the limits of the preceding
Notes on Cesarotti's Dissertation, without extending
them to a greater length than was consistent with
the plan prescribed.
1. Oral tradition, ancient song and music.
2. The ancient name and inhabitants of Great
Britain, and progress of letters among the Cale-
donians.
3. Philological enquiries, and the affinity of the
Celtic, or Gaelic, with the Oriental and other lan-
guages.
4. A summary of the evidence already adduced in
support of the authenticity of Ossian's poems, with
further proofs.
To which it is proposed to add topographic de-
scriptions of some of the principal scenes of Fingal
and his warriors, and notices of Celtic, Gaelic, Irish,
and Welsh books published, also of Gaelic and Irish
manuscripts still existing in Great Britain and Ire-
land.
364
SUPPLEMENTAL OBSERVATIONS ON THE
1. ORAL TRADITION, ANCIENT SONG AND MUSIC.
THAT unwritten compositions of heroic actions have
been preserved unimpaired for ages, is a truth no
person, who has given the subject an impartial con-
sideration can deny. The retentive powers of me-
mory, when duly exercised, more especially by minds
accustomed to receive early impressions, from the
great book of nature, on love, war, and hunting,
subjects so deeply interesting to man in the early
stages of society, must have enabled the ancient
druids and bards to transmit unimpaired to posterity
what they had acquired, by long perseverance in
professional duties, on topics perfectly congenial
with their natural inclination.
It was not merely the constant practice of the
druids and Scottish bards, like the ancient poets of
Greece and Arabia, to recite or sing the heroic
compositions of their country, but it was their official
duty to transmit them to their successors unaltered
as they had acquired them; and hence it may be
inferred that those compositions were preserved in
greater purity, than could have been expected had
they been committed to writing. Because, in trans-
mitting them orally, the cadence or rhyme, by the
transposition of a single syllable, or even a change
in the place of the same long or short vowel, could
not fail to be detected, by every ear susceptible of
the harmony of sounds; whereas, in written compo-
sitions, errors might imperceptibly creep into the
successive transcripts handed down during a series
AUTHENTICITY OF OSSIAN'S POEMS.
365
of ages; they might become even unintentionally so
disguised with alterations, as to destroy the ori-
ginal simplicity of the composition; and they might
be subject to the imagined improvements, which the
vanity of some transcribers would lead them to intro-
duce. It may be added, that a written record is
liable to be destroyed by various causes, not to
mention the ravages of time; while narratives,
imprinted on the minds of the youth of successive
generations, can only be lost with the race itself.
In corroboration of this opinion, we have the
authority of Julius Cæsar, who, speaking of the
druids, says, "They are said to get by heart a great
number of verses, so that some continue twenty years
in their education. Neither is it held lawful to
commit those things to writing, though, in almost
all public transactions and private accounts, they use
the Greek letter. They seem to have instituted this
method for two reasons: because, they would not
have their learning divulged to the vulgar; and lest
those who learned, by depending on their writings,
should be less assiduous in cultivating their memory;
and because it frequently happens, that, by the assis-
tance of letters, persons take less pains in getting by
heart or remembering."*
In a recent publication by a member of the Celtic
Academy at Paris, we are told, that the principles of
druidical learning were established and consigned in
sixty thousand verses, and that it was incumbent on
the druids of the first class to get them all by heart.†
* Cæs. Com. Lib. VI. Cap. 13.
+ Les principes de leur doctrine furent établis et consignés dans
soixante mille vers qui n'étoient que des adages ou des résultats dans
366
SUPPLEMENTAL OBSERVATIONS ON THE
The extraordinary powers of memory must at the
present moment be universally admitted. Many
persons might be named, to prove that those powers,
even in our age, are almost unlimited when fully
exercised and called into action. By affidavits and
other sources of evidence, so conclusive that in any
case, excepting the authenticity of Ossian's poems,
no person would dare to question them, it is indis-
putably established, that the whole of those poems
published by Mr. Macpherson, and many others,
were preserved in their native Gaelic, at least from
time immemorial, by oral tradition; but reference
shall be made to one affidavit only, (as given in
the Appendix to Sir John Sinclair's Dissertation
prefixed to this work,)* namely, the affidavit of
Captain John Macdonald of Breakish, who solemnly
swears, and his veracity is unimpeached, that, for a
certain period of his life, he could repeat some
thousand verses of those poems, which he had ac-
quired solely by oral tradition. In a subsequent divi-
sion, viz. Summary of Evidence, we shall have occa-
sion to detail more amply this and the other proofs.
In note E. to Cesarotti's Dissertation we have the
testimony of the learned Sir Wm. Jones, respecting
the credit due to the traditions of the ancient Arabs;
whose monuments of old history are collections of
poetical pieces orally recited for ages, and thus trans-
mitted from one generation to another. Writing was
so little practised among the Arabs, that their most
tous les genres de connoissances: les druides de la première classe
devoient les savoir par cœur.
Monumens Celtiques, par M. Cambry de l'Academie Celtique, &c.
* Appendix, No. I.
AUTHENTICITY OF OSSIAN'S POEMs.
367
ancient poems, recording their most memorable trans-
actions, may be considered as originally unwritten.
What Sir Wm. Jones tells us respecting the unwritten
language of the Arabs, is equally applicable to the
Celtic, or Gaelic, and proves that "Dr. Johnson's
reasoning on the extreme imperfection of unwritten
language was too general, since a language that is
only spoken may nevertheless be highly polished by
a people who, like the ancient Arabs, make the im-
provement of their idiom a national concern, appoint
solemn assemblies for the purpose of displaying their
poetical talents, and hold it a duty to exercise their
children in getting by heart their most approved
compositions."
This too, as observed in the preceding notes, was
the constant practice and duty of the rhapsodists of
ancient Greece, and of the druids, and Celtic bards;
and the practice was continued after letters were
known, and even after the art of printing had been
introduced into Europe. We find that in the reigns
of Edgar the Peaceable, and of Ethelred, the moun-
tains of Germany, Sweden, Denmark, and even of
Iceland, were the residence of the Muses. The com-
memoration of heroic actions, and the chronicle of
interesting events were, in those countries, perpe-
tuated in rhyme; and, like the sons of Albion, the
ancient Greeks,* as well as the northern nations,
advanced to battle with their war-songs. We are
told in Torfæus, † that the Scandinavian bards or
scalds were, like the Celtic, held in the highest
* Plutarch's Life of Lycurgus.
+ Torf. Hist. Rerum Orcadensium.
368 SUPPLEMENTAL OBSERVATIONS ON THE
*
estimation by the people of Norway, Denmark, aud
Sweden. They were for many ages retained by
monarchs, and invested with extraordinary privi-
leges. In the court of the Norwegian sovereign,
Harold Harfager, who reigned in the ninth century,
they had precedence at table next to the king
himself, every individual of the order according
to his dignity. The poems of these ancient bards
are said to have had the same wonderful influence
on the minds and passions of the hearers, as those
of the Caledonian bards. Like the poems of other
nations in the hunting or early stages, they incul-
cated morality as well as heroism; and the sister-art
music lent her aid, to give them the most powerful
effect. Legends of the fascinating powers of music
are related by the historians of those times, and
similar effects are ascribed to its magical charms on
the harp, accompanied with the song, as to the lyres
of Orpheus, Arion, and Amphion. The compositions
of the Caledonian bards, as well as of the Scandina-
vian scalds, are full of similies drawn from objects of
nature, and interspersed with metaphors exceedingly
bold and sublime. Their language and expressions
were nervous, glowing, and animated; the compo-
sition also dazzled the imagination, with an endless
variety in the kind and measure of their verses.
Their music suited the song; and the last in all its
inflections was congenial with the passions meant to
be excited. Whether with a view to have the effect
of the "spirit-stirring drum," the warlike sound of
the bagpipe, or the plaintive and moving strains of
the lute; all were combined to produce the desired
AUTHENTICITY OF OSSIAN'S POEMS.
369
effect, when the harp was strung, and its sound with
the song arose in the hall, amidst the feast of shells.
Ossian often mentions, that the halls of Fingal and
his warriors rung with the united melody of the
voices of "a hundred bards, who had strung the
harp."—" Bid the harp to be strung," says Fingal to
Morne, "and the voice of the bard to arise, that
those who fall may rejoice in their fame."
The ingenious author of Gaelic Antiquities* tells
us, that the ancient Caledonians were a nation of:
musicians. "The art was not at all peculiar to the
bards, although they were the chief masters of it.
Every hero, every virgin could touch the harp and
melt the soul. This universality of the art was pro-
bably owing, in some measure, to the simplicity of
the instrument. In the ancient states of Greece, the
harp, consisting of only four strings, was of so simple
a construction, that warriors, women, and even chil-
dren, engaged in other pursuits and avocations, could
play upon it. In Egypt the case was the same, in-
somuch that even the Israelitish women, notwith-
standing the severity of their bondage, could all
play on instruments of music. The Caledonian, or
British harp, we may suppose to have been in its
construction equally simple, and in its effects equally
powerful. In the vicissitudes of all human affairs,
not only the ancient harp, but even the ancient
science of music, has been in a great measure lost,
and supplied only by what is made up of certain
Dr. Smith's Dissertation on the Authenticity of Ossian's Poems,
p. 107.
VOL. III.
B b
:
370
SUPPLEMENTAL OBSERVATIONS ON THE
notes that fell into the fancy of a poor friar in chant-
ing his matins."*
The old Caledonian airs, when divested of their
modern deteriorations and unnatural variations, are
peculiarly distinguished for their melodious, tender,
and moving strains, which touch the heart, and most
sensibly affect the imagination. No wonder then
that every repetition should awaken, in the minds of
the people, a love and affection for their parent soil,
and a fond remembrance of the companions and
friends of their youth. This fondness for native
music is not peculiar to the Scottish Highlanders.
We find that, in many other mountainous countries,
a similar passion pervades the inhabitants. The Irish,
Welsh, Swiss, the Corsicans,† and Calabrese, all have
national airs peculiar to themselves, combining ro-
mantic sweetness with pathetic simplicity. We often
see the Highlanders affected by hearing sung or
played such airs as "Cha pill me tuille, &c." The Irish
by the airs Cumh' leinn, Ailein a ruin, &c. and the
Swiss by the air called Ranz de Vache. Those national
songs have been cherished and preserved, with the
same fond care as their ancient language; together
with many of their ancient customs, pastimes, and
institutions.
* Temple's Miscellany, Vol. II.
+ The Corsicans resemble the Scottish Highlanders of this day in
many of their manners and customs, so much indeed that the writer
could not help being forcibly struck with their similarity, when in Corsica
after the island had become, for a short period, annexed to the crown
of Great Britain.
‡ “Ask a Scotch Highlander if he would exchange his lot with the
AUTHENTICITY OF OSSIAN'S POEMS.
371
1
It was the duty of the ancient bards to celebrate
heroic actions, and to adorn their songs with all the
charms of music; so as to excite in their hearers a
love of virtue, and an ardent desire to have their
names renowned for deeds of valour, and their fame
transmitted to posterity. "Your fame," says Ossian,
"shall remain in my song, when these mouldering
stones shall fail."* Ossian, indeed, in several places,
makes music or song a part of the happiness of a
future state. One of the principal tenets, inculcated
by the Druids, was the immortality of the soul, in
order to inspire the warriors with courage in battle.
Their paradise was called Flath-innis, which signifies
first potentate of the earth. When far removed from his beloved moun-
tains, he carries with him the recollection of them wherever he goes;
he sighs for his rocks, his torrents, and his clouds. He longs to eat
again his barley-bread, to drink goats' milk, and to sing in the valley the
ballads which were sung also by his forefathers. He pines if prevented
from returning to his native clime. It is a mountain plant which must
be rooted among rocks; it cannot thrive unless it be battered by
the winds and by the rain; in the soil, the shelter, and the sun-shine
of the plain it soon droops and dies. With what joy will he again fly
to his roof of furze! With what delight will he visit all the sacred relics
of his indigence! See Shoberl's Translation from the French of Aug.
Chateaubriand.
+
Exegi monumentum ære perennius. Horace.
Taibhse na thuit anns a' bhlâr
Ag aomadh gun dan o ʼn sianaibh.
Eireadth o Chathmore na clârsaich
Chuireas dearsa air sâir sa' ghaoith.
Tighmora, Vol. III. p. 60.
"The ghosts of those who fell in battle bend forward from their
clouds to the song. Bid, O Cathmore! the harp to rise, to reflect a
beam of light on the brave who ride on their wandering blasts."
372
SUPPLEMENTAL OBSERVATIONS ON THE
the island of the brave or virtuous, and is still used
in the Gaelic to denote Heaven.* "On the rising
hill are the halls of the departed—the high roofed
dwellings of the heroes of old." So great was the
predilection of the ancient inhabitants of Scotland
and Ireland both to music and song, that the first
Christian missionaries judiciously called the song
and harp to their aid, when they undertook to con-
vert the people.-The fame of the musical talents of
St. Patrick and St. Columba stands high in their bio-
graphical annals.
The bards joined to the precepts which they recited
or sung, the most heroic example; by accompany-
ing the warriors to the field of battle, animating
them in the hour of danger, and kindling their souls
into a flame with the song called Prosnacha-Catha,
or the incitement to war. It was the custom even
to raise the war-song in the midst of battle, to en-
courage the yielding heroes. Fingal, on finding
Morne's son nearly subdued by Swaran, says, "Go,
Ullin, go, my aged bard, remind the mighty Gaul of
war-Remind him of his fathers-Support the yield-
Ar caoimh mar sholuis a chaochail,
Sna speura faoin os ar cionn
Cha bhi ni's mò; ach taomadh
Le ceol aobhach an aiteal tharuinn. Losga Taura.
that forsake their blue
"Our friends no more shall be like stars
place, and leave their companions mournful. No: they will always
attend us in the joy of our course; they will pour their light and
their glad song around us."-The Fall of Tura, in Smith's Gaelic
Ant.
* Smith's Hist. of the Druids, p. 19.
?
AUTHENTICITY OF OSSIAN'S POEMS.
373
1
ing fight with song; for the song enlivens war.” *
Thus did the bards of old, as well as those of later
times, inspire the warriors with a love of fame and
contempt of death.† We find in Tacitus, that a simi-
lar custom prevailed among the Germans; and in
the poems of Tyrtæus, there are specimens of the
rapid measure which instigated the Lacedemonians
to battle, and "fired their souls to deeds of fame."§
The old Persian magi are said to have followed the
same course; and Homer alludes to a similar custom
* Fingal, B. IV. See the war-song of Ullin (original), Vol. I. p.
166. v. 299–310; and the short and rapid measure of its composition,
which is suited to the passions meant to be excited.
+
“Snior sheas feara Lochlan gu faoin,
Nuair dh' eirich gaoir nam bard."
"Nor stood the sons of Lochlin harmless in their place, when the
fury of the battle arose, and the strife was kindled by the songs of the
bards." Cathula, in Smith's Gaelic Ant.
↑ Tacit. de Mor. Germ. C. 3.
§ The ancient Lacedemonian bard Tyrtæus flourished anno 680
before Christ, and composed five books of "war verses,” some frag-
ments of which still remain, and have been published with the poems of
the minor Greek classics. Those fragments, with the elegies and other
pieces, were first published in Greek, with a Latin version, at Antwerp,
in 1568, and this edition is extremely scarce. Tyrtæus, like Ossian,
by his valour and the animating powers of his song, raised his name to
the rank of the greatest heroes as well as of the noblest poets. The
Lacedemonians having blockaded Messene, a revolted city of Pelopon-
nesus, they applied to the Athenians for a general. Tyrtæus (a native
of Athens) was sent to them, and although the Lacedemonians had de-
spaired of success, yet, by his animating example, and the captivating
power of his war-songs, a complete victory was gained. Hence our
English poet:
When by impulse from heaven Tyrtæus sang,
In drooping soldiers a new courage sprang.
芦
​374
SUPPLEMENTAL OBSERVATIONS ON THE
A
in the Trojan war.* The American tribes of Indians
have also their war shouts, when about to engage an
enemy.
Our historian Robertson, in his proofs and illustra-
tions to the View of the State of Europe,† states a
circumstance related by Priscus, in his history of the
Embassy to Attila, King of the Huns, which gives a
striking view of the enthusiastic passion for war
which prevailed among the barbarous nations. When
the entertainment, to which that fierce conqueror
admitted the Roman ambassadors, was ended, two
Scythians advanced towards Attila, and recited a
poem, in which they celebrated his victories and
military virtues. All the Huns fixed their eyes with
attention on the bards. Some seemed to be delighted
with the verses; others, remembering their own
battles and exploits, exulted with joy; while such
as were become feeble through age, burst out into
tears, bewailing the decay of their vigour, and the
state of inactivity in which they were now obliged
to remain.‡
The venerated office of the bards was continued
in the northern parts of Scotland and the Western
Reviving Sparta now the fight maintain'd,
And what two generals lost a poet gain'd. Roscommon.
There is a striking resemblance between the characters of the Lace-
demonian and Celtic bards. They were warriors, poets, and musicians.
Through the Grecian throng
With horror sounds the loud Orthean song. Iliad XI. 13.
+ Hist. Charles V. Vol. I. Note III. C.
Excerpta ex Historia Prisci Rhetoris ap. Byzant. Hist. Script.
Vol. I. p. 45.
AUTHENTICITY OF OSSIAN'S POEMS.
375
Isles, until the latter end of the seventeenth cen-
tury. Since the extinction of their order, the songs
and "tales of the times of old" no longer echo in
the hall. The harp remains unstrung, and no more
vibrates to the voices of the bards. The song of
victory is no longer raised on the return of a trium-
phant hero:* nor are the songs of the bards now
raised over the tombs of the warriors.† The valiant
deeds of other times are no longer recited; and the
venerable remains of the Celtic language have been
gradually on the decline, but will now, it is hoped,
be preserved for ever!
Spenser, in his View of the State of Ireland, tells
* It was usual for the chiefs, returning from successful expeditions,
to send their bards singing before them, and, on their arrival at home,
they were accompanied in the song of victory by other bards.
"Duisg sòlas an talla nan stuadh;
Thill righ nam buadh le 'sluagh gu 'thir.
Tha chòmstri Charuinn fada uainn,
Mar fhuaim nach cluinnear ni's mò :
Togadh bàird a 'chiuil an duain;
Thill gaisgeach nam buadh le chliu.”
Carraig-thura, Vol. I. p. 96.
"Let the beam spread in the hall, the King of Shells is returned! The
strife of Carun is past, like sounds that are heard no more. Raise the
song, O bards! The king is returned with his fame." Macpherson's
Translation.
+ The funeral songs, or elegies, in Ossian's time, closed every stanza
with some remarkable epithet or simile in praise of the hero.
"Thou
wert mighty in battle-thy strength was like the strength of a stream—
thy speed like the eagle's wing-thy path in battle was terrible: the
steps of death were behind thy sword. Death of Cuthullin.
‡ Spenser's Works, Vol. VI. (12mo. edition) p. 121. His View of the
State of Ireland was written between the years 1580 and 1589.
376 SUPPLEMENTAL OBSERVATIONS ON THE
us, that in his time there was amongst the Irish, a
certain kind of people called bards, whose profes-
sion was to set forth the praises or demerits of men
in their poems or rhythmes, and who were held in
such high repute and estimation among the Irish,
that none dared displease them, from a dread of their
reproaches, and of being made infamous in the
mouths of all men; for their verses were received
with general applause, and sung at all feasts and
meetings by certain other persons whose function
it was.
Although there appear an evident debasement in
the character of the bards of modern times, when
compared with those of "other years," we ought not
on that account, to withhold giving due faith to the
traditional history, which Ossian and his contempo-
rary bards have transmitted to us, respecting Fingal
and his warriors. It has been shewn, that the me-
mory, when duly cultivated, is capable of the most
extraordinary degree of retention; and that in re-
mote ages, and in countries where the art of writing
was not unknown, the most sublime moral truths, and
the recital of the most heroic achievements, were
entrusted wholly to memory, in preference to writ-
ten records. That history so transmitted through a
series of ages can, in all things, be equally correct as
the historical productions of this day, would be too
much to affirm; but the moral precepts may be
allowed to be authentic, and the leading histori-
cal features are not to be denied. Why then make
an exception? Why refuse credit to oral tradition,
when applied to the history and transactions of the
AUTHENTICITY OF OSSIAN'S POEMS.
377
""
scattered remnants of the Celtic nations, driven to
the remote and mountainous regions of Caledonia,
a people untouched by the Roman or Saxon inva-
sions of the south, and by those of the Danes on the
east and west skirts of their country: the unmixed
remains of that Celtic empire, which once stretched from
the pillars of Hercules to Archangel."*
When the military discipline of the Romans had
prevailed, and driven the ancient Albions to preserve
their independence among the bleak mountains of
Caledonia, they carried with them and fondly che-
rished the arts, language, customs, and manners of
their forefathers, to the entire exclusion of every
thing Roman. The south of Britain soon afterwards
became the prey of the Saxons, who conquered and
desolated the country. The Saxons, in their turn,
gave way to the Danes; and the Norman invaders
completed the subjection of that part of Britain.
While desolation was thus laying waste the south, as
well as the east and the west, feuds and conflicts
among the Highland clans (confined to their fast-
nesses in the mountains of Caledonia) sprung up with
the feudal system, and usurped the dignified inde-
pendence, the refined manners, and elevated senti-
ments, which had prevailed in the days of Fingal.
The history of those domestic feuds, which dis-
grace the Celtic race, and the descendants of Fingal
and his warriors, during a period of nearly seven cen-
turies, namely, from the beginning of the eleventh
to the latter end of the seventeenth century, exhi-
bits to the cultivated mind a melancholy picture of
* Dalrymple's Memoirs of Great Britain and Ireland.
378 SUPPLEMENTAL OBSERVATIONS ON THE
the savage fierceness and degenerated state of the
Scottish Higlanders:* and this, while it indisputably
proves that Ossian's poems cannot be a production
of the fifteenth century, is undoubtedly one of the
greatest obstacles to a belief in their authenticity;
because it is difficult to believe that an ancestor of
such a people can have been the author of the noble
and manly sentiments with which those poems are
replete.
After these unhappy times, about the beginning of
the eighteenth century, civilization began again to
dawn on the Highlanders, "like the returning beam
that was set;" and they appeared gradually to emerge
from that state of worse than Gothic barbarism,
which had succeeded the refined age of Fingal. A
mortal blow was fortunately given to the feudal
system, which had so long prevailed, by an act of
the British legislature, passed in 1748, abolishing for
ever hereditary jurisdiction in Scotland.
The manners of the Highlanders have within half
a century undergone a wonderful change; and al-
though we have to regret the decline of the ancient
language, in which Fingal spoke and Ossian sung,
yet in a political point of view, this is much more
than compensated by the rapid strides which have
been made, and are daily making, in the civilization
of the Highlanders, and the consequent improvement
of their country.
* Hist. of the Feuds and Conflicts, published from a manuscript in
the reign of James VI. by Foules of Glasgow, 1764.
AUTHENTICITY OF OSSIAN'S POEMS.
379
7
II. OF THE ANCIENT NAME AND INHABITANTS OF
BRITAIN, AND PROGRESS OF LETTERS AMONG THE
CALEDONIANS.
WRITERS have differed in their definitions of the
word Albin, or Albion, the ancient name of the island
of Great Britain. Dr. John Macpherson, late mi-
nister of Slate in the Isle of Sky, father of Sir John
Macpherson, Bart. in his Critical Dissertation on the
origin of the ancient Caledonians, has given the
most rational and decided opinion upon it.* His
words are, "The indigenal name of the Caledonians
is the only one hitherto known among their genuine
descendants, the Highlanders of Scotland. They
call themselves Albanich to this day. All the illite-
rate Highlanders are as perfect strangers to the
national name of Scot, as they are to that of Parthian
or Arabian. If a common Highlander is asked of
what country he is, he immediately answers that he
is an Albanach or Gael. It is unnecessary to produce
authorities to shew, that the island, which now goes
under the name of Britain, was in early ages called
Albion. To search for a Hebrew or Phoenician etymon
of Albion has been the folly of some learned writers.
In vain have some attempted to derive it from
the white cliffs near Dover, or from a Greek word
which signifies a certain species of grain, or from a
gigantic son of Neptune. In the Celtic language, of
which so many different dialects were diffused over
* Dr. Macpherson's Critical Dissertation, p. 115. See also La Mar-
tiniere's Dict. Geog. tit. Albion.
7
380
SUPPLEMENTAL OBSERVATIONS ON THE
all the European nations of the west and north, and,
let me add, the Scythians of Asia, the vocable alp,
or alba, signifies high. Of the Alpes Graja, Alpes
Pæninæ, or Penninæ, and the Alpes Bastarnicæ, every
man of letters has read. In the ancient language of
Scotland alp signifies invariably an eminence. The
Albani near the Caspian sea, the Albani of Macedon,
the Albani of Italy, and the Albanich of Britain, had
all the same right to a name founded on the same
characteristical reason, the height or roughness of
their respective countries. The same thing may be
said of the Gaulish Albici near Massilia."
It is well known, to those even but indifferently
conversant in the Gaelic language, that most of
the words are peculiarly energetic, and expressive
of some property or quality of their object, more
especially of the external appearance of countries,
mountains, rivers, &c. Albin, or Alpin, which in that
language signifies high or mountainous country, is the
ancient name of our island, Britain; and the word
is compounded of Alb, or Alp, high, and in, land.
That the Celts of Gaul were the progenitors of the
first inhabitants of Britain has an air of probability,
from the vicinity of the two countries, and the tes-
timony of several ancient writers. But Julius Cæsar
thinks, that the inmost inhabitants were indigenous;
because, after diligent inquiry, he could discover
nothing of their first coming hither, neither had
they any monuments of learning whence he could
receive information. Although a veil of obscurity
be thus thrown over the aborigines of this island, and
the remote period when the first migration of the
AUTHENTICITY OF OSSIAN'S POEMS.
381
*
Celts of Gaul is supposed to have happened; yet
there are more than conjectural arguments to prove,
that the appellation of Albins, or Albions, given to
the natives, was of the remotest antiquity, and is
derived from the Celtic root Alpin, or Albin; and, as
observed by Dr. Macpherson and La Martiniere, the
term is now retained and pronounced in the Gaelic
language Albanich, signifying natives of the High
lands. The appellation of Albion appears to have
been given to Britain by Strabo, and other Greek
as well as Roman writers; but Buchanan men-
tions, that several Greek and Latin authors called
the whole island Britannia, and all its inhabitants
Britons, without making any distinction. Strabo has
remarked (lib. iv.), that no one can doubt that the
name of Albion, which is given to Britain, comes from
the same source as that indiscriminately given to
the Alps, namely, Alpia, and Albia. Martiniere, in his
Geographical Dictionary (before referred to), under
the article Celts, tells us, on the authority of Strabo,
that the word Alps is of Celtic origin, borrowed by
the Romans and Greeks.† Stephanus of Byzantium,
Pliny says, in speaking of our island," Albion ipsi nomen fuit, cum
Britanniæ vocarentur omnes insulæ. Lib. IV. c. 16.
+"J'ai remarqué, au mot Alpes, que, de l'aveu même de Strabon,
c'étoit un mot Celtique emprunté par les Latins et par les Grecs." Dic-
tionnaire Geographique par Bruzen La Martiniere.
Innes has given in his Critical Essay, two ancient fragments of Scot-
tish history, which throw some light on the extensive boundaries of
Fingal's kingdom. "Fergus the son of Erc reigned over Albany from
Drumalbin to the sea of Ireland and Innsegall (or Hebrides).” Lhuyd,
in his Archælogia Britannica, when giving a catalogue of Irish manu-
scripts in Trinity College, Dublin, mentions one called the Book of
382
SUPPLEMENTAL OBSERVATIONS ON THE
who lived in the fifth century, describes our island
thus: Albion insula est hodie Britannia dicta ab albis
rupibus, quas mare abluit.
When or how our island received the general ap-
pellation of Britannia, is not precisely ascertained.
It is however well known, from the concurrent tes-
timony of historians, that the ancient inhabitants,
who were considered by Cæsar as the inmost, or
most remote from the southern parts, or those who
were driven by successive invaders to the strong-
holds in the north of the island, were known and
distinguished by the ancient name of Alpins, or Al-
bions; which true Celtic name of Albion, the Gael
of Scotland and Ireland continued to give to the
whole island of Great Britain: and that, after the
Saxons had defeated the South Britons, the portion
which the former possessed of Britain was named by
the ancient inhabitants, Sasson, the name England
goes by at the present day in the Gaelic language:
hence is derived in Gaelic the compound Sassonich,
signifying Englishmen, or perhaps, more properly,
Anglo-Saxons.
Some writers have, with more ingenuity than sound
etymological reasoning, conjectured that, at the pe-
riod alluded to, the Welsh, from having nobly main-
tained their independence, were distinguished by
the honourable appellation of Ualsh, signifying, in
the Celtic language, nobility. The reader conversant
in the Gaelic language may, on first consideration
Lecane containing several treatises, histories, and genealogies of Ireland
and Scotland, among which there is a commentary on the antiquity of
Albany, now called Scotland.
AUTHENTICITY OF OSSIAN'S POEMS.
383
of the etymon of this appellation, allow the conjec-
ture to have some weight. Uail, in Gaelic, signifies
illustrious, or renowned. Uaisle, nobility, gentry, or
generosity; from which is derived Uisleacha, to en-
noble, &c. But the Scottish historian Buchanan,
also Dr. Macpherson, and others, affirm, on more
solid grounds, that the initial W or U of the Teuto-
nic language is commonly equivalent to the G of
the British, Irish, French, and Italian languages.
Thus, the Weales of the Anglo-Saxons is pronounced
by the French Galles, as it is by the Irish and ancient
Scots Gaulive. Hence the Anglo-Saxons denominated
the Britons in the South Weales in their own lan-
guage, and Gauli, in the monkish Latin of their times,
terms literally signifying strangers, or foreigners:
and in the German language, the word Walsch still
signifies strangers. Gaul, or Gauld, in the Gaelic,
has the same signification at this day in the High-
lands, and is applied to lowlanders, or strangers. Thus
the compound gili-gauld, in Gaelic signifies a lowland,
or strange youth. The distinction therefore between
Gael and Gauld is obvious to every Gaelic scholar.
The first relates to the ancient language and country
of the Albions; and the Highlanders of Scotland, in
speaking of their own language, call it Gaelic-Alba-
nach, the language of the Gael in the Highlands, in
contradistinction to Gaelic-Eirinach, the language of
the Gael in Ireland; hence it may be demonstrated,
that those congenial dialects may be referred to the
same parent-stock, but which of them is now the
least corrupted, by the exclusion of exotic words,
or terms, must depend on the internal evidence to be
1
384
SUPPLEMENTAL OBSERVATIONS ON THE
derived from their reciprocal comparisons with the
original Celtic roots. The other term, Gauld, or Gaul,
is indiscriminately applied to strangers, or foreigners,
and in particular to the present division of Caledo-
nia, where the Gaelic language is not spoken, as
well as to England and Wales. The Orkney and Shet-
land isles are also at this day known in Gaelic by the
name of Innisgaul, the islands of strangers; having a
retrospect probably to the Norwegians and Danes,
who had been in possession of those isles for some
centuries.
It may deserve notice, that in the same manner as
the Highlanders of Scotland appropriate to them-
selves, in the Gaelic language, the name of Gael,
or Albions, the inhabitants of Gaul distinguished
themselves in their language by the name of Celtæ ;
which name must, when used with precision, have
been meant to describe the entire people, or stock,
of whom those Gauls constituted a part. An ancient
writer,* in speaking of the Celts of his own time,
observes that the custom of calling them Galatæ,
or Gauls, has only prevailed of late; they were for-
merly named Celta, both by themselves and by
others."
Hence it appears, that the Gauls of the
Continent, in their own language, distinguished
themselves by the name of Celta, while other nations
called them by the name of Gauls.
The name of Britain, given to our island by many
Greek and Latin authors after the invasion of Julius
Cæsar, † has also its origin in the Celtic tongue:
* Pausan. Attic. p. 6. Ed. Sylb.
+ Porphyrius, Tacitus, Mela, Claudian, and others.
AUTHENTICITY OF OSSIAN'S POEMS.
385
+
Brait, signifies extensive, and in, an island, or land.
Mr. Clark, however, in his Caledonian Bards (Note
p. 54), gives a very ingenious definition of the word,
in his translation from the Gaelic of the following
words in the ancient poem of Morduth; "The high
hills of Albion rose on the top of the waves,” the ori-
ginal of which stands "Dheirich Albin air braith-
tonn." The Dh in the first word having the sound of
Yin English; and, in the middle of the last word,
the th being, according to the genius of the Celtic
language, quiescent, the sentence is pronounced thus
-"Yeirich Albin air braitoin ;" Brai, signifying in-
variably top, and toin, waves. That Britain was first
peopled from the opposite coast of Gaul is a rational
hypothesis; and accordingly has been adopted by
the most eminent historians: that, as Britain was
within sight of Gaul, the inhabitants would bestow
on it some name, before they crossed the channel, is
a supposition not altogether improbable. The Celtic
language contains no names that are not significant
of the external appearance of the objects on which
they are bestowed. Ingenuity could certainly sug-
gest no term more significant of the appearance of
Britain from France, viewing it over the convexity
which the globe forms in the breadth of some parts
of the channel, than the land on the top of the waves.
The ancient poems in the Highlands are, at this day,
replete with similar expressions, applied to any land
viewed over a part of the sea.
Braid-albin, from which a Scotch Earl takes his
title, in Gaelic literally signifies top of the high
lands, meaning the highest part of Scotland, where
VOL. III.
с с
386
SUPPLEMENTAL OBSERVATIONS ON THE
*
the loftiest peak, or top, is called Drum-albin, i. e.
the back of the high lands of Scotland; and not with-
out cause, as described by Buchannan, for from that
back rivers run down into both seas, some into the
north or German Ocean, others into the SW. or
Deucaledonian Sea.
It must after all, however, be confessed, that the
best evidence to be obtained in the pursuit of in-
quiries into the origin of words, in the languages of
so remote a period, cannot be conclusive; because,
like all sublunary matter, every dialect must have
suffered by the ravages of time and intercourse of
the inhabitants with other nations. But it must at
the same time be allowed, that a people secluded
from strangers, unsubdued by invaders, isolated as
it were so long from the civilized world, strangers
to commerce and arts, surrounded by mountains,
seas, lakes, woods, and sterile heaths, would be less
liable than others differently circumstanced to have
their colloquial or written language, affected by
fluctuations in its roots or structure. These are the
physical causes, why the Gaelic language has retain-
ed so much of its primitive energy and simplicity,
and why its radicals tend in so great a degree to
illustrate the terms and compound words of the Ori-
ental and other languages, and of which several
examples shall be given in the course of the present
investigation.
Independent of the chain of internal evidence
already noticed * of the Gaelic having been a written
language, from very remote periods, surely some
* See Note E to Cesarotti's Dissertation.
AUTHENTICITY OF OSSIAN'S POEMS.
387
weight is due to the concurrent testimony of ancient
as well as modern historians, and to these the reader's
attention shall now be directed.
That the Gauls and Albions, or Britons, were ori-
ginally one people, and the language of the druids
of Gaul and of those of Britain was of the same
parent or Celtic stock, is not to be questioned. We
have given from Cæsar, some account of the educa-
tion of their disciples by the druids of Britain. That
celebrated author further informs us, that the druidical
system was believed to have originated in Britain,
and to have been thence transferred into Gaul; and
that in his day, such of the Gauls as wished to make
greater proficiency, passed over to study in Britain.
The stores of private knowledge, with which the
memories of their students may be said to have
been loaded, are also mentioned; and the reasons.
why" they do not hold it lawful to commit those
subjects to writing, though in almost all their other
public transactions and private business they use the
Greek characters."* Cæsar adds, they are em-
ployed in discussions on the stars and their motion,
on the magnitude and subdivisions of the earth, on
natural philosophy, and on the power and domi-
nion of the immortal gods; their knowledge in
which sciences they communicate to their youth, or
disciples."t
#
66
Neque fas esse existimant ea literis mandare; quum in reliquis
ferè rebus publicis, privatisque rationibus, Græcis literis utantur.
+ Multa præterea de sideribus atque eorum motu, de mundi ac ter-
rarum magnitudine, de rerum naturâ, de deorum immortalium vi ac
potestate disputant; et juventuti transdunt. Cæs. Com. Lib. vi. c. 13.
388
SUPPLEMENTAL OBSERVATIONS ON THE
Here then, in as far as Cæsar can be relied upon, it is
fully established, that in Britain, during his age, the art
of writing was so generally known, as to be used in
even the common transactions of life; and, lest this
should surprise his reader, he shews to what length
the knowledge of the druids of Britain had in other
respects extended.
That the still more ancient druids had a know-
ledge of letters, and used symbols in writing, is
proved by the most eminent antiquaries; and the
following testimony, as given by Bucher, carries
their knowledge of that art to the remotest period
of history, viz. "that the druidical characters were
not only considered elegant and similar to the Greek,
but, on the authority of Xenophon and Archilochus,
that those characters which Cadmus introduced into
Greece bore a greater resemblance to the Gaulish
than to either the Punic or Phoenician letters."*
Indeed Cadmus's characters are ascertained to be
similar to the druidical and bardic letters of Celtic
origin, by the best of all possible evidence, a com-
parison of the several specimens exhibited by Mon-
sieur de Gebelin in his Monde Primitif, and by Mr.
Astle in his Origin and Progress of Writing. Mr.
Davies, in his learned and ingenious work † lately
published, observes "that the similarity of the two
* Non desunt qui priscos druidorum characteras et elegantes et Græ-
cis similes fuisse credunt. Xenophonte siquidem et Archilocho testi-
bus, literarum figuræ, quas in Græciam e Phoeniciâ Cadmus intulit,
Galaticis quam Punicis sive Phoeniciis similiores extitere. Bucher,
p. 183.
+ Celtic Researches, p. 243.
:
T
AUTHENTICITY OF OSSIAN'S POEMS.
389
series is a good argument of their common origin;
but it furnishes no clue for the discovery of their
first proprietors. Did the Celtæ borrow letters from
Greece, or Greece from the Celta? The invention
of letters," Mr. Davies adds, "is concealed in the
darkness of time; I therefore think it most reason-
able to suppose, that both nations derived them
from a common ancestor." The ancient druidical
or bardic alphabet had only sixteen powers, and
each letter conveyed the name of a tree or plant.
Mr. Davies has given much luminous information
respecting the analogy between the system of druidi-
cal symbols, considered as a method of writing, and
the similar practice of other nations from the re-
motest periods.
It may therefore suffice, in this place, to have
touched upon the prominent points, which prove,
beyond the possibility of doubt, that the ancient
druids of Britain and Gaul had a written languge of
the Celtic stock; and to suppose, that the British
or Scottish bards, their disciples and successors,
were ignorant of the art of writing, or that the
science became extinct on the destruction of the
druidical order, is just as improbable as to conceive
that the art of printing will now be ever lost. But
that, in point of fact, the bards were acquainted
with writing is proved by evidence of the most
irrefragable nature.
The several monasteries that existed in Scotland,
more especially in the Western Isles, at very remote
periods, such as Iona (now generally known by the
* Celtic Researches, Sect. 8.
390
SUPPLEMENTAL OBSERVATIONS ON THE
1
1
name of Icolmkill), Oransa, Ardchatton, Uist, Rowdle,
Melrose, &c. cultivated letters in the Celtic or
Gaelic language, which, though now spoken par-
tially in remote corners of Great Britain and Ire-
land,* was the vernacular tongue of the greater part
of Scotland from time immemorial to the eleventh
or twelfth century.
In those monasteries, not only the Gaelic, but the
Latin language was cultivated; and we have in-
stances, to be hereafter noticed, of both Gaelic and
Latin treatises written by the abbots and monks
at very remote periods, after the introduction of
Christianity into Ireland and the Isles of Scotland.
This need not surprise us, when we are told on good
authority by Mr. Warton,† that "the Latin lan-
guage was familiar to the Gauls, when conquered by
the Franks, for they were a province of the Roman
Empire until the year 485. It was the language of
their religious offices, their laws, and public trans-
actions. The Franks, who conquered the Gauls at
the period just mentioned, still continued this usage,
imagining there was a superior dignity in the lan-
guage of imperial Rome, although this incorporation
of the Franks with the Gauls greatly corrupted the
Latinity of the latter, and had given it a strong
tincture of barbarity before the reign of Charle-
magne." The monk Adamnanus, as already observed
in note N. to Cesarotti's Dissertation, wrote the
history of St. Columba, the founder of Iona, and the
lives of some other monks of the sixth century,
* Bedæ Eccles. Hist. Nicolson's Scottish Historical Library.
+ Warton's History of English Poetry, dissertation ii.
AUTHENTICITY OF OSSIAN'S POEMS.
