Ossian Collection > Morison's edition of the Poems of Ossian, the son of Fingal

NOTES ON TEMORA. 2a r
I here. The horrid circle of Bruno; lahere often, they faicif
\ the ghojls of the dead hozuled round the ft one of fear.
I " From this paflage it appears, that it was Foldath who
I had advifed the night attack. The gloomy charafter of
Foldath is properly contrafted to the generous, the open,
Cathmor.
° By this ejtclamation, Cathmor intimates that he intend*
\ to revenge the death of his brother Cairbar.
P To have no funeral elegy fung over his tcftr.b, was, in
fhafe days, reckoned the greateft misfortune that could be-
fal a man ; as his foul could not otherwife be admitted to-
the airy hall of his fathers.
^ By thefiran^er of Inis-hunoy is nveant Sul-malla, the
daughter of Conmor king of Inis-huna, the ancient name oi
that part of South-Britain, which is next to the Trifli coaft.
She had followed Cathmor in difguife. Her ftory is related
at large in the fourth boo'-:.
•■ CrotKar was the ariceflor of Cathmor, and the firfl of
his family, who had fettled in Atha. It was in his time,
that the firft wars were kindled between the Fir-bolg and-
Cael. The propiiety of the epifode is evident ; a9 the con-
teft which originally rofe between Crothar and Conar, fub-
fifted afterwards between their pofterity, and was the foun-
dation of the ftory of the poem.
* From this circumftance we may learn, that the art cf
building with ftone was not known in Ireland fo early as
the days of Crothar. When the colony were long fettled
in the country, the arts of civi! life began to increafe amor,g
them ; for we find mention made of the tor^jers of Atha in
the time of Cathmor, which could not well be applied to
wooden buildings. In Caledonia they begun very early to
build with ftone. None of the houfes of FingaJ, excepting
Ti-foifmal