J. F. Campbell Collection > Transactions of the Ossianic Society > Volume 5

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by the approach of a person in the night ; he gives a whistle
or cry of alarm, and he is silent for that night through the
terror that seizes him. Similar to that is your case ; your
hospitality has been heard of far off, but since you have
been satirized no one will hear of it in consequence of these
satires. ' Tribes will suck the herb ;' like to the bee, for if
seven horse-loads (of it) were put into one vessel upon
the fire it only blackens after the bees have sucked it."
" Be done, Dalian," said the king, " do not satirize
me any more in my presence, for I will now excuse you
from further professional attendance." " I'll take it for
granted," says Dalian ; get my steeds ready that I may
depart." Their steeds were brought to them, and (Dalian and
his ollavs) leave the place. " The might of God and the saints
pursue you if ye have wrongfully satirized me," said Hugh.
They had not come far from the township when Dalian
said to his professors : " It is a wonder to me," said he,
" what the publishers of stories have related, for they assert
that whosoever composes satires wrongfully it will be worse
for himself ; and I believe that never have been made satires
more unjustly or wrongfully than the satires I myself have
composed, and yet I am now the better for uttering them,
for I was without an eye on my coming to the place, and I
have two good eyes now." "0 chief professor," said they,
" it is good news thou tellest, although it is not easy to
believe it." " It is a fact," said Dalian. "If so," said
the professors, " tell us our order in the way before thee
and after thee." " There are," said he, " twice nine of you
before me, and nine of you after me." " True for you,
chief professor," said they. " I know not if these be good
signs," said Dalian, "for I had an assurance from
Columbkille, the son of Fcidhlim, that I should have an ex-
traordinary forewarning before my death, and what more
wonderful sign could I get than, being blind on my coming
to the town, and to have the use of my two eyes now ?