391
which is said by Innes, in his Critical Essay, to have
been first written in Gaelic.*
Iona and all the other monasteries were pillaged,
anno 1296, by Edward I.; "who," as remarked by
Hume, "
gave orders to destroy the records, and all
those monuments of antiquity which might preserve
the memory of the independence of the kingdom,
and refute the English claims of superiority." In
1304, the same monarch abrogated all the Scottish
laws and customs, and ordered such records or his-
tories, as had escaped his former search, to be burnt
or otherwise destroyed.
That the monastery of Iona, or Icolmkill, was,
until so pillaged and destroyed, possessed of a valu-
able library of ancient and numerous MSS. appears
from Boethius,† who informs us, that King Eugene
VII. about the beginning of the eighth century,
ordered all records and books relative to the history
of Scotland to be deposited at Icolmkill, where he
caused the old building, which contained the library,
(then much decayed) to be pulled down, and a new
splendid building to be erected for this sole use and
purpose. Boethius, in the same work, also mentions,
that Fergus II. who assisted Alaric the Goth, in the
sacking of Rome, anno 410, brought away, as part of
the plunder, a chest of MSS. which he presented to
the monastery of Iona; and Mr. Pennant, in his
* An Account of the Life, Miracles, and Writings of St. Columba
has been lately published by an eminent Gaelic scholar, the Rev. Dr.
Smith of Campbeltown, author of Gaelic Antiquities, &c.
↑ Boethius, Hist. of Scotland, lib. x. fol. 180.
✰ Boethius, lib. vii. The author was born at Dundee, in the shire
392
SUPPLEMENTAL OBSERVATIONS ON THE
Tour through Scotland, observes, that a small par-
cel of those books, were, in the year 1525, brought
to Aberdeen, and great pains taken to unfold
them, but, through age and the tenderness of the
parchment, little could be read: from what, how-
ever, the learned were able to discover, one of the
books appeared, by the style, to be an unpublished
book of Sallust. Hence it appears that learning
flourished in the monasteries of the Western Islands
of Scotland, at a time when by far the greater part
of Europe was wrapt in the dark cloud of Gothic
ignorance and barbarism.
Mr. Pennant further obesrves, that the records of
the island, all written on parchment, and probably
other more antique and valuable remains, were de-
stroyed by that worse than Gothic synod, which,
at the Reformation, declared war against all science.
At that period too, such of the MSS. of Iona, or
Icolmkill, as had escaped destruction, were in part
carried to Douay and Rome; at least the chartu-
laries, and those others, which, by the monks, were
esteemed the most valuable. Of what was carried
to Douay, we apprehend that they perished in the
French Revolution; but with respect to those car-
ried to Rome, it is still possible that some discovery
may be made.*
of Angus, about 1470. After having studied at Dundee and Aberdeen,
he was sent to the University of Paris, where, having particularly applied
himself to philosophy, he became the professor. Through the patron-
age of Elphinston, Bishop of Aberdeen, he was afterwards appointed
a Principal of the University of Aberdeen.
* The late celebrated Dr. O'Leary had it in contemplation to write
AUTHENTICITY OF OSSIAN'S POEMS.
393
It is moreover said in the Statistical Account of
Kilfinichen and Kilviceuen, parishes belonging to
Mull, and the Island of Iona forms part of the latter
parish, that some of the MSS. alluded to were car-
ried to Inverary; and that one of the Dukes of
Montague found fragments of them in the shops of
that town used as snuff-paper: and, to complete
the catastrophe, the whole of the then records of
Scotland, deposited in the Castle of Stirling, fell
(anno 1651) into the hands of General Monk, and
were by him transmitted to England. Why must we
add, to the disgrace of the age in which it hap-
pened, that, to avoid trouble and expense, by much
the greater part of those records having been shipped
for Leith, soon after the Restoration, were lost at
sea! Of what still might have remained with private
individuals, much must have been lost, and materi-
ally injured from the feuds, civil wars, and rebellions
in Scotland.
These are the causes why so few Gaelic MSS.
and historical works, in that language, are now
extant. The records of the other Celtic nations
have not been more fortunate; and a melancholy
reflection must thence irresistibly obtrude itself on
every enlightened mind, when it finds beyond its
an Ancient History of Ireland, and was often heard to say, that to do
it effectually, it would be necessary for him to make researches on the
continent, and to remain at Rome two or three years, for the purpose
of examining the ancient Irish manuscripts carried thither from Ire-
land, as the best documents for such a history. There too, it may be
presumed, the most valuable Gaelic manuscripts and best documents
for au Ancient History of Scotland are to be found.
394
SUPPLEMENTAL OBSERVATIONS ON THE
reach nearly all the original monuments of a people,
who, as hath been observed, once reigned over
Europe. *
Turgot Bishop of St. Andrews, who was preceptor
to the children of King Malcolm Kenmore, † men-
tions, that in the beginning of the eleventh century,
the Gaelic was the general language spoken in Scot-
land; that it was even the prevailing language at
court, and that the clergy of those days could speak
no other language. It was about the middle, or near
the end of the eleventh century, when, by the in-
troduction of the Saxon dialect into Scotland, we
may date the decline of the Gaelic, more especially
in that part of Scotland known by the name of the
Lowlands, in contradistinction to the Highlands. As
a proof, however, that the Gaelic tongue was preva-
lent on public and solemn occasions in Scotland,
subsequent to the period just alluded to, it may
proper to mention, that in the year 1249, when Alex-
ander III. then but eight years of age, succeeded his
father, there appeared at his coronation, as we are
be
* La Martiniere in his Geog. and Hist. Dictionary, under the article
Celts, says, that " Ortelius a fait une carte de l'Europe ancienne avec
ce titre, Europam sive Celticam veterem sic describere conabar Abraha-
mus Ortelius.
He was of opinion, that the name of Celts had been general to all
the people of Europe. Cluvier had nearly the same idea, but more
limited, for according to him (Germ. Antiq. L. I. c. 2.) “ la Celtique
comprenoit l'Illyrie, la Germanie, la Gaule, l'Espagne, et les Isles
Britanniques."
+ Turgot's Life of Malcolm III. of Scotland and St. Margaret, writ-
ten about the close of the eleventh century.
1
AUTHENTICITY OF OSSIAN'S POEMS.
395
told by Skinner,* an old Highlander, with venerable
gray hairs, genteely dressed in a scarlet cloak, who,
falling on his knees, addressed the young king with
the following salutation in the Gaelic language:
Beannaich a Dhe righ Albainn
Alastair Mac Alastair Mhic
Uilliam Mhic Eanraic Mhic
Dhaibhi Mhic Cholium Mhic
Dhonnachae, &c. &c.
God bless the King of Albion
Alexander Son of Alexander, Son of
William, Son of Henry, Son of
David, Son of Malcolm, Son of
Duncan, &c. &c.
In this blessing, or salutation, we are told by Skinner,
that the venerable Highlander traced back the ge-
nealogy of the kings of Scotland up to Fergus, son
of Fearchard, and throughout to the supposed foun-
der of the first Milesian colony from Spain. It may
be worthy of notice, that this happened thirty-five
years prior to the destruction of the ancient records
by Edward the First. But we cannot discover that
this ancient custom was continued at any subse-
quent coronation of the kings of Scotland, and have
incidentally adduced this historical fact to prove,
although the Gaelic language had in a great measure
ceased to be the fashionable language spoken at the
court of Scotland since the days of Malcolm Kenmore,
* Skinner Eccles. Hist. of Scotland, Vol. I. p. 301, referring to Scoti-
Chron. Lib. X. c. 20 Jo. Major, Lib. IV. c. 11.
396
SUPPLEMENTAL OBSERVATIONS ON THE
:
in the beginning of the eleventh century, that on
such public occasions as a coronation, the ancient
custom of a salutation in Gaelic, by the royal genea-
logist, was not disused so late as the middle of the
thirteenth century.
It is remarkable, that in England, about the same
period, a considerable change was effected in the.
Anglo-Saxon language by the Norman conquest.
William had entertained the difficult project of to-
tally abolishing the English language, and for that
purpose he ordered that in all schools throughout the
kingdom, the youth should be instructed in the
French tongue. By the same authority, the plead-
ings in the supreme courts of judicature were in
French. The deeds were written in the same lan-
guage; the laws were composed in that idiom;* no
other tongue was spoken at court; it became the
language of all fashionable company; and the Eng-
glish themselves, ashamed of their own country,
affected to excel in that foreign dialect.
At the time William suppressed an insurrection of
his Norman barons in England, anno 1074, many of
the fugitive Normans are supposed to have fled into
Scotland, where they were protected as well as the
fugitive English by Malcolm; and thence we may
account for many Norman and English families in
that country, and the many French and English
words introduced into the language of the Low-
lands of Scotland.
* French was used in pleadings and public deeds until the reign of
Edward III. when, in 1377, it was abolished.
+ Hume, Vol. I. p. 259.
‡ Ibid. Vol. I. p. 266.
!
!
AUTHENTICITY OF OSSIAN'S POEMS.
397
We learn from Rymer, Vol. II. p. 543, that in the
reign of Edward I. anno 1291, the English chancel-
lor, in his conference with the Scottish parliament,
spoke in French; which was the language commonly
made use of by all parties on that occasion. Some
of the Scotch, and almost all the English barons,
were of French origin; they valued themselves upon
it, and affected to despise the manners and language
of the island. The French language, as then spoken
and written, would scarcely be understood by French-
men of this day.
There are not wanting authorities from modern
writers to prove, that the Gaelic was a written lan-
guage in Scotland and Ireland at a very remote
period. Bishop Nicolson, in his Historical Scottish
Library, also Innes, and Sir Robert Sibbald, hear ample
testimony to this fact.
At the period of the Reformation, the Gaelic being
confined to a small portion of Scotland, and for many
centuries before having ceased to be the language
at court, it did not participate in the advantages
which the other languages of Europe derived from
the invention of printing. Ireland and Scotland had
anciently such constant communication and inter-
course with each other, that the language of both
countries was nearly or altogether the same; and
even at the present day they do not radically differ
in their principles, although some innovations in the
orthography have been introduced. In Ireland, the
people enjoyed their own laws and customs, until
the reigns of Elizabeth and James I.; and it was not
till that late period, that the Gaelic (or Irish, as the
398
SUPPLEMENTAL OBSERVATIONS ON THE
natives term it) ceased to be generally spoken by
the Irish nobility and gentry, which may be said to
have been at least six hundred years after it had
ceased to be spoken at the court of Scotland. The
Irish, therefore, had more Gaelic books printed than
the Scots, and, it is believed, that there are many
more ancient MSS. extant in that country than in
Scotland. The ingenious Edward Lhuyd, in his Ar-
chæologia Britannica, published in 1707, gives an
ample list of Irish MSS. existing in Trinity College,
Dublin.*
About the middle of the fifteenth century, the art
of printing was discovered on the Continent, and
was first introduced into England in 1468, just be-
fore the commencement of the civil wars, which for
some years retarded its progress. The first book,
known to have been printed in England, is in the
public library at Cambridge; it is a small volume, of
forty-one leaves quarto, with this title, Expositis
Sancti Teronimi in simbolum Apostolorum ad Papem Lau-
rentium; and, at the end, Explicit Expositis, &c. Im-
pressa Oxonie et finita Anno Domini M.CCCC.LXVIII.
XVII die Decembris. In 1488, twenty years after
this book had been printed at Oxford, Homer's
works were first printed, in folio, at Florence.
Although an English translation of the Bible was
first completed by Tyndal in 1527, and an Irish ver-
sion first printed in 1685; yet no Gaelic translation
was published in Scotland till within these twenty-
five years, in the execution of which, the Rev. Dr.
Stuart, Minister of Luss, had a considerable share.
* See Notices of Gaelic and Irish MSS. at the end.
AUTHENTICITY OF OSSIAN'S POEMS.
399
This translation has great merit, and is considered
the standard of the Gaelic language. The transla-
tion of the Bible by Tyndal has tended to preserve,
more than any other circumstance, the purity of the
English language; yet it has since undergone some
trivial alterations in its orthography. Many books,
formerly printed in the black letter, are scarcely
intelligible to an Englishman of this day. Mr. Bar-
rington, however, thinks, that it was not the trans-
lation of the Bible that settled the English tongue,
but rather the statutes, which he apprehends have
spoken in a purer dialect than any other produc-
tion.
*
The Count Algarotti has made a remark on this
subject, which, though rather whimsical in the com-
parison, appears on the whole to be just; namely,
that the translation of the Bible is the test and stan-
dard of the language in England, while the standard
in Italy is the Decameron of the lively Boccacio.
What is now called the standard of the Gothic
language, is also that venerable monument, the trans-
lation of the Gospels. The MS. which is still pre-
served, is called Codex Argenteus, or Codex Aureus,
from being written in silver capital letters, with a
mixture of gold, and it is now in the library at
Upsal, in Sweden. † A specimen of the writing may
be seen in a work published by Serenius, titled Dic-
tionarium Anglo-Swethico-Latinum. This transla-
tion is generally attributed to Ulfilas, otherwise
* Barrington on the Statutes.
+ Celsius, Bibl. Upsal Historia, p. 86, 116.
✰ Printed at Hamburgh, 1734.
400
SUPPLEMENTAL OBSERVATIONS ON THE
Ulphilas, Bishop of the Gothic Christians in Dacia,
Thracia, and Mosia. He filled the episcopal see
from the year 360 until about 380, and is said to
have invented the Gothic letters, as well as to have
translated all the Scriptures into that language. Mr.
Astle, however, remarks,* that the ancient Gothic
alphabet is very similar to the Greek, and is attri-
buted to Ulphilas, Bishop of the Goths, who lived
in Masia about the year 370 after Christ; and that,
as he translated the Bible into the Gothic tongue,
that circumstance might have occasioned the tradi-
tion of his having invented those letters: but Mr.
Astle is of opinion, that those characters were in use
long before his time. † There has been recently
published in quarto, at Leipsic, a new translation of
the Bible in the Gothic language, by Ulfilas; with
a literal interlined Latin translation, accompanied by
a grammar and glossary, by B. F. C. Fulda.
The history of Scotland, from the earliest period
to the death of James the First, in seventeen books,
by Hector Boethius, was originally written in Latin,
and the first edition of it was printed in folio at
Paris in 1526. The next edition, with the addition
of the eighteenth book, and part of the nineteenth,
was printed in folio at Sausan in 1574. Thus far the
author himself continued it, but what follows was
the work of J. Ferrerius, a native of Piedmont, who
* Astle, Origin and Progress of Writing, 2d Edit. p. 58.
+ There exists another MS. translation of the Bible in the Gothic
language, called Codex Carolinus, discovered in 1756 in the library of
Wolfenbuttle, and published in 1762. This appears to have been writ-
ten in Italy towards the end of the fifth century.
AUTHENTICITY OF OSSIAN'S POEMS.
401
1
carried it down to the end of James the Third's
reign.
Boethius' history was translated into the Scottish
language by John Ballanden, Archdeacon of Murray,
who died at Rome in 1550. R. Holinshed published
it in English, in his English Chronicles, Vol. I.
We have, in the Notices of Books at the end of
these Observations, given a short account of the
writings of Gawin Douglas, Bishop of Dunkeld,
John Lesly, Bishop of Ross, and Sir David Lyndsay,
who flourished in the sixteenth century; in this
place, therefore, it is unnecessary to dwell upon
them.
The translation into Gaelic of the forms of prayer,
and administration of the sacraments, and catechism
of the Christian religion, as used in the reformed
church of Scotland, by John Carswell, Bishop of the
Isles, first printed at Edinburgh in the year 1567,
is one of the earliest books of piety translated
into Gaelic, in Scotland. The Bishop, in his pre-
face, mentions the existence of Gaelic MS. poems
of the ancient bards from remote periods, and
he censures the preference given to such worldly
histories over the godly books which he had pub-
lished.
The pious Bishop expressly mentions Gaelic MSS.
concerning warriors and champions, and Fingal the
son of Cumhall with his heroes. But, as it may be
gratifying to some readers, the following extract
is a close translation from the Bishop's Gaelic,
as taken from the preface to the ingenious Mr.
Alexander Campbell's Tour through parts of North
D d
VOL. III.
402
SUPPLEMENTAL OBSERVATIONS ON THE
!
Britain. * "But there is a great want," says the
Bishop, "with us, and it is a great weight upon us
the Gael of Scotland and Ireland, † above the rest of
mankind, that our Gaelic language is not printed,
as are the other languages and tongues of the world:
and there is a greater want still, that of the Holy
Bible not being printed in the Gaelic language, as
it is in the Latin and English, and every other
tongue and also it is a want that we have never
yet had any account printed of the antiquities of
our country, or of our ancestors amongst us. But
although we have some accounts of the Gael of Scot-
land and Ireland, in the Manuscript Books of Chief
Bards and Historiographers and others, yet the labour
of writing them over with the hand is great; but
the process of printing, be the work how voluminous
so ever, is speedily and easily accomplished."
In the preface to Kirk's edition of the Psalms of
David, first published in Gaelic at Edinburgh in
1684, mention is also made of heroic ballads com-
posed by the Scottish bards; and, in reproving those
Highlanders, who have a predilection for such `works,
he piously recommends a preference to be given to
learning the sublime songs of the Psalmist. The fol-
lowing is the author's address in Gaelic to his work,
* This work, published in 1802, contains, as expressed in the title,
Remarks on Scottish Landscapes, and Observations on Rural Economy,
Natural History, Manufactures, Trade, and Commerce; with Anec-
dotes traditional, literary, and historical. In 1798, the same author
published a History of the Poetry of Scotland, in two volumes quarto.
+“ Gaoidhil Alban agas Eirean.”
“Fileadh agas Ollamhan.”
AUTHENTICITY OF OSSIAN'S POEMS.
403
of which the English is given in Sir John Sinclair's
Dissertation:
""
Imthigh a Dhuilleachan gu dán,
Le dán glan diagha duisg iad thall,
Cuir fáilte ar fonn fial nab fionn
Ar gharbh chriocha is Inseabh Gall."
In the appendix to Nicolson's Scottish Historical
Library (No. II.), there is a vocabulary of Gaelic
words collected by Mr. Kirk, which he arranged
under the following classes. 1. Of heaven. 2. Of
the elements and meteors. 3. Of stones and metals.
4. Of parts and adjuncts. 5. Of herbs. 6. Of
trees, shrubs, and plants. 7. Of the proper parts
and adjuncts of animals, fishes, and birds. 8. Of
four-footed beasts. 9. Of kindred and affinity. 10.
Of homogeneous parts, and heterogeneous parts.
11. Of God. 12. Of created spirits.
An accurate description of the Western Isles of
Scotland, by Mr. Donald Monroe, High Dean of the
Isles, who travelled through them in 1549, contains
some interesting notices of Gaelic antiquities. Great
reliance is placed on the veracity of this author,
and he has been frequently quoted by the Scottish
historian Buchanan, and by Martin, in his Descrip-
tion of the Western Isles. It appears that this last
mentioned book was what first excited the curiosity
of Doctor Johnson to visit the Western Isles. Mr.
Boswell has given a description of some of the cir-
cumstances which led the Doctor, in the year 1773,
to undertake his tour. He has said in his publication,
that "he scarcely remembered how the wish to visit
!
404 SUPPLEMENTAL OBSERVATIONS ON THE
the Hebrides was excited." But, says Mr. Boswell,
"he told me in summer 1763, that his father put
Martin's account into his hands when he was very
young, and that he was much pleased with it.'
""
As the limits we have prescribed will not admit of
our dwelling more in detail upon every work which
has been published, on Gaelic antiquities, or sub-
jects connected with the language, manners, and
customs of the Celts, the reader is referred to the
brief notices of such books at the end of these
observations, as well as to the list of various Gaelic
publications in the seventeenth and eighteenth cen-
turies.
III. PHILOLOGICAL INQUIRIES, AND THE AFFINITY
OF THE CELTIC, OR GAELIC, WITH THE ORIENTAL
AND OTHER LANGUAGES.
THE Gaelic scholar has, by the publication of the
originals, now an opportunity of examining and
comparing the internal character of Ossian's poems,
whether in the bold, animated, and metaphorical
language, natural to an early stage of society, the
hunting state; or in the nervous, simple, and concise
style of the poet's composition: and he will thereby
readily perceive, that these qualities are peculiar to
him alone who describes objects in nature, such as he
felt and saw them, and celebrates actions in which
he and his family bore a conspicuous part. The
best critics in the Gaelic will also be convinced, that
no translator could transfuse into another language
AUTHENTICITY OF OSSIAN'S POEMS.
40.5
the characteristic style of Ossian's original composi-
tion; far less that any modern author, great as his
talents might be, could possibly invent or compose
poems similar in nature to those ascribed to Ossian,
in which the manners and customs of a remote æra
are so faithfully delineated.
The singular affinity, which a number of Hebrew,
Arabic, and Persian words bear to the Celtic or
Gaelic, as spoken at this day, ought naturally to ex-
cite the curiosity of the historian and philosopher,
and lead them to investigate the cause. If we can
depend upon the affinity of languages as a clue to
the historian in tracing the origin of man and the
early history of nations, it will be found, that no
language, ancient or modern, contains more primi-
tive roots than the Celtic. It is a well known fact,
that the Gaelic scholar can acquire a knowledge of
the structure and pronunciation of the dead and
living languages with singular facility. This may
probably arise from the variety of Celtic roots, or
radical words, which are interspersed in all other
languages, joined to the simplicity of the structure
of the Gaelic, and an articulation, which easily
adapts the organs to every known language.
In acquiring several of the languages of Europe
by occasional visits to foreign countries, and in
studying the Persian, during a residence of nearly
three years in India, the writer can affirm, that he
was much assisted by the fundamental principles of
the Gaelic, his vernacular tongue: and it must be
admitted by all, who have made foreign languages a
peculiar object of their attention, and been stimu-
lated to make researches into the affinity of their
406
SUPPLEMENTAL OBSERVATIONS ON THE
radicals with the Celtic, that perhaps no language
contains so many, certainly no one more, primitive
roots capable of illustrating the European and Orien-
tal languages, than the Celtic, or Gaelic. It may not
therefore be improper to notice in another place
various words in the Arabic, Persic, and other lan-
guages, which bear so great an affinity with the Gaelic
as to justify the assertion we have made.
The writer is strongly impressed with an idea, that
researches of this nature will tend to throw new
light on the etymon and philosophy of language, and
lead to some fixed criterion whereon to decide the
question which, though hitherto a subject of much
controversy among the learned, is still veiled in
obscurity; namely, what was the primitive lan-
guage? Or, what known languge is the nearest in
its radical substantives, to that which may be consi-
dered to have been the primitive language?
The solution of this question will require laborious
and persevering research into the analogy or affi-
nity of languages, the origin and history of man,
and the manners and customs of different nations;
so, as by uniting and comparing these with each
other, we may be able to discover truths, and trace
causes from their effects.
Nothing can more forcibly evince the general
conviction of the utility and necesstity of such
researches, than the number of learned men who
have, from time to time, written on the science
of etymology. In every celebrated academy in
Europe there are strong advocates for those pursuits,
which tend to dispel the mist, that overshadows
ancient history. It unquestionably requires so much
AUTHENTICITY OF OSSIAN'S POEMS.
407
investigation to perceive the connection of lan-
guages, nations, and ages of great antiquity, and to
rescue them from the thick veil under which their
history is enveloped, that hitherto the faculties of
man have been in a manner unprofitably employed
in the pursuit. But, as a celebrated philologist ob-
serves, * "How useful to ethic science, and indeed
to knowledge in general, a grammatical disquisition
into the etymology and meaning of words was es-
teemed by the chief and ablest philosophers, may
be seen by consulting Plato, Xenophon, Arion, and
Epictetus."
The language first spoken. by man may be termed
primitive. If, in examining the essential words in
the living and dead languages, we can discover
that, in all times and every where, elementary words
had and have the same sound, have preserved the
same meaning, and that such alterations, as they
have received among different nations, are founded
on the genius of the compounded languages spo-
ken, will it not be evident, that the primitive lan-
guage has always existed, and that it exists at this
day, although diffused among the languages of dif-
ferent nations, and separated into various dialects?
As every modern language presents vestiges of
an ancient language, which seems to have prevail-
ed universally in all countries, and as each have
words common to all others, it may be inferred that
the languages now spoken are all derived from the
same parent stock. It may be said, that the primi-
* Harris's Hermes, or Philosophical Inquiry concerning Universal
Grammar.
1
!
408 SUPPLEMENTAL OBSERVATIONS ON THE
}
tive language exists nowhere; but still every where
are its fragments to be found. All the Oriental
tongues are perfectly alike in their roots to the
languages of the north of Europe and Asia, not
excepting the Chinese language. The Phenician,
Syriac, and Greek, are only dialects of a general
language diffused formerly in Asia and Africa. It
cannot be doubted, that the first language was ex-
tremely simple, and without any compound terms.
These qualities peculiarly belong to the Hebrew and
Celtic for the radical words had never more than
three letters, forming monosyllables, and sometimes
dissyllables; there is indeed every appearance that
originally there were many more monosyllables, than
are now to be found in those languages.
Were we to separate all the compound words and
derivatives in any language from the general mass,
we would find very few roots remaining composed
of monosyllables; and those few are be regarded as
the elements of languages, and as the source from
which all other words are compounded. These ele-
ments must have been given to man by nature, con-
sequently, in their origin represented natural objects,
and could not represent artificial or moral objects,
unless by analogy with natural ones; because artifi-
cial or moral objects cannot be described of them-
selves, but by relation or in opposition to natural and
positive elements. Thus the natural objects, man,
horse, cow, water, &c. would be the first elementary
words of a language, and the artificial objects, house,
ship, cradle, stable, &c. would be of our own making;
and, by a more refined operation of the mind alone,
AUTHENTICITY OF OSSIAN'S POEMS.
409
·
we have what philologers call the moral qualities, or
abstract substances of goodness, convenience, swiftness,
whiteness, &c.
These are the distinguishing characteristics of
radical words, and which every etymologist will
naturally attend to; for, if we place between the
radical words other words of more than one syllable,
and words which only represent a figurative, or ne-
gative sense, there will be much difficulty in tracing
the roots common to all languages.*
The names of animals peculiar to a country, mate-
rial elements, parts of the body, natural objects and
relations, strong affections of the mind, and other
ideas common to the whole race of man, are the
surest criterion for comparing the affinity of radical
words in different languages. Ancient languages
have their words less altered than modern, which
renders it much easier to compare the ancient lan-
guages together than the modern. If, in analyzing
the Celtic, or Gaelic language, we abstract from it
all the compound words of two or three syllables,
there will remain very few roots, or words of one
syllable; and these few are what ought to be re-
garded as the elements of the language. The same
observation is applicable to the Chinese, Sanscrit,
and Arabic languages; and, notwithstanding the mul-
tiplicity of compound words in the Chinese language,
it is rather singular to remark that the roots, or
monosyllables, do not exceed three hundred and
fifty. The Arabic language yields to none in the
* Le Monde Primitif par Monsieur Gebellin, Vol. I.
+ Barrow's Travels, p. 449.
410 SUPPLEMENTAL OBSERVATIONS ON THE
*
number of its words and the precision of its phrases,
yet it bears not the least resemblance, either in words
or in the structure of them, to the Sanscrit, the greater
parent of the Indian dialects. Like the Greek, Per-
sian, and German, the Sanscrit delights in com-
pounds, but in a much higher degree; and indeed
to such an excess, that words of more than twenty
syllables can be produced: while the Arabic, on the
other hand, and all its sister-dialects, abhor the com-
position of words, and invariably express every com-
plex idea by circumlocution. Sir William Jones
tells us,† that "the Sanscrit language, whatever be
its antiquity, is of a wonderful structure; more per-
fect than the Greek, more copious than the Latin,
and more exquisitely refined than either; yet bear-
ing to both a stronger affinity, both in the roots of
verbs and in the forms of grammar, than could pos-
sibly have been produced by accident; so strong
indeed that no philologer could examine them all
without believing them to have come from one com-
mon source, which perhaps no longer exists. There
is a similar reason, though not quite so forcible, for
supposing that both the Gothic and Celtic, though
blended with a very different idiom, had the same
* Asiatic Researches, Vol. II. p. 6.
↑ Ibid. Vol. I. p. 423. The word Sanscrit seems to be of Celtic ori-
gin, and is compounded of sean, old, and scribhadh, writing. The word
khan is derived from the original Celtic word cean or kean, head; and
it "pervades Asia and Europe from the Ganges to the Garonne.”
Cean is compounded of the Celtic root ce, globular or round, and an
the mascular termination for small. Griann, the sun, is compounded
of gri, heat, and ann, a circle or body revolving, from which we have,
in Gaelic, grisach, hot burning embers, and other derivatives.
AUTHENTICITY OF OSSIAN'S POEMS.
411
origin with the Sanscrit; and the old Persian might
be added to the same family."
Mr. Marsden, in his History of Sumatra, tells us,
"that one general language prevailed (however mu-
tilated and changed in the course of time) through-
out all the portion of the world, from Madagascar to
the most distant discoveries eastward, of which the
Malay is a dialect much corrupted or refined by a
mixture of other tongues. This very extensive simi-
larity of language, indicates a common origin of the
inhabitants; but the circumstance and progress of
their separation are wrapped in the darkest veil of
obscurity."
What Mr. Barrow says of the Chinese language, is
truly applicable to the living remnants of the Celtic.
"It has not undergone any material alteration for
more than two thousand years, nor has it ever bor-
rowed a character or a syllable from any other lan-
guage which now exists. As a proof of this, it may
be mentioned, that every new article that has found
its way in China, since its discovery to Europeans,
has acquired a Chinese name, and entirely sunk that
which is borne by the nation who introduces it. The
proper names even of countries, nations, individuals,
are changed, and assume new ones in their language.
Thus Europe is called See Yang, the western country.
The English are dignified by the name of Hung mow,
or red heads; and the French, Spanish, Portuguese,
and all others who visit China, have each a name in
the language in the country, wholly distinct from that
they bear in Europe." This inflexibility in retaining
the words in their own language, has led Mr. Barrow
412
SUPPLEMENTAL OBSERVATIONS ON THE
$
to think, that Dr. Johnson had the Chinese in his mind
when, in the inimitable piece of fine writing which
prefaces his Dictionary, he made this remark, "the
language most likely to continue long without alte-
ration, would be that of a nation raised a little, and
but a little, above barbarity, secluded from strangers,
and totally employed in procuring the conveniencies
of life:" an observation which is perfectly descrip-
tive of that remnant of the Celtic people, whose lan-
guage still exists as a living speech, in the moun-
tainous regions of this island from the Grampian
hills to the Hebrides, nearly in the same purity, as
in the era of Ossian ?*
All the living languages of Europe have words
borrowed from the Greek and Latin; but the Gaelic,
from the number and richness of its primitive roots,
and the facility of forming a number of compound
words, has distinct terms of its own in every art and
science, and are so peculiarly descriptive of the
sense, that an illiterate Highlander of this day easily
comprehends their meaning. Thus astronomy is in
Gaelic Reul-eolas, from reul, star, and eolas, know-
ledge. The common name for a star reul (or ruith-
uil) signifies the guide to direct the course. Reann
is the name for a planet, compounded of Re, a star,
and ann, a circle, or revolution. That astronomy had
been studied by the druids and Celtic nations, we
have sufficient proofs; as well as that many hazardous
voyages were performed by men, in those days, with-
out any chart, or compass, but the stars to guide
* Dr. Johnson's Dictionary was published in 1755, and his Tour to
the Hebrides in 1775.
AUTHENTICITY OF OSSIAN'S POEMS.
413
them.* Speur, in Gaelic, is the sky, or firmament.
We have in Greek Spheira, Latin Sphæra, Persian
Sipehr, sphere. The word speur frequently occurs in
Ossian's poems; "Talla nan speur," hall of the skies,
sometimes translated airy halls:
Fosgluibhse talla nan speur,
Aithriche Oscair nan cruai-bheum ;
Open ye the hall of the skies,
Ye fathers of Toscar of hard blows;
Solstice is grianstad, from grian, sun, and stad, stop.
Zodiac is grian-chrios, from grian, sun, and chrios,
belt. Eclipse is ur-dhubha, from ur, new, or fresh, and
dubha, darkening. Automical is fein-gluasach, from
fein, self, and gluasach, motion.
As no people have technical terms in their own
language for any art or science, to the practice of
which they can be supposed to have been ignorant,
we may reasonably infer that all the arts and sciences,
in which Celtic terms are found, have been practiced
by the ancestors of that people, long before other
nations borrowed or adopted in their language such
techuical expressions from the Greeks or Romans.
Having given two or three examples in astronomy,
of the indigenous terms applicable to that science,
we shall now, by way of further illustration exhibit
a few in other sciences. Geography is expressed in
Gaelic by cèghrabha, compounded of cè, globe, or
earth, and grabha, description; and from this last
are the words yn and yeaqw derived. Anatomy is ex-
pressed by corpshnasachd, from corp, body, and snasachd,
* Cæs. L. VI. c. 14. Smith's Hist, of the Druids, c. 4.
414
SUPPLEMENTAL OBSERVATIONS ON THE
cutting, or dividing; and hence may be derived the
Latin corpus and English corpse, a dead body, which
alone is the subject of anatomy, and in French the
word corps, body, is also expressive of a regiment,
as being divisible into numerous parts, or sections.
Geometry is cè-thomhas, from cè, globe or earth, and
tomhas, measuring. Anemoscope is àil-innisan, from
àile, air, and innisan, teller. Anemometer is àile-mheidh,
from àile, air, and meidh, measure, scale, or balance.
Mercury is airgad-beo, from airgad, silver, and beo,
living. Amalgamate is co-leagha, from co or comh,
together, or mixture, and leagha, melting, literally,
melting together.
The reason why the words and structure of the
Celtic language appear so conspicuous in the Greek
and Latin, is, with much erudition, given in the
notes at the end of the Report of the Highland
Society of Scotland.* In this place, it may not be
improper to add, that in France, Spain, and Italy, as
well as in several other countries of Europe, there
are a number of names of cities, towns, rivers, moun-
tains, capes, promontories, &c. found in the works
of ancient geographers, and many of them even ex-
tant at this day, all which are evidently of Celtic
origin; and for the propriety and aptness of the ety-
mologies, we have only to compare some of these
appellatives with the Celtic or Gaelic radical words.†
Though the Celts in the most early ages retained
* See App. to the Report, p. 267 et seq.
+ See the Alphabetical Table of Words, of which the etymologies are
given in Monumens Celtiques par M. Cambry, of the Celtic Academy at
Paris.
AUTHENTICITY OF OSSIAN'S POEMS.
415
an uniformity of manners, and nearly the same lan-
guage in all their different settlements, yet, in pro-
cess of time, from various accidents, their language
was altered, and they began to be distinguished by new
and different appellations. By the Roman conquest,
the Celts in Gaul gradually lost their original name,
and were, by subsequent conquests, confounded with
the Franks. The Celts, however, who inhabited Bri-
tain, or Albion, did not share the same fate, especi-
ally those of the mountainous regions of Caledonia;
they were a distinct people, as Cæsar tells us, from
those in other parts, and have so continued, with
little variation in their manners, customs, and lan-
guage, since Cæsar's time.
The learned Pezron, author of a small work on the
antiquity of the Celtic nation, had in contemplation
to publish a complete work on the origin of nations,
but more especially on the antiquity of the Celtic
language; and he had for some years before his
death been collecting materials for that purpose. In
a letter from Pezron to the Abbé Nicaise, published
in Martiniere's Geographical Dictionary, under the
article Celtes, he mentions that he had collected
seven or eight hundred Greek words, or simple roots,
which are derived from the Celtic, besides almost
all the numerals; thus the Celts say dec, ten, and the
Greeks dexa, the former undec, eleven, daudec, twelve,
&c. the latter Evdena, doidena, &c.; the other numerals
may be judged of by this specimen. With respect
to the Latin, Pezron mentions having collected more
than twelve hundred words, or roots, obviously de-
rived from the Celtic; and concludes with observing
416
SUPPLEMENTAL OBSERVATIONS ON THE
}
1
that the Celtic language is diffused throughout almost
all the languages of Europe, and that the Teutonic,
or German, is full of Celtic words. It is much to be
regretted, that Pezron died before the publication
of the proofs, on which his system was founded;
such a work is still a desideratum in the republic of
letters.*
Monsieur Cambry, a member of the Celtic Aca-
demy at Paris, has, in his ingenious work lately pub-
lished, † announced his intention to exhibit, in the
periodical papers of the academy, no less than two
thousand Celtic words cited in various authors, and
ancient monuments, which have the same sound and
meaning as those in the Armoric, or language spoken
As the subject is interesting to the Gaelic scholar, the following is
an extract of Monsieur Pezron's letter to the Abbé Nicaise.
“Pour revenir a ces princes Titans ou Celtes, comme ils ont regné
assez long temps dans la Grece, et même dans d'Italie, où Saturne se
refugia, étant persecuté par son propre fils, leur langue s'est tellement
mêlée avec la Grecque, qui étoit alors l'Eolique, et avec l'ancienne
Latine, qu'on peut dire qu'elles en sont toutes remplies. Vous serez
surpris, Monsieur, quand je vous dira, que j'ai environ sept ou huit cens
môts Grecs, je dis de simple racines, qui sont tous tirez de la langue des
Celtes, avec presque tous le nombres; par example, le Celtes disent
dec, dix, et les Grecs dana. Les Celtes disent undec, onze, daoudec,
douze, &c. Les Grecs Evdena, Sondexa, &c. Jugez du rest par cet échan-
tillion. Pour ce qui est de la langue Latine, j'ai actuellement plus de
douze cens môts, qui viennent tout visiblement du Celtique, et je repon-
drai solidement à ceux d'entre les savans, qui, ne pouvant nier un fait
qui paroît sensible, sont reduits a dire que les Celtes ont emprunté ces
môts de Grecs et de Latins. Je ne saurois finir cette lettre sans vous
dire que le Celtique s'est repandu dans presque tout les langues de
l'Europe, mais la Teutone ou l'Allemande en est toute remplie.”
+ Monumens Celtiques, p. 381, 382.
AUTHENTICITY OF OSSIAN'S POEMS.
417
in Britanny, a province of France. He affirms, that
the Celtic language still exists, and is spoken by two
millions of people in lower Britanny, and in the prin-
cipality of Wales, and in Cornwall, without includ-
ing the Highlands of Scotland and Ireland, where
the people also speak a dialect of the Celtic called
the Gaelic, which, he observes, was the language of
that illustrious bard Ossian, the Homer of the Cale-
donians.
These precious words, Monsieur Cambry further
observes, will illustrate and re-establish, in the most
positive and wonderful manner, a number of pas-
sages in ancient history, and will, at the same time,
give us a more perfect knowledge of the antiqui-
ties, origin, customs, and monuments of different
nations.
It may be admitted, that M. Cambry is correct in
his statement, but while this leads us to reflect on
the causes of the decline of the Celtic language, for
the last 1500 years, it gives rise to the gratifying
idea, that, in the course of the present century, our
national language will probably be the vernacular
tongue of numbers nearly equal to the present popu-
lation of Europe. For when we contemplate our vast
political and commercial relations with America, the
East and West Indies, and other parts of the world,
it may be fairly calculated that, before the lapse of
the present century, no less than 150 millions of
people, in both hemispheres, will speak the English
language, subject however to various fluctuations
and different dialects, in proportion to the distance
of one country or tribe from another. This is by no
VOL. III.
E e
}
418 SUPPLEMENTAL OBSERVATIONS ON THE
*
1
means an exaggerated computation, when we sepa-
rately consider the rapid progress of population in
the United States of America, where during the last
twenty-five years of the eighteenth century, it was
more than doubled; viz. from 2,486,000 in the year
1774, to 5,214,800 in the year 1800. Consequently
in the same ratio the population of the United States
of America will be increased to upwards of eighty
millions at the end of the present century.
It is well known, that the letters of the ancient
Gaelic and Irish alphabet had a resemblance to the
ancient Greek, and in fact Mr. Macpherson had
it at one time in contemplation to publish the origi-
nal of Ossian in Greek characters, or in those in
which the MSS. were supposed to have been first
written. Mr. Astle, in his Origin and Progress of
Writing, has given a series of Gaulish or Celtic cha-
racters, which somewhat resemble those of Greece.
They were taken from the monumental inscriptions
of Gordian, the messenger of the Gauls, who suffered
martyrdom, with all his family, in the third century.
Whether the ancient Celtic character was derived
from the Greek, or the Greek from the Celtic, we
have no positive proofs, and the question is still pro-
blematical: yet Mr. Astle is inclined to believe the
former.
The ancient Spaniards used also letters nearly
Greek, before their intercourse with the Romans.
"It is singular. as observed by Mr. Astle, and no
less true, that the Roman characters were generally
used in England from the coming of William I. and
* Origin and Progress of Writing, p. 57. 2d Edit.
AUTHENTICITY OF OSSIAN'S POEMS.
