THE BATTLE OF VENTRY. 39 



na craiseacha isna corpaibh, co rucadar urranna caebacha cubhardearga cro tresij 

 dromannaibh na n-deachkifc^. Gur ba comthuitim don ceathrar sin bonn re bonn 

 7 bel re bel ar an lathair sin. 



Asa aithli sin imoro do connairc Ferghus Finbhel mac Finn urmor fian Eirenn 

 ar tuitim 7 dochuaidh gan cead gan comairli doib co Teamraig na Righ mar a 

 raibhe Cormac mac Airt airdrigh Eirenn 7 do innis do an t-eigen a raibhi Finn 7 520 

 fiana Eirenn. ' Maith Hum-sa ' ar Cormac ' Finn do beth isin eigin sin, uair ni 

 lamhann neach da fuilfum d' aes treabaire muc na mil na breac na bradan na 

 oglaegh allaid da fagadh marbh a cinn gacha conairi, ni lamhann a thogbail do lar 

 le smacht 7 ni lamhann neach d' aes na treabaire teacht on hwzAid gusan sean- 

 bhaili gan sgreaball d' Finn 7 ni lamthar bean dib do thabairt d' fir no co fiarfai- 535 

 gear di an m-bhiadh fear no leannan a fianaib Eirenn aici 7 muna rabh is eigin 

 screaball do thabairt d' Finn re n-dul docum fir di. 7 is mor do drochbrathaibh 

 beiris Finn orainne 7 do bad ferr linn treisi ac allmurachaib an aigi.' 



Teid imoro Fearghus ar an faithchi mar a raibe Cairbri Lifeachair mac Cor- 

 maic ac cluichi luibe 7 liathroidi. ' A Cairpri Lifeachair,' ar Ferghus Finbel ' is 530 

 olc an cosnamh ar Eirinn duit beith ac baet[h]cluichi gan buantarbha 7 si 'ga buain 

 dib ac allmurachaib.' 7 do bi 'ga greasacht 7 'ga imdeargadh 7 gabhais adhnaire mor 



of his soul, for they thrust the spears into the bodies, so that they took out clotted 

 particles of red-frothing blood through the backs of the good heroes. And those four 

 fell together, sole against sole, and lip against lip, on that battlefield. 



Thereafter Fergus Finnbel (of the Fair Lips) the son of Finn beheld the great 

 number of the fianns of Erinn that had fallen, and he went without leave, without 

 counsel of them to Temair na Rig (Tara of the Kings), where Cormac the son of 

 Art, the high king of Erinn, was, and he told him of the strait in which Finn and the 

 fianns of Erinn were. * I am pleased,' said Cormac, ' that Finn is in that strait, for not 

 one of the husbandmen that we (shali) have dares to touch a pig, or an animal, or a 

 trout, or salmon, or a roebuck, when he finds it dcad at the head of any road, he dares 

 not to take it up from the ground on account of the charge, and no husbandman dares 

 to go from his country place to the old town without paying a screpal to Finn, and none 

 of their w-omen dares be given to a man until she be asked, whether she has a man or 

 a leman of the fianns of Erinn, and if she has none, a screpal must be paid to Finn before 

 she may marry, And many are the wrong judgments that Finn has passed on us, and 

 for us victory with the foreigners would be better than with him.' 



Then Fergus went on the green where Cairbre Lifechair the son of Cormac was at a 

 game of loop and ball. * O Cairbre Lifechair,' said Fergus Finnbel, ' badly art thou 

 defending Erinn in playing an idle game without lasting gain, while she (Erinn) is being 

 taken from you by foreigners.' And he kept urging him on and rebuking him, and great 



516. ceathar MS. 529. Lifuachair MS., with r added over the line by a later hand. 



