Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1866-06-16
Origin Of the rern P.,,,,

AAAAH
/, ley'' Writers before Chaucerp;
, Irish tradition stys that the PeDisO,
were an ancient militia, or STANDING
army, employed only on home service
s for protecting the coast from invasion
Each of the four provinces, saws the
tradition, had Ifs band; that Of Leip.
E Ster' to which Fionn and his family
, belonged, being called the Clam.
. BaoIsgOe. This militia is said 10 b.v.
+ been paid by the King, billeted on
r the people in the wiBter, but to b.y.
/ lived In summer by the chase. Ana
these are imagined to have been H.
; qualifications Of a Fenian; Fer
soldier was required to swear thai
without regard to his fortune. h.
would chose a wife for her virtue brr
courtesy and good manners; that he
would never offer violence to a NO..
man; that as far as he could he wopl3
not refuse to fight nine men of ony
other nation No person could he
received into the service unless biy
father and mother and his rela,i,s.
gave security that none Of then sbopl3
revenge MS death upon the person
who might slay him. but that tbey
would leave the matter to his fellow.
soldiers. The youth himself mus,
be well acquainted With tie u books
Of poetry, and be able to composa
verses. tie must be a perfect master
OF defence; TO prove this be placed in
a field of sedge having in bis hands
target aud a ba2le stick as long as
mans arm Nine e. experienced soldiers.
at a distance Of nine ridges Of land,
were to hurl their spears at him at
o1ce; It he was unburt he was admit.
ted, bat if wounded he was sent off
with a %repToach. He must also RIM
well and defesd himself when in
fight to try his activity be was mad T
to run through a wood having a start /.
Of a trees breadth the whok of the
Fenlans pursuing him; if he was over.
taken or wounded in the wood he wasli
refused, as too sluggish and uuskillfuI \
to fight witk honor among such ,
valiant troops. Also, be must have a d
strong arm and be able TO hold his
weapon steadily. Also, when he ran :
through a wood in chase bis hair 3
should not come united, ifit did be o
was rejected He must be so swift +
aud Ugh! of foot as not to break \ II
rotton stick by Standing upon it and Z
also to leap over a tree as high as bis Al
forehead and to stoop under a tree i.
was lower than his knees. WIKI.
out stepping or lcssening bis speed. he
must be able to draw a thorn out Of ].
his foot. Finally, be mus. take ar +
oath of fidelity IL
The Rev Geodiy Heating, aao d.
wrote a History Of Erin, in the yea III
1880 g%ravely says 80 long as these +,
Of admission were exactly in. ed
upon, the military Of Ireland F.
we're an inyiuciblo defence to THEN r,
ountry ana e terror to re1els at home an
nd enemies abroad" Coil McMora
slain Fionn's father, Cumball, in an
and was Fionn's mortal emmy m
early life. Afterwards he made /.
with him, and fought under him 10
chieftain oftbe COnnaught FeDian.. s.
the supremacy of the Clanna l.,
'aoisgne led to feuds, and at last 3
ionn and bis clan defying the throne
self we're attacked by all the forces ]
Enn except those OF the King Of
IunSter, who took part with him. and
IHered carnage in the battle of Cab, II
a, wherein Ossiu's sons Cesar and ~
e Ding Cairbre fell by each other
nds.-Fionn, who was absent, ar.
Fed only n time to close his grand,
MS eyes, and after this defeat peace
ID no sweets for him and war no Of m
Fionn died at last, il is ,sin,
i'd, by the lance of an assassin. cheo.
7 me.
1t is noticeable, however, that the uary
we're not confined to EroD ID re-
the ancient poem on the battle Of to N
libra We read Of the bands Of the Ju
of Alean" tAlbar being the
name of Scotland north of the
rib of Forth and Clode). and the A
preme King Of Breatan (Breatan
Southern Scotland, Of which X
mbreaian, now Dumbartou, was :.
chief scat), belonging to the order ~
he Femme Of Allan; and also that A
Fins of Lachlan we're powerful.
Lachlan was an ancient name of ],
rmany Oorth Of the Rhine; but
the German and Norwegian
appeared in the ninth century =
y were called L~ochlauaels, and the ~
BE Of Lochlan was transferred to the