. 49b, 4-5.

[8-8] Stowe, H. 1. 13 and YBL. 49b, 6.

[a] That is, Conchobar.

[1-1] YBL. 49b, 17.

[2-2] YBL. 49b, 18.

[3-3] YBL. 49b, 19-20.

[4-4] Stowe; that is, Erc son of Fedlimid, Conchobar's daughter.]

[5-5] 'Of their heart,' YBL. 49b, 13.

[6]"Then came there three huge (?), strong, well-braced, cunningly-built
castles; three mighty, wheeled-towers like unto mountains, in this wise
placed in position: Three royal castles with their thirty fully armed
battalions, swarming with evil-tongued warriors and with thirty
round-shielded heroes. A bright, beautiful, glistening shield-guard was on
each of the three strong, stout battle-castles, with black, deadly armament
of huge, high, blue, sharp pine-lances, such that one's bent knee would fit
in the socket of each smooth, polished, even and hard spear-head that is on
each huge, terrible, strange shaft of the terrible, awful, heavy,
monstrous, indescribable armament [W.5598.] that I saw. A third part of
each shaft was contained in the socket of the riveted, very long, securely
placed spears; as high as [1]two[1] cubits was each citadel from the
ground; as long as a warrior's spear was the height of each battle-hurdle;
as sharp as charmed sword was the blade of each sickle on the sides and the
flanks of each of [2]Badb's hurdles;[2] on each of the three stout and hard
battle-hurdles they are to be found. Four dark, yet gleaming, well-adorned
doors were on each battle-wheeled tower of the three royal wheeled-towers
which were displayed and spread over the plain, with ivory door-posts, with
lintels of cypress, with stately thresholds set of speckled, beautiful,
strong pine, with their blue, glass door-leaves, with the glitter of
crystal gems around each door-frame, so that its appearance from afar was
like that of bright shining stars. As loud as the crash of a mighty wave at
the great spring-tide, or of a huge heavy fleet upon the sea when toiling
with the oars along the shore, was the similitude of the din and the
clamour and the shouts and the tumult of the multitude and the to-and-fro
of the thirty champions with their thirty heavy, iron clubs that they bear
in their hands. And when the wheeled-towers advance massively and boldly
against the line of heroes, these almost leave behind their arms at the
fierce charge of the outland battalions. Then spring the three hundred
champions with a shout of vengeful anger over the sides and ov