‘Question, what are the proper qualities of a chief?’ said Carpre. ‘Not hard to tell,’ said Cormac.
- Let him have good gessa,
let him be sober,
5] let him be an invader,
let him have good desires,
let him be affable,
let him be humble,
let him be proud,
10] let him be quick,
let him be steadfast,
let him be a poet,
let him be versed in legal lore,
let him be wise,
15] let him be generous,
let him be decorous,
let him be sociable,
let him be gentle,
let him be hard,
20] let him be loving,
let him be merciful,
let him be righteous,
let him be keen,
let him be persevering,
25] let him be patient,
let him be abstinent,
let him raise up the weak by the strong,
let him give true judgments,
let him feed every orphan,
30] let him quell every wrong (?),
let him hate falsehood,
let him love truth,
let him be forgetful of wrong,
let him be mindful of good,
35] let him be attended by a host in gatherings,
let him be attended by few in secret councils,
let him be brilliant in company,
let him be the sun of the mead-hall,
let him be an entertainer of a gathering and assembly,
40] let him be a lover of knowledge and wisdom,
let him be a chastiser of wrong,
let him be masterful to check every one that may be undutiful,
let him judge every one according to his proper right,
let him give his due to each,
45] let him be a judge of every one according to his rank,
let him be liberal to every one according to their degree and profession,
let his covenants be firm,
let his levies be lenient,
let his judgments and decisions be sharp and light,