Con·éitet nád fúacair...

Con·éitet nád fúacair,
for·congair nád ergair.

(condones * who that not * denounces /
authorizes * who that not * forbids)

He condones who does not denounce,
he commands who does not forbid.

The couplet, found in the religious text "Apgitir Crábaid" (ZCP 3.454), is an early statement of the legal doctrine now known as "agency by estoppel". Neil McLeod explained it to me this way: "Basically, it works like this. Suppose you are in charge of someone, and they purport to make a contract that requires your consent. If you know about the contract but don't raise any objection, then you are stopped (estopped) from denying that you authorized the person to make the contract on your behalf." In "Apgitir Crábaid" the couplet is given a broader moral application.