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Cox\. "I will tell you, O Fergus, and then farewell — to 

 " revenge my father on the noble Fians of Ireland s. I demand 

 " the head of Fin and his two valiant fons, of Gaul and 

 " Criomthan, and the noble Art, and of all the tribe of Morne ; 

 " the head of Cormac, fon of Art, and of Fin ; and all the 

 " men in Ireland '' from fea to fea fliall with one accord obey 

 " me, or early in the morning five hundred muft contend with 

 " me in the ftiarp and bufy combat." 



" What is thy meffage, Fergus," (faid Fin, prince of the 

 hoft,) " from the great champion ; tell us quickly, and do not 

 " conceal from us the evil ?" 



This, (fays Fergus) is the anfwer of the great champion; — he 

 demands the combat of five hundred of your army in the morning 

 in the fharp and bufy conteft. " Then," replied five hundred of the 

 Fians, " to-morrow he fliall not boaft of his vigour;" but thofe 

 who engaged in the battle did not do as they had' promifed. Five 

 hundred fell round the fon of Dargo, of the well-tempered fword, 

 and five hundred more, had they been there, would have been 



« The Perth edition changes j4 mhnithibh Fia/m Eirion, " the noble Fians of 

 ' Ireland," into 0'»- mnithlbh is or vior uaijlith, " the nobles and great chieftains." 



'Inftead 



