CONTENTS

Preface, . nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;.nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;.nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;•

List of Manuscripts, .

Text and Tkanslation :— Bath Essa,

Bbdg na Bóinde I.,. Bbdg na Bóinde II.,.nbsp;Inbeb n-Ailbink,nbsp;OoHAN,

Mide,

Druim nDairbreoh, . Lagin I.,

Lagin II.,

Sliab Bladma, .

Fid nGabei,

Mag Life,

Beeba,

Móin Gai Geais,

Faff and,

Aljbu I.,

Almu II.,

Abend,

Notes,

PREFACE

Of the eighteen poems here edited, five have been already published: those on Kath Essa, Faffand, and Almu I., in thenbsp;Todd Lecture Series, vol. vii.; that on Inber n-Ailhine, innbsp;Atlantis, iv. 235, from materials left by O’Curry; that onnbsp;Lagin II. in Stokes’ Bodleian JDindshenclias, p. 7, and innbsp;Atkinson and Bernard’s Liber Hymnorum, ii. 58.

As in former volumes, I have based my text as far as possible on the Book of Leinster, and have taken the ordinarynbsp;practice of this codex as my standard of orthography. Thenbsp;critical apparatus is, I hope, reasonably full; the symbol “ amp;c.”nbsp;is used to include various spellings of the same reading. Innbsp;the text of Almu I., which is found only in L, the expandednbsp;contractions are scrupulously italicised : this has not been donenbsp;elsewhere, except in doubtful cases. I have given more weightnbsp;than formerly to the readings of S3, a late, but accurate, codex.nbsp;I have made use of M, a copy which I had unaccountably overlooked until my attention was drawn to it by Prof. Meyer.

My thanks are due to two friends : to Prof. Atkinson, who has given me constant sympathy and advice; and to Mr. W. J.nbsp;Purton, who has read my proofs, and helped me with usefulnbsp;criticism.

EDWAEl) GWYNN.

Trixity College, Dublin,

May, 1906.

( 'fii )

MANUSCRIPTS OF THE DINDSHENCHAS

CITED IN THIS YOLUME.

LU Leabhar na Huidbre.

L nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;=nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;The Hook of Leinster.

R nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;=nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;The Rennes MS.

B = The Book of BaUymote.

Y nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;= The Yellow Book of Lecan.

H = Trinity College, H. 3. 3 (1322).

E = Trinity College, E. 4. 1 (1436).

M = The Book of the Hui Maine, Royal Irish Aeadenij', Stowe, D. II. 1.

S nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;=nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Royal Irish Academy,nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Stowe,nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;D. ir.nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;2.

Sj nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;=nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Royal Irish Academy,nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Stowe,nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;B. ii.nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;2.

S3 = Royal Irish Academy, Stowe, B. lu. 1.

V nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;= Royal Irish Academy, Reeves, 832.

EATH ESA.

Here settled, as we believe,

after coming to a goal eagerly sought, the daughter of Eochaid Airemnbsp;and of Etain the noble.

Esa was the name of the maid, from her is Eath Esa called :nbsp;a hundred of every [sort of] beast without abatementnbsp;were brought by her, it was a choice tribute.

Midir kept the fair woman with wine and mead to drink;nbsp;nine years did the maiden spend

at Bri Leith with the spirit of a handmaid.

In spite of Eochaid Airem Midir bore off the festive Etainnbsp;from Fremand, though bright of brow ;nbsp;so she left mournful Banba.

Said Codal of the withered foot:

“Ye need not to search for her ; in Bri Leith is the beginning of our search ;

’tis thither she has gone a-wooing.”

By the side of Eochaid Airem came the hosts of noble Erinnbsp;from Fremand, though bright of brow,nbsp;to sack bright Bri Leith.

•ciarbairerglan, (ke. etet. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;16. co fiiremV\ co fargaib L ; foragaib BS ; for

facaib, amp;c. RMYSjH. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;17. asbert] atbert, amp;c. LM. 19. ar] a YS; iar

HS3V. 20. e letW] is é leth, amp;c. IIS2; alleith M ; is and S. luidi] luide LR : doliiidh SS-.; luid H. 21. la\ ro L. 23. aireglani L ; ore . . glan Y ;nbsp;«iredh glan S ; ainsiubal S2 ; imaiii II; oirerglan, amp;c. ccet. : see Notes,

B 2

Nói mbliadna ’con togail-sin, m'rbo romór a hoibne ;

Midir ocon dolaim-sin,

00 admilliud na lioipre.

lar togail in tsida-sin

doluid cóiea fer fuilngeoli, (ropo delbda in dine-sin)nbsp;d’acallaim na rig ruibnech.

Tuctba and dia cétaine (ba scél n-irdairc rochuala)nbsp;do Eehdaig i richt Etainenbsp;tri cóicait ban, brig biiada.

Is dib-sin doróega-seom, a ingin fi'r-glain fessin ;nbsp;ba gó ani romaide-seom,nbsp;conid si dal forsndessid.

’S i sin ruc Meiss mBuachalla móthair Conaire chélig ;nbsp;ba dal amnas fuaehalda;

rosalt for sliiag n-ard n-Ebir.

Dia luid Eochaid atherrucli do tliogail Bri Léith lainenbsp;tuc a mnai iar n-athelluchnbsp;ó Midir, monur n-aine.

Is andsin dorimgart-seom a eneelaind for Midirnbsp;Eochaid firén find-balc-som,nbsp;eonosruc iar nddil dligid.

25. Vo«] donYHSz. 26. a hoibne] a opre {yel n superscr.) L; a noipni MSa. dolaim] doloimh; dolum, amp;c. KB; dolmad S diomad c««. 28. ««anoipie,nbsp;amp;c. EBSs. 30.fvirmecli, amp;c.,LYS2 ; fuigleach M. 31, delbda] delba,nbsp;amp;c. KM ; dédla, amp;c. YS2S. 33. tnctha] dafuctha M ; tucadh S. anti] om.nbsp;LRB. 36. aóicaif] L ; fichit ecet. 37. dib] L ; and cait. doroega] doraganbsp;Y'Sa; doraigMH; doraidhi S2.nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;39. ani] anL; iuni S. , ro maidé]

L; romaidH; romaigiY; iniaigiS2; romaid M; romaidhedh S3; romaighedh S ; domaid E ; domaidid B. 40. conid] conad, amp;c. YSS3H. si] L ; 5, amp;c.-

EATH ESA. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;5

Nine years were they about that sacking; nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;26

its speed was none too great.

Midir was causing that delay (?), he was busy destroying the work.

After the sack of the fairy fort

there came fifty hardy men, nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;80

(shapely was that tribe)

to talk with the slaughtering kings.

Then were brought on a Wednesday (’twas a famous tale, I have heard)nbsp;to Eochaid, in form like Etain,nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;35

thrice fifty women, excellent might!

From them he chose out his own right pure daughter;nbsp;false was the declaration [Midir] made

that this was the meeting agreed upon. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;40

She it was bare Mes Buaohalla mother of friendly Conaire,

(it was a cunning . . . union),

she reared her to be over Eber’s high race.

When Eochaid went again nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;45

to sack bright Bri Leith, he bore off his wife, having reunited with her,nbsp;from Midir—glorious feat!

’Twas then he demanded

his honour-fine from Midir— nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;50

did Eochaid the upright, the fair and strong— and obtained it after award by law.

EATH ESA.

This is the fourfold demand that Eochaid Airem made,nbsp;with many a distinguished company,nbsp;with tale of shields and swords :

[To build] a causeway across the bog of Lamraige, [to plant] a wood growing wild over Brefne,nbsp;to clear stones from the Bottoms of great Hide,nbsp;and [to set] rushes over Tebtha.

“ 0 daughter, demand of me,” said Eochaid ; “ tell me nownbsp;which fortress of my fortresses [thou desirest],nbsp;and it shall be bestowed on thee by me.”

Then it was she chose

Eath Esa, a precinct with a fair lawn, a seat whence she might plunder (?),

whence she might see the three fortresses.

soerfaidM; asasailfead, amp;c. YHSSs; as asaillfi, amp;c. S3V: see Notes. 68. acctó] L ; aicfed, amp;c. emt.nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;69. belgaigquot;] belgaid, amp;c. RBYMSS3H; braenaidh 83.

70. in'] i L. cetach] L; cetsut R; cedsud B ; cedsuth M ; cetsaith (P) T; cetna, amp;c. ecet.nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;71. uGiall is’] L; nGiall sa RY; nG’sin, amp;c. MS; naG'isS2;

nanG-sa BSsH. 73-76.] not in'L. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;74. rad] dail S2.nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;75. neoch]

ni, amp;o. YSS3. 77. euV] coll L. 78. imon] mo LL. 79. doridisi] L ; afrithisi, amp;c. ea:t.

RATH ESA.

Midir prayed the noble prince

for the strong keep where was begotten Sigmall, his daughter’s son,nbsp;who dwells in noble Sid Nenta.

Ogniad [was] his mother’s name ;

she was daughter to Midir ; not evil was her disposition

though she knew not rule nor law.

Etain of the bright brows was borne

to the West, though proud was her birth, with the head of Eochaid Airem ;

so she was in Sid Nenta beyond the water.

In the West is the mistress of numerous hosts with Sigmall,—a fairy place without delusion-with the valorous grandson of Midir;nbsp;and she has not returned hither.

¦didinM. 89. aireglaii] L ; oiredhglan S; airedglan H ; aireadhaM ; airerglanc(5lt;. 90. siar] siur EBM.nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;ciarbo] cobo, amp;c. KB ; corbha M ; iiibo Sa.

toleda] tolc YS; ole S2. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;91. ?«] ro L.nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;93.nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;liiar M.

morgl(mn(icli\ morglonnaig L. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;96. tor(ioht\ amp;c. LSa; tainie, amp;c. CKt.

Rotbrecai each n-ingnad n-an a chlar find-glan, fielitib sluag,nbsp;a thir féracli fénach féig,

a iatli n-énaeh ii-indsech n-iiag.

Tech mic ind Oc ós do dind, rigda fót M féle find :nbsp;taircet éim ós do lind duindnbsp;geill a sidib Erend ind.

Ingen Foraind fort lar luind,

edin mal, ba molbthach in mind : furri rolad in tor tball;nbsp;ni gann in nath ós a eind.

Atehiu lind find Féie na Fian frit aniar, nf timm in gnfm,

CO la brdtha, brigach bag, meraid hi fan ratha rig.

Lanamain contuiled sund iar cath Maige Tuired thall:nbsp;in ben mór, in Dagda donn ;nbsp;ni duaichnid a n adba ann.

LURBMHSSaSaV. 1. aj i B. nia%g\ bruigb SM. 2. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;daM.

LUB; srethaib nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;célt;]LTJ; set, amp;c.nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Z. forolgais']'ijV ; dalais

did M ; xolais dit rat. Jlathefir'] LU ; flan iar fir KBMSSb ; flan co fir HSuV. 4. eecK] LIT; na Sz; mór ctet. immotrét] V; mótretLIJ; imotréd, amp;c. RBSS2S3 ;nbsp;imatret H ; rigatred M.nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;5. Sotirecai] LIT; dogabaisSa; rogabais, amp;e. ciet.

caoK] LU; mór clt;et. Jichtib'] fltliib R ; fltib H. 7. ferach fénacK\ feracli fénach LU; fremach ferach clt;et. 8. n-uag~\ LU ; n-uar, amp;c. ccet. 9—12] in LUnbsp;only. 13. Foraindf] araind LU. fort lari LU ; earn ar S3; ar lar, amp;c. emt.

BRUG NA BOINDE I.

Bright is it here, O plain of Mac ind Oc! wide IS thy road with traffic of hundreds;nbsp;thou hast covered many a true princenbsp;of the race of every king that has possessed thee.

Every bright wonder hath adorned thee,

0 clear shining plain with scores of hosts,

0 lucent land of grass and waggons,

0 virgin mead of birds and islands !

The house of Mao ind Oc above thy stead, a royal sod with true hospitality ;nbsp;there come in sooth above thy brown streamnbsp;hostages from the fairy-hills of all Erin thither.

The daughter of bold Pharaoh [lies] on thy floor a kind princess, precious was the diadem;nbsp;over her was set the tower in that place,nbsp;not sparing was the dirge over her head.

I see the clear pool of Fiacc of the warriors west of thee,—not feeble the deed—nbsp;till the day of Doom—mighty boast—nbsp;shall he abide on the slope of the royal rath.

Here slept a married pair after the battle of Mag Tuired yonder,nbsp;the great lady [and] the swart Dagda ;nbsp;not obscure is their dwelling there.

LTJ; luing nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;14. cain\ om. So. jndl^ LUKB in mal, amp;c. C(^i.

ia]daM. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;molhthach'] molfachll; molbtha BH ; moltaS3; mholaind M.

in mind'] LüH ; mind mind M ; mind ciel. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;15. furri] LU; impi, amp;e. clt;et.

16. in nath] BSa; iu5K; anath S3V; inathMS; annad H ; ignod LU. Read perhaps in gnod.nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;ós] uais H.nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;«] do LU.nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;17—20] only in LU.

18. lt;«»««)»] tim LU. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;21. contuiled] contuilled, amp;c. RBMSS2.nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;sund]

aann BSs. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;22. i»f] lia LU.nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;oath] after this word a folio ü missing

from S. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;24. duaichnid] duaithnid E ; duichnid H ; duithnidh M.

BEUG I. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;la

The Grave of the Matha after his slaying nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;25

is plain to see on thee, 0 Brug, studded with horses :

The sea has rotted his bone,

whence pleasant Inber Colptha is [named].

The Hide of the Cow of undying Boadan

over the cheek of his yellow-white stone : nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;80-

the Precinct of the staunch keen warriors about the eastern level of noble Nemed.

At the Trench of the gentle Seagulls it is there was wrought the deed—

great the proud feat of the spear— nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;35

the slaying of Finn whom the bold Luagne smote.

In thee was born a beguiling boy.

Cellach, who plundered the plain on his track;

he was able to face a tribe, he captured thee,

and died in thee a death of pride. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;40

0 beaked bark of the strong towers,

the sea-tide visits thy stead ;

from the days of Crimthand Nia to Niall

thou wast the burying-place of the fair-haired warriors.

Fintan Feradach, of bloody battles, nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;45

possessed thy land, the strong prince ;

Tuathal Techtmar, lord of our clans, thy bare sepulchral soil sustains.

failend LTJ: see Notes. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;36. Luagne'] Luagni LIT.nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;38. le'irg] léirg LU.

41. Irainech] branach KB. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;42. trethan] traetren B.nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;tond] trom LÜ.

do dind] LÜ ; do lind Sa: fo lind BH ; fot lind, amp;c. RMS3V. 43. otha] LU; o cmt.nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;malt;L\ LUB ; nia nar, amp;c. ES3V ; niathnar, amp;c. MH ; nia ceitri Sj.

CO Niall] nail S2. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;44. ba] LU; is, amp;c. emt.nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;45-48. in LU only.

46. Ihalmain] thalam LU.

49. Fedelmed'] LU ; feidlini, amp;c. cal. Itechtach] LU ; rechtaid, amp;e. EBM ; rechtmar, amp;c. HSsV ; rech- Sj.nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;it rim] LU ; art Idr B ; ar do lar RHS3V ;

ar trioll S3; ardha lar M. 50.] LU; nirbu elcmar fri gach toir, amp;e. IVIHS2S3V ; nirbu elcmar ar gacb coir B ; nirbo helcmar ar each tóir R.nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;51. nidat] LU;

nirbo S2 ; ciarbo, amp;e. emt. écradach] brec brathach 83. hitir] LU ; iar fir elt;et.

52. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;focheil] LU; do riaebt HV; do triacht, amp;c. EBS3; dotriath, amp;c. MS2.

53. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;aidhle] LUV; aille, amp;c. cat.nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;54. immanaigtis] cd.; immbnaig tess

LL’; imon gebdis, amp;e. cat. ar] for LU ; tar HV. 55. n-itachait] nuaebal LU ; n-uatbaid, amp;c. cat. ; naid B. n-aird] nard LU.nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;56. arg] LUS3;

airg cal. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;»] amp;c. LUBM ; a, amp;e. cal.nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;58. déad] LU ; daig cat.

Cairpre Lifechair lies on thy soil,

Fiachu Sraptine noble and famous,

Muiredach Tireeh from the Hill, the king Eochu father of Niall.

There came not Niall (a cry that is not false) unlucky for him the course he rowed!nbsp;after going seven times to Scotlandnbsp;the place where his grave is was known.

Thereafter came the pure Faith to Mag Fail, a law that came not too soon,nbsp;so that each lies in burial-grounds of holy men,nbsp;to sever them from iniquity and sin.

rodfli-] HI; notfir HS2 ; nodf'ir cat. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;59. lt;Js] J.XJ ; ic, amp;c. BMS3; a cat.

60./ocsi)i] LU ; aeon S2 ; isin cat. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;61. fort] LÜ ; art LEBII; ard V;

ardoSa; arSa; ad M. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;62.nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Sacra LU.nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Sraptine riiii]

ran roiptine I.Ü. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;63. dimbril I.TJ ; it tir, amp;c. RBY ; a t'lr, amp;c. MS2S3;

athir H. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;66.] so LU ; ro fess a luam [uam 82 ; ruam (with vel 1 siiperscr.)

H] leth rola [rora M, corr. rola], amp;c. cat. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;67. iarnduV] LU; i ciiaid II ;

rogabh M ; do chuaid cat. cojdoLU. 70./or] LU; 00 cat. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;1\. fail

cacli] LU ; fail S2; failet, amp;c. eat. i] it S2. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;72. scaradl LU ; snadad,

cal. ƒ)•«—ƒ(¦«] LU ; ar—nr ELY; ar—’sar 11118283.

BEUG I.

Thou hidest a brood bold and kind,

0 plain of the son of the swift Dagda!

let men not punish the worship of the great God;

it is worse for them where they are in torment.

They are transient, thou abidest: every believing band rides around thee :nbsp;as for them, their wisdom has befooled them ;nbsp;thou shalt attain a noble age.

Boyne, a spot right green and bright, an omen with sound . . . beside theenbsp;. . . from you of the proud grandsonnbsp;of Senbec from the stead of noble poesy.

Warlike and splendid is the centre of champions! swift their stroke, noble their assembly !nbsp;it is a fold of glorious chieftains, with a track,nbsp;it is a kennel of high-bred whelps, it is glorious.

dosruluaid II; dosrulluaidh M ; rosroluaidh Sj. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;a ngas^ ed. ; a tubes LU ;

in gtes, ciSt, nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;81—88] LU only.nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;83. üah}’ig~^ read perhaps Ebric :

see Notes. 87. rani ran LU. 85. colUl ed. culli LU.

TODD LECTUUE SEIUEP, YOL. IX.

( 19 )

BEUG NA BOINDE II.

O nobles of Breg, a might that is not deceitful, with featful points (royal is the road):nbsp;know ye the story of every lordnbsp;that is here in the Brug of the Mac ind Oc ?

Behold the fairy mound before your eyes : nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;5

it is plain for you to see, it is a king’s dwelling, it was built by the harsh Dagda:nbsp;it was a shelter, it was a keep renowned for strength.

Behold the Bed of the red Dagda:

on the slope, without rough rigour ; nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;10

he paid noble court after the chase

to a fair woman free from eld and sorrow.

Behold the two Paps of the king’s consort

here beyond the mound west of the fairy mansion :

the spot where Cermait the fair was born, nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;15

behold it on the way, not a far step;

Whither came the wife of the son of noble Nemed to a tryst to meet the swift Dagda,nbsp;and her dog after her,

though it was a long journey from afar : nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;20

Whither came Midir from Bri Leith

to bear off the prince, it was a lucky find ;

so he bore the Mac ind Oc from the ford

with a shield in his protection, though he was weary.

coem, amp;c., LB. 14. sWifci] sithbla RB ; sirblaYSz- 15. ait ro genaU-] L; airm i ngenair, amp;c. ccet. 16. for róen\ L; maroen, amp;c. cent. «/] in RBSo;nbsp;an (withyeX ni superscr.) Y.nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;ceitn] om. Ss.nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;17. dia] do Sa; da M.

19. in'] a EBMS2. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;20. thuriis] theros LRil; theras Y^.nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;21. dia] do

IIHS2. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;22. tocidii] LBM ; togail, amp;c. cat.nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;fó] LV; fou II; fo ccet.

BEUG II.

25. cialla] cialda M. cor] L; in cor, amp;c. ecst. 26. in] om.B. 27. «]¦ om. UYM.nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;29. dognith] dogniat Sj.nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;30. tre] fria M.nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;mbuat^

buair L. 31. de] deain Y ; is de M. nf] om. B ; in S2. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;32. Treise] L ;

intreisc, amp;c. HYV ; in treist M ; in tres EB ; in treisi S2. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;seiiZ] sur E ;

UÜ Y. 33. Dagda] in Dagda E (corr.) Sa. dur] ndiir LE. 34. asa]' a sin. Y ; isin S2. nib adba] cL ; ba badba mbroin] L ; broin ccet. 35. innbsp;Oelidin] oc Oclitin L; inacind {icith anochain superscr.) ^ innoohain S2; innbsp;Ochaind, amp;c. ciet. 36. othur] othrus E.nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;oil] oir B.nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;37-40.J not

in L. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;37. ƒ«'!«] fei't H.nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;38. a telctis] in t-eiges B;

bi teügdis, amp;c. EYM. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;40. do] di H; da M.nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;41-44.] om. S2..

BEUG II. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;21

Thereafter was brought, a clever compact, nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;25

the boy, on that day nine full years after to his father, it was a short-lived joy,nbsp;to the loved Dagda at his house.

Entertainment was made by him for the King in the mound by means of lasting deception ;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;30

thence is [named],—it is not a question without a key— Duma Treisc before the eyes of the hosts.

Thereafter the stern Dagda refused his request, to whom belonged the keep, it was no abode of grief;—nbsp;so he dwelt in Ochan, a journey with lamentation,nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;35

after warlike labour, after a time of carousing.

The trench of Esolam, pilgrimage revered, where good men used to cast questions ;nbsp;a sward with a brave portion, a deed without concealment,nbsp;for the son of Calpurn it was a path of grace.nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;40

Know ye the Well of Bualc the good,

his successor throughout the plain,

from which he drew a draught ....

a drink for the host, in presence of a bright hero (?).

Know ye the Grave of grim Cellach nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;45

[surrounded] by wailing in unison, the breeze was filled [with the sound]:nbsp;by a swift heroic pair he died,nbsp;when he was in the north on a foolish act unwise.

41. mbuailc] See. HSsV; mba Buile L ; mBualc, amp;c. RB ; mbuile Y; muaalc M. hW] L; mil Y ; mbil ccet.nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;42. comarba] comsavba L ; a comforba B; a

comarba, amp;e. BYMH. fit] om.h. i/Ho«] imo B ; fon M. 43. as«] asasa H. ésib] deisib, amp;c. EB ; eibsib Y. loimm] luim L ; lomm M ; lorn C(si. luatli]nbsp;luaithL 44. a dig don tslmg] asanib dig M. fiad gluncC] B; fiad glonn H ;nbsp;fiad glun L ; fidglun Y; fiaglunn E ; fiaglond M; fiadhnglonn SsY.nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;glari]

nglan YM. 45. crua%£\ cain {with vel eta sapersor.) H. 46. nilailt] nuill E ; naill B. erctha] eroda YH ; ero Ss. gaeth] gaith, amp;c. LYS2H. 47. ti-enbsp;beirt] tre beir L ; tria beirt, amp;e. EBYS2H. 48. dia mbóï] diai L ; comboi S2.nbsp;baethla] lethblaiL; baetbbla, amp;c. MS2HS3V. bdeth] baith, amp;C.LYS2; mbmtbH.

BRUG II. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;28

Know ye the Grave of the Horse of the king,

Cinaed free from rigour of need ? nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;50

he bore off victory from fleet ones of the bridle at the will of the son of noble Irgalach.

The Comb, the Coral of the woman, in whatever place each of them is,

it shall abide till the Doom come ; nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;55

their beauty shall not grow less and less.

Behold before you—it was the boast of every bard, it was the grave of a noble man, fame without decay—nbsp;they celebrated the meadow-land of a fierce slaying (?)—nbsp;the mound of Aed Lurgnech on the hill-slope.nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;60

There was caused bloodshed by its chief

upon the resort of ridges and territories :

that was a general vengeance of the tribes

in the place where the great Morrigan was smitten.

Know ye for noted deeds, nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;65

with true-clear learning, with scores of chiefs, the plain of bright actions, where shields used to be,nbsp;the Prison of the Grey, where the Grey Steed was ?

Know ye by the refuse of heads

the Glen where the sluggish Matha dwelt ? nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;70

it was slain after the incursion of lithe hosts : much havoc was wrought there.

nion rigi S2 ; morghlana M. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;muadi ruadh L ; mbuaidh S2.nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;mtt\ L ;

ainn cmt. i mbitJi] i mbid LS3V; a fritb M. 65. eóï] om. B. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;tre]

tria MH. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;ngncilK] ngeoth M.nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;66. nacht] L ; nao R ; nach BSj;

dat H ; ndatb, (fee. YMS3V. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;scéitli] om. S2.nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;68. i mbdi in] imbai

L : uman M. 69. eol] om. B. tre] tria RBYH ; tri S2M. chdiha] ed. chatha, amp;c. LYHS2 ; cata R ; cbata, amp;c. BS3V ; eath M. 70. mUd^ mbai, amp;c.nbsp;RB ; mbit Y ; mbith S2 ; mid M. Matha] matba LS2 ; in mada S3V ; mata ctst.nbsp;71. ro b{th] do bid Sz; nobith R.nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;inriiid] indred B ; indrad Y.nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;slóffj

RBM ; sluaig ceet. 72. dognitK] dognid dognid L; rognitb RB ; dognid M. (fo imniuA] dimniud L.

BEUG II.

73. efeitó] clith B. 74. inArig nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;in rig ar leth 82 ; narigh

dia leith, amp;c. S3V; in ri dia leith EBY ; and ri dia leth H. ó] dia L ; oa H. 75. deaein\ feaohsain S2.nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;indtha\ niatha LS2; mada MSsV; mata cat.

If), eland'] clannad E. fair] om. IjfirS2; ferE; uair M. «] fair E ; o B.

77. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;clandais buide] lintais uile L.nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;a liic] alsag (mth vel alig stiperscr.) Y ;

abraig M; alsat 82. laind] lind S2M ; lind {with luind superscr.) Y; luind H.

78. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;rind YS2 ; druim S3; rannlind M. forsmbid] twice ïi-, forsmbaei,

amp;o. EBH ; forsmbith S3 ; ambidh S2; forsnuB M. 79. cuirib] ouibrib, amp;o. BM ; curid E. na hglencT] om. Ij. 80./or] ar Y.nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;mac HV.

4f«rid] Murida L. 81. uill] ilL. 82. Cuin»] om. L. 83. do gleie]

BRUG II. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;25

Thereafter came (a deed without concealment),

the kings from a pleasant land on account of him,

to view the vast Matha, nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;75

and each planted on him pitilessly his stone.

Buide planted his keen stone

in the portion which is called Finn’s Seat:

in presence of the hosts of the glens he left

his head on the plain of Muired Mend. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;80

Thereafter came the mighty Ulstermen (Conn’s proper Share) against him,nbsp;to strive with the might of the sluggish Mathanbsp;so his limbs were broken on Lecc Bend.

A solid barrow was built by them nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;85

for a rampart over the bones of the beast : that was the trophy, a fight with lamentation,nbsp;which it possessed with victory and might.

The w'all of Oengus the blameless,—

([the name] Airther Oenlussa clave to it,—) nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;90

the son of Crundmael on whom fell guilt, when he had drunk mead till he was mad.

Royal the contest at the Cast

of the Mac ind Oc—whence did it arise ?

when the eye of mighty Midir was broken : nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;95

is there any of you who can recount it ?

glendL. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;matha S2; mkta YU; inadaM; iiiatimce/. 8i. iai/l] mboill Y.

Hie] L ; lie R ; leic clt;st. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Bend] mBend S3.nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;85 ndur] om. L ; nür Sa-

86. do mür] iidrena {with vel dremur superscr.) L. 87. mmill] nuall LSS2S3 ; naill B. 88. fn] ri L; for S2.nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;89. een] om. L. 90. airthir] athesc

L ; airthir Y ; airthir H ; ardior S3. oen H«ss«] enlussa B. rodlen] rod rodlen L ; rotlen H; ro lean Y. 91. dessiS] essid B ; eissead Y ; edsiudh, amp;c.nbsp;MS ; deisib R. cin] sin HS2 ; sin (with vel cin in margin) Y. 92. essib]nbsp;desibR. 93./omn] ni L. ^feó] geo B. 94. in] i B ; om. S, Ooc] annbsp;oog S. cicC] oed L. mbai] bói L. 96. fail uaib nech] fuilneach uaib Y.nbsp;¦asidchigt;%\ assidchoi, amp;o. LS2M; asatoaiR; asasidcaiB; isadcai, amp;c. HS3V; isidcaiS.

INBER N-AILBINE.

O men of Muired, bright honour among any headstrong company !

I shall tell you in my warm dwelling the cunning story of Ailbine.

There was once [a prince] famed for travel who rowed

north of undivided Ireland :

he was pilot of every brilliant band in his day,

Euad son of valiant Eigdonn.

He fared on a lucky journey, a choice without dispute, over the goodly mane of the sea early and late ;nbsp;to converse with his friend the Norseman,nbsp;a right brave journey it was to Norway.

He came with three boats, splendid and bright, it was a vessel ever terrible ;nbsp;they stopped short (the deeper dole !)nbsp;on the shoulders of the open sea.

They had no power to stir on any side, firm was the strong durance :nbsp;into the mighty main without shrinkingnbsp;went noble Euad the smiter.

fa Y. rabale} YM ; rabailo B ; robaile E ; robalc mt. 13. nóithib] noitib BB ; nseithe YS2 ; naithe, amp;c. SS3 ; noite H ; noiche M.nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;noithecJi] othech

82; iKEthech S. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;14. soithecli] soigteac B ; eoethrachY; soetrach SS2.

sir] sitb RB. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;15. duba] doba H ; dobo S2.nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;domna] domnu EYM.

17. femidset] femid B ; feimdis M. léd as] lutbar YS; lathar 82 ; lüth as, amp;c. eat. ««cA] each, amp;c. YSS2M. coio robddur E. 18. rfro»] droch RBS2.nbsp;fuirech] suideach M. 19. isin] forsin YSS2. 20. -guineeh] fhuilech E.

a nónbui’ ban buadach bil la cruadacli a n-indsaigid.

Pois nói n-oidehe lasna mna cen doirehe cen dér-guba,nbsp;fon fairge cen tonna tranbsp;for nói longa crédunia.

Ciarbo balacbt ben dib de (robo malart mitbise)nbsp;luid uadib cen cbisal clénbsp;CO tisad afrithise.

