Egerton MS 88

Vellum ; A. D. 1564, etc. Small folio ; ff. 92.

In double columns. Written in various years, and somewhat untidily, by Domhnall O Duibhdábhoírenn ['Donall O'Davoren,' who kept a law- school in the district of Burren, in the county Clare] and his pupils. O'Curry states that he possessed a copy of O'Davoren's will. The site of his house is marked on the Ordnance map of Clare, sheet 8.

With the exception of Cormac O'Brien's and Manus O'Davoren's, none of the hands can be called very good ; and Donall's own is not the best.

Folio 1 exhibits memoranda in English by James Hardiman and Sir F.Madden, respecting the material condition of the MS. before the loose leaves were by Eugene O'Curry sorted and placed in their present order. The insertion of this scrap causes the present foliation to exceed by unity that of the Brehon Law transcribers, and of Stokes in 'Three Irish Glossaries.'

LAW AND GRAMMATICAL TRACTS, TALES, LAW GLOSSARY.

It may be stated that eight leaves which once formed part of this codex are now in the Royal Library at Copenhagen, and were in 1886 by the Danish Government deposited for a time in the British Museum. This was done at the instance of Whitley Stokes, who also had the fragment photographed by Karl Praetorius. The contents are law exclusively; in Donall O'Davoren's hand.

I. Law.

1. A tract in several sections, upon the law of 'Einechlann,' or 'Honour-price,' for injuries of various kinds done to the privileged classes : and first of injury to the person [O'C. 2187].

Begins:—"Cia roich eneclann slicht eitgid airlither aithginuib indrucib othrus\" i.e. "Who are they that according to the law awarding compensation for bodily injury are entitled to the same ?" f. 2, col. 1.

This page, having for a length of time acted as cover, is much defaced.

2. Concerning cows in calf and calved [O'C. 2140].

Begins:—" Teora bretha mic dá bó" i.e. "Three decisions in the case of a 'son of two cows.' " f. 2 b, col. 2.

3. After some lines of prefatory matter, injuries to the person are resumed [O'C. 2142].

Begins:—"Atáit trí tedmanda faillsigthe condad comdire fri bás" i.e. "There are three injuries which make it evident that they are entitled to the same fine as death." f. 3, col. 2.

4. Of compensation due for satirising, bearing false witness etc. [ibid.].

Begins:—"Atáit a secht a tuit a eneclann ó cách" i.e. "There are seven [injuries] in case of which his compensation is due from every one [inflicting them]." ibid.

5. Of injuries committed by oxen [ibid.].

Begins:—"Ocus ag oirges aroile itir chomaidhtecha có ndéntur uime" i.e. "And an ox that gores another among co-tenants, what is to be done in his case ?" ibid.

6. Of damage caused by swine : defaced [ibid.].

Begins:—"Ruidles do mucaib dia fofeisit iarna fodergad a faithchi" i.e. "Swine are held free if they lie down after rooting on a green." f. 3 b, col. 1.

7. Of injury to sporting dogs [O'C. 2143].

Begins:—"Comdire a gadar ocus a mílcú do cách" i.e. "To every one his hound and his greyhound represent an equal value of compensation." ibid.

8. A parenthesis concerning the right to keep dogs [ibid.].

Begins:—"Cair cia laisin cóir mílcú. ní annsa. la flaith. Cair cia laisin cóir oircne . ní annsa. occbriugaid ocus liaigh ocus cruitire ocus rigan" i.e. "Query: who is entitled to keep a greyhound? Answer: a Chief. Query: who is entitled to keep a lapdog? Answer: a young Hospitaller; a Doctor; a Harper and a Chiefs wife." ibid.

The foregoing articles are not accompanied by any 'gloss,' or 'commentary.'

9. Short section with the heading:—"Do dliged olloman budesta" i.e. "Now for the rights of Ollamhs" [professors of law, poetry, etc. O'C. 2144].

Begins:—"Cach indlegait medoin do dliged ónardflathaib [etc.] .i. issed so dlegait brithemain ó na flathuib árda agá mbít siat" i.e. "These are the rights due to Brehons [judges] from the supreme Chiefs that entertain them." ibid.

10. A section upon the manner of sueing various classes of the community, from the highest to the lowest [O'C. 2147].

Begins:—"Aidbriud ardneimid co hadha co hadha co dliged i neimed ard .i. in eclais nó in righ" i.e. "What is the lawful form of sueing the 'Arch-neimhed,' and what the orthodox procedure in the Arch-neimhed's case (i.e. Church or Chief paramount)?" f. 4, col. 1.

11. A section upon the being accessory to a theft [O'C. 2158].

Begins:—"Nach fear meodhangaiti [ms. m.i.g.] do cuisin" i.e. "Every man that confesses 'intermediate theft.'" That is to say : any receiver of stolen property will be acquitted of blame, if he prove his own ignorance of both theft and thief, confessing from whom he may have bought, and to whom sold the stolen goods, etc. f. 4 b, col. 2.

12. A section with the heading: "Do druthaib ocus meraibh ocus dásachtaibh" i.e. "Of idiots, lunatics and maniacs" [O'C. 2167].

Begins:—"Cisne trí horba do ra[n]naiter la [fene] ar bélaib a comarbu nach comrannat crích" i.e. "What are the three inheritances which are divided by the people [at large] rather than by the rightful inheritors, who cannot divide land?" f. 6, col. 1.

13. A section upon the necessary elements of valid judgments [O'C. 2181, and cf. three last lines of f. 7, col. 2].

Begins:—"Cuic conaire fuigill aithfégar and .i. fír ocus dliged cert ocus techta ocus cóir nathchomairc" i.e. "Five 'paths of judgment' they are that have to be considered viz. Truth and Legality, Bight and Possession, and the right of Appeal." f. 7 b, col. 1.

The oldest copy of this scarce tract is in Rawlinson, B. 502, f. 63 b, col. 1, in the Bodleian [O'D. 2485]; and a much longer copy in H. 3. 18, p. 457, col. 2, Trinity College, Dublin [O'C. 1150].

14. A tract on evidence, in several sections [O'C. 2188].

Begins:—"Atáit secht lina a tuaith toingthi for rig rechtaid" i.e. "There are in a ' country ' [i.e. tribal community] seven classes that may rightfully depose against a supreme Chief; [and they are witnesses as against all others]." f. 8, col. 1.

15. A section upon Chiefs' right to give evidence [O'C. 2194].

Begins:—"Fortongat fíreoin lathamuin fíra caise conndlighthi" i.e. "Righteous Chiefs may in their own cause swear, according to all law." f. 8 b, col. 2.

16. Beginning of tract called the "Beichbretha" or "Bee-judgments" i.e. decisions in all cases relating to Bees [O'C. 9197; A. L. I., IV p. 162].

Begins:—"Andsom a tairgille tairgille ar bechaib" i.e. "The most difficult 'additional-security' is that against Bees," that is to say : the security given that they shall not trespass is the most precarious of all. f. 9, col.1.

17. A short section on the limitation of pleading; only partially glossed, with heading and prefatory note [O'C. 2203] :— "Comus ae inn so sís .i. comaimsiugud focal ocus anál ann so sís .i. secht nanála don ecluis ocus secht focail in gach anáil ocus trí lianála don flaith ocus secht focail in gach anáil ocus dá anáil don filid ocus cúic focail in gach anáil ocus aon anál do nafénibh ocus cúic focail innti ocus go. . . do chumadh dóibh no bídis na dáine for aon a[náil] . . .co haichi a dTemraig ocus is iaram conaimas laisna [flathaib] ocus laisan aos ngaoth in líon anál so do cumad do c[ach]" i.e. " Comus ae [that is, 'forensic competence'] follows here, which means 'the relative proportion of words to breathings [of the speaker]' as thus :—to the Church, seven breathings with seven words in each breath ; to the Chief, three breathings with seven words in each breath ; to the Poet, two breathings with five words in each breath ; and to the People, one breathing containing five words. For until [these rules] were framed for them, people used to [make] one [speech last from noon till] night in Tara ; wherefore subsequently it was by [the Chiefs] and by the men of wisdom determined to frame for them this pro­portional rule of 'breathings.' " The last lines of the foregoing paragraph are partially defaced. The section which it introduces purports to be, like the "Bretha, neimhed," delivered by Mórann, son of Móen, to Nére.

Begins:—"Mo Nére nuallaig diamba brethem" i.e. "My eloquent Néra, if thou be a judge." f. 9 b, col. 1.

II.Tales.

18. Tale in prose, headed (but not in the original hand) "Aghaidh [leg. aidhedh] Conrói" i.e. "Death of Cúrói [mac Daire at the hands of Cúchulainn and of the Ultonians]."

Begins:—"Ambátar Uolaid andEmain confacadar fer ediencaill dóibh tar mach intEamain" i.e. "Ulster, being in Emhain, saw come to them across the plain ground that was in Emhain a formidable looking man" (O'Curry). f. 10, col. 1.

Written in an obscure style, and further disfigured by the uncouth spelling which some scribes in this and the preceding century seem to have found a pleasure in adopting: without any object, apparently, but that of puzzling their readers. In this line O'Davoren was an adept, as was also, amongst others, the older scribe of Harl. 5280.

19. Rhapsody uttered, after Cúrói's death, by Fercheirtne filidh, his poet; entitled "Amra Chonrói" i.e. "Cúrói's Elegy" or "Panegyric."

Begins:—"Ní hadha dom anmuin a puirt" i.e. "Her strains no more are lawful for my soul." f. 10 b, col. 2.

E. O'Curry rendered "It is not lucky for me to remain in the house:" but this would require "Ní hagh dham anmain i purt," which however may be the reading in some MSS.

This 'Amra,' forming an appendix to the foregoing tale, contains a curious enumeration of all the presents which Cúrói had in his time bestowed upon the Bard.

20. A short piece in prose and rhapsodical verse, which can scarcely be called a tale, written in the same style as art. 18.

Begins:—"Insipit for fes [leg.forbais] fer falcca .i. fer Manant iseidsidhe foillsighthi d'Oltaib a hEmain Macha tia tubairt in den graib in scoth milidea dóiph ocus is iarum luid Cúchulainn ocus fiu for forbais fer falcha, ocus selaigh firu faal uile ar galaibh aonfir" i.e. "Here begins of the 'Siege of the Men of Fálga' viz. of the Men of Man. These are they that to Ulster were shewn out of Emhain Macha, concerning which the 'engraib' made them a warlike utterance (?). After which it was that Cúchulainn went and laid siege to the Men of Fál (sic), whom all he cut off in single combat." f. 11, col. 1.

There is no more by way of narrative : the rest is a rhapsody by Cúchulainn on the occasion of his fight with Get king of the Fomorians, which is not described. The whole is in the highest degree obscure, the text manifestly defective and corrupt. Copies in Eg. 1782, art. 7 (q.v.), and Rawl. B. 512, f. 117 b, col. 2, agree so closely with each other and with this, that they must be descendants of the same ancestor, and perhaps in the direct line.

21. A short piece in prose, which is in reality an excerpt out of the long romance called "Tochmarc Eimhri" i.e. "The wooing of Eimher" [by Cúchulainn], cf. Harl. 5280, art. 30.

Begins:—"Indsipit uerba Scathaige fri Coinculainn og scarad frie isna rannaib thair ó ro scaith do lánfoghlaim in milti la Scathaig. Toaircechain do iarum Scathach aní aridmbiadh conepert fris tria iumbus for osnadh dia forciutul : Imbe herr aongaile [etc.]" i.e. "Here begin Scathach's [farewell] words to Cúchulainn as he in the eastern regions parted from her, after he had with her perfected himself in all a warrior's knowledge. Whereat Scathach enunciated to him all that which awaited him, saying to him through [the incantation called] 'Imbas for osnadh,' in order to instruct him [i.e. forewarn him] : 'Thou shalt be the hero of single combat,' " etc. f. 11, col. 2.

Scathach was the Scottish 'Amazon' that held a school of arms in the Isle of Skye, and her enigmatical utterances relate to the pains and perils which Cúchulainn must in the as yet future 'Tain Bó Cuailgne' encounter ; without the assistance of which latter romance this little tract would be unintelligible. Copies, all but identical with this, in Eg. 1782, art. 8, and Bawl. B. 512, f. 117 b, col. 1.

22. Under the heading (added in the margin) "Tulchabha briathar" i.e. "A Bowlful of Words," are set down a few obscure figurative expressions ['kennings'] with their interpretations :— "Ferr ar fechtaib fer [the grass which is best on journeys] .i. fer aba nó locha [river or loch grass]. Lom luidh lom tuilith .i. nin garmna [forked upright of a weaver's beam (or, gallows)]. Ilceth roth .i. gran for seithe [grain upon a hide]. Bairn buirn .i. certan for luamain [a tune quickly played]. Reidh ngair .i. cos escradh [the shank of a goblet]. Coil cosmail .i. fithus carpait [a bad chariot (?)]. Bron fri bith daimh .i. codla [sleep].Glaisi dur gili .i. tine airnisi [a workshop fire]. Ail sceo inn rath .i. inneoin an gabann [the smith's anvil]. Tulchaba, mbriathar sunn" [i.e. What is here set down is from the tract called 'Tulchaba briathar']. Other versions possible of some. f. 11, col. 2.

23. A memorandum upon scribal compendia :—

"Cá méd nod is cóir annsa scribneoracht. Ní annsa :—A trí. Nod elaidhnech ocus nod lethach ocus nod nádúrdha. Nod elaidlinech .i. an céd leter ocus in .l. medhonach ocus in .l. deighinach ut est .DNS. Nod lethach ón .l. táisigh [MS. taisaidh] ocus on .l. dheighinaigh. do níter ut est .DS. Nod nádúrdha .i. aon .l. ar son an anma nó'n focail ut est .Pi. pater" i.e. "How many ' nodes ' are allowable in scrivening ? Answer :— Three, which are: the 'node artificial' ; the 'node extended' ; the 'node natural.' The ' node artificial ' consists of the initial, the middle, and the last letters [of a word], for instance: 'DNS' [= dominus]. The 'node extended' is produced by the first letter and the last, as: 'DS' [ ='deus' or 'dominus']. The ' node natural ' is one letter [only], standing for either name or word, such as : ' P.' [= 'pater' or 'Patricius ']. ibid.

