sh them than to cherish them.
They are waves that drown you,
they are fire that burns you,
they are two-edged weapons that cut you,
they are moths for tenacity,
they are serpents for cunning,
they are darkness in light,
they are bad among the good,
they are worse among the bad.'

'O Cormac, grandson of Conn,' said Carbery, 'what is the worst for the
body of man?'

'Not hard to tell,' said Cormac. 'Sitting too long, lying too long, long
standing, lifting heavy things, exerting oneself beyond one's strength,
running too much, leaping too much, frequent falls, sleeping with one's
leg over the bed-rail, gazing at glowing embers, wax, biestings, new ale,
bull-flesh, curdles, dry food, bog-water, rising too early, cold, sun,
hunger, drinking too much, eating too much, sleeping too much, sinning too
much, grief, running up a height, shouting against the wind, drying
oneself by a fire, summer-dew, winter-dew, beating ashes, swimming on a
full stomach, sleeping on one's back, foolish romping.'

'O Cormac, grandson of Conn,' said Carbery, 'what is the worst pleading
and arguing?'

'Not hard to tell,' said Cormac.

'Contending against knowledge,
contending without proofs,
taking refuge in bad language,
a stiff delivery,
a muttering speech,
hair-splitting,
uncertain proofs,
despising books,
turning against custom,
shifting one's pleading,
inciting the mob,
blowing one's own trumpet,
shouting at the top of one's voice.'

'O Cormac, grandson of Conn,' said Carbery, 'who are the worst for whom
you have a comparison?'

'Not hard to tell,' said Cormac.

'A man with the impudence of a satirist,
with the pugnacity of a slave-woman,
with the carelessness of a dog,
with the conscience of a hound,
with a robber's hand,
with a bull's strength,
with the dignity of a judge,
with keen ingenious wisdom,
with the speech of a stately man,
with the memory of an historian,
with the behaviour of an abbot,
with the swearing of a horse-thief,

and he wise, lying, grey-haired, violent, swearing, garrulous, when he
says "the matter is settled, I swear, you shall swear."'

'O Cormac, grandson of Conn,' said Carbery, 'I desire to know how I shall
behave among the wise and the foolish, among friends and strangers, among
the old and the young, among the innocent and the wicked.'

'Not hard to tell,' said Cormac.

'Be not too wi