0 rafaid co muintir miiaid raid fri tuintib a throm-sliiaig :nbsp;ba soalt socblaind nf sviail

CO toracht Lochlaind lonn-gluair.

21. mosldi] ed. mosluidnbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;moluaid) H ; musluidh SaV ; moluidh S3;

dolnidh S ; moluaid RBM. tairdbe] hairdte, amp;c. Y {ivith t added later) 883.

22. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;dar sal fairgequot;] ed. fairgi tar sal, amp;o. IIBMHS3; tar fairgi sal, amp;c. YSsV; tarnbsp;fairgisamp;il S. sruth-saeba] svoÜi-sa.o'ha.'K-, saebtshrotha 82; saebsrotba, amp;c. ««t.

23. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;i sain-delgna] ed. in sandelgna EB; in saindelcca H; in saindealgna, amp;c.

S3V; isindelgna, amp;c. YMSS3. rosnd] rosna codd. 24. mbain] H ; mnd SS2 ; mbna M; mban EBYSsV. delba] delbda BYS3 ; rembra S. dluth] EB ;nbsp;datb Y; deagb S3 ; ro MHSS3V. 25-32.] o»/i. 83.nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;2a. lt;»-e] tria YMSsV;

fria 8. nglan] cm. B. 26. bed] bét E ; bet B; be fhad M ; ead {with two letters obliterated) Y ; beat H ; béat S3V. A syllable appears to be wanting. Readnbsp;perhaps ba bé fast: see Notes. fodroirgetar] fodroirngertar E ; foruirgetar H ;nbsp;rodfuirgidar 8 ; rofuirgeadar Y ; fotoirgeadarM.nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;27-30.] Four lines

INBER N-AILBINE.

When he hastened to cut loose the ship in truth through the salt depths of the sea’s treacherous waters,nbsp;he found, in the secret spot he swam to,nbsp;nine female forms, fair and firm.

They said to him in pure clear strains this it was that delayed him ;

nine women of them, excellent and strong ; hard it was to approach them.

He slept nine nights with the women without gloom, without tearful lament,nbsp;under the sea free from wavesnbsp;on nine beds of bronze.

Though a woman of them was with child by him, —it w'as a disfigurement of a little space—nbsp;he departed from them without wrongful offence (?)nbsp;on condition that he should come back again.

When she had let him go to his noble comrades, he rowed with the companies (?) of his strong host;nbsp;it was a happy start, ... no short spacenbsp;till he reached Norway of pure valour.

seem to have dropped out: see Notes. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;31. in nonbur} o nonbur B ;

ononmur M ; a nomnur HSsV ; inaenmar Y. bail] om. Y; ba E. buadach] buadh E.nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;32. cruadach] cruadbaob, amp;e. Y’HSSaV; eradbach M.

a n-indsaigid] amp;c. HS ; anindsaidig Y ; inindsaigid, amp;c. ceet. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;38. fois] faoi

II; fais (witó idh superscr.) S, nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;34. doirche] dairohi Y; dairci M; dairti

EB ; dairthe amp;£. SS2. derguba] derduba SS3V. 36. tonga] longaib EBS2. 38. malari] malairt HS2; maralt EBM.nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;39. chisal] ehisa S ; eisiu S2.

cle] gle Y ; ngle HSsV ; deS. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;40. afritlnse] aridhise S ; arigisi S2;

doridiseY'. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;41. rafdid] ed. rofamp;idb, amp;c. ES3V; rofaidBYMH; rofaidb,

amp;c. SS2. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;eo] coaB.nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;42. raid] ruadh SS2.nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;43. soalt] om. E.

sochlaind] soclaind EBS2 ; socloinii S3; so chluaing S. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;44. lonngluair]

longbuain S.

INBEE N-AILBINE. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;31

quot;When they arrived in the east across the sea nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;45

with luck and vyith high renown, they remain seven years seeking famenbsp;•with his friend triumphant.

Thereafter Euad of the spears went his way

across the waters, the noble youth keen and slender, nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;50

from the east over the strong pure billows of the sea,

till he reached the level plain of Erin.

False was the lawful prince ;

it was no right judgment nor honourable act,

not to go to the women across the smooth water, nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;55

in the same way as he promised.

When the lordly chieftain touched land southward at the plain of Muired of the lowland steadsnbsp;with unclouded fame for stern strength,

men heard the martial strain. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;60

That was the song of those tuneful women in their pure mellow sweet-sounding speech,nbsp;as they pursued Euad with the spear pointnbsp;over the impetuous clear-streaming tide.

They sailed a boat of flawless metal, nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;65

(it was no . . . black hull of mourning) nine of them, fierce, radiant, and bright,nbsp;to high Inber Ailbine.

miia S2 ; man M. oh] ogh S. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Umt] mbinn HSSs ; mbend Y; beind M ;

linn B ; rind Sa. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;62. trui\ tre MH.nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nglaH'\ glan S ; om. Sa.

-d^f] od, amp;c. YSa. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;63. tetarraehC] teebtairecht S ; techttareas S3;

eatarracht M. 64. «»¦««»»»] sruth SS2. selal-balc] sidhal bale S3; sidhal bhalb S.nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;binn B.nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;65. creA nad cle] cerd nad gle S; cen ceilg

dlieSs; criad ni cle M. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;66. ««¦] ni YSSgt;.nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;*gt;¦] dserMSSs.

drongdige] drongaide Y; drongaidhi S2 ; drongaige S ; drong daighe B. 67. a] om. BB.nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;grinngeT\ glinngol B ; giiiidglan MS2.

69. rogene\ rodgene, amp;c. YSs; rótgéne V; dogeine H ; rogniadh S ; doronad S2. 70. ere] era HSsV ; erim Y {originally eri) ; eirghe S2.nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;n-essil] deisil S2 ;

reisil M. 71. marbad] marbaid il. blait] blaith MH ; bloidY; bladh S ; blaidh S2HS3.nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;73 cair] coir Y.nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;H. treb-ehol] tve achar S2.

do] to, amp;c. EBSsV. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;75. rola] dala M. imach] a mac MS. tria]

tre EBS2 nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;caend] caca H ; cagad BMS ; cogad S2.nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;76, conidnapad]

conadabadh, amp;c. YSS2S3; conatnabadli M; conatnapai H. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;77. and]

andsin E. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;sonard-se] nasard de S2.nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;78. ro theclit] ro gab S2 ; re techt

'K)amp;. {altered to rd). rigi] ridhe H. 79. cen] nir SS2. i»i] anYSS2. glonn ngle] an glonn gle {in litura) Y ; gniin gle, amp;c. SS2. 81. tnu] tru EBMSS2-

An evil deed then wrought a woman of them, with no unconscious burden,nbsp;even the slaying of the son of Euad strong and good,nbsp;and her very own son.

[She made] a cast with her son, worse than any crime, (it was a stain on his house for him on earth)nbsp;she hurled [him] out in fair combatnbsp;so that he died the death.

Then said that loud-voiced host, whom fierce Euad .... possessed,nbsp;all of them astounded at the open crimenbsp;“ Dreadful, dreadful was the deed ! ”

Hence comes (a title free from envy) the name (not in deceit however)nbsp;of the river, whose fame we conceal not,nbsp;even as we tell you, 0 men !

If the name of your plain (pleasant pride !) be the title long free from blame of combat,nbsp;let it be called from the stout pillarnbsp;Muiredach son of Cormac.

Or if the instructed prefer

[to have] an eye to glorious deeds of pride,

they shall call it Builiath, a good that is not dumb,

from Moriath wife of Labraid.

82. nt'cfo] HY; nidu EB ; auiu, amp;c. MSS2; nita S3; nida V. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;didu]

dailbineu S ; dailbiu M ; dalbbdiu S3V. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;83. ««] ainm S ; ba M.

adba, amp;o. MS2. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;celim, amp;o. HSa.nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;84. adheram'\ adberim S2.

85. nait] uaobt S. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;89. ?«] lat S2.nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;tuaichliu] tuaitbcliu E;

tuaioble, amp;c. S2S3V; tuaiclu M. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;tra] tre B.nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;90. ƒ»¦*] for H ; fria M.

buaibthiu'] buaibtiu H [altered); buaithbiu EB ; buaidhthiu YS; buaitre S2; buaitriuM; buaidfi S3V. 91. raidjiti raidfid, amp;o. ES3V; raidfed, amp;c. YH ;nbsp;raid'friS2. bdinadba'] boi anadhba S2.

TODD LECTURE SERIES, VOL. IX. D

1 36 )

OCH AN.

CiNAED Üa Haetacan cecbiit. »

Déccid ferta mthaig Néill

ós lecht fir déin diclimaig duir : sund for ur slige na slfiagnbsp;rogab lige n-uar i n-uir.

Niall mac Echacli, assa lecht, luid fo secht tar trethan tricht:nbsp;roreraig comarbas Cuindnbsp;CO ngaet ós muing mara lilclit.

Dia raid in drong dnr din mnr “ Ail dun descin rig nondlig,”nbsp;atracht in mdl suas iarsein,nbsp;in gein ba huallchu fo nim.

Eochu, ba bed ainm ind fir de Lagnib lir, lam co neim;nbsp;i tóeb Néill co ngiialaind glainnbsp;sadis fiad na sluagaib sleig.

Cid rue in Lagnech inund fri baig Saxan ngalbech ngandnbsp;guin ind rig dond imram oil,nbsp;ingnad glond dorigned and.

Tan nosticed cith nó chriias tócabtha süas, serig diiis ;nbsp;ba fir flatba iar ndail bais;nbsp;maidm secht catha rena gniiis.

Cinaed ua Hartacdn] L only. 1. ferta] fert in YHS3S3; . SSj; leachtaigh M ; lettir, amp;c. ccet. 3. sund for ur]nbsp;4. n-uar] uar LB.nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;5. assa] isa YHMSS2S3.

roreraig] coriaraidh 83. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;8. con] ro B. muing]

h- H. 9. raid] raded L ; raidhi EM ; raidid YS ; Mi] om. YS3S3. din] di L; do Sa. mur] LS3 ;nbsp;L. rig] in rig L.nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nondlig] rondlig RBMYHS3;

11. iarsem] arsain B. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;12. ba] is M; bat S3.

15. eon] coa ESs. glain] L ; gil ES3 ; ngil ciet.

( 87

OCHAN.

Behold the martial trench of Niall over the grave of a man keen, . . . , strongnbsp;here, by the side of the track of the hostsnbsp;he found a cold couch in the soil.

Niall, son of Eochu, whose is the grave, went seven times swiftly across the main;nbsp;he ruled the heritage of Connnbsp;till he was slain above the surf of the Ictian sea.

When the grim folk said from the rampart,

“ We desire to look on the king that owns us,”

uprose thereupon the prince erect,

the being that was proudest under heaven.

Eochu, that was the name of the man of the numerous Leinstermen, a hand of venom ;nbsp;in the side of Niall, the white-shouldered,nbsp;he lodged his spear, in presence of the hosts.

Though the Leinsterinan achieved yonder, in concert with the violent grasping Saxons,nbsp;the slaying of the king after his great voyage,nbsp;strange the wonder that was wrought there.

Whenas trouble or danger came upon them he would be raised aloft (potent the treasure):nbsp;it was a true king’s act after doom of death,nbsp;the breaking of seven battles before his face.

16. no] fiadh ua M ; Sana S. slmgaHj] sluaga T. 18. fri bdig'\ ri baig L ; fri baid B; a mbaig, amp;c. RYHS2S3; in baigh S; eombaid M. ngalbeeli] nailbecb M.nbsp;19. dond imrani] diud iram E ; di ammram B ; ba himrall S2.nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;20. glond'^ in

glonn, amp;o. RMH. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;doigneadb B ; rognidR; dognidhM. 21. Tan\

in tan L. «osticcrf] dosdged, amp;c. EBMS3; dofieced H ; . . ficed Y ; rosfigbed, amp;c. SS2. ciihl L ; catb catt.nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;22. tocabtlid] ba tocabtha L ; dogaibthea S;

tocbaidis S2.; toefaithea M. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;serig'] L ; serie {with vel seg ric superscr.) B ;

sethnaob, amp;e. YHSS3; seireeb, RMS2. ditis] tuis YIISS2-

OCEAN. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;39

A just word spake Niall, nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;25

when he was slain on the sea by stealth, in the spot where Niall’s tomb was built,nbsp;that their hostages should be dismissed homeward.

Thereafter they were sent free

over the green stormy sea (wild its warfare) nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;80

hostages of the Saxons (they were a great and comely company) hostages of the Franks, hostages of the Eomans from the south.

Westward from Tara came

the warrior band of his warlike powerful retinue : thence was called, after grief and beating of breasts,nbsp;great Ochan of the following of Niall.

There parted in high Ochan

one from another the noblest in rank,

Leinstermen, Munstermen, (he caused them grief) men of Connaught, men of Ulster, famous men and troops.

A hero united them, who was king;

not weak was his frame in this world ;

it was a short space from Niall (his fame was a shelter)

till came the blessed Faith of God.

His sons thereafter divided

the island of Art, who was a wonder of a man,

it is to them their hostages shall be given

so long as clouds shall be round the white sun.

37. celehrais] celebraid BYMSS3; celebrait, amp;c. RH ; ceiJebradh Sj. 38. ai4ble\ aible, amp;c. BYM. 39. rodami'] rodadnl L ; rodusmairg S2.nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;40. ic L.

U is] lis R. 41. dosrimthais] doremtbus, amp;o. fiB; doromtas M; dorimthus, amp;c. HSS2. 42. nirb'] L; nirbo Sa ; nir ccet. for'\ ar YB. cW*'] thli M.nbsp;ƒ()gt;•] ar RYS3.nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;43. d»«] L ; ndinB; in din R ; nineat,nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;44. torackt]

LH ; tarat S2; tardsat, amp;o. cat. dil üé] ndil nde RBMS. 45. randsadar'^ ronset L.nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;46. fiA LM; in fir BYSSjSs ; ind fhir RH.nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;47. ngnlV\

gell H. 48. chin beti] amp;c,, LR ; gein bai M ; gen bed, amp;c. cat. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;neóil'\ amp;e.

LR ; aniuil, amp;c. BHSS2S3: aneill Y ; teimel M. %wC\ in B.

The children of the son of Cairenn, who stride through the battlefield,

to whom men were obedient altogether,

against the multitude of young men and horses

none could succour them save the Son of God. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;60

After them came to the East a weapon-loving champion,

Dathi who was headstrong in his day ;

not weak was his muster at the meeting-place ;

he divided the world in two.

The descendant that is best above the bright-hued soil

of all that sprang from Niall (splendid glory),

is Colum Cille, who possessed Iona,

the noblest living man that is in the house of God.

M ,' foirccedh, amp;c. HSs. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;61. snir clia n-eis\ dia eis L ; soir diandeis YS3.

armc/»»)'] LK; armcor HSs; armclar B ; armo M ; romchar, amp;o. Y {with vel arm superscr.) SSj. 62. I)athi~\ nathi, amp;c. EMHS3 ; dahi S. 63. nirb fhandnbsp;a ehomtil] S3; niibo comlond L; nir gand a comol M ; nirb fand a comul, amp;c. ewt.nbsp;/or] ar B. 64] roranda doman dil de Sj. 65-68] om. L. 65. ua] uanbsp;sin E. glan-gne\ gnsei {tvith gla superscr. btj later hand) B ; gnoe E ; glan anbsp;gne, amp;c. YHSs; gu gnae M. 66. ngW] e S2.

( 43 )

MIDE.

