men to-day call the Mountain of Howth.  Nevertheless the men of Ulster drave them from the land, and they came to the land of Alba, and in its wildernesses they dwelled.  And when the chase of the wild beasts of the mountains failed them, they made foray upon the cattle of the men of Alba, and took them for themselves; and the men of Alba gathered themselves together with intent to destroy them.  Then they took shelter with the king of Alba, and the king took them into his following, and they served him in war.  And they made for themselves houses of their own in the meadows by the king’s burg:  it was on account of Deirdre that these houses were made, for they feared that men might see her, and that on her account they might be slain.

Now one day the high-steward of the king went out in the early morning, and he made a cast about Naisi’s house, and saw those two sleeping therein, and he hurried back to the king, and awaked him:  “We have,” said he, “up to this day found no wife for thee of like dignity to thyself.  Naisi the son of Usnach hath a wife of worth sufficient for the emperor of the western world!  Let Naisi be slain, and let his wife share thy couch.”

“Not so!” said the king, “but do thou prepare thyself to go each day to her house, and woo her for me secretly.”

Thus was it done; but Deirdre, whatsoever the steward told her, was accustomed straightway to recount it each even to her spouse; and since nothing was obtained from her, the sons of Usnach were sent into dangers, and into wars, and into strifes that thereby they might be overcome.  Nevertheless they showed themselves to be stout in every strife, so that no advantage did the king gain from them by such attempts as these.

The men of Alba were gathered together to destroy the sons of Usnach, and this also was told to Deirdre.  And she told her news to Naisi:  “Depart hence!” said she, “for if ye depart not this night, upon the morrow ye shall he slain!” And they marched away that night, and they betook themselves to an island of the sea.

Now the news of what had passed was brought to the men of Ulster.  “’Tis pity, O Conor!” said they, “that the sons of Usnach should die in the land of foes, for the sake of an evil woman.  It is better that they should come under thy protection,[FN#42] and that the (fated) slaying should be done here, and that they should come into their own land, rather than that they should fall at the hands of foes.”  “Let them come to us then,” said Conor, “and let men go as securities to them.”  The news was brought to them.

[FN#42] Literally, “It is better their protection, and their slaying, and coming for them to their own land, &c.”  If this reading is right (and three MSS. agree), the extended words of the text seem to give the intention:  it is, however, possible that the reading should be, “It is better their protection than their slaying” (oldaas for ocus), which would make sense at once.  The idea of the text seems to be that the sons of Usnach were, owing to Cathbad’s prophecy, thought of as fated men; and it was only a question where they should be put to death.