419
that the Saxon characters were entirely disused in
the very beginning of the twelfth century; but the
Irish and Scots preserved the ancient forms of their cha-
racters till the end of the sixteenth century.
""*
It is a fact well known to every Oriental scholar,
that the different transcripts of Persian MSS. of the
heroic poems of Ferdusi, the sublime poems of Kha-
kani, the elegant odes of Hafiz, and the works of
Nizami, and others, also the ancient popular tales
called Bakht-yar-nameh, differ essentially from each
other; for several copies, in passing through the
hands of ignorant or conceited transcribers, have suf-
fered a considerable debasement of the original text.
In the Persian popular tales of a very remote pe-
riod, it is curious to remark, that all the names of the
persons introduced are, like Ossian's, characteristic
compounds, formed by two nouns, the one qualifying
the other, and governing it in gender. Thus the
name of Bakht-yar is derived from bakht, fortune,
and yar, friend, and may be translated "fortune's
friend." Sepeh-salar, a proper name also, signifies a
general, or "leader of an army." Various other in-
stances might be cited, in the Arabic and Persian
literature, as characteristic compounds; to prove
that in very remote periods, and among nations
speaking different dialects, and separated from each
other at the extremities of the globe, similar modes
of composition, as well as manners and customs to
* The MSS. written in the northern parts of Scotland and in Ireland,
between the twelfth and sixteenth centuries, noticed by Mr. Astle, and
of which he has given engraved fac-similes, are in similar characters to
the Saxon.
420
SUPPLEMENTAL OBSERVATIONS ON THE
those ascribed to the era of Ossian prevailed. Let
us examine a few of Ossian's characters, and we shall
find a striking analogy. Thus Duchomar signifies a
"black well made man." Fergus, or Ferguth, "the
man of the word." "Where is that cloud in war,
Duchomar ?" "Hast thou left me, O Fergus, in the day
of the storm?" Trenmore signifies " tall and mighty:"
Cean daona, head of the people: Cormar, expert at
sea: Curaoch, the madness of battle; and a variety
of other names.
Were a laudable spirit of research and inquiry to
be encouraged and excited among the learned, in
order to trace and compare the affinity of the Celtic
roots, with those in the Oriental and other languages,
there might be reason to hope we should, at no dis-
tant period, see the venerable remains of Celtic lite-
rature made an object of classical learning under
professors at our Universities. Then we might ex-
pect, that the sublime poems of the Caledonian bard
would be duly and universally appreciated, and that
a grammatical knowledge of the original language
would consequently become a desideratum with the
student, who would be actuated by stronger motives
to acquire it, than those which stimulate many to
learn Spanish, for the sake of merely relishing the
humourous adventures of Don Quixotte in the
original.
*
* Several gentleman born and educated in England have recently
made the Gaelic language an object of study, under good masters;
William Rose, Esq. has, we are informed, by application, acquired a
competent knowledge of the language; and Mr. J. A. M'Arthur, of
Trinity College, Cambridge, and others we could name, have begun to
study the Gaelic with assiduity.
AUTHENTICITY OF OSSIAN'S POEMS.
42 F
As it is our intention not " to strain facts out of etymo-
logies," we shall only exhibit a few examples from the
Latin, Greek, and Oriental languages, in which the
sound and meaning correspond with the radicals in the
Gaelic.
Greek in
Roman
Gaelic.
Greek. Characters
Latin.
English.
`Ar
Apw
Arò
Aro
To plough.
Aois
"ETOS
Etos
Etas
Age.
Aile
Αίολος
Aiolos
Eolus
The wind.
Astar
Asnp
Aster
Astrum
A wandering star.
Corn
Κερας
Keras
Cornu
A horn.
Bith
Βιος
Bios
Vita
Life.
Tarbh
Ταύρος
Tauros
Taurus
A bull.
Each
Ικκος
Ikkos
Equus
A horse.
Bo
Βους
Bous
Bos
A cow.
Cu, G. Coin Kuwv
Kuon
Canis
A dog.
Mona, ord. "Opos
Oros
Mons
A mountain.
Neul
Νεφηλη
Nephele
Nebula
A cloud.
Eun, G. eoin Oiwvós
Oionos
Avis
A bird.
Talla
Αὐλή
Aule
Aula
A hall.
Mulin
Μυλα
Mula
Mola
A mill.
Tigh, Teach Tεyos Tegos
Tectum
A house.
Malta
Μαλακος | Malakos
Mollis
Soft.
Sac
Σακκος
Saccos
Saccus
A sack.
Sàile
"Αλς
Als
Sa
Salt water.
Ruthe
Ερυθος
Eruthos
Cruaidh
Κρυος
Gruos
Ulin
Ωλενη Olene
Rubor
Grudus
Ulna
A blush.
Hard with frost.
Elbow.
Deas
Δεξια Dexia
Dexter
Right hand.
Uth
Ουθαρ
Uthar
Uber
Udder.
Dothan, TirAwv
Phthôn
Terra
The earth.
A
422 · SUPPLEMENTAL OBSERVATIONS ON THE

Greek in
Roman
Gaelic.
Greek.
Characters Latin.
English.
Claon
Κλινω
Clino
Clino
To bend.
Beir
Φερω
Phero
Fero
To bring.
Teirig
Τειρω
Teiro
Tero
To waste.
Teann
Τεινω
Teino
Tendo
To stretch.
Glaodh
Καλεω
Caleo
Clamo
To call.
Gleidh
Κλειω
Cleio
Claudo
To keep.
Greek in
Roman
Gaelic. Greek.
Characters
English.
Cial
Χειλος
Cheilos
The jaw.
Gaird
Χειρ
Cheir
The hand.
Meir
Μερος
Meros
A piece.
Cluain
Χλένης
Chlunes
A green meadow.
Citag
Χίλων
Chiton
A coat or plaid.
Cnabh
Χναω
Chnao
To gnaw.
Gort
Χορος
Chortos
Grass or corn.
Croic
Χροος
Chroos
A skin.
Slua
Λαος
Laos
Dalma
Τολμα Tolma
People.
Audacious.
Scia
Σκια
Skia
A wing, shade, or shield.
Dearc
Δερκω
Derko
To view.
Deur
Δακρυ
Dakru
A tear.
Dealan
Δαλον
Dalon
Lightning, or a torch.
Paisd
Παις
Pais
A child.
Eugas
Εικος
Eikos
Likeness.
Doras
Θυρα
Thura
A door.
Fonn
Φωνη
Phone
'Ar
Αρης
Ares
Gearr
Κειρω
Keiro
Claoi
Κλαιω
Claio
Cliu
Κλεος
Cleos
An air, or sound of the voice.
Slaughter, a name of Mars.
To cut, or crop.
To lament, or be grieved.
Fame.
AUTHENTICITY OF OSSIAN'S POEMS.
423
Greek in
Roman
Characte
+
Gaelic
Greek.
English.
Cluin
Κλυω
Cluo
To hear.
Cruba
Κρυπτω
Crupto
To crutch, or conceal.
Lamhach
Aaubawv Lambano To handle.
Glas
Κλαις
Clais
A lock, or key.
Druis
Δροσος
Drosos
A light dew.
Beann
Bavos
Bunos
A hill.
Laidh
Ληθω
Letho
To lie down, to conceal.
Leag
Λεγω
Lego
To make, to fall.
Abhra
Οφρύς
Ophrus
The eye-brow.
Oghar
Ωχρος
Ochros
Fearg
Οργή
Orge
Main
Μενω
Meno
Of a pale, or dun colour.
Wrath.
To remain, linger, or delay.
Linne
Λιμνη
Limne
A pool.
Auach
Ανχη
Auche
The neck.
Agh
Αγιος
Agios
Happy.
Baile
Πολις
Polis
A town.
Glan
Γληνη
Glene
Uchd
охви
Ochthe
Clean, pure.
The breast of the human body, or
[brow of a hill.
Foil
Φωλεος
Pholeos
A den, a lurking place.
Cè
Γεα
Gea
The globe of the earth.
Ur
rça
Ura
A tail.
Tom
Τομβος
Tombos
A hillock, or tomb.
Gradh
Χαρις
Charis
Love, affection.
Gin
Γίνομαι
Ginomai
To beget.
Geis
Γαισος
Gaisos
A fishing spear.
Còir
Χωρος
Choros
Searg
Ζηρος
Zeros
Place, portion, or possession.
Withered.
Eigh
Hxn
Eche
Echo.
Iasg
Ιχθης
Ichthus
Fish.
Iusgaid
Ισχιον
Ischion
The hip.
:
1
A
1
+
424 SUPPLEMENTAL OBSERVATIONS ON THE
Gaelic.
Latin.
English.
Alt
Altus
High.
Amhain, pronounced Amnis
A river.
Ain, from Amh great,
and Ain water
Anam
Anima
The soul.
Balla
Vallum
A wall.
Brathair, pronounced Frater
Brother.
Brair
;
Caise
Caseus
Cheese.
Càr
Carrus
Chariot.
Cara
Carus
Dear.
Geir, pronounced Ker
Gera
Wax.
Coileach
Gallus
A cock.
Criabhar
Cribrum
A sieve.
Guaran
Cothurnus
Buskin, or any thing used
for a shoe.
Eire
Heres
An heir.
Fer
Vir
A man.
Foc
Vox
Fonn
Fundus
Gabh
Capio
Gniomhach
Gnavus
Lip
Labium
Luan, of Lu little, and Luna
Voice.
Land, or ground.
To take.
Active.
The lip.
Moon.
An a planet
Mair
Moror
To delay, remain.
Màthair, pronounced Mater
A mother.
Máir,
i
Moll, Meall,
Moles
A mass, a heap.
Muir, from the root Mu
Mare, whence
round about, and Tir
Marée, Fr.
Sea.
High tide.
earth
Onadh
Unda
A wave.
Pill
Pello
To beat back.
AUTHENTICITY OF OSSIAN'S POEMS.
425
English.
Gaelic.
Latin.
Sceith
Scateo
Scuap
Seac
Scopa
Siccus
Sna
No
Sneac
Nix
Snia
Neo
Sona
Sanus
To vomit.
A besom to sweep with.
Dry, withered.
To swim.
Snow.
To spin.
Sound in body and mind.
Suain
Somnus
Sleep.
Talamh
Tellus
Earth.
Tana
Tenuis
Thin.
Tonag
Tunica
A tunic.
Tullach
Tumulus
Ubh
Ovum
A hillock, or little hill.
An egg.
In order to shew the corresponding sounds and
sense between the Gaelic and Latin, we shall give
the following lines.
Gaelic.
Latin.
Ruith amhain de mhonaibh.
Ruunt amnes de montibus.
English. Rivers rush from the mountains.
Gaelic. Theann i ramih ag athar.
Latin.
Tendebat ramos ad æthera.
English. It extended its branches to the sky.
Gaelic.
Onadh druide onaidh.
Latin.
Unda truditur undæ.
English. Wave driven on wave.
Gaelic. Onaidh buala letire.
Latin.
Undæ pulsant littora.
English. Waves beat the shores.
426
SUPPLEMENTAL OBSERVATIONS ON THE
Gaelic.
Beir da mi cuach fiona.
Latin.
Fer ad me cyathum vini.
English.
Bring to me a cup of wine.
Gaelic.
Phrann iad feart arm streupach.
Frangebant vires armorum strepentium.
Latin.
English. They broke the strength of clashing arms.
Gaelic.
Latin.
Eich solis togail feinn e alt choire.
Equi solis tollunt se alto gurgite.
English. The horses of the sun rise themselves
from the deep gulph.*
Words in the Oriental languages which have an analogy
to the Gaelic roots.

Gaelic.
Athair, pronounced
Air, from A, first,
chief,or principal,
English.
Arabic, Persian,
Hebrew, or Chaldaic.
English.
Father
Air, Arab. root.
Chief, or prince.
and Fer,man; be-
ing so with regard
to the son.
Aircis
To salute
Aite
A place.
Aris, in Ar.
Auta, Per.
Spouse, wedlock.
A place.
Amhain, the mh
being quiescent, is A river
pronounced Ain.
Ain, in Ar. & Per. A fountain.
Andè
Annso
Yesterday
Dee, Per.
Yesterday.
Here
Eenja, or Enja, Per. Here.
* Colonel Vallancey, in his Essay on the Antiquity of the Irish language,
has collated the Punic speech in Plautus with the Iberno-Celtic.
AUTHENTICITY OF OSSIAN'S POEms.
427
Gaelic.
English.
Arabic, Persian,
Hebrew, or Chaldaic.
English.
Annsin
Aireac
Noble
Adverb There Anja, Per.
Arek, Ar.
There.
A noble person.
Ala
Aladh, pronounced}
Skill
Am
Alim, Ar. and Per. Wisdom.
A season, or Am, in Ar. & Per. |A year.
spaceoftime Aun, in Per.
Time.
Amad
A fool.
Ar
To plough
Abair, or Labhair
Speak
Acras
Hunger
Aois
Age
Aosta
Aged
A wander-
Astar
Aile
·
Baile
Bas
Beul, from the root"
ing star
Wind
A town
Death
Aster, Heb.
Aster,
A plebeian.
To plough.
Interpreting
Hunger.
}|Age.
Aged man.
A star.
Avel, Abel,H.& Syr. Wind.
Ammet, Ar.
Arain, Ar.
Abair, Ar.
Ajuz, Ar,
{ Ass, dr.
Eta, Chal.
Enosh, Heb.
Baled, Ar.
Fauz, Per.
A city.
Death.
Be, life, and Toll,
Bal, Ar. and Heb. Babler.
an opening; but
the t being quies-
cent, it sounds Be-
ol, or Beul, the
opening of life.
Cavity, capa-
Mouth
city, or the
Bit, or Betih, Heb.
inside of any
thing.
Bean
A woman
Benaz, Ar.
A brother
ed Brair
Biath pronounced Bia, Food
Brathair pronounc- } 1
In the language of Otaheite the higher classes of the people are
called Erree, and the king is called Errie no Rahie, signifying the King of
the Nobility. See Cooke's Voyage.
Bit, Ar. and Per.
A woman.
Food.
Berith, Heb.
A brother.
428 SUPPLEMENTAL OBSERVATIONS ON THE
Gaelic.
English.
Arabic, Persian,
Hebrew,or Chaldaic.
English.
Buidhe
Yellow
Behad, Per.
Singed yellow.
Buachair, or Buag-
haor, compounded
Cow-dung
Achaath, Albucar,4. Cow-dung.
of Bo a cow, and
Gaor dung
Car
SA car, or
Carron, Chal.
A chariot.
chariot
Ceann
Head
Khan, Ar. and Pers Head, or chief.
Corn
A horn
Keren, Heb.
A horn.
Caoileach (in Welsh
Ceiliog)
A cock
{
Gheles, Ar.
A cock.
Kelash, Pers.
S Kehel, Ar.
Cailleach
Old woman
Full of years.
Kehle, Per.
Ci, or Co
Who
Ki, Per.
Who.
Achurchyard,
A circle, or
Cill, or Ceill,
circle, or place
inclosed
Cela, Heb.
Dan
A poem
Dana, Ar. and Per.
place inclos-
ed.
A poet, or
learned per-
son.
Dec
Ten
{
f Deh, Per.
Deka, Chal.
}
Ten.
Eaglais
A church
Keleesa, Per.
Fal
Ominous
Fal, Ar.
Fienne
Troops; tribes Fenna, Ar.
A church, or
place of wor-
ship.
An omen.
Troops.
Leathar, pronounc-
ed Lear
Leather
Leor, Heb.
The skin.
S Matach and Matah
Math, or Ma
Good
Mathair, pronounc
ed Mair,
Mother
Mar, Syriac
Heb. and Chal.
Good, or a-
greeable to
the taste.
Mother.
AUTHENTICITY OF OSSIAN'S POEMS.
429
Arabic, Persian,
Gaelic.
English. Hebrew,or Chaldaic.
English.
Mesck, Ar.
Meisg
Drunkenness
Drunk.
Mesk, Per.
Marc (ancient name,) A horse
whence Marcshluagh Cavalry
Merc, Chal.
A horse.
Marcach
Marc, German
Riding
Moladh
Praising
Paisde
A child
Paisdan
Children
Pechégan, Per.
Moalakat, Ar.& Per. In praise.*
Pechè, Per.
A child.
Children.+
Paishgeara
A midwife
Peshkari, Per.
A midwife.
Pog pose, or buse
Whence Pogadh
A kiss
Puse, or buse, in 1
Kissing
A kiss, or lip.
Per.
Posadh
Marriage
Rathad,orRad, from
Rah, Per.
Rath, a wheel,
A road, or
highway.
and Aite, place; A road, or
i. e. a place made || highway
Rajah, Per.
easy for carriages
to pass
Ran, the ancient
name for
Rahee, Per.
A prince, or
chief of a dis-
trict.
A traveller.
}
A frog
Ranach, Heb.
A frog.
Ranah, Egypt.
Sac
Scian
A sack
A knife
Sac, Heb.
A sack.
Skian, Ar.
A knife.
* There is a poem in Arabic called Moalakat (i. e.) In Praise, written
by Prince Amaralkeis, a cotemporary of Mahomet. It is in praise of
a great action, and the following line has a great analogy to the Gaelic.
"Fakalit yaminalahi ma lika hilatown,"
which signifies" And she said, by the right hand of God, you shall not
be deceived." There is a poem in Clark's Caledonian Bards called “ Oran
Molla," a song of praise.
+ It deserves notice, that a certain class of nouns in the Gaelic, form
their plurals by adding an to the singular number, and the same holds in
the Persian by adding gan or an, as in the above example.
C.
,
430
SUPPLEMENTAL OBSERVATIONS ON THE

•
Arabic, Persian,
Gaelic.
English.
Hebrew,or Chaldaic.
English.
Speur
Sky
Sen, or sean
Old
Sipher, Per.
Sen, Heb.
Sphere.
Old.
Sen-ar
Old land
Senar, Heb.
{
The name for
Noah's mount.
Teine
Fire.
Tannur, Heb.
Fire.
Beyond,
Tar
over, &
Tar, Per.
above.
Top, or sum-
mit of a
mountain.
Tauro, taur,Ch.
Tarabh
A bull
Syriac, & Ar.
Tor, Heb.
A bull.
Talah
The earth, soil Atla, Per.
Taibhse
An apparition Tabish, Ar.
Taoiseach
A chieftain
Tigh, pronounced Ti, A house
Tog
{To produce, or
bear.
A spirit, from
Tabi, a fol-
lower.
To lift it up
Taasil, Ar.
Ti, Heb.
Toger, in Malabar,
Chiefs.
A house.
To lift up.
We cannot conclude these desultory etymological
researches, without noticing a Celtic proverb men-
tioned by Mr. Cambry of the Celtic Academy in
France,* which from, its affinity with the Gaelic
now spoken, is peculiarly striking, both as to the
pronunciation and sense of the words. He says,
"that the people of Britanny have preserved the true
etymology of Paris in a Celtic proverb, of which the
style manifests its being of the most remote anti-
quity: namely,
Monumens Celtiques, p. 361.
AUTHENTICITY OF OSSIAN'S POEMS.
431
»
"A ba ouè beuzet ar ghar a Is,
“Ne-d-eus ket kavet par da Baris."
which, according to the Gaelic orthograpy, is thus:
A bha ou bàuisg ar caer a Is,
Ne'n deas cait' gheibt' par da Bharis.
and is thus translated into Latin and English:
Ex quo aqua inundavit civitatem Is
Haud apparet ubi inveniatur par Parisiis.
Since the water has overflowed the city Is,
There does not appear an equal to Paris.
The city of Is, alluded to in the Celtic proverb, is
celebrated in ancient geography, and which tradi-
tion places in the Bay of Douarnenez, in the south-
west of Britany near Quimper, and is said to have
been submerged. The Celtic word par, signifying
equal, or like, renders, when joined to Is, what is
called, in the French language, un jeu de mots, viz.
Par-is, which means equal, or like Is, the name of
the ancient city alluded to.
Thus we have endeavoured to demonstrate the
analogy of the Greek, Latin, and Oriental languages
to the Gaelic. From the proofs adduced, and exam-
ples given, whereof, were it necessary, many hun-
dreds equally applicable might be added, we may
safely venture to assert, that no language ancient or
modern contains more primitive roots than the Celtic
or Gaelic.
432 SUPPLEMENTAL OBSERVATIONS ON THE
IV. A SUMMARY OF THE EVIDENCE ADDUCED IN
SUPPORT OF THE AUTHENTICITY
OF OSSIAN'S
POEMS, WITH FURTHER PROOFs.
For the sake of perspicuity, we shall divide this head
into three branches, viz. 1. The Gaelic, which is con-
fessedly a dialect of the Celtic, has been a written
language in the Highlands of Scotland, and in parts
of Ireland, from very remote periods. 2. The poems
ascribed to Ossian commemorating the achievements
of Fingal and his warriors, have been for ages recited
and sung to music in the Highlands and isles of Scot-
land, and have for time immemorial been the entertain-
ment of the people. 3. The poems translated by Mr.
Macpherson, were collected by him from oral tradition
and manuscripts procured in the Highlands; and
that similar collections have been made by other
persons at different periods, prior to his translation.
1. That the Gaelic was a written language from
very remote periods, may be deemed sufficiently
proved by the observation already made in Note E
to Cesarotti's Dissertation; and by the facts and
authorities noticed under the second general head
of these Supplementary Observations.* It may there-
fore suffice to touch briefly on some particular points
of evidence, which when summed up with those
already adduced, will incontrovertibly establish the
truth of our position, as well as the fallacy of Doctor
Johnson's assertion, that the Caledonians had been
* See page 386 et seq.
AUTHENTICITY OF OSSIAN'S POEMS.
433
always a rude and illiterate people, and that they
never had any written language.
When the druids who spoke the Gaelic language,
and to whom writing was familiar,* had been driven
from the rest of Britain, a few of them retired to
Caledonia, and took up their residence in Iona, after-
wards called Icolmkill,† where they founded a col-
lege, and lived and taught unmolested, until they
* Cæsar's Com. B. VI. c. 13.
+ The original name of Icolmkill, prior to Columba's settling there,
was Hy. During Columba's Life, it was called Iona, and after his death,
it received the name of Icolmkill, that is, the isle of Columba's chapel,
compounded of I, island, colm, Columba, and cill, or kill, chapel,
church-yard, or inclosed place.
Mr. Pennant, in his Tour, Vol. I. p. 284, second edition, mentions
that the Dean of the Isles, and after him Buchanan, describe the tombs
of the kings existing at Icolmkill in the time of the Dean. On one was
inscribed Tumulus Regum Scotia: in which were deposited the remains
of forty-eight Scottish kings, beginning with Fergus II. and ending with
the famous Macbeth. In another was inscribed Tumulus Regum Hi-
berniæ: in which were deposited the remains of four Irish monarchs;
and in a third, Tumulus Regum Norwegia, were deposited eight Norwe-
gian princes, or more probably vice-roys of the Hebrides, while they
were subject to that crown.
That so many crowned heads, from different nations, should prefer
this as the place of their interment, is said to be owing to the following
ancient Gaelic prophecy :
Seachd blithna roimh 'n bhraa
Thig muir thar EIRIN re aon tra'
'Sthar ILE ghuirm ghlais
Ach snàmhaidh ICHOLUM clairich.
Which is thus literally translated:
VOL. III.
"Seven years before the conflagration
The sea at one tide shall cover IRELAND,
And also the green-headed ISLAY,
But the ISLE of COLUMBA of the harp shall swim
(above the flood.)
F f
434 SUPPLEMENTAL OBSERVATIONS ON THE
L
were dispossessed by St. Columba in the sixth cen-
tury. For several ages after that period, Iona was
one of the most famous seats of learning, of which
this or any of the neighbouring kingdoms could
boast; and the language in which almost all their
learning was retailed and written was the Gaelic.*
Here then is the groundwork of our first posi-
tion, and it carries with it a degree of conviction as
strong as can well be derived from presumption or
probability. Whether the ancient Celts borrowed
the Greek, or the Greek the Celtic character, it will
hardly be asserted that the Celts were strangers to
writing, or that the druids, and particularly those of
Britain, were not the literati of that nation. Like
printing, when once established, the art of writing
is not to be lost in any common revolution of human
affairs; and such of the druids as took refuge in
Iona, must have carried with them the knowledge of
that art, and taught it to their disciples. The druids
were dispersed on the introduction of Christianity,
but not extinguished; they became Culdees and
bards. Say, however, that they were cut off root
and branch, their successors were Christians under
Christian bishops, and we cannot presume that they
were unacquainted with writing; the more especi-
ally as it is a matter of notoriety, that for ages
afterwards Icolmkill continued distinguished for its
learning. What language then was the most likely
to be committed to writing by Christian divines
deputed from another country to convert the inha-
bitants of Scotland? That these missionaries under-
* Dr. John Smith's Hist. of the Druids, p. 68.
34
AUTHENTICITY OF OSSIAN'S POEMS.
435
stood and might write in Latin need not be denied ;
but surely Gaelic, the language of the people, is what
they would most frequently have recourse to in pro-
pagating their doctrines.* It is not therefore a very
violent presumption that some, more industrious than
others, committed to writing at a very early period
the poetry of their country, which from the moral
precepts they contain had given delight to them-
selves as well as to their progenitors
Dr. Smith, in addition to his sensible reasoning on
this subject, adduces the following facts, to prove
that the Gaelic was a written language. In the
island of Mull, in the neighbourhood of Iona, there
has been, from time immemorial till very lately, a
succession of Ollas, or graduate doctors, in a family
of the name of Maclean, whose writings, to the
extent of a large chestfull, were all written in Gaelic.
What remained of this treasure was some years ago
bought up as a literary curiosity, at the desire of the
Duke of Chandos, and is said to have perished in
the wreck of that nobleman's fortune. Doctor Smith
also mentions having in his own possession a mu-
tilated treatise on physic, and another on anatomy,
with part of a calendar, belonging, probably, to
some ancient monastery; all in the Gaelic language
and character. These pieces, when compared with
others of a later date, appear to be several centuries
old.
* At this day even all the missionary Societies in Europe qualify their
eléves, not only in the Latin, Greek, and Hebrew languages, but in the
particular dialect of the distant nations to whom they may have mis-
sions for diffusing the light of Christianity.
R=!
¥
436 SUPPLEMENTAL OBSERVATIONS ON THE
Lord Kaimes too mentions a Gaelic manuscript of
the first four books of Fingal, which Mr. Mac-
pherson, the translator of Ossian, found in the isle of
Sky, of as old a date as the year 1403.* The late
Mr. Lachlan Macpherson of Strathmashie, who had
accompanied Mr. James Macpherson during some
part of his journey through the Highlands in search
of the poems of Ossian, bears evidence to a similar
fact; for in his letter to Dr. Blair, dated the 22d
October, 1763,† he says, "Some of the hereditary
bards retained by the chiefs, committed very early
to writing some of the works of Ossian. One manu-
script in particular was written as far back as the
year 1410, which I saw in Mr. Macpherson's pos-
session."
The late Rev. Andrew Gallie, minister of Kencar-
dine in Ross-shire, who had assisted Mr. Macpherson
in arranging his collection, says, in his letter to
Charles Mac Intosh, Esq. a member of the committee
of the Highland Society of Edinburgh, that on Mr.
Macpherson's return from his tour through the High-
lands and Islands he produced to Mr. Gallie several
volumes, small octavo, or rather large duodecimo, in
the Gaelic language and character, of the poems of
Ossian and other ancient bards; and that he re-
members perfectly that many of those volumes were
at the conclusion said to have been collected by
Paul Macmhuirich Bard Clanraonuil, and about the
metal is 30-
* Lord Kaimes's Sketches of Man, B. I.
+ See Appendix to the Report of the Highland Society, p. 7.
↑ See Report of the Highland Society, p. 31.
AUTHENTICITY OF OSSIAN'S POEMS.
437
beginning of the fourteenth century. Every poem
had its first letter and its first word most elegantly
flourished and gilded, some red, some yellow, some
blue and some green: the materials writ on seemed
to be a limber, yet coarse and dark, vellum: the
volumes were bound in strong parchment; and that
Mr. Macpherson had them from Clanranold.
Without recurring to more remote periods, as un-
necessary for our present purpose, we have incon-
testible authority that the use of letters was known
in Ireland from St. Patrick's time,* and that St.
Columba, the founder of Icolmkill, who had his
education in the Irish schools, appears, from what
remains of his composition, to have written in pure
Gaelic. The identity of the Irish and Gaelic lan-
guage during so many ages, and the constant inter-
course between the Irish of Ulster and the Scots of
the western Highlands, are circumstances which
naturally lead us to draw the just inference, that
some one of the disciples of those saints would have
committed to writing the compositions of Ossian and
other bards: hence various transcripts of scattered
fragments might have been handed down from one
* Nennius says that the first alphabet was taught in Ireland by St.
Patrick Sanctus Patricius scripsit Abietoria 365 et es amplius
numero." Nen. lix. Sir James Ware, in his Antiquities, says, letters
were introduced with Christianity into Ireland; and it appears from
Bede's Ecclesiastical History that there were several learned men in
Ireland in the seventh century.
+ Dr, John Smith's History of the Druids, p. 68. See also Dr.
John Macpherson's Letter to Dr. Blair, of the 27th Nov. 1763, in-
serted in the Appendix to the Report of the Highland Society, p. 17.
-7
"
438
SUPPLEMENTAL OBSERVATIONS ON THE
generation to another, not perhaps in the purity of
the originals, but subject to the variations and in-
terpolations arising from the fancy of subsequent
bards and transcribers. Mr. Macpherson is therefore
entitled to great credit, for having with much in-
dustry collected, compared, and collated the several
editions or copies; and it may be well supposed that
he would have availed himself of that fair license
granted to every collector and translator, by select-
ing the best editions, restoring passages omitted in
some but preserved in others, and connecting the
episodes and detached pieces so as to render his
translations more worthy of the public eye.
We have noticed, in a former part, the Life of St.
Columba, written by Adamnanus ;* also the decisive
proofs adduced in the Report of the Highland
Society of the ancient Gaelic MSS. in their pos-
session, of which some fac simile specimens are
exhibited in the Report. In the Bodleian library,
Oxford, there is an old manuscript in parchment of
292 pages, in large folio, containing, in Gaelic or
Irish, several historical accounts of the ancient Irish
Kings, Saints, &c. also an account of the Conquest
of Great Britain by the Romans, of the Saxon Con-
quest and their Heptarchy, and an account of the
Conversion of the Irish and English to Chris-
tianity, with other subjects. This book has here and
there some Latin notes interspersed, which Mr.
Lhuyd thinks may possibly contain hints of the
doctrines of the druids. There is also an old vellum
MS. of 140 pages, in the form of a music book, con-
* See Notes N and W, to Cesarotti's Dissertation.
:
AUTHENTICITY OF OSSIAN'S POEMS.
439
taining the works of St. Columba, in verse, with an
account of his own life, his Exhortations to Princes,
and his Prophecies.
Mr. Astle, in his examination of several Gaelic
and Irish MSS. of remote periods, put into his hands,
of which he has given fac similes, acknowledges
that the Gaelic or Erse language of Scotland, and
the Iberno-Gaelic, are nearly the same, and that
their letters, or characters, are similar, which appears
indeed on a comparison of the different fac similes.
exhibited.* Mr. Astle has given, among others, the
following specimens of different MSS. in the Gaelic
tongue, which were procured from the Highlands of
Scotland, and transmitted to him by some friends.t
The first and most ancient specimen of the Gaelic
writing seen by Mr. Astle, and now in the possession
of the Highland Society of Scotland, is taken from a
fragment of a work entitled Emanuel, which, from
the form of the letters, and from the nature of the
vellum, he reasonably concludes may be as old as
the ninth or tenth century.
This fragment throws much light on the state of
* Mr. Astle's Origin and Progress of Writing, second edition,
Plate XXII.
+ It is probable the friends alluded to by Mr. Astle, who furnished
him with these MSS. were the Rev. Mr. M' Lagan, minister of Blair
in Athol, and the Rev. Mr. Stuart, minister of Killin in Perthshire, as
in p. 138, of Origin and Progress of Writing, he acknowledges being
indebted to those gentlemen for the translations of his Gaelic
specimens.
‡ This MS. called Emanuel, is particularly noticed in the Report
of the Highland Society, Appendix, p. 305 et seq. where a long extract
is given, with a literal translation.
440 SUPPLEMENTAL OBSERVATIONS ON THE
t
1
1
classical learning in Scotland in ancient times, as
well as proves the care with which the Gaelic
language was then cultivated; and, by comparing it
with what is now spoken, it further proves, that the
language has been transmitted in purity from one
generation to another, down to the present day.
We have also in these MSS. some interesting notices
of ancient history, written on the authority of Greek
and Roman authors; and of the arts, armour,
manners, dress, superstition and usages of the Scots
of the author's own time, who, from circumstances
mentioned in his work, may be supposed to have
composed it between the fifth and seventh centuries.
In this MS. there is a chapter entitled Slogha Chesair
an Inis Bhreatan, or Cesar's Expedition to the Island
of Britain. But as this, and some of the other MSS.
of which Mr. Astle has given fac similes to prove
the age of the writing, may be deemed interesting
to the Gaelic Scholar, the following specimens of
a few lines, with translations, are given.
Mr. Astle's first specimen (Plate XXII.) is taken
from Emanuel, and the reading of a few lines runs
thus:
Nirsatimini Curio annso.
Iriasin don inntimmairece urgaile ro fas
iceriochaibh
Na Haffraici muinntiraibh nairigh
Céadna Is amhlaidh
iaramh tàrla sin. 1. Airigh duairrighaibh
nocuir ceiss'
buadha agus leigion, &c.
3
AUTHENTICITY OF OSSIAN'S POEMS.
441
Translation.
Observe this, or nota bene,
Such dissentions grew up between the nobles of
Africa, as had not happened before this time, i. e.
certain noble of power and of learning who had often
been victorious, &c.
The second specimen is taken from a MS. on
vellum, in small quarto, containing annals of Ireland,
and of some of the northern parts of Scotland, and
seems to have been written in the thirteenth century.
The following two lines to be read:
Ri ro gab astair righi for Eirinn feact naill iodhain
Eo chaid feidlech Mac Finn Mac Roigeain ruaigh
Translation.
There was formerly a king who reigned over
Ireland, viz. Eochy Feileach, son of Finn son of
Roigh ruagh.
The third specimen is taken from a moral or
religious tract, which seems to have been written
also in the thirteenth century, and is to be read :
A Thighearna cred he sud urt. Isi sud do pheanss
agus pian i Marbhaidh dom hic asumhla ur in
taisgeul, &c.
Translation.
Lord, what is that from thee. That is the punish-
L
442
SUPPLEMENTAL OBSERVATIONS ON THE
ment appointed by thee, even punishment of death
to the disobedient children of the gospel.
The fourth specimen is taken from a Treatise on
Grammar, written in the latter end of the fifteenth
century, and is to be read:
Deinimh deineamh fear deanuimh
deinimh beas, &c.
Translation.
Deanamh, deineamh, masculine; deainimh, feminine,
&c.
The fifth specimen is taken from a Glossary of
the Irish Language, and is read:
Foghal foghail ort a luag foghal
agus ag foghail an baille.
&c.
Translation.
Foghail, plunder; foghail ort, thou art plundered,
The sixth specimen is taken from a MS. contain-
ing some poems in the Gaelic, written in the fifteenth
century, and is read:
Cathal Mac Muirnuigh cecinit.
Do islich onoir Gaoidheal, &c.
AUTHENTICITY OF OSSIAN'S POEMS.
443
Translation.
Charles Mac Muirunigh sung.
The renown of the Gael is lowered, &c.
Mr. Astle has, in a note on this specimen, re-
marked, that the family of Mac Muirichs were bards
to the family of Clanronald for centuries back.
Whether one of them was the author of this song is
difficult to say.
The seventh specimen is taken from a MS. con-
taining some memoranda relative to the affairs of
Ireland and Scotland, written in the fifteenth cen-
tury.
The eighth specimen is taken from a MS. con-
taining annals of Ireland and Scotland. The reading
is:
3304.
Anno Mundi Do ghabh Nuadhad fionn fail Mac
Geallichosa, de shiol Eiremhoin
Righe Eirenn 60 bliaghuin no fiche bliaguin gur
thuit le Breisrig Mac Art.
In the year of
the world 3304.
Translation.
Nuadhad fionn fail the son of
Gealchosa of the race of Here-
mon, enjoyed the kingdom of Ireland 60 years, or
twenty years; he fell by Breisri the son of Arthur.
The twelfth specimen (Plate XXII.) is taken
from a MS. in Mr. Astle's library, containing two
treatises, the one on astronomy, the other on medicine,
444 SUPPLEMENTAL OBSERVATIONS ON THE
written in the latter end of the thirteenth or be-
ginning of the fourteenth century, and is to be
read :
Si autem sol minoris esset camditatis, &c. ioadhin,
dam hadh lugha caindegheachd na greine na na
talmhuin gach uile ni . . . . do fulaingedh a dubhra
&c.
•
Translation.
If the light of the sun was less than the earth,
every thing would be covered with its shade.*
The thirteenth specimen is taken from a MS. in
the Harleian library, (No. 5280), which contains
twenty-one Gaelic treatises, of which Mr. Astle has
given some account. One of these treats of the
Irish militia under Fion Maccumhail, in the reign
of Cormac Mac Airt, King of Ireland, and of the
course of probation, or exercise, which each soldier
was to go through before his admission therein.
The fourteenth specimen in the twenty-second
Plate, is taken from an an ancient transcript of some
of the old municipal laws of Ireland, and a tract
called the Great Sanction, New Law, or Constitution
of Nine, made in favour of Christianity by three
kings, three bishops, and three sages.
By the Latin text at the head of each chapter of the Gaelic
treatise on astronomy, Mr. Astle says, it appears to be a translation
from the Latin; yet, by the argument it would seem that the writer
was the author.
AUTHENTICITY OF OSSIAN'S POEMS. 445
T
The fifteenth specimen is taken from the Annales
Tigernaci, amongst the Clarendon MSS. at Oxford,
(No. 3), which Annals end in 1407, when this MS.
is supposed to have been written.
The 16th and 17th specimens are taken from the
Annals of Ulster in the Bodleian library, amongst
Dr. Rawlinson's MSS. (No. 31). This is written on
vellum, and was formerly in the possession of Sir
James Ware, was afterwards possessed by the Duke
of Chandos, and after his death, it was purchased by
Dr. Rawlinson.*
The 18th and last specimen is from a fragment of
the Brehon laws, communicated by Lieut. Colonel
Vallancey, which is read,
Dearbhar feitheam fortoig cuithe arach.
Translation.
Certain rules for the election of a chief.
The existence, not only of Gaelic poetry, but of
manuscripts containing many of the poems ascribed
to Ossian, is proved by the concurrent testimony of
writers at different periods, for ages before Mr.
Macpherson was born. Bishop Carswell, in his trans-
lation into Gaelic of the forms of prayer and cate-
chism of the Christian religion, printed in 1567, and
the Rev. Mr. Kirk, who translated the Psalms of
David, in 1684, bear evidence to the fact.t
It is unnecessary to dwell upon the variety of
See Innes's Essay, p. 453.
↑ See the quotations from their works, p. 401 et seq. of these Ob-
servations.
446
SUPPLEMENTAL OBSERVATIONS ON THE
MSS. in possession of the Highland Society of Scot-
land, written between the 9th and 16th centuries, as
the reader can refer to many of them in the Report
of the Committee of the Highland Society published
last year, and to the Descriptive Catalogue subjoined
to this volume, which, independent of all other
proofs, carry the strongest conviction of the Gaelic
being a written language from very remote periods.*
Mr. Lhuyd, in his Archæologia Britannica, has
given us a catalogue of various Irish MSS. existing
in Ireland, particularly of those deposited in Trinity
College, Dublin; but as they will be mentioned in
the notices of books and manuscripts at the end, it
would be improper to detail them in this place.
Here then we have decisive proofs of the actual
existence of Gaelic and Irish manuscripts written
at different periods since the ninth century.† Those
writers, who have denied the existence of Gaelic
MSS. in Scotland, ought also to have denied the
evidence of the ancient Irish MSS. deposited more
than a hundred years ago in Trinity College, Dub-
lin. For it is in vain to argue, laying Icolmkill out
of our consideration, that while writing and learning
was cultivated in Ireland in the vernacular tongue
of that country, that the Scottish Highlanders in
* Some of the MS. poems ascribed to Ossian, and in the possession
of the Highland Society, are noticed in Sir John Sinclair's Disserta-
tion, p. 36. and in Note E. to Cesarotti's Dissertation.
+ Mr. Astle has, in Plate 22, given us ocular demonstration, that the
Gaelic and Irish characters are the same; and it is well known, that the
Gaelic, or Erse language, and the Iberno-Gaelic, are now nearly the
same, and that they are both confessedly dialects of the Celtic.
AUTHENTICITY OF OSSIAN'S POEMS.
