Note 1-1 — Footnotes.

W. 4695. Forsooth Cuchulain deemed it neither an honour nor glory that Sualtaim should bemoan and lament him, for Cuchulain knew that, wounded and injured though he was, Sualtaim would not be 1the man1 to avenge his wrong. For such was Sualtaim: He was no mean warrior and he was no mighty warrior, but only a good, worthy man was he. "Come, my father Sualtaim," said Cuchulain; 2"cease thy sighing and mourning for me, and2 do thou go to Emain 3Macha3 to the men of Ulster and tell them to come now to have a care for their droves, for no longer am I able to protect them in the gaps and passes of the land of Conalle Murthemni. All alone am I against four of the five grand provinces of Erin from Monday at Summer's end till the beginning of Spring, every day slaying a man on a ford and a hundred warriors every night. Fair fight is not granted me nor single combat, and no *LL. fo. 93b. one comes to aid me nor to succour. 4And such is the measure of my wounds and my sores that I cannot bear my garments or my clothing to touch my skin, so that4 spancel-hoops hold my cloak over me. Dry tufts of grass are stuffed in my wounds. 5There is not the space of a needle's point from my crown to my sole without wound or sore, and5 there is not a single hair 6on my body6 from my crown to my sole whereon the point of a needle could stand, without a drop of deep-red blood on the top of each hair, save the left hand alone which is holding my shield, and even there thrice fifty bloody wounds are upon it. 7And let them straightway give battle to the warriors,7 and unless they avenge this anon, they will never avenge it till the very day of doom and of life!"