^d THE BA TTLE OF VENTRY. 



650 imoro docuaidh 'ga braithribh-sean an laech sin do bhuain dib, uair nir miadh 

 no maisi leo a thuitim le fzVgaisceadhacha/i^^h na feine. lar sin tra ro eirigh an 

 fiVlaech fergach forranach dar bo comainm Tocha mac rig Lochlann 7 tainic a tir 

 do dhidhailt a brathar 7 is amlaidh do bhi an fer sin 7 circaill cithneimneach 

 clariarnaighi uime o a bhonn co a bhathais. Dob' athearrach aigidh imoro 



655 d' fir a fechain gin co n-innsaiged e 7 fa duba^/h dftalbha do dheidhmhiUd 7 ba 

 treigean feadma le firlaechaib 7 ba claechlogh ceilli le curadhaibh a faiscin 7 nir 

 an ina n-imeal no co rainic a certlar na feine 7 do Hg ingheilt da loinw Hmtha 

 leatarrthaigh ar curpaibh curadh 7 ar formnaibh firoglach 7 ar guaill/(5 galgad 7 

 ar uchtaibh rfghmiled 7 tucadar uili a n-druim risin allmurach 7 dochuadar a raen 



660 madma 7 teithz^/ reme. Ger imnar tra in t-eigean sin, nir ghabh neach do laim 

 mac righ Lochlann do dhingmhail no gur impo mac Lugach ris. 



' An agam, a rimilid/ ar mac Lugach ' co ferainn comrac rit tar ceann na {eine o 

 nach fobraid uili do fritholam.' Ba reachtaignedh imoro le mac righ Lochlann 

 a impodh don dergruathar ar a raibhi 7 ger beth, nir fiu leis a eineach d'uirb^rnHadh 



665 .i. era ar neach fainmum comrac. 



Ro feradar imoro an dias sin ardcomrac aigmeil ilgonach anaithnidh gan 

 \m\>rud gan tairgsin gan run tlais na time na teith^d? ar ceachtar dib gur combladh- 



another cry by the fianns of Erinn extolling him. But the loss of this hero did not 

 cause weakness or fear with his brothers, for they deemed it not good or seemly that he 

 should have fallen by a warrior of the fiann. Then arose the fierce impetuous true 

 warrior that was called Tocha, the son of the king of Norway, and he went on shore to 

 avenge his brother. And thus was that man : a round of iron boards Hke a shower of 

 venom about him from his sole to his crown. It was change of countcnance for a man 

 to look at him even though he did not attack him, and the face of brave soldiers grew 

 black, and true warriors lost their power, and heroes lost their mind in looking at him. 

 And he staid not in their flank, but went right into the midst of the fiann, and gave his 

 burnished elegant blade a feeding on the bodies of heroes, and on the shoulders of true 

 warriors, and on the shoulders of champions, and on the breasts of kingly soldiers, and 

 they all turned their back to the foreigner, and went in the rush of rout and flight before 

 him. Now, though that strait was a great shame, yet nobody took it upon him to ward 

 ofT the son of the king of Norway, until Mac Lugach turned round against him. 



' Stay with me, O kingly soldier,' said Mac Lugach, ' that I may fight with thee for the 



fiann, since they all do not undertake to meet thee.' Now it was with the 



son of the king of Norway, to turn from the red slaughter in which he was engaged, and 



though it was, he did not deem it seemly that his honour should be to wit, to 



refuse combat to any body, 



Then those two fought a terrible many-wounding unheard-of high combat without 

 interruption, without quarter, without a thought of weakness, or fear, or flight on either 



659. iuihthibh MS. with gh added over tt. 