447
the north and west districts, who spoke the same
language, and had constant intercourse with the
Irish, could remain ignorant of letters. The sup-
position is too absurd to require a serious refu-
tation.
2. In addition to the general observations, made
under the head of Oral Tradition, Ancient Song and
Music, and what is said in the preceding section,
we shall now briefly take a cursory view of the evi-
dence recently laid before the public to prove, that
the poems ascribed to Ossian existed in various
fragments or manuscripts, and have been recited for
ages, and sung to music, in the Highlands of Scot-
land.
In a letter from Sir John Macpherson, Bart.* to
Doctor Blair, dated the 4th February, 1760, he men-
tions having selected from his collection of Gaelic
poems, and transmitted to the Doctor, in order to
satisfy Mr. Percy's curiosity, three specimens of the
original poems ascribed to Ossian; namely 1. Ossian's
Courtship of Everallin; 2. his Address to the Even-
ing Star, the original of which, Sir John says, suf-
fered in the hands of Mr. Macpherson, though he
has shewn himself inferior to no translator; 3.
Ullin's War-Song. Sir John declares upon his honour,
that he never received any of these originals from
Mr. Macpherson, nor took the least assistance from
his translation. And he concludes with observing,
"if you forward these specimens to Mr. Percy, he
certainly will make the requisite allowance for the
* A Member of the Committee appointed to superintend this publi-
cation.
448
SUPPLEMENTAL OBSERVATIONS ON THE
་
difference of copies. Others, to whom he will per-
haps shew them, and who are less accquainted with
the manner in which our ancient poetry was pre-
served, may not be equally candid. But after you
have convinced men of the nicest taste in Europe, it
would be a mistake in any one to endeavour to con-
vince those, who have not the power of believing,
or the good taste to discern the genuineness and
antiquity of any work from the turn of its compo-
sition."
Sir James Macdonald, in his letter to Dr. Blair,
dated Isle of Sky, 10th October, 1763,* says, "these
islands never were possessed of any curious manu-
scripts, as far as I can learn, except a few which
Clanronald had, and which are all in Macpherson's
possession. The few bards that are left among us,
repeat only detached pieces of these poems. I have
often heard and understood them; particularly from
one man called John Maccodrum, who lives upon
my estate of North Uuist. I have heard him repeat
for hours together poems, which seemed to me to
be the same with Macpherson's translation."
Lachlan Macpherson of Strathmashie, who, in the
year 1760, accompanied Mr. Macpherson during
some part of his journey, while in search of the
poems of Ossian through the Highlands, declares in
his letter to Dr. Blair, dated the 23d October, 1763,†
"I assisted him in collecting them, and took down
from oral tradition, and transcribed from old manu-
scripts by far the greatest part of those pieces he has
Appendix to Report of the Highland Society, p. 3.
+ See Letter in Appendix to Report of the Highland Society, p. 8.
AUTHENTICITY OF OSSIAN'S POEMS. 449
་
published. Since the publication, I have carefully
compared the translation with the copies of the ori-
ginals in my hands, and find it amazingly literal,
even in such a degree as to preserve in some measure
the cadence of the Gaelic versification. I need not
aver, Sir, that these poems are taken in this country,
to be of the utmost antiquity. This is notorious to
almost all those who speak the Gaelic language in
Scotland. In the Highlands the scene of every
action is pointed out to this day, and the historical
poems of Ossian have been for ages the winter even-
ing amusements of the clans. Some of the heredi-
tary bards, retained by the chiefs, committed very
early to writing, some of the works of Ossian. One
manuscript in particular was written as far back as the
year 1410, which I saw in Mr. Macpherson's possession.”
The late Doctor John Macpherson, minister of
Sleat, in his letter to Dr. Blair, dated 27th No-
vember, 1763,* bears testimony to the following
facts, that he had perused a Gaelic MS. contain-
ing all the poems translated by Mr. Macpherson,
or a considerable part of them; and he solemnly
affirms, that he had seen a Gaelic manuscript in
the hands of an old bard, who was in the habits
of travelling in the Highlands and Isles, about the
year 1733, out of which he read in his hearing, and
before thousands alive at the date of his letter,
the exploits of Cuthullin, Fingal, Oscar, Ossian,
Gaul, Dermid, and the other heroes celebrated in
Mr. Macpherson's book. That this bard was de-
scended of a race of ancestors, who had served the
* See Appendix to Report of Highland Society, p. 9.
VOL. III.
G g
3
450 SUPPLEMENTAL OBSERVATIONS ON THE
م
family of Clanronald for about three hundred years,
in quality of bards and genealogists, and whose pre-
decessors had been employed in the same office by
the Lords of the Isles long before the family of
Clanronald existed. That the name of the tribe
which produced these hereditary poets and sena-
chies, was Macmurrich. That the poems contained
in the manuscripts belonging to the Macmurrichs,
were identically the same with those published by
Mr. Macpherson, or nearly so, seemed to be abun-
dantly probable. That he had caused to be rehearsed
from memory in his hearing, by persons competent
to the task, several fragments or detached pieces of
Ossian's poems, and afterwards compared those pieces
with Macpherson's translation. The pieces he has
particularly enumerated, and has also given the names
of the rehearsers.
Doctor Macpherson, in giving his opinion impar-
tially, how far the translations given by the publisher
of Ossian's works agree with the original, in as far
as he had occasion to see or hear the latter, makes
the following judicious remarks, "Those who are
ready to believe, that Mr. Macpherson has given his
translation of Ossian's works from an ancient manu-
script, cannot pretend to determine that his version
is too free, too incorrect, or faulty in any respect,
until they are able to compare it with the original
contained in that manuscript. But those who sup-
pose, or may think, that Mr. Macpherson was at the
pains to consult different rehearsers, and to compare
their various editions, must suppose, and think at
the same time, that he had an undoubted right, like
AUTHENTICITY OF OSSIAN'S POEMS.
451
every editor who collates several different manu-
scripts, to depart from the words of this or that
edition, when he saw good reason for so doing, to
prefer the diction, sentiments, versification, and order
of one to those of another; nay, to throw a conjec-
tural emendation now and then into his version, when
he found the original text corrupted by all the re-
hearsers. This being admitted," says Doctor Mac-
pherson, "I shall make no difficulty of thinking that
the editor of Ossian's works has translated those
parts of the original which were repeated in my
hearing, I will not say with a servile exactness, but
upon the whole inimitably well. I add further, that
he has turned some of the detached pieces so fre-
quently repeated in this part of the country, from
the Gaelic into English, as literally as he ought to
have done. Meantime I can hardly hinder myself
from believing, that the original Gaelic stanzas of
some poems, rendered into English by him, are, in
not a few instances, rather better than those corre-
sponding with them in the translation, however
masterly that undoubtedly is."
Doctor Macpherson, in accounting for the manner
in which Ossian's compositions were preserved from
age to age, and transmitted to our day without any
material corruptions, makes the following classical
and judicious observations.
"Ossian was the Homer of the ancient High-
landers, and at the same time one of their most
illustrious heroes. A people who held bards in the
highest esteem, and paid withal the profoundest re-
spect to the memory of those who had distinguished
452
SUPPLEMENTAL OBSERVATIONS ON THE
themselves among their ancestors by military virtue,
would have taken all possible care to preserve the
works of an author in whom these two favourite
characters, that of the matchless bard, and that of the
patriot hero were so happily united. The poems of
that author would have been emulously studied by
the bards of succeeding generations, and committed
at the same time to the memory of every one else
who had any taste for these admirable compositions.
They would have been rehearsed upon solemn occa-
sions by these bards, or by these men of taste, in
assemblies wherein the noble exploits of the most
renowned chiefs, and the spirited war-songs of the
most eminent poets, made the principal subjects of
conversation. Tradition informs us, that this was
one of the principal pastimes of our forefathers at
their public entertainments; and I can myself aver,
that in memory of hundreds now alive, almost every
one of our mightiest chieftains had either a bardling,
or an old man remarkably well versed in the poeti-
cal learning of ancient times, near his bed every
long night of the year, in order to amuse and lull
him asleep with the tales of other days, and these
mostly couched in verse. Among the poetical tales
repeated on these occasions, the achievements of
Fingal, Gaul, Oscar, &c. or, in other words, the
works of Ossian, held the first place: nor is that old
custom, after all the changes that taste has suffered
here, entirely discontinued at this time. When these
two customs prevailed universally, or nearly so, when
thousands piqued themselves upon their acquaintance with
the works of Ossian; when men extremely poor, super-
AUTHENTICITY OF OSSIAN'S POEMS.
453
་
annuated, or any how rendered incapable of earning
their bread in any other way, were sure of finding
kind patrons among the better sort of people, or of
being favourably received every where, if intimately ac-
quainted with these works, it was hardly possible that
they could either have perished totally, or have been
greatly adulterated, I mean adulterated to such a
degree, as would have very much defaced their ori-
ginal beauty, or have entirely destroyed their real
excellence.
"Again, should we suppose with Mr. Macpherson,
that Ossian lived down to the beginning of the fourth
century, it seems plain enough that the compositions
of that poet might have been transmitted orally from
one generation to another, until letters began to
flourish in some degree in the Highlands and Isles.
It is certain, beyond any possibility of contradiction,
that we have several Gaelic songs preserved among
us here, which are more than three hundred years
old; and any one who can pretend to be tolerably
well versed in the history of Scotland, must know
that our ancestors, in the western parts of this king-
dom, had the use of letters from the latter end of the
sixth age AT LEAST. To attempt a proof of that asser-
tion here, however easy it would be to give a con-
vincing one, would unavoidably engage me in a
discussion too long to be comprehended within the
compass of a letter. But most certain it is, that we
had men of some learning among us, from after the
period just mentioned, at Icolmkill, and in other
western isles, when almost every other part of Europe
was overspread with ignorance and barbarity. If so,
454
SUPPLEMENTAL OBSERVATIONS ON THE
it must be allowed that we had men capable enough
of writing manuscripts. In these manuscripts, the
works of Ossian might have been easily preserved;
and copies drawn after these originals might, with
the same ease, have transmitted his genuine compo-
sitions uncorrupted, or nearly so, from one age to
another, until we come down to the present genera-
tion."
Mr. Angus Macneill, Minister of Hovemore in
South Uist, in his letter to Doctor Blair of the 23d
December, 1763,* confirms the declarations of some
of his parishioners who had seen and read a consi-
derable part of ancient manuscripts, which treated
of the wars of Fingal and Comhal, his father, and he
declares that Mr. Macdonald, of Demisdale, rehearsed
from memory before him some passages of Fingal,
that agreed exactly with Mr. Macpherson's transla-
tion, namely, the terms of peace proposed by Morla
in Swaran's name to Cuthullin. Fing. Book II. and
several other striking descriptions and passages in
Book IV. and V. Mr. Macneill corroborates that
part of the testimony of Doctor Macpherson, rela-
tive to the bard Macmurrich, who, with his prede-
cessors, for nineteen generations back, had been the
bards and historians of the family of Clanronald.
Neil Macmurrich, the bard alluded to, repeated be-
fore him the whole of the poem of Darthula, or Clan
Usnoch, with few variations from the translation,
which he (Macmurrich) declared that he saw and
read, together with many others, in a manuscript
book of poems collected by a branch of the Clanro-
* Report of the Highland Society, Appendix, p. 18.
AUTHENTICITY OF OSSIAN'S POEMS.
455
nald family, but which had been carried over to
Ireland sometime before, by a worthless person, in a
clandestine manner, and was thought to be irreco-
verably lost. Neil Macmurrich declared also to the
Rev. Angus Macneill, that the original of the poem
of Berrathon was contained in a manuscript which
Mr. Macneill saw him deliver, with three or four
more, to Mr. Macpherson when he was in that coun-
try, and for which Mr. Macpherson gave him a mis-
sive, or letter, obliging himself to restore it, which
shows that in the opinion of both, the manuscript
contained something of great importance.*
Mr. Neil Macleod, Minister of Ross, in Mull, by
his letter of the 22d January, 1764,† bears testimony
to the declaration of Mr. Campbell, of Octomore, an
aged gentleman, then living in his neighbourhood,
who assured him, that in his younger days he heard
Fingal repeated very frequently in the original, just
as Mr. Macpherson has translated it. Mr. Macleod
himself declared, that he had frequently heard re-
peated in the Isle of Sky, when a boy, Morla's pro-
posal of peace to Cuthullin, with Cuthullin's answer
and Morla's reply; also the whole episode of Borbar
and Faineasollis in Fingal, Book III.; likewise Fingal's
orders for raising his standards, his orders to his
•
2
* It is much to be regretted that the originals of the beautiful poems
of Darthula and Berrathon were not found among the papers of the late
Mr. Macpherson, consequently have not been published. It seems pro-
bable, that Mr. Macpherson did not keep copies of them after he had
prepared his translations; but restored the originals, in pursuance of
his obligation to that effect, to Macmurrich, from whom he appears to
have borrowed them.
+ See Appendix to Report of the Highland Socint ----
!
1
1
456
SUPPLEMENTAL OBSERVATIONS ON THE
chiefs before the battle &c. in Book IV. and the
whole poem of Darthula, with many others.*
The Rev. Alexander Macaulay, in his letter to Dr.
Blair dated 25th January, 1764,† gives the testimony
of Lieutenant Duncan Macnicol, of the late 88th
Regiment, who declares, that on examining severa
old people in Glenorchy respecting Ossian's poems,
he found the originals of the episode of Faineasollis,
Fingal, Book III.; also the greatest part of the
fourth and fifth books of the poem of Fingal. The
battle of Lora, Darthulla, and the greatest part of
Temora and Carric-Thura.
Lieut. Macnicol declared, that, at that very time,
there were many people in Glenorchy, who could
neither read nor write, that could repeat as many of
the poems composed by Ossian, at least pretty much
in the same strain, as would, if gathered together,
make a larger volume than that which Mr. Mac-
pherson had given to the public: and he concludes
with observing, that he heard most of these poems
repeated ever since he could remember any thing,
* The original of the beautiful episode of Faineasollis, sometimes
called "the Maid of Craca," was not found in the copy of Ossian tran-
scribed by Mr. Macpherson for the press. But this episode having
been accidentally discovered, since the preceding part of this work was
printed, among detached copies of Ossian's poems, which Mr. Macpher-
son had collected on his tour, we have given it verbatim and a literal
translation, at the end of these observations. The Gaelic reader will
thereby have an opportunity of comparing this edition of the episode
with Mr. Macpherson's free translation of it, as well as with one given
by the Rev. Dr. Smith in his original of the poem of Cathula, Gaelic
Antiquities, p. 176.
+ See Appendix to Report of the Highland Society, p. 23.
AUTHENTICITY OF OSSIAN'S POEMS. 457
and at a period of life when Mr. Macpherson could
neither read nor write,
The Rev. Donald Macleod, minister of Glenelg,
in his letter to Doctor Blair, dated 20th March,
1764,* goes fully into the evidence on the genuine-
ness of Macpherson's translation of Ossian. He de-
clares, that it was in his house Mr. Macpherson got
the description of Cuthullin's horses and car from
Allan Maccaskie, schoolmaster, and Rory Macleod,
both living at that time in Glenelg. That Macpher-
son had not taken in the whole of the description;
and his translation of it (spirited as it appears as far
as it goes) falls so far short of the original in the
picture it exhibits of Cuthullin's horses and car,
their harness and trappings, &c. that in none of his
translations is the inequality of Macpherson's genius
to that of Ossian so very conspicuous. Mr. Macleod
then gives evidence to several parts of Fingal, in
Books II. III. and IV. and remarks that Macpher-
son's translation of the description of the sun-beam,
Fingal's standard, does not come up to the beauty
and spirit of the original. Along with that of the
sun-beam, there is in the original a particular de-
scription of the standards of the seven principal
chiefs of Fingal, which, in Mr. Macleod's opinion,
are all so inimitably beautiful, that he could not
imagine how Mr. Macpherson has omitted them in
his translation. Dermod, or Dermid, who had led
the right-hand of the army to that battle (as it is
expressed in the original) had a standard, which,
* Appendix to Report of the Highland Society, p. 28.
458 SUPPLEMENTAL OBSERVATIONS ON THE
1
in magnificence, far exceeded the sun-beam.* He
is by tradition said to be the predecessor of the
Campbells.
Upon the whole, Mr. Macleod acknowledges that
he knew of no person so capable of doing justice.
to the original as Mr. Macpherson. One thing he is
sorry for, namely, his having omitted the description
which Ossian gives of Fingal's ships, their sails,
masts, and rigging, their extraordinary feats in sail-
ing, the skill and dexterity of his men in working
them, and their intrepidity in the greatest storms.
With regard to the authenticity of the poems, he
concludes by declaring that "they were by the tra-
ditions of our forefathers, as far back as we can
trace them, ascribed to Ossian, and to the most re-
mote period of time, of which we have any account.
It is a word commonly used in the Highlands to this
day, when they express a thing belonging to the
most remote antiquity, to call it fountachk, i. e. be-
longing to the time of Fingal." "I know not (says
Mr. Macleod) a county in the Highlands, which has
not places that are famous for being the scenes of
feats of arms, strength, or agility, of some of the
heroes of the race of Fingal."
Hugh Macdonald, of Killipheder in the Isle of
Fingal's standard was distinguished by the name of sun-beam, pro-
bably on account of its bright colour, and its being studded with gold.
To begin a battle is expressed, in old composition, by lifting of the sun-
beam. Macpherson's note, Fingal, Book IV. "We reared the sun-
beam of battle; the standard of the king! Each hero exulted with joy
as waving it flew on the wind. It was studded with gold above, as the
blue wide shell of the nightly sky. Each hero had his standard too;
and each his gloomy men !"
AUTHENTICITY OF OSSIAN'S POEMS.
459
f
South Uist, made a solemn declaration, in the Gaelic
language, on the 12th day of August, 1800, in the
presence of the Rev. Edmund Macqueen, minister
at Barra, and several other respectable gentlemen
mentioned in the said declaration,* and among other
matters he affirms, that there are infinitely more of
Ossian's poems to be found in the Highlands and
Western Isles, than what Macpherson is said to have
translated, and that too among persons who never
saw that man, who never heard of his name, and who are
totally ignorant of the English language. Though the
poems of Ossian are not found to correspond pre-
cisely in every expression over all the Highlands
and isles, when repeated by different persons, yet
they all correspond in substance; and there is not
one instance in any corner of the country, in which
one poem is found contrary to the rest, or in oppo-
sition to their general character. And though it
were attempted to make the ablest scholar translate
these poems into English, or any other tongue, he
surely could not transfuse into them the merits of
the original; but still less could he (as is alleged)
first compose them in English, and then turn them
into such Gaelic as should retain the bone and marrow
of their own true language.
Hugh Macdonald bears testimony to the fact that
bards were kept in the great Highland families, and
gives the names of those that were kept in his own
time in the families of Sir James Macdonald, Clan-
ronald, and others, and that these bards were held in
* See the original in Gaelic, with an English translation. Appendix
to Report of the Highland Society, No. II.
460
SUPPLEMENTAL OBSERVATIONS ON THE
2
great estimation. "It is no argument (says Mr.
Macdonald) against the transmission of these ancient
poems, that no man can now be found who is able to
repeat the whole of them. There are few men who
can repeat much of any poetry with accuracy, ex-
cepting such persons as make it their profession,
and who earn their bread by their memories. It is
enough, that thousands can be still found in our High-
lands and isles, who can recite many detached portions of
them, according as they were pleased with particular pas-
sages, or as certain incidents recorded in them made a
peculiar impression on their minds. How, if all were
fictitious, could so many poems named after Ossian
have existed for so many hundred years, and been
still retained amongst the remotest islands, and the
most sequestered corners of our Highlands."
The Rev. Mr. Pope, Minister of Rea in Caithness,
in his letter dated 15th November, 1763, to the Rev.
Alexander Nicholson, minister of Thurso,* observes
in one part of his letter, that many of the poems of
Ossian are lost partly owing to our clergy, who were
declared enemies to these poems, so that the rising
generation scarcely know any thing material of them.
However, we have some still that are famous for re-
peating them, and these people never heard of Mr.
Macpherson; and it is an absurdity to imagine, that
Mr. Macpherson caused any person to teach these
old people. On the contrary, they had these poems
before Mr. Macpherson was born; and if the literati
would defray the expense, I could produce these old
people, at least some of them, at London.
* Appendix to Report of the Highland Society, p. 53.
AUTHENTICITY OF OSSIAN'S POEMS.
461
What has been a very great mean to preserve
these poems among our Highlanders, is this, that
the greatest number of them have particular tunes
to which they are sung. The music is soft and
simple; but when these airs are sung by two or
three, or more good voices, they are far from being
disagreeable. The greatest number are called duans,
and resemble the odes of Horace very much; others
have different names, but the duans are generally
set to some tunes different from the rest.
Dr. John Smith, in his letter dated 31st January,
1798, to Henry Mackenzie, Esq.* by whom the Re-
port of the Committee of the Highland Society was
drawn up, justly observes, that "the institution of
bards retained in the families of several chieftains
till the present century will account for the preser-
vation of these poems (Ossian's) by oral tradition;
as will also the manners of the people, whose winter-
evening entertainment was, till very lately, the repe-
tition of poems, tales, and songs. The language of
these poems being still intelligible, excepting some
words, may be accounted for, from having been
constantly repeated and made familiar, and from
the Highlanders having always remained a separate
people, secluded from the rest of the world, by their
peculiar language, customs, and manners. So the
wild Arabs retain, I believe, to this day their an-
cient language, as well as their ancient dress and
manners."
The affidavit made by Archibald Fletcher, residen-
ter in Achalader, Glenorchay, before a justice of
* See Appendix to the Report of the Society, p. 79.
462
SUPPLEMENTAL OBSERVATIONS ON THE
peace at Edinburgh, on the 19th day of January,
1801,* bears testimony of his having deposited with
the deputy secretary of the Highland Society of
Edinburgh, a collection of Gaelic poems, consisting
of one hundred and ninety-four pages, many of which
relate to the achievements of the tribe or race of
Fingal, or of the Fionns, as they are named in the
Gaelic language, and of which poems the declarant
got copies written in the country, from his own oral
recitation. That some of the poems in this collec-
tion he heard recited and learnt by heart forty years
prior to the date of his affidavit, and that the poem
published by Macpherson, under the name of Dar-
thula, and which is commonly called in the country,
Clan Uisneachain, or the sons of Usno, he heard re-
cited above fifty years ago by many persons in Gle-
norchay, particularly by Nicol Macnicoll in Arivean,
and this he thinks was about ten years before Mac-
pherson went about collecting the poems of Ossian.
Captain John Macdonald of Breakish, now residing
at Thurso in the county of Caithness, has by affidavit
made before Colonel Benjamin Williamson of Ban-
neskirk, one of his Majesty's justices of the peace
for the county of Caithness, dated the 25th day of
September, 1805, + solemnly declared that he was
then aged seventy-eight years, and that when about
twelve and fifteen years of age, he could repeat from
one hundred to two hundred of those poems of
* See Appendix to Report of the Highland Society, p. 270.
† Although Archibald Fletcher could write his name, he could not
read the manuscript deposited.
+ See Appendix to Sir John Sinclair's Dissertation, No. I.
AUTHENTICITY OF OSSIAN'S POEMS.
463
different lengths and number of verses. That he
learned them from an old man about eighty years of
age, who sung them for years to his father at night,
when he went to bed, and in spring and winter in
the morning before he rose, and that even at the ad-
vanced age of seventy-eight, he still can repeat two
poems of considerable length. That he met with the
late Mr. James Macpherson at Dr. Macpherson's house
in Sleat, when collecting Ossian's poems, that he sung
many
of them to him, and that Mr. Macpherson wrote
them down as he repeated them.*
The late ingenious Mr. Garnett, Professor of Na-
tural Philosophy and Chemistry in the Royal Insti-
tution of Great Britain, has, in his Observations on
a Tour through the Highlands and part of the Wes-
tern Isles of Scotland in the year 1798, given great
weight to his own opinion respecting the authenti-
city of Ossian's poems, by introducing an extract of
a letter from the Rev. Mr. Macintyre, minister of
Glenorchay, which was intended as an answer to the
inquiries of the Highland Society in London, and is
peculiarly interesting.
Mr. Garnett, in describing the celebrated Glencoe,
introduces the subject in the following words: "This
glen was frequently the resort of Fingal and his
* Dr. John Macpherson, in his letter to Dr. Blair, published in the
Appendix to Report of the Society, p. 11 and 12, gives evidence to
Captain Macdonald's rehearsing several fragments, or detached pieces
of Ossian's poems, and that he compared them with Mr. Macpherson's
translation, and found them in general correct. Dr. Macpherson men-
tions in particular Captain Macdonald's repeating Cuthullin's car, the
episode of Faineasollis, and the combat between Oscar and Ullin.
464
SUPPLEMENTAL OBSERVATIONS ON THE
party. It seems to me wonderful, that any person,
who has travelled in the Highlands, should doubt
the authenticity of the Celtic poetry, which has been
given to the English reader by Macpherson, since in
almost every glen are to be found persons, who can repeat
from tradition several of these, and other Celtic tales of
the same date.
"I cannot pretend to offer any evidence stronger
than what has been brought forward. I trust, how-
ever, thar the following extract from a letter, which
I received from Dr. Macintire, of Glenorchay, on
this subject, will not be uninteresting to the reader.
"To the mass of evidence laid already before the
public by persons of the first respectability in the
nation, I know of little that can be added. These
tales we have been accustomed to hear recited from
our earliest years, and they have made an indelible
impression on my memory. In the close of the
year 1783, and beginning of 1784, I was in London.
For some time previous to that period, I had a cor-
respondence with Mr. Macpherson, but not on sub-
jects of Celtic literature. During two months that I
continued in London, I was frequently with him at
his own house and elsewhere. We spoke occasion-
ally about the poems, and the attempts made by Dr.
Johnson to discredit them. I hinted that, though
my own belief of their authenticity was unalterably
fixed, still my opinion ever was, that he had never
found the poem of Fingal in the full and perfect
form in which he had published it; but that, having
got the substance, or greater part of the interesting
tale, he had, from his knowledge of Celtic imagery
AUTHENTICITY OF OSSIAN'S POEMS.
465
and allusions, filled up the chasms in the translation.
He replied, 'You are much mistaken in the matter :
I had occasion to do less of that than you suppose.
And at any time that you are at leisure, and wish to
see the originals, tell me, and we will concert a day
for going to my house on Putney-heath, where those
papers lie, and you will then be satisfied."
"This conversation passed in the presence of Dr.
Shaw, a Scotch physician, to whom he introduced
me.
"I fully intended to avail myself of this offer, but
have to regret that, from various avocations, and
leaving London sooner than I thought I could, I
was prevented from a sight and perusal of the ori-
ginals of these poems.
"Calling the day before I left London on the late
General Macnab, a gentleman well versed in Celtic
literature, and of unimpeached veracity and honour,
who had lived long in habits of intimacy with Mr.
Macpherson, I mentioned this circumstance to him,
and my regret. He said, he was sorry I had not
seen the poems; that to him Mr. Macpherson had
often recited parts of Fingal in the Gaelic, with
various other tales, which brought to his remem-
brance what had given him so much gratification
when a boy.
"Thus, my dear Sir, have I given you a diffuse,
but a true detail of a circumstance, that can add
little to the credibility of a fact, authenticated by
men, whom no consideration could induce to avow a
falsehood.
"The Highland Society, who intend to publish the
H h
VOL. III.
466
SUPPLEMENTAL OBSERVATIONS ON THE
original of Fingal, have applied to me for an account
of the preceding conversation with Mr. Macpherson,
which I have hitherto been prevented from commu-
nicating; you are therefore at full liberty to make
what use of it you please.
"At the time when I was a student of theology,
I was present at the delivery of a sermon by a wor-
thy, but eccentric preacher, on the resurrection
from the dead. He concluded his subject with words
that I can never forget. Thus have I endeavoured
to set before you this great truth of God; and I
trust, that you believe it: but, believe it who will, I
believe it myself.'
"So say I, in all the candour of truth, as to the poems
of Ossian, believe them who will, I believe them
myself.
"C
My son is anxious to procure you some unpub-
lished Celtic tales, but the truth is, that Dr. Smith
of Campbeltown, who is a native of this parish, and
who has been indefatigable in his research for these
tales, has picked up every thing of value of that kind
in the country, and published them with transla-
tions. Indeed the period is past, or almost past,
when an investigation and research, after these
amusements of the times of old would be of avail.
"Happily our people are forming habits, and
acquiring modes of industry and manners, that pre-
clude the tale, and the song, and the harp."
The unequivocal assertions contained in these affi-
davits and declarations, the terms in which they are
expressed, and the very high respectability of the
gentlemen who made them, yield a body of evidence
sufficient perhaps for the establishment of any, even
AUTHENTICITY OF OSSIAN'S POEMS.
467
the most improbable circumstance; but when applied
to a subject in itself so likely to be true, namely,
the oral transmission of poems such as Ossian's,
among a people secluded from the world, and immo-
derately attached to the language and manners of
their ancestors, it is irresistible.
3. It now remains to shew briefly, that the poems
ascribed to Ossian, and translated by Mr. Macpher-
son, were collected by him from oral tradition, and
manuscripts he procured with the assistance of his
friends in the Highlands and Isles, and that similar
collections were made at different periods prior to
Mr. Macpherson's translation.
Lachlan Macpherson, of Strathmashie, in his letter
to Doctor Blair, dated 22d October, 1763,* declares
in explicit terms, than in the year 1760, he accom-
panied his friend Mr. James Macpherson during some
part of his journey in search of the poems of Ossian
through the Highlands. That he assisted in collect-
ing them; and took down from oral tradition, and tran-
scribed from old manuscripts by far the greatest part of
those pieces he has published. That since the publica-
tion he had carefully compared the translation with
the copies of the originals in his hands, and found
it amazingly literal, even in such a degree, as to pre-
serve, in some measure, the cadence of the Gaelic
versification.
The Rev. Alexander Macaulay, in his letter to
Doctor Blair, dated 25th January, 1764,† declares,
that he saw the originals which Mr. Macpherson
* See Appendix to the Report of Highland Society, p. 8.
+ Ibid. p. 24.
་
468
SUPPLEMENTAL OBSERVATIONS ON THE
collected in the Highlands. He very energetically
remarks, "no man will say, that he could impose
his own originals upon us, if we had common sense,
and a knowledge of our mother tongue. Those, who
entertain any suspicions of Mr. Macpherson's vera-
city in that respect, do not advert, that, while they
are impeaching his honesty, they pay a compliment
to his genius that would do honour to any author of
the age.'
""
The Rev. Donald Macleod, minister of Glenelg,
in his letter to Doctor Blair, of the 20th March,
1764,* bears evidence, that it was in his house Mr.
Macpherson got the descripsion of Cuthullin's horses
and car, from Allan Maccaskie, schoolmaster, and
Rory Macleod, both of Glenelg, and that the trans-
lation falls far short of the spirit of the original.
Doctor Blair, in his letter to Henry Mackenzie,
Esq. the reporter of the Committee of the Highland
Society of Scotland, bearing date 20th December,
1797,† gives a particular account of the circum-
stances relating to the first discovery and publica-
tion of the poems of Ossian. This letter contains a
most interesting statement of the circumstances,
which gave rise to Mr. Macpherson's poetical mis-
sion to the Highlands, and breathes so much honest
zeal and impartiality in the cause of the ancient
Highland bards, and the genuineness of the poems
ascribed to Ossian, that it is earnestly recommended
to our readers to peruse the whole.
It may not, however, be amiss to notice a passage
at the conclusion of Doctor Blair's letter, where after
* See Appendix to the Report of Highland Society, p. 28.
+ Ibid. p. 56.
•
AUTHENTICITY OF OSSIAN'S POEMS. 469
some impartial criticisms on Mr. Macpherson's trans-
lation, he observes, "That his work, as it stands,
exhibits a genuine authentic view of ancient Gaelic
poetry, I am as firmly persuaded as I can be of any
thing. It will, however, be a great satisfaction to
the learned world, if that publication shall be com-
pleted, which Mr. Macpherson had begun, of the
whole Gaelic originals in their native state on one
page, and a literal translation on the opposite page.
The idea, which he once entertained, and of which
he shewed me a specimen, of printing the Gaelic
in Greek characters (to avoid the disputes about
Gaelic orthography), I indeed strongly reprobated,
as what would carry to the world a strange affected
appearance, and prevent the originals from being
legible by any, but those who were accustomed to
read Greek characters."*
The Rev. Andrew Gallie, in his letter to Charles
Macintosh, Esq. a member of the Committee of the
Highland Society of Edinburgh, dated March 12,
1799,† declares, that Mr. James Macpherson, the
translator of Ossian's poems, was, for some years
before he entered on that work, his intimate ac-
quaintance and friend. That when he returned from
his tour through the western Highlands and Islands,
he came to Mr. Gallie's house in Brae-Badenoch, and
on enquiring the success of his journey, he produced
* Dr. Adam Ferguson, the Rev. Dr. Carlisle, and Mr. Home, author
of Douglas, also bear testimony to the circumstances of the first dis-
covery and publication of Ossian's poems. See Appendix to the
Report of the Highland Society, p. 62, et seq.
+ See Letter inserted in the Report of Highland Society, p. 30.
"
+
470
SUPPLEMENTAL OBSERVATIONS ON THE
several volumes small octavo, or rather large duo-
decimo, in the Gaelic language and characters, being
the poems of Ossian and other ancient bards.
Mr. Gallie declares, he remembers perfectly that
many of those volumes were, at the close, said to
have been collected by Paul Macmhuirich, Bard
Clanraonuil, and about the beginning of the 14th
century. As we have, in a former part,* noticed his
description of the characters, illuminated capitals,
and parchment of these manuscripts, we shall only
add what Mr. Gallie says towards the conclusion of his
letter, namely, that some years after the publication
of Fingal, he happened to pass several days with
Mr. Macdonald of Clanronald, in the house of Mr.
Butter of Pitlochry, who then resided in the neigh-
bourhood of Fort William. Clanronald told him,
that Mr. Macpherson had the Gaelic manuscripts
from him, and that he did not know them to exist,
till, to gratify Mr. Macpherson, a search was made
among his family papers.
Dr. John Smith, of Campbeltown, in his letter to
Henry Mackenzie, Esq. dated the 31st January,
1798, declares, that in the original poems and trans-
lations which he had published,† he had occasion to
introduce several passages of Mr. Macpherson's ori-
ginals into the notes; for without searching for
them, he had got considerable portions of several of
those poems, that were then recited in the higher
parts of Argyleshire; as were the Poem of Darthula,
perhaps the most beautiful in the collection, called in
Gaelic by the name of Clann Usnathain (the Children
+ Gaelic Antiquities:
* See page 437.
}
AUTHENTICITY OF OSSIAN'S POEMS.
471
of Usnoth); a part of the first book of Temora,
known by the title of Bàs Oscair (the Death of
Oscar), one of the tenderest pieces in the book; and
the description of Cuthullin's car and horses, one of
the most improbable. Dr. Smith adds, that, in that
part of the country, many will be found, who re-
member to have heard these often recited, and per-
haps some, who can still recite a part of them;
although within these last 50 years, the manners of
the Highlanders are totally changed, and the songs
and tales of their fathers neglected and almost
forgotten.
The Rev. Mr. Pope, minister of Rea, in Caithness,
in his letter, dated 15th November, 1763, to the Rev.
Alexander Nicholson, minister of Thurso,* delares,
that, about 24 years prior to the date of his letter, a
gentleman living on Lord Reay's estate entered into
a project with him of collecting Ossian's poems.
That they had actually got a list of poems said to be
composed by Ossian; and wrote some of them; but
his coadjutor's death put an end to the scheme.
The affidavit of Malcolm Macpherson, residenter in
the parish of Portree, Isle of Sky, made before two
justices of the peace on the 5th September, 1800,†
proves, that he had a brother called Alexander,
noted in the country for his knowledge of the poems
of Ossian, of which he, the deponent, heard him
repeat many. That he was informed by his said
brother, and he heard also from others, that when
the late Mr. James Macpherson, from Badenoch,
* See Appendix to Report of Highland Society, p. 52.
+ Ibid. p. 92.
1
472
❤
SUPPLEMENTAL OBSERVATIONS ON THE
was in the Highlands, collecting the poems of Ossian,
he employed himself four days and four nights at
Portree, in taking down a variety of them from the
recitation of the declarant's said brother. That his
said brother had a Gaelic manuscript in quarto, and
about an inch and quarter in thickness, regarding
the Fingalians, which he gave to Mr. Macpherson,
who carried it with him; since which time the de-
clarant never heard of it.
The affidavit of Ewan Macpherson, late school-
master at Badenoch, made before two justices of the
peace, 11th September, 1800,* gives evidence to his
having accompanied Mr. Macpherson, about the
year
1760, on part of his tour through the Highlands, in
search of the poems of Ossian, and that, during
three or four weeks, he was employed in taking
down the poems of Ossian from the recitations of
several individuals at different places, which he gave
to Mr. Macpherson, who was seldom present when
they were taken down. That on this excursion, Mr.
Macpherson got from Macmhuirich, the representa-
tive of the celebrated bards of that name, a book of
the size of a New Testament, and of the nature of a
common-place book, which contained some genealo-
gical accounts of families, together with some of the
poems of Ossian. And that Mr. Macpherson ob-
tained at the same time an order from Clanronald,
sen. on a Lieut. Donald Macdonald, at Edinburgh,
for a Gaelic folio manuscript belonging to the family
which was called Leabhar Derg (red book), and
contained, as the declarant heard Clanronald say,
* See Appendix to Report of the Highland Society, p. 94.
AUTHENTICITY OF OSSIAN'S POEMS.
473
{
and as himself believed, some of the poems of
Ossian.
The late Mr. Alexander Morison, formerly captain
in a provincial corps of loyalists in America, in an-
swer to queries transmitted to him by the Committee
of the Highland Society, respecting Ossian's and
other ancient poems,* declares, that before leaving
Sky, even from the first of his recollection, he heard
repeated, and learnt many poems and songs respect-
ing Fingal, Ossian, and other ancient heroes, many
of which were afterwards collected, arranged, and
translated by Mr. James Macpherson. † That he
gave the Rev. Mr. Mackinnon, of Glendarual, be-
fore he went last time to America, in the year 1780,
Ossian's Address to the Sun in the original, which
being transmitted by Lord Bannatyne to the Society,
and presented, he identified. That he found the ad-
dress among Mr. James Macpherson's papers, when
he was transcribing fairly for him, from those original
papers (either collected by himself, or transmitted
by his Highland friends,) as it stood in the poem of
Carthon, and afterwards translated and published.
As this part of Mr. Morison's evidence tends to
throw light on the deficiency of some of the ori-
ginal passages of Carthon, more especially the want
of the Address to the Sun in the originals now
printed, it may be proper to observe, that the Com-
mittee appointed to superintend this publication was
* See Appendix to Report of the Highland Society, p. 175.
+ Mr. Morison died at Greenock, Feb. 1805, at the age of 84, or
85; and his answer to the queries of the Highland Society of Edin-
burgh bears date 7th January, 1801.
474 SUPPLEMENTAL OBSERVATIONS ON THE
scrupulously exact to commit only to the press such
originals as were found among Mr. Macpherson's
papers, and transmitted by his executors. On the
margin of a copy of the first edition of Mr. Mac-
pherson's translation of Ossian, which had been left
at his Highland residence, and found there by the
Rev. Mr. Anderson, one of his executors, there is
written in Mr. Macpherson's hand writing, "De-
livered all that could be found of Carthon to Mr. John
Mackenzie ;* and in this poem, at the words, "Have
not I seen the fallen Balclutha," there is marked on
the margin, in Mr. Macpherson's hand," All before
this given to Mr. Mackenzie."†
The Address to the Sun in Carthon having been
supposed by some of the opposers of the authenti-
city of Ossian's poems, to be a forgery of Mr. Mac-
pherson's, in imitation of the Address to the Sun in
Milton, it may be proper, in addition to the evidence
already adduced of its having been translated from
the Gaelic original, to mention a fact which corro-
borates this testimony, and must remove the most
sceptical doubts on this head. The Rev. Mr. Mac-
diarmid, minister of Weem in Perthshire, transmitted
to the Committee of the Highland Society at Edin-
burgh, an original copy of Ossian's Address to the
Sun in Carthon, with a translation by himself.‡ A
copy of the original Mr. Macdiarmid got, about 35
* Late Secretary to the Highland Society of London, and one of Mr.
Macpherson's executors,
+ Report of the Highland Society, p. 83.
+ See Report of the Highland Society, for the translation of the Ad-
dress, p. 72, and Appendix, p. 185 for the original.
1
AUTHENTICITY OF OSSIAN'S POEMS.
475
years ago, from an old man in Glenlyon, who had
learnt to recite it with other ancient poems in his
youth. By comparing this original with the one
taken from among Mr. Macpherson's papers by the
late Capt. Morison, which he gave to the Rev. Mr.
