own loud rill, and fhakes its boughs in the courfe of blasts.

ANNIR, faid Starno of lakes, was a fire that confumed of old. He poured death from his eyes, along the striving fields. His joy was in the fall of men. Blood, to him, was a fummer ftream, that brings joy to withered vales, from its own moffy rock.-He came forth to the lake Luth-cormo, to meet the tall Corman-trunar, he from Urlor of ftreams, dweller of battle's wing.

THE chief of Urlor had come to Gormal, with his dark-bofomed fhips; he faw the daughter of Annir, white armed Foinar-bragal. He faw her: nor carelefs rolled her eyes, on the rider of ftormy waves. She fled to his fhip in darkness, like a moon-beam thro' a nightly vale.-Annir purfued along the deep; he called the winds of heaven.-Nor alone was the king; Starno was by his fide. Like U-thorno's young cagle, I turned my eyes on my father.

WE came to roaring Urlor. With his people came tall Corman-trunar. We fought; but the foe prevailed. In his wrath food Annir of lakes. He lopped the young trees, with his fword. His eyes rolled red in his rage. I marked the foul of the king, and I retired in night. -From the field I took a broken helmet: a fhield

fhield that was pierced with fteel: pointless was the fpear in my hand. I went to find the foe.

ON a rock fat tall Corman-trunar, befide his burning oak; and near him, beneath a tree, fat deep-bofomed Foinar-bragal. I threw my broken shield before her; and spoke the words of peace.-Befide his rolling fea, lies Annir of many lakes. The king was pierced in battle; and Starno is to raife his tomb. Me, a fon of Loda, he fends to white-handed Foinar-bragal, to bid her fend a lock from her hair, to reft with her father, in earth.-And thou king of roaring Urlor, let the battle ceafe, till Annir receive the fhell, from fiery-eyed Cruth-loda.

BURSTING into tears, fhe rose, and tore a lock from her hair; a lock, which wandered, in the blaft, along her heaving breaft.-Cormantrunar gave the thell; and bade me to rejoice before him.-I refted in the fhade of night; and hid my face in my helmet deep.-Sleep defcended on the foe. I rofe, like a ftalking Offian is very partial to the fair fex. Even the daughter of the cruel Annir, the fifter of the revengeful and bloody Starno, partakes not of thofe difagreeable characters fo peculiar to her family. She is altogether tender and delicate. Homer, of all ancient poets, uses the fex with leaft ceremony. His cold contempt is even worse, than the downright abuse of the moderns; for to draw abufe implies the poffeffion of fome merit.

ghoft.

3

ghoft. I pierced the fide of Corman-trunar. Nor did Foinar-bragal efcape. She rolled her white bofom in blood. Why then, daughter of heroes, didft thou wake my rage ?-Morning rofe. The foe were fled, like the departure of mist. Annir ftruck his boffy fhield. He called his dark-haired fon. I came, freaked with wandering blood: thrice rofe the fhout of the king, like the bursting forth of a fquall of wind, from a cloud, by night.-We rejoiced, three days, above the dead, and called the hawks of heaven. They came, from all their winds, to feaft on Annir's foes.-Swaran !Fingal is alone *, on his hill of night. Let thy fpear pierce the king in fecret; like Annir, my foul shall rejoice.

SON of Annir of Gormal, Swaran fhall not flay in fhades. I move forth in light: the hawks rufh from all their winds. They are wont to trace my courfe: it is not harmless thro' war. BURNING rofe the rage of the king. He thrice raised his gleaming fpear. But farting,

*Fingal, according to the custom of the Caledonian kings, had retired to a hill alone, as he himself was to resume the command of the army the next day. Starno might have some intelligence of the king's retiring, which occafions his requeft to Swaran, to ftab him; as he forefaw, by his art of divination, that he could not overcome him in open battle.

he

he fpared his fon; and rushed into the night. By Turthor's ftream a cave is dark, the dwelling of Conban-carglas. There he laid the helmet of kings, and called the maid of Lulan, but she was distant far, in Loda's refounding hall.

SWELLING in his rage, he ftrode, to where Fingal lay alone. The king was laid on his shield, on his own fecret hill.-Stern hunter of fhaggy boars, no feeble maid is laid before thee: no boy, on his ferny bed, by Turthor's murmuring ftream. Here is spread the couch of the mighty, from which they rise to deeds of death. Hunter of fhaggy boars awaken not the terrible.

STARNO came murmuring on. Fingal arose in arms. "Who art thou, fon of night?" Silent he threw the fpear. They mixed their gloomy ftrife. The fhield of Starno fell, cleft in twain. He is bound to an oak. The early beam arofe. Then Fingal beheld the king of Gormal. He rolled a while his filent eyes. He thought of other days, when white-bofomed Agandecca moved like the mufic of fongs.-He loofed the thong from his hands.-Son of Annir, he said, retire. Retire to Gormal of fhells: a beam that was fet returns. I remember thy white-bofomed daughter;-dreadful king away! Go to thy troubled dwelling, cloudy

foe

foe of the lovely! Let the ftranger fhun thee, thou gloomy in the hall!

A TALE of the times of old!