Ossian Collection > Poems of Ossian, the son of Fingal > Volume 2

A POEM* 221
the shield of Morven's king. It hangs high, ifi Cow
mor's hall, in memory of the past ; when Fingal came
to Cluba, m the days of other years. Loud roared the
boar of Culdarnu, in the midst of his rocks and woods.
Inis-huna sent her youtli5, but they tailed ; and virgins
wept over tombs. Careless went the king to Culdarnu.
On his spear rolled the strength of die woods. He was
bright, they said, in his locks, the first of mortal men.
Nor at the feast were heard his words. His deeds pas-
sed from his soul of fire, like the rolling of vapours
from the face of the wandering sun. Not careless look-
ed the blue-eyes of Cluba on his stately steps. In white
bosoms rose the king of Selma, in midst of their
thoughts by night. But the winds bore the stranger
to the echoing vales of his roes. Nor lost to other
lands was he, like a meteor that sinks in a cloud. He
came forth, at times, in his brightness, to the distant
dwelling of foes. His fame came, like the sound of
winds, to Cluba's wotdy vale c.
c Too partial to our own times, we are ready to mark out remote
antiquity, as the region of ignorance and barbarism. Tliis, perhaps,
Li exceniting our prejudices too far. It has been long rcma'-ked,
that knowledge in a great measure, is founded on a free intercoi.rse
vvith mankind: and that the mind is enlai^ed in proporrion to the
observations it lias made upon the manners of diiterent men and
nations. If we look, with attention, into the history of Fingal, as
delivered by Osbian, we shall find, that he was not altogether a poor
ignorant hunter, confined to the narrow corner of an island. His
expeditions to all parts of Scandinavia, to the north of Germany, and
the different states of Great Britain and Ireland, were very nume-
rous, and performed under such a character, and at such times, as
gave him an opp;jrtunity to mark the undisguised manners of man-
kint!. War, and an active life, as they call forth, by turns, all tlie
powers of the soul, pre.^ent to us the different characters of men ; in
times of peace and quiet, for want of objects to exert tliem, the
powers of the mind lie concealed, in a great measure, and we see
only artificial passions and maniiers. It is from this con-.ideratiiMi I
conclude, that a traveller of penetration could gather more genuire
knowledge from a tour of ancient Gaul, than from the minurest ob-
servation ol all tiie artificial manners, and elegant refi.ne.Tients o?
mQU>irii iraii&e.
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