Mr. Petrie on the History and Antiquities of Tara Hill. 21*9 



^aBaip CucchaiD, cap b'ainm TTIac Con, 

 an p'she ppi pe rpiochar bliaoan. 6a ip 

 in bliaoain Deioenaij oia pi5he po elij, 

 ocup po airceoiD, Copbtnac Ua Cuinn 

 an Di bpeic oippoepca imon Rij CujaiD. 

 peaclic Dia m-baoi mac an peachcaipe, 

 baoi la mac Con hi Ueampaij an lonbaio 

 pm, a[\ a baoir-peim baoipi, ocup peab- 

 paiD, con DO pdla 50 apoile each co m- 

 bpij ocup boppa,bai la h-oglaec n-atnpa 

 hi Ceampaij. Do raec an mac jan anacal 

 jan imoeajail po laprap an eich. t)op 

 po5aiB pi a coip, ocup do bepc ppeib n-oo, 

 jup bo mapB jan anmain po ceooip. Cuinjio 

 an pechcaipe epaic a meic ; bpearha an 

 cuinjio jup an pi j. Qriec bpearha no coic- 

 cepca' aj piojaib Gpenn 50 pm, " ^ach 

 pop*inachionaiD." Rucc Cujaio an m-bpeic 

 j-cema, .1. an cecpamaocop, Dia po buaileo 

 mac an pechcaipe, do bem Don eoch. 6aoi 

 Din Copbmac Ua Cuinn occa leapujao 

 f o otcleic la a chaipoiB, ap n5 lamca la 

 TTlac Con a beic op aipo in n-©ipinn, o 

 po hopcao a acaip laip 1 5-cac TTluishe 

 TTluicpioma, pechc piam. t)o pala do Don 

 cup pin a beic oc lonjaipe chaepach (oia 

 Diamlujao^) la baincpeabcaij baoi 1 n- 

 yappoccupDO Chempaij; ocup occhualaan 

 •m-bpeic ipin po elij f, ocup ac bepc nap 

 bo cioncaije an chop oia po buaileao an 

 mac ol D-cac na ceopa copa oile bacap occ 

 lompulanj an eich an oipeo pin. 6aoi 

 beop pep-jupc jaBala lap an pij i Uempaij; 

 po eppuajaippioe jan caipeaj nac anman- 

 na po jebca ann. Ceacoriinacaip co pop 

 leicc an ci Copbmac caeipe Caoinije, .1. 



Lughaidh, surnamed Mac Con, had the so- 

 vereignty for a period of thirty years. It was in 

 the last year of his reign that Cormac O'Cuinn 

 questioned, and impugned, the two famous deci- 

 sions of King Lughaidh. On a time that the son 

 of the reachtaire, who was with Mac Con at 

 Temur at that time, was running about in wan. 

 tonness, and youthful folly, he went [among other 

 places] to [where stood] a steed full of strength and 

 spirits, which belonged to a noble youth at Tara. 

 The boy went without defence or protection be- 

 tween the hind legs of the steed. The steed 

 raised his leg, and gave him a kick, of which he 

 died immediately. The reachtaire demanded 

 eric for his son ; the demand is brought before the 

 king. The judgments which the kings of Ireland 

 had hitherto pronounced were conformable to a 

 rule which says, " Every transgressor for his trans- 

 gression." (That is, the person, or animal, or thing, 

 who committed a trespass, was to be given to the 

 sufferer in satisfaction.) Lughaidh pronounced the 

 samejudgment,namely,thatthe fourthleg,by which 

 the son of the reachtaire was struck, should be cut 

 off the steed. Cormac O'Cuinn was at that time 

 receiving education in disguise with his friends, 

 for Mac Con would not allow him to be at 

 large in Ireland, since he (Mac Con) killed his 

 (Cormac's) father at the battle of Magh Muic- 

 riomha, some time previously. He (Cormac) hap- 

 pened at this time to be minding sheep (by way 

 of disguise) belonging to a widow who hved near 

 Temur; and when he heard that judgment he 

 impugned it, and said that the leg which struck 

 the boy was not more guilty than the other three 

 legs which supported the steed at the time. 

 The king had also a grassy field (paddock) at 



' " Coiccepc .1. bpeiceariinap." — O'Clery. 



• See Cormac's Glossary in voce, TDojene, where it is stated that this law also prevailed in Britaia. 



' " DiavhlujaD .1. Ol-aJcniUJao no Dopcujao," disguise or disguising.— O'Cfery. 



2 e2 



