Chapter II

§ 8. The hostages of the braves had gone security on his behalf, and
Bricriu accordingly bethought him how he should manage to set the
Ulster men at variance. His deliberation and self-scrutiny being ended,
he betook himself to the company of Loigaire the Triumphant, son of
Connad mac Ilîach. “Hail now, Loigaire the Triumphant, thou mighty
mallet of Bregia, thou hot hammer of Meath, flame-red thunderbolt, thou
victorious warrior of Ulster, what hinders the championship of Emain
being thine alway?” “If I so choose, it shall be mine,” quoth Loigaire. “Be
thine the sovranty of the braves of Erin,” quoth Bricriu, “if only thou act
as I advise.” I will indeed,” quoth Loigaire.
§ 9. “Sooth, if the champion’s portion of my house be thine, the
championship of Emain is thine for ever. The champion’s portion of my
house is worth contesting, for it is not the portion of a fool’s house,”
quoth Bricriu. “Belonging to it is a caldron full of generous wine, with
room enough for three of the valiant braves of Ulster; furthermore, a
seven-year-old boar; nought has entered its lips since it was little save
fresh milk and fine meal in springtime, curds and sweet milk in summer,
the kernel of nuts and wheat in autumn, beef and broth in winter; a
cow-lord full seven-year-old; since it was a little calf neither heather nor
twig-tops have entered its lips, nought but sweet milk and herbs,
meadow hay and corn. [Add to this] fivescore cakes of wheat, cooked in
honey withal. Five-and-twenty bushels, that is what was supplied for
these fivescore cakes—four cakes from each bushel. Such is the
champion’s portion of my house. And since thou art the best hero among
the men of Ulster, it is but just to give it thee, and I so wish it. By the end
of the day, when the feast is spread out, let thy charioteer get up, and it
is to him the champion’s portion will be given.” “Among them shall be
dead men if it is not done so,” quoth Loigaire. Bricriu laughed at that,
for it liked him well.
§ 10. When he had done inciting Loigaire the Triumphant to enmity,
Bricriu betook himself into the company of Conall the Victorious. “Hail
to thee, Conall the Victorious, thou art the hero of victories and of
combats; great are the victories thou hast already scored over the heroes
of Ulster. By the time the Ulster men go into foreign bounds thou art a
distance of three days and three nights in advance over many a ford;
thou protectest their rear when returning, so that [an assailant] may not
spring past thee, nor through thee nor over thee; what then should
hinder the champion’s portion of Emain being thine alway?” Though
great his treachery with regard to Loigaire, he showed twice as much in
the case of Conall the Victorious.
§ 11. When he had satisfied himself with inciting Conall the Victorious
to quarrel, he hied to the presence of Cuchulainn. “Hail to thee,
Cuchulainn, thou victor of Bregia (ie. Bray), thou bright banner of the
Liffey, darling of Emain, belov’d of wives and of maidens, for thee
to-day Cuchulainn is no nickname, for thou art the champion of the
Ulster men, thou wardest off their great feuds and frays, thou seekest
justice for each man of them; thou attainest alone to what all the Ulster
men fail in; all the men of Ulster acknowledge thy bravery, thy valour
and thine achievements surpassing theirs. What meaneth therefore thy
leaving of the champion’s portion for some one else of the men of Ulster,
since no one of the men of Erin is capable of contesting it against thee?”
“By the god of my tribe,” quoth Cuchulainn, “his head shall he lose
whoso comes to contest it with me.” Thereafter Bricriu severed himself
from them and followed the host as if no contention had been made
among the heroes.
§ 12. Whereupon they entered the palace, and each one occupied his
couch therein, king, prince, noble, yeoman, and young brave. The half of
the palace was set apart for Conchobar and his retinue of valiant Ulster
heroes; the other half [was reserved] for the ladies of Ulster attending on
Mugan, daughter of Eochaid Fedlech, wife of King Conchobar. The
following were those who attended upon Conchobar in the fore-part of
the palace, namely, Fergus mac Rôig, Celtchar son of Uthechar, Eogan
son of Durthact, and the two sons of the king, namely, Fiacha and
Fîachaig, Fergna son of Findchôim, Fergus son of Leti, Cûscraid
the-stuttering-of-Macha, son of Conchobar, Sencha son of Ailill, the three
sons of Fiachach, namely, Rus and Dâre and Imchad, Muinremur son of
Geirrgind, Errge Echbêl, Amorgene son of Ecit, Mend son of Salchad,
Dubtach Dôel Ulad, Feradach Find Fectnach, Fedelmid mac Ilair Chêtaig,
Furbaide Ferbend, Rochad son of Fathemon, Loigaire (Leary) the
Triumphant, Conall the Victorious, Cuchulainn, Connad son of Mornai,
Erc son of Fedelmid, Illand son of Fergus, Fintan son of Nial, Ceternd
son of Fintan, Factna son of Sencad, Conla the False, Ailill the
Honey-tongued, Bricriu himself, the chief Ultonian warriors, with the
body of youths and artistes.
§ 13. While the feast was being spread for them, the musicians and
players performed. The moment Bricriu spread the feast with its
savouries, he was ordered by the hostages to leave the hall. They
straightway got up with drawn swords in their hands to expel him.
Whereupon Bricriu and his followers went out to the balcony. Arrived at
the threshold of the palace, he called out, “That Champion’s Portion, such
as it is, is not the portion of a fool’s house; do ye give it to the Ulster
hero ye prefer for valour.” He thereupon left them.
§ 14. Anon the spencers rose up to serve the food. The charioteer of
Loigaire the Triumphant, to wit, Sedlang mac Riangabra, then rose up
and said to the distributors: “Do ye assign to Loigaire the Triumphant
the Champion’s Portion which is by you, for he alone is entitled to it
before the other young braves of Ulster.” Then Id mac Riangabra,
charioteer to Conall the Victorious, got up and spake to the like effect.
And Loig mac Riangabra spake thus: “Do ye bring that to Cuchulainn; it
is no disgrace for all the Ulster men to give it to him; it is he who is most
valiant among you.” “That’s not true,” quoth Conall the Victorious and
Loigaire the Triumphant.
§ 15. They then got up upon the floor and donned their shields and
seized their swords. At one another they hewed till the half of the palace
was an atmosphere of fire with the [clash of] sword- and spear-edge, the
other half one white sheet from the enamel of the shields. Great alarm
gat hold upon the palace; the valiant heroes shook; Conchobar himself
and Fergus mac Rôig got furious on seeing the injury and the injustice of
two men surrounding one, namely, Conall the Victorious and Loigaire
the Triumphant attacking Cuchulainn. There was no one among the
Ultonians who dared separate them till Sencha spake to Conchobar: “Part
the men,” quoth he. [For at that period, among the Ultonians, Conchobar
was a god upon earth.]^[2]
§ 16. Thereupon Conchobar and Fergus intervened, [the combatants]
immediately let drop their hands to their sides. “Execute my wish,”
quoth Sencha. “Your will shall be obeyed,” they responded. “My wish,
then,” quoth Sencha, “is to-night to divide the Champion’s Portion there
among all the host, and after that to decide with reference to it according
to the will of Ailill mac Mâgach, for it is accounted unlucky among the
men of Ulster to close this assembly unless the matter be adjudged in
Cruachan.” The feasting was then resumed; they made a circle round the
fire and got ‘jovial’ and made merry.