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

1^ J^TOTES ON TEMORA.
" More pleafant to me is the night of Cona, dark-ftream.
ing from Offian's harp ; more pleafant it is to me, than a
white-bofoir.ed dweller between my arms : than a fair*
landed daughter of heroes, in the hour of reft."
Though tradition is not very latisfadory concerning the
hiftoiy of this poet, it has taken care to inform us, that he
was verj old when he wrote the diftich. He lived (in what
age is uncertain) in one of the wcftern ifles, and his name
was Turloch Ciab-glas, or Turioch of the gray locks.
^ It was the opinion of the times, that, on the night
preceding the death of a perfon worthy and renowned, the
harps of thofe bards, who were retained by his family, emit-
ted melancholy founds. This was attributed, to ufe Of-
fian's exprefnon, to the light touch of ghofls : who were
fuppofed to have a fore-knowledge of evenls. The fame
opinion prevailed long in the north, and the particular
found was called, the ^warning voice of the dead. The 'voice
of deaths, mentioned in the preceding fentence, was of a
different kind. Each perfon was fuppofed to have an at-
tendant fpirit, who alTumed his form and voice, on the
night preceding his death, and appeared to fome, in the at-
titude, in which the perfon was to die. The voices of
death were the foreboding (hrieks of thofe fpirits.
<* Fingal is faid to have never been overcome in battle.
From this proceeded that title of honour which is always
beftowed on him in tradition, Fion-ghal na buai', Fingal
OF VICTORIES. In a poem, juft now in my hands, which
celebrates fome of the great adions of Arthur the famous
Britifli hero, that appellation is often beftowed on him. The
poem, from the phrafeology, appears to be ancient ; an4
is, perhaps, though that is not mentioned, a tranflatioq
from tire V/elfti language.
^ Claoji*