Boand, till he was in Mag Breg, and he carried away fifty dark-blue
cloaks, and each of them was like the back of a black chafer,[FN#19]
and four black-grey, rings on each cloak, and a brooch of red gold on
each cloak, and pale white tunics with loop-animals of gold around
them. And fifty silver shields with edges, and a candle of a
king's-house in the hand of them (the men), and fifty studs of
findruine[FN#20] on each of them (the lances), fifty knobs of
thoroughly burned gold on each of them; points (i.e. butt-ends) of
carbuncle under them beneath, and their point of precious stones. They
used to light the night as if they were the sun's rays.


[FN#19] The Book of Leinster gives "fifty blue cloaks, each like
findruine of art."

[FN#20] Pronounced "find-roony," the unknown "white-bronze" metal.


And there were fifty gold-hilted swords with them, and a soft-grey
mare under the seat of each man, and bits of gold to them;
a plate of silver with a little bell of gold around the neck of each
horse. Fifty caparisons[FN#21] of purple with threads of silver out of
them, with buckles of gold and silver and with head-animals (i.e.
spiral ornaments). Fifty whips of findruine, with a golden hook on the
end of each of them. And seven chase-hounds in chains of silver, and
an apple of gold between each of them. Greaves of bronze about them,
by no means was there any colour which was not on the hounds.


[FN#21] The word for caparisons is "acrann," the usual word for a