4a THE BATTLE OF VENTRY. 



a fir dhana, na himderg me gan fochuinn 7 doghen obair maith ar allmurachaib 

 acht co roistir isin chath.' ' Dar mo chubhais amh/ ar Ferghus ' do badh maith an 

 airighi da denamh sin thu-sa' 7 tuc treas adhmolta ann sin ar Chonan. Teid 

 imoro Conan aris fon cath 7 ni ba measa a gnimartha don turus sin 7 teid 



765Ferghus Finnbel co hairm a raibe Finn. 



'Cia anois is fearr isin chath.?' ar Finn re Ferghus. ' Dubhan mac Cais mic 

 Cannain,' ar Ferghus ' .i. mac oglaich dod muintir-si. Uair ni tabhair beim do 

 neach acht dnbheim 7 ni ternofdhthear beo on beim sin 7 adrorcradar tri nonbair 

 7 ochtmogha laech leis gus anois.' Do bi imoro Duban Donn mac Nuadhad 



770 mac righ Chairrgi Leithi ri Tuaghmuman ar an lathair sin 7 is ed adubert : 'Dar 

 ar cubhais amh, a Ferghus,' ar se ' is fir uili an forgeall sin, uair ni fuil isin chath 

 mac righ na tigerna chinnwj ar Duban mac Cais mic Cannain 7 do gheabhad fein 

 bas ann no cinnf(?aTi air.' 7 do lig ana thorainn tinneasnach treasan cath amail 

 buinne m-bhorbruadh m-br^aclasrach fa chnoc ardmhor aiteangharbh no mar 



775 thuinn reachtmhoir rabartha ac bualad um ghealtracht n-gainmighi. Is e sin tra 

 ar 7 easargain 7 ollcuma tuc ar na hallmurachaib 7 tainic nai cuarta fo cath 7 do 

 marbh nai nonbar gacha cuarta dib 7 do fiarfaig Finn d' Ferghus : 



'Cia anois is ferr isin cath?' ar se. 'Duban Donn mac Nuadhad mac righ 



love of thine honour, O poet, do not revile me without cause, and I will do good work 

 on the foreigners, only let me reach the battle.' ' By my faith, truly,' said Fergus, 

 ' that would be a brave act for thee to do that,' and then he sang a fit of praise for 

 Conan. Conan then went to the battle again, and not worse were his deeds on this 

 occasion. And Fergus Finnbel went where Finn was. 



' Who is foremost in the battle now?' said Finn to Fergus. * Duban, the son of Cas, 

 the son of Cannan,' said Fergus, ' to wit, the son of a warrior of thy people. For he 

 never gives a stroke to any but one stroke only, and none escape alive from that stroke, 

 and three times nlne and eighty warriors haven fallen by him until now.' Now, Duban 

 Donn, the son of Nuadu, the son of the king of Cairrge Lethi, the king of Thomond, 

 was on that spot, and this is what he said : ' By our faith, truly, O Fergus,' said he, ' all 

 that witness is true, for there is not in the battle the son of a king, or of a lord, that 

 excels Duban the son of Cas, the son of Cannan, and I will find death there myself, or I 

 will excel him.' And he rushed through the battle with a vehement thundering noise, 

 like the fierce-red blaze of motley flames under a large hill rough with furze, or Hke a 

 proud wave of overwhelming that beats a sandy white strand. Such was the slaughter 

 and destruction and great carnage he executed among the foreigners, and he made 

 nine rounds through the battle, and killed nine times nine in every round of them. 

 And Finn asked of Fergus : 



'Who is foremost in the battle now?'said he. ' Duban Donn, the son ofNuadu, 



772. mac MS. 



