Ossian Collection > Poems of Ossian > Volume 2

Book I. A:^ E P I C P O E M. 9
flream of refounding Carun f. Catlimor j my
brother is not here. He is not here with his
thoufands, and our arms are weak. Cathmor
is a foe to ftrife at the feaft ! His foul is bright
as that fun ! But Cairbar mull figlit with Ofcar,
chiefs of woody Temora ! His words for Cathol
were many : the wrath of Cairbar burns. He
fhall fall on Moi-lena. My fame fhall rife in
blood."
Their faces brightened round with joy.
They fpread over Moilena. The feaft of Ihelk
is prepared. I'he fongs of bards arife. The
t He alludes to the battle of Ofcar agalnft Caros, kln^ of
fl)ips\ who is fuppofed to be the fame with Caraufius the
ufurper.
X Cathmor, great in battle^ the fon of Borbar-duthul, and
brother of Cairbar king of Ireland, had, before the infurrec-
tion of the Firbolg, palTcd over into Inis-huna, fuppofed to be
a part of South-Britain, to aflif!: Conmor king of that place
againft his enemies. Cathmor was fuccefsful in the war, but,
in the courfe of it, Conmor was either killed, or died a na-
tural death. Cairbar, upon intelligence of the defigns of
Fingal to dethrone him, had difpatched a meflenger for Cath-
mor, who returned into Ireland a few days before the openirg
of the poem.
Cairbar here take? advantage of his brother's abfence, to
perpetrate his ungenerous defigns againil Ofcar ; for the noble
fpirit of Cathmor, had he been preLnt, would not have per-
mitted the laws of that hofpitaliiy, for which he was fo re-
nowned himfelf, to be violated. The brothers form a con-
trail : we do not detefc the mean foul of Cairbar more, than
\vc admire the difinterefled and gcrerous mind of Cathmor.
chiefs