24. A 'Triad' on hospitality (cf. 'Three Irish Glossaries,' p.118, S.V. 'Sirechta') :—

"Teora sirechta flathai .i. coirmthech cen fáiscre buidhen cen urdonáil dírim cen conae" i.e. "Three things prohibited to a Chief: an ale-house without cheese ; a gang of people without noise [of mirth] ; a great company without wolf-hounds." ibid.

25. Tale in prose and verse, of the abduction, by a woman from fairyland, of Connla ruadh ['rufus'] son of Conn cédchathach ['of the hundred battles'].

Begins:—"Condla ruadh mac do Qnt [leg. Chund] .100. cathach a mbae Iá for Iáim a athar a nuochtar uisnigh confaca an mnái a nétuch anetargnaidh" i.e. "Connla ruadh, son to Conn ' of the hundred battles,' being once in his father's charge on the top of the Hill of Uisneach, saw a woman in unfamiliar raiment." f. 11 b, col. 1.

A version of this tale in LU., p. 120 a, is printed by Ernst Windisch in his 'Kurzgefasste Irische Grammatik,' p. 118, and, by the same, some of the verse is edited critically in the 'Revue Celtique,' V pp. 389, 478.

26. A pretty tale in prose and verse (the latter largely 'prophetic' of Christianity), called "Echtra Brain meic Febail" i.e. "Adventures of Febhal's son Bran," who, like Connla ruadh, was coaxed away by a fairy woman.

Begins:—"Caocca rann ro ghabh an ben a tíribh ingnáth for Iár in tighi to Bran mac Febail ó ro búi a ruightech Ián to rígaib an nad fedadur can do luith an ben ó ro bádur an lios dúnta (sic)" i.e. "Fifty stanzas that a woman out of regions unknown sang to Bran son of Febhal, [within] in the midst of the house : which royal house was [at the time] full of 'kings' [i.e. chiefs], who knew not whence the woman was come, they being in a closedmprecinct." f. 11 b, col. 2.

This piece is one of the two articles (cf. art. 31) contained in the single Irish MS. (vellum) of the royal library at Stockholm, acquired from Count Sparwenfelt, who had it from Father Philip Maguire, O.S.F., in Rome (Whitley Stokes).

The text breaks off at the foot of f. 12, col. 2, and is resumed at f. 13, col. 1. A copy in the same style of cacography is in Harl. 5280, art. 18 ; and, less incorrectly written, in Rawl. B. 512, f. 119, col. 1 ; in H. 2. 16 [T. C. D.], cols. 395-9, and the concluding lines in LU., p. 121 a, the first line of which corresponds with f. 13, col. 2, 1. 3 of this MS.

27. An exceedingly obscure and corruptly written little piece in prose, called "Boile [baile or buile] Cuinn chédchathaig" i.e. "Frenzy [prophetic ecstasy] of Conn of the hundred battles," and having reference to his successors.

Begins:—"Ibthús Art (sic) ier cetharcaitt aidhci" i.e, "As concerns Art, after forty nights." f. 12 b, col. 1.

28. A tale in prose, with heading "Gineamain Chonculainn" i.e. "Birth of Cuchulainn ;" to which is appended, in what looks very like Edward O'Reilly's hand, " = the fate of Connor."

Begins:—"Búi Concubur ocus maithi Ulad i nEumain no thathaighdis énlaith a magh ar Eumhain no geltis co na fagbadís ccid feor ná meucna ná losa i talmain" i.e. "Conor and Ulster's nobles were in Emhain, and to the plain of Emhain certain birds used to resort in flocks, and feed to such pitch that in the ground they left neither grass nor roots nor any herbs at all." f. 12 b, col. 2.

A copy in LU., p. 128 a, from 'The Book of Druim Snechta,' is printed (text only) by Windisch, 'Irische Texte,' I p. 136, with variants from Eg. 1782, art. 48. In these MSS. the title is "Coimpert Chonculainn."

29. The conclusion of "Eachtra Brain meic Febail" is followed by a short account in prose of the causes that led up to "Toghail bruidhne Dáderga" i.e. "The Destruction of Dáderga's dwelling," for which cf. Eg. 1782, art. 57, where the title is "Orgain bruighne Dáderga."

Begins:—"[C]onne macc Mesibuachalla isé ortae i mbruigin y Dergae" i.e. "Conna son of Mesbuachalla [who was his mother], he it was that perished in O Derga's dwelling." f. 13, col. 2.

30. A curious tract in prose, called "Udhacht Mórainn meic Máin" i.e. "Testament [last will] of Mórann son of Móen," in which, upon Feradach finnfachtnach, sole survivor of the nobles of the Gael after their massacre by the 'Attacotti,' or 'Plebeians,' the sage impresses the duties of a king.

Begins "Insipit authacht Mórainn meic Muin inn so dferadach fintfachtnach mac Crithmainn meic Niadh náir macside inghene Loith meic Delirith do Cruithentuathaib bert a máthair as ambrú iar ndilgent tigernad nErenn do na hAthachthuatha acht Feradach namá i mbrú i máthar. Toluidhside iarum tair es co sleodhaiph ocus faidhes Mórann in udhacht so cuici" i.e. "Here begins the ' Will ' of Mórann son of Móen, [addressed] to Feradach Finnfachtnach son of Crimthann son of Nianáir. He [Feradach] was daughter's son of Loth son of Delireth of the Piets; and him his mother brought forth after the blotting out by the Aitheachtuatha [' Attacots '] of the Chiefs of Ireland, [this same] Feradach only excepted, who at the time was in his mother's womb. She then returned to Galloway, and Mórann sent her this 'Testament.' " f. 13 b, col. 1.

In the Book of Lismore, f. 142, col. 1, there is a short tract in prose and verse on this massacre.

31. A copy of the well-known but very obscure 'kenning' verses (which but for the gloss would be incomprehensible) uttered in response to Banban the poet.

Begins:—"Fil and grian glinne" i.e. "The 'sun of the glen' is there." f. 14, col. 2.

Copy in the Stockholm MS. (cf. art. 26) and Rawl. B 512, f. 52, col. 1.

This short piece is an excerpt from the lost 'Book of Druim snechta,' as we learn from a notice prefixed:—"Incipiatur nunc Cin droma snechtai annsa iarna tolomradh do Gillacomain truagh O Congaláin an ro bo deach lais innti" i.e. "Let the 'Book of Druim snechta' [i.e. its excerpts] be now commenced here, after having been by poor Gillacomáin O Conghaláin 'stripped' of such of its contents as he esteemed the most."

The circumstances of the composition are then told thus:—"Banban an téicius do fusich an téicsinea as a coltud atrói ol sé donainic timperacht [leg. timthirecht]. Asbert Banban di promad in éicsine innis duin tré dligid do dánai cisi timperacht tucadant conad ant aspertsim Fil ann grian et reliqua" i.e. "It was Banban the poet, that out of his sleep [suddenly] roused a young poet saying : 'Rise, ministration [i.e. food] is come to us.' Then, to prove the young poet, Banban said [further] : 'Tell us by thine art's law what is the food which has been brought ? ' Then the other said : 'Fil ann grian,' and the rest."

Copy in Rawl. B, 512, f. 52, col. 2, where the verses are said to have been uttered by Dáchoga on the night when he was slain : not mentioned in the tale of 'Bruidhen Dáchoga,' cf. Add. 30,512, art. 124.

32. Tale in prose and verse, called "Siabharcharpat Chonchulainn" i.e. "Cúchulainn's supernatural chariot."

Begins:—"Luith Pátraic do Temraig et reliqua. Luith Laogairi dou agaltam Pátraic iar taibsin Conculainn do inai carput. Aspert Pátraic fri Laogairi indattarfas ní. dodomarfas imorro for Laogairi ocus nim tacumac dia faisnéis muna sénas mo gin ocus muna coisrecas" i.e. "Patrick went to Tara, and so forth. Laeghaire [the king] came to confer with Patrick, after that Cúchulainn in his chariot had appeared to him. Patrick asked Laeghaire : 'Has ought been shewn thee ?' Said Laeghaire : 'Verily there has ; but unless my mouth be blessed, and I signed with the sign of the cross, I have no power to declare it.' " f. 14 b, col. 1.

S. Patrick having gone to Tara for the purpose of converting Laeghaire, the king refused to believe unless Cúchulainn in his war-chariot were called up before his eyes. This miracle the saint accomplished, and the present tract is the king's account of his vision ; the preliminary incidents being dismissed with the few words ending 'et reliqua.' Printed by John O'Beirne Crowe in 'Journal of the Kilkenny Archaeological Society,' 4th Ser., IV pp. 371, 448.

33. Short tale in prose, with the heading "Coimpert Mongáin" i.e. "Birth of Mongán."

Begins:—"[B]aoi Fiachna Lurccan athair Moggáin ba aon righ i coiccid baoi caura lais andalpain Aodhan mac CCaprain. do decas uaidlieside co Fiachnae ararisiu dia cophair paoi a nimnisi fri Saxanchaib do bretha míled [MS. 1000.] uathmar ara cind lasuidhiu do bás Aodhain isincath. luidh Fiechna Lurgan tairis fáccaip a rigan a bfos" i.e. "Mongán's father Fiachna Lurgan happened to be sole king of his province. He had in Alba [i.e. Scotland] a friend, Aedhán son of Gabhrán, and from him came a message to Fiachna [praying him] that he would come to help him ; seeing that he was in a strait as against the Saxons, by whom a terrific champion had been brought [expressly] to kill Aedhán in the [impending] battle. For his sake Fiachna went, leaving his wife on this hither side [i.e. in Ireland]." f. 15 b, col. 1.

Mongán always passed as Mongán mac Fiachna, but, according to this narrative, his real father was the celebrated magician Manannán mac Lir.

34. Another legend of Mongán.

Begins:—"[B]ái Mongán i ráith móir muighi line ina rá dou. do luid Forghall file a dochum" i.e. "Mongán was in the great Rath of Maghline being at this time a king, and Forgall the Poet came to him." ibid.

The tract ends with a statement that Mongán and Finn mac Cumhaill were one and the same.

III. Law.

35. "A very important tract, modified from the old maxims of Law, and relating to almost all the circumstances of Society in Church and State. The Canon Law is often quoted in the Latin language, and the composition of it [i.e. of the tract] may, perhaps, be ascribed to the twelfth century : but there is nothing in the language or style of composition to give it any higher date of antiquity" (E. O'Curry). In Donall O'Davoren's hand, 1569 [O'C. 2206 ; A. L. I., IV p. 372].

Begins:—"Sinnsear la fine febta la flaith ecna la heclais" i.e. "With the People things go by seniority ; with the Chief, by qualifications ; with the Church, by [degree of] wisdom." f. 16, col. 1.

36. Tract upon the law of cattle-driving. This also is in Donall's hand [O'C. 2322].

Begins:—"Atáitt secht nimána la féne ná tuillet fiacha ná tiughradus" i.e. "There are according to the common law seven cattledrivings that do not admit [i.e. are exempt from] charges and consequences [of trespass committed in their execution]." f. 26, col. 1.

37. Tract on the liabilities incurred by such as are present at the committing of a crime [O'C. 2343].

Begins:—"Tighradhus each seallaig" i.e. "The after consequences to every on-looker," that is to say : the liabilities incurred by any spectator of a crime in act of commission. f. 27 b, col. 2.

38. Tract called "Mellbretha" i.e. "Sweet judgments," which however is but one of the many meanings assigned to the term in the opening lines of the piece itself. In Manus O'Davoren's hand [O'C. 2360].

Begins:—"Locc don leabarsa Temair ocus aimsir dó aimser Cuinn cétcathaig ocus peursa do Bodhainn ocus tucait a deunma imairac nó comriachtain in dá macradh dia samhna for Iár muighe bregh ocus ro bendaigh Pátraicc ocus ro foirlín in esbaidh" i.e. "This Book's place [of composition] was Tara ; its 'person ' [i.e. author] was Bodhainn ; its time was the time of Conn ' of the hundred battles '; and the cause of its production was a quarrel or encounter betwixt certain two bands of youths in the midst of the plain of Bregia : which book Patrick [afterwards] blessed, and made good its defects." Then follow the various fanciful interpretations of the term 'Mellbretha.' f. 29, col. 1.

39. Tract, the heading of which is written upon the top margin of the page : "Do asta cor ann so" i.e. "Here follows of the binding [power] of covenants" [O'C. 2389].

Begins:—"Atáitt secht cuir ata fhastaighthe la fene .i. atáit secht cuir ocus is astaidhthi do réir in fhéinechuis iar réiaib rodilsib .i. is iarna réiaib is ro díles iatt " i.e. "There are 'with the people' [i.e. in common law] seven kinds of contract that are binding, that is to say : there are seven contracts which the common law recognizes as binding according to particular periods i.e. it is according to their respective periods that they take effect." f. 31 b, col. 1.

40. Tract, the nature of which is explained by the opening lines [O'C. 2419].

Begins:—"Atáid a secht déc doberaid anntestus do duine .i. atáit secht ngnéithi déc ocus doberait drochtestus do duine a mbeith air" i.e. "There are 'Seventeen' that bring a man disrepute, that is to say : there are seventeen cases, the finding himself in [any one of] which fastens a bad reputation on a man." f. 34, col. 1.

Ends at the penultimate line of f. 36 b, col. 2.

41. Between ff. 34, 36, is an inserted strip of vellum having the same height as the page, but only an inch wide, and blank on the verso. It is mutilated and defaced, and contains a memorandum, quite independent of the preceding article, upon the 'Comairce' [right of affording protection] exerciseable by each grade of Chiefs [O'C. 2429].

Begins:—"Ate sóere gacha graidh .i. coimairce na grad flatha ann so sís .i. cúic laithe coimairce in arech dhesa" i.e. "These be the privileges of every grade, that is to say : here follows the 'Protection' of each grade of Chiefs viz the protective right of the 'Aire dhesa' covers five days [etc.]." f. 35.

Between f. 36, which has been much maltreated and defaced, and f. 37, there is a lacuna.

42. Tract upon Fines and Compensations [O'C. 2440].

Begins imperfectly:—"Seacht cumala Iána for fer nurrudhais mbóslechta .i. iar marbad buachalla, nó aramhain" i.e. "The surety in a case of cattle-tracking is liable for seven full 'cumhals,' where either herdsman or ploughman is slain." f. 37, col. 1.

Ends at 1.10 from the foot of the column.

