Matheson Collection > Aislinge Meic Conglinne

64 The Vision of MacConglinne.
four spits raised high on his back, and his white
wide-spread cloak hanging behind, its two peaks
round his neck, to the place where Cathal was.
And he stuck the spits into the bed before Cathal's
5 eyes, and sat himself down in his seat, with his two
legs crossed. Then taking his knife out of his
girdle, he cut a bit o£E the piece that was nearest
to him, and dipped it in the honey that was on the
aforesaid dish of white silver,
lo " Here's the first for a male beast," said Mac-
Conglinne, putting the bit into his own mouth.
(And from that day to this the old saying has re-
mained.) He cut a morsel from the next piece, and
dipping it in the honey, put it past Cathal's mouth
15 into his own.
" Carve the food for us, son of learning ! " ex-
claimed Cathal.
" I will do so," answered MacConglinne ; and cut-
ting another bit of the nearest piece, and dipping it as
20 before, he put it past Cathal's mouth into his own.
" How long wilt thou carry this on, student ?"
said Cathal.
" No more henceforth," answered MacConglinne,
" for, indeed, thou hast hitherto consumed such a
25 quantity and variety of agreeable morsels, that I
shall eat the little that there is here myself, and this
will be ' food from mouth' for thee." (And that has
been a proverb since.)
Then Cathal roared and bellowed, and commanded
30 the killing of the scholar. But that was not done
for him.
" Well, Cathal," said MacConglinne, " a vision has