le fringed with gold thread about him; a brooch
of gold in the mantle over his breast; a tunic of rare silk next to his
skin; sandals of lamb's skin he wore. Not many men in the world are
better-favoured than is he. A light-yellow head of hair he has; a
bright-faced sword with ivory hilt and with coils of gold thread, in his
right hand. He flings on high the tooth-hilted sword, so that it falls on
the head of the middle man but it simply grazes it. He catches it up in the
air again, so that it falls on the head of the other man, and the first man
catches it in his hand, and it divided not a ringlet nor the skin of the
head of either of them, and these two men did not perceive it. Two brown,
rich-hued, bright-faced youths; reddish-grey mantles around them;
white-silver brooches in their mantles over their breasts; a bright-hilted
sword under their waists; purple sandals they wore; as sweet as strings of
lutes when long sustained in players' hands was the voice and song of one
of the men, so that enough of delight it was to the host to listen to the
sound of his voice. Worthy of a king or of a prince was each man in that
company as regards apparel and appearance; thou wouldst think, at the sight
of them, they were all kings. Neither spears nor swords do they bear, but
their servants bear them."

[12-12] The following passage extending to page 337 is not found in
LL. owing to the loss of a leaf. It is translated here from Stowe with
the help of H. 1. 13 and Add. 18,748.

"An over-proud body is that," quoth Ailill; "and who may they be, O
Fergus?" he asked. "I know full well," [W.5466.] replied Fergus; "the poets
of Ulster are they, with that Fercerdne the fair, much-gifted, whom thou
sawest, even the learned master of Ulster, Fercerdne. 'Tis before him that
the lakes and rivers sink when he upbraids, and they swell up high when he
applauds. The two others thou sawest are Athirne the chief poet, whom none
can deny, and Ailill Miltenga ('Honey-tongue') son of Carba; and he is
called Ailill 'Honey-tongue' for that as sweet as honey are the words of
wisdom that fall from him."

"There came yet another company to the mound in Slane of Meath," said
macRoth. "A most terrible, dreadful sight to behold them. Blue and pied and
green, purple, grey and white and black mantles; a kingly, white-grey,
broad-eyed hero in the van of that company; wavy, grizzled hair upon him; a
blue-purple cloak about him; a leaf-shaped brooch