43. Section on 'Saoire' i.e. 'Exemption,' and kindred matters [O'C. 2442].

Begins:—"Fír ná bí saor neach ar a cina fadhéisin" i.e. "It is true that none is exempt from [consequences of] his own misdeeds." f. 37, col. 2.

Ends imperfectly with f. 37 b, fol. 2.

44. Tract on Covenants and Contracts [O'C. 2451].

Begins:—"Molaim do na ratha aní reisan dechadar do díol nó do tobach do réir mar do gealladar féin é" i.e. "I adjudge that guarantors either pay that for which they became sureties, or levy it ; according as they themselves shall have undertaken." f. 38, col. 1.

45. Further section on the same [O'C. 2463].

Begins:—"Is dlighthighe do neoch cor ceilsine ná gach cor ocas ní cóir dochor do ghairm dhe" i.e. "More binding than any other contract is a contract of service, which it is improper to class as a contract bad in law." f. 38 b, col. 2.

46. Section on Releases [O'C. 2468].

Begins:—"Taithmech rudha[r]tha ann so cidh codhnacha cidh égcodhnacha do gne é" i.e. "Here follows of [the nature of] release from covenants, be it a competent person or not that executes the same." f. 39, 1.

47. A section upon the compilers, and circumstances of compilation, of the 'Great Digest of Law' called the ' Senchas Mór ' [O'C. 2477].

Begins:—"Tabra féin do bar naire nachar fhéd an túdar gach aon ní do rádh ocus cidbé gné sundradach dar labair sé co ndubairt sé gach aon ghné ocus gach aon ní do bo cosmail ris sin do beith dá réir sin mar adeirid na dlithi so sís" i.e. "Understand ye now that the author could not mention everything [i.e. every particular case] : but of whatsoever particular ' species ' [i.e. case] he shall have treated, he has directed that every analogous case be decided accordingly, even as the following laws declare." f. 39 b, col. 2.

48. Section on particular cases of 'Eineachlann' i.e. 'Honour-price,' a special kind of compensation [O'C. 2481].

Begins:—"Agraim mo lánenechlann a marbad mo derbcomalta ocus m'oide óir is ar aon glún ocus ar aon codh do hoiledh sinn mar adeir diamad aon beoil cíthi comóil .i. a mbeoil ag ól aon cíthi [leg. cíchi]" i.e. "I assert that I am entitled to full ' honour- price ' for slaying of my foster brother, or of my tutor ; for [in the former case] it was upon the one knee and on the one food that we were nurtured, as he [i.e. the authority] says : ' if it be [as it were a case of] one set of lips and a co-drinking of the pap,' that is : 'if the lips of both shall have drunk from the one breast.' " f. 40, col. 1.

49. Section on ' Debts ' i.e. ' Fines or Damages payable ' [O'C. 2483].

Begins:—"Imdénait féich fóirithne ó gach dernaind deragar" i.e. " 'Debts' [in this case 'compensation for things stolen, or taken in error '] must be proven by him that loses the article i.e. he must establish what the same is, and its value." f. 40, col. 2.

50. Further section on ' Debts ' [O'C. 2484].

Begins:—"Ná tabair féich ach (sic) don tí dlighios iat" i.e. "Adjudge not fines but to him that is entitled to them." ibid.

51. Tract upon other Fines of various degrees [O'C. 2490].

Begins:—"Issed uil sísana éiric an derbforgill d'íoc doneoch ocus cinnti leis nach é an tí for a lianadh do rinne an cin" i.e. "What follows here [i.e. the subject of this section] is this : whether must one pay the 'eric' by judgment laid upon him, he being positive that the man upon whom the offence is charged is not the one that committed it." f. 41, col. 1.

For ' Eiric ' i.e. ' Blood-fine ' cf. Harl. 3756, ff. 36 b, 189.

52. Section of the foregoing [O'C. 2493].

Begins:—"Sé scribaill for nech do gní gú-agra nó gúcron " i.e. "Six 'screpalls' are payable by one that brings a false plea or makes a fraudulent claim." f. 41, col. 2.

53. Another section [O'C. 2498].

Begins:—"Slán gach airlithidh .i. is slán don cách do ní in tuasallia ar a chéile " i.e. "Every one is borne free that brings a substantial charge against another." f. 41 b, col. 1.

54. Section on ' Díre ' i.e. ' Compensation ' [O'C. 2500].

Begins:—"Lándire [MS. Ián ndire] a naithair (sic) lethdire a mbráthair an athar trian dire ina mhacsidhe nó a ningin cethraime dire i nua" i.e. "For a father full-fine is payable ; for a father's brother, half-fine ; for his son or daughter, a one third-fine ; for a grandson, a quarter-fine." f. 41 b, col. 2.

Between ff. 41, 42, there is a lacuna.

55. Tract on Injuries of various kinds inflicted by animals [O'C. 2502].

Begins imperfectly:—"De cin do rob ná tomelar fri duine ocus fri rob" i.e. "A non-ruminant animal is liable to double-fine [in respect of injury done, whether] to man or to another animal." f. 42, col. 1.

56. Tract upon various social observances and laws [O'C. 2529].

Begins:—"Diamba hendac diamba cuibsech má forcomathar reacht bánbathisi ní bí ciun ní bí cendais fri firu fofechat anmanda nad sechiter recht dé ná duine" i.e. "If thou be undefiled ; if thou be conscientious ; if thou observe purifying baptism's law : then to men [that commit wrong] be neither meek nor mild ; but animals, that follow not the laws of God or man, transgress [or, use violence] innocently." f. 45, col. 1.

57. Tract on Evidence, according to the law of 'participation,' i.e. complicity [O'C. 2568].

Begins:—"Tuarastal na cána so (.i. focal is toltanach lé nech. nó tae do frestul. nó fis tuirisdail .i. dorus .i. eolus daill .i. anelus isin riagail so) .i. urradh cána comithi ocus comgaiti" i.e. "The evidence of this law . . . i.e. the certainty of the law of participation by accompanying and by joining in a theft." f. 49, col. 1.

For colophon cf. art. 72 (65).

The matter in parentheses represents three fanciful etymologies (of a kind common in Cormac's and other glossaries, and conveniently classed as the ' Tón a tonitru ' order) of the word 'Tuarastal.' According to these, which it is said are to be adopted in this 'Rule' [i.e. 'Tract'], Tuarastal (the vocable) represents 'tuar as toil' ; or ' tói do fhrestul '; or 'dorus daill' ; or all three. Any attempt to explain such conundrums, in English and briefly, would be futile, but cf. art. 64.

58. Section in continuation of, or supplementary to, the foregoing, on Evidence in cases of theft [O'C. 2604].

Begins:—"I[s] slán faisnéis na cána so" i.e. "[The manner in which] one may lawfully plead this law." f. 52 b, col. 1.

59. Section upon 'Sárughadh' i.e. 'Violation' [of protection, asylum, sanctuary, O'C. 2626].

Begins:—"Sluinnter ní séim [etc.] .i. aisnéithar go nach beg aní atá do neoch ina thsárugud uma séda budhéin nó um sédaib an tí ro gab ra chomairce a gualann iarna faoisitniugud for a comairce" i.e. "Be it recited here that he is entitled to no trifling compensation who has been 'violated' in his own property ; or in that of one whom he has taken under the 'protection of his shoulder ' ; provided he have published the fact of the other's being under his protection." f. 54 b, col. 1.

A portion of the tract (f. 54, col. 2, 1. 5, inf.—f. 55 b, col. 1, 1. 15) is printed under the heading "Maighne," i.e. "Precincts," in A. L. I., IV pp. 226-36, where the last line is defective: after 'dóib' read "ocus biathfathar iar foghnam ocus na tarraighter for fine is ann ícait aitaidhibh a cinta.\" Omitted in transcript.

60. Tract on the law of Asylum [O'C. 2641].

Begins:—"Ní snaidhe biuba tar tuatha toirrsecha .i. ná tabair snadha do na bibadhaib itir na tuatha in tan ata toirsigh fine in lochta ro marbad ann" i.e. "Harbour not criminals as against ' tribes in grief,' that is to say : give no asylum in your territory to criminals while the tribe of them that are slain still mourns." f. 56, col. 1.

Observe, in this and the next article, 'biuba' and 'biba' written phonetically for 'biodhba.'

61. Section on ecclesiastical Asylum [O'C. 2649].

Begins:—"Do éim pecach an eclais .i. is [s]lán don eclais na biuba de leagadh [ = léicen] fó caoill [ = coill] mana tar[r]ustar aice\" i.e. "The Church is free to favour criminals' escape [lit. ' let them get to the wood '] provided they do not take up their quarters with her [that is to say : they must get them away altogether]." f. 56 b, col. 2.

Between ff. 56, 57, there is a lacuna.

62. Large fragment of a tract upon 'Athgabhdil,' i.e. 'Reprisal' or 'Distress' [O'C. 2652].

Begins imperfectly:—". . . ria nabadh ocus troscadh" i.e. ". . . before fasting and abstinence." f. 57, col. 1.

This is a portion of the 'gloss' or commentary on the missing matter. The first words of legal text occur at col. 2, 1. 9:—"Couic séda a loba gaca hathgabála cacha trátha\" i.e. "Five 'séds' are payable in every case of distress which by neglect is suffered to lapse." f. 57, col. 2.

The piece ends imperfectly with f. 62 b, col. 2, and between ff. 62, 68, there is a lacuna.

IV. GRAMMAR.

63. Fragment of a tract introductory to the curious compilation called "Uraicept na néiges" i.e. "The Poets' Primer."

Begins abruptly:—" ... is air ... airnion riam. nó nion .i. nell isin tsengaideilcc " i.e. "... or again, the word 'nion' is in the Old-Irish equivalent to 'néll' [a cloud]." f. 63, col. 1.

Of this preliminary section, which treats chiefly of letters, 'ogham' [cryptograms], and writing ; their inventors, and so forth ; there is here one column and a half of the latter part. Wanting in BB., which contains a different recension of the ' Uraicept.'

64. Tract still introductory to the 'Uraicept' or, as it is sometimes called, the 'Eraicept,' the 'Uraicecht,' or 'Eraicecht' [BB. p. 314 a].

Begins:—"Incipit ERAICEPT NA NECÉS .i. 'er-aicipt.' uair 'er' gach taoisech. 'aicicht' dono .i. 'icht aici' ar is anaici píos an deisgipal ag an maigister. nó dono 'aicept' .i. 'acceptus' [.i.] airiti cugat ineich nach fil occat. 'na néicces' .i. 'na nái gan ches .i. na filed. cidh diana tóisecha so. ní annsa :—don teibi do tebed asin gaideilc. óir issed tóisech airicht lá Féinius ier dtiachtain don sgoil gusna bérladaib amuigh" i.e. "Here begins 'THE POETS' PRIMER' [of which word 'Eraicept' the derivation is this ] : 'Er' signifies a ' beginning '; [ 'aicept' is the same as 'aicecht' and this as] 'aicicht,' which may be taken as 'icht-aici' [i.e. 'juvenes-juxta'], since it is beside him that the master is wont to have the disciple. Or again, 'aicept' may be taken as equivalent to 'acceptus' i.e. [there is here] reception to thyself of that which as yet thou hadst not. 'Na néicces' i.e. ' of the Poets ' [is the same thing as 'na négces' i.e. 'of the pleasures,' that is to say] 'na nái gan ches' [i.e. ' of the pleasurable ones ']. To what then is this the 'exordium'? Answer:—To that [dialect i.e. Bérla féine] which by selection was extracted from the Old-Irish, and which was the first thing composed by Fenius after the 'School' [of whom more anon] arrived with ' the Tongues ' in the Plain [of Shinar]." * f. 63, col. 2.

65. The text of 'URAICEPT NA NÉICES.'

This piece consists of four books, professing to be:—'The Book of Fenius Farsaidh,' temp. the Tower of Babel ; 'the Book of Amergin,' Poet of the Gael at the time of the Milesian colonization of Ireland ; the ' Book of Fercheirtne the Poet,'who flourished in the first cent ; of the Christian era ; lastly, 'the Book of Cennfaeladh,' fl. circ. A.D. 640. In the MS., however, these four tracts are not given in chronological sequence, but inversely ; the first being the ' Book of Cennfaeladh,' to which is prefixed this short notice concerning the ' Uraicept ' as a whole [BB. p. 315 a, 1. 19] :—

(1) "Caiti loc ocus aimsir ocus persa ocus tucait scríbind in Uraicepto. Ní haen log émh is cóir dona ceithrib lebraibsi amail isber in fili inos tóisicha asedh as déigioncha inos déidhincha asedh is tóisicha. Inos tóisicha i cóip an libair issed as déiginca airiecht .i. lebar Cinnfaeladh meic Oiliolla\" i.e. "What are the place, and time, and person [i.e. author], and cause of writing, of the 'Uraicept' ? It is no one place [etc.] that we must assign to these four books, [which are given in this present order because] as the poet says : ' That which is first is last ; that which is last is first.' This then which stands first in the 'copy' [i.e. text] of the book [from which this is taken] is the last that was composed viz. the Book of Oilioll's son Cennfaeladh.\" f.65, col. 1.

(2) Followed immediately by the exordium proper to this particular book i.e. Cennfaeladh's.

Begins:—"Loc ocus aimser ocus persa ocus tucait scríbinn in libairsi. loc do cétús doire luruain (sic) ocus aimsir di (sic) aimsir Domnaill meic Aoda meic Ainmereach ocus persa do Cendfaoladh. mac Ailiolla. a tucait scríbind a inchind [MS.inqint] dermait do bein a qind Cindfaoladh a cath Moighe Ráth. Ceithre buada diu an catha sin .i. maidm for Congal ina góe ria nDomnall ina fírinde ocus Suibne geilt do dol for geltocht ara méd do láidib do róine ocus in fer dferaib Alban do breith indfir dferoib Eirinn ina cois leis gin airiugh .i. Dubh diad ainm in fir thall dono ocus a inchinn dermoit do breith a cinn Cinnfaoladh ara méd de filidecht ocus do brethemnus ocus do leigonn do leassi (sic)" i.e. "This Book's place, time, person, and cause of writing. First of all, its place was Doire Lúráin ['Derryloran,' in the county Tyrone] ; its time was the time of Domhnall son of Ainmire's son Aedh [642] ; its person was Ailioll's son Cennfaeladh, and its cause of writing was that out of Cennfaeladh's head his 'brain of forgetfulness was extracted' [i.e. his memory was restored] in the Battle of Mágh Rath ['Moira,' in the county Down]. Now with this battle there were these four remarkable things connected:—that Congal, whose cause was false, was routed by Domhnall whose cause was just ; that Suibne [thence surnamed] Geilt [i.e. ' the crazed '] went mad by reason of all the poems that he had composed ; that one of the Men of Alba [i.e. Scotland] carried off [by swimming to Scotland] one of the [slain] Men of Eire [i.e. Ireland] made fast to his leg, yet never knew it (which oversea man's name, by the way, was Dubhdiadh) ; and that out of Cennfaeladh's head his 'brain of forgetfulness' was removed by virtue of his copiousness in poetry, in administering justice, and in [general] erudition." ibid.

