433 



oinm gorti. JS r i haurusa damsa dan acomrac ri hanscail cein nombeo isind 

 nith so. Bid im chobairse daitsiu A. do gensa congnom (latt) oc sudiu. 

 Ni ar thoin mna dana gabussa inso. Bi ansu daitsiu or si, in tan do- 

 rag sa ar do chend oc comrac fris na firu ; doragsa irricht escongan fot 

 chossaib issind ath co taithis. Dochu Urn, on, oldas ingen rig ; notgebsa, 

 or se, im ladair commebsat fasnai, ocus bia fond anim sin co ro secha brath 

 bennachtan fort. Timor csa in cethri forsind ath do dochumsa irricht soide 

 glaisse. Leicfesa cloich daitsiu as in tailm co commart do suil it cind, ocus 

 bia fond anim co ro secha brath bennachtan fort. To rach dait irricht 

 samaisci maile derce riasind eit, comensat forsna lathu, ocus fors na hathu, 

 ocus fors na linniu, ocus nimaircechasa ar do chend. Tolecubsa cloich deit- 

 siu, or se, commema do fergara fot, ocus bia fo ind anim sin co ro secha 

 brath bennachtan fort. Lasodain teit uad." 



" Cu saw the young woman dressed in garments of every hue, and. 

 of most distinguished form, approaching him. * Who art thou ? ' asked 

 Cu. 'The daughter of King Euan,' said she; ' I have come to thee; 

 I have loved thee for thy reno wn, and have brought with me my jewels 

 and my cattle.' ' Not good is the time thou hast come,' said he. 1 It 

 is not easy for me to associate with a woman whilst I may be engaged 

 in this conflict.' ' I shall be of assistance to thee therein,' replied she. 

 'Not by woman's aid have I assumed my place here,' responded Cu- 

 chullain. ' It will be hard for thee,' said she, ' when I go against 

 thee whilst encountering men. I will go in the form of an eel under 

 thy feet in the ford, so that thou shalt fall.' ' More likely, indeed, 

 than a king's daughter; but I will grasp thee between my fingers,' 

 said he, ' so that thy ribs shall break, and thou shalt endure that blemish 

 for ever.' 1 1 will collect the cattle upon the ford towards thee, in 

 the shape of a river-hound,' said she. 'I will hurl a stone at thee 

 from the sling,' said he, ' which will break thine eye in thy head; and 

 thou shalt be under that blemish for ever.' ' I will go against thee in 

 the form of a red hornless heifer before the herd, and they shall defile 

 the pools, and fords, and linns, and thou shalt not find me before thee.' 

 ' I will fling a stone at thee,' said he, ' which will break thy leg under 

 thee ; and thou shalt be under that blemish for ever.' With that she 

 departed from him." 



In some MSS. (the Yellow Book of Lecan, for example) the dia- 

 logue just read forms the principal feature in a romantic tale called 

 Tain Bo Regamhna, which, like the Tain Be Aingen, is one of the 

 prefatory stories to the great Cattle Spoil. Like the Tain Be Aingen, 

 also, it introduces the Morrigan in the character of a messenger of 

 the Tate that had decreed the death of Cuchullain when the issue of 

 the Donn Cuailnge and the Connacht cow should have attained a certain 

 age. But the Tain Bo Begamhna is further important as connecting 

 the Morrigan with Cuchullain, in the relation of his protector. The tale, 

 which is too long to quote in extenso, represents Cuchullain as one morn- 

 ing meeting the Morrigan in the form of a red-haired woman, driving a 

 cow through the plain of Murthemne, as related in Tain Be Aingen. 



