y form, free from the wrinkles of old
age, till the awful day of judgment."

"Thy flowing golden hair, thy comely face,
Thy all majestic form of peerless grace,
That show thee sprung from Conn's exalted race."

King Conn the Hundred-fighter being much troubled, called then on
his druid Coran, to put forth his power against the witchery of the
banshee: "O Coran of the mystic arts and of the mighty incantations,
here is a contest such as I have never been engaged in since I was
made King at Tara--a contest with an invisible lady, who is beguiling
my son to Fairyland by her baleful charms. Her cunning is beyond my
skill, and I am not able to withstand her power; and if thou, Coran,
help not, my son will be taken away from me by the wiles and witchery
of a woman from the fairy hills."

Coran the druid then came forward, and began to chant against the
voice of the lady. And his power was greater than hers for that time,
so that she was forced to retire.

As she was going away she threw an apple to Connla, who straightway
lost sight of her; and the King and his people no longer heard her
voice.

The King and the Prince returned with their company to the palace; and
Connla remained for a whole month without tasting food or drink except
the apple. And though he ate of it each day, it was never lessened,
but was as whole and perfect in the end as at the beginning. Moreover,
when they offered him aught else to eat or drink he refused it; for
while he had his apple he did not deem any other food worthy to be
tasted. And he began to be very moody and sorrowful, thinking of the
lovely fairy maiden.

At the end of the month, as Connla stood by his father's side among
the nobles, on the Plain of Arcomin, he saw the lady approaching him
from the west. And when she had come near, she addressed him in
this manner: "A glorious seat, indeed, has Connla among wretched,
short-lived mortals, awaiting the dreadful stroke of death! But now,
the ever-youthful people of Moy-mell, who never feel age, and who fear
not death, seeing thee day by day among thy friends, in the assemblies
of thy fatherland, love thee with a strange love, and they will make
thee King over them if thou wilt come with me."

When the King heard the words of the lady, he commanded his people to
call the druid again to him, saying, "Bring my druid Coran to me;
for I see that the fairy lady has this day regained the power of her
voice."

At this the lady said