(3) Under the marginal rubric ".s.ii." [leg. slicht eile] i.e. "Another version," comes a variant to the prior one of the two foregoing notices :—

"Caiti log ocus aimsir ocus persa ocus tugaid scríbinn in uirecepto. Ní annsa. loc dho Emoin Macha ocus a naimsir Concobair meic Nesa arrichta. Feircertne file do rinne do breith aosa fainn for séis. Cennfaoladh mac Oiliolla do athnuaidhestar in Doiri Luráin maille re hurmór na screaptra. Atberot aroili cona ba aenlibhar acht libair umda ocus ní hinann locaimsira dóibh. Isé locaimsira an céd lib[air] iarsin cétfaidsi. Log do Daire Luráin ocus aimsir Domnaill meic Aodha ocus persa do Cennfaoladh mac Oiliolla. a tugaid scríbinn et reliqua" i.e. "What are place, time, person, and cause of writing of the 'Uraicept' ? Answer :—Emhain Macha was its place, and in the time of Conchobar mac Nessa it was composed. Fercheirtne the poet it was that executed this in order to bring ' feeble folk ' [i.e. the ignorant] to knowledge ; after which it was Oilioll's son Cennfaeladh that in Derryloran renovated [i.e. revised] it together with the greater part of all the other MSS. Others assert that it is not one book but many, having divers dates and places. According to which opinion the first book's place and date are as follows : place, Derryloran ; time, the time of Domhnall son ofAedh ; and person, Cennfaeladh son of Oilioll ; its cause of writing, and so forth and so forth [ut supra]." ibid.

(4) The text of Cennfaeladh's Book [BB. p. 317 , 1. 4].

Begins:—"Atát dá erndail forsin aiptgiter laitianto .i. guta ocus consoine" i.e. "The Latin alphabet consists of two classes [of letters] viz. vowels and consonants." ibid.

The intérpolated words ".i. condealg ann sin" i.e. "this is a comparison," mean (unless they be a 'probatio pennae ') that with respect to their essentials a parallel is about to be drawn between the Latin alphabet and the Oghamic. The section on the latter begins at f. 65b, col. 22 [BB. p. 318 a, 1. 31] :—"Atat dan dá erndoil forsan mbethi luis nion a noghaim" i.e. "There are also two component parts in the oghamic [alphabet called] 'Beth-luis- nion.' " Ends f. 69 b, col. 2, 1. 24.

66. Fercheirtne the Poet's Book, under the heading:— "Incipit lebar Fircheirtne sundo. locc do Emain Macho. ocus aimsir Conchobair meic Nesa. a persa do (sic) Fercheirtne file. a tuccait dono do breith aesa faind for séis" i.e. "Here begins Fercheirtne's book. Its place is Emhain Macha ; its time that of Conchobar mac Nessa ; its person, Fercheirtne the poet; and its cause of writing, to bring the ignorant to knowledge" [BB. p. 321 a, 1. 46, 1. 1].

Begins:—"Sechto frise tomsighter gaideilcc" i.e. "The things according to which the Irish language is reduced to measure are seven." f. 69 b, col. 2.

Between ff. 70, 71, there is a lacuna of considerable extent, involving the end of Fercheirtne's and the beginning of Amergin's Book [f. 70 b, col. 2, lin. ult. ("Indsci sciencia" etc.) = BB. p. 322 a, 1. 38].

67. One column of the concluding portion of Amergin's Book [BB. 324 a, 1. 51].

Begins:—". . . onn ocus ailcne imorro is iat sin na cenélo cloch do nach filit a frecartha ag in laitneoir. leithi dono i foclaib ocus i cialla ocus i litrib an gadeilc de sin inás in laitin" i.e. "Now the words 'onn' and 'ailcne' are denominations of stones for which the Latinist has no corresponding terms: wherefore in vocables and in meanings the Irish is 'pro tanto' more copious than the Latin." f. 71, col. 1.

This fragment is followed by an unconnected passage, not given in BB., and written like the law tracts i.e. the text in a large character, with gloss both interlinear and apart.

68. Fenius Farsaidh's Book [BB. p. 324, 1. 11].

Begins:—"Issed inn so tosach an uiraicepto iar Fennius ocus iar nIar mac Nemo ocus iar nGaidel mac Aingen issiat sin a persana. ocus [a] aimsir dana an aimsir a tángatar meic Israel a hEigcipt. Isin Aisia arriacht cia isberait is a muigh thSenair aricht. Tuccait a scríbinn a tothlugud don scoil móir co Fénius ocus co hIar mac Nemo ocus go Gaidel mac Eithuir a tepide dóib an Uraicepto ocus iar tidlmacol an rechta do Maisi ocus air foghlaim do Cae caoinbrethoch oga conid aire sin arrichta na haipcitri a naontabaill amail isber cateat aipcitri na trí primbérlad et reliquo" (sic) i.e. "Here is the beginning of the 'Uraicept,' according to Fenius, to Iar son of Nema, to Gaidel son of Aingen (sic), who are its 'persons.' Its time was the time when the Sons of Israel came out of Egypt. In Asia it was composed, although some do say that it was on Shinar's plain. The cause of its being written was the eager wish by the great ' School ' expressed to Fenius, to Iar, and to Gaidel son of Ethiar (sic), that they would for them [i.e. the School] compile [lit. ' extract '] the 'Uraicept.' This was after the Law had been given to Moses, and after Cae of the just judgments had with him studied the same : wherefore it was that the Alphabets were invented, [and written] upon the one taball [i.e. rectangular staff used for incised oghamic writing], as 'he' [i.e. an author] says: ' What were the alphabets of the three primitive tongues ? ' and so forth." f. 71, col. 2.

This exordium is followed by a fanciful attempt at the Hebrew alphabet, with the names of the letters given correctly enough, and interpreted in Latin and Irish. Printed by Whitley Stokes in the preface to ' Three Irish Glossaries.'

The Greek alphabet is annexed, with the names of the letters and their numerical values.

Between ff. 71, 72, there is not, as has been supposed, a lacuna. The concluding leaves being mutilated, the following collation may be found useful:—

F. 71 b, col. 2, 1. 4 inf. = BB. p. 325, 1. 1; f. 74, col. 2, 1. 4 inf. = BB. p. 329, 1. 1; f. 74 b, col. 2, 1. 9 inf. = BB. p. 329 a, 1. 16; f. 75 b, col. 2, 1. 1 = BB. p. 330 a, 1. 19 ; f. 76, col. 1, 1. 22 = BB. p. 330, 1. 23.

These tracts present an extraordinary medley of fanciful speculations upon the origin of languages (not of language), and of writing; of grammatical and metrical subtleties expressed in terms figurative or obscure, which apart from the commentary would in many places be unintelligible, and are often quite in the oriental taste; with, pervading the whole, copious etymologies of the type familiar to students of Cormac.

The introductions were intended for pure ornament, and are no more to be criticised seriously than are the grotesque interlaced animals of the Irish MS. head-letters to be gravely discussed by the naturalist. Art. 65 (2) is boldly appropriated from the exordium to the Book of Aicill (A. L. I., III p. 84, seqq.); while for Fenius and the 'School,' and Amergin, cf. exordium to the 'Senchas Mór' (A. L. I., I p. 20).

From the point of view of 'culturgeschichte' however, and as a deposit of terminology, the 'Uraicept' undoubtedly has its value.

69. Preface to the tract known as "Agallamh in dhá shuadh" i.e. "Dialogue of the two Sages," supposed to be the same as 'Imagallam in dá thuarad' cited in Cormac's glossary s.v. 'Coth'

Begins:—"Adhnae mac Uithechair do tháibh Ollnegmacht ollam Eirinn i néigse ocus a filidhacht atcomnuic. mac laissidhe .i. Nedhe mac Adhnaaa" i.e. "Adhna son of Uitechar, from the Connacht side, was Ireland's professor in chief and had a son called Néde." f. 76, col. 2.

By a common device 'Adhnaaa' is written to fill up the line, cf. last word of H. 4. 22, f. 66 b [O'C. 2064], written 'touaaubhauaoch' for 'tobhach.'

70. The text of "Agallamh in dhá shuadh."

Begins:—"Ciasa file fil ima lítuigean" i.e. "Who is the poet that claims the [many]-coloured robe [of office]?" f. 77, col. 1.

The circumstances that led up to this Dialogue are detailed, and its 'place,' 'time,' 'person' and 'cause' given, in the Preface.

In style the tract is of the same enigmatical nature as the Amhra of S. Columba and the Law books, and like them is written in a large letter, with copious interlineary gloss. But for the latter the piece would now baffle even speculation : nor need this surprise us if we remember that the two Sages (Fercheirtne and Nedhe mac Adhna) were the sagest of their day; that the object of the elder was to test and if possible confound the younger; and that Conchobar mac Nessa, king of Ulster, before whom in the first Christian century the contest took place, could make nothing of what he heard until it was by the disputants expounded to him. His perplexity was no doubt exegetical rather than lexicographical, very much like our own: given the vocables, and a meaning for each, what was the speaker driving at ? Such was generally the nature of an orthodox bardic encounter. The commentary is for the most part guesswork, as was inevitable, but its linguistic value is very considerable.

For a pithy account of what the king on this occasion said and did, cf. the 'Senchs Mór' (A. L. I., I p. 20).

Ends imperfectly with f. 79 b, col. 2, but since Donall O'Davoren, who wrote it, appends a colophon, it may be a short and not a mutilated copy. As the text proceeds the gloss becomes more sparse, until finally it ceases ; the space in which to write it being left blank.

Copies in LL. p. 186, Rawl. B. 502, f. 60, etc. (cf. H. d'Arbois de Jubainville's 'Essai d'un Catalogue,' p. 5).

V. LAW GLOSSARY and MARGINALIA.

71. The valuable Glossary, chiefly of law terms, transcribed if not actually compiled in O'Davoren's school [O'C. 2732].

Across the top margin of the page is a heading: "Mei est incipere Dei est infinire .i. do Domnall ó Dhuibh dhá boirenn in aidchi iar féil Bri[gh]de 1569. ar in páirc atú" i.e. "Mine it is to begin and God's to finish. [Written] for Donall O'Davoren the night following S. Bridget's Festival, 1569. I am at Park."

Written in triple columns.

Begins:—"Aipgitir .i. tinscetal nó bunaidh (sic) ut est cetheora [MS. iiii. a] aibgitre gáisi .i. cethre bunaidh na hamainnsi" i.e. "Aipgitir ['alphabet'] means [in some cases] 'beginning' or 'origin,' as : 'the four alphabets of wisdom,' meaning 'the four primary sources of knowledge.' " f. 80, col. 1.

It is probable that this piece too is unfinished, there being but eight entries under the letter U, while the remainder of the third column is left blank, as was originally also the verso of the leaf (f. 93, the last in the MS.). The latter is now covered with writing in an old and somewhat cursive hand which does not occur elsewhere in the MS., extending across the page, and much defaced by friction and abuse of nutgalls. Here we have apparently a set of memoranda relating to very early history, and to legend. The words "cath Saingil" i.e. "the battle of Singland" [near Limerick] occur more than once ; the battle of Magh Tuiredh is mentioned, and "Caithréim Cheallacháin Chaisil" i.e. "The Triumphs of Ceallachán of Cashel [over the Danes]."

The text of the glossary has been printed by Whitley Stokes in 'Three Irish Glossaries,' London: Williams and Norgate, 1862 ; and in the 'Revue Celtique,' II p. 453, is a valuable paper upon the same, by Hermann Ebel.

72. Colophons, scribes' Notes, and Marginalia. In these O'Davoren's MS. abounds, and they are worthy of elucidation (where that is possible) for the light which they shed upon the state of the times, and the conditions under which such MSS. were written. A due regard to entries of the kind, here and elsewhere, would diminish the surprise which is often expressed at a scribe's 'ignorance,' stupidity,' and so forth ; since it is very apparent that the penmen often worked sorely against their will, and under circumstances of great discomfort, notably cold and hunger. Dictation too was a common practice.

A fair share of levity appears to have prevailed in the Burren seminary : for all which, we gather that Donall could compel obedience.

Marginalia of the familiar or facetious kind are often far from easy to understand, especially to students of the foreign school: sometimes they are colloquial and provincial, very idiomatic, and more or less phonetically written; sometimes the most unusual words are culled from glossaries and law books, and lastly, not a few are written either in cipher, with a little ogham, or anagrammatically. In many cases again, where there is a mere hint at some personal topic of the hour, or where the object was to puzzle contemporaries, we are necessarily altogether in the dark.

These entries then are as follows :—

(1) At f. 3 b, col. 1, 1. 18: "Finim ar in céissóic so ó Chorbmac mac in Chosnaidhi do Domnall hua Duibh dá boirinn ocus do dligid olloman dó budesta" i.e. "There's an end made of this 'little pig' [here is a pun] by Cormac, son of 'the Cosny' [O'Brien], for Donall O'Davoren; and now for [the section on] 'Professors' Rights' for him."

The proper name here rendered 'the Cosny' (according to English usage at the time, cf. Harl. 3756, f. 86 b) is one of those which, being adjectives or denominatives, take in Irish the definite article, viz. ' an cosnadhach ' or ' an cosnamhach ' i.e. 'the defender' (or, 'the litigious'). Such also is 'an gilla riabhach' i.e. ' the brindled lad ' (cf. Harl. 5280). Cormac's father was of the scribes that contributed to the important 'Bibliotheca' classed H. 3. 18 in the library of Trinity College, Dublin, as were also Manus and David.

