with ornamentation of
gold in the cloak over his breast; a shield, stoutly braced with buckles of
red copper; yellow sandals he wore; a large, strange-fashioned sword along
his shoulder. Two curly-haired, white-faced youths close by him, wearing
green cloaks and purple sandals and blue tunics, and with brown shields
fitted with hooks, in their hands; white-hilted swords with silvered bronze
ornaments they bore; a broad, somewhat light countenance had one of
them. One of these cunning men raises his glance to heaven and scans the
clouds of the sky and bears their answer to the marvellous troop that is
with him. They all lift their eyes on high and watch the clouds and work
their spells against the elements, so that the elements fall to warring
with each other, till they discharge rain-clouds of fire downwards on the
camp and entrenchments of the men of Erin."

"Who might that be, O Fergus?" asked Ailill. "I know him," replied
Fergus; "the foundation of knowledge; the master of the elements; the
heaven-soaring one; he that blindeth the eyes; that depriveth his foe
[W.5488.] of his strength through incantations of druids, namely Cathba the
friendly druid, with the druids of Ulster about him. And to this end he
makes augury when judging the elements, in order to ascertain therefrom how
the great battle on Garech and Ilgarech will end. The two youths that are
about him, they are his own two sons, to wit Imrinn son of Cathba and
Genonn Gruadsolus ('Bright-cheek') son of Cathba, he that has the somewhat
light countenance. Howbeit it will be hard for the men of Erin to withstand
the spells of the druids."

"Yet another company there came to the mound in Slane of Meath," continued
macRoth. "A numberless, bright-faced band; unwonted garments they wore; a
little bag at the waist of each man of them. A white-haired, bull-faced man
in the front of that company; an eager, dragon-like eye in his head; a
black, flowing robe with edges of purple around him; a many coloured,
leaf-shaped brooch with gems, in the robe over his breast; a ribbed tunic
of thread of gold around him; a short sword, keen and hard, with plates of
gold, in his hand; they all came to show him their stabs and their sores,
their wounds and their ills, and he told each one his sickness, and he gave
each a cure, and what at last happened to each was even the ill he foretold
him." "He is the power of leechcraft; he is the healing of wounds; he is
the thwarting of death