Mackinnon, as above mentioned, and since identified
by him, it will appear that they differ very little
from each other; and that the Gaelic reader may
compare the original with Mr. Macpherson's trans-
lation, we have given it at the end of these Observa-
tions, with a literal Latin and English translation.
Captain Morison, having assisted Mr. Macpherson
in translating the originals, collected by him on his
tour through the Highlands and Isles, declares, in
his answer to the queries of the Society alluded to,*
that afterwards in London, he had access to Mr.
Macpherson's papers; saw the several manuscripts,
which he had translated, in different hand writings.;
some of them in his (Macpherson's) own hand, some
not, as they were either collected by himself, or sent
him by his friends in the Highlands; some of them
taken from oral recitation, some from MSS. That he
saw also many manuscripts in the old Gaelic charac-
ter in Mr. Macpherson's possession, containing some
of the poems translated, which MSS. they found
some difficulty in reading. How old the MSS. were
he could not say, but from the character and spell-
ing they seemed very ancient. Captain Morison
admits, that Mr. Macpherson had much merit in
collecting, arranging, and translating, but that he
* See Captain Morison's Answer to the Queries of the Highland
Society, Appendix to the Report, p. 175.
476 SUPPLEMENTAL OBSERVATIONS ON THE
was no great poet, nor thoroughly conversant in
Gaelic literature; so far from composing such poems
as were translated, declares that he assisted him
often in understanding the meaning of many words,
and suggested some improvements. With energetic
bluntness, Captain Morison remarks," that Mac-
pherson could as well compose the Prophecies of Isaiah, or
create the island of Skye, as compose a poem like one of
Ossitin's." In a similar strain of energetic conviction,
he lately declared, at an advanced period of life,
"when the tomb opened to receive him, for his
strength had failed," that he as firmly believed in the
authenticity of Ossian's poems, as in the existence of sout
and body.*
Lachlan Macmurrich, or Mac Vuirich, in his de-
claration transmitted to the Highland Society, dated
August 9, 1800,† made before Donald Macdonald, of
Balronald, James Macdonald, of Garyhelich, Ewan
Macdonald, of Griminish, Alexander Maclean, of
Hoster, Mr. Alexander Nicolson, minister of Benbe-
cula, and Mr. Allan Macqueen, minister of North-
Uist, has stated, that to the best of his knowledge
he is the eighteenth in descent from Muireach, whose
posterity had officiated as bards to the family of
Clanronald. That he remembered well the works of
Ossian written on parchment, were in the custody of
his father, as received from his predecessors: that
* See Captain Morison's Answers to Queries, Appendix to Report
of Highland Society, p. 175; and his Declaration, Appendix No. IV.
Sir John Sinclair's Dissertation.
+ See Declaration in Gaelic, and Translation, Report of the Society,
Appendix No. XVII.
AUTHENTICITY OF OSSIAN'S POEMS.
477
some of the parchments were made up in the form
of books, and that others were loose and separate,
which contained the works of other bards besides
those of Ossian.
That he remembered his father had a red book made
of paper, which he had from his predecessors, and
contained, as his father informed him, the history of
the Highland Clans, together with part of the works
of Ossian. That he remembered well that Clanro-
nald made his father give up the red book to James
Macpherson from Badenoch. That it was near as
thick as a Bible, but that it was longer and broader,
though not so thick in the cover. That the parch-
ments, and the red book, were written in the hand in
which the Gaelic used to be written of old, both in
Scotland and Ireland, before people began to use the
English handwriting in Gaelic.
It is unnecessary to detail the proofs under Mr.
Macpherson's own hand in his letters to the Rev.
Mr. Maclagan, dated in 1760 and 1761,* or his letter
to the Secretary of the Highland Society of London,
dated in July, 1784,† all which bear the most un-
equivocal testimony of the genuineness of the origi-
nals in his possession; but the striking coincidence
in the expressions of his letter to Mr. Maclagan in
January, 1761, and what he wrote to Mr. Mackenzie,
in July, 1784, deserves to be noticed. He says in
his letter to Mr. Maclagan, "I have been lucky
* See Appendix to the Report of the Highland Society, p. 153, 154.
† A copy of this interesting document will be found in page 81 of
Sir John Sinclair's Dissertation, prefixed to this work, and a fac-simile
of it is given in the Appendix to said Dissertation, No. III.
478
SUPPLEMENTAL OBSERVATIONS ON THE
enough to lay my hands on a pretty complete poem
and truly epic, concerning Fingal." And in his
letter to the Deputation of the Highland Society of
London, he says, "I shall adhere to the promise I
made several years ago to a deputation of the same
kind; that is, to employ my first leisure time, and a
considerable portion of time it must be to do it ac-
curately, in arranging and printing the originals of
the poems of Ossian, as they have come to my hands."
A particular account of the ancient poems of the
Highlands, collected by Mr. Jerome Stone of Dun-
keld, prior to Mr. Macpherson's poetical mission,
and the translation of one of these poems which he
published in the Scots Magazine so far back as Ja-
nuary, 1756, will be found in the Report of the
Highland Society.* It will be seen from the testi-
mony of the Rev. Mr. Pope already given, p. 471,
that about the year 1739, he had entered into a pro-
ject, with another gentleman, for collecting Ossian's
poems.
The various detached pieces ascribed to Ossian
and the ancient bards, which have been published
subsequent to Mr. Macpherson's translation, and col-
lected by Miss Brooke, Mr. John Clark, Mr. Thomas
Hill, Dr. John Smith, Mr. John Gillies, Baron de
Harold; and others, are unnecessary to be dwelt
upon, some having been occasionally noticed in the
* See Report, p. 23, and the original of Stone's translation of Bas
Fraoich, or the Death of Fraoch, who was destroyed by the treache-
rous passion of his mother-in-law; this, together with the translation in
verse as published in 1756, and a literal prose translation will be found
in the Appendix to the Report, No. VII.
E
AUTHENTICITY OF OSSIAN'S POEMS.
479
Report of the Highland Society, others in Sir John
Sinclair's Dissertation, or in the Notes and Observa-
tions annexed to Cesarotti's Dissertation.*
The identity of some of the poems published by
Mr. Macpherson, is fully proved by Gaelic manu-
scripts in the possession of the Committee of the
Highland Society of Edinburgh, collected by Mr.
Duncan Kennedy, Archibald Fletcher, and other
persons; of which about fifteen hundred verses, with
a literal translation by Dr. Donald Smith, compared
with passages of the epic poem of Fingal, as published
by Mr. Macpherson, are given in the Appendix to
the Report of the Society.†
The collection of Ossian's poems made by the Rev.
Mr. Farquharson at an early period of his life, prior
to Mr. Macpherson's poetical mission to the High-
lands, and the existence of the thick folio manuscript
volume, containing these poems which he left at the
college of Douay, at the commencement of the
French Revolution, has been circumstantially de-
tailed and proved by the concurrent testimony of
two bishops and three respectable clergymen now
living.‡
This new and interesting evidence having excited
the attention of the Members of the Committee
See Report, p. 47, 48, 49, et seq. Sir John Sinclair's Disserta-
tion, p. 36, 76, and 77. Notes to Cesarotti's Dissertation B, F, G,
H, and I.
+ See Report, Appendix, No. XV.
↑ We are much indebted to Sir John Sinclair for the zeal and perse-
verance he has manifested, in bringing forward most unexceptionable
evidence respecting the Douay manuscript, and which will be found
amply detailed in his Dissertation, p. xi. and lviii. inclusive.
480
SUPPLEMENTAL OBSERVATIONS ON THE
appointed to superintend this publication, they deter-
mined, collectively or individually, to spare no pains
in endeavouring to ascertain, whether the said manu-
script be still existing in France, as well as to obtain
every authentic information respecting any other
Celtic manuscripts in that country. With that view,
and while the communication with France was open
by the late negociation for peace, the following letter
was written to the Principal of the Celtic Academy
at Paris, accompanied with a French translation;
both of which were transmitted through the Foreign
Secretary of State's Office, to our Ambassador, the
Earl of Lauderdale, as the best and most effectual
channel of communication.
To the Principal of the Celtic Academy at Paris,
&c. &c. &c.
SIR,
York Place, Portman Square, London, Sept. 20, 1806.
As a Member of the Committee appointed
by the Highland Society, to superintend the publi-
cation of the poems of Ossian in the original Celtic,
denominated Gaelic in the northern parts of Scot-
land, where it is still a living language, I take the
liberty to acquaint you, that these originals will in
the course of the present year be published, accom-
panied by a literal Latin translation, and a Disserta-
tion containing such additional facts as have been
recently acquired on the authenticity of the poems.
The Committee having learnt, from public report,
that a Celtic Academy has been lately instituted at
AUTHENTICITY OF OSSIAN'S POEMS.
481
1
Paris, and being desirous of extending their inquiry
to the collection of every fact which tends to illus-
trate the era of Ossian, and the antiquity of the
work, have requested me to address you for infor-
mation, on the following subjects.
1. It appears, from the testimony of Bishops
Cameron and Chisholm, of the Catholic persuasion,
formerly of France, but now residing at Edinburgh,
that the late Mr. Farquharson, Principal of the Col-
lege of Douay in Flanders, left at the beginning of
the Revolution in that University, a thick manuscript
folio volume, containing many of Ossian's poems in
the original Celtic, collected by him at an early
period of life, while a missionary in the Highlands of
Scotland; and I am commissioned by the Highland
Society to request, as a most particular favour, that
you will take the trouble to inform me whether such
manuscript book of Celtic poems be still in existence,
and if so, that you will do the Society the further
favour of transmitting transcripts of the titles of the
several poems, and a note of the number of lines in
each, with any information respecting other Celtic
manuscripts, which may be now at Paris, Douay, or
elsewhere, on the language, poetry, history, origin,
and migration of the Celts.
2. Understanding that there is in the National
Library at Paris, a manuscript purporting to be the
speech in Celtic delivered by Clovis, the founder of
the French monarchy, to his army, or to the citizens
of Paris, on his taking the field, it would be extremely
gratifying to the Highland Society, and to the ad-
mirers of Celtic literature in Great Britain, to receive
I i
VOL. III.
482
SUPPLEMENTAL OBSERVATIONS ON THE
I
a transcript of this speech, and a fac-simile of a few
lines of the original, to prove the age of the writing.
If the information can be procured in time, it is
the intention of the Committee to insert it in the
present edition of Ossian. Trusting, that in a cause
so interesting to the honourable remains of Celtic
literature, and promising, on the part of the High-
land Society, any aid or information which they at
any time
time may
be able to afford to your learned Aca-
demy; you will pardon the liberty I have thus taken
in addressing you.
I have the honour to be, with sentiments of the
highest consideration and respect,
Sir,
your most obedient, and
most humble servant,
(Signed)
JOHN M'ARTHUR.
The above letter was delivered early in the month
of October, but from the shortness of Lord Lauder-
dale's stay in Paris, after it had been communicated,
and the events which subsequently took place, we
have been prevented from obtaining the information
solicited. The following letter from Mr. Professor
Stewart of Edinburgh, who accompanied Lord Lau-
derdale on the embassy, not only shews his attention
to the inquiries of the Committee, but affords rea-
sonable hopes that a communication from the Celtic
Academy may be expected by the first favourable
opportunity.
{
AUTHENTICITY OF OSSIAN'S POEMS.
483
Edinburgh, 20th Dec. 1806.
SIR,
I am sorry to have so little information to
add on the subject of your letter, to what you have
already received from Lord Lauderdale. It may,
however, be satisfactory for you to know, that the
paper which was addressed to the Celtic Academy of
Paris, by the Highland Society of London, was deli-
vered by myself into the hands of Mr. Suard, one of
the Secretaries of the National Institute, who pro-
mised to present it in person to the President of the
learned body, whose correspondence you solicit, and
to inform Lord Lauderdale of the result of the ap-
plication. The shortness of our stay in Paris after this
conversation, prevented me from hearing any thing
farther on the business; but I am perfectly confi-
dent that Mr. Suard would take the earliest oppor-
tunity of executing the commission intrusted to him,
not only as he is a very old and intimate friend of
mine, but as he was the first person who introduced
the poems, whose authenticity you wish to establish,
to the knowledge of his countrymen. His name
cannot fail to be well known to yourself, as well as
to many other Members of your Society, by his ad-
mirable translation of Dr. Robertson's History of
Charles V. and by the strong interest he has taken
for more than forty years, in every thing that con-
cerns the history or the literature of this island.
I have the honour to be,
(Signed)
Sir,
your most obedient servant,
DUGALD STEWART.
484
SUPPLEMENTAL OBSERVATIONS ON THE
As the most conclusive evidence has been exhi-
bited, that Ossian's poems had been collected from
oral tradition, and from ancient manuscripts, by the
late Rev. Mr. Farquharson about fifteen years prior
to Mr. Macpherson's mission to the Highlands for
the same purpose; and, as it is equally established,
that Mr. Farquharson's collection was bound up in a
large folio volume, and left at the Scottish College
of Douay, at the commencement of the French Re-
volution, the prominent object the Committee had
in view, in writing to the Celtic Academy at Paris,
was to ascertain whether that collection still existed;
because if in existence it would have been gratify-
ing to have detailed the contents in this work; for,
independent of every other proof, this of itself would
have incontrovertibly established the authenticity of
the originals translated by Mr. Macpherson.
Such is a summary of the evidence in support of
the authenticity of Ossian's poems, which, with all
deference, is submitted to the public. But the writer
must observe, by way of apology for himself, that
when he undertook the present investigation, and
the task of translating Cesarotti's Dissertation, he
was not aware of the difficulties he had to encounter,
nor of the time and labour which such a work would
require. To have done justice to so important a sub-
ject, any man with abilities superior to what the
writer can pretend, ought to have had at least one
year for the preparation of his manuscript, instead
of a limited time of about three or four months. He
Į
AUTHENTICITY OF OSSIAN'S POEMS.
485
had however pledged himself to the Committee, and
to perform his promise he has laboured incessantly,
and exerted himself to the utmost. If by attempt-
ing too much, in a given period, he may have failed
in some points, or in the hurry of writing, been led
into repetition; he trusts the candid reader will make
allowance for the difficulties in examining with pre-
cision, a mass of materials, so as to exhibit compen-
diously the various results arising from his researches
after truth.
$
London, December 31, 1806.
[ 486 ]
1
THE ORIGINAL EPISODE OF FAINEASOLLIS,
as found among the late MR. MACPHERSON's Papers, referred
to p. 456, Supplemental Observations.
MHIC mo mhic; 'se thuirt an righ,
Oscair a righ nan òg fhlath!
Chunnaic mi dearrsa do lainn
Mar dhealan bheann san stoirm.
Thuit an namh fo d' laimh san iomairt
Mar dhuilleach fo osaig gheamhrai.
Lean gu dlu ri cliu do shinnsir,
A's na dibir bhi mar iad san.
'Nuair bu bheo Treunmor nan rath,
As Trathal athair nan treun laoch,
Chuir iad gach cath le buaidh,
A's bhuannaich iad cliu gach teùgmhail.
Mairi marsin an iomra san dàn,
'Sbithidh luaidh orr' aig baird nan deìgh.
Oscair! claoidhsa lamh threun a chòraig;
Ach caomhuinn an conui 'n ti's laige.
Bi mar bhuinn'-shruth rèthoirt geamhrai,
Cas ri namhaid trom na Feinne;
Ach mar àile tlà an t samhrai
Dhoibhsan ata fànn nan eigin.
San marsin bha Treunmor riamh,
'S bha Trathal gach ial mar sin,
Ghluais Cumhal na 'n ceumaibh corr,
'S bha Fionn an conui leis an lag.
'Nan aobhar shinean mo lamh,
'S le failte rachain nan coinneamh,
[ 487 ]
1
1
LITERAL TRANSLATION, BY ALEXANDER
STEWART, A. M.
SON of my son; thus said the king;
Oscar, chief of our noble youth!
I beheld the gleaming of thy sword
Like the lightning of the mountains in the storm.
The enemy fell beneath thy hand in the battle.
Like wither'd leaves by the blast of winter.
Adhere close to the fame of thy fathers,
And cease not to be as they have been.
When the victorious Trenmor lived,
And Trathal, the father of mighty heroes,
They fought all their battles with success,
And obtained the praise of every contest.
Thus their renown shall remain in song,
And they shall be celebrated by bards to come.
Oscar! do thou subdue the strong arm of battle;
But always spare the feeble hand.
Be as a rapid spring-tide stream in winter
To resist the powerful enemies of the Feinni;
But be like the gentle breeze of summer
To those that are weak, and in distress.
Such did Trenmor always live,
And such has Trathal ever been,
In their fair steps Comhal trod,
And Fingal always supported the weak.
In their cause would I stretch my hand,
With cheerfulness would I go to receive them,
1
ཝཱ།
488
SUPPLEMENTAL OBSERVATIONS ON THE
A's gheibheadh iad fasga, a's caird,
Fo sgàil dhrillinich mo lainne.
Tàir cha d'rinneas air aon neach
Air laigid a neart anns an strì.
Fuil mo namh cha d'iaras riamh
Na 'm bu mhiann leis triall an sìth.
Ach cuim' an cuireadh rigli nam fàsach
Uaill a cruas a lamh o shean,
A'ni tha lathair glas fo aois
Feuchaibh e nach b'fhaoin mi 'n sin.
4 $
Mar thusa, Oscair! bha mi og,
'Nuair sheoil Fainesoilse nall,
An gath greine 'n eidi gaoil
O righ Chraice dh' eighte 'n oigh.
O bheinn Gholbuinn thionnda leam,
'S ro bheag air mo chùl de shluagh,
Chunnas barca breidgheal fo m' rosg
Mar cheathach air osaig a chuain.
'Nuair a dhruid i nall am chòir,
Chunnas oigh a chleibh aird bhain.
Bha osnaich a fuilt air a ghaoith,
A gruai dhearg mar chaor fo dheoir
Thuirt mi, "oigh na maise," ciuin,
Carson osna bhruit a'd' chliabh ?
Am feudar leams' ged' tha mi og
Tearmunn thoirt do oigh a chuain?
Gheibht' a sheasas cath ri m' lainn
Ach tha 'n cridh'sa ard gun scà.
“D'ionnsui theich mi cheinn an tsluaigh
Fhir a's glaine snuadh, 's a's fearr !
D'ionnsui theich mi, o mhic Chumhail!
A lamh a chuidicheas gach feumach!
[
AUTHENTICITY OF OSSIAN'S POEMS.
489
And they should find shelter, and friendship,
Under the shade of my glittering sword.
No man did I ever despise,
However weak his strength might be.
The blood of my foe I never sought,
If he chose to depart in peace.
But why should the king of the desert
$
Boast of the strength of his arm in former days?
This which remains, gray with age,
Shews I was not weak in my youth.
Like thee, Oscar! I was young,
When Faineasollis came over the sea,
That sun-beam adorned with love;
The daughter of Craca's king the virgin was.
I then returned from Gulbein hill,
With few of my people in my train;
A white-sailed boat appeared in my sight
Like mist on the blast of the ocean.
When it approached nigh the shore,
I beheld a fair high-bosomed maid.
Her hair wav'd loosely in the wind,
Her rosy cheek was bedewed with tears.
Calm, I said, “daughter of beauty,"
Why heaves that broken sigh within thy breast?
Can I, though young in years,
Defend thee, daughter of the ocean?
Some there may be that can match my sword in battle
But this heart is strong, and void of fear.
"To thee I fled, O chief of men!
To thee of fairest hue and noblest mien!
To thee I fled, O son of Comhal!
Whose hand supports the weak, and needy!
}
490
SUPPLEMENTAL OBSERVATIONS ON THE
Dh'amhairc righ Chraice orm air àm
Mar ghath-greine air ceann a shliochd.
'Stric a chuala beanntan Ghealamhal
Osnaich shearbh' mu Fhaineshoilse,
Chunnas mi le ceann Shorai,
A's rùnaich easa oigh Chraice.
Tha lann, mar ghath soluis scriosach,
Air slios an armuinn an cònui;
Ach 'sdubh gruamach shuas a mhala,
'Stha fior stoirm na anam eiti.
""
Bhuail mi tonn a chuain gu sheachna;
Ach o! tha easan air mo thi-sa.'
"Deansa tamh air chùl mo sgeithe,"
Thuirt mi fein, "a geug na maise!
'S mar laige mo lamh na mo mhisneach,
Brisear e o Fhainesoilse.
D'fheudainn do chuir an còs uaingneach,
Ach ni'n cualas gun theich Fionnghal.
'Nuair a bhagras cunnart gu brath
Tach'ream ri stoirm bharr nan sleagh.
"Mhic nam beann tha mi fo scà
A neart a bhoirb-fhir aird nan stoirm,
Fagaidh e mar choill fo ghaoith
Na cuirp taobh ri taoibh sa bhlàr.'
Chunnas leam deoir air a gruaidh,
Ghlac an tiochd san uair mi, 'sgradh.
A nis mar thonn scrathoil thall
Thainig barc' a bhoirb-fhir ris
A'leum gu bras thar an tsàl
Air cùl nam breid ban mar shneachd.
Bha sruth geal ri slios a bharc,
A's onais mara fo ard fhuaim.
AUTHENTICITY OF OSSIAN'S POEMS.
491
The king of Craca beheld me once
As a beam of the sun at the head of his race.
Often did the hills of Gealmal hear
Sad sighs of love for Faineasollis.
I was seen by the chief of Sora,
And he loved the maid of Craca.
His wasting sword, like a beam of light,
Shines always on the warrior' side.
But dark and gloomy is his brow,
And fierce the storm that rages in his soul.
I sought the waves of the ocean to shun him :
But, alas! he still pursues me."
"Rest thou behind my shield,'
I said, "O thou branch of beauty!
And if my strength is equal to my courage,
He shall be repelled from Faineasollis.
I might conceal thee in a secret cave,
But never was it heard that Fingal fled.
Whenever danger threatens,
I meet the storm of the pointed spears."
"Son of the mountains, I greatly fear
The strength of the great and stormy Borbar;
For, like a wood crush'd by the wind, he leaves
The fallen heroes side to side on the field of battle.”
I saw the tears on her cheek,
Pity and love seized me at once.
Now, like a dreadful wave from afar,
Appeared the fierce warrior's vessel,
Bounding swiftly over the sea,
Behind her snow white sails.
A white stream rolled by her side,
The murmur of the toiling ocean is heard afar.
492
SUPPLEMENTAL OBSERVATIONS ON THE
1
Thuirt mi, "tig s'on chuan bhras
Fhir tha marcacha nan tonn,
Gabh sòlas mo thallai uam,
An talla thogadh suas gu daimh.
`
Na mu's còrag chruaidh do bheachd
Naisgemid mu Fhainesoilse."
Sheas as chrith is' air mo chùl,
·
Chunnaic, lub e 'm bogh, a's mharbh,,
Scinnte❞ thuirt mi fein, "do lamh
'Nuair nach bi an namhaid garg.
Riumsa nochd do shleagh's do lann
A's fonai mo chairdean do chach.
Dh'oibrich sinn, 'sni 'm b'oibir fhaoin,
Thuit fo m' lainn an laoch gu bàs,
Chuir sinn fo dha chloich san uaigh
An tì a thug, 'sa fhuair an gradh.
Chuir a's lann an laoich threin
'Sa phaillean chaol ri taobh na traigh,
'Sair Fainesoilse na huaigh,
'Stric le bròn a luaidh na baird.
Gluaiseam ubhail thar a charn,
Bheirinn meas air airidh riamh,
'Scrathoil an stri fola chaoi;
Anns an gearrar saoidhean sios.
Oscair! màr sin bha mi og,
'S bithsa am mo dhoigh gu aois,
Na iarr gu brath corag chruaidh,
Ach na hob i 'nuair a thig.
AUTHENTICITY OF OSSIAN'S POEMS.
493
« Come thou,” I said, “from the rapid ocean,
Thou, that ridest on the waves,
Partake of the joy of my hall,
The hall which was reared for strangers.
But if a hard contest be thy choice,
Let us contend for Faineasollis.”
She stood, and trembled by my side,
He saw her, bent his bow, and kill'd.
Unerring," I said, " is thy hand,
When thy enemy is not fierce.
""
On me turn thy spear and sword,
"My friends will match the rest."
We fought, nor feeble was the fight,
Beneath my sword the warrior sunk in death
We laid in their graves under two stones
Both the lover, and the beloved.
We also laid the mighty warrior's sword
In the narrow house close to the shore.
!
And often have the bards raised their mournful voice
For Faineasollis, who sleeps in her grave.
Free of pride I move over the heap,
The brave I always held in great esteem,
Horrid ever is the strife of blood,
Which hews the warriors down.
O Oscar! such have I been in my youth,
And continue thou in my way to old age;
Never search thou for hard battle,
But shun it not, when it comes.
494 SUPPLEMENTAL OBSERVATIONS ON THE
ORIGINAL OF OSSIAN'S ADDRESS TO THE SUN IN
CARTHON, REFERRED TO P. 475.
O! THUSA fein a shiubh'las shuas
Cruinn mar làn-scia chruai nan triath,
Cia as tha do dhearsa gun ghruaim,
Do sholus a ta buan a ghrian?
Thig thu ann ad'àille thrèin,
A's faluichi rèil uainn an triall,
A gealach ga dubhadh san speur
'Ga cleath fein fo stuai san iar.
Tha thusa ann a d'astar amhàin,
Co tha dana bhi na d' chòir?
Tuiti darag o'n chruaich aird,
Tuiti carn fo aois, a's scorr:
Tràighi, agus lionai 'n cuan,
Falaichear shuas an reul san speùr;
Tha thusa d'aon a chaoi fo bhuai
An aoibhneas buan do sholuis fein.
'Nuair dhubhas m'an domhan stoirm
Le torran borb, as dealan bearth',
Seallai tu na d'àille o 'n toirm
Fiamhghair' ort am bruailean nan spèur.
Ach dhomhsa tha do sholus faoin,
'S nach faic mi a chaoi do ghnuis,
Sgaoileadh cùil as òr-bhui ciabh
Air aghai nan nial san ear,
No 'nuair a chritheas anns an iar
Le do dheirse ciar air lear.
'Smaith d'fheudta gum bheil thu mar mi feìn,
AUTHENTICITY OF OSSIAN'S POEMS.
495
A LITERAL LATIN TRANSLATION BY ALEXANDER
STEWART, A. M.
O! Tu ipse, qui ambulas supra,
Rotundus instar pleni clypei duri principum,
Unde est tuus fulgor immunis ferruginis,
Tuum lumen quod est sempiternum, sol?
Venies tu in tuâ pulchritudine eximiâ,
Et abscondent stellæ a nobis suos cursus,
Decedet luna sine colore de cœlo,
Condens se sub nubem in occidente.
Es tute in tuo itinere solus,
Quis audet accedere ad te?
Cadet quercus de monte alto,
Cadet saxea moles sub senium, et scopulus;
Decrescet et crescet oceanus,
Celabitur supra luna in cœlo;
Es tu unicus semper triumphans
Inter gaudia perennia tui luminis,
Cum nigrescit circum mundum tempestas,
Cum tonitru fero, et fulmine infesto,
Aspicies tu in tuâ pulchritudine e murmure
Subridens inter tumultus cœlorum.
At mihi est tua lux vana (inutilis),
Quòd non videam unquam tuum vultum,
Seu spargas vertice tuos aureos capillos
Per faciem nubilorum in oriente,
Seu vibres in occidente,
Ad tua claustra fusca super mare.
At potest fieri ut sis tu similis mihi,
496
SUPPLEMENTAL OBSERVATIONS ON THE
'S an am gu treun, 'sgun fheum air am,
Ar blianai a tearna o 'n speùr
Ag siubhal le cheile gu 'n ceann.
Biodh aoibhneas ort feìn a ghrian!
'S tu neartmhor, a thriath a' d' oige,
'S brònach mi-thaitneach an aois,
Mar ghealaich fhaoin san speur,
A raith fo neul air a raon,
'S an liath-cheo air thaobh nan carn,
An osag o thuath air an reth;
Fear siubhail fo bhèud, 's e mall.
Literal English Translation.
O! thou, that travellest above, round like the
full-orbed hard shield of the mighty! whence are
thy beams without frown, thy light that is ever-
lasting, O sun? Thou comest forth in thy powerful
beauty, and the stars hide their course, the moon
pale-orbed retires from the sky, hiding herself under
a cloud in the west. Thou art in thy journey alone:
who dares approach thee? The oak falls from the
lofty mountain, the stony heap and the towering
cliff sink under age; the ocean ebbs and flows; the
moon is hid above in the sky; but thou alone art for
ever victorious, continually rejoicing in thy own
light. When the storm darkens round the world,
with fierce thunder and piercing lightning, thou
lookest in thy beauty from the noise, smiling amidst
the tumult of the sky! But to me thy light is in
vain, for I can never see thy countenance, whether
thou spreadest thy golden locks on the face of the
AUTHENTICITY OF OSSIAN'S POEMs.
497
Nunc plurimùm pollens, nunc inutilis,
Nostri anni dilabantur de cœlo
Progredientes unâ ad suum finem.
Sit gaudium exhilerans te, o sol!
Dum tu sis viribus potens, o princeps, in tuâ juventâ.
Est tristis et injucunda senectus,
Similis lumini inani lunæ in cœlo,
Cum illa prospiciat e nubibus in campum,
Et cana nebula insideat clivis montium,
Flatus spiret a septemtrione per planitiem,
Et viator obnoxius damno, et tardus.
English Translation continued.
clouds in the east, or tremblest in the west at thy
dusky gates on the ocean. But perhaps thou art like
myself, at one time mighty, at another feeble, our
years sliding down from the skies, hastening to-
gether to their end. Rejoice then, O sun! while
thou art strong in thy youth. Sad and unpleasant is
old age, like the vain light of the moon in the
sky, when she looks from the clouds on the field,
and grey mist is on the side of the hill; the blast
from the north on the plain; and the traveller dis-
tressed and slow.
VOL. III.
K k
Į
498 SUPPLEMENTAL OBSERVATIONS ON THE
=
TOPOGRAPHY OF SOME OF THE PRINCIPAL SCENES OF
FINGAL AND HIS WARRIORS.
A Brief Description of SELMA.
BY ALEXANDER STEWART, A. M.
THERE is every reason to believe that Selma, so
often mentioned in the poems of Ossian, as the prin-
cipal residence of his father Fingal, was situate in
that part of Argyleshire called Upper Lorn, on a
green hill of an oblong form, which rises on the sea
shore at equal distances from the mouths of the
lakes Eite, and Creran. It is now called by the in-
habitants of the place DUN-MHIC SNITHEACHAIN,
i. e. the fort of the son of Snitho; but by some of
our historians Berigonium, and by them said to have
once been the capitol of the kingdom of the Gaels,
or Caledonians. On the top of this hill are still to
be seen vestiges of extensive buildings, with frag-
ments of the walls, bearing evident marks of fire,
scattered along the sides of the hill; but it does not
appear that the place had been at any period affected
by a volcano, as some do think; seeing the remains
of a circular edifice, which stood on that end of the
hill further from the sea, have not the least tincture
of fire most of the stones of which have been
carried away by the inhabitants of the adjacent
farms for private use. Whatever had occasioned the
fall of Selma, Ossian must have known it; for he
had seen it, as will appear from his poems, when
thousands feasted in its halls, and had also the mis-
fortune to see it in ruins.
AUTHENTICITY OF OSSIAN'S POEMS.
499
་
The following passages from the poems of Ossian
are descriptive of Selma, and its supposed situation,
both before, and after its fall.
Sguir an t sealg, a's choidil na feigh
Fo dhubhar gheùg air a choinich;
Thuit brat na hoiche air na sleibhte,
A's feisd aig seoid an Seallama.
Bha dàn, a's dàn ann mar bu nòs,
Bha sud ann a's ceòl nan clàr,
Le donnal chon am fè na greis
O'n chreig fo 'n geal an tràigh.
See Dr. Smith's Ancient Poems. Dearg-mac Drui-
bheil, verse 17, &c.
Literal Translation.
The chase had ceased, and the deer slept
Under the shadow of trees on the moss;
The curtain of night descended on the hills,
And heroes were feasting in Selma.
There was song after song, as the custom was,
There was that and the music of harps,
With the barking of dogs in the interval of action
From the rock which rises over the white beach.
The white beach, mentioned in the last line,
answers exactly the present aspect of the white
sand which covers the shore around part of the hill
on which Selma stood. The rock from which the
dogs were heard to bark is here also; for that part
of the hill, washed by the waves, is composed of
rock, and rises almost perpendicular to the sea.
500
SUPPLEMENTAL OBSERVATIONS ON THE
But if this be not the rock alluded to in the poem,
there is another rock within a few hundred yards of
Selma, to which the description is equally appli-
cable. It rises considerably higher than the former,
and with a tremendous aspect threatens to crush
the traveller, who steals along a narrow passage
which art has opened between it and the sea. This
rock is known to the inhabitants of the place by the
name of Dunbhaleri, which being analyzed becomes
DUN-BHAILE-RI, i. e. the fort of the town of the
king. From this rock to Selma, along the shore
are to be seen traces of a causeway, which still goes
under the name of Market-street.
An Seallama, 'n Taura, no 'n Tigh-mor-ri,
Cha 'n eil slige, no òran, no càrsach!
Tha iad uile nan tulachain uaine,
'San clachaibh nan cluainibh fein.
Cha 'n fhaic aineal o 'n lear no o 'n fhasach
A haon diu 'sa bharr roi neul.
'Sa Sheallama, a theach mo ghaoil!
An e 'n torr so t'aos làrach,
Far am bheil foghnan, fraoch, a's fòlach,
Ri bròn fo shile na hoiche.
Dr. Smith's Ancient Poems. Death of Gaul, v. 33, &c.
Translation.
In Selma, in Taura, or Temora,
There is no shell, nor song, nor harp!
They are all become green mounds;
And their stones half sunk in their own meadows.
1
AUTHENTICITY OF OSSIAN'S POEMS.
501
1
The stranger shall not behold from the sea, or desert,
Any one of them lifting its head through the cloud.
And thou, Selma, house of my delight!
Is this heap thy old ruins,
Where the thistle, the heath, and the rank grass
Are mourning under the drop of night.
The description given of Selma, after its fall, in
the third and fourth line of the preceding passage,
corresponds exactly to the present appearance of
the ruins of that place. The fourth line in par-
ticular describes the fragments of the walls, and loose
stones, which, after rolling down the face of the
hill, are now seen half sunk in the soft marshy
ground that surrounds part of the place.
That Selma was situate nigh the sea, as has been
said above, will appear from the passages which
follow.
"A chlann nan treunmor," thuirt Carrul,
66
Thug sibh laithe chaidh thairis nuas,
"Nuair thearnadh leam sios o thonna mara
"Air Selma nan darag ri stuaidh."
Gaolnandaoine, p. 200, v. 78, &c.
Translation.
"Sons of the mighty," said Carrul,
"Ye have brought back days that have passed,
"When I descended from the waves of the ocean,
"On Selma of the oaks bordering on the waves."
502
SUPPLEMENTAL OBSERVATIONS ON THE
Chualas guth Uillin nan duan,
Is cruit Shelma mu 'n cromadh an cuan.
Carraigthura, p. 132, v. 509, &c.
Translation.
The voice of Ullin of songs was heard,
And the harp of Selma round which the ocean bends.
Co 'n nial a cheil anns an t sliabh
Og dhearrsa o Shelma nan tonn?
Cath Loduin, Duan II. p. 28, v. 3, &c.
Translation.
What cloud has concealed in the hill
The young beam of Selma of waves?
A Shniobhain as glaise ciabh
Siubhail gu Ard-bhein nan sliabh,
Gu Selma mu 'n iadh an tonn.
Fingal, Duan III. p. 104, v. 41, &c.
Translation.
O Snivan of the greyest locks,
Go to Ardven of hills,
To Selma surrounded by the the wave.
Fingal, sitting beneath an oak, at the rock of
Selma, and having discovered Connal just landing
from Ireland, spoke the following lines:
"Fo dharaig," so labhair an righ,
"Shuidh mi sios ri carraig nan sruth,
AUTHENTICITY OF OSSIAN'S POEMS.
503
"Nuair dh'eirich Connal thall o 'n chuan
"Le sleagh Charthuinn nan ciabh dubh.
""
Temora, Duan IV. p. 46, v. 1, &c.
Translation.
"Beneath an oak," thus spoke the king,
"I sat down by the rock of streams, or waves,
"When Connal rose opposite from the sea
"With the spear of Carthon of the dark locks."
Supposing Selma to be situate as above described,
Connal must have landed somewhere about Dun-
staffanage; and that the place was then called Dun-
lora is highly probable, as will appear hereafter.
That Selma was situate on some eminence such as
the hill already mentioned, and commanded a pros-
pect of the sea, and of some of the islands, will
appear evident from the following quotations.
Thainig mi gu talla an righ,
Gu Selma nan làn bhroilleach oigh.
Thainig Fionnghal bu chorr le bhàird;
Thainig Conlaoch lamh bàis nan ceud.
Tri laithe bha cuirm 'san ard.
}
Gaolnandaoine, p. 200, v. 9, &c.
Translation.
I came to the hall of the king,
To Selma of high-bosomed maids.
Fingal the brave came forth with his bards;
Conloch came, hand of death to hundreds.
Three days we feasted in the high (place).
5/1
504
SUPPLEMENTAL OBSERVATIONS ON THE
Bha ghaisgich threin an deigh an righ;
Bha fleagh na slige fial 's an aird.
Carraigthura, p. 98, v. 27, &c.
Translation.
His brave heros followed the king; [high place.
The feast of the generous shell was in the AIRD, or
Mar so mhosgail guth nam bard
N'uair thainig gu talla Shelma nan stuadh
Mile solus a'losgadh mu 'n aird,
Dealadh dealan am meadhon an t sluaigh.
Carthon, p. 148, v. 45, &c.
Translation.
Thus did the voice of the bards awake,
When they came to the hall of Selma of waves;
A thousand lights were burning around the high place,
Distributing their blaze amidst the people.
Chaidh 'n oiche thairis am fonn;
Dh' eirich maduinn le sòlas còrr;
Chunnacas monadh thar liath cheann nan tonn;
An gorm chuan fo aoibhneas mòr;
Na stuaidh fo chobhar ag aomadh thall
Mu charraig mhaoil bha fada uainn.
Carthon, p. 160, v. 201, &c.
Translation.
The night passed away in song;
Morning arose in extreme joy;
Mountains were seen over the grey tops of the waves;
AUTHENTICITY OF OSSIAN'S POEMs.
505
The blue ocean moved in great gladness;
The foam-covered waves were tumbling opposite
Round a bare rock which rose at a great distance.
It was thought proper to say something here re-
specting Taura, being so often mentioned in the
Poems of Ossian, as one of Fingal's places of resi-
dence. The descriptions given of it in these poeins,
place it in Cona, on a green hill impending over the
sea, where it had a view of the hills of Cona, of the
sea and islands. It is not improbable, therefore, that
Taura was but another name of Selma; for what
Ossian says of the one place, is equally applicable to
the other. He had seen it when the generous shell
went round, and the voice of the bard sounded in its
halls; and had also witnessed its fall, which he imputes
to fire.
The following passages are descriptive of Taura,
and also of Selma:
Thaineas o Arda le buaidh,
Gu h uallach air steuda nan coigreach,
'S ar gean mar ghathaibh na greine
'S i luidhe siar air sleibhte Thaura.
Chiteadh am fè na fairge
Coillte le 'n carraigibh eighinn,
'S clann ag amharc le ioghnadh,
Air smuidean Thaura fuidhe.
Mar bhogh na fraois air sleibhte,
Bha oighean aoibhinn nar cò ail,
A' seinn caithream nan ceud clàr
Le manran binn an orain.
Dr. Smith's Ancient Poems. Fall of Taura, v. 43, &c.
506 SUPPLEMENTAL OBSERVATIONS ON the
t
I
Translation.
We came from Arda with victory,
Lofty on the steeds of the strangers,
And our joy was like the beams of the sun
On the hills of Taura when setting in the west.
There were seen in the calm face of the sea
Woods with their ivy-covered rocks,
And children looking with wonder
At the smoke of Taura below.
Like the rainbow on the hills
Our joyful virgins came forth to meet us,
Singing triumph with a hundred harps,
Accompanied by the sweet voice of the song.
The above mentioned Arda, from which the Fin-
galians returned victorious, is probably Ardach, a
place well known at this day, which lies about half
way between Stirling and Crief, and where are ves-
tiges of one of the greatest Roman camps to be seen
in Scotland. That the Romans were the enemies,
whom the Fingalians completely defeated and dis-
persed at Arda, appears evident from part of the
same poem, being the song of triumph, which the
maids of Morven sang when they came forth to con-
gratulate their heroes on their return.
The Song.
Co so liomhaidh na eide
Le mharc uaibhreach, ard-cheumach,
Glas-mhuinneach, le smuidre ceathaich
O shroin mar dheathach Thaura?