(2) At f. 4, col. 1, 1. 13, colophon to art. 1:—"Finim air sin duit a Domnaill ó Cliorbmac ocus ní bec sin do chur cáich ar a comét ar in gné so" i.e. "There's an end made of that for you, Donall, by Cormac, and that is quite sufficient to put any man upon his guard in respect of this ' species ' [i.e. specific point of law, or, class of cases]."

(3) At f. 9 b, col. 1, 1. 19, colophon to art. 16:—"Misi Domnall ocus bíbh a bárr so er bechbrethaib" i.e. "I am Donall, and on [the subject of] 'Bee-judgments' let [me see] any one improve upon this [that I have just written]."

Bíbh (bíobh) is local for bíodh; er = air, for ar, as spoken now.

(4) At f. 9 b, col. 2, 1. 15, colophon to art. 17 :— "Finim air sin ó Corbmac mac in Chosnaidhi do Domnall O Duibh dá boirenn" i.e. "Here's an end made of this by the Cosny's son Cormac, for Donall O'Davoren."

In these colophons 'Finim' is phonetically for 'Finem.'

(5) At f. 10 b, marg. sup.:—"Dar in lebar so ní éirgann (sic) sé caol ná reamhur a dTuaim atámuid in mairt . . ." i.e. "By this book neither ' thick ' nor ' thin ' [i.e. 'upstroke' nor 'down'] succeeds with me. 'T is in Tuam we are the Tuesday . . ."

This refers to the quality of his pen, ink, or vellum. The end of the note is defaced.

(6) At f. 11, marg. sup.:— "Sin duit a Domnaill ocus nius céilsine ocus ní faca sechtmain gan dardáin acht in sechtmain [so ocus] dar liumsa atá dá dhardá [in innte]" i.e. "There's for you, Donall, and 't is no [voluntary] service : for I have never seen a week without a [i.e. one] Thursday except [this] week, [and] I do believe that [in it] there are two Thursdays." This must refer to the quantity of work exacted from him on that particular Thursday.

(7) At f. 11, col. 2, lin. penult., colophon to art. 24:—"Slán umlán duit [a] Aodh ocus féch féin in beg nó in mór in bán so ocus cuir féin a Ián ann. Soradh duit ó tSíle ocus ó Tadhg" i.e. "I boldly challenge you, Aedh, to try for yourself whether this blank space be too small or too large, and, [if you can], cram plenty into it yourself. Salutation to you from Síle ['Celia'] and from Teigue." Here umlán is phonetic for iomlán, and Síle is a well known but not ancient woman-name, anglicised quite arbitrarily (in some districts at all events) "Judy."

(8) At f. 12, col. 2, lin. ult.:—"A Dhomnaill ní fiu do gonóithi aréir a ndénaim do graibne duitt" i.e. "Donall, the way you were carrying on with your jibes last night doesn't deserve all the writing I do for you."

Gonóithi for gnóthaidhe, colloquial for gnótha, pI. of 'gnó' [.i. fochuitbedh], which now means 'business' of any sort.

(9) At f. 12, col. 2, marg. inf.:—"Iarr in cuit eile [MS.qit.ii.] don caocait rann i tús na duilloigi so amuigh. deir Domnall sin" i.e. "Seek the remainder of the ' Fifty Quatrains ' at the top of this leaf next following. So says Donall."

(10) At f. 12 b, col. 2, lin. ult. :—"Adaigli fel (sic) Muire mór (sic) sunn ocus is doilg lem Donchadh O Briain a contabairt báis ó mac iarla Urmuman [MS. mugan] ocus is amra lem Cairbri ag suirgi athasg ar Conchobar. an páirc mo dú. Magnus do Domnall ocus é fén ag gabáil Erenn anno domini 1567" i.e. "This is the eve of Ladyday in Spring, and I grieve that from the Earl of Ormond's son Donogh O'Brien goes in danger of death. Also I am astonished that Carbry is courting counsel from Conor. The Park is my quarters. [Written by] Manus for Donall, who is himself travelling all over Ireland, A.D. 1567."

Manus was an O'Davoren, and Donall was probably on a business tour in quest of law-books and opinions.

(11) At f. 13, col. 2, lin. antepen., colophon to art. 19:—"A Aodh cuir barr air seo .i. troll a ach- atá do treas maiginta tré ainir na mínbraghat can scéal agum ó easpoc ná ó príomhfháith" i.e. "Aedh, set a gloss to this ..." [an invitation to solve a problem the elements of which are abbreviation, anagram, and pedantic expression].

If for 'troll ar ach-' we conjecture 'oll a tráchtadh' and take 'maighenta' — 'maighnech' [from 'maighen,' 'maighne' cf. 'aigenta' fr. 'aigne'], the answer is " 'T is a serious matter to speak of : great is your trial by reason of the young woman with the smooth neck, and I having no news from either Bishop or Primate." Aodh [' Hugh '] may have been waiting for a dispensation.

At f. 13 b, marg. inf. :—"A Domnaill is drochlitir más fir dam féin satharn hí in páirc sunn" i.e. "Donall, if I am right, this is a bad style of writing [lit. ' letter ']. It is Saturday, and here at Park."

(12) a. At f. 14 b, marg. sup.:—" A Domnaill ní bo duais do cinn cumaoinech so" i.e. "Donall this bit is no friendship's offering" [that is to say: I write upon compulsion].

b. Ibid., marg. inf.:—" Sin duit a Domhnaill í Dubh (sic) da boirinn ó Annluan ocus scaith leis ocus dá mbeith ín .h. gferr dog" i.e. "There's for you, Donall, from Annluan and a blessing with it ; and were it better still you should have it [and welcome]."

The last word is left unfinished, and that which immediately precedes it is in cipher: leg. "ní bhus ferr do ghébhthá é." The writer of this note was a Mac Egan.

(13) At f. 15, col. 1,1.16, inserted in the text of "Siabharcharpat Conchulainn" is a quatrain with this heading : "Ag so rann do righnigli (sic) Maghnus O Duibh dá boirenn d'Uilliam ruagh (sic) Mac Aodhagáin" i.e. "Here is a quatrain that Manus O'Davoren made 'for' [i.e. on] William Rufus Mac Egan."

The word ' rann ' [i.e. ' quatrain '] written in the margin emphasises the presence of this Pantagruelian and most incongruous epigram, which may well be left where it is.

(14) a. At f. 15 b, col. 2, lin. ult.: "Oracio ar in mbeg sin ó Maghnus do Domhnall ocus indis do" i.e. "[I crave] a prayer for this scrap written by Manus for Donall, and tell him so."

b. Ibid., marg. inf., are two notes much defaced :—"Adamair a Dhábi ní iarrfoaidh tú só. maidhteic é" i.e. "A pleasant thing, David, you shall not have to ask for this. Be that proclaimed." To which (written by Gilla na naemh) Manus, playing on the verb máidhim (maoidhim), appends "[At]á in cuairt tars in foraire aigi acht muna derna máidhem . . .[ti]mairginn féin" i.e. "[He deems that] he has 'slipped past the sentry' [i.e. attracts no notice] unless he make a brag . . . whatever he himself compiles."

(15) At f. 16, marg. sup., and somewhat defaced, is a memorandum which, as well as the tract to which it is pre­fixed (art. 35), is in Donall's hand, and, like (16), contains and idiomatic expression not reproducible accurately in English :—"Dar in leabar so madh fhédaim a nainm Dhia bératt in sinnser roimh in soser ann gach gné mar adeirid na dlithi (sic) so sís. tairis sin do dhén trécumusc dá ndlithib (sic) trít a chéile ocus cé beg in sen gerrfa duine éigin in bod a richt na potóigi\" i.e. "By this book I will in God's name, and if [i.e. wherever] I can, in every legal case prefer the senior to the junior : even as these laws prescribe that here follow. I will over and above that make a regular hotchpotch of their laws one with the other, and though the snare be but a trivial one, [hoc loco proculdubio] quidam homo ' pro botulo [i.e. intestino] ró avdpeíov est praecisurus' [scilicet tanquam empiricus male mutilans herniosum]."

(16) At f. 16 b, lin. antepen., another crabbed idiom :— "Sinser ocus osar ocus enechlann do mes do cách ocus féchaim suas ar dia go mbia in maghragall a richt na cloich [leg. cloichi] fuail eig duine éigin ann so am dhíaghsa (sic)" i.e. "[Thus far 'the rights of] senior and junior' and ' estimate of compensation for all [classes] '; ego vero piissime precor, quendam hominem post me in hoc loco 'pro caleulo vesicali evulsurum rnv opxiv.'"

The latter proverb occurs also in a prose paragraph of Ferghal óg Mac an Bháird's " Mairg am dheaghaidh cheanglus cumann (a crosántacht addressed to Dominic O'Donnell, circ. 1650): "Agus níor chubhaidh do'n ollamhain re leighios an magairl do bhreith amach a riocht na cloiche fuail" i.e. "Neque enim decebat professorem chirurgiae 'pro calculo vesicali anticatonem evellere' ;" and these examples fix the meaning of the common locution ' i riocht' i.e. ' in specie [alterius cujusdam personae aut rei],' cf. Eg. 90, art. 8.

Quite different is 'as a riocht' i.e. ' ex sua ipsius [personae aut rei] specie,' as in Bonaventura O'Hussey's ' Tegasg críostaidhe' [' Christian Doctrine '], pp. 173-4, 2nd ed. : Rome, 1707 : \"Toirmisgther ann so a nainm gada . . . gan fiacha nó cíos do dhíol, goid do chennach as a riocht [etc.]" i.e. \"Here is forbidden, as being theft, non-payment of debts or rent, purchase of [potentially] stolen goods at sight [i.e. 'without enquiry,' lit. 'furtum emere ex ipsius specie'] etc."

(17) At f. 17, col. 1, lin. 1:—"Is é so an capall tosa (sic) a ndeire (sic) agum no na [leg. dna] is cennfochrus é" i.e. "Here I have the leading horse last, or [in other words] this is a case of 'cennfochrus' [i.e. substitution of one letter for another in the beginning of a word]." This must refer to something in the distribution of his subject matter.

(18) Ibid., marg. sup. et ext. :—" Dus in fognaidh. Misi .cdg. tuirsech. nox féil Matha hic.fer inaid in righ a nGaillimh ocus a [dul go] dún mór mic Fheorais dá gabáil ocus go ros commáin mar in cétna. ailim trócaire dam ocus dom cumta uile ar dia. an. dni. 1569" i.e. "To see whether it serves [i.e. his pen and ink]. I am . . . and weary. The Eve of S. Matthew's festival is here. The Viceroy in Galway and going to Dunmore-M'Keorish to take it, and to Roscommon as well. For self and comrades all I crave mercy of God. A.D. 1569."

Here 'misi' is an anagram of 'isim,' i.e. 'I am,' an archaism of frequent occurrence in marginalia. 'Fer inaid in righ,' or 'na banrighna' [i.e. ' the man of the King's place ' or ' of the Queen's '], is still the equivalent of 'Lord Lieutenant,' according as he represents King or Queen. The viceroy here mentioned was Sir Henry Sidney, for an account of whose Munster and Connacht campaign see 'Annals of the IV Masters,' A.D. 1569. Mac Fheorais [' M'Keorish '] was the Irish tribe-name adopted by the de Breminghams [now 'Berminghams'], as was Mac Uilliam by de Burgo, Mac Oda ['Cody'] by the Archdeacons, Mac an Mhíledh [' M'Aveely '] by the Stauntons, Mac Goisdealbhaigh [' Costello '] by the de Nangles, etc. etc.

(19) At f. 17 b, marg. inf., the scribe records his name in an enigmatical quatrain:—

"[A t]á m'ainmsi a nAraind thiar. acht go mbainntir (sic) triar dá tóin ; indis a bille do (.i. nod) san aird. och is mairg atá gan o (.i. nod) "

Here the word 'nod' [i.e. ' nodus,' cf. art. 23] denotes that the letters to which it is appended are mere abbreviations of words, and it would seem that we must read :—

"indis a bille dóibh san aird. och is mairg atá gan fhóir.\" i.e. "My name is [contained] in the western Arran, if only from its latter end three be cut off ; tell them, O missive, in yonder quarter, woe be to him that lacks protection."

If from ' Araind ' [dat. of n.f. Ara, gen. Arann] the three last letters be taken, 'ara' [n.m., gen. aradh, dat. araidh i.e. 'charioteer'] stands as the equivalent of 'gilla' ; which then, as it does now, meant in common parlance 'a guide,' as the people in English call him that walks at a carthorse's head [cf. Harl. 5280, f. 77 b, col. 2, lin. ult.]. The next part would not have been so easy to guess but for the occurrence of the scribe's name further on [cf. (27)] i.e. Gilla na naemh [' servus sanctorum ']. The 'protection' alluded to is that of the Saints, which he considered himself to possess specially, in right of his name.

(20) At f. 18 b, col. 2, lin. 13 ab infra, a colophon to one section of the tract :—" Misi Domnall O Duibh dhá boirann. aidhche féil Muiri anocht ocus ar faosam Muire dam ocus atáim diumghach [leg. diomdhacli] do mnái in tighi ocus ní buidhe mhé d'fir in tighi ocus a Dhia a Dhábí is mairg gan penn uait aigi. ní beg dhe ach (sic) dar lium féin is ro maith dhiultaim mac as orfradh ocus cidh bé bés ag iarraidh tuille dá diultadh. tigach (sic) chucamhsa (sic) ocus cuirfed eir eolns é. ocus is mór a náire damsa a feabhus diultaim na mic so ocus gurab méin a cuid féin do tabairt dóib arís nó ní is mó. ocus dar dia ní luaide oramsa mé féin a angrbr scizindldrftus. f— dhH czus g + tebhs eir auairt cucam ach manab aon adhbur amáin cosmsbil sin a dincabáil. tuig féin et reliqua" i.e. "I am Donall O'Davoren. To-night is Ladyday-Eve, and under Mary's safeguard I place myself. I am angry with the woman of the house, and no ways pleased with the good-man; and my goodness, David, 't is a pity but he had a pen from you in his hand [i.e. you mend a pen so badly]. Enough upon that head, and in my own opinion it is right well [i.e. justifiably] that I refuse ' mac as orbadh ' [the subject and title of the following section]; and if any shall be desirous of getting a still further refusal, let him come to me and I will shew him where to find it. . ." The rest is partly in cipher, and, the whole clause being a play upon words which may be taken either in their ordinary ór their technical meaning, translation without lengthy commentary is impossible.

