ormac at a certain time.... Magnificently did Cormac come to this
great Assembly; for no man, his equal in beauty, had preceded him,
excepting Conary Mor or Conor son of Caffa, or Angus Og son of the
Dagda.[34] Splendid, indeed, was Cormac's appearance in that Assembly.
His hair was slightly curled, and of golden colour; a scarlet shield
he had, with engraved devices, and golden bosses and ridges of silver.
A wide-folding purple cloak was on him with a gem-set gold brooch over
his breast; a golden torque round his neck; a white-collared shirt
embroidered with gold was on him; a girdle with golden buckles and
studded with precious stones was around him; two golden net-work
sandals with golden buckles upon his feet; two spears with golden
sockets and many red bronze rivets in his hand; while he stood in the
full glow of beauty, without defect or blemish. You would think it was
a shower of pearls that was set in his mouth, his lips were rubies,
his symmetrical body was as white as snow, his cheek was ruddy as the
berry of the mountain-ash, his eyes were like the sloe, his brows and
eye-lashes were like the sheen of a blue-black lance."

[34] Angus Og was really a deity or fairy king. He appears also
in the story of Midir and Etain. _q.v._

X

THE DEATH AND BURIAL OF CORMAC

Strange was the birth and childhood of Cormac strange his life and
strange the manner of his death and burial, as we now have to narrate.

Cormac, it is said, was the third man in Ireland who heard of the
Christian Faith before the coming of Patrick. One was Conor mac Nessa,
King of Ulster, whose druid told him of the crucifixion of Christ and
who died of that knowledge.[35] The second was the wise judge, Morann,
and the third Cormac, son of Art. This knowledge was revealed to him
by divine illumination, and thenceforth he refused to consult the
druids or to worship the images which they made as emblems of the
Immortal Ones.

[35] See the conclusion of the _Vengeance of Mesgedra_.

One day it happened that Cormac after he had laid down the kingship of
Ireland, was present when the druids and a concourse of people were
worshipping the great golden image which was set up in the plain
called Moy Slaught. When the ceremony was done, the chief druid, whose
name was Moylann, spoke to Cormac and said: "Why, O Cormac, didst thou
not bow down and adore the golden image of the god like the rest of
the people?"

And Cormac said: "Never will I