-Co so air an each steudach
AUTHENTICITY OF OSSIAN'S POEMS.
507
Las-shuileach, chobhar-bheulach,
Amhach mar bhogha-catha
Lubta grinn san ard-adhar?
Co ach Fionn nam faintai feachd
Mharcaicheas am bras each srianach?
Tha do chliu, a righ na Feinne,
Mu'n cuairt duit, mar ghathaibh greine.
Na sholus tha miltean aoibhneach
'S an gnùis mar an lear is fè air;
An gean mar Chòthan sa cheituin,
Tra bhios iasg ri cuilean ag eiridh.
Ach na laoich co ciuin an sìth,
Tha mar dhoininn ri am na strì.
-Theich sibh, a choigrich o chein,
'Sa righrean an domhain gu leir;
Theich sibh gun eide, gun each,
D'fhag sibh nur deigh iad 'san fheachd.
-"C' ait' a bheil ur 'n airm, 's ur 'n eide ?"
"Feoruichibh de shiol nan sleibhte."
Theich ur daoine fein gu nàrach,
Cha bhi 'n ainm am feasd 'sna dànaibh.
Oigh cha tig am feasd nan còail
Nan teach uaigneach tha iad brònach.
-Brònach bithibhs oighean aineil,
'S ball-chrith biodh air righe' 'n domhain;
Le clàr a's ceol bidh sinne aoibhinn,
A' cuir failt air sliogh na Feinne.
*
'Sni 'm b'fhois do chlàraibh nam bàrd
An Taura ard san uair sin,
Le 'n crith ghuth ait 'san talla aoibhinn,
Chluinnt' ann an cein am-fuaimneach.
508
SUPPLEMENTAL OBSERVATIONS ON THE
+
Tha 'n darag dhearg na lasair,
A solus gu farsuing a' sgaoile
Gu ciar imeachd an aineil
Air sliabh na falluinge doirche.
Translation.
Who is this bright in his armour,
With his proud high-bounding,
Grey-maned steed, emitting a misty vapour
From his nostrils like the smoke of Taura?
-Who is this on the coursing steed
With flaming eyes, and foaming mouth,
His neck like the bow of the battle
Raised high with an elegant bend?
-Who but the chief of the Feinnian forces,
It is Fingal that rides the rapid steed of the reins.
Thy fame, O king of the Feinni,
Is around thee, like the beams of the sun,
In its light thousands are glad,
And their faces like the sea under a calm ;
Their joy is like Cona in the early part of summer,
When the fishes rise to catch the flies.
But the heroes so mild in peace,
Are like a storm in the time of strife.
-Ye have fled, O strangers from afar,
And ye kings of all the world;
Ye have fled without arms, or horses,
Ye have left them behind you in the field of battle!
"Where are your arms and your coats of mail ?”
66
Inquire of the sons of the mountains."
Your own men have shamefully fled,
Their name shall never be in the songs.
AUTHENTICITY OF OSSIAN'S POEMS.
509
No virgin will come with a harp to meet them;
In their secret dwellings they are sad.
-Sad let the virgins of the strangers be,
And trembling fear seize the kings of the world;
With harp and song we will rejoice,
And hail the heroes of the Feinni.
*
*
Nor rested the harps of the bards
At that time in lofty Taura,
[the delightful hall,
Accompanied by their own quivering joyful voice in
Their sound was heard at a great distance.
The red oak is in a blaze,
Its light spreading itself wide
To the dusky path of the stranger,
Who travels on the dark-clad heath.
The reader will observe, that the last eight lines
in the preceding passage, is the same in substance
with a foregoing one quoted from Carthon, page
148, both of which set forth the great joy of the
Feinni, on account of the victory they had obtained
over their enemies at Ardach; with this difference
only, that in the one Selma is made the scene of
their rejoicing, in the other Taura; which makes it
highly probable, that both the names were applied to
the same place. The dark heath, mentioned in the
last line, to which the light of the oak reached from
Taura, answers exactly to the heath of Lora.
Seasuidh righ nan laithe nar deigh,
Air tulaich an t-sleibh an robh Taura;
Chi e Còthan gu leug-shruthach
1
#
J
510
SUPPLEMENTAL OBSERVATIONS ON THE
1
A' siubhal ro choillte treudach;
Chi e'n celn an cuan critheach.
Le iomad innis uaine,
'S am maraich a’leum air sàile,
Gu traigh aig cois' a chluaine.
66
" 'S aoibhinn an raon so, deir an righ,
Chitear uaidh gach linn, a's cnoc,
Togar talla dhomh fein ann,
Am fradharc eild', agus bhoc."
Tha 'n tulach uaine 'ga cladhach,
An tulach laoghach an robh Taura;
Tha sleaghan ag eiridh air dhreach an teine;
Le sgiathan leathan mu 'n cuairt doibh.
"'Si leaba nan laoch a t'ann;
Druidibh, a chlann, a chònuidh chughann."
Same Poem, ver. 330, &c.
Translation.
The king of future days shall stand
Upon the hill where Taura stood;
He shall see Cona's pebbly streams
Rolling through woods abounding with herds;
He shall see at a distance the trembling ocean,
With many green islands,
And the mariner bounding on the waves
Toward the shore at the plain of Taura.
Delightful is this plain, the king will say,
From it we see each lake, and hill,
Here let a house be built for me,
In sight of hinds and stags.
The green hill is a digging,
The beautiful hill where Taura was;
1
1
AUTHENTICITY OF OSSIAN'S POEMS.
511
9
Spears arise of the colour of fire,
With broad shields around them.
"It is the bed of the heroes you have there,
O children, shut up the narrow dwelling."
It may not be deemed improper to remark here,
that, a few years ago, one of the tenants of an ad-
joining farm, when digging for stones nigh the hill
of Selma, had discovered a stone coffin, which con-
tained human bones of more than the ordinary size.
Many other pieces of antiquity have been at diffe-
rent periods found in this place. Nor is it to be
doubted, but curiosity might be gratified still with
new discoveries; for if Taura or Selma (it matters
not by which of the names it is called) fell in the
manner described by Ossian, that is, by taking fire
in the absence of the Feinni, it must have buried
under it many things, which remain there still.
About two short miles south of Selma is the ferry
of Conuil, where Loch Eite discharges itself into the
sea. A short space above this ferry is a great cata-
ract, or water-fall. This fall answers so well the
description of the EAS LAOIRE of Ossian, and Mac-
pherson's Lora, as will appear hereafter, that it will
be in vain to look for it any where else. It is occa-
sioned by a rock which protends itself in the form
of an arch from either side of the channel. Over
this rock the tide first rolls inward with great impe-
tuosity into the lake; when the lake swells into a
level with the sea at high tide, there is a perfect
stillness, and vessels of a considerable size can sail.
over the fall. But when the tide returns from this
512 SUPPLEMENTAL OBSERVATIONS ON THE
1
}
arm of the sea, falling over the precipitous face of
the rock towards the west from a height of upwards
of twelve feet, it roars and deafens all around it;
and the whole channel is seen to boil and foam, to
the distance of a mile below the fall. That Labhar
or Laoire (which signifies loud, or noisy) was the
original name of this fall, seems more than probable
from other circumstances independent of what Ossian
says. 1st. No other name could be applied more
expressive of the thing meant. 2. No other water-
fall in Scotland can, with equal propriety, bear the
name. It is unquestionably by far the greatest, and
consequently makes the greatest noise. 3d. The
surrounding country preserves the name still, though
discontinued to the fall; for Lorn (in the Gaelic
language LABHARUINN) is composed of LABHAR,
loud or noisy, and FONN, land, which two words,
when compounded, become LABHARFHUINN, but the
fh being quiescent, it sounds Labharuinn, which is the
present name of the country on both sides of the
fall, and signifies the land bordering upon Lora. As
to the present name of this fall, which is Conuil, it
is variously analyzed; and those, who are supposed to
be most successful in tracing its origin, will have it
to be compounded of coN, which signifies furious,
or raging, and TUIL, a flood, which when put together
sound CONTHUIL, the t being always silent before h
in the Gaelic language. This name is very natural
also, when it is considered with what furious motion
this extraordinary body of water precipitates itself
over the rock. But it may be doubted whether the
reader of Ossian will be satisfied with this etymology;
•
AUTHENTICITY OF OSSIAN'S POEMS.
513
3
for when he considers, that all that tract of hills
and vales between Loch Eite and Loch Leven, went
originally under the name of CÒTHAN, Macpherson's
Cona, he will be apt to substitute CòTHAN instead
of Con, and then the name becomes CòTHANTHUIL,
but, leaving out the quiescent letters, it sounds Co-
ANHUIL, i. e. the flood of Cona, a name not improper,
and which it might have along with the name Lora,
the one arising from an idea of its greatness, the other
from that of its quality.
The following passages from the poems of Ossian,
are descriptive of Lora, and its situation with regard
to Selma :
Nach ait, ighean Thoscair, am fuaim?
"Bithidh Oisian's Malamhìn gu luath leinn;"
'S amhuil e 's toirm Laoire do 'n aineal,
'S gun e 'g amas air a shlighe san oiche.
Cha leir dha Seallama a ghaoil,
'S an doinionn 'san raon mu 'n cuairt;
An ròd cearr cughan air faondra,
'S taibhsean a' glaodhaich na chluais.
Chluinn e mu dheire toirm Laoire,
'S e 'g radh le aoibhneas," tha Seallama dlù."
Dr. Smith's Ancient Poems. Fall of Taura, v. 458, &c.
Translation.
Is not their voice pleasant, O daughter of Toscar ?"
"Ossian and Malvina shall soon be with us,
It is like the sound of Lora to the stranger,
When he finds not his way by night.
He sees not his beloved Selma,
VOL. III.
Ll
""
}
514 SUPPLEMENTAL OBSERVATIONS ON THE
The storm is in the plain around;:
He wanders in a winding narrow path;
While ghosts are shrieking in his ear.
He hears at last the noise of Lora, .
And with joy he says, "Selma is nigh!"
That the fall of Lora was noisy, will appear evident
from the following lines:
Dubh dorcha do smuainte, aird laoich
A' d'aonar mu Lora nam fuaim.
Carthon, p. 152, v. 84, &c.
Translation.
Dark and gloomy are thy thoughts, O mighty hero,
While thou art alone by the roaring Lora.
Do thoirmsa a Lora nan sruth,
Thog cuimhne an duigh air na threig.
Carthon, p. 146, v. 3, &c.
Translation.
Thy murmur, O Lora of streams,
Has brought back to-day the memory of the past.
Had Lora been a small stream, such as Macpherson
supposes it to be in his note to Temora, Book V.
Ossian would not have compared the great Fingal to
it, as he has done in the following lines:
Bha 'm bàs na laimh anns a chomhstri,
A neart mar thuil Lora an fhraoich. ·
་
Fingal, Duan III: p. 104, v. 22, &c.
AUTHENTICITY OF OSSIAN'S POEMS.
515
Translation.
Death was in his hand in the conflict,
His strength was like the flood of Lora of the heath.
That near the fall of Lora, was the place where
those who sought for Selma, whether friends or ene→
mies, landed, or attempted to land, appears without
doubt. That it then went under the name of CALA
CHOTHAIN, that, is, the bay of Cona, is more than
probable, as has been hinted above, and will be shewn
hereafter.
The first of the following quotations, illustrative
of what has been said, is taken from the Report of
the Committee of the Highland Society. It is the
same in substance with part of that episode in the
third book of Fingal, called by Macpherson the Maid
of Craca, and was taken by the Committee from a
manuscript which belonged to the Dean of Lismore
in Argyleshire, and which appears, from dates affixed-
to it, to have been written at different periods from
1512 to 1529.
;
Derrymir wlli gi dane
Ach Finn ne waene agus Gowle
Dethow churrych fa hard keym
Wa na reym skoltyt ny downe
Ne yarnyt tam na tocht
Gir yoyve calle si phort ynaa
Ych techt doy her in ness
Derre ass maccayve mnaa.
:
!
516
SUPPLEMENTAL OBSERVATIONS ON THE
This passage, in the Report of the Committee, is
translated as follows:
We all stood up in haste,
Except Fingal himself and Gaul,
To wait on the high-bounding boat
Whose course was parting the waves.
It neither slackened nor rested
Till it entered our wonted haven ;
It crossed the pool below the fall,
When out of it rose a daughter of youth.
This translation is not conformable to the original,
particularly in the following line:
Ych techt doy her in ess.
The translator in his version says, that the vessel
crossed the pool below the fall, not believing it pos-
sible that a vessel could cross a water-fall, especially
against the current, and being ignorant, or not re-
collecting that at the fall of Lora, a vessel could sail
over it at high tide.
The original in Gaelic orthography, with a proper
translation, is as follows:
Dh' eireamur uile gu dian
Ach Fionn nam Fiann agus Goll
D' fheitheamh a churaich fo ard cheum
Bha na reum ag sgolt' nan tonn
Nior dhearnta tamh na tochd
Gur ghabh cala sa phort ghna
: -
AUTHENTICITY OF OSSIAN'S POEMS.
517
Ach teachd doibh thar an eas
Dh' eirich as macamh mnà.
Translation.
We all rose up in haste,
Except Fingal of the Feinni and Gaul,
To wait on the high-bounding vessel
Which in its course was parting the waves.
It neither slackened nor rested
Till it entered the wonted haven;
But when it sailed over the fall
There rose out of it a beautiful woman.
The following lines shew that it was at Lora Manus
landed with his forces:
Fhuaras Manus air an traigh
'S an oiche tra thaineas tosdach;
An ri bha fada o laimh,
'S thug Manus a mhionn do 'n oiteig;
Bha 'n fhair a' brieadh o 'n ear,
'S mor bheanntai na solus ag eiridh;
Tha 'n ceo ag direadh o Laoire,
'S a fagail nan suain saoidhean Mhanuis.
Dr. Smith's Ancient Poems. Manus, v. 191, &c.
Translation.
We found Manus on the shore
When we came silent by night;
The king had been far from home;
And Manus gave his oath to the blast;
The morning is breaking from the east,
And Morven rising in its light;
518
SUPPLEMENTAL OBSERVATIONS ON THE
The mist is ascending from Lora,
And leaving Manus's warriors asleep.
C'uine shiubhlas an duibhre o Chòna
Nan sruth mor a's airde fuaim?
Fingal, Duan IV. p. 144, ver. 9. &c.
Translation.
When shall darkness depart from Cona
Of the great streams of the loudest noise?
Fionnghal a scapadh na seoid,
•
Mar charraid nan sian ri feùr,
'N'air bheucas sruth Chona nan tòrr,
'Sa Mhorbhein an truscan nan speùr.
Fingal, Duan I. p. 14, ver. 129, &c.
Translation.
Fingal who could scatter the heroes,
Like the conflict of the storms with grass,
When the stream of Cona of cairns, or heaps, is
roaring,
And Morven in the robes of the sky.
Bordering on the north side of the ferry of Conuil,
and fall of Lora, is a black heath or plain, which
extends a mile and a half either way. On this plain
is to be seen a great number of large cairns, or heaps
of stones, which measure in general from 50 to 60
feet in diameter. Those cairns, from the small size
of the stones which compose them, appear to have
been originally put together on a sudden by a great
•
AUTHENTICITY OF OSSIAN'S POEMS.
519
i
body of men, each individual contributing one, or
more stones, according to the intended size of the
cairn, and the rank of the hero in whose honour it
was erected. That this heath was the SLIABH EAS
LAOIRE of Ossian, i. e. the heath at the fall of Lora,
will admit of little doubt. That it is the place where
the Fienni fought many of their battles, where heroes
fell, and were buried, will appear evident from the
passages which follow.
'S lionmhor taibhse ar naimhde, a threin;
Ach cliuthar sinn fein, 's ar cairde.
Faiceadh Carthonn an raon gu leir,
'S iomadh gorm thon ag eiridh ard
Le clachaibh glas, a's feur fo fhuaim;
Naimhde Fhionnghail fo uaigh a t'ann,
Na daimh a dhaisig raimh thar chuan.
Carthon, p. 168, ver. 311, &c.
Translation.
Numerous are the ghosts of our foes, O mighty
warrior!
But renowned are we ourselves, and our friends.
Let Carthon behold that field all over,
And the many green hillocks rising high
With gray stones and rustling grass;
The foes of Fingal in their graves are there,
The strangers whom oars conveyed over the sea.
The four following passages are given from Mac-
pherson's translation, London edition, 1790, their
originals having not been printed yet.
►
520
SUPPLEMENTAL OBSERVATIONS ON THE
$
Farewell thou silent beam! let the light of Ossian's
soul arise and it does arise in its strength. I be-
hold my departed friends, their gathering is on Lora,
as in the days of other years.
Songs of Selma, p. 205.
Who roars along dark Lora's heath? who, but
Carthon, king of swords.
Carthon, p. 94.
Clessamor! said the king of Morven, where is the
spear of thy strength, wilt thou behold Connal bound,
thy friend, at the stream of Lora? Ibid. p. 88.
Darkness dwells in Balclutha, the shadows of grief
in Crathmo, but raise my remembrance on the banks
of Lora.
Tha tannas caol, is faoin, is fuar,
Mall ag aomadh mu uaigh an tseoid;
Na trein, a Mhalamhin nam buadh,
Aig iomall nan stuadh fo 'n tòrr.
Ibid. p. 93.
Carthon, p. 148, ver. 21, &c.
Translation.
There is a ghost, slender, feeble, and pale,
Slowly bending over the hero's grave;
The brave, O Malvina of virtues,
Are there at the border of the waves under the heap.
Aelegir aggin ag in ess
Fer bi wat treishi is gneive
Is currir fay wrayt gi moyeir
Fane oyr in nonnoyr mi Reich.
See Report of the Committee, p. 98.
1
AUTHENTICITY OF OSSIAN'S POEMS.
521
Gaelic Orthography.
Dh' anlaicear aguinn aig an eas
Am fear bu mhath treis, a's gniomh,
A's chuirear fa bhrai gach meoir
Fainn' oir an onair mo Righ.
English.
We buried by the waterfall
The man of great might and deeds,
And placed high on each finger
A ring of gold in honour of my king.
*
Should the diligent traveller find a perfect corre-
spondence between the above scenes, and the de-
scription given of them in the poems ascribed to
Ossian, he will not, it is hoped, attempt to deprive
the ancient bard of his just merit; for should he
suppose Macpherson to have been the author of
these poems, he must first prove, that he either
had seen the scenes they describe, or had been pos-
sessed of a power of describing with equal accuracy
what he had never seen. The former he cannot
prove; for it is well known that Macpherson had
never visited that part of Argyleshire, which con-
tains the scenes above narrated. The latter carries
with it an idea of absurdity. Those therefore, who
endeavour to fix the origin of the poems of Ossian
to any modern period, or ascribe their original merit
to any modern bard, can do it from no other reason
叫​我
​522
SUPPLEMENTAL OBSERVATIONS ON THE
7
than prejudice, or ignorance. It is presumed, that
the above short description of Selma, &c. will excite
a degree of curiosity, and serve as a leading mark
to those, who may have leisure, and inclination to
investigate what time has so much involved in ob-
scurity.
AUTHENTICITY OF OSSIAN'S POEMS.
523
Description of the Fingalian River Cona, &c. and the
Banks of the River Ete, the Residence of Usnoch and
his three Sons, whose story is given in Ossian's Poem
of Darthula. By the Rev. Donald Macnicoll, Minister
of the United Parishes of Lismore and Appin, County
of Argyle.*
<<
THE rivers Creren, Co, or Conn (the Fingalian
Cona, a beautiful romantic river), the river of Coi-
nich in Kingerloch, with those of Durror, Baileche-
lish, Larvel, and Laroch are the most considerable.
There are foxes, badgers, and otters in Appin. In
the lower parts of Appin, particularly on the Marquis
of Tweedale's and Mr. Campbell of Aird's proper-
ties, there are roes in great abundance; not the she
of the hart, as some of our English dictionaries
falsely denominate them; for the roes have their
bucks and does, as the deer have their haṛts and
hinds. In the higher parts of Appin, a few red or
mountain deer frequently appear, when they are
scared or frightened from the neighbouring forest
of Buachail, &c. A few deer occasionally appear in
Kingerloch; but the sheep will soon banish them, as
they cannot endure to pasture with them; nor are
the roes fond of it. The squirrel is now become very
rare, if not totally extinct, in this part of the High-
lands. On the banks of the river Ete, the Fingalian
Usnoch, and his three renowned sons, Naos, or Naois,
Ailli, and Ardan were born, as set forth by Mr.
* See Statistical Account of Scotland, Vol. I. p. 485.
524
SUPPLEMENTAL OBSERVATIONS ON THE
Macpherson. This is a piece of traditionary history
well known in these countries.'
""
Description of Inis-Connel and Inish-Eraith: the last
Island is the Scene of DAURA, who was betrayed by
ERATH, as recorded in Ossian's Songs of Selma:
also the Scene of Cathluina, an ancient Celtic Poem
of that name, translated by Dr. Smith, and "LAOI
FRAOCH," or the Death of Fraoch. By the Rev. Wil-
liam Campbell, Minister of the Parishes of Kilchrenan
and Lochavich, County of Argyle.*
"LOCHOW, with its numerous creeks and islands,
covered with wood to the water edge, with many
copious streams descending from the hills, forming
numberless beautiful cascades, presents to the view
objects well worth attention. Twelve of these islands
belong to this parish. Surrounded by a cluster of
other islands, lies the beautiful one of Inis-connel,
with its castle. This castle, a majestic view of great
antiquity, now covered over with ivy, was for seve-
ral centuries the chief residence of the family of
Argyle, and appears, from the nature, strength, and
size of the building, to have been occupied by a
powerful chieftain, whose sway and extent of ter-
ritory we learn from record and tradition, to have
been immense. Near Inis-connel lies Inish-Eraith,
mentioned by Dr. Smith of Campbeltown, in his Au-
* See Stat. Account of Scotland, Vol. VI. p. 267. Kilchrenan sig-
nifies, in the Celtic, the burying place of Chrenan, the tutelar saint of
the parish.
Z
ہو
1
AUTHENTICITY OF OSSIAN'S POEMS.
525
thenticity of Ossian's Poems, as the place to which
the traitor Erath beguiled Duara, as recounted in
one of the Songs of Selma. In this isle are burying-
grounds, and the ruins of a chapel. Near this is
Elain 'n tagart, or "Priest's isle," with some traces
of the priest's house still discernible. Lochow abounds
with trout and salmon. Lochavich, anciently called
Lochluina, is a beautiful sheet of water, of a regular
trianglar form, about eight miles in circumference,
full of trout, having one castle and several islands,
the resort of gulls, cranes, water-eagles, and wild
ducks. Near this lake lay the scene of an ancient
Celtic poem, translated by Dr. Smith, called Cath-
luina, or "the conflict of Luina;" and in the lake is
an island the scene of another poem, called Laoi
fraoich, or "the death of Fraoch." Many places in
this neighbourhood are still denominated from
Ossian's heroes. This lake discharges itself into
Lochow, by the stream or water of Avich, buried in
wood, having six fine falls, with large circular ponds
at the foot of each, and possessing the peculiarity of
never freezing; even in the year 1740, not a particle
of ice was observed on it, though the lake from
whence it issues was entirely frozen over.'
""
Description of the Scenes of Daura and Erath, as re-
corded in Ossian's Songs of Selma. By the Rev. Dr.
John Smith.*
"THOSE fragments of Ossian which are still more
generally known are, as we should suppose, some of
• Dissertation on the Authenticity of Ossian's Poems prefixed to
Gaelic Antiquities, page 97.
:
•
;
526 SUPPLEMENTAL OBSERVATIONS ON THE
=
the most beautiful parts of his composition. Among
them are the battle of Lora, the episode of the Maid
of Craca, the most affecting parts of Carthon, Con-
lath, Croma, Berrathon, the Death of Oscar in the
first book of Temora, and almost the whole of Dar-
thula. Now, if these and the like are avowedly
ancient, and undoubtedly the composition of Ossian,
it is but justice to allow that he could compose any
other part of the collection, none of it being equal
to some of these in poetical merit.
•
"Any further arguments to prove that the poems
we speak of are genuine translations from the Gaelic,
would, I trust, be superfluous. This being allowed,
then, as it well may, it will easily appear that they
can belong to no era but that very remote one, to
which the translator has assigned them.
"There is, however, one argument that has too
much weight to be passed over. It is an astonishing
correspondence between some of these poems and
scenes which they are found to describe, but which
were too distant and too obscure for the translator
ever to see or hear of, and concerning which there
is not even a tradition, so far as ever I could learn,
so that Mr. Macpherson must have found them in
MS. otherwise they had never appeared. I mention
one instance, chosen purposely from the part least
known in Gaelic of the whole collection; it is one
of the Songs of Selma. The names of Daura and
Erath there spoken of are so uncommon, that I am
confident we may defy any body to produce any in-
stance of their being heard in name, surname, or
tradition. Yet, in an obscure and almost inaccessible
part of Argyleshire, which it is certain the translator
AUTHENTICITY OF OSSIAN'S POEMS.
527
!
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}
1
of Ossian never saw, and which from his own silence,
the silence of tradition upon that story, and the dis-
tance and obscurity of the place, it is equally certain
he never heard of. In this place can be traced out
the very scene, and the very uncommon names of
that episode, which of all the collection is perhaps
the least known to a Gaelic antiquary. The island,
to which the traitor Erath beguiled Dura, still retains
his name, Innis-Eraith," the Island of Erath." The
ferry and farm contiguous to it, derive from him
also their name, and about a mile distant from it
is another farm, consisting of an extensive heath
bounded by a large mountain-stream, and still re-
taining, from that unfortunate lady, the name of
Durain, "the stream of Daura." And what further
confirms that this is the scene described by Ossian
is, that several places within sight of it are denomi-
nated from Connal and others of his heroes, whose
names are better known. As nobody can suppose
that the translator of Ossian could thus stumble, by
chance, on names the least common, and places the
least known, so as to make so many circumstances
exactly correspond with his poems, without his ever
knowing it, we must certainly allow this a most con-
founding proof of their authenticity." In another
place Dr. Smith observes, "There is not a district
in the Highlands but what has many places, waters,
isles, caves, and mountains, which are called, from
time immemorial, after the names of Ossian's heroes.
These names are so common, that where I now sit,
not far from Inverary, I could enumerate a long
list in one view, such as Cruach-fhinn, "the hill of
!
T
528
SUPPLEMENTAL OBSERVATIONS ON THE
Fingal,” Innis-Chonnain, Innis Aildhe, Innis Raoine,
Innis Chonnail, &c. the isles of Connan, Aldo, Regno,
and Connal. Nothing is more frequent in all parts
of
the Highlands, than names and monuments of Ossian's
heroes."
Description of the Vicinity of Selma, of the ancient City
of Beregonium, the River Connel, or Conna, the Valley
of Ete, or the Residence of Usnoch and his three Sons,
whose story is the subject of Ossian's Poem of Dar-
thula. By the Rev. Ludovick Grant; taken from his
Account of the United Parishes of Ardchattan and
Mukairn, Presbytery of Lorn, County of Argyle.*
In this district stood the famous city of Berego-
nium: it was situated between two hills, one called
Dun Macsnichan, "the hill of Snachan's son," and
the other, much superior in height, is named Dun
bhail an righ, "the hill of the King's town." A street
paved with common stones, running from the foot
of the one hill to the other, is still called Straid-
mharagaid, “ the Market-street ;" and another place,
at a little distance, goes by the name of Straid-
namin, "the Meal-street." About ten or eleven
years ago, a man cutting peats in a moss between
the two hills, found one of the wooden pipes that
conveyed the water from the one hill to the other,
at the depth of five feet below the surface. On Dun
Macsnichan is a large heap of rubbish and pumice
stones; but no distinct traces of any building or
* See Stat. Account of Scotland, Vol. VI. p. 179, 180, 181.
علم
,
AUTHENTICITY OF OSSIAN'S POEMS.
529
fortification can now be seen on either of the hills;
the foundations have been dug up for the purpose of
erecting houses in the neighbourhood.
There is a tradition, among the lower class of
people, that Beregonium was destroyed by fire from
heaven. In confirmation of this tradition, it may be
mentioned, that a high rock, near the summit of
Dun bhail an righ, projecting and overhanging the
road, has a volcanic appearance, and a most hideous
aspect: huge fragments have tumoled down from
it. Adjoining to this place, is a fine, open, spacious
bay, with a sandy bottom, capable of containing the
whole navy of Great Britain.
It would be endless to enumerate all the druidical
monuments in this district. Many cairns and heaps
of stones are to be seen here; one in particular, near
the centre of a deep moss, about three or four miles
in circumference. In different places are stones
rising twelve feet above the surface of the earth, all
of them one single stone; and at a small distance, a
number of large stones from twenty to twenty-two
feet in length, of an oval figure.
The common language is the Celtic, the name of
all the farms are derived from it, and are in general
descriptive of their situations. Loch Etie, which
divides Ardchattan from Muckairn and two other
parishes, is a navigable inlet of the sea, fifteen com-
puted miles in length, but of unequal breadth. Near
its mouth is a narrow channel, not much more than
a musket-shot over, at a place called Connel, signify-
ing in the Celtic, rage or fury, which is very descrip-
tive of this place, as a ridge of rugged and uneven
VOL. III.
м m
1
530
SUPPLEMENTAL OBSERVATIONS ON THE
1
?
rocks runs across two-thirds of the channel, and occa-
sions at certain periods of the ebbing or flowing tide,
such a rapid current, that no vessel, with the freshest
breeze, can stem it. In the beginning of the flood,
the tide runs up with a boisterous rapidity, and at
ebb it returns with a violence and noise unequalled
by the loudest cataract. But there is sufficient depth
of water, between the ridge of rocks and the land
on the west side, for vessels of any size or burden
to pass and repass with safety, in the beginning of
flood or ebb. There is a ferry here, and notwith-
standing its alarming appearance, one of the safest
in Scotland, as no accident has happened at it in the
remembrance of any man living.
The sides of Loch Etie are pleasant; indented
into creeks and bays, affording safe anchorage in any
wind whatever; delightfully variegated with hill
and dale, meadows and corn fields, wood and water.
There are several salmon fisheries on its shores, and
it abounds with small red cod and cuddies; and, in
some seasons, a few herrings are caught in it. Seals
are its constant inhabitants, and porpoises visit it in
the latter end of April, and take leave of it about
the close of July.
The tide flows six hours, and takes the same time
to return; it runs from Connel in a SE. direction to
Bonawe, and, after running along the north side of
Cruachan-bean, bends its course NE. till it termi-
nates in Glenetie, i. e. the valley of Eta, famous for
being the residence of Usnath, father of Nathos,
Althos, and Ardan; the first of whom ran away with
Darthula, wife of Conquhan (or Cairbar), king of
3
}
AUTHENTICITY OF OSSIAN'S POEMS.
531
Ulster in Ireland, which is the subject of a beautiful
poem of Ossian. Many places in and about the loch
and valley of Eta confirm, beyond a possibility of
doubt, that such people were once resident there.
In particular a small island, with some vestiges of a
house upon it, goes by the name of Elain Usnich, or the
island of Usnath. There is also, in the farm of Dal-
ness in Glenetie, a rock rising in the form of a cone,
on the end of a high hill, commanding a romantic
prospect, which to this day retains the name of Gria-
nan Dearduil, the basking-place of Darthula."
Description of Morven and its Antiquities in the Pres-
bytery of Mull, County of Argyle, by the Rev. Norman
Mac Leod,*
"The modern name Morven, or Morvern, as it is
more properly called, being the method of spelling
it in ancient records, and much nearer the uniform
pronunciation of the inhabitants, is plainly from the
ancient Gaelic name Mor-Earran, i. e. great division,
or lot. To those who are acquainted with the Gaelic
language, it will appear evident, that the meaning of
this name must be different from the word Mor Ven,
as used in the poems of Ossian, where it is derived
from the Gaelic words Mor Bheann, i. e. of the great
mountains, and seems to have been a general term
for the Highlands, or hilly country.
"The common notion is, that the whole Highlands
were the country of Fingal and his heroes, for in
* See Statistical Account of Scotland, Vol. X. p. 262 and 274.
332
SUPPLEMENTAL OBSERVATIONS ON THE
i
every part thereof, as well as in this parish, there
are names derived from them, and their achieve-
ments. The whole Highlands might justly be called
Duthaich nam mor Bheann, or country of high hills;
but a Highlander never gives that name to this
parish, but calls it A mhor-earran.
"The principal antiquity is the ruin of a castle, at
a farm called Ardterinish (possibly the Inishtore of
Ossian), on the sound of Mull, where Macdonald of
the Isles resided, and held his courts and parliaments.
Vide Abercrombie's Life of James II.
"In different parts of the parish, especially along
the coast of the sound of Mull, on elevated places,
there are several circular buildings, commonly called
druidical temples, or cairns. They are generally
formed of large whinstones, inclosing a small spot
of ground, of different diameters, none of them
exceeding eight yards. The language principally
spoken in the parish, is Gaelic; but of late years,
by the advantages derived from schools, and the
more general communication with the low country,
the English language is more universally understood
throughout the parish than formerly. Many names
of places in this parish are of unknown, or uncer-
tain derivations; others plainly of Gaelic or Celtic
original. Thus, Innismore is the great brae; Port a
baat, the boat creek; Fiunary, Fingal's shieling;
Dunien, Fingal's fort or hill; Kemin, Fingal's steps
or stairs. Dunien is a curious round rock, of consi-
derable height, partly covered on the sides with a
green sward, but of no easy ascent. On the top
is an area of about one-eighth of an acre, which
AUTHENTICITY OF OSSIAN'S POEMS.
533
?
I
evidently appears to have been encircled with a wall;
very few vestiges of which now remain, owing partly
to the injuries of time, and partly to want of taste in
the tenants formerly occupying the farm, who pulled
down the stones, for domestic purposes, to save the
trouble of quarrying.
"The den itself commands an extensive view, and
was well chosen for a place of defence against a
flying party it lies on the farm of Fiunary, and is
now part of the glebe. There is a water running by
the foot of the hill, of a romantic appearance, on
account of its high banks and the number of its pools
and cascades.
"The sloping braes on each side of this water, were
formerly covered with a fine natural wood of oak
and ash; of which nothing now remains but a little
brushwood, a nuisance rather than a beauty to the
place. Kemin, is steps in the form of a natural stair,
pretty regular, in a rock, towards the top of a hill
called Bein-eiden, mentioned in an old poem ascribed
to Ossian; but whether this, or another of that name
in Ireland, be the hill therein referred to, it is not
pretended to say; Drimnin, the ridges, Ullin, the
elbow, Stron, the nose; Achaharn, the field of cairns,
Arginish, the shieling of good bedding for cattle,
names of places very descriptive of their appearance
or properties. The principal place of worship, and
where the oldest church stands, is called Cill-collum-
kill, or cell of the famous Columbus of Iona. The
other place of worship is Kiliunik, or cell of Wini-
fred. Though the church is now removed to a little
distance from it; at each of these there is a church-
1
534
SUPPLEMENTAL OBSERVATIONS ON THE
yard, or burying-ground, but now without any fence,
though anciently their precincts were distinctly
marked, and considered as sanctuaries."
Probable Conjectures respecting the Burial-places of
FINGAL and OSSIAN.
Thomas Newte, Esq. in his Prospects and Obser-
vations on a Tour in England and Scotland,* speak-
ing of that part of Glen Almon, which is next to
Crief and the low country, accords with the descrip-
tion given by Daniel de Foe in his Tour, who says
that the hollow through which the road passes from
Crief to Inverness, is so narrow, and the mountains
on each side so high, that the sun is seen but two or
three hours in the longest day. Mr. Newte then
continues to make the following interesting obser-
vations. "In that awful part of Glen Almon already
mentioned, where lofty and impending cliffs, on
either hand, make a solemn and almost perpetual
gloom, is found Clachan-Ossian, or monumental stone
of Ossian. It is of uncommon size, measuring seven
feet and a half in length, and five feet in breadth.
About fifty years ago, certain soldiers employed
under General Wade, in making the military road
from Stirling to Inverness, through the Highlands,
raised the stone by large engines, and discovered
under it a coffin full of burnt bones. This coffin
consisted of four grey stones, which still remain, such
as are mentioned in Ossian's Poems. Ossian's stone,
with the four grey stones in which his bones are said
• Edition in quarto, published in 1791, p. 228.
AUTHENTICITY OF OSSIAN'S POEMS.
535
1
F
to have been deposited, are surrounded by a circular
dyke, two hundred feet in circumference, and three
feet in height. The military road passes through its
centre.
"That this was in reality the burying-place and
the monument of Ossian, is rendered highly probable
by many other circumstances, besides immemorial
and uniform tradition. The frontier between Cale-
donia, and that part of Great Britain that was sub-
dued by the Romans, very naturally became the
theatre of action and glory to the contending na-
tions. Nor is there any thing more natural than to
suppose that Fingal and his warriors might have
often fixed their residence in the neighbourhood of
those mountains, in order to watch the movements
of the enemy.
""
Many of the ancient Gaelic poems make mention
of Ossian having resided upon the water of Bran,
which flows in a parallel direction, at the distance of
only three or four miles from the Almon, and falls
into the Tay near Dunkeld. And, at the head of
Glen Turret, which touches on Glen Almon, in the
parish of Monivaird, there is a shealing, or summer
cottage, called Renna Cardich, or the Smith's sheal,
where is to be seen the foundation-stones of houses,
and what are said to be large heaps of ashes; and
some of the old Gaelic poems of the country inform
us, that there was an iron work here, and that the
swords and arms for Fingal's army were made at
Lochenlour, four miles in the valley below. That
the iron was brought from this place, is further con-
firmed from the peats cast in that part of the country.
536
SUPPLEMENTAL OBSERVATIONS ON THE
These burnt in kiln-pots leave a plate of yetlin
amongst the ashes, which the country people call
adander. A tradition also prevails, that Ossian was
proprietor of part of Monivaird, a place that must, in
ancient times, have been famous for bards, as that
term in Gaelic signifies the Bard's Hill.
"About the middle of Glen-Almon, and about three
miles distant from Clach-Ossian, in a glen named
Corriviarlich, or the Glen of Thieves, is a cave known
by the name of Fian, Fingal's Cave, though after-
wards possessed by a race of thieves. The entry to
this cave is five feet in height, and four feet in
breadth; the road in the middle is about eighteen
or twenty feet high, and the length about thirty
feet. This cave is overtopped by a high rock or
hill; and on the left side of the door or entry, is a
large flat stone, which is said to have been drawn
by the Fians, or Fingalians, to the mouth of this
cave, as a defence from the cold or from wild beasts.
Before the cave is a fine green plain, and a high pine
tree, three feet in diameter. The glen is proper
for
pasture, and may be about one mile long, and two
broad.
"There is another high hill or rock, in Glen-Almon,
that overtops all the rest, with a proud extended
crest, known by the name of Sron na huath Bhidh, or
the Nose of the Cave: there is a great hollow under
ground, where it is said a giant once resided, who
entertained a malicious grudge against Fingal, when
he dwelt at Fion Theach.
"Great many of the poems, translated by Mr. Mac-
pherson, chiefly relate to Fingal's exploits in Ireland,
AUTHENTICITY OF OSSIAN'S POEMS.
537
and upon the north and west coast of Scotland. The
rapid progress which the Saxon language made in the
low country, from the days of Malcolm Ceanmore,
not only rooted out the Gaelic language in that part
of the country, but has also with it, no doubt, occa-
sioned the loss of many of Ossian's poems; there are
still, however, fragments in the same translation,
where frequent mention is made of Fingal's ex-
ploits upon the banks of Carron, in the county of
Stirling.
"Beneath the voice of her king, we moved to
Crona (a small rivulet which discharged itself into
the river Carron,) of the streams, Toscar, or grassy
Lutha, and Ossian young in fields. Three bards.
attended with songs. Three bossy shields were born
before us, for we were to rear the stone in memory of
the past. By Crona's mossy course, Fingal had scatter
ed his foes; we had rolled away the strangers like a
troubled sea."
"Herodian, Dio, and other writers make mention of
the Emperor Severus having passed the two walls,
and fought in person with the Caledonians and their
leader, which very probably may have been Fingal,
and perhaps the above poem relates to that part of
the history. It cannot, however, be imagined, that
Fingal, who at that time, anno 207, was chief of the
Caledonians, could have remained inactive, when such
a powerful army was at hand: and indeed it appeared
that the invasion of Severus had such an effect upon
the Caledonians, that they sent ambassadors to sue
for peace, which was rejected. The consequence
was, that a bloody engagement commenced, in which
"
538
SUPPLEMENTAL OBSERVATIONS ON THE
the Caledonians proved victorious, and the emperor
returned with the loss of many thousands of men.
"The Romans again made another effort against
the Caledonians, under their leader Caracalla. Fingal
met them upon the banks of Carron, where a battle
ensued, in which the Romans were again defeated
with considerable loss.