(21) At f. 19 b, col. 2, lin. penult., a colophon to the section beginning "Bim do breith gach duine ina cion an tan nach faghtar éiric" i.e. "I am going to treat of making every man [in his person] pay for his crime, when eric cannot be had" :— "Ocus do ghébhainn tuille eir so ach nach áil lium triudaracht do dhénamh. slán imlán duit a Cormaic mic in Chosnadhaigh" i.e. "And I could find more [to write] on this head, but that I am not anxious to perpetrate jargon [lit. 'stuttering']," which appears to refer to the last clause (a Latin one) of the text, purposely written thus: "Oclus pro oclo. deansa pro dindti. annma pro ananama. damnam pro damno. et maile dictus est gi peribit glaidiam sum a saingni peca toirus [leg. Oculus pro oculo. dens pro dente. anima pro anima. damnum pro damno. et maledictus est qui perhibet gladium suum a sanguine peccatoris]," and translated correctly enough : "Súil ar son na súla. fiacail i fiacail. anam a nanam. damaint anamaint [leg.andamaint]. is mallthaigh [leg. mallaighthe] an tí tuirmesgus a claidem ó fuil an pecaigh"

This passage affords an exact parallel to the grotesque spelling which Donall and others affect throughout whole pieces in Irish.

(22) At f. 22 b, col. 2, lin. penult., colophon to a section:—"Ar gradh Dia a Dhábí na tuill diumga [leg. diomdha] ana timche so .i. achuingi dá scríbadh" i.e. "For God's sake, David, be not vexed at the meagreness of this, considering that it is being written to oblige you [lit. 'that it is a petition which is being written']."

Here tuillim diomdha is the opposite of the much misinterpreted phrase tuillim buidhe.

(23) At f. 25 b, col. 2, lin. 8 ab infra, a colophon to the whole tract:—" Finim don caidirne so eir na teaglam .i. do nós adhbhuir na habhlainne. ocus gidhbé adéraidh nach hí sin an fhírinne bibh ardugh (sic) a gill aigi féin acht begán is aithne damsa féin do beith ann ocus bídh slán duine a rádh go fuil dlighi saobh a naon ponc aca so uile ach amháin nach éitir béal duine .i. do cosc ocus a dia go fuil a cenn air. Tabhradh an tí léighfios so beannacht ar mh'anamhsa (sic) .i. Domnall ocus ar anam Dábí ocus Cormaic ocus Uilliama ocus muna tugaidh mallacht dia doson" i.e. "Here's an end of this tract, which has been culled after the manner of the ingredients for the [sacramental] Wafer [that is to say : with the utmost care, and regard for purity] ; and whosoever shall say that herein I speak not the truth, let him make his bet as high as ever he pleases, [for it is perfect] all but a little thing [i.e. one small defect] that I know [but none else] to be in it. I challenge any man to say that in a single point of all these there is erroneous law : but for all that't is impossible to shut a man's mouth, and God knows ''t is his [own] head he has on him ' [i.e. and therefore cannot help venting captious criticisms]. Let him that shall read this bestow a blessing on my soul [Donall's], on David's, on Cormac's, and on William's : the which unless he do bestow, God's curse light on himself."

(24) At f. 26, marg. inf., a didactic quatrain, apparently directed against devotion to this world's pleasures: in a very good hand but, evidently of purpose, exceedingly ill spelt:—

"A r gradhe Muire fan dat réir. déine imecht fá deigchéill ; ná bí ag sírleanamhain dá ghreand. d'eagla combeag na mhígrenn"

i.e. "For Mary's love cease from indulging thyself, and [hence­forth] walk according unto wisdom; no more adhere constantly to his [the world's] pleasure, for fear that [at the last] it might turn to be un-pleasure."

Here for gradhe leg. ghrádh ; for dat: dot; forimecht: imthecht; for leanamhain : leanmhain; for combeag: co mbiadh.

(25) At f. 26 b, marg. inf., in the same hand, a didactic quatrain;—

"C idh moltar cách tar cend alla, d'fbáil ó cach fir ogá mbé ; ní thé in tí ré mbeir a bhuighe. da bheir ní dha dhuine acht dia"

i.e. "Though men be generally praised for sake of the wealth that others may hope to get from any that has it [to bestow] ; yet't is not he to whom one returns thanks for it that [really] gives a man anything, but [only] God."

Here df'báil is written for d'faghbháil because the metre (Sedna: 8, 7) requires it to be pronounced as a monosyllable, according to common parlance. For bé leg. bia, required by both grammar and metre; for ní thé leg. ní hé ; for buighe leg. buidhe, and for da, dha, leg. do, dho.

(26) At f. 27 b, col. 2, lin. ult.:—"Isim scithech in aoine iar ndeasgabáil araiulie [leg.ar ái bheith] cin dithit uaimnech sin aimend ait. uc[h]." i.e. "I am tired on Friday after Ascension day because I am without food : a horrid thing, yet comical."

(27) Ibid., marg. inf., in Gilla na naemh's hand, except the first five words, which are by Manus O'Davoren :—" Dus in fó in dub . . . giolda na naom ocus ailim ar in naid noid noid [leg.trínóid] dtógi ní cc ocus más fíor do Dháuí nír b'fuláir damh trisd ocus an óráid ar fiallach tiomarctha in conblichta ..." i.e. "[This] to see whether the ink be good. [I am] Gilla na naom, and of the Trinity I crave [mercy] . . . but if it ' be true for ' David [i.e. if he be right] I must needs curse [whom or what ?], and let the prayer be for the soldiers that are mustering for the fight ..."

Here the word dub is followed by a careful erasure of contemporary date ; dtógi and ní cc are obscure, and there is a play on the word 'trisd,' which means 'a curse,' and also = 'tristis' and 'a short while.'

(28) a. At f. 28, col. 1, lin. penult.:—" Isim tuirsech ar ái ar scríbhus ocus is doilge Saoirbrethach ac mealladh 2mhna na portcainne .i. --" i.e. "I am weary with all that I have written, and even worse it is that Saorbrethach should be seeking to inveigle that which constitutes a dinner for the cat viz.--"

He ends abruptly, to make the reader supply the last word, "na lucha" i.e. "the mice." For '2mhna' leg. 'damhna' = 'adhbhar' i.e. 'the makings of' ; and 'portcainne' is an anagram of 'catphróinne' (i.e. 'cat-dinner') gen. of catphróinn . A hint that Donall's larder was rather bare.

b. Ibid., col. 2, lin. ult.:—"Misi in capall ocus beirim a buidhi nach mé do caill a crith ar tús mallocht ort is dighris" i.e. "I am 'the horse,' and I am thankful that I was not ... a curse on you with all my heart." The rest is obscure.

c. Ibid., marg. inf., by Manus:—"Dus máirlise (?) est filius arddraigh cuirc ricaird ag techt don dú so anox [ = atá mac áirdtigherna chloinne ricaird ag techt don inad so anocht] ... i.e. "To try my implements [i.e. pen and ink]. The Lord of Clanrickarde's son is coming to this place to-night. . . ."

The remainder of the entry is in cipher too complicated for reproduction in type. Underneath is a much defaced line in another and a later hand, beginning: "Mallacht ort a thr2hic [leg. a thSaordhálaigh]" i.e. "Curse on thee, Justin," the writer of which had apparently been puzzled by the cipher.

(29) At f. 28 b, marg. sup .:—" Nír bec dúinn dighbadh Gráine oruinn a gilla na naom ocus gan beith dá cuimniugud damh da madh misti mo mhenma hé. Maghnus sin" i.e. "It was quite sufficient for us, Gilla na naemh, that we [i.e. I] were afflicted with the loss of Gráinne [anglice ' Grace '], and not to keep on reminding me of her (if [indeed] my spirits could be made any worse by that). I am Manus." Refers apparently to loss by absence or marriage, not by death.

(30) a. Ibid., col. 2, lin. antepenult.:—"Co fis dam is ait no is anait in rois sin innisis tu a Domnaill" i.e. "I am very certain, Donall, that this tale you tell is either joke or no joke" [i.e. something very serious if it be true]. For 'rois' leg. ' ris.'

b. Ibid., marg. inf., a didactic quatrain written by Manus O'Davoren :—

"A tá dhá fhostó bhís guth. dá teagma riut duine maith ; is férr [in] fastó gérr tend. ná fastó mall mairg nár fhan" i.e. "There are two kinds of engagement that may be made, if you come across a good man : a short decisive engagement is better than a long-drawn one ; he will repent it that does not stand at that." This may be applied to either master or man in the matter of agreeing together. The word in is added to satisfy the metre, otherwise a syllable short.

(31) At f. 29, marg. sup. et inf.: "Do córns duib" i.e. "To test the ink." Here is what amounts to a gloss on the law-term 'corns,' which Manus uses as equivalent to ' fios' in the ordinary phrase "dus in".

(32) Ibid., marg. inf., by Manus, a didactic quatrain of frequent occurrence in modern paper MSS.—

"N í bhiann gort gan diasach fiadh. ag sin acaibh ciall ma rainn ; is terc duine dhá mbiann maith. ná biann meth ar chuit dá chlainn "

i.e. "There is no cornfield but has in it some portion of wild blades ; in this you have my quatrain's sense : for seldom is there a man whose fortunes have been good, but in some one or other of his children there's a falling off." Belongs to "Ní comhfada barr na meor" (cf. index).

(33) Ibid.:—"Is ait nach aithnighit mir [leg. muir (?)] deoráin (?)in bonn tar in pingin ná in pingin tarsin mbonn. Maghnus sin. uchán a Gráine trit" i.e. "'T is a comical thing that the O'Dorans cannot distinguish a groat from a penny nor a penny from a groat. This is Manus. Ochone by reason of thee, Gráinne! ", which may refer to something in the books of the O'Dorans (cf. Eg. 90, art. 4).

The n.f. 'muir,' gen. 'muire' (frequent in MSS., but not given in the dictt.), has the meaning of 'muinter,' but is not a contraction of it. Its derivative 'muirear' (cf. 'saothar' fr. 'saoth') i.e. 'a family,' in the sense of 'domestic burden,' and adj. 'muirearach' i.e. 'one so burdened,' are in common use (pron. 'murar,' 'murarach'). The point seems to lie in the substitution of 'mir' (substantival pI. of adj. ' mear ') = ' madmen. '

(34) At f. 29 b, col. 1, lin. ult. et marg. inf., by Manus:—"Misi ag scribneoracht ocus Domnall ocus Gerailt (sic)ac cur na sáraighthedh. doilge sin a Ghráine. is luaimneach mo menma ar ái óinmhe [MS.ol m] ac taithmeach sechnón na hElga tré dichell damhna lusa éigin dá faghail dúinni eneach cennach a cóiced Medba. in paircc mo dhamh míscribinn" i.e. "I am scrivening while Donall and Gerald [' Garrett '] dictate the cases of 'Sárughadh.' And worse, Gráinne! my mind is unstable because of one certain thing, and wanders through all Ireland, zealously seeking [i.e. considering] if for love or money can be procured for us the substance of 'a certain herb,' [especially] in 'Medhb's province' [Connacht]. Park is the place in which I scribble." Here he fancifully writes damh for dú, the sound being (according to Connacht pronunciation) the same, and the result nonsense.

(35) Ibid., 2, marg. sup., by the same :—"Dus. ní maith meidh mo scríbhinn. penn bog gér ocus dabh ruadh righin ocus memrunn clochglas [MS. cl-cgl-] ocus maoithe" i.e. "To test, my writing equipment is bad : a soft spiky pen ; 'foxy' thick ink; vellum stony and green, and [into the bargain] grief!"

(36) At f. 30, col. 1, lin. ult.: "Is minic tic Gerailt do túr luderim don sgoilteagli. uchán" i.e. "Gerald keeps on coming too often to the Academy-house in quest of certain girls of mine."

To justify this rendering, take 'luderim' as an anagram of 'der lium'.

(37) Ibid., col. 2, lin. ult. :—"Co fis dam is ferr luas na maille ar in leth tís" i.e. "I feel perfectly certain that promptitude and not procrastination is the thing for the lower regions just now."

(38) Ibid., marg. inf., an obscure quatrain from Manus:—"T ál as ní salach a shal. cochall acht is dó bheathal; uma ceand co ria dhe. chiuabhas álaind ór bhuidhe "

(39) At f. 30 b, marg. inf.:—"Is old conblicht cóicidh Meabadh [leg.Meadhba] in gach dú ocus ailim rex in cenntair neo alltair mé budhéin do díon ocus mqmumo [leg. mo chumtha] maille rium air gach ninnsa ifus ocus tall i contrarda do Uilliam na hAngaile. Maghnus sin. is mór tnúth na rnban re cailín tís tís" i.e. "The conflict rages in every district of Medhb's Province [i.e. Connacht] ; and I implore the King of both the hither and the yonside world to shield self and comrades with me from all harm both here and hereafter, contrariwise to William of Annaly [to whom I wish no good]. This is Manus. The women [here] are mighty jealous of a certain girl ' far down ' [i.e. a good way to the north of this place]."

(40) At f. 31, col. 1, lin. penult.:—" Sin ó Domnall ocus fógraim th'fiacha duit tuic féin nís lainne aniu" i.e. "That's from Donall: and I announce thy fines to thee; and understand it thyself more luminously to-day." The colophon refers to the subject-matter of the last clause in the p receding section, and contains besides some personal allusion obscure to us.

(41) Ibid., col. 2, lin. ult., the tract ends with :—"Is lethtromh (sic) sin a Domnaill in dínéir imaráon agatsa ocus mise i mbrón. Maghnus sin" i.e. "That is not fair, Donall: you with the dinner all to yourself, and I in grief. This is Manus."

(42) Ibid., marg. inf., a quatrain from the same:—"D á mbeithdís fir Eireann uile. ag anacul aoen nduine ; co fota bhaisda bhia. ag triall ar ais nó ar eigen"

This is (purposely) corrupt, metrically and otherwise. Read:—"F ir Eireann's a mbeith uile. ag anacul aon duine ; co fót a bháis do bhiadh sin. ag triall ar ais nó ar éigin" i.e. "Were all Ireland's men to be engaged in rescuing one man only: he would notwithstanding, and willy nilly, steadily progress to his death's sod [i.e. to his death's predestined place]."

