The Petit Hôtel d'Allen

Here is the episode called Le Petit Hôtel d'Allen from Fenian Cycle.

Allen's Little Hotel

There was a lively, handsome, enormous banquet, given by Find son of Cumall, grandson of Baiscane, to Allen the Great, in Leinster. When the banquet was ready to serve, the nobles and lords of the Fenians came to take part. Here are the noblest and most honored before Find: Goll the amiable, the active son of Morna, Ossian son of Find, Oscar son of Ossian, Mac Lugach with the terrible hand, Diarmaid with the luminous face, Cailté son of Ronan, the strong children of Dubdirma, the children of Smol and the race of Dubdaboirenn, Goll Gulban, the swift Corr and his sons Conn, Donn, Aed and Anacan, Ivor the wonder-worker, the bloody and victorious son of Crimthann, and two sons of the King of Leinster who were at the same time wards of Find, and Coirell grandson of Conbran. He came with them to the banquet two sons of the king ofScotland and a violent and crazed mob of sons of kings and lords from all over the world. Moreover, all the Fenians of Ireland came there.

Find sat down in the champion's seat in the middle of the hotel; the lovely Goll son of Morna, in the other seat, and the nobles of their house on either side of them. Each then took his place, according to his rank and his country, at the fixed and suitable place, as had been their habit in all places and at all times before.

Then the servants rose in great numbers to serve and supply the hotel; they took jeweled drinking horns, with pure crystal gems, artistic and elegant, with each shiny goblet, full of art and beauty, and they distributed strong, fermented drinks, exquisite liquors, very sweet, to these good warriors. Gaiety arose among young people, madness and wit among heroes, gentleness and modesty among women, knowledge and prophecy among poets.

Then a herald rose straight up quickly and shook a rough iron chain to suppress the serfs and the peasants; he shook a long chain of old silver to suppress the Fenian nobles and lords as well as the poets. And all listened in deep silence to Fergus with his beautiful mouth; the poet of Find and the Fenians stood up and sang ballads, songs and good poems of ancestors and old times in front of Find son of Cumall, and Find, Ossian. Oscar and Mac Lugach wonderfully rewarded the poet with the most beautiful treasures and riches.

Then he went before Goll son of Morna and told him about the Hotels and the Destructions, the Raids and the Courts of the old days, so that his art made the sons of Morna happy and in a good mood. So Goll said, "Where's my mail?

"Here I am, O King of the Fenians," she said.

- Did you bring me my manual tribute from Norway?

- I brought it. verily, ”she said, and saying this she quickly rose and threw, like the mass of an enormous pig, or the load of a vigorous, lively and brave hero, of fine fine gold, in the midst of the hotel in front of Goll.

He untied the envelope which contained this tribute and spread the precious treasures on the ground in the presence of the assistants. Goll rewarded Fergus as he was wont, and there was no learned and eloquent poet, nor good industrious poet, nor melodious-singing harpist, nor learned and precise antiquarian, nor any man of science in Ireland or in Scotland, which was in Allen's hotel that night, to which Goll did not give bounty of gold, or silver, or other precious things.

Find spoke up and said, "O Goll, how long have you had this tribute over the Norwegians, when I have my own tribute over them and there is a warrior to keep my tribute and my taxes, my hunt and my booty, and this warrior is Ciaran son of Lathairne, tough hero, duelist and vigorous whose house counts ten hundred valiant soldiers? "

Then Goll answered the son of Cumall, for he understood that Find was angry with him and jealous of him, and he said, “O Find, I have long had this tribute on the Norsemen; it was the time when your father forced me into war and struggle; the king of Ireland went with his provincials following Cumall against me; I had to leave Ireland to them. I went to Brittany, I seized the country, I killed the king and I massacred his people; but Cumall drove me out. From there I passed into Finnlochlann; the king of Finnlochlann fell under my blows as well as his house; but Cumall drove me out. From there I came to Scotland, the King of Scotland fell under my blows; but Cumall drove me out. From there I came into the country of the Saxons; the king of the Saxons fell under my blows, as well as his house; but Cumall drove me out. I came to the battle of Cnucha and there your father fell under my blows; it was at that time that I obtained this tribute from the Scandinavians, said Goll. I took you with me to the fortress of the Norse king, and fifteen men with you. The King's Wife Scandinavia gave you his love and you were in an underground prison for a year; a day was appointed to put you and yours to death; and, by thy hand, O Find, I went to the fortress of the king of Scandinavia, I slew king Eogan the great; I slew his people, I took their gold and their silver and imposed a king on the Scandinavians, Tine of great strength, son of Triscall; I compelled him to levy a tribute for me from the Scandinavians, and here he is, said Goll. Moreover, O Find, he resumed, it is not a manual tribute you have with them, but an indemnity of Fenian king and protector, and I do not wish to lessen it. So, O Find, do not be jealous of me for this tribute, for if I had anything more than that, I would give it to you and to the men of Ireland. »

