AT the end of a fortnight Fionn and Goll and the chief men of the Fianna
attended at Tara. The king, his son and daughter, with Flahri, Feehal, and
Fintan mac Bocna sat in the place of judgement, and Cormac called on the
witnesses for evidence.
Fionn stood up, but the moment he did so Goll mac Morna arose also.
“I object to Fionn giving evidence,” said he.
“Why so?” the king asked.
“Because in any matter that concerned me Fionn would turn a lie into truth
and the truth into a lie.”
“I do not think that is so,” said Fionn.
“You see, he has already commenced it,” cried Goll.
“If you object to the testimony of the chief person present, in what way
are we to obtain evidence?” the king demanded.
“I,” said Goll, “will trust to the evidence of Fergus True-Lips. He is
Fionn’s poet, and will tell no lie against his master; he is a poet, and
will tell no lie against any one.”
“I agree to that,” said Fionn.
“I require, nevertheless,” Goll continued, “that Fergus should swear
before the Court, by his gods, that he will do justice between us.”
Fergus was accordingly sworn, and gave his evidence. He stated that
Fionn’s brother Cairell struck Cona’n mac Morna, that Goll’s two sons came
to help Cona’n, that Oscar went to help Cairell, and with that Fionn’s
people and the clann-Morna rose at each other, and what had started as a
brawl ended as a battle with eleven hundred of Fionn’s people and
sixty-one of Goll’s people dead.
“I marvel,” said the king in a discontented voice, “that, considering the
numbers against them, the losses of clann-Morna should be so small.”
Fionn blushed when he heard that.
Fergus replied:
“Goll mac Morna covered his people with his shield. All that slaughter was
done by him.”
“The press was too great,” Fionn grumbled. “I could not get at him in time
or—-”
“Or what?” said Goll with a great laugh.
Fionn shook his head sternly and said no more.
“What is your judgement?” Cormac demanded of his fellow-judges.
Flahri pronounced first.
“I give damages to clann-Morna.”
“Why?” said Cormac.
“Because they were attacked first.”
Cormac looked at him stubbornly.
“I do not agree with your judgement,” he said.
“What is there faulty in it?” Flahri asked.
“You have not considered,” the king replied, “that a soldier owes
obedience to his captain, and that, given the time and the place, Fionn
was the captain and Goll was only a simple soldier.”
Flahri considered the king’s suggestion.
“That,” he said, “would hold good for the white-striking or blows of
fists, but not for the red-striking or sword-strokes.”
“What is your judgement?” the king asked Feehal. Feehal then pronounced:
“I hold that clann-Morna were attacked first, and that they are to be free
from payment of damages.”
“And as regards Fionn?” said Cormac.
“I hold that on account of his great losses Fionn is to be exempt from
payment of damages, and that his losses are to be considered as damages.”
“I agree in that judgement,” said Fintan.
The king and his son also agreed, and the decision was imparted to the
Fianna.
“One must abide by a judgement,” said Fionn.
“Do you abide by it?” Goll demanded.
“I do,” said Fionn.
Goll and Fionn then kissed each other, and thus peace was made. For,
notwithstanding the endless bicker of these two heroes, they loved each
other well.
Yet, now that the years have gone by, I think the fault lay with Goll and
not with Fionn, and that the judgement given did not consider everything.
For at that table Goll should not have given greater gifts than his master
and host did. And it was not right of Goll to take by force the position
of greatest gift-giver of the Fianna, for there was never in the world one
greater at giving gifts, or giving battle, or making poems than Fionn was.
That side of the affair was not brought before the Court. But perhaps it
was suppressed out of delicacy for Fionn, for if Goll could be accused of
ostentation, Fionn was open to the uglier charge of jealousy. It was,
nevertheless, Goll’s forward and impish temper which commenced the brawl,
and the verdict of time must be to exonerate Fionn and to let the blame go
where it is merited.
There is, however, this to be added and remembered, that whenever Fionn
was in a tight corner it was Goll that plucked him out of it; and, later
on, when time did his worst on them all and the Fianna were sent to hell
as unbelievers, it was Goll mac Morna who assaulted hell, with a chain in
his great fist and three iron balls swinging from it, and it was he who
attacked the hosts of great devils and brought Fionn and the Fianna-Finn
out with him.
