Ossian Collection > Critical dissertation on the poems of Ossian, the son of Fingal

XXX A DISSERTATION.
him, without cutting off one of his fingers, or dafhing a large
flone againrt his head. When the enemy appeared, Ofcar, very
unfortunately, was afleep. Offian and Ca-olt confulted about the
method of wakening him, and they, at laft, fixed on the flone, as
the Icfs dangerous expedient.
Gun thog Caoilte a chlach, nach gan,
Agus a n' aighai' chiean gun bhuail ;
Tri mil an tuUoch gun chri', &c.
" Ca-olt took up a heavy ftone, and llruck it againfl: the hero's
head. The hill fhook for three miles, as the ftone rebounded and
rolled away." Ofcar rofe in wrath, and his father gravely defired
him to fpend his rage on his enemies, which he did to fo good pur-
pofe, that he fingly routed a whole wing of their army. The con-
federate kings advanced, notwithllanding, till they came to a narrow
pafs, poffeffed by the celebrated Ton-iofal. This name is very fig-
nificant of the fingular property of the hero who bore it. Ton-
iofal, tho' brave, was fo heavy and unwieldy, that, when he fat
down, it took the whole force of an hundred men to fet him up-
right on his feet again. Luckily for the prefervation of Ireland, the
hero happened to be ftanding when the enemy appeared, and he
gave fo good an account of them, that Fion, upon his arrival, found
little to do, but to divide the fpoil among his foldiers.
All thefe extraordinary heroes, Fion, Offian, Ofcar and Ca-
olt, fays the poet, were
Siol Erin na gorm lann.
The forts of Erin of blue feel.
Neither