"Selma in Morven, which is said to have been Fin-
gal's chief residence, is only about sixty computed
miles distant from Glen Almon, and Ossian, Fingal's
son, would, no doubt, continue to rouse the army
after his father's death, by his martial example and
warlike song; and probably chose to have his re-
sidence near the spot where there was the greatest
danger: the Roman camp, the forts and tumuli nigh
to Clach-Ossian, are evident proofs that this part of
the country, was the scene of action, so early as the
time when the Romans came into this part of the
island.
"Besides what is above related, it may not be im-
proper here to take notice, that it is the opinion of
several respectable clergymen and others, in the
neighbourhood of Glen Almon, that the stone in
question was known by the name of Clach-Ossian,
beyond the memory of any living person; and in-
deed the names of places nigh the spot, will, in some
instances, serve as further proofs; upon the other
side of the Almon, and not far distant from the camp,
is a small village named Fian-Theach, i. e. Fingal's
thatch-house, or hall; and at the west end of Loch
Fraochy, is a place named Dall-Chillin, or Fingal's
burial-place. Whether this was Fingal's burial-place,
·
AUTHENTICITY OF OSSIAN'S POEMS.
539
:
or not, shall be left to the determination of the Gaelic
critics.
"The many caves which we find in the Highlands,
and which to this day, are said to be caves for the
giants to reside in, are with them strong proofs for
the authority of their fables, whereas it is evident,
that those caves were places of safety, in ancient
times, when pursued by their enemies, or probably
for places of residence, as we find is the case in Ice-
land, and many other countries even to this period;
where the inhabitants live in caves, or dens, under
rocks and under ground, which are not only the
most proper places for security from their enemies,
but are likewise better adapted for their preserva-
tion from voracious animals, with which Scotland
abounded, at a period so early as the days of Ossian.
This country being at that time over-run with woods,
afforded shelter to wolves and bears, enemies to the
human race, and they had no other place of safety
for their residence, but either in their caves, or upon
the tops of the hills. Hence it is, that there are few
hills in the Highlands, but what have to this day, ves-
tiges of castles and houses; and which, in conformity
to the formerly received notion of giants' caves, are
called Giants' castles, or the Fians' castles, which may
be easily understood to be castles possessed in the
Fingalian age, or age of giants, or mighty warriors.
I have farther learned, that when Ossian's stone was
moved, and the coffin containing his supposed re-
mains discovered, it was intended, by the officer
commanding the party of soldiers employed on the
military road, to let the bones remain within the
!
E
540
SUPPLEMENTAL OBSERVATIONS ON THE
stone sepulchre, in the same position in which they
were found, until General Wade should come and see
them, or his mind be known on the subject. But
the people of the country, for several miles around,
to the number of three or four score men, venerating
the memory of the bard, rose with one consent, and
carried away the bones, with bag-pipes playing, and
other funeral rites, and deposited them, with much
solemnity, within a circle of large stones, on the
lofty summit of a rock, sequestered, and of difficult
access, where they might never more be disturbed
by mortal feet or hands, in the wild recesses of the
western Glen Almon. One Christie, who is con-
sidered as the Cicerone and antiquarian of Glen
Almon, and many other persons yet alive, attest the
truth of this fact, and point out the second sepulchre
of the son of Fingal."
The topographic scenes of Fingal and his warriors,
might have been extended to a considerable length,
had the limits of our plan permitted. There are
many other interesting communications, from vari-
ous districts of the Highlands, on this subject, in-
serted in Sir John Sinclair's valuable work, entitled
"Statistical Account of Scotland," which might have
been, with equal propriety, selected. Much is still
to be done, in this respect, by the learned clergy of
Scotland, and by travellers, or other persons combin-
ing local knowledge with a spirit of research and
zeal for preserving the antiquities of their country.
స
Slow A Specimen of Ossianic Music .

Peoplepeppipiciar la ten
of
1
E

AUTHENTICITY OF OSSIAN'S POEMS.
541
A
OSSIANIC MUSIC.
It is fortunately in our power to lay before our
readers a specimen of the music to which some parts
of the poems of Ossian were formerly sung. It was
transmitted to Sir John Sinclair by the Reverend
John Cameron, minister of the parish of Halkirk, in
the county of Caithness, who had learned it from a
very old man in his parish many years ago, and who
was accustomed to sing some of the poems of Ossian
to that tune, with infinite delight and enthusiasm.
Every connoisseur in music will at once see, that
the tune, from its simplicity, wildness, and peculiar
structure, must be an ancient composition. The bass
is added to it by Mr. Corri of Edinburgh.
There are many more of these tunes handed down
with the poems, which are equally worthy of being
laid before the public; but the Committee deem it
sufficient to insert in this work only one specimen.

#
}
MOR V
OUND
OF
MULL
Map of Ancient SELMA, the residence of Suigal
E
with part of the Fingalian Territories in the Shire of Argyle.
RN
LINNE
LOCH
N
90
1
Barcaldine
Ber
tion
Ardumckmsh
Ber
D
Lom Heath
OF MUEL
British Miles
2
3
Galkanach
A. Here are Six Cairns.
On the Heath ofZora There are about 17.or18.Cairns,
Castle
Published Feb 1 1807, by G.&W.Nicoll.Pall Mall.
In Lo
Clerin
Noelt sc.Strand .
Cona
[ 543 ]
}
BRIEF NOTICES of Books which treat of the CELTIC,
GAELIC, IRISH, and WELSH LANGUAGES, ANTI-
QUITIES, MANNERS, and CUSTOMS; also of GAELIC
and IRISH MSS. still existing in Great Britain and
Ireland.
Those having an asterick * prefixed are quoted in Sir JOHN SINCLAIR'S
Dissertation, Vol. I.-Those with this mark † are quoted in Mr.
M'ARTHUR'S Notes to Cesarotti's Dissertation, or in the SUPPLE-
MENTAL OBSERVATIONS; and when the two marks are prefixed, they
indicate being quoted both in the DISSERTATION and SUPPLEMENTAL
OBSERVATIONS.
LE Rosier Historial de France, contenant par maniere de chronique
and par années distinctes les faits et gestes des François, des Anglois,
des Ecossois, des Espagnols, et autres dignes de memoire, depuis
Pharamond premier Roi de François, jusqu' en 1517. Paris 1522 in
folio. A copy printed on vellum, with portraits, was in Mons.
Gaignat's library at Paris before the Revolution.
* + The History of Scotland to the death of James I. in 17 books,
by Hector Boethius. It was originally written in Latin, and the first
edition was printed in folio at Paris, in 1526.-It was translated into
the Scottish language by John Ballanden, Archdeacon of Murray,
who died at Rome in 1550.-Another edition in Latin, with the 18th,
and part of the 19th, book, was printed in folio at Sausan, in 1574.
This work was afterwards carried down to the end of the reign of
James III. by J. Ferrerius, a native of Piedmont, and it was pub-
lished in English by R. Holinshed, in his English Chronicles, Vol. I.
London, 1577. The style of Boethius has been remarked "to have
all the purity of Cæsar's, and is so nervous, both in the reflection and
diction, that he seems to have absolutely entered into the gravity of
Livy, and made it his own.”
English and Welsh Dictionary, by Wm. Salesbury, was first pri-
vately presented to K'ag Henry VIII, (the author's kind patron) and
afterwards printed, London, 1546.-4to.
544
BOOKS WHICH TREAT OF THE CELTIC
+ Description of the Western Isles of Scotland, by Donald Monro,
High Dean of the Isles. In this work there is an accurate account of
the language, manners, and customs of the Highlanders, from obser-
vations made in the Dean's tour through the Isles in 1549. This work
is often quoted by George Buchannan and other writers; and Bishop
Nicolson, in his Scottish Historical Library, printed in 1736, quotes
from the MS.-An edition of this work was published at Edinburgh
in 1774:
+ Ecclesiastica Historiæ Gentis Anglorum libri quinque, Beda An-
glorum Saxone Authore. Ecclesiastical History of Britain, by Bede.
Antwerp, 1550.-Another edition was printed at Cologn in 1601. It
was printed in folio with the Saxon version, attributed to King Alfred,
with notes by Abraham Theloe, at Cambridge, in 1644, and at Paris,
1681, in 4to. with the notes of Francis Chifflet.-There was an edi-
tion published by G. Smith, at Cambridge, in 1722, with notes and
dissertations. This author flourished in the middle of the 7th cen-
tury, and Bayle observes, that there is scarce any thing in all antiquity
worthy to be read which is not to be found in Bede, though he tra-
velled not out of his own country; and that if he had flourished in
the times of St. Augustine, Jerome, or Chrysostom, he would un-
doubtedly have equalled them, since even in the midst of a superstitious
age, he wrote so many excellent treatises.
+ Scoti-chronicon, by John Fordun, the Father of Scottish History.
This author flourished in the 14th century. In his history there are
some curious and valuable particulars, which have been quoted by
subsequent historians, among which may be classed the Salutation of
the Highland Bard, or Genealogist, at the coronation of Alex. III.
in 1249, cited by Skinner in his Ecclesiastical History, and noticed in
p. 305, Supplemental Observations.-A MS. on vellum of this histo-
rian is in the library of the University of Edinburgh.
↑ De Historia Gentis Scotorum, seu Historia Majoris Britanniæ.
Jo. Major. Paris, 1521, 4to. This author was born at Haddington,
in Scotland, in 1469, and went to study at Paris in 1493. In 1505
he was created Doctor in Divinity, and returned to Scotland in 1519,
and taught theology for several years in the University of St. An-
drews. In 1530 he was chosen Professor of Divinity at St. Andrews,
where he afterwards became Provost, and is said to have died about
1547.
LANGUAGE, CUSTOMS, AND ANTIQUITIES.
545
F
Histoire memorabile des Expeditions faites par les Gaulois, depuis le
Deluge, tant en France qu'en Asie et autres parties du monde, le tout
en bref et epitome, pour montrer avec quels moyens l'Empire des
Infideles peut et doit par eux etre defait; par Guil. Postel. Paris,
1552, in 12mo. This work is very curious and scarce. It is divided
into two parts: the first treats of the Gauls from the remotest periods;
the second part is an apology for the Gauls against their detractors,
and contains an account of the ancient rites and usages of the Gaulish
people.
* + The Palice of Honour, by Gawin Douglas, Bishop of Dunkeld.
This is a most ingenious poem, under the similitude of a vision; in
which the author delineates the vanity of inconstancy of all worldly
glory. Among other works of this author, we have a translation of
Virgil's Æneis into Scottish verse, every book having its particular
prologue, printed in 1553, London, 4to. and reprinted at Edin. 1710, in
folio. In 1515 Gawin Douglas was appointed Bishop of Dunkeld, and
in 1522 died in London of the plague, and was buried in the Savoy.
De Prisca Celto-pædea Joan Piccardus, 1556, 4to.
* The poetical Works of Sir David Lyndsay of the Mount, Lion
King at Arms in Scotland, under James V. containing the Dreme,
or Marvellous Vision, the Complaynt, the Satyre of the Three Estates,
and other poems. His works were first printed in 4to. and 12mo. in
1558, about one year after his death, and between that period and
1634 twelve English and Scottish editions were printed; among the
subsequent editions, one was published by Mr. Pinkerton, and an-
other by Mr. Sibbald. There has been recently printed a new edition
of Lyndsay's Works, with a Life of the Author, Prefatory Disserta-
tions on the Chronology, and various editions of his poems.--Philo-
logical Enquiries respecting the Teutonic language of Scotland, &c.
and an appropriate Glossary, by George Chalmers, Esq. in 3 vols.
12mo. Lyndsay is much admired for the ease and elegance of his
versification, and for his morals, satires, and general learning.
4
+ Chronica Angliæ, Scotia, et Hiberniæ.-The English, Scottish,
and Irish Chronicles, containing an historical description of the Island
of Britain, in 3 books, by Wm. Harrison. "The Historie of England,
from the time it was first inhabited until the time it was last con-
quered," by R. Holinshed. "The Description, Conquest, Inhabitation,
and Troublesome Estate of Ireland," by Richard Stanehurst. “The
VOL. III.
Na
546 BOOKS WHICH TREAT OF THE CETLIC
Conquest of Ireland, translated from the Latin of Giraldus Cam-
brensis," by John Hooker, alias Vowel, of Exeter, Gent. "The
Chronicles of Ireland, beginning where Giraldus did end, continued
to the year 1509." by R. Holinshed; and from thence to 1586 by
R. Stanehurst and J. Hooker. "The Description of Scotland, trans-
lated from the Latin of Hector Boethius." "The Historie of Scot-
land, containing the beginning, increase, proceedings, continuance,
acts, and government of the Scottish nation, from the original thereof
unto the yeare 1570, compiled by Raphael Holinshed and others."
London, 1577; two vols. folio.-Another edition was printed in 1587,
in two vols. folio, which is thought preferable to the first. This work
is very scarce, and much esteemed for its bold and independent style.
In Queen Elizabeth's time some parts of the Chronicles gave offence,
and were suppressed by order of government.
+ De Origine Moribus et Rebus gestis Scotorum, by John Leslie,
Bishop of Ross, in 4to. Rome, 1578. This work consists of 10 books,
whereof the 3 last, making half of the volume, are distinctly dedicated
to Queen Mary, to whom they had been presented in English seven
years before the first publication in Latin. There are separate copies
of them in several libraries. See Catalog. MSS. Oxon. This history
is carried down to the Queen's return from France in 1561.-In the
first 7 books we have an abstract of Boethius, whose very words are
frequently retained; and the Bishop declares he had examined the
books of Scoone and Paisley for his materials. Sir George Mackenzie,
in his Defence of the Royal Line, p. 39, believes he might meet with
several MSS. at Rome, where he supposes him to have written his
history; but Dr. Stillingfleet, in his Præf. ad Orig. Brit. p. xvii. won-
ders that none of his curious countrymen have yet gotten them
transcribed.
Histoire abregé de tous les Rois de France, Angleterre, et Escosse,
mise en ordre par forme de Harmonie; contenant aussi un bref discours
de l'ancienne Alliance et mutuel Secours entre la France et l'Escosse,
&c. par
D. Chambre, Conseiller en la Cour de Parliament à Edin-
burgh, 8vo. Paris, 1579. The affairs of Scotland are the chief subject
in this work, and what Chambre had in view; and he professes to
give the spirit of whatever had been offered to the world by Ve-
remund, or that was contained in the Black Book of Scoone, the
old Chronicles of Icolmkill, &c. whereas Boethius appears to be his
LANGUAGE, CUSTOMS, AND ANTIQUITIES. 547
?
main authority. The author's original MS. of this work is said to be
in the Kings's (now national) library, at Paris.
Celt. Hellenisme, ou Etymologie de Mots François tirez de Grec.
Lion Tippault. Orleans, 1580, 8vo.
Britannia, sive Regnorum Angliæ, Scotia, Herbeniæ, et Insularum
adjacentium Decriptio chorographica cum Tabulis æneis Gulielmi
Camdeni. Londini, 1607, folio. Several editions of this work had
been published prior to the year 1607, but this last edition is the most
complete, a translation of which, from the Latin into English, was
published in 1695, by Edmund Gibson, of Queen's College, Oxford,
afterwards Bishop of London. Another translation was published in
1611, by Dr. Holland, a physician of Canterbury, who inserted therein
several articles of his own. Mr. Gibson afterwards (in 1722) gave a
a new translation of Camden's new translation of Works, divested of
all foreign interpolations, with notes and illustrations, in 2 vols. folio;
which was reprinted in 1772, under the inspection of George Scott,
Esq. Bishop Gibson's son-in-law. Sir James Dalrymple published
an edition of Camden's Description of Scotland; to which he added
a supplement and several good remarks and corrections of the text.
Edin. 1695, in 8vo.
Thresor de l'Histoire des Langues de cest Univers. Claud Duret.
Geneve, 1613.
Enquiries touching the Diversity of Languages and Religion through
the chief Parts of the World, Edward Brerewood. London, 1614,
4to. The author, in 1596, became the First Professor of Astronomy
in Gresham College, London, and died in 1613. His works were pub-
lished by his nephew, Robert Brerewood, who has written a large
and learned preface to these enquiries. This work was translated into
French by Jean de la Montagne, and printed at Paris 1640.-8vo.
Origines Celticæ. Rodoinus Schrickius. Ipr. 1614, folio.
Ductor inLinguas. The Guide into Tongues, viz. Anglicam, Cambro-
Britannicam, &c. Johannes Minshæus. Londini, 1617, folio.
Antiquæ Linguæ Britannicæ, nunc dicta Cambro-Britannicæ et
Rudimenta. Joann. Davies. Lond. 1621, 8vo.
Le Reveil de l'antique Tombeau de Chyndonax, Prince de Vacies,
Druides Celtiques Dijonois, avec les ceremonies observées aux anciennes
Sépultures; Jean Guènebaut. Dijon, 1621, 8vo. This is a very curious
work, and extremely scarce. The best editions have an engraving of
the tomb and urn of Chyndonax.
}
548
BOOKS WHICH TREAT OF THE CELTIC
Dictionnaire et Colloques François et Breton. Guil. Quicquer.
Morlaix, 1626, 12mo.
+ The Life of St. Columba, written in the 7th century in Gaelic
or in Latin, but, according to Sir Robert Sibbald, in the former
by Adamnanus, Abbot of Icolmkill. It was first published in English
in Jerom Porter's Flowers of the Saints. (4to. Duac. 1632.)
+ The Life of King Malcolm Kenmore, or Ceanmore, of Scot-
land, and Queen Margaret, written at the close of the 11th, or early
in the 12th century, by Turgot, Bishop of St. Andrews, who had
been preceptor to their children. He died in 1115. This Life could
not be but well written, for the reasons justly assigned by Hector
Boethius. "Conscripsit (say he) vernacula quidem linguâ, sed non
minori elegantià quam pietate veritateque, ut qui illis familiarissi-
mus, dum viveret, fuerit, optimusque testis utrique vertutum suarum
extiterit." It was published in English in Jerom Porter's Flowers
of the Saints (4to. Duac. 1632); also in Spanish by Juan de Soto
(4to. Alcal. 1617); and in Italian by Gulielmo Leslie (8vo. Roma,
1674).
Histoire de France depuis Pharamond jusqu'à la paix de Vervins sous
Henri IV. en 1598, avec les portraits des Rois Reynes et Dauphins,
leur Medaïlles et leur Explications par François Eudes de Mezerai.
Paris, 1643, 3 vols. folio. Successive editions of the works of this ce-
lebrated historian were printed in 1646, 1651, 1685, in folio. In 1668
an abridgment of this history was published, in 3 vols. 4to. and in 1672
it was published in 6 vols. 12mo. As an historian he is valued
very highly and deservedly, for his integrity and accuracy in relating
facts as he found them. The edition published in 1685, in 3 vols.
folio, is the most valuable to the Celtic antiquary, as, among other
matters, there will be found a separate dissertation on the origin of
the Gauls or Franks, on the state of the Gaulish religion until the
reign of Clovis, and remarks concerning the history of the first race
and changes in chronology. There is also a variety of other additional
matter interspersed in the text of this valuable edition.
Lexicon Hibernicum, præsertim pro vocabulis antiquioribus et
obscuris. Michael Clery seu O'Cleirigh. Lovanii, 1643, 8vo.
* + Triades Thaumaturgæ, sive Divorum Patricii Columbæ et Brigidæ
trium veteris et majores Scotia seu Hiberniæ Sanctorum Insulæ
cmmunium Patronorum Acta. J. Colganus, Lovan. 1647.-3 vols.
folio. The learned author, John Colgan, an Irish mendicant friar and
LANGUAGE, CUSTOMS, AND ANTIQUITIES.
549
divinity lecturer in the University of Louvain, published under the
above title 3 large volumes, containing the lives of some hundreds of
saints that are supposed to have been born or bred in Ireland.
Gemma Cambricum, by Richard Jones, Oxford, 1652. This work,
as observed by Wood, contains in Welsh, with admirable brevity, all
the books and chapters of the Bible.
+ "Disquisitiones de Hibernia et Antiquitatibus ejus," by Sir James
Ware. London, 1654 and 1658.-8vo. It consists of 28 chapters,
wherein he learnedly displays the origin of the Irish nation and
people, their language, ancient form of government, their religion,
worship both before and after their conversion to Chistianity, their
Brehon-law and other peculiar rites, their habits, military exercise,
&c. In the English translation there were four new chapters added.
Sir James Ware, in this work speaks of the Psalters, which are
numerous in Irish. All the compositions of the old Bards (Irish) in
verse were called Psalters, and three of them are of great note.
1. Psalter-Tarach, is a collection of Old Chronicles allowed in a
solemn convention of the estates of Ireland in the reign of King
Loagerius, and Life of St. Patrick.
2. Psalter-Cashel, was written by Cormac, son of Culinan King
and Bishop of Cashel or Munster about the year 900. This, Mr.
Astle remarks, is the oldest Irish MS. which we have discovered.
3. Psalter-Narran, is an old parchment book of miscellaneous col-
lections, relating to Irish affairs, in prose and verse, Latin and Irish,
written in the 15th century.
An edition of Sir James Ware's History and Antiquities of Ireland
was published in 3 vols. folio, and the whole revised and improved
by Walter Harris. Dublin, 1739. The 3d volume of this work gives
a particular account of the Irish writers from very remote periods.
Le sacre College de Jesus, &c. avec un Dictionaire, ane Grammaire,
et Syntax en Langue Armorique. Julian Maunoir, Quimper Corintin,
1659, 8vo.
Historical Essay, endeavouring to prove that the Chineses is the
primitive language. John Webb. London, 1669.
* + Essays on the Antiquities and Ancient Inhabitants of Scotland.
Innės.
* + The Acts and Life of the most victorious Conqueror Robert
Bruce, King of Scotland, wherein also are contained the martial deeds
of the valiant Princes Edward Bruce, Sir James Dowglass, Earl
550
BOOKS WHICH TREAT OF THE CELTIC
Thomas Randal, Walter Stewart, and sundry others. A heroic
poem, written in the reign of David I. in the 14th century, by John
Barbour, Archdeacon of Aberdeen. An 8vo edition was printed at
Glasgow in 1672, and reprinted in 1737. There is a MS. of this
poem (1489) in the Advocate's library at Edinburgh. This author
was employed on several embassies to England during the reign of
Edward III. and had various marks of respect shewn him at the English
court.
+ "Miscellanea," consisting of ten tracts upon different subjects,
by Sir Wm. Temple, 1672, in 2 vols. 8vo. One of these tracts is upon
ancient and modern learning. His introduction to the History of
England was published in 1695.
Grammatica Latino-Hibernica. Franciscus O'Molloy. Roma, 1677.
-12mo.
+ A Defence of the Antiquity of the Royal Line of Scotland;
with a true account when the Scots were governed by the kings in
the Island of Britain, 1685, 8vo. by Sir George Mackenzie. This
was written in answer to "An Historical Account of Church Go-
vernment, as it was in Great Britain and Ireland when they first
received the Christian Religion," by Lloyd, Bishop of St. Asaph. Sir
George's defence was, before it came out, animadverted upon by Dr.
Stillingfleet, who had seen it in MS., in the preface to his book,
entitled, "Origines Britannica; to which Sir George replied in the
year following, in a work entitled, "The Antiquity of the Royal
Line of Scotland further cleared and defended against the exceptions
lately offered by Dr. Stillingfleet, in his vindication of the Bishop of
St. Asaph." These works of Sir George were translated into Latin,
and printed at Utrecht in 1689. Among other valuable works of
this author were published, at different periods, "A Discourse upon
the Laws and Customs of Scotland in matters criminal, 1674," 4to.
❝Institutions of the Laws of Scotland, 1684," 8vo. "Observations upon
the Acts of Parliament, 1686," folio. Besides these, several other law
treatises are inserted in his works, printed at Edin. 1716, in 2 vols.
folio. It is proper to observe, that among the instances of this author's
zeal for his country, he founded the Lawyers' Library at Edinburgh
in 1689. This now goes by the name of the Advocates' Library; and
was afterwards stored with a variety of MSS. relating particularly to
the antiquity of the Scottish nation, and all sorts of books in all the
sciences, classed in that excellent order which he prescribed in an
LANGUAGE, CUSTOMS, AND ANTIQUITIES.
551
}
i
elegant Latin oration pronounced when the library was opened, and
printed among his works. Sir George Mackenzie died in London in
May, 1691.
+ The Irish Bible, translated by King, under the auspices of Bedell,
Bishop of Kilmore, in 1685. Another edition was printed in Lon-
don, 1690.
A Dictionary of Welsh and English. Thomas Jones. London, 1688,
8vo.
Paralellismus et Convenientia duodecim Linguarum ex matrice
Schyto-Celtica Europa. Kirkmajerus. Witteb. 1697, 4to.
*The English, Scottish, and Irish Historical Libraries, giving a
short view and character of most of the historians, either in print or MS.;
with an account of our records, law-books, coins, and other matters
serviceable to the undertakers of a general history of England, by
Wm. Nicolson, Bishop of Carlisle. Part 1st. was printed in 1696; part 2d.
in 1697; and part 3d. in 1699. A second edition of all the three
parts together was printed in 1714, in a thin folio, and afterwards
in 4to. The Scottish Historical Library was printed in 1702, in 8vo.
A third edition of all the three parts was printed in London,
1736, in folio; to which is added, a letter to the Rev. White Kennet,
D.D. in defence of the English Historical Library. In the Appendix
No. II. there is a vocabulary of Gaelic words, collected by Mr.
Kirk, which has been particularly noticed, p. 403, Supplemental
Observations.
Account of a Voyage to St. Kilda. M. Martin. London, 1698.
History of Great Britain, from the Revolution in 1688, to the Ac-
cession of George I. by Alexander Cunningham, in 2 vols. 4to. This
work was written in Latin, but translated into English by the Rev.
Dr. Wm. Thomson. It abounds in jast political remarks, and the
facts are related with great fidelity; and it is interesting to many
readers on account of his many allusions to the classics, and to the
ancient history of Scotland. The author was born in Scotland in 1654,
and at an early period of life was travelling tutor to Lord Lorne,
afterwards so well known under the title of John Duke of Argyll..
He was afterwards British Envoy to the republic of Venice from 1715
to 1720, and died in London at the advanced age of 83.
+ Recherches sur l'Antiquité de la Nation et de la Langue des Celtes
antrement appellés Gaulois, par Dom. Paul Pezron. Paris, 1703,
552
BOOKS WHICH TREAT OF THE CELTIC
12mo. A curious and much esteemed work. This edition is ex-
tremely scarce.
+ Antiquité de la Nation et de la Langue des Celtes autrement
appelez Gaulois (avec Table des mots.) Paul Pezron. Paris, 1703,8vo.
This learned author had it in contemplation to publish a complete
work on the origin of nations, and more especially to trace and deve-
lope the origin of the ancient Celts; but Matiniere, in his Critical
and Geographical Dictionary under the article Celts, has given a most
interesting letter from Pezron to the Abbé Nicaise, which throws
much light on the antiquity of the Celts, and it was for the first time
published in the said Dictionary after Pezron's death. This work is
particularly noticed, p. 416, Supplemental Observations.
+ Description of the Western Islands of Scotland, by M. Martin.
London, 1703.-12mo. This work contains, as expressed in the title-
page, a full account of the Western Isles, their situation, extent, soils,
produce, &c. The ancient and modern government, religion, and cus-
toms of the inhabitants; particularly of their Druids, heathen tem-
ples, monasteries, churches, chapels, antiquities, monuments, forts,
caves, and other curiosities of art and nature. Dr. Johnson's father
having put this work into his hand when a boy, was what first excited
his curiosity to visit the Hebrides in 1773.
+ * The History of Scotland, by George Buchannan, originally
written in Latin, has run through successive editions, in this and other
countries, as well as his other miscellaneous works in prose and verse.
In this history the critics have done him the justice to say, "he has
happily united the force and brevity of Sallust with the perspicuity
and elegance of Livy." His translation into Latin of the Psalms of
David stands unequalled for its classical purity; and Dr. Robertson
observes, "the happy genius of Buchannan, equally formed to excel
in prose and in verse, more various, more original, and more elegant
than that almost of any other modern who writes in Latin, reflects,
with regard to this particular, the greatest lustre on his country."
His works have been severally printed often, in various countries;
an edition of them all collected together was printed at Edinb.
in 1704, in 2 vols. folio. This author flourished in the 16th century,
and died at Edinb. in 1582, in the 76th year of his age.
+ Archælogia Britannica; containing comparative etymology, com-
parative vocabulary of the original languages of Britain and Ireland, &c.;
LANGUAGE, CUSTOMS, AND ANTIQUITIES.
553
an Essay towards a British Etymologicon, or the Welsh collated
with the Greek and Latin, and some other European languages by
David Parry. An Armoric Grammar and Vocabulary, by Julian
Maunoir, englished out of French by Mr. Williams. A brief Intro-
duction to the Irish or Ancient Scottish Language. An Irish-English
Dictionary. Ed. Lhuyd. Oxford, 1707, folio. This eminent antiquary
died in July, 1709, and left, in MS. a Scottish or Irish-English Dictio-
nary, which was proposed to have been published by subscription,
in 1732, by David Malcolme, a minister of the Church of Scotland,
with additions; as also the Elements of the said Language, with ne-
cessary and useful information for propagating more effectually the
English Language, and for promoting the knowledge of the Ancient
Gaelic or Irish, and very many branches of useful and curious learn-
ing. Mr. Malcolme, not meeting with suitable encouragement, gave
up his plan. Sir Thomas Seabright, of Beachwood, in Hertfordshire,
purchased the numerous MSS. belonging to Mr. Lhuyd, after his
death. They consisted of 40 vols. in folio, 10 in quarto, and above
100 smaller; which all relate to the Gaelic, Irish, and Welsh anti-
quities, and chiefly in those languages.
+ De Re diplomatica libri sex, in quibus quicquid ad veterum in-
strumentorum antiquitatem materiam scripturam et stilum, &c.
Johannis Mabillon. Par. 1709, folio. The examination of almost an
infinite number of charters and ancient titles which had passed through
this learned French Benedictine's hands, enabled him to form the
design of reducing to certain rules and principles, the art of decypher-
ing the periods of ancient writings.
* + Historia Rerum Norvegicarum.
Thormodi Torfæi, Hauniæ 1711, 4 vols. in folio.
* + Ejusdem Torfei Rerum Orcadensium Historiæ libri III. Haunie,
1697, seu 1715, in folio. Thormodus Torfæus was a native of Iceland,
and patronised on account of his great abilities, by Frederick III. King
of Denmark, by whom he was extremely beloved. His son, Christian V.
appointed him his Historian for the Kingdom of Norway, with a consi-
derable pension, which was continued to him by Frederick IV. Tor-
fæus's great learning, his assiduity, and his skill in his native language,
enabled him to discharge his post with the utmost credit to himself,
and advantage to the public. He died about the year 1720, aged 81.
The Book of Common Prayer in the Irish Language and Charac-
ter, with the Elements of the Irish Language. London, 1712, 8vo.
A
554
BOOKS WHICH TREAT OF THE CELTIC
*
4
Nouveau Dictionnaire François-Breton. Morlaix, 1717.
Histoire critique de l'Etablissement des Bretons dans les Gaules, et
de leur dependence des Rois de France et des Ducs de Normandie.
René Aubert de Vertot. Paris, 1720, 2 vols. 12mo. This work was
first translated into English by John Henley. London, 1722. 2 vols.
8vo.
+ Mona antiqua restaurata. An archæological discourse on the
antiquities, natural and historical, of the Isle of Anglesey, the an-
cient seat of the British Druids; with a comparative table of primi-
tive words and their derivatives in several of the tongues of Europe,
by Henry Rowlands, Vicar of Llaniden, in the Isle of Anglesey.
Dublin, 1723. A second edition of this work was printed with an ad-
vertisement prefixed by Henry Owen. London, 1766.
+ The English and Welsh Dictionary. John Roderick. Salop, 1725,
8vo.
+ An History of the British Druids, with a critical Essay on the an-
cient Celtic Customs, Literature, &c. to which is added, an Account
of some curious British Antiquities, by John Tolland. This history
was published, together with letters on the Druids and other miscel-
laneous works, in 1726, and republished 1747, 2 vols. 8vo.
Literator Celta seu de exsolenda Literatura Europaa occidentali et
septentrionali Consilium et Conatus. Val. Ern. Loescheras. Lipsiæ,
1726, 8vo.
Welsh Grammar. W. Gambold. Carmarthen, 1727, 8vo.
La Religion des Gaulois, tirée des plus pures sources de l'antiquité,
par D. Jacques Martin; avec figures. Paris, 1727, 2 vols. 4to.
This treatise on the religion of the Gauls is much esteemed for the
curious and learned researches of the author; but it contains some
uncommon opinions which have not been generally adopted by his
reader. One point which he particularly labours, is to derive the reli-
gion of the ancient Gauls from that of the Patriarchs.
The Elements of the Irish Language grammatically explained in
English. H. Mac-Curtin. Louvain, 1728, 8vo.
Grammaire Françoise-Celtique ou Francoise-Bretonne. Greg. de
Rostrenen. Rennes, 1728, 8vo.
+ Le Grand Dictionnaire Geographique et Critique. M. Bruzen La
Martiniere. Haye, 1730, 10 vols. folio. This is a work of great
estimation.
The Eng lish Irish Dictionary; to which is added the Irish Grammar,
LANGUAGE, CUSTOMS, AND ANTIQUITIES.
555
or an Introduction to the Irish Language. H. Mac-Curtin. Paris,
1732, 4to.
Dictionnaire François-Celtique ou Françoise-Bretonne. Greg. de
Rostrenen Rennes, 1732, 4to.
Mémoire pour l'Histoire naturelle de Languedoc. Account of the
language spoken in Languedoc, and particularly the Celtic. Astruc.
Paris, 1737, 4to. This author was an eminent physician in France,
Professor in the College Royal, and Doctor Regent of the Faculty of
Physic of Paris, and Ancient Professor of that of Montpellier.
A Collection of Letters, in which (inter alia) the usefulness of the
Celtic is instanced in illustrating the Antiquities of the British Isles,
&c. David Malcome. Edin. 1739, 8vo.
* + Histoire des Celtes, et particulierement des Gaulois et des Ger-
mains depuis les tems fabuleux jusqu'à la prise de Rome par les
Gaulois; par Simon Pelloutier. La Haye, 1740, in 2 vols. and Paris,
1770, in 8 vols. 12mo.
The Catechism (English and Irish); to which are added the Ele-
ments of the Irish Language. Paris, 1742.
Histoire critique de l'Etablissement de la Monarchie Françoise dans
les Gaules, par J. Bapt. du Bos. Paris, 1742, 2 vols. 4to.
+ Cornelii Taciti Britannia, sive Commentarius in ea quæ Tacito in
suis Scriptis de Britannia, &c. Britannia Insulis adducuntur, by Sir
Robert Sibbald. This author died at Edin. in 1750. He published
also during his lifetime the Natural History of Scotland, the History
of Fifeshire, and several other curious pieces on the antiquities of
Scotland.
Dictionnaire de la Langue Bretonne. De Pelletier. Paris, 1752.
Reflexions sur la Convenance de la Langue Celtique, et en particu-
lier de Teutonique avec celles de l'Orient, &c. M. Sussmilch. Berlin,
1752, 4to.
Antiquæ Linguæ Britannica Thesaurus, being a British or Welsh
Dictionary, to which is prefixed a Welsh Grammar. Tho. Richards.
Bristol, 1753, 8vo.
Histoire des Gaules et des Conquetes des Gaulois, depuis leur ori-
gine jusqu'à la fondation de la Monarchie Françoise; par D. Jaques
Martin, et continuée par D. Jean François de Brézillac. Paris,
1754, 2 vols. 4to. This history of the Gauls, &c. is much esteemed
by the learned.
Some Inquiries concerning the first Inhabitants, Language, Religion,
556 BOOKS WHICH TREAT OF THE CELTIC
Learning, and Letters of Europe. F. Wise, A. S. Oxford, 1758,
4to.
Mémoires sur la Langue Celtique contenant l'histoire de cette langue
une description etymologique de Villes, Rivieres, &c. avec un Diction-
naire de cette langue. M. Bullet. Besançon, 1754, 1759, 1760, 3 vols.
folio. The author wrote several other works, but this contributed
most to his reputation. He died in Sept. 1775, aged 76.
+ The History of the Feuds and Conflicts among the Clans in the
northern parts of Scotland and in the Western Islands, from the year
1031 until 1619, published from a MS. written in the reign of James VI.
and printed by Foulis. Glasgow, 1764, 12mo. This work contains
the domestic feuds and savage conflicts, which disgraced the Clans
from the 11th to the latter end of the 17th century, that is, from the
"Conflict of Drumilia," in the days of Malcolm II. to the Battle of
Mulroy, and shows us the degenerate state of the Highlanders and
their ignoble motives for going to war, when compared to what they
were in the days of Fingal. Another edition, printed at Glasgow in
1780, to which is added a collection of ancient Gaelic Songs.
The Way to Things by Words and to Words by Things, being a
sketch to retrieve the ancient Celtic or primitive language of Europe.
John Cleland. London, 1766, 8vo.
An Irish and English Dictionary, by O'Brien. Paris, 1768, 4to.
+ Critical Dissertations on the origin, antiquities, language, govern-
ment, manners, and religion of the ancient Caledonians, their poste-
rity the Picts, and the British and Irish Scots. By John Macpherson,
D. D. Minister of Slate in the Isle of Skye. London, 1768, 4to. This
work was published after the learned Author's death, and is dedi-
cated by his son Sir John Macpherson, Bart. to the Hon. Charles
Greville.
Specimen of an etymological Vocabulary, or an essay to retrieve the
ancient Celtic, by J. Cleland. London, 1768, 8vo.
Historical and critical Remarks on the British Tongue, and its con-
nection with other languages, founded on its state in the Welsh Bible.
Thomas Llewelyn. London, 1769, 8vo.
* + Ancient Scottish Poems, published from the MS. of George
Bannatyne, 1568, by Sir David Dalrymple, Bart. (Lord Hailes).
Edinburgh, 1770, 12mo. The reputation of Lord Hailes, for a know-
ledge of antiquities and polite literature, is well known. Among
the many valuable works he published, the following are a few:
LANGUAGE, CUSTOMS, AND ANTIQUITIES.
557
Remarks on the History of Scotland. Edinburgh, 1773, 12mo.
Annals of Scotland, from the accession of Malcolm III. surnamed
Canmore, to the accession of Robert I. Edinburgh, 1776. Tables
of the succession of the Kings of Scotland, from Malcolm III. to
Robert I. and chronological abridgment of the same. Annals of Scot-
land, from the accession of Robert I. to the accession of the House of
Stuart, with an Appendix containing nine Dissertations, 1779, 4to.
This Author was born in Edinburgh, 28th October, 1726, and died
29th November, 1792, in the 66th year of his age.
+ Tour through Scotland, by Thomas Pennant, Esq. 1771, 3 vol.
4to. This work has run through several editions.
A Dissertation on the Welsh Language. John Walters. Cowbridge,
1770, 8vo.
English-Welsh Dictionary. Wm. Evans. Carmarthen, 1771, 8vo.
Introduction to the History of Great Britain, by James Macpher-
son, the Translator of Ossian's poems, 1771, 4to.
+ An Essay on the Antiquity of the Irish Language, being a collation
of the Irish with the Punic language. Lieut. Col. Charles Vallancey.
Dublin, 1772, 8vo.
+ A Grammar of the Iberno-Celtic, or Irish Language; to which is
prefixed an Essay on the Celtic Languages, shewing the importance of
the Iberno-Celtic to Students in History, Antiquity, and the Greek
and Roman Classics, by Lieut. Col. Charles Vallancey, LL. D. Dublin,
1773. A second edition. Dublin, 1780, 8vo.
+ Monde primitif analysé et comparé avec le Monde moderne con-
sideré dans l'histoire naturelle de la parole ou origine du langage et
de l'écriture, par M. Court de Gebelin. Paris, 1775 and 1782, in 9
vols. 4to.
Dictionnaire Roman, Walon, Celtique, et Tudesque. Buillon,
1777, 4to.
Essai sur les Langues en général. Sablier. Paris, 1777.
+ The Works of the Caledonian Bards, translated from the Gaelic,
by John Clark. Edinburgh, 1777, 12mo. An account of the poems
in this collection is given in Note F. to Cesarotti's Dissertation, p. 341.
Elemens de la Langue des Celtes Gomerites ou Bretons, avec un
Vocabulaire. Le Brigant. Strasburg, 1779, 8vo.
+ Gaelic Antiquities, consisting of a History of the Druids, parti-
cularly of those of Caledonia, a dissertation on the authenticity of the
558
BOOKS WHICH TREAT OF THE CELTIC
•
poems of Ossian, and a collection of ancient poems translated from
the Gaelic of Ullin, Ossian, Orran, &c. by John Smith, D. D. Edin-
burgh, 1780. The originals of those poems were published in 1787,
and dedicated to the Noblemen and Gentlemen of the Highland Society
of London.