Find answered him with anger and bravery. “O Goll,” he said, “you confessed in this story that you came from the city of Beirbé to Cnucha and that there you killed my father; it is daring of you to tell it to me.

"By your hand," said Goll, "if you brought me dishonor like your father did, I would deal you the same treatment I inflicted on Cumall."

- O Goll, said Find, my power would be very good, to leave it to you! Because I have in my house a hundred brave warriors to oppose each of those who make up yours.

"That is how your father was," said Goll, "and I avenged my dishonor on him and I will do the same on you if you take my tribute away from me." " 

Cairell Cneisgell (white skinned), Baiscne's grandson, spoke and said, “O Goll,” he said, “there are many men you have put down in the house of Find son of Cumall. "

Conan the bald, the cursed, son of Morna, spoke and said: "I swear by my arms," he said, "that no matter how small the house that Goll has, he has never been without having with him a hundred. a man and each of them would repress you.

- Are you one of those, O Conan with devious words, with the peeled head? Cairell said.

"I'm in it, O Brown Cairell, scratchy fingernails, wrinkled skin, weak strength," Conan said, and I'm going to go and prove Find to you wrong.

So Cairell stood up and hit Conan with a bold, furious punch. Conan didn't reply respectfully, as he gave Cairell another blow, right in the middle of the forehead and in the teeth. Thereupon, they administered rabid blows, very rapid, really poisonous in the body and on the skin, one to the other, so that, as a result of this fight, the chests and breasts of these brave men were torn apart for a long time.

Then arose the two sons of Oscar son of Ossian, Echtach and Ilann; they made thick roofs of their shields around them and they gave Conan, in the melee, deep and difficult to heal blows. When the two sons of Goll son of Morna saw Conan in this embarrassment, they stood up and wounded Oscar's sons in a fight.

Then arose the vigorous lion full of bravery and the swift, furious, irresistible dragon, Oscar the valiant son of Ossian, and he put his beautiful golden garment over his charming body; a beautiful artistic plaque around her neck; his big hero's shield on his left hand; his hard, straight-bladed sword in his other hand. He went impetuously, courageously to the aid of his family and his brother Cairell. Without drawing his sword, he resorted to hammer blows - he had a hammer in each hand - for this sudden attack. Conan said to Oscar, "I thank the gods that you meet in a real duel with me, O Oscar," he said, "for I will cut the thread of your life." "

Then Oscar and Conan approached each other and their meeting ended with the defeat of Conan from which Oscar pulled out a cry of distress. Conan looked at Art Oc son of Morna, and this almighty warrior stood up and wounded Oscar. Ossian the very strong, son of Find, could not bear this and hurt Art. Garbfoltach son of Morna stood up and hurt Ossian. The bold MacLugach got up, put on his battle and hard struggle harness, and wounded Garbfoltach. Large-breasted Garadh, son of Morna, stood up and injured Mac Lugach. Then arose Faelan son of Find, with his three hundred brothers at the same time as him, and he entered vigorously and bravely into the fray and by him the sons of Morna were driven out of their place.

Then arose the brave lion, the majestic warrior with a great spirit, the swift, furious dragon, the gay bear, and the wrath of lingering blows and the pillar of bravery and the solid column of combat, Goll the lovable , the energetic with the purple cheeks, the clear mind, son of Morna, and he put on him his harness of battle and of dueling: a beautiful breastplate, adorned with flowers, around his neck; her magnificent garment, edged in white, on her beautiful skin; his sword with a sharp point, very solid and striking well, in his hand with brown nails; his large, humpback warrior shield in his left hand. He went boldly, furious, irresistible, into the hotel and he did not leave a sparkling candle nor a flaming, shining torch in the large hotel without extinguishing it, nor a table without making it into small gaping pieces.

Then Find let out his battle cry, "the hero of the wood", with all his might and he told the Fenians of Ireland to exterminate and kill, without quartering, the sons of Morna.

