hange
that may bring a less dream-burdened will into my
verses. I never re-wrote anything so many times;
for at first I could not make these wills that stream
into mere life poetical. But now I hope to do
easily much more of the kind, and that our new
Irish players will find the buskin and the sock.

ON BAILE'S STRAND: A PLAY.

THE PERSONS OF THE PLAY.

CUCHULLAIN, the King of Muirthemne.
CONCOBAR, the High King of Ullad.
DAIRE, a King.
FINTAIN, a blind man.
BARACH, a fool.
A Young Man.
Young Kings and Old Kings.

SCENE: A great hall by the sea close to Dundalgan. There are two great
chairs on either side of the hall, each raised a little from the ground,
and on the back of the one chair is carved and painted a woman with a
fish's tail, and on the back of the other a hound. There are smaller
chairs and benches raised in tiers round the walls. There is a great ale
vat at one side near a small door, & a large door at the back through
which one can see the sea. Barach, a tall thin man with long ragged
hair, dressed in skins, comes in at the side door. He is leading
Fintain, a fat blind man, who is somewhat older.

BARACH.

I will shut the door, for this wind out of the sea gets into my bones,
and if I leave but an inch for the wind there is one like a flake of
sea-frost that might come into the house.

FINTAIN.

What is his name, fool?

BARACH.

It's a woman from among the Riders of the Sidhe. It's Boann herself
from the river. She has left the Dagda's bed, and gone through the
salt of the sea & up here to the strand of Baile, and all for love of
me. Let her keep her husband's bed, for she'll have none of me. Nobody
knows how lecherous these goddesses are. I see her in every kind of
shape but oftener than not she's in the wind and cries 'give a kiss
and put your arms about me.' But no, she'll have no more of me.
Yesterday when I put out my lips to kiss her, there was nothing there
but the wind. She's bad, Fintain. O, she's bad. I had better shut
the big door too. (He is going towards the big door but turns hearing
Fintain's voice.)

FINTAIN.

(Who has been feeling about with his stick.) What's this and this?

BARACH.

They are chairs.

FINTAIN.

And this?

BARACH.

Why, that's a bench.

FINTAIN.

And this?

BARACH.

A big chair.

FINTAIN.

(Feeling the back of the chair.) There is a sea-woman carved u