THE BATTLE OF VENTRY. >^'^ 



Teid Fearghus co righ an domhain 7 is amlaidh do bhi an [fo. 7 a. 2.] righ ana 

 imdhaidh 7 ceola crota 7 cuisleanna cfuil ag a seinm d6. ' A righ an domhain/ 

 ar Fearghus Finnbel ' is fada an codlad sin a fuiH 7 ni guth ort, uair budh i do 595 

 chodlad deideanach he 7 ro innsaiged an fiana a n-inadha catha 7 freagair-si iad.' 

 ' Is doigh Hum-sa' ar ri an domhain 'nach fuil ac fa inncatha aca am' agaid-si, ocus 

 ca med maireas d' fianaibh Eirenn.''' ar se. * Enchath egair amain,' ar Fearghus '7 ca 

 med maireas do sluagaibh an domhain ?' ' Deich catha fithedh tanac-sa a n-Eirinn' 

 ar se ' 7 torcradar fichidh cath le fianaibh Eirenn dib 7 is eadh maireas dibh deich 600 

 catha armruadha egair 7 gidh eadh ata ochtar dibh-sin 7 da beidis fir an domhain uiH 

 am' agaid-si do digemthai leo lad .i. m^ fein 7 Conmhael mo mac morghnimach 7 

 Ogarmach ingen righ na Greigi an lamh is ferr 'sa domhan am' fegmais-si fein 

 7 Finnachta Fiaclach mo thaiseadh teaghlaig-si fein 7 ri Lochlann 7 a tri dearbraithri 

 .i. Caiseal Clumach 7 Fornne Glang^r Gaisceadach 7 Tocha 7 Mongach an mara.' 605 



* Is cubhais dam-sa amh,' ar righ Lochlann cona brathribh ' da n-deach enfear 

 do sluagaibh an domhain romainne chuca nach racham-ne, uair nf biadh toisc 

 deargtha faebair againne orrtho 7 ni bhdrmais ar dil arsainnti dibh, uair is geis duinn 

 o deargmaid ar n-airm gan a saith fola 7 fulrachta d' faghail doib.' 



' Racad-sa am' aenar chuca' ar sosar na clainni sin .i. Forne mac righ Lochlann 610 

 7 do ghabh a ghoirmeirredh grisneimneach graineamail uime 7 tainic fa fianaibh 



Fergus went to the king of the world, and the king was just on his couch, and music 

 of harps and of flutes was being played to him. ' O king of the world,' said Fergus 

 Finnbel, ' long is that sleep in which thou art, and no shame for thee, for this will be thy 

 last sleep. And the fianns have gone to their places of fight, and do thou answer them.' 

 ' Itseems to me,' said the king of the world, 'there cannot be a youth of them capable 

 of fighting against me, and how many remain of the fianns of Erinn ?' he said. ' One 

 battaHon in order only,' said Fergus, 'and how many of the hosts of the world do 

 remain?' ' With thirty battaHons have I come to Erinn,' said he, 'and twenty bat- 

 taHons of them have faUen by the fianns of Erinn, and this is what remains of them, ten 

 red-weaponed battalions in order. And howbeit, there are eight of them, and if tlie 

 men of the whole world were against me, they would be overcome by them, to wit, (by) 

 myself and Conmael, my son of great deeds, and Ogarmach, the daughter of the king of 

 Greece, the best hand in the world after myself, and Finnachta Fiaclach (of the Teeth), 

 the leader of my henchmen, and the king of Norway, and his three brothers, to wit, 

 Caisel Clumach and Forne Glanger Gaiscedach, and Tocha, and INIongach of the sea.' 



* I pledge my word, forsooth,' said the king of Norway with his brothers, 'if any man of 

 the hosts of the world go against them before us, we shall not go, for it would not be an 

 occasion of reddening our weapons on them, and we should not give them our old 

 (accustomed) satisfaction, for it is a thing forbidden to us to redden our weapons unless 

 they get their fiU of blood and of gore.' 



' I will encounter them alone,' said the youngest of that family, to wit, Forne 



F 