On the top margin is a nearly obliterated memorandum, of which the words "In Dei nomine" form no part, being one of the formulae usually pronounced upon beginning a page, or indeed any innocent undertaking.

(43) At f. 31 b, marg. sup., a heading to the tract that follows :—"Do asta (sic) cor ann so. a nainm in athar ocus in mic ocus in spirait naoim ann so ó maghnus aoidhche feil sin seáin air in páirc" i.e. "Here follows 'Of the binding power of covenants.' In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost this [is begun] by Manus, on S. John's Eve, at Park."

(44) Ibid., marg. inf.:—"Dar lium féin ní slad cluig gan teangain do na buachaillí aoidech do serbadh ó fhleasc gheal. Maghnus sin ocus mé ag asgnam chum na buaile [MS. qnbuail-]" i.e. "In my estimation it is no injustice to give the name of 'clapperless bells' to the cow-boys that have been taken from the white flail. This is [from] Manus, and I am now proceeding to the byre."

The note leaves us to conjecture that the herdsmen brought in to thresh had to be disrated for incompetency in the barn, and sent back to their own work. 'Buachailli' phonetically for 'buachaillidhe' (buachailledha), with colloquial disregard of case after prep. 'do.'

(45) At f. 32, col. 2, lin. ult., defaced:—"Isim trimain tar és in becáin scríbinn sin do d . . . aimsliab . . ." i.e. "I am miserable after doing this little bit of writing for [Donall ?]..."

(46) At f. 33 b, marg. sup., defaced:—" I[n] nomine Isa Críst. Tuig[idh] Uilliam an duine is furusa d'aghbáil [leg.d' faghbáil] is ro urusa a ligin. isí ciall Uilliama ann sin nár bh'áil lais an duine . . ." i.e. "William thinks that the man whom it is most easy to get it is still easier by far to let go again ; and what William hereby means is that he does not care for a man . . ."

(47) Ibid., col. 2, lin. ult., a colophon to the tract:—"Fined don caidirne sin ó Madhnus (sic) ocus ar in páirc mo damhnus ocus is tuirsech imsnímach damsa ocus do Dáuí trí mo mhacraidh [MS. mmrh] fada sin a Gilla na naemh. uchán uch." i.e. "An end of this stave by Manus, my location being at Park ; and I and David are sad and anxious on account of my boys. Gilla na naemh, 't is too tedious a business, alas ! alas !"

His 'boys' (supposing the abbreviated words to be rightly expanded) may have been engaged in the Connacht campaign. These would not necessarily be sons of his, but lads in whom he was interested.

(48) At f. 36, col. 1, lin. ult.:—"Sin duit a Domnaill ocus tuill uaim tuilledh do sgríb" i.e. "There's for you, Donall ; and [now] deserve from me that I should write more for you [i.e. treat me well]."

(49) At f. 36 b, col. 2, lin. penult., a colophon to art. 40:—"Finit do na sechta dég oan duib di o boir inn aid[che] féle Padraig ..." i.e. "An end made of 'The Seventeens,' by Donall O'Davoren, on the Eve of S. Patrick ..."

The concluding words are in cipher, and much defaced.

(50) At f. 38 b, col. 2, lin. 5 from the bottom, a colophon, evidently called forth by Donall's having found that his room had been 'put to rights' during his absence :—"Sin ó Domnall do budhéin ocus má geib duine locht air so gébaidh misi féin a leisgél. doberim mo mallacht ocus mallacht Dia do bárr do na mnáibh do chuir a raib agum do dubh ocus do dath ocus do lebraib agum ar fud a chéili ocus mallacht Dia do'n tí léighfios so nach tiubraidh mallacht dóib a Dia is trua[gh] in díol sin uchán trí sin [MS. 3sin]" i.e. "That's from Donall for himself; and should any man find fault with it I myself will excuse him [for doing so]. My curse, and God's into the bargain, I bestow on the women that have muddled up together all that I possessed in the way of ink, of colours, and of books. God's curse on him too that shall read this and fail to curse them [the women]. My God, this is a wretched piece of business! ochone for it!"

These maledictions, and much other strong language that occurs in scribes' memoranda, must not be taken literally. It was only their fun.

(51) At f. 39 b, col. 1, lin. ult.:—"Sin a Domnaill duit ó Aedh" i.e. "There's for you from Aedh, Donall," and in another hand, marg. inf.: "N[í] mé a Domnaill in ben" i.e. "I'm not the woman, Donall" [i.e. it was not I that upset your study, cf. (50)]. "Ní mé a Domnaill" is repeated on the next page, marg. inf.

(52) At f. 40 b, col. 2, a colophon:—"Sin ó Domnall ocus dar in lebar aithfrinn is mór mo -- ann gach aon chás tuig Aodh ó Duibh dá boirann do dul uaim ocus ní mór gurab mesa Hum sin ná a ndein Saorbrethach do duine taidhe form ocus fós dodhén faisnéis air mad fédaim uch[án]" i.e. "That's from Donall and my . . . [noun omitted] is great in any case. understand that Aedh O'Davoren is gone from me, and I almost think worse of that than I do of all the ' duine taidhe ' that Saoirbrethach does for me, and to this I will testify if I can. Ochone !"

Either 'duine taidhe' is the subject and title of some section, or it is to be taken in the literal sense of ' a thievish man,' with reference probably to the scribe's playing truant, or scamping his work. Saorbrethach [cpd. adj. from saor ' noble,' 'free,' and breth ' a judgment '] was a name common among the Mac Carthys, latinised ' Justinus.'

(53) At f. 41, marg. inf., defaced:—"Sin duit a Domnaill ó Annluan ocus is truadh lium ..." i.e. "There's for you, Donall, from Annluan [Mac Egan], and I am sorry ..."

(54) At f. 41 b, col. 2, lin. ult.:—" Tuirseach a tSaorbrethai[gh]" i.e. "Saorbrethach, I am tired."

(55) At f. 42, marg. inf.:—" In cet al iar mog suatrach milord raocart aniu misi intill an," where 'mog' has 'u' written under 'o,' and 'an' is surmounted by a dot. Hence leg. "In cétáin iar mughuirt sua[i]tr[e]ach milord raocart aniu misi in tillannach" i.e. "To-day is the Wednesday after the slaughter of my lord Rickard's soldiers. I am the 'illannach.' "

Conjecturally, the last word is either an adj. formed from the proper name 'Illann' (as 'Caesareus,' 'Williamite'), or it may be read 'illánach,' phonetically for 'ildánach,' adj. meaning 'of many accomplishments, 'versatile' (cf. colla = colna; áille = áilne, etc.), the scribe leaving it open to read one or the other [cf. (82)]. If 'raocart' be meant for 'Rickard,' the reference must be to 'Ricart saxanach mac Uilleag na gceann' ie. 'Rickard [styled] Sassonagh, son of Ulick-of-the-heads,' Earl of Clanrickard, who was then of the Queen's party.

(56) At f. 44 b, marg. inf.:—"Sin ód choibhdelach duit a Domnailldi [leg. 'Domnalde'] fili tine aon beim ego sum Consantinus (sic) filiusnéinie ocus ní ar connarcli. eul acuinnsi mé ocus techtae" i.e. "There's for you from your kinsman, Donall, son of Aedh: I am Constantine son of . . . and it is not for kindness. I am well up in law cases, and so I ought to be."

To justify this rendering, leg. 'a cuinnsi' = 'a ngné,' and 'techta é' = 'deithbir é ;' but these are homonyms, and other versions are possible. For ' fili tine . . . ' cf. (113) vii.

(57) a. At f. 45, col. 2, lin. ult.:—"Ist an ra oil si ar m ci deolé mauus cir druthair [leg. is art an oil sin ar mo chinn deodh lae]" i.e. "This is a great affront that awaits me at the day's end . . . ," a play on the homonyms 'art,' 'oil,' and perhaps 'fheoil.'

b. At f. 45 b, col. 2, lin. antepen.:—"Misi Domnall ar ocus dá cuirinn brind sís ní cóir amasán [leg.achmusán] orm. misi mblscccngth ar ndul cé fuile" i.e. "I am Donall ...(?) and were I to set down what is false it would be unjust to scold me for it. I am ..." The rest is quite enigmatical.

(58) At f. 48, col. 2, lin. ult.:—" Corrach sin a Cerrbail móradh duit. mnbbblbh" i.e. "Cearbhall, that is shaky. I greet you. . . ." The name (?) is in cipher, beginning with oghamic 'm,' and the writing quite crooked.

(59) At f. 48 b, col. 2, is a colophon to art. 56, much defaced:—"Sguirimsi . . . aniu a naimburd dam . . . aniu a clainn ricaird ocus a dia . . . [is trua]g nach fuilim fein amenn ocus. m. s.i. mic la gla" i.e. "I leave off . . . this day being at Tuaim ard . . . this day in Clan-Rickard and ... it is a pity that I myself am not, and ..." The conclusion is quite obscure.

(60) At f. 49, marg. inf., is an entry of which the end only is legible :—" . . . sloinib nom anno anno 100050 . . ." This date is pared, but the 50 is surmounted by a 4, so that, according to the scribe's fanciful notation, it must originally have stood 1000500604 = 1564.

(61) At f. 49 b, col. 2, lin. ult., is an entry manifestly referring to some by-play that was forward in the scribal sanctum:—"Is ingna lium sin a Uilliam. uchán a chailín" i.e. "William, I am surprised at that. Ochone, my lass !" and, marg. inf., a much defaced entry continued up the inner margin and beginning:—"Sin o [Cor]mac .i. Mac Flannchaidhe do Domnall ocus gin go fuil inmaidhte..." i.e. "There's from Cormac M'Clancy for Donall, and though it be nothing to boast of . . ."

(62) At f. 50, marg. inf.:—"Sin duit a Domnaill o thSeán O Cennumháin [leg. Cennabháin]" i.e. "There's for you, Donall, from Shane O'Canavan," and the next page ends with "Domnall sin" i.e. "That's Donall."

(63) At f. 51 b, col. 1, lin. ult.:—"As maith an tadhbar eidirlím atá agam misi Domnall. dngb-" i.e. "Good material for a trap I have [here]. I am Donall."

This may refer to some 'crux' in the text, calculated to puzzle the School. The four concluding letters are enigmatical: they can represent the verb ' diongbaim' or its nomen actionis 'diongbáil,' which would here mean 'I defy you,' or, 'a challenge.' Again, they may stand for the 2nd pI. imper. 'diongbaidh' i.e. 'do it if ye can,'

(64) At f. 51 b, col. 2, lin. penult. :—" Dar an libram (sic) so a claici do bu m[aith] lium an tabhrán sís ocus suas do beith agum fa be ceth [leg. cé be fáth] s manip- [qu. leg. mana7ol-]" i.e. "Per hunc librum, o puella, mihi perquam placeret rnv sursum deorsum cantilenam esse mihi . . ."

The word claici would seem to represent 'Gráine,' and what follows 'ceth' is quite enigmatical. The 's' is surmounted by the short waved mark = ur, and the last word is uncertain. In Donall's hand.

(65) a. At f. 52, col. 1, lin. ult.:—"Simnal Doi" i.e. "I am Donall," fancifully written for "Misi Domnall."

b. The next column ends with a colophon to art. 57 :—"Finit damsa de diultadh fiadnaisi ocus ní hedh do na leabhraib acht nach beg damsadh (sic) a fuil ann so dhíb ocus má geibhir locht ann so anuas ní locht a faladh orumsa é acht cuimredh briathar" i.e. "Here I make an end of 'Refusal to give evidence,' though it be not so with 'the books : ' but I deem what is here [set down] of them to be quite sufficient for me ; and should you detect any fault in the above matter, it is not to be charged to me as a fault of malice, but as [arising from] succinctness of expression."

This too by Donall, who means that the law-books have much more to say on the subject, and fears that in his effort to be brief he may here and there have been obscure.

c.At f. 52 b, col. 2, lin. ult. :—"Fuit" i.e. "Cold !" (cf. Harl. 5280, art. 9).

(66) At f. 53 b, col. 2, lin. penult. :—"Is chúntus (sic) fliuch sin a Concabair éir eigní as. meodhan lae ann ocus atá an scol a[g] gabáil umpa tuic" i.e. "That's a wet [i.e. tearful ?] account, Conor, and done on compulsion. Midday is here and the School are putting on their things [i.e. ' breaking up ']. Note that."

To justify this, make éir eigní as = is é ar éigin.

(67) a. At f. 54, marg. inf.:—"Ag sin duit a Muircertaid í Duibdaboirinn ó Eoghan ocus is maith do gébthá in bean út deolo a Cosnai mic Diarmata .i. Diarmait O Briain" i.e. "There's for you, Murtough O'Davoren, from Eoghan; and as for you, Cosny son of Dermot (viz. Dermot O'Brien), you would find that woman to be obliging enough at the day's end."

For 'deolo' leg. 'deodh lae' [unless it be taken to represent 'd'élodh' i.e. 'to elope,' or 'ó dheol' i.e. 'for charity's sake '], and note that, after present colloquial use, 'Diarmait O Briain' following '.i.' is not in apposition with the preceding genitive Diarmata, but in the nominative.

b.Ibid.:—"Sin ó Cosnadhach do nuall dom (sic) ocus éirghidh suas d'insaighi na .7.a.x. [leg. na sechta dég]" i.e. "There's from the Cosny for Donall, and [now] to get up and set about 'The Seventeens'" (cf. art. 40, and for ' nuall dom ' cf. (113) vii.).

(68) a. At f. 54 b, marg. sup.:—"Sin duit drochcindlitir a Domnaill ó Aodh ocus dar Decs is mór cuiris orum in bás sin fuair tu a Seáin ruaidh uch uch" i.e. "There's a bad head-letter for you, Donall, from Aedh; and 'per Deum' that death you have met with afflicts me much, O Shane Rua ['Johannes Rufus'] ! alas, alas !"

Col. 1 of this page begins with a clumsily executed inter­laced capital S. From the tone of the entry it is to be feared that Seaan ruadh had found violent death, a thing in all ages to be had cheap and good in Thomond (he may however have been killed on the Connacht side).

The column ends with two unconnected words : "leamh du[bh]ach" i.e. "[I am] spiritless, gloomy."

b. A law paragraph, written quite across marg. inf., has a colophon:—"Sin duid a Domnaill ocus más fír damhsa is maith tuicis in scolaidhe maith (?) bec ocus mór. éccóir sin a Sémuis" i.e. "There's for you, Donall, and (if I be right) the good scholar understands right well 'the small and the large' [qu. 'text and gloss,' or, ' the long and the short of it ']. James, that's not fair."