So the Fenians made palisades thick, solid, indissoluble, with their shields all around them. Find put himself at the head of these brave men and they began to break each other's bones without making a quarter. Then a transport of anger seized Goll; to protect his own, he made of himself a solid, unbreakable shield; then the valiant troops and their great leaders became furious; the warriors, enraged, and the combatants, more numerous; and the combatants were covered with wounds as a result of the violent, hateful, poisoned fight that the great heroes fought against each other. Much blood flowed from the sides of the sons of the nobles; deep, incurable wounds covered the destructive and inseparable crowd. The place was bad for a weak and sick person, or for a delicate woman with long fingers or for an old man burdened with distant years, who would have been in Allen's little hotel that night, listening to them moan. young and old, plebeians and nobles, in distress, weakened, dying, thrown to the ground and cut to pieces. And they were like that from the beginning of the night until the sunrise the next day, without being quartered to each other.

Then arose the prophetic poet with his incisive speech, the richly rewarded man of worms, Fergus with a beautiful mouth, and the Fenian scientists along with him; and they intoned their lays, their good poems and their eulogy songs to these heroes to restrain and soften them.

So, to the music of the poets, they stopped chopping and grinding and they dropped their weapons on the ground. The poets picked up the weapons and made reconciliation between them. However Find said that he would not make peace with the Morna clan before he had the sentence of the King of Ireland, that of Ailbé daughter of Cormac Mac Art son of Cond Cetchathach, that of Cairbré Lifechair heir to Ireland, the sentence of Fithal and Flathri and before the approval of the judgment was given by Finntan son of Bochna. Goll said he would grant her all of that. They made a commitment, on the backing of the poets, to firmly establish this peace and they settled one day, in a fortnight from this moment, on the meadow of Tara.

The losses of the Fenians were then examined, and here are those which were missing from the house of Find; eleven hundred men and women, and there were many gracious, very noble ladies, and pretty, well-made women, kind young girls, with gentle words, heroes full of bravery and valor to fall there; and there were many wounded noses, torn eyes, chopped ears, severed legs to the bone, torn hands, lacerated bodies, holed sides among those who were left alive in Find's house. son of Cumall at that time.

As for Goll and his good house, the Morna clan, they were only missing eleven men and fifty women. It wasn't that the women had been killed, but they had died of fear and shock. All who could be healed were healed. And they made very deep and very wide pits for all those who had died on both sides.

Then Allen's great hall was cleaned and everyone took their place according to their nobility and their country. They put fourteen days into this arrangement, and at the end of that time they went to Tara. Cormac and Cairbré, Ailbé and Fithal, Flathri and Finntan son of Bochna sat down instead of the judgment. Find stepped forward first to tell his story. But Goll said: “O Find,” he said, “it is not to you that we will give the matter between us to tell; for you would do truth with lie, lie with truth, against me; together we turn the matter over to Fergus. May he swear by his gods to do justice between us! "

Find agrees and Fergus guarantees to do justice. So he said it was Cairell who had punched Conan first; that Goll's two sons had come to Conan's aid; that Oscar had come to the aid of his house; and that thereupon the Fenians of Ireland and the Morna clan rose up against each other, and began to break each other's bones without quarter, since the beginning of the night until sunrise the next day, and that the losses of the house of Find son of Cumall on that occasion had been eleven hundred men and women and that of the Morna clan had been eleven men and fifty women, and that, moreover, there were a large number of wounded on both sides as a result of this stampede.

"I'm surprised how little the Morna clan lost," Cormac said, "given the number they had in front of them. Fergus said it was Goll who had come as a shield to protect his people, "and there you have it, O King of Ireland, he said, the story of this hotel." Flathri says: "Damage to the Morna clan," he said, "because it was against them that the aggression was started."

"It is not the decision of the son of a lawyer," said Cormac; for every warrior owes obedience to his lord.

“That's true for a bruise,” Flathri said, “but not for a spill of blood. Fithal said, "Let us exempt the Morna clan from paying damages to those who started the aggression and furthermore exempt Find, because of the extent of his losses, from paying damages." "

Finntan son of Bochna said: "Here is a judgment of the son of a lawyer!" "

Cormac and Cairbré praised this sentence.

Then the Fenians were summoned to the field; and the judgment was exposed to them, and peace was thus made between them. This is the story of Petit Hotel d'Allen.