20 THE BATTLE OF VENTRY. 



350 imoro leisin fein Oisin do beith isin eigin sin. ' Eirigh, a Fearghus Finnbheil,' 

 ar Finn ' do molad mo mic dam 7 da greasacht.' Teid Fearghus co hoirear an 

 chuain chuipghleghil, ' A anum, a Oisin,' ar Fearghus ' is maith an comlann sin 

 doni 7 is imdha fiadhnaisi air, uair ataid sluaig an domain moir uih 7 fiana Eirenn 

 'gudt feitheamh. 7 medaig/^^r do menma 7 cuimnigh na comlanna mailhi dorinnead 



355 roime leat.' Do cumhnaigh imoro Oisin a aith^aja mora mince 'mun n-grea- 

 sacht sin tuc Feargus air 7 do eirigh a aignedh 7 do medaigh a menma 7 ro 

 dunastair na dodlama doleonta um cael droma an allmuraig 7 rug les co grian an 

 glanmara he 7 tuc a druim re grian do 7 a h\ a n-airde 7 nir lig anis he gur scar a 

 anam fria corp 7 tuc a tir he 7 ro scar an ceann 7 an colann re cheli 7 tainic fein 



360 co coscrach commaidmtheach co fianaibh Eirenn. 



Ro eirigh imoro seinnser na clainni sin Gairbh mic Thachair .i. Dolar Durba 

 ri mara n-fcht. ' A ri an domain,' ar se ' is truagh duit gan mo leigen d' entaibh 

 rem braithribh co fianaibh Eirenn, uair da m-beinn-si fein fa riu, nl budh tualaing 

 fiana Eirenn ar marbadh 7 didheolad-sa co maith iad, uair mairbhfead-sa ced fear 



365 n-armach gach lae dib no co tairlim iad uili 7 is briathar dam ' ar se ' da faghar-sa 

 neach do sluagaibh an domhain do deargadh a airm ar neach dib co n-imer bas air.' 

 7 tainic a tir 7 do tsir comhlann ced ar an fein 7 tucadh gair fochmaid/o^ 7 fana- 



torment to the fiann, that Oisin was in that strait. ' Arise, O Fergus Finnbel,' said 

 Finn, ' to praise my son for me and to urge him on.' Fergus went to the harbour- 

 stead of the white-shining foam. * O soul, O Oisin,' said Fergus, ' good is the fight 

 which thou doest, and many are those that witness it, for the hosts of the whole 

 great world and the fianns of Erinn are watching thee. And be thou courageous, and 

 remember the good fights that have been accomplished by thee before this.' Then 

 Oisin remembered his many great victories at the encouragement that he got from 

 Fergus, and his courage rose high and his prowess grew great, and he closed the never- 

 sprained fists about the slender part of the foreigner's back, and took him with him to 

 the sand of the clear sea, and put his back to the sand and his face upward, and did not 

 allow him to get up, until his soul had departed from his body. And he took him on 

 shore and severed his head from his body, and came himself to the fianns of Erinn 

 triumphantly, vauntingly, 



Then arose the eldest of those children of Garb the son of Tachar, namely Dolar 

 Durba, the king of the Sea of Wight. ' O king of the world,' said he, ' it was a sad thing 

 for thee, not to have let me together with my brothers against the fianns of Erinn, for if 

 I had been with them, the fianns of Erinn would not have been able to kill us, and I will 

 avenge them well, for I will kill one hundred armed men of them every day until I have 

 done with them all, and I pledge my word,' said he, 'that if I find any of the 

 hosts of the world reddening their weapons on any of them, I shall put him to death.' 

 And he went on shore, and challenged one hundred of the fiann to fight, and there was 



361. mac MS. 



