THE BA TTLE OF VENTRY. 39 



ni baidfeadh enlaem da lasair 7 ni ba teoidi he fein di. Acht enni o dho ghabhadh 705 

 air hi, nl lamadh cara na neamchara techt feadh a urrchair fein a comghar do 7 

 tainic fa fianaibh Eirenn mar sin 7 ni thuc dh' arm leis acht cloidem da imdhidean, 

 uair ni d' imirt airm orrtha tainic acht do leigean neime a sceith futha. Uair na 

 caera teinedh do theilgedh futha ni gabhadh arm na tzxxadh na eideadh rfu gan dul 

 tre curpaib na laech ana saighdibh sithneimneacha co m-biadh an fer dibh ar 710 

 derglasadh a medon a arm 7 a eidedh 7 an uair do beanadh neach eili ris do 

 ghabhadh an lasair sin he, uair ni ferr do lasadh scolb do dharaigh dileann do biad 

 re bHadhain re deataigh 'na dho lasfad gach neach dibh edir arm 7 eirredh 7 eidedh 

 7 do bo bheag gach morolc da tainic a n-Eirinn riamh ag fechain an uilc sin. 



Gurab ann sin adubert Finn : ' Togaibh bar lama, a fiana Eirenn/ ar se '7 7' 5 

 tabhraidh tri gairthi beannacht donti do curfeadh anumain eigin ar an allmurach 

 innus co n-deach^a</ dream eigin againn uadha do thoradh a reatha' 7 do tugadar 

 fiana Eirenn na gairthi sin fo cedoir. Meabhais imoro gen gaire ar an allmurach 

 re cluinsin na n-gairthedh sin. Is ann sin do bhi Druimdherg mac Dolair mic 

 Dorchaidhi rifeinnidh fian Ulad a comgar don allmurach 7 do bhi sleagh neime 720 

 aigi do bhi ag clannaibh Rugraidhi a n-diaidh a cheiH 7 an Croderg fa hainm di 7 

 do dfech ar righ Lochlann 7 ni faca gan eidedh de acht a bhel 7 se urrfoslaici ag 



of hell had wrought for him, and if it was put under sea, not one flame of its blaze 

 would be quenched, and he himself was not hotter from it. But when he had taken it 

 upon him, friend or foe did not venture to come near it for the length of his own cast. And 

 he went aniong the fianns of Erinn Hke that, and he did not take any weapon with hini, 

 but a sword to defend himself, for not to ply weapons against them did he come, but to 

 let the venom of his shield among them. For the balls of fire that he sent among them, 

 weapon, or dress, or accoutrement could not resist them, but they went through the 

 bodies of the warriors hke venomous arrows, so that each man of them would be in a 

 red blaze in the midst of his weapons and his dress, and when somebody else touched 

 him, that blaze seized him ; for a sphnter of an antediluvial oak-tree, that has been 

 a year in the smoke, would not blaze better than every one of them, as well wcapons as 

 dress as accoutrement, and small was every great evil, that ever came into Erinn, com- 

 pared with that evil. 



So then it was Finn said: ' Lift your hands, ye fianns of Erinn,' said he, ' and give 

 three shouts of blessing to him that will put some delay on the foreigner, so that 

 some of us may escape from him by dint of running.' And the fianns of Erinn 

 forthwith gave those shouts. A smile then broke upon the foreigner, when he heard 

 those shouts. It was then that Druimderg, theson of Dolar, the son of Dorchaide, 

 the king of the fianns of Ulster, was near the foreigner, and he had with him 

 a venomous spear, that was in the possession of the Clanna Rudraige one after the 

 other, and the Croderg (the Red-socketed) was its name. And he looked upon the king 



705. baitftz.Ah. MS. " ib. fein hi MS. 



