Ossian Collection > Fingal

PREFACE.
Jong of peace; a cuflom always oblerved at the end of a war. Ullin
relates the acflions of Trcnmor, great grandfather to Fingal, in Scan-
dinavia, and his marriage with Inibaca, the daughter of a king of
Lochh'n who was anceftor to Swaran ; whicli conlideration, toge-
ther with his being brother to Agandecca, with whom Fingal was
in love in his youth, induced the king to releafe him, and permit
him to return, with the remains of his army, into Lochlin, upon
his promife of never returning to Ireland, in a hoitile manner. The
night is fpent in fettling Swaran's departure, in fongs of bards, and
in a converfition in which the ftory of Grumal is introduced by
Fingal. Morning comes. Swaran departs ; Fingal goes on a hunt-
ing party, and finding Cuchullin in the cave of Tura, comforts him,
and fets fail, the next day, for Scotland ; which concludes the poem.
The flory of this poem is fo little interlarded with fable, that
one cannot help thinking it the genuine hiftory of Fingal's expedi-
tion, embelliflied by poetry. In that cafe, the compofitions of Of-
fian are not lefs valuable for the light they throw on the ancient
ftate of Scotland and Ireland than they are for their poetical merit.
Succeeding generations founded on them all their traditions con-
cerning that period j and they magnified or varied them, in propor-
tion as they were fwayed by credulity or defign. The bards of
Ireland, by afcribing to Offian compofitions which are evidently
their own, have occafioned a general belief, in that country, that
Fingal was of Irilh extradlion, and not of the ancient Caledonians,
as is faid in the genuine poems of Offian. The inconfillencies be-
tween thofe fpurious pieces prove the ignorance of their authors. Li
one of them Offian is made to mention himfelf as baptifed by St.
Patrick, in another he fpeaks of the famous crufade, which was not
begun in Europe for many centuries after.
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