P. 74. between v. 56, and 57. Hidealan.] Was sent by Fingal to give notice to Comala of his return; he, to revenge himself on her for slighting his love some time before, told her that the king was killed in battle. He even pretended that he carried his body from the field to be buried in her presence; and this circumstance makes it probable that the poem was presented of old.

P. 80. v. 127. C'ar son nach d'innis thu, fhir leith, &c.] By the dweller of the rock she means a druid. It is probable that some of the order of the druids remained as late as the beginning of the reign of Fingal; and that Comala had consulted one of them concerning the event of the war with Caracul.

P. 36. v. 184. Tha sgaoileadh an sgiath an tìr thall.] Perhaps the poet alludes to the Roman eagle.

P. 88. v. 212. Cha chuir leam an t sleagh fo ruaig;

Cha togar leat buaidh air magh.] The sequel of the

story of Hidallan is introduced in another poem.

P. 90. v. 229.

An sin tha Sairn na mala donn,

As dearg shuil Fhidealan an laoch.] Sarno, the father of Comala, died soon after the flight of his daughter. Fidallan was the first king that reigned in Inistore.

CARRIC-THURA.

P. 96. v. 1. AN d' fhàg thu gorm astar nan speur, &c.] The song of Ullin, with which the poem opens, is in a lyric measure. It was usual with Fingal, when he returned from his expeditions, to send his bards singing before him. This species of triumph is called, by Ossian, the song of victory.

P. 96. v. 16. Tha comhstri Charuinn fada uainn, &c.] Ossian has celebrated the strife of Crona in a particular poem. particular poem. This poem is connected with it, but it was impossible for the translator to procure that part which relates to Crona, with any degree of purity.

P. 100. v. 49. A Chronain, a mhic nan caoin fhonn,

A Mhinfhonn nach trom air Clarsaich, &c.] One

should think that the parts of Shilric and Vinvela were represented by Cronnan and Minona, whose very names denote that they were singers who performed in public. Cronnan signifies a mournful sound, Minona, or Min-'onn, soft air. All the dramatic poems of Ossian appear to have been presented before Fingal, upon solemn occasions.

P. 100. v. 72. Aig daraig Bhrano, 's fuaimear sruth.] Bran, or Branno, signifies a mountain-stream: it is here some river known by that name, in the days of Ossian. There are several small rivers in the north of Scotland still retaining the name of Bran; in particular one which falls into the Tay at Dunkeld.

P. 10. v. 77. Bhinnbheil.] Bhin bheul, a woman with a melodious voice. Bh, in the Gaelic language, has the same sound with the v in English.

P. 106. v. 128. Tigh-caol.] The grave.

P. 106. v. 136. Chunnaic e 'n ainnir gu cùl, &c.] The distinction which the ancient Scots made between good and bad spirits, was, that the former appeared sometimes in the day-time in lonely unfrequented places, but the latter never but by night, and in a dismal gloomy scene.

P. 112. v. 213. Air mullach bha crom Chruth Loduinn, &c.] The circle of Loda is supposed to be a place of worship among the Scandinavians, as the spirit of Loda is thought to be the same with their god Odin.

P. 114. v. 237. Thainig e gu chomhnuidh féin, &c.] He is described, in a simile, in the poem concerning the death of Cuthullin.

P. 118. v. 297. Mac an Luinn, bu chiar dhubh gruaidh.] The famous sword of Fingal, made by Lun, or Luno, a smith of Lochlin.

P. 120. v. 327. Do Annir air Sorucha na thriath,] Annir was also the father of Erragon, who was king after the death of his brother Frothal. The death of Erragon is the subject of the battle of Lora, a poem in this collection.

P. 122. v. 347. 'Nuair dh' eirich clach Ainnir le cliu.] That is, after the death of Annir. To erect the stone of one's fame, was, in other words, to say that the person was dead.

P. 122. v. 367. An iarr mi sith o chean nan treun?] Honourable terms of peace.

P. 130. v. 457. Sheas iad nan sgéimh san fhraoch,] i. e. Frothal and Utha.

P. 134. v. 514. 'Nuair labhair Cridh-mor nan caomh-dhan, &c.] There is a propriety in introducing this episode, as the situations of Crimora and Utha were so similar.

P. 131. v. 516. Ghabh tuineadh aig sruth na Lotha,] Lotha was the ancient name of one of the great rivers in the north of Scotland. The only one of them that still retains a name of a like sound is Lochly, in Invernesshire; but whether it is the river mentioned here, the translator will not pretend to say.

P. 134. v. 518, 519. Cridh-mor.] A woman of a great heart.

P. 134. v. 523. 'Se taitneach mar chaol-chruit Charruil?] Perhaps the Carril mentioned here is the same with Carril the son of Kinfena, Cuchullin's bard. The name itself is proper to any bard, as it signifies a sprightly and harmonious sound.

