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Available with prior consent of the CELT programme for purposes of academic research and teaching only. CELT: Corpus of Electronic Texts All editorial introduction has been omitted. Text has been checked once. The electronic text represents the edited text. Direct speech is marked When a hyphenated word (hard or soft) crosses a page-break, the page-break is marked after the completion of the hyphenated word. Soft hyphens are silently removed. Names of persons (given names), places and group names are not tagged. Diarmait, son of Aed of Sláne, Sinech Cró fostered him. The Connaughtmen used to carry off her kine, so she brought about a bitter quarrel between Diarmait and Guare of Aidne. Then she said (to her fosterson):
Howbeit this setting at loggerheads paid her somewhat, for Diarmait
mustered hosts and multitudes to invade Connaught. Now when entering Connaught Diarmait went to Clonmacnois, and St. Ciarán's community, with their abbot Aed-lug, son of Cumman, did penance to God for him that he might come (back) safe by
virtue of their guarantee. So the king (after returning in triumph) offered him Tuaim n-Eirc with its subdivisions of land — i.e. Liath Mancháin — as a 'sod on altar' to God and
to St. Ciarán, and he bestowed three curses on the king of Meath (for the time being) if any of his people should consume (as a right) even a drink of water therein. Wherefore no king of Meath
ventures to look at it, and none of his people ventures to partake of its food. Hence it is that Diarmait requested his burial in Clonmacnois, wherefore he was after interred therein. Diarmait overcame Connaughtmen till he came to Aidne. Guare gathered to him the men of Munster. These were the kings that came to succour Guare, to wit, Cuan, son of Enna, king of Munster, and Cuan,
son of Conall, king of Húi Fidgenti, and Tolomnach, king of Húi Liatháin. The battle of Carn Conaill was fought between them on the day of Pentecost, and Guare was defeated, and a 'slaughter of chiefs' was inflicted there, including Cuan, son of Enna, king of Munster, and Cuan, son of Conall, king of Húi Conaill, and Tolomnach, king of Húi Liatháin. St. Cámmine of Inis Celtra, 'tis he that had set a curse Guare went to entreat Cámmine, and kneels to him. Thereof said Cámmine:
Then the three of them entered the church, to wit, Cámmine
and Guare and St. Cummine the Tall. A great church built by Cámmine,
therein they were. Then the clerics were causing Guare to confess. Now all their musings came to pass. The earth was given to
Guare. Wisdom was given to Cummine. Pains and sicknesses were inflicted
on Cámmine, so that no bone of him came to another earth, but
it had dissolved and decayed with the anguish of every illness and
every tribulation. So they all went to heaven according to their musings. Guare flees out of the battle on one side with his servant
only. The servant caught a salmon with a line, broiled it, and gave it
to Guare. Whereupon Guare said:
Then Guare went to make submission to Diarmait at the sword's point. He went to them. So Diarmait kneels thrice to Guare. Then Sinech sang this praise to Diarmait:
Then Guare went to the Assembly of Taltiu to meet Diarmait, having
with him a sack of silver to bestow on the men of Erin. So Guare went and stayed on Diarmait's (right) hand on the ... highseats in the assembly. On that day, then, no one asks aught of him. This seemed to him a marvel. At midday on the morrow, So then Guare rose up, and flings it out of his two hands. And
men say that from that hour one of his arms was longer than the other
from reaching out to the 'servants of God' ( Then they, Diarmait, to wit, and Guare, make a perfect peace.
And the men of Erin took Guare for their adviser and their chief
of counsel, from that time forward so long as he was alive. Good, then, was that Guare. Tis to him that through grace of
generosity was given the cow with beauty of fat, and the blackberries in the ... 'Tis he that wrought the wondrous miracle at Clonmacnois when
they were bearing him thither to his burial. The jester came to him and asked a boon of him repeatedly. So he
(the dead king) put his hand out over the ground, and took his handful
of the sand, and. flung it into the jester's bosom, and made a
glowing mass of gold thereout. So that is Guare's last deed of bounty. This tale above is (also called) the If God see fit
, says Cámmine, the man who is stubborn against me shall not stand fast against (his) foes.
Whereupon the angel declared this to Cámmine, saying:
Thy cast has been hurled
, says Cámmine: I cannot help to stay it. But this is as swift as that
, says Cámmine, and those that shall inflict a defeat upon thee
will straightaway give thee thy desire.
Fast with me then
, says Guare to Cámmine, unto God,
that He may grant my prayer.
Well, O Guare
, say they, with what wouldst thou like to
fill this church wherein we stand?
I should like its fill of gold and of silver; and not for worldly
greed, but to bestow it for my soul's sake on the saints and the churches and the poor of the world.
May God give thee help, O Guare!
say they. The earth which
thou wouldst bestow for thy soul's sake shall be given to thee, and thou shalt (after death) be a dweller in heaven.
We are thankful
, saith Guare. And thou, O Cámmine
, saith Guare, with what wouldst thou like it to be filled?
I should like to fill it with pain and sickness and every ailment
that is worst to man, so that all of them might be infiicted on my body.
And thou, O Cummine
, saith Guare, with what wouldst thou
fain have it filled?
Fain would I have its fill of books, for students to repair to
them, and (then) to sow God's word in the ears of every one, so as to
bring him to heaven out of the troop of the Devil.
Well
, says Diarmait, why does Guare practise that generosity (for which he is famed)? Is it for God's sake or for men's? If it be for God's sake he will now bestow somewhat. If it be for
men's, he will give nothing, because he is in anger and great bitterness.
Something to me, O Guare!
says the jester. He passes by him. Something to me, O Guare!
says the leper. Thou shalt have
, says Guare. He flings him his
spears. Something to me
, says the leper's fellow. Guare flings him his shield. Something to me!
says his other fellow. Guare flings him his mantle and his brooch and his girdle.This will not protect thee
, says Diarmait: come under
the sword.
Something to me, O Guare!
says the Culdee. Wait a little, O Diarmait
, says Guare, till I strip off my shirt for the Culdee.
Well
, says Diarmait, thou hast submitted to another king, even to God's Son. Here, however, is my submission to thee.
Let it not be unpeace now
, says Diarmait, that thou shouldst go to meet
It shall be done
, says Guare.Well
, says Diarmait, the man that has come to you, ye seize
his cattle at his house. 'Tis an outrage to me if (anyone), wretched
or strong, in the assembly ask aught of him.
well
, says Guare, let a bishop be
summoned to me that I may make my confessions to him and be anointed.
Why is this?
says Diarmait.Deemest thou not, O Diarmait, that it is an omen of death to me
that in a stead where stand the men of Erin, both wretched and
strong, not one of them asketh aught of me?
Nothing shall be taken from thee
, says Diarmait. Here is a sack of silver for thee.
But I (myself) have silver
, says Guare.Culdees).