Mide, place of the eager steeds, the road whereon Art the Solitary used to benbsp;the lowland full of the splendour of Lugaid . . .nbsp;the level ground of the clan of Conn and Cobthaeh.

Whence is the name of Meath given to the plain? nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;5

to the heritage of the seed of Conn the Hundred Fighter ? what pure bold scion (bright the hero),nbsp;what warrior was it whence it got its naming ?

Mide it was, the ardent son of Brath .

the host-leading son of Deaith ; nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;10

for he kindled a mystic fire

above the race of Nemed, seizer of hostages.

Seven years good ablaze

was the fire, it was a sure truce :

so that he shed the fierceness of the fire for a time

over the four quarters of Erin.

So that it is from this fire in truth (it is not a rash saying, it is not a falsehood)nbsp;that their head-man has a right for evernbsp;over every chief hearth of Erin.

So the right belongs to the gentle heir of the plain of Mide mirthful and bright;nbsp;even a measure of fine meal with a white pignbsp;for every rooftreee in Erin.

14. ba\ ar H. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;15. teinei] tene, amp;e. RBYS2-nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;trelT] tenn, amp;c. YSS2;

tall M. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;16. tar cethri h~airde\ cl5r cech ri airdde L ; fo cheitri hairdi, amp;e. YM.

17. tenidl te B ; teine, amp;c. ES2. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;18. anfit\ ftad E ; afot B ; airnod Y ;

hanodh S ; honadh S2 ; hofat M. immaria] immargha, amp;c. YMS. 21, co ndlig a] condligeand Y; conadh dligh, amp;o. SS2. 23. bleithe\; cleithe, amp;c.nbsp;LEBM; mtleitlii Y.nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Jind'] ind M.nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;24. caeha A-] each LM ; in

gach YS. vencleithe] hoenceithi E ; primteallach M.

HIDE.

And they said (no small grief it was), the druids of Erin all together,

“It is an ill smoke was brought to us eastward : it has brought an ill mood to our mind.’’

Then Mide the untiring assembled

the druids of Brin into one house,

and cut their tongues (a harsh presage)

out of the heads of the strong and noble druids.

And he buried them under the earth of Uisnech in mighty Mide,nbsp;and sat him down over their tongues,nbsp;he, the chief seer and chief poet.

Gaine daughter of pure Gumor,

nurse of mead-loving Mide,

surpassed all women though she was silent;

she was learned and a seer and a chief druid.

And Gaine said with lamentation, before Mide of the great victory,

“It is over sorneivhat our house was built, and hence shall Uisnech he named.”

Uisnech and mighty Mide from which Erin of the red weapons is held,nbsp;according as the learned relate the cutting,nbsp;hence is derived its story.

Guard, 0 God, Aed ua Carthaig from hell with all its storms,

God enjoining his clear protection on the mead-loving king of Meath.

43. us neoeK\ oisneach B ; onech R. ¦ ro sniad] LH ; busniad, amp;c. EB ; atiat M ; do gniad, amp;o. TS ; dognid S2; dusgni S3.nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;44. de-seo] desin Y. bias] ata R.

46. asiigabar'} asangabtar Sj ; ongabthar M. Eriu] Ereo L. 47. adfit iti\ adfegad Y; adfedad S ; atfegbat S2 ; rosfet in E. Head perhaps adfiadat: but seenbsp;Notes. snass^ a snas YS.nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;48. c] sé L. 0] in EH. 50. anfaidl L;

uanfaid Y ; n-anfaid, cmt. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;51. d' irdiV] d’ furail YHS2; durail S. gle]

glaine L, glaine M. 52. rig'] ri RB. mid-charthach~\ mi chartaoh' L ; mid caraig B ; midhcuartaig M ; micbarach SSa.

DRUIM NDAIRBRECH.

Fulaetach cecinit.

Cid diata in druim Druim nDairbrech ? ba mór la rathuill teglach;

rem dari atclif co cuimnech

dar buidnecli mar tlur Temracb.

Druim nDairbrech is dun dlaind, mur gainmecb fo thuind tóeb-seing;

Mid bdird bas greimm ria glé-raind fégaim din beinn aird óebind.

Druim ndrech-slemon na ndath-bord, cuing letb-remor ’na leth-leirg,

port mar Raigne na rath-bard,

mur cath-garg Dairbre drech-deirg.

Dairbre drech-derg mac Lulaig, ba prap sreth-chelg iar samain,

mac Ligmuine co leraib, irlaime im debaid danair.

Pidgai Fochmaind is Gaileoin niptar moch-maill dia lan-réir :

Firbolg, Fir Domnand dmm, ba sir-min gairbe in gad-méin.

Fine Chrecraige ind ur-óir Giimóir Brecraige ban-air,

Mendraige Dairbre diian-ïéil, ba büan-léir gairbe gran-aig.

LKBYMHSS2S3V. RUartachl^. L; om. ccet. 2. rath^aU'\'L\ datidllM; rotuill, amp;c. HSs; dotuill cmt. 3. rem] rom L; rim H ; reira SoM. ate/u] adchimnbsp;Y (the m added by later hand); atcimH; docim ES2S3. 5. druim n-SS2.nbsp;6. tóefo/imy] tsebeing y; taibïind M ; taibind, amp;o. 882-nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;7. ria] re YHS2S3 ;

don M. 8. dhi] L ; don, amp;c. YMSS2S3 ; do EB ; da H. heind] muing S2. 9. shlemon] lemain BS.nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;10. remor] lemur S.nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;leirg] L; bord S ; lerg

ceet. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;port] om. E.nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;mar Raigne] maraigne Y; maraidbni M.

na] nar L. bard] bordquot; Y; bord SS2M. 12. mur cath] ed. ba ratb S2 ; nar cath H ; morchath S3 ; mar cath ca^t. -deirg] ed. garg S3 ; dg eiet. See Notes.

( 47

DKUIM NDAIEBRECH.

Whence is the hill of Druim Dairbreeh named ? great was the day when the house earned the name ;nbsp;by mine art thou mayst see in memorynbsp;a plain populous as the domain of Tara.

Druim Dairbreeh, it is a fair fort, a sandy rampart by the lank-sided billow;nbsp;the lay of a bard that will be mighty in tuneful versenbsp;I see, from the lovely lofty height.

The smooth-browed hill of the gay banks, the broad-flanked ridge with sloping sides,nbsp;a spot like Eaigne of the lucky bards,nbsp;fiercely assailed rampart of Dairbre Euddy-face.

Dairbre Ruddy-face, son of Lulach,

who was sudden as a chain-trap (?) in winter-time,

son of Ligmuine leader of hosts,

readiest in savage conflict.

The Fidgai, the Fochmaind, and the Gaileoin,

were not their own masters, early or late;

the Firbolg, the countless Fir Domnand,

tame for ever was the violence of their imperious need.

The tribe of the Crecraige of the raw gold, the Gumóir, the Brecraige of bloodless battle,nbsp;the Mendraige of Dairbre generous to song,nbsp;famed for ever was the fierceness of the horrid fight.

14. iar'] L ; ar cmt. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;im debaid'\ M ; imdebaib L ; andebaid, amp;c. cat.

19. Jir\ YS ; ier Sa ; is cat. dtrt'm] dirmhein M. 20. in] im, amp;c. MHSS2S3 ; am Y. 20. gdd-méin] granair M ; gadméin, amp;c. c®lt;.nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;21. CAmraijre] L;

acraighi M; ecraige, amp;c. cat. ind] ind h- L ; om. M ; in cat. ür-óir] SS2; uróir L : umoir M ; uroir cat.nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;22. Gümóir] co mür Sa; gumuaige

{omitting Brecraige and with “ vel giimoir brecri supersor.) E; gumóir, amp;c. cal. ban-air] bansair EB; baniiir 83; banair eat.nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;23. Mendraige] mentraidhi Sa ;

menraide, amp;c. YHS. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;24, Uir] ler HS; leirg Sa.nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;gairbe] airbre Sa;

gairm E. grdndig] granaig L; in granaigb, amp;c. HS ; angranaidY; ingranair E; imgranairB; imgranaib Sa; iimgranaidhM; im graniiigh S3.

DRUIM NDAIRBRECH.

Tuathal of the bloody quot;warriors inflicted nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;26

on red Dairbre, about the squot;wamp

headlong defeat across every moorland

[in] the battle of Commar, rough beyond other glens.

Dairbre Buddy-face, on that hill

in evil hour did he separate from his soldiery ; nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;80

Tuathal of the martial cheek bound him with his iron grip.

Tuathal the Wealthy, the warrior, great his rightful fame among princes:

Dairbre of the songs fell nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;35

by his axes—fearful was the cleaving!

This hill of the array of battle 0 swift poets, I declare,

good for [hearing] the truth about it is the day I speak of, for learning whence is named the noble hill.nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;40

LB; dreamnaibY; ndremaib ES ; ndreannaib M. 31. gruaidgl.'} ngrwdid ng\., ¦amp;c. EYHMS3; gi'uaid ngl., amp;c. BS ; ngruaid nglongaidh 82.nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;32. ro] re R.

34. dar'^ da BS ; do E ; dia 82; os H. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;36. didj do L ; di E ; la M.

¦didail] LM ; digaib B ; digail, amp;c. cat. 39. ƒA^r2 firu S2M. 40. d’’ fhaglaiirt\ L; do faglaim B ; faglaim, amp;c. ES3; dagloim H; dadlaim Y; dadhlaim 8;nbsp;aiei'baim S2M.nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;deg-drv,inC\ detb-druim 82 ; deadruim M.

ÏOD]) LECTU1U5 SEltlE.S, VOL. IX.

( 51 )

LAGIN I.

The princes were slain round their king (it was an ill deed, it was matter for wrath):nbsp;the Dumb Exile of martial might burntnbsp;Cobthach Gael, son of Ugaine.

Till that crime, Tuaim Tenbatli was the name nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;5

of the noble kingly hold, the noted hill,

till Labraid full of valour sacked it,

when he made a slaughter of its young men.

From the day he was slain (this is sooth)

even Cobthach Gael, with his thirty kings, nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;10

till the birth of the Son of Mary

is five hundred years ever pure.

The beginning of struggle and strife was

the vengeance of Cobthach on Loegaire :

thereby fell Cobthach of the cairn nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;15

by the grandson of Loegaire fierce and fell.

There came on the march to that slaying

Labraid and thirty hundred of the Dub-Gaill

in their battle-harness, warlike and staunch,

with their deep-blue lances. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;20

From those lances thenceforth

were the men of Leinster called the Spearmen ;

at the hand of the Dumb Exile, with heavy disaster,

by these lances Cobthach Gael was slain.

This doom shall abide with his family till the Last Day 25

that there be war between kindred kings :

the destruction of Oilill and Loegaire

at the hand of Cobthach Gael was the first slaying.

10. Cobthach cael] LSz ; csel na mbreg, amp;c. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;a] na R. 11. cor’] ooro L ;

C0S2; eon cat. 12. cóic] tri M. bith glaine] L; buad gaire, amp;c. EBMH ; barrbuidi Y (with bua gaire superscr.) SS2.nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;14. pian] L ; riad, amp;c. BYMS ;

riagh H ; ria ES'i. for] fri S2. 15. doroehair] dorocer EBM. 19. assaid] RB ; fhassaid, amp;c. LMH ; asaidhSSa; osaid Y. 21. na] la B. 22. rogairit]nbsp;rogairid B ; nogairid YS ; dogairid M ; raidhter S2.nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Idigne] fri laigne S2.

23. cic] nolo RBSS2. 24. ba dib] cetnaj H. 25-28] om. L. 25. ca] ga M : coEBH; da, amp;c. YSS2. briith] brach E ; iu brath, amp;c. MHS2. 32. eétna]nbsp;tren S2. horf] ro ort S2; thort S.

E 2

( 53 )

LAGIN II.

Labraid the Exile, (full his number,) by whom Cobthaeh was slain at Dindrig,nbsp;came with a lance-armed host over the sea-water;nbsp;from them Lagin was named,

Tuaim Tenba was the name aforetime of the hill where the slaughter was done;

Dindrig is its name from that time forth, since the slaying of the chieftains.

Two and twenty hundreds of the Gall came oversea having with them broad lances ;nbsp;from the lances that were carried there—nbsp;thence the men of Lagin get their name.

L 377. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;9. nGal[] call M. 10. lethnd\ lethnaibh L 377. H- dena]

con M. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;12] dibh ro aininnignigbthe L. L 377.nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;de atdt] raidhter Sj ;

ataid M.

( 55 )

SLIAB BLADMA

Blod, son of Ou, son of Cass the renowned, son of Uaehall the many-shaped,nbsp;killed Bregmael the famous smithnbsp;of Cuirehe, son of Snithe the swimmer.

Gurche Cendmar was a daring king over Medraige and over Herot;nbsp;through him Blod, son of Cass Clothmin,nbsp;found never sure protection.

He fared in his ship—clear purpose!— from the Bottom of pure-cold Galway,nbsp;from Ath Cliath in wide Herotnbsp;to Ath Cliath in Cualu.

Thence he came after many a turn

to the Point of Nar, son of Edliuc,

and possessed, as his special portion,

the mountain whose name derives from Blod.

A valiant man who used to wage battle died at Sliab Bladma—vast renown !nbsp;even Blad, son of Bregon, with troops of warriors,nbsp;died of disease in the monster-haunted Sliab Blod.

Or, it is from the son of Bregon the wrathful

that it is named Sliab Bladma, with onsets of women;

their profit (?) not far removed from destruction (?)

was the mountain where it happened through strong Blad.

Serwf]!,; eraitE; éi'oit H; heret E ; eruotSa; erfhod Y. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;13. iarj eo H.

15. roselb'] russelb H; rosealbuith S3. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;i sain-rainn] in slin rainnE; asan

roinn Y; a sabrainn H ; sealbhrainn S3; hi senraind E. 16. dianiff^ diana H. Blod'] Blad, amp;c. EH.nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;17-20] in LE only.nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;18. blod] bifid L.

19. Bregoin] Breguin L. bledaig BloiC] bladaig blad E. 21-28] in EYHSs only. 21. Bregoin] Breogain, amp;c. EH, tolcaib] tolchaib H. 23. tarba]nbsp;tharba Ss-

SLIAB BLADMA. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;57

Or the monsters of the sea that was not calm, nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;25'

beasts—ruisenda was their name— came throughout the land of the tribes,nbsp;so that from them is named Sliab Bled.

Blod, son of Cu, son of Cass Clothmin,

slew the herd of Bregmael Ban, nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;30

the smith of Curche, son of Snithe; he settled at Ross Tire Nair.

cloich' Ss. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;30] romarb bregmael mgobaind mbSin L. idin^ mhair H.

31] iar marbad goband cuircbi meic snitbi L ; gabairn cuirchi moir meic snithe, amp;c. HBd ; gabaind sein cure meic sneithi S2.nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;32. ac] hi Bd.

Nair] inair S2 ; innair Bd.

( 60 )

MAG LIFE.

Life luchair, leór do blaid, ingen Channain chét-chnrchaignbsp;fuair gairm ngaire il-lóg astairnbsp;ainm in ma ge, is mór-ascaid.

Tuc ascaid togaide tig dalem Coiiaire chelignbsp;d’ ingin Channain cét codalnbsp;Deltbanna dét drech-solam.

Lamnad roloit Lili laind i Purt Agmar i n-Araind :nbsp;rue mudaid mac Druchta de,nbsp;di chumaid lór lEéch-Life.