P. 134. c. 523. C' uime tha do ghruaim,'s do bhròn, a Chonaill? &c.] Connal, the son of Diaran, was one of the most famous heroes of Fingal; he was slain in a battle against Dargo, a Briton; but whether by the hand of the enemy, or that of his mistress, tradition does not determine.

P. 140. v. 582. Agus eagal o laimh an righ.] The story of Fingal and the spirit of Loda, supposed to be the famous Odin, is the most extravagant fiction in all Ossian's poems. It is not, however, without precedents in the best poets; and it must be said for Ossian, that he says nothing but what perfectly agreed with the notions of the times, concerning ghosts. They thought the souls of the dead were material, and consequently susceptible of pain. Whether a proof could be drawn from this passage, that Ossian had no notion of a divinity, I shall leave to others to determine: it appears, however, that he was of opinion, that superior beings ought to take no notice of what passed among men.

CARTHON.

P. 146. v. 17. THEICH fiadh o iomall a chuirn

Ann do chuireadh air chùl an laoch, &c.] It was the opinion of the times, that deer saw the ghosts of the dead. To this day,

when beasts suddenly start without any apparent cause, the vulgar think that they see the spirits of the deceased.

P. 148. v. 33. Co th' ann ach mac Chumhail nan treun, &c.] Fingal returns here, from an expedition against the Romans, which was celebrated by Ossian in a poem called the strife of Crona.

P. 148. v. 47. Mìle solus a' losgadh mu'n aird, &c.] Probably waxlights; which are often mentioned as carried, among other booty, from the Roman province.

P. 150. v. 51. C'aite bheil triath nan Cleasa-mora,] Clessamhmor, mighty deeds.

P. 152. v. 78. Maona ghlan dha 'n geille sloigh,] Moina, soft in temper and person. We find the British names in this poem derived from the Gaelic, which is a proof that the ancient language of the whole island was one and the same.

P. 152. v. 90. Bhuail mi gu Bailechluthai nan tùr ard,] Balclutha, i. e. the town of Clyde, probably the Alcluth of Bede.

P. 152. v. 93. Gu cala uir Clutha nan sruth seimh,] Clutha, or Cluath, the Gaelic name of the river Clyde, the signification of the word is bending, in allusion to the winding course of that river. From Clutha is derived its Latin name, Glotta.

P. 156. v. 147. "Togaibh, bharda caoin, am fonn."] The title of this poem, in the original, is Duan nan Laoi, i. e. The Poem of the Hymns: probably on account of its many digressions from the subject, all which are in lyric measure, as this song of Fingal. Fingal is celebrated by the Irish historians for his wisdom in making laws, his poetical genius, and his foreknowledge of events. O'Flaherty goes so far as to say, that Fingal's laws were extant in his own time.

P. 166. v. 275. Feuchai iadsa do'n sliochd gach sleagh, &c.] It was a custom among the ancient Scots, to exchange arms with their guests, and those arms were preserved long in the different families, as monuments of the friendship which subsisted between their ancestors.

OIGH-NAM-MOR-SHUL, OR OINAMORUL.

P. 178. v. 29. SHEALL mi air Cathlinne nan stuadh, &c.] Cathlin, or Gathlin, beam of the water. What star was so called of old is not easily ascertained. Some now distinguish the pole-star by that name. A song, which is still in repute, among the sea-faring part of the Highlanders, alludes to this passage of Ossian. The author commends the knowledge of Ossian in sea affairs, a merit, which, perhaps, few of us moderns will allow him, or any in the age in which he lived. One thing is certain, that the Caledoniaus often made their way through the dangerous and tempestuous seas of Scandinavia; which is more, perhaps, than the more polished nations, subsisting in those times, dared to venture. In estimating the degree of knowledge of arts among the ancients, we ought not to bring it into comparison with the improvements of modern times. Our advantages over them proceed more from accident, than any merit of ours.

P. 182. v. 77. Tha stailinn 'san talla le saobhneas

Gun slige bhreac chaoin le sòlas.] There is a severe satire couched in this expression, against the guests of Mal-orchol. Had his feast been still spread, had joy continued in his hall, his former parasites would not have failed to resort to him. But as the time of festivity was past, their attendance also ceased. The sentiments of a certain old bard are agreeable to this observation. He, poetically, compares a great man to a fire kindled in a desert place. "Those that pay court to him (says he), are rolling large around him, like the smoke about the fire. This smoke gives the fire a great appearance at a distance, but it is but an empty vapour itself, and varying its form at every breeze. When the trunk, which fed the fire, is consumed, the smoke departs on all the winds. So the flatterers forsake their chief, when his power declines." I have chosen to give a paraphrase, rather than a translation, of this passage, as the original is verbose and frothy, notwithstanding of the sentimental merit of the author. He was one of the less ancient bards, and their compositions are not nervous enough to bear a literal translation.