In foreign lands, good tidings of my sons,

Whom the great king hath priz'd; yea, whom the Christ

Hath scatter'd for his ends: what feats heroic,

Worthy of former worth, unto these arms

Restore them, and my long night watch relieve.”
Such words of hope, of deep submission sprung,
The night watch eas'd, and Fohla comforted;
In naught abash'd that Eire's heart supreme
Her wisdom counsell'd and lost courage rais'd;
And with farewell prophetic words combin'd:

"I can foresee thy boundless heart restore
The pulseless torpor of a nation's fall,
Beyond all wisdom, and her temporal death,
To life immortal." Thus the gentle sage;
And as she came, so parts: as we have seen
A snowy sail in twilight mist approach
And flee the shoal reef and the moaning shore,
Slop'd outward on her beam: aërial form,
Half seen and vanish'd, seaward on its wings;
So swift and white, doubtful to fancy's thought.
Meanwhile, great admiration of that faith,
Fruitful of hope and love, which Eire's breast
Long years had nurs'd, gan seize the skies beyond

The gold and emerald stars: wing'd powers were seen,
Bearing celestial armoury to match

Her tempter in the strife; and angel's eyes
Gaz'd fervently upon the court of stars,
Unmuffl'd in their tearful sympathies.

And now, Mac Alpruin, from the knees of Christ,
Where he had knelt, approach'd in open view,
The judgment and the congregated hosts,
And straight, without preamble, thus began:
"Ye hosts, in judgment seated on these orbs!
Offspring of heaven, earth born! In my sojourn
Upon the desert, heavenly visions gave
Mine eyes, the light of Eire's future days;
Wonderous to tell! when carnal strife in arms
Upon her plains, rather than peace, upholds
The Eight Beatitudes: in time begun
When Tudor's crime put enmities between
The reign of Christ and human liberty:
Renounce Him, and her sons are free; accept
His easy yoke, exile and death their doom.
But Oh! what exile worse, what darker death
Can them befall, than light of faith obscur'd?
Hope's mother there is slain; what darker death.

With stars put out, the cold heart turn'd awry
From the soul's heavenly light, that giveth peace,
And cast upon the earth, seeks peace where such
Hath ne'er abode, and never. Happy they,
Who by the sword were slain, and slept with God:
For where their blood sunk in the soil, up sprung
A mystic growth, with double stem, that flower'd
In Erin, and her people comforted

In all their sorrow, till they brought it forth

To nations of the West and of the East;

And where their faith was known, their wrongs were heard:.

So wonderous was their destiny ordain'd!

Of that live faith, baptiz'd in heroes' blood,

Behold the great defender and the field!

At Yellow Ford, Fardora's son in arms.

"Ye Powers to judgment call'd! I justly crave,

Award the double victory, and pray:

As in the Cross, so also in the Crown,

They lust not as the nations; but with love,

Honour the Cross abundantly in hearts

And temples, of their wealth; as emulous

For homes in heaven, their sires had found, for those

On earth they lost; and their great spirit keep."

He spake, and pensive contemplation held

The winged Powers, with muted harp and song,

In expectation of triumphant woe:

But the elect Beatitudes, severe,

Upon the starry seats their judgment stay'd.

Notes.

1. In Ogham grav'd: "Besides the common characters, the Ancient Irish used various occult or artificial methods of writing called Ogham, in which they wrote their secret and mysterious affairs. I have an old book filled with them. The letters themselves were anciently called Feadha, i.e., woods." Sir James Ware. Irish Antiquities.

"Ogham" writing (in Irish "Oghan Chraov") was an occult manner of writing on wood, or stone, used by the ancient Irish ("Ogham": Irish, secret writing, and "Chraov," a bough or branch of a tree); and was the mystic species of writing employed by the Druids. Connellan's Irish Grammar.

2. The peaceful Ith: "In the reign of Miled a great dearth and famine occurred in Spain, of twenty-six years' continuance, occasioned, as well by reason of the former troubles which hindered the people from cultivating and manuring the landsground, as for want of rain to moisten the earth; but Miled believed the famine to have fallen upon him and his people as a judgment and punishment from their gods, for their negligence in seeking out the country destined for their final abode, so long before foretold by Cachear, their Druid or magician, as already mentioned; the time limited by the prophecy for the accomplishment thereof being now nearly, if not fully expired. To expiate his fault and to comply with the will of the gods, Miled, with the general approbation of his people, sent his Uncle Ithe with his son Lugad, and one hundred and