LRBYMEHSSs. 2. Channaiii] CandanB; Camain H. chet-churchaig^ LE ; coir cruthaig EM ; coir cruchaig BY ; coir curchaig, amp;c. SSaH. 3. ngair^nbsp;gaire L. iHóg'\ L ; iarnoco E ; iarn M; iarnog, amp;c. ccet. 5. tigl tich L.nbsp;6.nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;cheligL ; celicB; ceillig, amp;c.nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;7. ce'C chet L.nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;eomul L

( 62 )

LEBYMEHSS3H3. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;1. «] L ; co m- cmt.nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;2. dar'] L ; co, amp;c. ciet.

3. fdth] L; in fath, amp;c. cat. 4. blath] blaith, amp;o. codd. cech blad focail] These worde are displaced and partially obliterated in L. 5.] Nosfaidhset cofednbsp;inte S ; nosfaidset coféig inti E 6. Mechi] LB ; Meich cast. mór-millti]nbsp;mormilti L ; na mormilti M; na mormillti, amp;c. EB; in mormillti, amp;c. cat.nbsp;7. rosbalb rosberb] rosearb robalb M ; 7 roabalb E. een athbach] een adbatb S ;nbsp;each atbath E.nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;10. in mbeirg] LR ; in mberg, amp;c. BHSs; in berg Y; in

mbertE; umbeirt M ; imbert S. dia] L ; a RBM; do cat. 11. cnaifed]

The Barrow, enduring its silence, that flows through the folk of old Ailhe ;nbsp;a labour it is to learn the cause whence is callednbsp;smooth Barrow, flower of all famous names.

No motion in it made

the ashes of Mechi the strongly smitten :

the stream made sodden and silent past recovery

the fell filth of the old serpent.

Three turns the serpent made ; it sought out the soldier to consume him ;nbsp;it would have wasted by its doings all the Idnenbsp;of the indolent hosts of ancient Brin.

Therefore Biancecht slew it:

there was rude reason for clean destroying it,

for preventing it for ever from wasting

worse than any wolf-pack, from consuming utterly.

Known to me is its grave where he cast it, a tomb without walls or roof-tree ;nbsp;its ashes, evil without loveliness of innocencenbsp;found silent burial in noble Barrow.

( 64 )

MOIN GAI GLAIS.

Culdub mac Déin dia Sarnna luid hi céin, in cath-amra,nbsp;do chuingid chomraic óen-firnbsp;co Fidrad fial forfailid.

Desin dorochair Fidrad d’imairiuc na trén-bidbad:nbsp;aided Fidraid féig iar feirgnbsp;do laim maic Déin daiger-deirg.

Gae Glass ua Loga na leoM ba mass, fri fola frithbert:nbsp;bai leis sleg taith fri tolanbsp;dorigne Aith an-goba.

Is é ba nia Fiachach feil fia Loga liamna lonn-géir:nbsp;ba greit gaid een dil im dul :nbsp;dia laim dorochair Culdub.

llBYMEHSSa. 2. Ai] EB; a cat. amra] chalma MSsi 3. chuindgid^ cuindgi, amp;c. HS3. 5. dorochair'] adrochair BMS ; atorchairY. 6. d'imairiuc]nbsp;do imairc E ; dimfarracli, amp;c. MHSa ; diamaiveg S.nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;10. fri] fria MH.

( 65 )

MOIN GAI GLAIS.

¦Ciüdub, son of Dian, at Samain tide, went afar, the famous fighter,nbsp;to demand duel man to mannbsp;with joyous generous Fidrad.

Thereby fell Fidrad by encounter with doughty foes :nbsp;the death of keen Fidrad in his fury,

[came] by the hand of the red-knived son of Dian.

Gai Glas, grandson of Lug of the graves, was comely, a bulwark against enmity:nbsp;he bore a spear . . . against shields,nbsp;which Aith, the noble smith, forged.

’Tis he was champion of generous Fiachu, the grandson of Lug Liamna, bold and keen :nbsp;he was the warrior who prayed to go without hire;nbsp;by his hand fell Culdub.

11. ƒ»¦»] frmM. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;tótó] thaithY; staith S.nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;12. un-gohiC] engobaY;

aengobaSE: angoU cat. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;13. Fiaehach] fiachnalt; fiacbra BHM

fiacracb S3; fricach E. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;fcif\ feu S ; feiu E.nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;14. loHngêÏY~\ langéir E

15. gaid'\ aidh Y. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;ini'] in BE.nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;dU] E ; diol S3 ; dil cal

,16. dorochair'] adrochair HSs.

TODD LECTUllE SERIES, VOL. IX.

( 66 )

FAFPAND.

Fulabtach (?) cecinit.

Broceaid brogmar co ngnim giall do chiniud gorm-glan Gaban,nbsp;dó ba mac Faifne in file,nbsp;ni gó taitlime tiug-mire.

Ba hl matbair in maie maiss nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;5

Libir ind latliair lond-braiss ; ingen dóib in dian dirmaebnbsp;ind Aige fial il-gnimaoh.

011-mass in cethrur caem cass;

ba clethchur saer co sognass ; nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;10’

athair is matbair co n-aib,

ingen is bratbair blatb-cbain.

Tucsat na siabra side—

nir gnim tiamda téitbmire—

delbsat i ndeilb Mig allaid nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;15

Aigi sóir co serc-ballaib.

Kosir liErinn or i n-or

re cacb n-albin riiad rogor,

corcbüardaig Banba mbretbaig

no calma fo cbaém-cbetbair. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;20

Tarnic a gnim is a gal, fritb sund co sir a sernad;nbsp;tucsat i mbrianna i mbinenbsp;fianna Meilgi Imlige.

LEBYMESSsH. FulartaoK\ F. L; om.ccet. 1. co«] LY; een, amp;cQ,.,c(et. ginll'] gialL; ngiall EBE. 2. chiniud'] chungid L. 4. ni gó] ni co E ; ninbsp;gon Y ; nig M ; nia na E ; nia S.nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;taithme] taichle L ; taichme, amp;c. BYES.

tiugmire] acht {inserted) tigmire B ; acht tigmire HSs. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;6. lond-hrais] L ;

londmais EBYSSsH ; laechmais SE ; landglais M. 8. ind Aige fhial] mi fhialL; in fhial Ainge S ; in fhial Aige, amp;c. ««i. iZ-] oil-YSE. ll. athair],nbsp;ingen L. 12.] athair is niac co mor ... L; the last syllable erased^ and aeh (:}

( 67 )

FAFFAND.

Broceaid the powerful with winning of hostages, of the bright and famous race of the Galian,nbsp;he had a son, Faifne the poet;nbsp;the record of his final journey is no falsehood.

It was she was the mother of the comely son,— even Libir quick and eager of mood :nbsp;their daughter was the swift lady of the hostsnbsp;Aige, the noble and skilful.

Exceeding fair were the four, curled and gentle; they were a noble kin, of virtuous behaviour,nbsp;the father and the lovely mother,nbsp;the daughter and the brother soft and fair.

The evil spirits made an onset (it was no feeble deed of wanton folly):—nbsp;they changed into the form of a wild doenbsp;the noble Aige of the love-spots.

She traversed Erin from shore to shore fleeing before all the fierce and fiery packs;nbsp;so that she coursed round Banba, land of judges,nbsp;bravely, four fair times.

Her doings and her valiance had an end, here came to pass her final dissolution ;nbsp;they tore her in pieces in their wickedness,nbsp;did the warriors of Meilge of Imlech.

added in margin. ingen is] siur 7 M. elidin'] chaem, amp;c. MHSa X4. side] side E ; a side EB. teithmire] amp;c. EES ; teidmiri T; teidmini M ; acht teidmire,nbsp;amp;c. EHS3; acht tecmire B. 16. sere-] sith-YSE. 17. i n-or] indor E;nbsp;color M. 18. re] ES ; ria LHSs; ro BYME.nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;albin] alhain B ; aillin,

amp;c. YE; allaim M. 21. gnim] ngmni E. gal] ngal E. 22. frith] fiiil M. sund] om. L.nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;sir] seer, amp;c. EBS3,

saji'bladh M. 23. i (1)] in LEB; a cat.

YESS3H; milmile M.

F :

FAFPAND.

There he begged a boon

at the place where the soldier cut him down (?) nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;50

that his name should serve—0 deed of woe 1— to designate the ancient hill for ever.

Known to me with laughter (?) in sooth

is the death of Libir and Broccaid ;

not obscure is the cause whence is [named] nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;55

the rath where Broccaid was buried.

Ó5. m A-amilmv] L ; nir ambdacht M ; ni harmdocht E ; iiirarmdocht, amp;o. clt;^t. dia^ ma M.nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;56. rath in rohadnacht'\ in rath aradnacht M.

( 73 )

ALMU 1.

Almu of the Leinstermen, a fort of the Fians, an abode that Find the truly noble used to frequent;nbsp;hither came by chance one of no common line,nbsp;the woman from whom Almu is so called.

Almu is the name of the man who got the place nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;amp;

in the time of Nemed of mighty renown ; he died there on the green hillnbsp;of a sudden sickness in a moment.

Almu, beautiful was the woman !

the wife of Nuadu Mor, son of Achi; nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;10

she entreated—just was the award— that her name should be on the entire hill.

Nuadu the druid was a fierce man;

by him was built a fort strong and high ;

by him alum was rubbed on the rock nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;15

over the whole fort, after it was marked out.

All white is the fort (bitter strife), as if it had received the lime of all Erin,nbsp;from the alum he put on his house,

thence is Almu so named. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;20

Tadc, son of Nuadu, who strengthens valour, the druid of Cathair Mor great in fame,nbsp;to him his father leftnbsp;Almu with her noble possessions.

Tadc the strong had a lovely daughter nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;25

whose name was Murni Fair-neck ; the woman was demanded by Cumall;

Tadc the white-sided refused him.

ALMU I.

Cumall carried her off by force

the daughter of Tadc, though it was an ugly deed ; nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;80

for a year, without right and without victory, did Cumall the warrior possess Murni.

Tadc wept sore awhile

before Cond the brave of the hundred fights :

he taunted him—enormous the evil!— nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;85

he reviled him,—great was the hurt!

Sentence is given by Cond the brave

against Cumall that he should leave Banba;

so they fought the battle of Cnucha there,

and Cumall fell before Cond. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;40

Nine hours before the battle was fought was begotten the Man of Luck;nbsp;on the daughter of Tadc the white-sidednbsp;Find the true warrior was begotten.

Murni came after the slaying of her husband, nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;45

and fared to Almu the all-white

plaintive, sorrowful she was,

it was not fitting for the high-born lady.

Lovely and gracious was the princess,

and she was great with child; nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;50

Tadc threatened (great the deed!) to kill and make an end of her.

Said Cond of the white palm ;

“ I hold it better she should bear a son ;

the same mother, with her substance, nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;55

had Cumall and my father.”

Vehemently is she rejected by Tadc,

(to Murni it was cause of tears)

yet he did not dare to do what he spoke of—

to destroy them or slay them suddenly. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;60

ALMU I.

She came to fair Temair of Fail,

Murni Fair-Neck . . . -Skin; she asked the blameless Oondnbsp;of her destiny and her disposal.

“ Go thou,” said Cond, “ (it is good in my eyes) to Fiacail Fi, son of Conchend:nbsp;the own-sister of Cumall dwells with himnbsp;Bodmall . . .

She went to Temair Margi,

did Murni White-neck the high-born ;

Conla, servant of Cond the blameless .... to dispose of her.

Joyful to see her was the pleasant youth Fiacail Fi, son of Conchend ;nbsp;joyful was Bodmall, right heartily,nbsp;joyful was the whole company.

Thereafter was born Find the honoured, king of the Fians, high his spirit!

. . . nine years precisely

was he the royal champion of Erin.

Find demanded from Tado of the towers, a price for killing Cumall Mor,nbsp;battle without respite without delay,nbsp;or to get a duel with him man to man.

Tadc, since he could not face battle against the true-born prince,nbsp;abandoned to him (it was enough for him)nbsp;all Almu as it stood.

85

( 78

ALMU II.

Almu robo ch^m dia cois, ingen Beccain brat-èolois,nbsp;ben luchna na tiab, eét crod,nbsp;ó r’ iaiT Almu ainmniugod.

Mór dia biiadaib, dia buidnib, dia slüagaib, dia sen-bruidnib,nbsp;rofes co fonnmar a clü,nbsp;dia n-apar ollmar Almu. A.

In tan inusdailtis ’n-a dail fian mie Cumaill enech-nairnbsp;bat forud fer ngarg im gii,nbsp;ropat all ard a Almu. A.

O tliictis a hesair ain Clanna Bresail in buan-aignbsp;fri toisc sóid tar Segsa snu,nbsp;almain dóib in deg-Almu. A.

hBIMSS3IIE. 2. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Initli 11.nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;3. cfod~^ cor lil. 4. ó v iavr^ o

riar BRY; orgabli M. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;1. f(innmar'[ EM; fonnmor, amp;c. cmt.nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;a] in E.

8. dimiapar'] dianibad M. ollmar'] M ; alnior E; ollmor ccet. Almu] a almu M. 9. musdailth] rauscailtis B ; musluidhtis, amp;c. HS3. 10. Jian]nbsp;fiaun E. mie] om. E. 11. bat] bad EY; ba ME. gu] ga M ; du SE.nbsp;12. ropat all] E ; robotall BM ; robotalla YS ; roba thalla E ; rob- oil H ; robud

( 79 )

ALMU II.

Almu, she was fair on foot,

the daughter of Beccan the bright-robed,

the wife of luchna of the tresses, with a hundred head of cattle,,

from whom Almu sought to be named.

Many were its excellences, many its troops, nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;5-

many its hosts, many its ancient hostels, its fame was known in melody,nbsp;whence it is called mighty Almu.

When there mustered in their meeting-place

the Pianna of Cumall’s son, frank of face, nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;10

thou wast a seat of men fierce with the spear,

noble and lofty wast thou, 0 Almu !

When Claim Bresail of the ceaseless strife came to her splendid feast,

with desire of good cheer, across .... of Segais, nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;15

noble Almu was aliment for them.

13. B tltietis] otchidisll; a tigdis US.

14. huandif] E ; biuiiiaigh Y; buanaidh SM ;

15. said] sloig, amp;c. YEHSa; soidb, amp;c. cat,nbsp;sim] sna S.nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;16. almaiii] ahalmaiu B

Ahmi] alnisa Y ; alma S; duma E.

81 )

ALEND.

Alend, meeting place for our youths, rath of Art with his royal roads;nbsp;the chariot pole of victory was he on its plainnbsp;till Pal, son of Fidga, met him :

The grave where Conchend planted his roofpole, nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;5

the son of Fergna, a hero of fair fame, field-captain of Lugaid, hewer of targes;nbsp;over the seat of Setna Long-staff:

The stead where dwelt stern Messdelmond, by him was reared its lofty wall;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;10

from its springs a draught was drained by Mess Scegra the Scot of Leinster:

The lawn of Euamand, where the spear-point grew red, with the sties of the honourable prince ;nbsp;a lovely land, a perfect citadel,nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;15

the seller where dwelt Andrithir :

The demesne of Fergus Fairge

a proud and eminent heritage :

the portion of nimble Find mac Eosa

the royal keep of Bressal Bregaman : nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;20

Luchdond, grievous scarring of cheeks, from Gabran even unto Ath Cliath!nbsp;in Fal Segi would he swim the water,nbsp;dire were his deeds around Alend;

13. Ruamaind^ rumaind EYS ; rumaing B. 14. falgibquot;] failgidh M. forfind] ferinn S ; foirind M. 15. cAricWel] trieid R ; cridigh E. 16. i mbicf\ L;nbsp;forsmEit, amp;o. clt;Bt. andrithir’\ manindir BE; msenindir, amp;c. YHSs; maininnir M;nbsp;rainaindir SE. 17. Fergusa] Eergaia BE. 18. orba\ gorba M. imairde]nbsp;imairgeYS; imgairge E. 21. liaek^ liath YS. 22. Crahrdn\ Garban R.

23. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;ifait] for selb, amp;c. EYMHSa; for sleib BSE. sndad] snadhad E; snadai H.

24. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;garga] garg HESs. im] in L.

TODD LECTVKB SERIES, VOL. IX. G

25. bet/irach'\ 'bretec R; ferach S ; berchicii E. co ngait] L; coueim, amp;c. ccet. 26. tec/jrötó] Itechrad L ; lieehraibBH; leechaibYSE. 27./n']riL. mad]nbsp;mog, amp;c. YSE. cend] L ; in cend ceel. 28. hat adma allo] latadba adbmonbsp;Y; ba tadhma a fadba M ; ba tadhbha alma S; ba hadba alma E ; ba hadbhonbsp;albhai, amp;c. HS3. 29-32] ww. E ; added in margin'ïamp;.nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;29. eomrar] L;.

comra, amp;c. caet. thairmchelf] taircell E,. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;31. luad] luatb S. medra]

medrad E. ngle] nglind E. 32. ard-ri] airdi B ; airde E. 33. Ficiehaeh] fiacraob, amp;c. YS; fiacra E.nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;buadan B.nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;34. dracon] L: dracu,

amp;c., ccet. daigrech] draidneach Y. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;dron a ehri] L ; dronach B ; dron a cli,

amp;c. cent. 35. rigti] rigu a L ; riga, amp;c. RES3 ; rigai H ; rigi M. 36. nenaisc] cetiaisg with vel n superser. Y; cenaisc E.nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;niatJm] L ; nitba, amp;c. EH

30

ALEND.

A furious (?) bear, a flame of valour, a resting-place giving vigour to heroesnbsp;in the time of Nia Oorh (brave chief!)nbsp;thou wast a home of the wise, 0 Alend !

The chariot of Gathair, coffer of treasures ; valiantly did he encompass the leaders of herds ;nbsp;burden of all discourse (clear fact!)nbsp;is the high king of Emain and Alend.

The chess-board of Fiachu, victorious king, fiery dragon (stout his body !);nbsp;through his kings he made spear-points red;nbsp;he bound the champions of Alend.

The hill of Bressal Beolach tlie valorous, to him belonged Tuaim Tenbath Temair,nbsp;against spruce steeds the famous kingnbsp;brandished the weapons of Alend.

A lordly river visits it,

the Segais which flows from Sid Nechtain,

[and] Life, swiftest his waters :

they drain the bare plain of Alend.

Three mighty men [made] essays of trenchings, Burech, Fiach, and Auroras :nbsp;it is they who without flagging (clear fact 1)nbsp;dug the rampart of Alend.

uithu, amp;o. BYMSE ; niothe Sa. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;37. heolaig\ belaig, amp;c. ME. fri gaiï\ ri

gail L ; co mblaid, amp;c. cmt. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;38. Tmbad'\ Tenba KESs ; tenfa, amp;c. YM;

tenbaiH. 40. amw] arbru, amp;c. YSS3H; ïorba M. 41. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;saiglend,

amp;c. YSE. nodassaig'] nodasfail L {with vel saig superacr.); nosussaig {with d auperser.) B ; nodsusaigh K ; rodussaig E. 42. anaal senas L. 43. Life]nbsp;Liphea L; is liphe S.nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;luathem limie] L ; luath imlinde, amp;c. BS ; luatb

imalinde, amp;c. EHSs; luathama lindi Y; luatbina liude E ; luatb umlinde aille M. 44. tibit tulmag] L; fri forgla. b. RB ; fri forgla buatb, amp;c. YSS3H ; fri forglanbsp;tuatb E ; fritb forcia thuatb M. 45. trialla] triallta BRHS3; triallta a SE ;nbsp;telta a M; cartriallta a Y.nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;46. Buirech Finch is] fiacb burecb L.

47. immr] imgmm SE. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;ngle] om. E.nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;48. aeclaidaet] roclaisead M ;

acliiset, amp;c. SE ; conclaidbsid S3.

G 2

NOTES.

RATH ESA.

Etain (or Etaine) ¦was a princess of the cies side, among whom she lived a thousand years as wife of Midir, till through the jealousy and magic arts of her rivalnbsp;Fuamnach she was carried off from her fairy husband, and underwent a secondnbsp;birth as the daughter of a mortal. She became the wife of Eochaid Airem, King ofnbsp;Ireland; but Midir won her hack from him at chess, and carried her, alongnbsp;with her daughter Esa, to his fairy palace of Bri Leith. This poem tells how'nbsp;Eochaid won back wife and daughter. The sequel to tlie fortunes of Etain, Midirnbsp;and Eochaid is contained in the Snidcn Da Derga. For the literature on the subject,nbsp;see the introduction to Stokes’ edition of that tale; and to Windisch’s edition ofnbsp;the Tochmm-c Etdine {Irische Texte 1, 113). A translation of the LIT text of thenbsp;2'ochmarc will be found in Thurneysen’s Sagen aus dem alten Inland, 77. Thenbsp;w'hole series of legends, and the different versions of each, have been fullynbsp;discussed by Nettlau in vols. xii. and xiii. of the Revue Celtique.

Midir’s abduction of Etain is referred to again in the Dindshenehas article on Hath Cruachan,

This poem is ascribed in Sa to Cinaeth ua Ilartacain: in H to “Maicniadh mac Aonaecan.”

2. As tichtain is feminine, we must either read bruthmair against the MSS., or regard bruthmar as a nominative agreeing wdth hdire.

Ó. Esa is also called Etain : see IT i. 130, 15.

7. The prose Dindshenehas says that ‘ a hundred of every kind of cattle w^ere brought [by Esa] to Midir, after Etain had been carried off from Eochaid.’

8. bés seems here to mean ‘ tax, tribute ’ (cf. Meyer, Contribb.), and to refer to the cattle gathered by Esa.

LL reads burnt for bmid; and this may be right, but I have no other instance of this word used as a substantive.

12. The gloss on this poem printed by Meyer in ACL iii. 143 from H. 3. IS, p. 467, explains nen by cumal; and this is supported by LBr 238'^ a 24 wherenbsp;a nen is glossed a hinilt. It is also possible that we should read n-ena: thisnbsp;adjective, which means perhaps ‘proud,’ occurs in SnE 4431 immon n-eclaisnbsp;n-ena n-aird; LL 192 b 35 comul n-ena \ BB 374 « 32 canid and sid n-ena [a,nbsp;proper name?); BB 17 i 7 reim n-eana.

[kATH ESA

14. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;ólaig. It was at a banquet that Midir appeared and carried off Etain. He

promises her C'ld mesc lib coirm Inse Fail, is mescu coirin tire mdir (LU 131 J 35).

15. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;aire-glan. This epithet is repeated in 23, and in 89 is applied to Etain, It

seems to be derived from aire ‘ the temples.’ As applied to a place it can only be understood metaphorically;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;‘ cheek ’ is similarly used of places; e. g. EL

164 h 19,/or gruaid Ailig ; 215 a 38 dar slim-gruad seer sen-CharMtiin. But in 15 it may refer to Etain, and perhaps it may have found its way tlience to 23, bynbsp;the error of an early scribe. The variant airerglmi is glossed by 0’CI. oirearglannbsp;•i. aoibhinnglan.

27. dolaim is defended by the rhyme. I do not know the word as a substantive, but suppose it to be connected with dolam ‘ slow,’ dolma ‘ delay ’ SiiB. The truenbsp;reading may, however, be oca ndlomaisin ‘repulsing them’: cf. 0’CI. dlomaisin.

32. ruihnech. H. 3. 18 (as above) explains this word as ro^?a^^/^ocA : cf. Wi. a. V. ruibne (2). But this meaning does not suit Bend Etair ii. 66 (Todd. Lect.nbsp;vii. 60) cend ruad ruibnecli; cf. Oath Einntr. index s, v.

41. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Mess Buachalla : see Bruden J)a Berga (ed. Stokes), pp. 11, 12.

42, nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;44. chelig—Fbir. L has chelig, without the mark of length: the othernbsp;readings give no rhyme. But w’hat does chelig mean ? At Mag Life 6 (infra)nbsp;L again reads Conaire chelig against the other mss : at Rath Chnamrossa 10 (LLnbsp;195 a 34) we have mac Conaire chelig : for celech see Meyer, Contribb. Thenbsp;objection to reading chelig in our passage is that Fber has generally no mark ofnbsp;length. But this is bj^ no means always the case : see LL 14 a z, 14 b 18, 15 a 3,nbsp;21, 16 b 2, 37, 42. It seems, then, that the quantity is undetermined, and I feelnbsp;justified in writing Fhir.

4:Z. fuachaldareading and meaning are uncertain. O’Cl. has ntiacholla .i, ualhbdsach.

Midir induced Eochaid to commit unwitting incest with his daughter: Mess Buachalla w^as the fruit of this unnatural union : see Rev. Celt. xii. 235-9. Tonbsp;this 43 seems to refer.

46. Bri Leith. L has bria. The true genitive is breg : dat. brig : in 12 and 24 all MSS. have bri.

55. decharda maybe referred to dechar ‘division’ (so Meyer, ZCP iii. 429), or to dechrad ‘ fury.’

57. The fragmentary tale in LIT 131 gives an account of the making of the tochur. Eochaid learnt from the Side, on this occasion, the art of making oxen worknbsp;in the yoke ; hence his cognomen Airem, ‘ Ploughman.’ larsin doberar uir ocusnbsp;grian ociis clocha forsin monai. For etnu dam dano hdtdr fedmand la Jiru h-Erendnbsp;cosin n-aidchi-sin, conaicces la lucht in t^shide for a formnaib. Bo gnith samlaid lanbsp;Eochdaig, conid de atd do’som Echaid Airem, ar is aice toisech ticcad cuing for muinélaihnbsp;dam do feraih h-Erend.

It seems from this that the four things demanded are corvees imposed on Midir’s people rather than rights claimed by Eochaid, as Stokes suggests, KC xvi. 308.nbsp;Cf. LU 132 « 5.

67. -asoerad seems to be impf. subj. of asorgim, for -esornid (?).

69. These three fortresses are named together in a verse written on the top margin of LL 164 (quoted Sil. Gad. ii. 520). belgach seems to be a derivative ofnbsp;belach : at all events it must be distinct from hélgacli ‘ talkative.’

70. cétach is a bad rhyme to Ètar ; and the disagreement of the mss. indicates corruption.

77. The reading of L, coll for cul, is perhaps right: ‘ after a breach of the truce.’

81. bile, like gas, amp;c., is used metaphorically of persons. See Meyer, Contributions'. and compare Temair iv. \ibaboy'g-b%U comhadb-slait. (Todd Lect. viii. 28.

89-96. The events here referred to are known only by casual allusions. In LL 121 5 52 occur these lines :—

.Atd cend Mchdach indiu is-Sid Nenia iar n-usciu.

It seems that Sigmall carried on the quarrel of his grandfather Midir, and finally destroyed Eochaid Airem at Fremand: see LL 23 a 37, 131 b 39 : FM 5084. Hisnbsp;own fate is recorded in LL 115 20 (cf. LU 129 b 18). O’Donovan identifies hisnbsp;palace of Sid Nenta (in his note on FM 5084) with Mullaghshee in Eoscommon.nbsp;In his Hy Many, p. 6, he had placed it at Fairymount near the north end of Loughnbsp;Eee. The words iar n-usciu need not he regarded as a note of real place : suchnbsp;dwellings of the des side were often imagined as opening on ‘ seas in fairy landsnbsp;forlorn ’: cf. Nutt, Voyage of Bran, i. 229. In the Bruden Da Chocae, this placenbsp;is again called Sith Nenta ier n-usce (EC 21, 152); while in the Cophur in danbsp;Muccida, it is referred to as Sid Menio fo huisce (IT iii. 238 (line 90), 240 (line 280)).nbsp;Argain Side Nenta is the title of one of the lost tales : see O’Curry, Lectures, 591.

85. Ogniad is mentioned in the catalogue of women, LL 137 a 30. 94. sid : perhaps ‘ peace.’

NOTES.

BBUG I.

The Brug mio ind Oc is tlie famous Brug na Bóinde. The story of the trick hy which the Mac ind Oc obtained it from his father the Dagda is told in LLnbsp;209 a 50, seq.

1. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;a maig. All mss. except S agree here on this form of the vocative, whereasnbsp;in 74 LU (the only ms.) has a mag.

2. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;The reading of all the later mss. srethaib set would mean ‘ with a series ofnbsp;roads’; of. Ailech ii. 31 (Todd Lect. vii. 44) dar sreith slige.

3. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;forolgais', from folaigim.

4. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;immotrH seems a t-pret., from

7. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;féig. Cf. IT iii. 535 esera féig, where Windisch renders ‘ klares.’

8. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;indsech possibly means ‘peaceful’; cf. IT ii. 1,41, line 1280, bith-indesnbsp;(sic leg.). But indsech ‘islanded ’ occurs in Togail Trói.

13. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Ingen Foraind: presumably the wife of Miled is meant : see 0’Mahony’snbsp;Keating, 164.

14. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;mal', as a rule not applied to a woman ; but see 0’CI. s. v.

16. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;The reading is doubtful. LU’s ignod is difficult to explain. Perhaps itnbsp;should be in gmd. This would supply alliteration, and a response to tor in 1.5 ;nbsp;but the meaning would be obscure: gnod is glossed rinn : see Stokes, Metricalnbsp;Glossaries, 22, 85.

17. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;‘ Fiaco’s Pool’ is mentioned as ‘on the Boyne,’ IT iv., lines 56, 2346 :nbsp;cf. LL 209 b 42 Fcic lind.

25. For the Mktha (or Mamp;ta) see the Dindshenchas of Ath Cliath, Todd Lect. vii. 21.

29. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Boadan is mentioned by the Pour Masters 861 (cf. Annals of Ulster, 862)nbsp;as the herd of Elcmar, one of the princes of the Tuatha Dé. The ‘ Cowhide ’ isnbsp;evidently the name of some landmark or notable object.

30. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;a li(w. The a is added below the line: it may be an interpolation, liaenbsp;being scanned as a disyllabic.

33. I suppose Ferta na FdiUnn to be another local name : foileun glosses alcedo, Thes. Palseo-Hib. ii. 136, 231. The modern/«oifertnK means ‘sea-gull.’ Thenbsp;word may here haye a metaphorical application, ike the “Wild Geese” of laternbsp;days.

Yox fertae ‘ trench ’ (1'em. sing.), of. Thes. Palaeo-Hib. ii. 259 ml Ferti virorum Fece quam foderunt etc.: ibid. 263 hi Ferti virorum Feicc.

36. forfein : irom forbenim. Finn was killed by Aichlech, one of the Luaigne, a tribe who lived near Tara; see Sil. Gadel. i. 91.

38. This Cellach is probably the son of Cormac whom Aengus Gaibuaidech killed for seducing his niece: Laws iii. 82 ; LU 53 « 41; mellach will thereforenbsp;have the sense of ‘ cajoling,’ which appears in the modern use of meallaim.

41. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;bare. The prose Dindshenchas (RC xv. 292) mentions the Bare Crimthainnnbsp;Nia Nair among the ‘ remarkable things of the Brug.’ Bare like long is appliednbsp;metaphorically to houses: cf. Temair iii. 57, 58 long na leech, frisanabar bare bannbsp;mbaeth (Todd Lect. viii. 18). Braineoh may mean ‘ eminent ’ or may denote thenbsp;shape of the structure. Tor ‘ tower,’ by a common metaphor, means ‘ champion,’

42. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;tomi is preferable to trom (the reading of LXJ) as giving a response to trommnbsp;in 41. In Irish (as in Frencli) poetry, words of identical form are admissiblenbsp;rhymes only if they differ in meaning.

43. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;According to the Senchas na Jtelec, all the kings of Tara down to Cremthannnbsp;were buried at Cruachan. But “ the nobles of the Tuatha De Denann were usednbsp;to bury at the Brug . . . and Cremthann followed them because his wife Nar wasnbsp;of the Tuatha Dea ” (Petrie, Eccles. Archit. 100—101).

45. I know nothing of Fintan Feradach.

51. ecradach. Strachan [Middle-Ir. Deel. 18) has collected instances in which the predicative adjective is uninfleeted ; cf. 77 iatsom dimbuan.

53, 57. The Senchas na Eelec explains why Cormac and Art were not buried in the Brug ; {Eccles. Archit. 100-101).

54. imman-aigtis litirg: cf. LL 50, 14 Unmundaigtis buidne tend. It might be better to render ‘ round whom were driven chariot-tracks.’ If lorg ‘ club ’ evernbsp;followed the masculine declension, we might translate ‘on whom clubs werenbsp;plied.’

70. bes nirbo rom. Cf. bes ni roni LU 40 a 39. In both instances might be rendered ‘ perhaps.’

75. If dersat is right, it must be 3 pi. pres. subj. of dojichim ‘I punish’ : cf. Stracban, Sigm. Fut. 4. The meaning then is general; if men persecute thenbsp;faithful, they will suffer worse things themselves hereafter.

But it is tempting to read dernsat: we may then regard the collective ciiane as the antecedent, and line 74 as a parenthesis, and translate : ‘ a brood . . . that didnbsp;not pay worship to the true God : so much the worse for them now ! ’

78. sldn seems to mean ‘ saved by their faith.’

81—84. I can make nothing of these lines. SHI may be the river Seler cï.Jltmen Séle, Thes. Palaeo-Hib. ii. 263 ; and Dinds. of Tailtiu, 78 (LL 200 b 50).nbsp;Senbec ua Ebric is mentioned (BB 308 b 27) as a sai ecsidh : according to O’Curry,nbsp;MC ii. 50, he was a historian of the Tuatha De Danann. Perhaps in 83 uaibrignbsp;should be Ebrw. And Cenninduis may be the place-name (now Kells).

85. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;cond ‘ head ’ seems here to mean ‘ headquarters.’

86. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;The meaning of dond is doubtful: it is glossed by 0’Dav. uasal no brithemnbsp;no ngh,

87. rdn-tor seems to be intended as a response to ard-chon.

BEUG ii-l nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;NOTES.

BRUG II.

15,16. 1 have kept L’s text, as it is defensible ; but the reading of all other mss. ainn i nghiair . . . mar óen is preferable.

17. hen mic Ndmat. Boand, wife of Nechtain. She bore Oengus to theDagda. Her dog’s name was Dabilla (see prose Dindshenchas). The poem (ascribed tonbsp;Cinad XIa Ilartaeain), which begins LL 209 b '25, and is continued at 208 b 1, tellsnbsp;the story of the birth of Oengus : how he was abandoned by his parents, and hownbsp;Midir carried him olF to Bri Léith (209 a 6): how he returned to seek out hisnbsp;rightful father, the Dagda, and made a feast for him: how the Dagda offered himnbsp;a boon in return : and how Oengus won the possession of the Brug from him by anbsp;verbal quibble (209 a 50). To this trick the words cialla cor {‘2Ó) seem to refer.

22. For frith ‘discovery, trouvaille,’ cf. Sil. Gad. i. 33, 10 fo frith fuaramar ¦, LL 147 h 40 ni hinunn frith fogeih each ; LIT 114 b 23 ha hamrae in frith.

32. Duma Treisc, ‘the Barrow of Offal,’ named from the broken meats of the feast: cf. Tochm. Emire (quoted by Meyer, index to Aisl. M. C.): ait in rocuirednbsp;a tresc dorigne cnoce mór de: ha hé a ainni, Tresc in Mdirimdill. 0’Eeilly hasnbsp;treasg ‘refuse,’ ‘chaff’ ; and trese ‘lees,’ ‘hogwash.’

34. adha mhróin. I have not elsewhere found adba neuter: but the change from neuter to feminine is very common. All mss. except L have ha badha brain,nbsp;which seems meaningless.

38. a telctis cesta. This seems to imply some kind of sortilegimn, but I can find no other reference to the place or the custom. Esclam, according to the prosenbsp;Dindshenchas, was the Dagda’s brehon. Perhaps, then, we should translate ‘ usednbsp;to solve questions,’ but I have no instance oï doléeim in this sense.

41. It is difficult to determine the reading for want of information as to the incident referred to. L has tuba lluilc (not as in the facsimile mba): most of thenbsp;other texts, and the prose, read Bualo or Buailc. I can find nothing about thisnbsp;person ; and lines 43, 44 are consequently obscure to me. lib (43) is apparentlynbsp;an adjective. Dirmeen has lib ‘ dripping.’ I read gland in 44, supposing it tonbsp;be dative of glond: the meaning assigned is doubtful: see Bev. Celt. xxiv. 69.nbsp;Perhaps fiad-glond ‘ honourable deed.’

45. This Cellach is called in the prose ‘son of Maelcoba ’ : he is, then, the Cellach who was the joint-king of Ireland with Conall, and died at Brug na Boinne,nbsp;according to the Four Masters, 656 (653 AU). His partner Conall is there said tonbsp;have been killed by Diarmaid, son of Aed Slaine : it seems, then, that Cellach wasnbsp;killed at the same time, and that the ‘ pair ’ referred to in 47 are Diarmaid andnbsp;his brother Blathmac, who took the kingship on the deaths of Conall and Cellach.nbsp;There were different accounts of the death of Cellach: see AU 657, 663. Thenbsp;Cellach mentioned in Brug i. 38 is probably quite a different person.

48. I can only guess at the meaning of hctilila—if that he the true reading. Jfost of the MSS. have baethbla, which 0’CI. glosses by baothhaile.

50. Cinaed, son of Irgalaeh, was hing of Ireland a.d. 720 to 722.

galma : cf. SnR 5.'547 galma 7 glóir. 0’Clery glosses the word .i. crtias.

53. Currel. Stokes RC xv. 292 translates ‘ casket.’ But in his edition of the Bntden Da Derga he translates the phrase eir eliuirreil argit ‘ a bright comb ofnbsp;silver,’ and suggests a derivation from 'Hon-réil. This may be right, but does notnbsp;explain our passage. It seems to me that we have to do here with a differentnbsp;word; curel ‘coral’ occurs in the Irish version of Marco Polo ZCP i. 384:nbsp;O’Begley has coiréal. On the use of coral among the Celtic peoples, seenbsp;S. Reinach in Rev. Celt. xx.

56. For ar chdch see Meyer, Contribb., s. vv. each, achdeh.

59. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;gdela. O’Reilly has gaol ‘wound’: cf. gdelim ‘ I break,’ SnR. Butnbsp;perhaps we should refer the word to gael ‘kinship,’ though the genitive isnbsp;regularly gaeil (Atk. PH: Dinneen, Diet.).

60. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;The word sid seems to imply that Aed Lurgnech belonged to the Tuatha De,nbsp;but I have found no other reference to him.

Cl, 62. ruamna means properly ‘redness’: citan-lla seems to be compounded of edan ‘troop ’ and bla ‘place ’ : cUach I understand as gen. pi. of cUu.

‘ ^ nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;64. This presumably refers to the wounding of the Morrigan by Cuohulainn :

see Miss Faraday’s ‘Cattle Raid of Cualnge,’ pp. 79-81. The ford where the fight took place has not been identified, but it cannot have been very far fromnbsp;Brug na Bóinne.

•• nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;69. I conjecture cató», regarding it as plural of edith ‘ husks, rubbish,’Meyer,

Contribb.: here the debris of a skeleton. This supplies a response to Mamp;tha in 70.

As to this monster, see Ds. of Ath Cliath (RC xv. 329, Todd Lect. vii. 20), where it is said to have been slain at “ Lecc Bend on Brug mic ind Oc.” LL givesnbsp;the form mdtha here and in 75, 83 : so in Brug i. 25, LU has mdtha.

74. toich seems to be the word found in Wb. 9 a is toich dom gl. est accepta mihi: see Wi. s.v., and cf. LL 147 a 6 in be thondgel toich.

88. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;The meaning seems to be that the barrow (called in the prose Duma nanbsp;Cnhm) belongs to the Matha whose memory it preserves.

89. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;The obit of Oengus, son of Crundmael, abbot of Duleek, is recorded by thenbsp;Four Masters a. 778 : in the Annals of Ulster a. 782.

93. Boot is here a disyllable, answering to Öoc. The prose has rout sula Ilidir'. I know of no other allusion to the incident, except 0’Clery’s gloss, s. v.nbsp;rod, and perhaps the verse at LU 149 a 21.

95. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;robriss may be either transitive or intransitive.

96. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;asidohói : pres. sbj. of asetiad: see Meyer, Contribb.

IMBEE N-AILBINE.

This poem has been published from BB by O’Curry rvitb a translation in Atlaulis, vol. iv. 235.

The legend is told in the Tocbmarc Emire : see ZCP iii. 243. The poet has drawn from this source several phrases which are noted below.

The metre is extremely elaborate. All four lines of each stanza rhyme,; the first and third lines ending in monosyHables, the second and fourth either innbsp;disyllables or in trisyllables. There are internal responses (sometimes double)nbsp;between the first and second lines and between the third and fourth. Alliterationnbsp;is strictly observed.

1. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Muired. The prose says that Ruad was grandson of the king of thenbsp;Fir Muirid.

2. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;do nach seems here to be used as in the construction illustrated bynbsp;Atkinson, PH 817«; tailmire (or tuilmire) is compounded from toil and mire:nbsp;ef. note on talchar, Ochan 62.

3. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;trebthus seems to mean ‘dwelling’ ; cf. Mag Luirg 1 (LL 211 a 48) Is eolnbsp;dam im threihthas to : Mag n-Aidni 7 (LL 156 J 40) as mo threbtims co turad. Thesenbsp;passages support the reading of YH.

5. rot-bla. The second element of the compound seems to mean ‘ noise, fame.’ The word occurs at LL 10 b 25 in an obscure poem.

9, nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;10. It seems natural to take maith-mora as a compound : this would involvenbsp;writing, in 9, raith-roga ‘ chief of courses’ (raith for rith).

10. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;moch-maiU: cf. Druim Dairbreoh 18, and Dinueen’s Diet.

13. tri nóitib: so ZCP iii. 243 temra noaib. noithech responds to soithech, but in Rath Essa 84 LL has uóithech: so too 0’Clery. The word occurs eight timesnbsp;in SnR without the mark of length: in SnR 13 it rhymes with immohloithech,nbsp;a word of doubtful derivation; none of the other passages demands a long vowel.

17. lud as ‘to stir thence in any direction ’: as = inde.

21. ’mosldi: see quot;VVi. immlai, and cf. Faffand, 33. tairdbe, ‘cutting,’ see Glossary to Laws.

22-24. These lines are variously corrupted in the different mss. They must be emended by the aid of the metre. The only pair of end-rhymes offered are srothnbsp;saoba (H) with dluth-choema (RB). bain-delba (of. ZCP iii. 243) must be answerednbsp;by sain-delgna. The second element of this word probably means ‘ retirement,’nbsp;‘separation,’ or the like: cf. delgnaide ‘outlaw,’ 0’R; dealgnach ‘outlaw,’nbsp;Dinneen; delgnaim in SnR seems to mean ‘ I distinguish.’ sruth-sóeba, whichnbsp;O’Cl. glosses .i. saobchoire ‘whirlpool,’ is probably gen. fern, of a compoundnbsp;adjective (for sruth-sóibe) in agreement with fairge. I have therefore changednbsp;the order of the first three words, but perhaps the inversion is deliberately adoptednbsp;for the sake of alliteration; if so, we may keep fairge tar sal,

TODD LECTURE SERIES, VOL. IX. H

26, 26. If'odroirgetar is certainly sound: of. Toehm. Em. ZCP iii. 243 atdam-tiatar dobatar se fotrergatar na longa. But this gives no rhyme to indsaigid, so that four lines must have fallen out. Further, line 26 is in all texts except Mnbsp;short of a syllable, and M’s ha he fhad is unintelligible. A response to gU-alt (seenbsp;O’Cl.) is required : perhaps we should read ba hé fast, which would also supplynbsp;alliteration in 26. O’Beilly has/asf ‘a prison ’: ci.fastaim ‘ I arrest.’

33. Cf. ZCP iii. 243 dobertatar not longee oir ar noi n-oidcib diafess leu.

38. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;malart; this form (not malairt) is required to answer alacht. For the miswriting marall cf. SGI 84, line 33 : iarain ba hUacht in ben: ropo mdralt dirmiten,nbsp;where the word has again the sense of ‘altering for the worse': cf. Stokes’nbsp;0’Davoren, 1236.

39. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;cisal. This word elsewhere is explained to mean ‘ the devil ’ : liere itnbsp;perhaps has the sense of ‘ sin ’ or ‘ harm.’

42. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;tuintib: cf. Four Masters, p. 2060 a:, rocheUnnighsiot .. ina tttdnniibhnbsp;tiugha toirtemhla 7 ina ndoiredhaibh dluithe dosccaoilte ‘ they proceeded in closenbsp;and solid bodies and in compact, impenetrable squadrons ’ (lit. ‘ oaltwoods ’). Thenbsp;expression is evidently metaphorical, and tuinntibh is perhaps literally ‘ balls ofnbsp;thread ’; hence ‘ compact companies ’: cf. toinnt ‘ thread,’ Coneys : taoinnte (andnbsp;tuinnte) ‘ thread,’ Dinneen.

43. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;so-alt: this compound occurs again in an unintelligible passage LL 119 anbsp;18. 0’Clery has soall .i. Uim maith ; so also 0’R.

50. I have adopted the reading ƒ esl-inod, although it is supported only by two late MSS., because otherwise there is no internal response between 49 and 50 : besides,nbsp;thefal mo of RY points in this direction. The word is found also at LL 18 b 5.nbsp;0’Clery has mod .i. fear: cf. Mide 7. At BB 327 b 21 mod is e.xplained as eachnbsp;ferda. If this curious passage contains anything more than the vagaries of anbsp;grammarian, the word may be a legacy from a pre-Goidelic population.

53. 0’Clery has eismeach ‘lying,’ ‘unready.’

60. Cf. ZCP iii. 244 Rocolatar indftr ind amar ina noi umaidi.

64. setal-balc for selat-balc ‘moment-strong’: for the metathesis cf. Cam ui Cathbad 41 (LL 199 « 56): BB 37 5 45 : O’CL seadal.

66. drongdige is well supported, and gives a good rhyme, hut what does it mean ?

75. eaead for cocad, answered by -apad.

78. rige: cf. LL 157 5 33, a ri rige. O’R. has righe ‘ depredation.’

81. tnu. Most Mss. read tru: if this is right, it must be regarded as an abstract noun, ‘ Rl-luck.’

87. iuiredach is no doubt a derivative of turid, which is applied metaphorically to chieftains, cf. 57.

