A Literary History of Ireland, from Earliest Times to the Present DayHyde, Douglas
History
A Literary History of Ireland, from Earliest Times to the Present Day
Hyde, Douglas
Civilization, Celtic, in literature; Irish literature -- History and criticism; Language and culture -- Ireland
"'Let it not be so done,' says the King; 'it is not laudable to fight
against fate, and woe to him who would destroy an innocent infant,
for agreeable is the appearance and the laugh of the child; alas! it
were a pity to quench her (life). Observe, O ye Nobles of Ulster, and
listen to me, O ye valiant heroes of the Red Branch, and understand
that I still submit to the omen of the prophecies and foretellings of
the seers, but yet I do not submit to, nor do I praise, the committing
of a base deed, or a deed of treachery, in the hope of quenching the
anger of the power of the elements. If it be a fate which it is not
possible to avoid, give ye, each of you, death to himself, but do
not shed the blood of the innocent infant, for it were not (our) due
(to have) prosperity thereafter. I proclaim to you, moreover, O ye
nobles of Emania, that I take the girl under my own protection from
henceforth, and if I and she live and last, it may be that I shall
have her as my one-wife and gentle consort. Therefore, I assure the
men of Erin by the securities of the moon and sun, that any one who
would venture to destroy her either now or again, shall neither live
nor last, if I survive her.'
"The nobles of Ulster, and every one in general listened silent and
mute, until Conall Cearnach, Fergus mac Roigh, and the heroes of the
Red Branch rose up together, and 'twas what they said, 'O High-king
of Ulster, right is thy judgment, and it is (our) due to observe it,
and let it be thy will that is done.'
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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