Antiquities and Scenery of the North of Scotland, in a series of
letters to Thomas Pennant, Esq. By the Rev. Charles Cordiner,
minister of St. Andrew's Chapel, Bamf, 1780, 4to.
Druidism revived, or a dissertation on the characters and modes of
writing used by the (ancient) Irish. Wm. Beauford. Dublin, 1781,
8vo.
Chinese and Japonese Languages collated with the Irish, by Lieut.
Colonel Charles Vallancey. Dublin, 1782, 8vo.
+ Origin and Progress of Writing, as well hieroglyphic as elemen.
tary, illustrated by engravings taken from Marbles, Manuscripts, and
Charters, ancient and modern, by Thomas Astle, Esq. Keeper of the
Records in the Tower of London, 1784, 4to. An improved edition
of this valuable work was printed in London, 1803, 4to. This work
and Mabillon's Re-Diplomatica, already noticed, are regarded as
chef-d'œuvres in the art of decyphering ancient writings, and they have
been quoted in the Report of the Highland Society of Scotland, as
well as in some of the Notes and Observations to Cesarotti's Disserta-
tion, to prove the antiquity of several Gaelic MSS. in the possession
of the Highland Society of Scotland. See Notes E. and N. to Cesa-
rotti's Dissertation, Supplemental Observations, p. 439, et seq. and
Catalogue of Gaelic MSS. in possession of the said Highland Society
inserted at the end.
* + Historical Memoirs of the Irish Bards. Walker, 1786.
* † Miss Brooke's Relicts of Irish Poetry.
+ The Life and Miracles of St. Columba, by the Rev. John Smith,
D. D.
* Poems of Ossian, lately discovered by Edmund de Harold,
Colonel in the service of the Elector Palatine, &c. Dusseldorf, 1787,
8vo. An account of this collection is given in Note I. to Cesarotti's
Dissertation, p. 344.
Antiquities of Scotland, by Francis Grosse, Esq. 1789. 2 vols.
folio.
Archæologia Cornu-Britannica, or an Essay to preserve the Rudi-
LANGUAGE, CUSTOMS, AND ANTIQUITIES.
559
ments of the ancient Cornish language, containing a Grammar and
Vocabulary. Wm. Pryce. Sherborne, 1790, 4to.
+ Prospects and Observations on a Tour in England and Scotland,
natural, economical, and literary. By Thomas Newte, Esq. London,
1791, 4to.
Observations made in a Journey through the Western Countries of
Scoland, relating to the Scenery, Antiquities, Customs, Manners,
Population, Agriculture, Manufactures, Commerce, political Condi-
tion, and Literature of these parts. By Robert Heron. Perth, 1793.
2 vols. 8vo.
A Welsh and English Dictionary, to which is prefixed a Welsh
Grammar. Wm. Owen. London, 1793.
The History of the ancient Surname of Buchanan, and of the Scot-
tish Surnames among the Clans. By Wm. Buchanan of Auchmar.
Glasgow, 1793.
A Defence of the Scottish Highlanders in general, and some learned
Characters in particular, with a new and satisfactory account of the
Picts, Scots, Fingal, Ossian, and his poems, as also the Macs, Clans,
Bodotria, and several other particulars respecting the high Antiquities
of Scotland, by the Rev. John Lane Buchanan. London, 1794, 8vo.
*The Statistical Account of Scotland, drawn up from the com-
munications of the Ministers of the different Parishes. By Sir John
Sinclair, Bart. Edinburgh, 1794 and 1802, in 21 vols. 8vo. This
laborious work not only does infinite credit to the zeal and patriotism
of the editor, who first formed the plan, but displays a fund of learning
and curious information on the Antiquities, natural History, rural and
political Economy of Scotland, a knowledge of which the Clergy in
so eminent a degree possess; and it may be justly said, in the words
of the late George Dempster, Esq. "That no publication of equal
information and curiosity has appeared in Great Britain since Dooms-
day Book, and that from the ample and authentic facts which it records,
it must be resorted to by every statesman, philosopher, and divine, as
the best basis that has ever yet appeared for political speculation.'
Travels in England, Scotland, and the Hebrides, undertaken for
the purpose of examining the state of the Arts, the Sciences, Na-
tural History, and Manners in Great Britain, with a Description of
the Cave of Fingal. Translated from the French of B. Faujas Saint-
Fond, Member of the National Institute, &c. London, 1799,
2 vols. 8vo.
""
560
BOOKS WHICH TREAT OF THE CELTIC
..
+ History of Poetry in Scotland, by Alexander Campbell, 1798.
2 vols. 4to.
+ Asiatic Researches; or Transactions of the Society instituted in
Bengal for inquiring into the History and Antiquities, the Arts,
Sciences, and Literature of Asia, 1799. 6 vols. 4to.
Etymologicon Magnum, or universal Etymological Dictionary, on
a new plan, with illustrations drawn from various languages, English,
Gothic, German, Danish, &c. Greek, Latin, French, Italian, Spanish,
Gaelic, Irish, Welsh, Bretagne, &c. The dialects of the Sclavonic
and Eastern languages, Hebrew, Arabic, Persian, Sanscrit, Gipsey,
Coptic, &c. Part I. by Walter White. Cambridge, 1800, 4to.
+ Observations on a Tour through the Highlands and part of the
Western Isles of Scotland, particularly Staffa and Icolmkill, by Tho.
Garnett, M. D. late Professor of Natural Philosophy and Chemistry
in the Royal Institution of Great Britain. London, 1800. 2 vols.
4to. We have given an Extract from this work, together with an
interesting letter from the Rev. Mr. Macintyre, respecting the authen-
ticity of Ossian's poems in the Summary of Evidence, p. 463, Supp.
Observations.
Remarks on local Scenery in Scotland during the years 1799, and
1800, by John Stoddart, LL. B. London, 1801. 2 Vols. 8vo.
+ Tour from Edinburgh through parts of North Britain, with re-
marks on Scottish landscape, and observations on rural economy,
natural history, manufactures, trade, and commerce, interspersed with
anecdotes traditional, literary, and historical, by Alexander Camp-
bell, 1802. 2 vols. 4to.
+ Poems on various subjects, by Mrs. Grant Laggan, 1803, 8vo.
This collection contains the Highlanders, or Sketches of Highland
Scenery and Manners, with several other poems; also Observations
on the Authenticity of Ossian's poems, and an English version from
the Gaelic, of a fragment of Morduth and the Aged Bard's Wish.
Celtic Researches on the Origin, Tradition, and Language of the
Ancient Britons, with some introductory sketches on primitive Society.
By Edward Davies, Curate of Olvestone, Gloucestershire. London,
1804, royal 8vo.
Some of Ossian's lesser poems rendered into verse, with a prelimi-
nary discourse in Answer to Mr. Laing's Critical and Historical Dis-
sertation on the Antiquity of Ossian's poems, by Archibald Macdonald.
Liverpool, 1805, 8vo.
LANGUAGE, CUSTOMS, AND ANTIQUITIES.
561
.
+ Monumens Celtiques, ou Recherches sur le Culte des Pierres,
précedées d'une notice sur les Celtes, et sur les Druides, et suivies
d'Etymologies Celtiques, par M. Cambry de l'Academie Celtique de
la Societé Imperiale d'Agriculture des Academies de Cortone, de
Verone, &c. Paris, 1805, 8vo. This Work is dedicated "A. S. M. Im-
périale et Royale," and has been quoted in pages 366, 414, 416, and
431 of Supp. Observations.
+ Recherches sur plusieurs Monumens Celtiques et Romains. Par
J. F. Barailon, ancien deputé du département de la Creuze, Membre
du Corps legislatif, Correspondant de l'Institute de France de la
Societé Galvanique de Paris, Associe regnicole de la Societé de Mede-
cine de la même Ville, Associé de celle de Bordeaux, Membre non
resident de l'Academie Celtique, &c. Paris, 1806, 8vo.
To have noticed all the Greek and Latin works
which treat of the Druids, or of the Celtic language,
customs, and antiquities, would have swelled this
catalogue beyond the limits prescribed. Although
various works of foreign, Scottish, and Irish Writers
have been noticed, besides those quoted in the pre-
sent publication, yet, for the reasons we have now
assigned, many have been omitted. The Greek and
Latin authors, whose works have not been described
in the preceding Notices, but who have been occa-
sionally referred to as authorities in the Supplemen-
tal Essay, are, Archilochus, Tyrtæus, Xenophon,
Plautus, Diodorus Siculus, Strabo, Cæsar, Pliny,
Plutarch, Tacitus, Mela, Lucan, Justin, Pausanias,
Porphyrius, Marcellinus, Claudianus, and Stephanus
Byzantinus.
VOL. III.
562 NOTICES of gaelic booKS PUBLISHED IN
NOTICES of the principal GAELIC BOOKS published
during the Sixteenth, Seventeenth, and Eighteenth
Centuries.
* † A Translation into Gaelic of the Form of Prayer and Admi-
nistration of the Sacraments and Catechism of the Christian Religion,
as used in the Reformed Church of Scotland, by John Carswell,
Bishop of the Isles. Edinb. 1567, 8vo.
* † A Translation into Gaelic of the Psalms of David, by the Rev.
Mr. Kirk, Minister of Balquidder. Edinb. 1684 8vo. In Nicolson's
Scottish Historical Library, Appendix, No. II. there is a Vocabulary
of Gaelic and English Words, by Mr. Kirk. This author is quoted
in Sir John Sinclair's Dissertation, p. 28, and in Supplemental Obser-
vations, p. 402.
Baxter's Call to the Unconverted, translated into Gaelic by the
Rev. Mr. McFarlane. Foules, Glasgow, 1725.
A Gaelic and English Vocabulary, by Alexander M'Donnald, School-
master, at Ardnamurchan. Edinb. 1741, 8vo.
+ Ais-Eiridh na Sean chanoin Albannaich. A collection of
Gaelic Poems, by Alexander M'Donald. Edinb. 1751, in 12mo. This
collection contains several panegyrical and satirical songs. As a poet
he is surpased by few of the modern Gael.
Tiomnadh Nuadh, or Gaelic translation of the New Testament;
to which rules are annexed for reading the Gaelic, by Mr. Stuart.
Edinb. 1767. In this version most of the Irish idioms and inflections
which had been admitted into the Scottish Gaelic writings were re-
jected, and the orthography improved and adapted to the sounds of
the language.
+ The Holy Bible, translated into Gaelic by the Rev. Dr. Stuart,
Minister of Luss, and others. This, with the translation of the New
Testament, may be considered the standard of the Gaelic language,
both as to style and orthography.
A Collection of Poems, by Duncan Mac-Intyre of Glenurchy, Ar-
gyllshire, 1768, 8vo. Mac-Intyre, though an illiterate man, holds
place among the first of modern Bards; his poem on the Summer is
beautiful and energetic, equal to any thing in Thomson's Seasons;
his panegyric on Beindouran (a hill above Glenurchy) excels every
THE 16TH, 17TH, AND 18TH CENTURIES.
563
thing of the kind; his Mam-Lorn, or Coire cheathaich and Coire
gorm au fhasaich, are admired by every Celtic scholar who takes plea-
sure to see nature painted in the liveliest colours. His Love Songs are
pure yet full of fire. In measure and purity of diction he is always
correct and successful.
Poems and Hymns, both religious and moral, allowed to be equal
to any in the Gaelic language for the harmony of the versification,
especially the poem on the Sufferings of Christ; on the Day of Judg-
ment; the Address to a Human Skull taken up in a Church-yard;
and a Warning to Old Age, &c. by Dug. Buchanan, schoolmaster
in Ranoch, Perthshire, 1770, 8vo.
A Collection of the Works of the Gaelic Bards, both ancient and
modern, by Ronald Macdonald, son of Alexander the Poet. This
collection is posessed of much merit, but the orthography is in some
respects defective.
A Gaelic and English Dictionary, containing all the words in the
Scottish and Irish dialects, of the Celtic that could be collected from
the voice, old books and MSS. by the Rev. Wm. Shaw, A. M.
London, 1780, in 2 vols. 4to.
Poems by Peter Stuart, schoolmaster at Lochaird. Monteith, 1783,
8vo.
Poems and Songs by Margaret Cameron, residing at Callender.
Monteith, 1785, 12mo.
A Congratulatory Poem on the Restoration of the Forfeited Estates,
by Donald McKenzie of Inverary.
A Poem on the same subject, intitled, "Rannaibh Nuadh,” by
John Brown, Genealogist to his Royal Highness the Prince of Wales.
This is an historical rhapsody, with notes in English, and contains a
panegyric on the Highland dress newly restored, after it had been
prohibited during 40 years. 1785.
+ A Collection of ancient and modern Gaelic Poems and Songs,
transmitted from Gentlemen in the Highlands to John Gillies of Perth,
1786, 8vo; intitled, "Shean Dain agus orain Ghaidhealich," &c.
This collection, although full of typographic errors, is valuable on
account of several pieces of Mr. Lachlan M'Pherson, of Strathmasie,
being in it, which possess much merit. It is well known that Mr.
James M'Pherson, the translator of Ossian, lived many years in the
family of M'Pherson of Strathmasie, in Badenoch, who was an emi-
564 NOTICES OF GAELIC BOOKS PUBLISHED IN
•
nent Celtic antiquary, an excellent scholar, and a poet of considerable
talents.
+ Sean Dana le Oisian, Orran, Ulann, &c. Ancient Poems of
Ossian, Orran, Ullin, &c. collected in the Western Highands and Isles,
being the originals of the translations published in the Gaelic Anti-
quities in 1780, by the Rev. John Smith, D. D. Minister of Cambelton,
1787, 8vo,
A Collection of Songs, humourous, panegyrical, and satirical, by
Kenneth Mackenzie, of Inverness. Many of these songs are allowed
to have merit; the idiom of the language is pretty well preserved
throughout the whole, though some of them have the appearance
of being composed without much attention or study. 1792, 8vo.
Vocabulary, Gaelic and English, with some dircctions for reading
and writing the Gaelic, by Robert Macfarlan, G. P. Edinb. 1795.
A Collection of Poems and Songs, by Allan Mac Dougal, of In-
verlochah, near Fort-William, Lochaber, and Mr. Ewan Maclachlan,
of Fort-William. This collection is possessed of much merit; the
language is in general pure, the measure just, and the versifica-
tion harmonious. Macdougal's part of it consists of panegyrics and
satires, with some love songs. There is also a beautiful Elegy on
the Death of Major Ronald Mac Donald, of Keppoch, who died
universally lamented in September, 1785. The other part, by Ewan
M'Lachlan, consists of four beautiful poems on the Seasons, in imi-
tation of Thomson; two pieces of Homer's Iliad translated into
Gaelic in a masterly manner; with some love songs, &c. 1798, 8vo.
A Gaelic Grammar, by Mr. Stewart.
A Collection of Poems and Hymns, both moral and religious; also
a tract of Gaelic Proverbs; to which is subjoined, a Poem by way of
a dispute between a Roman Catholic and a Protestant, by Duncan
Lothian, of Glenlyon, Perthshire.
Poems and Songs, partly collected and partly composed, by Donald
Cameron, Lochaber; consisting chiefly of panegyrics and satires.
Poems and Songs by Daniel Dewar, of Fortingall, Perthshire. These
poems are full of innocence, humour, and good sense; and although
the author was not a learned man, he was always successful in de-
scribing things as they really existed. His verses are in general sweet,
affecting, and pleasant to the ear.
Songs on different Subjects full of mirth and pleasantry, by Angus
THE 16TH, 17TH, AND 18TH CENTURIES.
565
Campbell, of Braidalbin. His language and measure are in general
good, and his orthography is much approved.
Poems on Love, Gratitude, &c. by Christian Cameron, of Comrie
Strathearn, 1 vol. 12mo. Her verses are harmonious, and possess much
of the purity and idiom of the language, though her local situation
was not very favourable.
Poems, principally consisting of Panegyrics on the Clan Mac Gregor,
by John Mac Gregor, of Braidalbin.
Poems on various Subjects, by Robert Stuart, of Moulin in Athol,
12mo.
Songs, mostly of the panegyrical kind, by Alexander M'Pherson, of
Cowal, Argyllshire.
A Collection of Songs, by Duncan Campbell, of Cowal.
Wilson's Catechism in Gaelic, by Mr. Mac Farlane.
Campbell on the Sacrament, by the Rev. Duncan Mac Farlane,
Minister of the Gaelic Chapel, Perth.
The Alarm, in Gaelic, by Joseph Allen.
The Common Prayer Book, translated into Gaelic by Mr. Patrick
Stewart, of Foss, Perthshire.
Popish Errors detected, by Mr. Patrick Stewart, of Foss, Perth-
shire.
Gaelic Proverbs, by Charles M'Intosh, Esq.
The shorter Catechism, translated into Gaelic by the Rev. Alexander
Stewart, late Minister of Moulin, in Athol.
Sermons, composed in Gaelic, by the Rev. Hugh M'Diarmed, late
Minister of Caurie, Strathearn. Edinb. 1804, a large demy 8vo.
Cochruinneacha Taoghta de Shaothair nan Bard Gaëleach: being a
choice Collection of the works of the Gaelic Bards, by Alexander and
Donald Stewart, A. M. 2 vols. 8vo. This selection was made in the High-
lands and Isles, and contains many epistles and fragments of the most
eminent Bards of the last four centuries, with several pieces ascribed to
Ossian; among others, the original of M'Pherson's Darthula, Conlach,
and Cuthonn, &c. It contains also many poems and songs, composed
by Robert Mac Kay, the celebrated Bard of Sutherland; Mary Mac
Leod, the harmonious poetess of Skye; John Mac Codrum, of Uist, Sir
James Mac Donald's famous Bard; Hector Mac Leod and Archibald
Mac Donald, of South Uist; Roderick Morison, of Skye; John
Mac Lean, of Mull; John Mac Donald of Lochaber; with many
566
NOTICES OF GAELIC AND IRISH MSS.
others. We cannot omit mentioning the second song, composed by
the Rev. Mr. Mac Laggan, late Minister of Blair of Athol, to the
42d regiment, after the battle of Alexandria; in which song he pathe-
tically laments those who fell in battle, and raises their fame like
another Ossian. In this collection the language is in general pure;
the orthography better than any of the kind. It is to be wished the
editors would take the trouble of giving to the public a literal English
or Latin translation of all the poems ascribed to the most ancient
Bards in this collection, that the beauty of the originals may appear
to those ignorant of the Gaelic Language.
Sdiuradh na Beatha Shaoghalta, or a translation into Gaelic of the
Economy of Human Life, by Alexander Maclaurin. Edinb. 1806,
12mo.
A CATALOGUE of ancient Gaelic MSS. in the Possession
of the Highland Society of Scotland &c.
+ 1. A quarto paper MS. which belonged to the Rev. James Mac
Gregor, Dean of Lismore, dated, page 27, 1512. Duncan the son
of Dougall, son of Ewen the Grizzled, wrote this out of the books of
History of the Kings, in the year of our Lord, 1512. This MS. con-
tains 1100 verses of Gaelic poetry. See Dr. Donald Smith's account
of it in the Highland Society's Report on the Authenticity of Ossian,
p. 300, Appendix.
2. A quarto paper MS. in the old Gaelic character, and in a very
beautiful regular hand. No date, nor author's name appears upon it,
but it is at least 200 years old. It consists of a number of ancient
tales, and short poems upon the heroes of the tales; the tales and
poems are very ancient, and appear to have been copied from a much
older MS. as may be easily known from a vocabulary of ancient
words in the middle of the MS. The poetry of it is very beautiful,
some of which is ascribed to Cuchulin. Fifty-two of the 193 pages
(of which the MS. consists) are copied by Mr. Macintosh. When the
whole is copied out in the Roman character a proper account of it
may be given.
A quarto paper MS. in the same character, containing 35 leaves,
IN GREAT BRITAIN AND IRELAND.
567
the beginning and end lost, partly prose, partly poetry. The whole
except two loose leaves, seems to have been written in the 17th cen-
tury, but the loose leaves are much older. The poetry is ancient, but
not Fingalian. The name Tadg og CC, before one of the poems, near
the end, is the only one to be seen upon it.
4. A quarto parchment MS. consisting of 42 leaves, same character,
written by different hands, with illuminated capitals. It appears to
have been four different MSS. once, and afterwards bound together,
and covered with skin to preserve them; it is a very beautiful MS.
though very much soiled, and perhaps as old as any existing MS. See
a short account of it in the Society's Report; but the supposed date
there is erroneous.
5. A quarto parchment, medical, MS. same character, beautifully
written; the language is very ancient and difficult to be understood,
and the MS. itself must be very ancient. No date or name.
C
6. A quarto paper MS. part proșe, part verse, in the same character,
written in very coarse and different hands, and torn. No date or
name upon it.
7. A small quarto paper MS. same character, coarse: the date is
1647. No name.
8. A small long octavo paper MS. the beginning and end lost, con-
sequently no date appears upon it. It must have been written by the
Macvurichs of the 15th century; in a beautiful regular hand, except a
few blanks left near the middle of it, which seem to have been after-
wards filled up by some modern coarse hand. It is in the same old
Gaelic character with all the other MSS. Two of the poems are ascribed
to Tadg Mac Daire Bruaidheadh, others to Brian O'Donalan.
9. A large folio parchment MS. in two columns, in the same charac-
ter; containing a tale upon Cuchullin and Conal, two of Ossian's
heroes; it is very ancient, without date or name.
+10. A large quarto parchment of 7 leaves: the half leaf has been
cut out for the engraved specimen of it for Mr. Astle's Origin of
Writing, 18th plate, No. 1, 2, first edition. It is entiled Emanuel, a
title which the old Gaelic writers gave to many of their miscellaneous
writings. Mr. Astle supposes it to be of the 9th or 10th century;
some of the capitais are painted red. It is written in a strong beautiful
hand, in the same character with the rest. It is but a very small fragment
568
NOTICES OF GAELIC AND IRISH MSS.
“་
'
of a large MS. Dr. Donald Smith had a complete copy of it. See his
account in the Report, page 305 of the Appendix.
11. A small octavo parchment MS. consisting of a tale in prose. It
wants both beginning and end. It is nearly of the age of the foregoing
MS. No. 10, and equally beautiful.
+ 12. A small octavo paper manuscript stitched, some leaves at the be-
ginning and end are lost, and one of the boards. It begins with a poem
upon Darthula different from Macpherson's, the whole manuscript has
been written by the Macvurich's in the old Gaelic character; the
names of Cathal and Nial Mor Macvurich occur at the beginning of
some of the poems, which they composed in the reigns of King James
the Fifth, Queen Mary, and King Charles the First; there are some
Ossianic poems in it, such as Cnoc an àir an cnoc so h-iar, i. e. The
hill of Slaughter, this hill has been, &c. This poem, I believe, is
part of Macpherson's Fingal; it is the story of a woman who came
walking alone to the Fingalians for protection from Taile, who was
in pursuit of her, who fought the Fingalians, and was at last killed
by Oscar; there was another copy of this poem in Clanronald's little
book, which Laing would wish to make people believe was the Red
Book; but the contrary is now proved* against him. There are also
several copies of this poem in the Highland Society's possession, re-
ceived from oral tradition. The second Ossianic poem in this MS.
begins with
Sè la gus an dè,
O nach fhaca mi fein Fionn.
It is now six days yesterday
Since I have not seen Fingal.
This poem is also in Clanronald's book; it gives a description of Fin-
gal's palace and heroes. I have compared both this and the other
poem with those in Clanronald's book; but the leaves in which they
were written were loose and detached, five in number, and given to
Dr. Donald Smith, when assisting Mr. Mackenzie in making out the
report on Ossian, and who died before the report was quite finished;
and unless the leaves are found in the possession of Dr. John Smith
* See Lauchlan Macvurich's declaration in the Report, p. 275; and
Supplemental Observations, p. 476.
IN GREAT BRITAIN AND IRELAND.
569
at Campbeltown, the brother of Donald, they must be lost. These
leaves contained two other short poems ascribed to Ossian; I have
copied these two last some years ago; the one is a genealogy of Fin-
gal, the other an account of the ages of the Fingalian heroes.
13. An octavo paper MS. in the same character, poetry for the
most part, but so much defaced, that it can hardly be read; it is not
old, but the poetry seems to have been copied from a more ancient
MS. as the poetry is good; it has no date, the name of Tadg Og and
Lauchlan mac Taidg occurs upon it. It must have been written by
the last Macvurichs, from its coarse modern appearance.
14. A very small octavo paper MS. in the same character, written
by some of the Macvurichs, part of it is a copy of Clanronald's book,
and contains the genealogy of the Lords of the Isles, and others of
that great clan. The second part of the MS. consists of a genealogy
of the Kings of Ireland (ancestors of the Macdonald's) from Scota and
Gathelic. The last date upon it is 1616.
15. A paper MS. in the same character. A genealogy of the Kings
of Ireland, without a date, and consisting of a few leaves stitched.
16. A paper MS. same character, consisting of detached leaves of
different sizes, and upon different subjects, viz. the conclusion of a
Gaelic chronicle of the kings of Scotland down to King Robert III.
a Fingalian tale, in which the heroes are Fingal, Goll Mac Morni,
Oscar, Ossian, and Conan; and upon the unwritten part of a letter
sent to Donald Macvurich of Stialgary, is a poem by Macdonald of
Benbecula, dated 1722, who seems to have been the last, or rather
father to the bard of that name. A poem by Donald Mackenzie, one
by Tadg Og CC, copied from some other MS. A poem by Donald
Macvurich, upon Ronald Macdonald of Clanronald. Several hymns
by Tadg, and many other good poems by the Macvurichs, and others.
17. A paper MS. in the same character, consisting of religious
tracts and genealogy, in loose detached leaves, without name or date.
18. A paper MS. of some small detached leaves, containing in-
structions for children in Gaelic and English, quite modern, no date.
19. Remnant leaves of a paper MS. with the name Cathelus Mac-
vurich upon some of the leaves, and Niall Macvurich upon others.
Conn Mac an Deirg, a well known ancient poem, is written in the
Roman character by the last Niall Macvurich, the last bard, and
father to Lauchlan, who still lives. This poem is the only one in all
1
570
NOTICES OF GAELIC AND IRISH MSS.
!
the Gaelic MSS. that is written in the Roman character, and it is in
indifferent hand.
a very
All the above MSS. received from the late John Mackenzie, Esq.
Secretary of the Highland Society of London, 5th January, 1803.
CATALOGUE of the ancient MSS. which belonged to the
late Major MACLAUCHLAN of Kilbride, made out at
the Major's own House in Kilchoan, Nether Lorn,
Argyleshire, by the Rev. DONALD MACKINTOSH.
1. A folio parchment MS. old Gaelic character, the most beautiful
and one of the most ancient in the Highland Society's possession. See
a fac-simile and full account of it, by the late Dr. Donald Smith in
the Report on Ossian, No. 19, p. 284.
2. A parchment quarto MS. same character, equally beautiful with
the former. It is a calendar of all the feasts and fasts of the Romish
church; with a treatise on Anatomy, &c. upon paper sewed in with
it. See account of it in the Report, p. 293.
3. A small quarto paper MS. same character, written at Dunstaff-
nage, by Ewen Macphaill, 12 Oct. 1603; see Report.
4. A small octavo paper MS. in the same ancient character, writ-
ten by Eamon, or Edmond Maclauchlan 1654, all good poetry. There
is an Ogham, or alphabet of secret writing near the end of it. See
short account of it, p. 295 Report.
5. A quarto paper MS. same character, having ninety pages lost at
the beginning, and part of the end. See a short account of it, p. 296
Report. Date 169. It was written by Ewen Maclean, for Archibald
Campbell.
The five foregoing MSS. have been left with the Society, very re-
luctantly, by the Major, upon Mr. Mackintosh the keeper's receipt;
the other seventeen MSS. are in the possession of Captain Sim, the
Major's nephew, who lives in Glasgow, viz.
6. A beautiful medical parchment MS. in the same character with
the other MSS. The titles of the different articles are in Latin, as
are all the medical Gaelic MSS. being translations from Galen and
other ancient physicians. The capital letters are flourished and
painted red. No date, or name.
IN GREAT BRITAIN AND IRELAND.
571
1
7. A thick folio paper MS. same character, medical, and written
by Duncan Conacher at Dunollie, Argyleshire, 1511.
8. A folio parchment MS. same character, consisting of ancient
Scottish and Irish history, very old. No name nor date upon it.
9. A folio parchment, medical MS. same character, and beautifully
written; it is older than the former medical ones; but there is no
date nor name upon it. ·
10. A folio parchment medical MS. same character, of equal beauty
with the last. No date nor name upon it.
11. A folio parchment MS. same character, upon the same subject,
and nearly of the same age with the former. No name nor date.
12. A folio parchment, same character, partly religious, partly
medical. No date, no name.
13. A folio parchment MS. same character, consisting of the
Histories of Scotland and Ireland, much damaged, and not fully
examined.
14. A folio parchment medical MS. same character, very old; but
no date nor name.
15. A folio parchment MS. in the same ancient character. Irish
history and poetry, without name or date.
16. A quarto parchment MS. same character, very old, without
name or date.
17. A long duodecimo parchment MS. in the same character, con-
sisting of hymns and maxims. It is a very beautiful MS. and may be
as old as the age of St. Columba. No date, no name.
18. A duodecimo parchment MS. in the same character, much
damaged, and illegible.
19. A duodecimo parchment MS. same character, poetry, but not
Ossianic. No date or name. It is hardly legible.
20. A duodecimo parchment MS. same character, much destroyed
by vermin. It is a miscellaneous collection of history and poetry,
without name or date.
21. A duodecimo parchment MS. same character, large beautiful
letter, very difficult to be understood, without date or name; very
old.
22. A folio parchment MS. same character, consisting of the genea-
logies of the Macdonalds, Macniels, Macdougals, and Maclauchlans,
&c. without name or date.
572
NOTICES OF GAELIC AND IRISH MSS.
A CATALOGUE of such other ancient MSS. as have come
to the Knowledge of the Writer hereof.
Dr. Donald Smith had a complete copy of No. 10 of the London
MSS. See his account in the Report. He had eight or nine other
medical MSS. upon parchment in the same Gaelic character, besides
copies of a great many others, which he wrote at different times from
other MSS. His whole collection is valuable.
William Macdonald, Esq. of St. Martin's, WS. gave the keeper a
paper medical MS. same character, a thick volume, written by Angus
Conacher at Ardconel, Lochow-side, Argyleshire, 1612.
Lord Bannatyne gave a beautiful parchment MS. same character,
to the Society. The supposed date upon the cover is 1268. See the
account of it, and a fac-simile in the Report. p. 296.
+ A curious Deed of Fosterage, by Sir Norman Macleod of Bernera,
1640, with the witnesses names (penes Lord Bannatyne).
Dr. Wright of Edinburgh has two paper MSS. Gaelic grammars, in
the old character.
Mr. John Wright, Advocate, has Keating's History of Ireland.
The late Rev. James Maclagan at Blair Athole, had two ancient
parchment MS. in the old Gaelic character. Subject unknown.
Mr. Norman Macleod, son of the Rev. Mr. Macleod of Morven,
gave Mr. Mackintosh a paper MS.; an ancient tale in prose, in the
same character.
Mr. Mathison of Feernaig, Ross-shire, has a paper MS. written in
the Roman character. The orthography is very bad, like the Dean of
Lismore's poetry; it is dated in 1688, and consists of songs and hymns
by different persons, some by Bishop Carswell, Bishop of the Isles.
Mr. Simpson at Leith, has a paper MS.; but the writer hereof has
not seen it.
The Lillium Medecinæ, a paper folio MS. written and translated
by one of the Drs. Bethune of Skye, at the foot of Mount Peliop. It
was given to the Antiquarian Society of Scotland, by the late Dr.
Macqueen of Kilmore in Sky.
Another paper medical MS. in the same character, written by Dr.
Malcolm Bethune, is in the Advocate's Library at Edinburgh.
The Society lately got another religious small paper MS. in the
same character.
IN GREAT BRITAIN AND IRELAND.
573
James Grant, Esq. of Corymony, left a paper MS. with Mr.
Mackintosh some years ago, in the old character. It belonged to his
mother, an excellent Gaelic scholar, and is the history of the wars of
Cuchullin, in prose and verse. It is much worn at the ends and edges,
and quite loose.
It is certain that many ancient MSS. existed that are now lost.
(Signed) DONALD MACKINTOSH, Keeper of the Gaelic MSS.
of the Highland Society of Scotland.
Edinburgh,
19th Nov. 1806.
Among the Clarendon MSS. at Oxford.
Annales Ullonienses, sic dicti quod precipué contineant res gestas
Ulloniensium. Codex antiquissimus caractere Hibernico scriptus;
sed sermone, partim Hibernico, partim Latino. Fol. membr.
+ Annales Tigernaci, (Erenaci, ut opiniatur Waræus Clonmanaisen-
sis. Vid. Annal. Ulton. ad an. 1088.) mutili in initio et alibi. Liber
charactere et linguâ Hibernicis scriptus. Membr.
Miscellanea de Rebus Hibernicis, metricè. Linguâ partim Latinâ,
partim Hibernicâ ; collecta per Engusium O'Colode (fortè Colidium).
Hic liber vulgò Psalter Narran appellatur.
Elegiæ Hibernica in Obitus quorundam Nobilium, fo. 50.
Notæ quædam Philosophicæ, patrim Latiné, partim Hibernicé.
Characteribus Hibernicis, fo. 69. Membr.
Anonymi cujusdam Tractatus de variis apud Hibernos veteres
occultis scribendi Formulis, Hibernicé Ogum dictis.
Finleachi O Catalai Gigantomachia (vel potiùs Acta Finni Mac Cuil,
cum Prælio de Fintra,) Hibernicé. Colloquia quædam de Rebus Hiber-
nicis, in quibus colloquentes introducuntur S. Patricius, Coillius, et Os-
senus, Hibernicé, f. 12. Leges Ecclesiastica, Hibernicé, f. 53. Membr.
Vita Sanctorum Hibernicorum, per Magnum, sive Manum, filium
Hugonis O'Donnel, Hibernigé descriptæ. An. 1532. Fol. Membr.
Calieni Prophetiæ, in Linguâ Hibernicâ. Ejusdem libri exemplar
extat in Bibl. Cotton. f. 22. b.
Extracto ex Libro Killensi, Linguâ Hibernicâ, f. 39.
Historica quædam, Hibernicé, ab An. 1309 ad An. 1317, f. 231.
A Book of Irish Poetry, f. 16.
Tractatus de Scriptoribus Hibernicis.
Dr. Keating's History of Ireland.
574
NOTICES OF GAELIC AND IRISH MSS.
In the Bodleian Library, Oxford.
+ An old Irish MS. on parchment, containing, among other tracts,
An Account of the Conquest of Britain by the Romans. Of the
Saxon Conquest and their Heptarchy. An Account of the Irish Saints,
in' verse, written in the tenth century. The Saints of the Roman
Breviary. An Account of the Conversion of the Irish and English to
Christianity, with some other subjects. Laud. F. 92 This book, as
is common in old Irish Manuscripts, has here and there some Latin
notes intermixed with Irish, and may possibly contain some hints of
the doctrines of the Druids.
+ The Works of St. Columba, in verse, containing some Account of
his own Life, his Exhortation to Princes, and his Prophecies. An old
vellum MS. of 140 pages, in the form of a music book. Laud. D. 17.
A chronological History of Ireland, by Jeffrey Keating, D. D.
In the Advocate's Library at Edinburgh.
+ The Life of St. Columba, said to have been translated from the
Latin into Gaelic.
In the Harleian Library.
+ No. 5280. A MS. volume containing twenty-one Gaelic, or Irish,
Treatises, of which Mr. Astle, in his Origin and Progress of Writing,
has given an account, with specimens of the writing.
Irish Manuscripts in Trinity College, Dublin.
Extracto ex Libro de Kells, Hibernicé.
A book in Irish, treating, 1. Of the Building of Babel. 2. Of
Grammar. 3. Of Physic. 4. Of Chirurgery. Fol. D. 10.
A book containing several ancient historical matters, especially of
the coming of Milesius out of Spain. B. 35.
The Book of Balimor, containing, 1. The Genealogies of all the
ancient Families in Ireland. 2. The Uracept, or a book for the edu-
cation of youth, written by K. Comfoilus Sapiens. 3. The Ogma, or
Art of writing in characters. 4. The History of the Wars of Troy,
with other historical matters contained in the Book of Lecane, D. 18.
IN GREAT BRITAIN AND IRELAND.
575
The Book of Lecane, alias Sligo, contains the following treatises: 1.
A Treatise of Ireland and its Divisions into Provinces, with the
History of the Irish Kings and Sovereigns, answerable to the General
History; but nine leaves are wanting. 2. How the Race of Milesius
came into Ireland, and of their Adventures since Moses's Passing
through the Red Sea. 3. Of the Descent and Years of the Ancient
Fathers. 4. A Catalogue of the Kings of Ireland, in verse. 5. The
Maternal Genealogies and Degrees of the Irish Saints. 6. The Ge-
nealogies of our Lady Joseph and several other Saints mentioned in
Scripture. 7. An Alphabetic Catalogue of Irish Saints. 8. The
Sacred Antiquity of the Irish Saints, in verse. 9. Cormac's Life.
10. Several Transactions of the Monarchs of Ireland and their Provin-
cial Kings. 11. The History of Eogain M'or, Knight; as also of
his Children and Posterity. 12. O Neil's Pedigree. 13. Several
Battles of the Scept of Cinet Ogen, or Tribe of Owen, from Owen
Mac Neile Mac Donnoch. 14. Manne, the son of King Neal of the
Nine Hostages, and his Family. 15. Fiacha, the son of Mac Neil, and
his Scept. 16. Leogarius, son of Nelus Magnus, and his Tribe. 17. The
Connaught Book. 18. The Book of Fiatrach. 19. The Book of
Uriel. 20. The Leinster Book. 21. The Descent of the Fochards,
or the Nolans. 22. The Descent of those of Leix, or the O'Mores.
23. The Descent of Decyes of Munster, or the Ophelans. 24. The
coming of Muscrey to Moybreagh. 25. A Commentary on the Anti-
quity of Albany, now called Scotland. 26. The Descent of some
Scepts of the Irish, different from those of the most known sort, that
is of the posterity of Lugadh Frith. 27. The Ulster Book. 28. The
British Book. 29. The Uracept, or a Book for the Education of
Youth, written by K. Comfoilus Sapiens. 30. The Genealogies of
St. Patrick and other Saints; as also an Etymology of the hard Words
in the said Treatise. 31. A Treatise of several Prophecies. 32. The
Laws, Customs, Exploits, and Tributes of the Irish Kings and Provin-
cials. 33. A a Treatise of Eva, and the famous Women of Ancient
Times. 34. A Poem that treats of Adam and his Posterity. 35. The
Munster Book. 36. A book, containing the Etymology of all the
Names of the Chief Territories and Notable Places in Ireland. 37. Of
the several Invasions of Clan Partholan, Clan-nanvies, Firbolg, Tu'atha
de Danaan, and the Milesians into Ireland. 38. A Treatise of the
most considerable men of Ireland, from the time of Leogarius, the son
576
NOTICES OF GAELIC AND IRISH MSs. &c.
of Nelus Magnus, alias Neale of the Nine Hostages in the time of
Roderic O'Conner, Monarch of Ireland, fol. parchment, D. 19.
De Chirurgia. De Infirmitatibus Corporis humani, Hibernicé. f.
Membr. C. 1.
Excerpta quædam de antiquitatibus Incolarum, Dublin ex libris Bel-
emorensi et Sligentino, Hibernicé.
•
Hymni in laudem B. Patricii, Brigidæ, et Columbiæ, Hibern.
plerumque. Invocationes Apostolorum et SS. cum not. Hibern. in-
terlin. et margin. Orationes quædam exerptæ ex Psalmis; partim
Latiné, partim Herbincé, fol. Membr. I. 125.
Opera Galeni et Hippocratis de Chirurgiâ, Hibernicé, fol. Membr.
C. 29.
A book of Postils in Irish, fol. Membr. D. 24.
Certain Prayers, with the Argument of the Four Gospels and the
Acts, in Irish. (10.) 'Fiechi Slebthiensis, Hymnus in laudem S. Pa-
tricii Hibernicé. (12.) An Hymn on S. Brigid, in Irish, made by
Columkill in the time of Eda Mac Ainmireck, cum Regibus Hibern. et
success. S. Patricii. (14.) Sanctani Hymhus. Hibern.
Reverendissimi D. Bedelli Translatio Hibernica S. Bibliorum.
There are besides many Ancient Gaelic and Irish
MSS. in the libraries of private individuals in Great
Britain and Ireland, of which we have no accurate.
information, but if the possessors were to send to the
publishers an account of them, it would perhaps be
satisfactory to the admirers of Celtic Literature to
notice them in the next edition of this work.
Printed by W. Bulmer and Co.
Cleveland-row, St. James's.
THE END.

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