94. toimsech: a derivative of iomus. Cf. Ailech ii. 46 (Todd Leet. vii. 46) ; Loch Dachdech 18 (BB 372 6 21).

NOTES. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;99

OCHAN.

The story of the slaying of Niall of the Nine Hostages hy his enemy Eochu, son of EnnaCendselach, is fully told in the tract edited by Meyer in Otia Merseianaii. 84.

There is a copy of a different recension of this tract at BB 134 4 27. Jt is there prefaced by an introductory notice of Eochu, in which lines 17-20 of ournbsp;poem are quoted (BB 134 4 7). In this passage, as in LL, the poem is attributed tonbsp;Cinaeth ua Hartacain, who died in 973 (EM) or 974 (AC, Tigern.). K. Meyernbsp;(Festschr. Wh. Stokes) has edited an elegy on Niall. See also 0’Mahony’snbsp;Keating, 390 seq.

2. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;These adjectives can only refer to Niall, so that the reading adopted givesnbsp;a much better order than the lettir of L, which is supported hy most mss.

dichmaiq. This word occurs also in SnE : cf. LL 35 4 53, dehaid dichmaig.

3. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;slige for sliged.

7. roreraig : for this use of rigim see Atk., Zii. Sgmn. i. 262.

18. For bamp;g ‘pledge, alliance’ see Meyer, Contriib. The line is quoted at BB 13447 with fri haig.

22. serlg: see SnE, index, duis is explained by 0’Dav. 682, first by uasal and then by sil, Cf. V. Bran, index.

24. Cf. BB 135 «42 romeabadar ,vii. catha riana gnuis iarna egaib.

26. cen gives no satisfactory sense, unless indeed it is to he construed with athert. tria run ‘ through his (Eochu’s) secret plot.’

30. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;gdeth-rian. O’’Clexy gaeth .i. fairge. Gf. gaothamail ‘ m'm\iy’ guith-luch ‘ marsh,’ Windisch. So that rian, which is found only in LH, may be merelynbsp;an intruding gloss. In 26 muir has similarly found its way into the text ofL.nbsp;We may, then, omit rian, and keep ba trom.

31. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;So BB 135 a 15 eóic geill Erend 7 geill Alban 7 Sa.van 7 Breatannbsp;7 Frangc: ibid. 26 do dt’acallaim-si dodeacha\_cC\sa 0 Bomancaib, Alla-sa [/«]nbsp;cind coieidis dodtiefad a ngeill: ‘ I have come from the Eomans to speak withnbsp;thee, and this day fortnight their hostages will come to thee.’

33. Lótar: for the plural verb with the collective fian, cf. Almu ii. 9.

35. bróH baisse = planctus: cf. bass ‘ a smack with the hand ’ Meyer, Contribb.

39. rodasni. Sniim has two principal meanings (1) ‘ I join, rivet, weave,’ (2) ‘ I vex.’ The meaning might be either ‘ he had joined them together under hisnbsp;sovereignty ’ : or ‘ he had caused them grief,’ i.e. by his death, or, perhaps, by hisnbsp;domination. The second meaning is required in the similar passage, Slige Dala 80nbsp;(LL 155 b 46) is rempu sain, rodasni; ‘ flying before them (he had angered them).’nbsp;0’Clery has rodasni .i. dosin.

41. dosnmthaisi ef. doimmthastar ‘is combined,’ Thes. Palaeo.-Hib. ii. 50; timmthastaib, gl. fixis labris, bid. ii. 56.

44. dil should perhaps be ‘fated end,’ echoing din in 43. P. 0’C. has din .i, crioch: cf. IT iii. 547 : IT iv. index. But I doubt whether this is really anbsp;different word from dil ‘ payment, remuneration.’

53.. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;I read thalman against the mss., for the sake of the response to adrann.

57.. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Cairenn: mother of Niall, LL 33 5 23.

63. For cóe in the sense of compitnin see Meyer, Contriih,

62. tal-charixoiatoil: cf. (y^.tolehurthanaeh(i.e. tolcharthanach) ‘self-willed.’

HIDE.

This poem is attributed in L to Aed ua Carthaig ; cf. 49.

7. Cf. 0’CI. glm an mod .i. glan an fear.

11. roatdi: see Kuhn’s Zts. xxx. 98 ; Meyer, Contribb. adstim.

14. fassad, i.e. fossad ‘truce’ ; apparently the fire was a symbol of peace, or the word may simply mean ‘ a continuing, lasting,’ referring to the length ofnbsp;time : see O’R. fosadh. 0’CI. has asadh .i. adannad no lasad, quoting this line.

18. anfót: cf. I^L 125 b 55 anfót do rad.

23. muic finn: explained by 0’CI. s. v.fonn, as mnic laehdmair mar aid crdin.

47. The best mss. give adfH; and possibly Windisch is right in suggesting that adféit or adfét may be a contracted 3 pi. pres, of adfladnim: though thenbsp;editors of Thes. Palseo.-Hib. treat the word as singular in the passages cited bynbsp;Windisch. The alternative is to read adfiadat stiidi snas (or a snas) ; in eithernbsp;ease snas probably refers to the cutting out of the druids’ tongues.

51, 52. The meaning seems to be that God enjoins the king of Meath to take the poet under his protection.

DEUIM DAIEBEECH.

The metre of this poem must be carefully observed in determining the text. Every line ends with a disyllahle : the second and fourth lines of each stanza rhymenbsp;fully ; while they also contain responses and echoes to the first and third respectively.

According to the prose version, Dairhre belonged to the Aithech-Tuatha, who were defeated in the Battle of Commar by Tuathal Techtmar. It does not appearnbsp;where Commar and Druim Dairbrech were situated.

The poem is ascribed in LL to “E.”; either Fulartach or Find may he intended.

7. basgreimm-. literally, ‘ that will be a strengtli.’

10. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;eubtg seems here to mean, like the latin jugvm, ‘ a hill, ridge.’

11, nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;12. I take Eaigne to be a place-name : there is a Mag Eaigne in Kilkennynbsp;(FM 859).

I can extract no sense from mar, the reading of the mss. in 12. I conjecture mur, which may easily have been corrupted under the influence of mar in 11. Thisnbsp;reading also makes the position of cath-garg more natural. It follows that wenbsp;must read drech-deirg in 12, against the mss., and consequently leth-leirg in 10,nbsp;following L against all other mss.

14. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;sreth-chelg. The rendering offered is a mere guess: for celg ‘snare’ seenbsp;Meyer, Contribb.: I take the w'ord to denote one of those traps «'here a weightnbsp;falls suddenly by the pulling of a string or chain ; the image would he apt enoughnbsp;for the ambush laid by a guerilla chief.

15. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;According to the prose, Dairhre was son of Lulach and grandson ofnbsp;Ligmuine. Tuath Liginuine is mentioned as one of the Aithech-tualha, BBnbsp;255 a 27.

18. mock mail!: cf. Inber Ailbine, 10.

17-24. Most of the tribes mentioned liere occur in the enumeration of the Aithech-tuatha at BB 255 oil, 19, 20, 25, 26.

20. gdd-méin is required to rhyme with Idn-rnr: it is a compound of gdd, ‘ need,’ a word which is sometimes confused with gdbiid, ‘ danger.’ The meaningnbsp;seems to be that the pangs of hunger drove the Aithuh-tüatha into rebellion.

22. bdn-dir. The long vowels are required by' the rhyme. For this use of bdn cf. bdn-gUo, SiiE 3038, bdn-béim, Cath Euis na Eig. 115.

25. fuilid. I have not met this form elsewhere : fuilide is found in SnE, and Erin, ii. 56.

27. mongach appears to be a derivative of mong, ‘moorland, fen,’ etc., Dinneen.

30. ni ro-n-deg-iherb, if sound, seems to mean ‘ he did not fortunately separate himself.’

36. didail may be infinite of a compound *di-in-dhmg. The word occurs in Thes. Palrco.-Hib. ii. 295, where it is rendered ‘ reproach.’

LAGIN I.

The inciflents here alluded to are fully told in Orgain Bind Rig: see ZCP iii. 1. ¦Cobthach murdered his brother Loegaire, King of Ireland, and afterwards Loegaire’snbsp;son, Ailill Aine: cf. 27. Lahraid Loingsech, also called Moen, son of Ailill Aine,nbsp;avenged his father by burning Cobthach at Dind Eig, and thirty kings with him :nbsp;¦of. 10.

12. cóic cét. The verses quoted in the Orgain Dind Rig, ZCP iii. 8, give the date as Iri diet mhliadan re ngein Crist: but cf. ZCP iii. 14, where another versionnbsp;'has cóic [cèi]. The Four Masters make the date 542 b.c.

22. Zdigne is iwoperly n. pi. of ItUgen ‘ lance.’ Sj reads rdidter Login fri Xaigne, which is simpler grammar, but is unsupported.

LAGIN II.

The first and third stanzas of this poem are quoted by the glossator of the Amra Columcille in the Trinity College copy of the Ziber Sgmnoram : translated bynbsp;Atkinson, Z. Eymn. ii. 58. All three verses are translated by Stokes, Bodleiannbsp;Dindshenchas, p. 7. The first stanza occurs again in another poem, LL 19 a 23: thenbsp;second is quoted in the Coir Amnanna, IT iii. 364.

There is a second copy of the poem at LL 277 «13, rvhere an additional stanza is inserted after line 4 :—

A tuaim Tenba traseta tuirc, robith Cobthach in caolcuirp :nbsp;odhin (?) ceol consmberf (?) hi bhus,nbsp;iscrf (?) consert ar coibnus.

‘ At Tuaim Tenba chieftains were overcome ; Cobthach of the lean body was slain ; since by means of the music I conceived (?) here, ’tis that joined our union.’nbsp;With the second couplet cp. ZCP iii. 5, 6.

14. The same number is given in the Orgain Bind Rig, ZCP iii. 14 : inLagin I. 18 it is three thousand.

SLIAB BLADMA.

5. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;rot. This word occurs in Cath Muige Eatha 40, rhyming W'ith doc, hoc;nbsp;O’Donovan renders ‘ daring ’; cf. LL 150 b 31 rot a ngal. The literal meaning isnbsp;perhaps ‘red’: Cormac, s. v. rotta, has ar is rot cedi nderg. So riiad meansnbsp;both ‘ red ’ and ‘ fiery.’

6. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Herat. Bury, Engl. Hist. Review, 1902, pp. 263-4, connects this placenbsp;W’ith the rig Hirotae of L. Ardm. 14 r b. In 11 the name is treated as anbsp;feminine : perhaps we should there read Heruit, and suppose it to be a ((-stem ofnbsp;uncertain gender.

22. ban-tolcaib maybe referred to toilc ‘pride’ Wind.: but is more probably the word rendered ‘breach’ in IT iii. 533: ef. SnR 6767 co toleaib na tor talcnbsp;t«»LL 258 ö4S: 101«13,etc. Dinneen has ‘force, effort ’: tolt/aim ‘ 1 tear,nbsp;smash.’

23, 24. For want of independent information as to the incident referred to, the true meaning of this passage remains obscure. Crad is perhaps written for'nbsp;crod, which may mean either ‘ cattle ’ or ‘ destruction ’: Meyer, Contribb.

27. tanio : singular for plural.

FID NGAIBLI.

The name survives in the Feeguile, a stream which Joins the Barrow near Monasterevin. We have to do here with a myth imperfectly reported and consequently unintelligible. The prose says that Ainge was daughter of the Dagda ;nbsp;from 9 it would rather appear that he was father of the girl for whom thenbsp;drochta was made. For parallels to the mysterious sympathy between this objectnbsp;and the tide, see Miss Hull’s article on Geasa in Folklore, 1901, p. 51.

The best mss. readJiesoaeh, but this gives a bad rhyme.

3. luaige seems to be an abstract noun from liimj : ef. luaigim ‘ I buy,’ Lism. Lives, index.

6. The prose says ni anad do thinsaitin coin nobid in miiir for linad (cf. 11), 7 ni tieed banne ass coin ba haithbe (LL 159 b 2). Presumably, then, taidbe = aitlibOynbsp;though I have not met the word elsewhere in this sense.

7. timme ‘ abridgment ’ ? Cf. gan bron bdis agus time saoghail d'imirt air, Oss. iii. 92 (quoted by Wind.): and compare with this the Tfhxasu roihimdibsit unbsp;seeghul, IT i. 130, 19. Compare also with our passage RathEssa 7, cét cech mil eonnbsp;timdibe. Cf. further LL 119 5 16 ; SGI 68, line 41.

9. dognid for dognith, answered by gnim. drochta: see ZCP iii. 468. It may here mean a kind of boat.

12. nodiled. I have no other instance of this verb ; but it seems to benbsp;connected with dil, dile.

13. dafall-. pret. of tallahn.

14. Qaible is called Gabol in 1 : so in the Bodleian prose he hears both names :nbsp;in the Rennes version he is called Gaible.

19. rothdid seems to be pret. of a verb tdidim: cf. tdid ‘ thief,’ tdide-‘ stealth.’

MAG LIFE.

It is to be noted that Life is piopeiiy the name of the plain through which the Liffey flows : the river is usually called aba Life.

3. gaire seems to mean the piety with which her memory is kept alive.

6. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;ehelig. Cf. note on Hath Esa 42.

8. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;According to the prose, Delthanna, son of Drucht [i.e. Dewdrop, son ofnbsp;Dew) was spencer to Conaire, and married Life.

BERBA.

Now the River Barrow.

2. Mag n-Ailbe was a plain in the south of Kildare on the east hank of the Barrow: EM 906.

4 Substituting hldth for lldith of the Mss., we get a response to fdtk, and better sense.

5. The prose explains that Diancecht (or MacCeeht) killed Mechi, son of the Morrigain, burnt his three hearts, in which were three serpents, and cast the ashesnbsp;into the Berba.

7. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;athbach, from athbongim, would naturally mean ‘a second stroke’: thenbsp;meanings given by Meyer, Contribb., under 1, 2, 3, seem to be approximations ofnbsp;various glossators. Here the meaning may he either that a ‘ second stroke ’ was notnbsp;required: or, more probably, that ‘ recovery ’ was impossible. This would accordnbsp;with P. O’C.’s .i. aithearrach and O’R.’s ‘renewal.’

9. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;The prose says there were ‘ the shapes of three serpents ’ in Mechi’s heart :nbsp;here they are the coils of a single snake.

11. dy n-ell. For this substantival use of 6g, cf. óg mo charat Lia Nothain 31 (BB 393 b 48); óg edna, Chin Adamnkin 29.

16. Cuan seems to be written for ctlain dat. of cdan ‘pack,’ in order to answer buan. This gives a much better sense than can be extracted from cuan ‘ haven.’

MOIN GAI GLAIS.

The incidents here referred to are told more fully in the prose.

8. daigar is rendered “javelin” by O’Donovan, Magh Rath 152. It is probablynbsp;the English ‘ dagger,’ and distinct from daigir ‘ Are ’ (IT iv. index).

10. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;fola for fala : cf. IT iv. index; M‘Sweeney, Caithr. C. C., p. 3, note.

11. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;tola: a. pi. of tul, properly the ‘ boss of a shield.’

12. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Aitli appears to be a proper name: none of the mss. has a mark of lengthnbsp;•over this word, nor over taith in 1].

13. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;The prose says Culdub was champion of Fiachu Sraiptine.

15. 0’CI. has ba greit gdid .i. ba gaisgeadach i ngdbad. Possibly we should write dilim, a word which occurs in Cain Adamndin, () 52, and may meannbsp;¦‘compensation’ or the like.

FAFFAND.