500 CORNISH DEDICATIONS. 



assumed and exercised by the crossans or cross-bearers in religious 

 ceremonies of the Church. For this murder, Murtogh fled to 

 Alba, where soon after, 5 13, he murdered his grandfather, Loarn. 

 Fergus at once succeeded his brother (-513-540) and drove 

 Murtogh Mac Earca out of Alba. He now went into Britain, 

 intending to do all the mischief he could there, and he asked 

 his cousin 8. Cairnech to bless his arms. Cairnech consented on 

 one condition. Luirig, his brother, had erected a fortress on the 

 lands that Cairnech claimed as belonging to himself, and this 

 the Saint resented with an implacable spirit. He would bless 

 Murtogh's arms if he would remonstrate with his brother. To 

 this Murtogh cheerily consented, and went to Luirig, who when 

 he heard the message and Cairnech's threats, replied with a 

 scoff, " I value his remonstrances no more than the bleating of 

 his pet fawn." Murtogh, who was double-dealing as well as a 

 ruffian, at once returned to the Saint and repeated these words. 

 Cairnech flew into a fury, and promised heaven to Murtogh, if 

 he would kill his brother, and he prayed God that a fawn might 

 be the means to this end. 



Cairnech then commanded Mac Earca to go and destroy 

 his brother, and he (Murtogh) immediately took upon himself to 

 fight him. And Q-od worked a great miracle there for Cairnech, 

 viz. he sent a wild fawn out of the mountain into the King's 

 assembly, and the host all went in pursuit of it except the King 

 himself and his women. Then said Mac Earca, "If you had 

 been just, my Lord, towards your cleric, it is certain that it 

 would have given increase of happiness to wear the royal robe 

 of Luirig." Then Mac Earca ran his spear into the king's side, 

 and he returned to the cleric, and the head of the king with him, 

 as a token ; and he said, " Here is your brother's head for you, 

 O Cairnech !" Then said Cairnech, "Leave me the bone, and eat 

 thou the marrow, and every third coarb shall be thine for ever, 

 here and in Ireland." 



Then Murtogh Mac Earca took hostages and the (royal) 

 power of the district into his own hands, conjointly with 

 Cairnech, for seven years, as also the supreme sovereignty of 

 Britain, and Caithness, the Orkneys and the Saxonland. 



But it was not likely that a partnership cemented by such a 

 monstrous crime should last. Murtogh took the widow of 



