268

MARCH OF THE BANNERED HOST OF CONGAL.

A stripling prince, soft-fingered, mild,
The shock of arms may turn him wild,
And whirl him through the ranks of fight,
A maniac frantic with affright.*

Feardomhan oft at banquets found,
And eke of weapons red,

Of Ulster Ards the chief renowned,
His troops has hither led.
And o'er them, in the sunny light,
Wide-spreading unconfined,
A satin ensign dazzling white,
Waves gaily in the wind.

Thus, close arrayed with lance and sword,
Move Congal's ranks o'er Ornah's ford;
Men of heroic heart and might,

Who lead the onslaught fierce;

And who, their courage to excite,
Ne'er ask the aid of verse,

Nor dream that words, with magic charm,
Can edge the sword or nerve the arm.

* Of Suibhne the author gives a high-wrought inflated description-how the horrors of the battle affected his brain, rendering him completely frantic, and how he, who had never before been a lunatic or coward, became both, in consequence of having been cursed by St. Ronan, and denounced by the great saints of Erin.

CUCHULLIN'S CHARIOT.

"WHETHER the Irish had the use of military chariots, anciently called Esseda, after the manner of the old Gauls and Britons, does not appear with any degree of certainty; but it is probable they had; and I cannot but incline to that opinion, if credit may be given to an ancient anonymous writer of the Life of St. Columb, in which he describes the battle of Cuiledrebne (?) fought in the year 561, in a poetical rather than historical style."

"They are mentioned in Irish histories a thousand times, and called by the name of Carbad, in the same sense as Carpentum in Latin. In a book written in Irish, and called Tain-bo-Cuailgne, or the pursuit after the drove of oxen at Cuailgne, these military chariots, and the manner of the fighting in them, are described much after the way that Cæsar describes the Britons fighting in the same sort of carriage; and the guider of the chariot is there called Ara, a page or lacquey, but more properly a conductor, from the obsolete Irish word Ar, which signifies to direct or conduct.”—Harris's WARE.

O'Flaherty informs us that Soaltan, the father of Cuchullin and Connal Kearnach, were "the first who managed and broke horses to the saddlefor before that, it was the custom to fight and travel in cars, waggons, or chariots, drawn by two or four horses."

An ancient poem states that "Finn did not use horses for military purposes, until they had taken some in Britain on a certain occasion, and that it was from these British horses the Fenian steeds were all descended."— Catalogue of Ir. MSS., vol. II., p. 566.

In the Fenian poems there are no equestrian battles, nor manœuvres of cavalry.

For the Irish original, with a literal translation, of the following description of Cuchullin's chariot, the author is indebted to the kindness of Mr. Wright of Clonmel. It is extracted from an Irish romance, entitled Bristeach mhuighe Muirthemney, i. e. Breach of the plain of Muirhevney. "The description is given by Luadh, the son of Curighe to the children of Calitan."

THE car-light-moving, I behold,
Adorned with gems and studs of gold;
Ruled by the hand of skilful guide,
Swiftly and swiftly-see it glide!
Sharp-formed before, through dense array
Of foes, to cut its onward way;

While o'er its firm-fixed seat behind,
Swells the green awning in the wind.
It mates in speed the swallow's flight,
Or roebuck bounding fleet and light,
Or fairy breeze of viewless wing,*
That in the joyous day of spring,
Flies o'er the champaign's grassy bed,
And up the cairn-crowned mountain's head.

Comes thundering on, unmatched in speed,
The gallant grey, high-bounding steed;
His four firm hoofs, at every bound,
Scarce seem to touch the solid ground;
Out-flashing from their flinty frame,
Flash upon flash of ruddy flame.
The other steed, of equal pace,
Well-shaped to conquer in the race,
Of slender limb, firm-knit and strong,
His small light head he lifts on high,
Impetuous as he scours along,

Red lightning glances from his eye.
Flung on his curving neck and chest,
Toss his crisped manes like warrior's crest;
Of the wild chafer's dark-brown hues,
The colour that his flanks imbues.
The charioteer, of aspect fair,

In front high-seated rides;

He holds the polished reins with care,
And safe and swiftly guides,

With pliant will and practised hand,
Obedient to his lord's command;
That splendid chief, whose visage glows
As brilliant as the crimson rose.
Around his brows, in twisted fold,
A purple satin band is rolled,

All sparkling bright with gems and gold:

* The steeds of Achilles speak of themselves thus:-
"We, Zephyrus himself, though, by report,
Swiftest of all the winds of heaven, in speed
Could equal."

Iliad, xix., 505-COWPER

And such his majesty and grace
As speak him born of royal race;
Worthy, by deeds of high renown,

To win and wear a monarch's crown.

The following is Macpherson's beautiful description of Cuchullin's car :"The car, the car of war comes on, like the flame of death! the rapid car of Cuthullin, the noble son of Semo! It bends behind like a wave near a rock, like the sun-streaked mist of the heath. Its sides are embossed with stones, and sparkle like the sea round the boat of night. Of polished yew is its beam; its seat of the smoothest bone. The sides are replenished ith spears; the bottom is the footstool of heroes."-FINGAL, Book I.

BAS OISIN.

THE DEATH, OR, MORE PROPERLY, THE DEATH SONG, OF OSSIAN.

THE original of the following poem, called BAS OISIN, "representing the manners of Fingal's heroes," may be seen, as extracted from Mr. D. Kennedy's Collection, in the Report of the Highland Society on the poems of Ossian, p. 313.

As cold descend the chilly dews of night,
Sad, in the vale of Cona, is my plight.
No voice of music sweetly charms my ear,
No sprightly hounds my lonely moments cheer.
Alas! too well my wandering thoughts avow
That I am truly old and feeble now.

way.

Oft as to Cona's vale we loved to stray,
Gay songs and music sweet beguiled the
There did we greet full many a courteous friend,
Prone to oblige and fearful to offend.

When by the pathways to the heights we came,
They gave us welcome with a loud acclaim;
There met the chieftains of the Fenian race,

In various groups collected for the chase;
With rapid steps some loved the steeps to climb,
E'en to the summit of the cliffs sublime;

Some were for carnage of the deer prepared,

Some armed with shield and spear our chase to guard. Where my loved Finn had topped the mountain crest,

Full fifty noble chiefs around him prest,

And o'er them high, upon its flag-staff raised,
The sun-burst banner of Galgrena blazed.

Thence wide dispersed our venturous bands were seen
In forest-glade or torrent's dark ravine,