They drank from the golden cup, all who were at the table, and Cormac, looking closely at the lord of the palace, saw that he was the same person as the juggler who had given him the silver branch and had taken away his daughter, his son, and his wife. "Tell me the meaning of this," he said. Whereupon, the lord of the palace told him:
"The well you looked into is the Well of Wisdom and its five streams are the five senses that men have. All who would practice science or art must drink out of that well or out of the streams that flow from it. And from now on you will be able to recognize those who have drunk out of the well or the streams. And when you have recognized them and shown them that you have recognized them they will not spend their time arguing and complaining. Those whom you saw thatching the roof and never finishing their task are those men of lore and learning who spend their days in useless arguments. These too, you will learn to recognize; I brought you here that you might behold and understand these things.
"And I who speak to you am the Lord of Ocean and the Warden of Ireland, Manannan MacLir." As he spoke he held in his hands the golden cup, and Cormac marveled at the workmanship that was shown on it. "But its marvel is," said Manannan, "that if a falsehood is told over it the cup breaks into pieces, and if a truth is told over it it becomes whole again." And then he told a story about Cormac that was not true, and the cup broke into three pieces. "Your wife and daughter, since they left Tara," said he after the breaking of the cup, "never looked on the face of a man until they came into this hall, and your son never looked on a woman's face." When he said this the cup became whole again. Manannan placed it in Cormac's hand. "You will give me the silver branch with the golden apples on it for this," he said.
In Manannan's chariot they drove through the mist -- Cormac, his wife with their son and daughter. They came before the ramparts of Tara, and when they went within great were the rejoicings over each and every one of them. The silver branch with the golden apples went back to the Land of Promise. The golden cup was placed on the King's board. And thereafter those who thought they could tell any story and be believed by Cormac were often surprised to see the cup break into three pieces when their words were said, and were then dismayed when they were told that they would have to tell a true story about themselves to make the cup whole again. Truth-telling caught up on lying and passed it. Also, choice was made among the men of lore and learning who presented themselves, and those who were chosen did things and explained things in such a way that the people began to understand what art was and science was, and understanding this they became less light-minded and more sensible. And Cormac no more gave away the things he had for the things that were brought to him, and this made everybody grow to like the things they had. The golden cup was always upon his board. But when King Cormac died, it disappeared, and its like has not been seen in Ireland since his day. |
