82 THE BATTLE OF VENTRY. 



nidh sainemail ttri trebarglaine tairrngire re grtan a geilchnis. J gabuts a ceithri ciarienti 

 fichf/ ciartha clartha comdlutha cotiiin uime tarsi sin amuigh anechtair. 7 gabuis a luirech 

 tigh treabrald tredijala.ch don fuairiarann athlegtha ar an uachtar sin. 7 as gaba.\s engach 

 cir cimsach im a muinel. 7 gab^dSs, clarcoiler cressa comartaigh comdaitigin co n-dealbd\h 

 duaibsecha dracconn fo choel a chuirp. donngab do tarb a sttasat co derca osgaile da 

 sgendis renna 7 fbebuir 7 ro conngb^sXdi a slcga crandremra curata coigrinne a n-urcomair 

 in righ 7 tarrdiXd. a chlaidheyn ordorcair i n-echruis for a clni 7 glacais a manais lethanglas 

 ftmtha Lochlannach ina la^im 7 tarrSiid a sciath scotbamail scathuaine co m-buailt\b breca 

 bithailH do banotr 7 co comr aib finnaille finndruine 7 co slabraduib sntthi sermacba 

 senairgit for sduadhlerg a druma. 7 gab3.\s a catbbarr ciracb clarach ceth\r\eochrach 

 don otr. 



478. meabais gean gaire ar an allmurach. Cf. ro mebaid lassar m.or mirbolla dia gnuis, 

 LBr. 8 a. 



505. The nine Garbs are also enumerated in the Tor. Dhiarm. p. 150, with soma 

 variations. Their names cannot therefore be said, as 0'Grady remarks in a note, to 

 be fictions of the writer, certainly not of that particular writer. 



525. ni lamthar bean dib, &c. Something like the ius primae noctis is also found to 

 exist in the tales of the heroic cycle. Thus LL. p. 106 b, 3 seqq. we read : Ba mbr ind 

 airmitiu tra doratsat Ulaid do Choncbobar. Ba si a airmitiu am leo .1. cecbfer di Ultaib 

 doberad ingin macdacht a feiss la Conchobar in cbetaidchi co m-bad he a cetmunter, 

 ' Great was the honour which the Ulster people gave to Conchobar. This forsooth was 

 his share of honour with them, viz. every man of Ulster used to bring his virgin daughter 

 to sleep with C. the first night, so that he was her husband.' In the Tocbmarc Emere, 

 LU. p. 127 a, this custom is referred to in the following way : Boi fer duaig dotbengtba 

 do Ultaib is tig .i. Bricriu Nemthenga mac Arbad. Conid and atbert side : 'Bid dolig em^ 

 or se Ua Coinculaind ani dogentar and innocht .i. in ben tuc leis a feis la Concobar innocht, 

 ar is leis coll cet ingen ria n-UItaib do gres.' ' There was a grim evil-tongued man of 

 Ulster in the house, to wit, Bricriu of the venomous tongue, the son of Arbad. So 

 then he said : *'It will forsooth be a grievous thing to Cuchulaind, what will be done here 

 to-night, to wit, that the wife he has taken will sleep with Conchobur to-night, for with 

 him is ever the defloration of maidens before the men of Ulster." ' Conchobur also 

 when enjoying the hospitality of one of his subjects, used to spend the night with his 

 hosfs v/ife. Cecbfer do Ultaib dobered aidcbi n-oegidechtafess db lia mnai side in n-aidcbi 

 sin, 'every man of Ulster that would give him a night of hospitality, it was his (Con- 

 chobur's) custom to sleep with his wife that night.' LL. p. 106 b. 



529. ar an faithchi. faidche is the large green plain or meadow before a dun or 

 bruden (the grjjeirglodd of the Mabinogion) on which the games were generally carried 

 on (hence also clucbemag). The game here mentioned is probably a variety of the 

 so-called *bandy' of which the author of the Present State of Ireland (1673) says: 

 ' The common sort meet oftentimes in great numbers (in plain IMeadows or Ground) 

 lo recreate themselves at a play called Bandy, with Balis and crooked Sticks, much 

 after the manner of our play at Stoe-ball.' In LL. p. 633, there are mentioned a 

 number of games in favour with the young noblemen that were educuted at Emairl 