(69) At f. 55, col. 2, lin. penult.:—"Ná tabair aithfer form ói[r] is decair an teglach aon fhir do déanam uch uch" i.e. "Reproach me not, for hard it is to do the 'one-man-household.' Alas, alas!"

(70) a. At f. 55 b, col. 1, lin. ult.:—"tugamar Murchadh nmiail" i.e. "We have brought Murrough O'Brien," where the last word seems to be cipher for ua mbriain (unless we read 'na mbiail' i.e. 'of the axes,' which is not so likely).

b. The tract ends with the next column, the last words of the text being :—". . . .i. cách ag fanámhad fái gibé inadh a mbiadh sé" i.e. ". . . that is to say : every one else shall be jibing and jeering at him wheresoever he may be," to which the scribe appends:—"Dar in leabar atá duine éigin istigh is cosmail risin cóip" i.e. "By the book, there is here within a certain man exactly like the 'copy' " [that is to say: to whom the words of the text apply precisely].

The word cóip [copia] means the legal text (usually written in large letters) as distinguished from the camaoin [gloss].

The 'fear éigin,' or 'quidam,' is the same that occurs in (15), (16) and elsewhere. He was probably Illann O'Mulconry, cf. (82).

(71) At f. 56, marg. inf.:—"Na derna in drochnin muin duit anuall dom ocus is mór nin .10. berus [leg. nindeithberus]" This involves too much word-play for brief explanation (cf. (113) vii.).

(72) At f. 56 b, col. 2, lin. penult.:—"Is tuirsech mé ó an targad ingnad sin ocus mhé (sic)saor uaidh ocus nach truagh an fer é" i.e. "I am tired with this extraordinary compilation, which was not incumbent on me ; and isn't he a miserable man ?"

This must refer to him that kept the unwilling scribe at supererogatory work.

(73) At f. 58, marg. inf.:—"Ní cás duit a Domnaill beith og dénam fomhair ocus misi ag mughsaine dyt (sic) Aodh sin ar in bPáirc ma dhú" i.e. "You are well off, Donall, to be getting in the harvest and I slaving for you. This is Aedh. I am located at the Park."

This is one of the best written pages in the MS., and the scribe evidently looked upon harvest-work as a joke compared with the transcription of law-tracts.

(74) a. At f. 58 b, col. 2, lin. ult.:—"Sin ón Saoirbrethach do Domnall gin gurab inmháiti [leg. inmháidhte] ocus bennacht lais. 1569" i.e. "There's from Saorbrethach for Donall, though it be nothing to boast of; and a blessing go with it [to Donall]. A.D. 1569."

'O'n ' (which is right) is changed by erasure to 'ó.' This scrap is right well written.

b. At f. 59 b, col. 2, lin. ult.:—"Tugaibh Sémus a lánchaochadh" i.e. "Let James work at it so long as ever he can see."

(75) At f. 60, col. 2, lin. penult.:—"Anois táinig Domnall óg ar cend Giolla Pátraic cum falcairachta" i.e. "Even now Donall Oge [Donall junior] is come to fetch Gillapatrick to go ply the reaping hook."

(76) At f. 60 b, col. 1, lin. ult.:—"Issé an tubhall ceasta é a Aodh" i.e. "This [bit] is the apple of discord, Aodh."

(77) At f. 61, col. 1, lin. ult.:—" Fada sin a Dábí. aidche féili na croiche féin" i.e. "Too long a job this, David, on the very eve of the Festival of the Cross too."

(78) At f. 61, col. 2, lin. ult.:—" As mór a thrud (sic) ocus dia é a Diarmuid mhic in Cosnadhaigh" i.e. "'Tis sad sad pity, but 't is [the act of] God, O Dermot son of the Cosny!"

(79) a. At f. 61 b, col. 1, lin. ult.:—"Slán duit a Dhábhí" i.e. "I defy you, David [viz. to understand that, or else, to write it as well]."

b. Ibid., col. 2, lin. ult.:—"Uchán a Shémuis" i.e. "Alas, James!"

c. Ibid., marg. inf., a quatrain :—

"Dá ndechainn gach Iá do'n Páirc. do gébainn Tadhg is cáidh-Conn; nach scarfadh re saigh na mbrand. ar Tuaim ard atá mo trom" i.e. "Were I every day to go to Park, there I should find Teigue and the noble Conn, that never would desist from running after the women : at Tuaim árd [Tuam, county Galway] is my [present] place of refuge."

Here 'saigh' is, metri gratia, written for 'saighidh' [i.e. ' aggredi '], and there is a pun on the word brann, which means both ' a woman ' and 'embers of fire' (cf. meanings of the verb 'sáithim,' which is hinted at).

(80) At f. 64 b, marg. sup.:—"Dar deus is inmuin leam cia in leapairsi" i.e. " 'Per Deum' I love the man of this book," referring to Donall O'Davoren, owner of the MS., of whom the 'School' seem to have been very fond.

The marginale on the preceding page is part of the text, to be read after the word beirtí, col. 1, lin. penult.

(81) At f. 65 b, marg. inf.:—"[S]in uainn det a nuald domain tairchedhaigh ar óin in spaltra ocus atá óman orm ná dlighfldh tu fiach forcra foimealta dím ocus is nóin domnaigh ann ocus bud maith lium do uheth at sól ós airdrennach [leg. rennaibh]" i.e. "[There's] for you, Donall, from us, for the loan of the Psalter; and I fear that you never will have any claim on me for extra charges in respect of food. It is now Sunday at noon, and I would that you were as the Sun is above the planets [i.e. as conspicuous for liberality as he is for brilliance ?]."

For 'spaltra' = 'psaltra,' pron. 'saltra' cf. Harl. 5280, art. 2, and for 'nuall domain . . . ' cf. (113) vii. Of this entry, which abounds in abbreviations, the first words are defaced, and part is obscure.

(82) a. At f. 71, col. 2, beside the Greek alphabet:— "Aipcitir grécdho sunda ocus mallacht dia do bárr air sin d'Iollonn O Maolconaire is ole in cúnamh dam cuigi so é ocus cum gach uile raot ocus is damsa is mó do beir sé cúnamh astigh uile" i.e. "Here follows the Greek alphabet, and God's curse into the bargain upon Illann O'Mulconry, seeing that for this purpose he is a bad help to me, or [indeed] for any other purpose ; and [yet] of all that are in the house't is to me that he gives most assistance [what then must be his value to others ?]."

Here note cúnamh phonetically for congnamh (cf. Harl. 546, art. 28, n.).

b.Ibid., lin. ult.:—" Finis de sin ó Domnall ua aod- ocus do beirim mo secht mall [achta di]" i.e. "An end of this [viz. the Greek alphabet] from [by] Donall himself, and I bestow my seven curses on it."

The end of this is defaced, and, instead of bhudhéin (sometimes uodhéin [self]) Donall has whimsically written in abbreviated form what appears at first sight to be meant for ua aodha i.e. the patronymic variously anglicised 'O'Hea,' 'Hayes,' 'Hughes,' so that to the unwary reader the signature reads 'Donall O'Hea.' The 'joke' rests upon assonance, and uncertainty of the last syllable, which is left to the reader's discretion.

(83) At f. 72, marg. inf.:—"Go ligidh dia bur sláinti díbh a chanhís hí na callt-n- gibé lena ins ói[r] isibh do b- cua dhuin in domnall .c.n. slán duit. . i.e. "God leave you your health ... for it is you that give us meat. ... I challenge you ..."

This is, as it was intended to be, obscure. The designation of those to whom it is addressed is in cipher, and the name of the person challenged (to understand it, no doubt) is defaced.

(84) At f. 74 b, marg. sup.:—" Ag sin qmáin [=cumaoin] ó Chormac mac in Cosnaidhi [leg. Chosnadhaigh] ar do lebur a Domhnaill" i.e. "There, Donall, is a gloss on your book, from Cormac son of the Cosnadhach."

(85) a. At f. 75 b, marg. sup.:—"Sin ó Cormac mac in Cosnaidhi duit a Domnaill ocus cid bé dá fogénadh ocus manib é olcus in riaghalta dob isin (?) dom (?) . . ." i.e. "This from the Cosnadhach's son Cormac for you, Donall, and for any one else to whom it may be of service. Were it not, moreover, for the badness of the ruling, this would have been . . ."

Partly defaced, and partly has disappeared with the mutilated inner margin (along which it was continued) of this much damaged leaf. The ruling, vertical and horizontal, of this page is bad.

b. Ibid., marg. inf., defaced :—" Sin a Domnuill ó Dábhí ocus a chair maille madtá ann. lá fheil Aoengus[a] aniu. a ros muin[e] chair dúinn uile ailim trócaire . . . damh " i.e. "This, Donall, from David, and his love accompany all the contents. To-day is the festival of [S.] Angus, we all being at Rosmanagher. I crave mercy . . . for myself."

c. At f. 76 b, col. 2, lin. penult.:—" Sin ó Domnall do budéin ocus dar in lebar so atáim a dia inl-in" i.e. "There's from Donall for himself, and by this book I am . . ."

(86) a. At f. 77, marg. sup.:—"A Muire a Domnaill is mairg duit atá dár cur re tuaith ag iarra (sic) cinnlitriach (sic) orm ocus gan urad in duibh do ca[bair] agam air. misi Aodh" i.e. "Holy Mary, Donall, bad luck to you that are driving me distracted [lit. 'all over the country '], requiring a head-letter of me, and I not having so much as a drop of ink to help me out with the job. I am Aedh."

Col. 1 begins with a coarsely executed interlaced C.

b. Ibid., col. 1, lin. antepenult .:—" Ní fuil uirl- [uir no ?] . . .[ei]r so ocus is [ferr] lium in bainis anocht ná amáirech ach cé maith a maghair" i.e. "There is no . . . to this, and I had rather the wedding feast were to-night than to-morrow, if only he [they?] be at all points prepared."

c. Ibid., col. 2, lin. penult.:—" Sin drochcumáin fátha oluím [leg.ó uilliam] do nuall domain ó crích bfer arda " i.e. "There's a sorry [sample of] gloss on a profound composition, from William for Donall [cf. (81)] from the land of Fera arda."

Fera arda was anciently a name of the district of Corcamroe, which at one time included that of Burren.

d. At f. 77 b, col. 2, lin. antepenult .:—" Cuirim cair ocus ualach an lebair so dím óir [ní mé?] mebraigios ocus [bíodh ?]a cinta eir cormac mac in cosnadhaigh ói[r] isé. . .ab re air" i.e. "The 'blame' and the responsibility of this book I shift from myself [i.e. 'repudiate'], since it is not I that study it; but let its faults rest on the Cosny's son Cormac, since he it is that . . ."

(87) a. At f. 79 b, col. 2, lin. 4 inf.:—"Sin ó Domnall le hecla corrméinee na sgoile tuig nár lige dia d---p cb ascnzncp---bhib libh as maircc atá a dul2 [leg. dá] báthadh 2 deoin féin" i.e. "There's from Donall, for fear of [incurring] ill-will of the School: note that. God grant that ye may not . . . alas for him that of his own free will goes a drowning."

The portion between 'dia' and 'libh' is in cipher, with oghamic lines crossing the dashes.

b. At f. 80, col. 2, lin. ult., the explanation of 'airbert' in the glossary is followed by "Sin duit a Domnaill ó Corbmac mac in Cosnaidhe" i.e. "There's for you, Donall, from Cormac son of the Cosnadhach."

c. Ibid., marg. inf., an entry of which only the last word "trealam" i.e. "[writing] apparatus" is legible.

(88) a. At f. 80 b, marg. inf.:—"Ní fiu so a muidhemh ocus dá mfhiu do dénainn" i.e. "This is not worth bragging of, and were it so I would [brag]."

b. Ibid., col. 3, lin. ult.:—" As olc mo trelam ocus ní do gabáil mo liec sth el [leg. lethscéil]" i.e. "My [writing] gear is bad, and it is not by way of excusing myself [that I say it i.e. I am not the bad workman that complains of his tools]."

(89) a. At f. 81, col. 1, lin. ult. and marg. inf.:—" A Domnaill ní bu cumáin so dá mbiadhmáis ar caomhclodh" i.e. "Donall, this would not be [i.e. 'pass muster as'] a gloss if our places were changed." That is to say that he would make Donall do better for him than he was doing for Donall.

b. Ibid., col. 2, lin. ult.:—Pax uobis a Chormaic," and col. 3, lin. ult.:—"Deabadh maille rib a Domnaill" i.e. "In too great a hurry you are, Donall."

(90) a. At f. 81 b, col. 2, lin. ult.:—"A Domnaill do kilbi [leg. cailbi] mo lám .i. re fuacht" i.e. "O Donall, how exposed are my hands viz. to the cold [lit. 'de calvitie mearum manuum i.e. ad frigus']."

b. Ibid., col. 3, lin. ult. :—"Cuimni[gh] a Domnaill gur iarr tu sin orm" i.e. "Remember, Donall, that you asked me for this [i.e. you had no right to exact it, I do it to oblige you]."

c. Ibid., marg. inf.:—" Sin duit a Domnaill ocus tuilledh lisdacht frithbrugh" i.e. "There's for you, Donall, and more [if you want it], because I am loth to refuse you."

(91) At f. 82, col. 1, lin. ult. and marg. inf.:—"Sin duit a Domnaill ocus ná gnáthaigh beith anbrethach ar óman co tiucfaidhe frib ó dia uel ó duine" i.e. "There's for you, Donall, and make not a habit of being [so] severe, for fear that from either God or man you might [some day] meet with a reverse."

(92) a. At f. 82 b, marg. inf. :—"Is fuar mairt cin dinér a Domnaill .i. ria nodlaig" i.e. "A dinnerless Tuesday is a cold thing, Donall, and immediately before Christmas too."

b. Ibid.:—" Ní fuaire ná cédáin a Maghnuis. Domnall sin" i.e. "Not colder than [a similar] Wednesday, Manus. I'm Donall."

This appears to convey a warning.

c. Ibid., col. 3, lin. ult.:—" Mesa lium in satharn a Domnaill ocus in luan" i.e. "I think worse of the Saturday, Donall, and of the Monday." This from Manus again.

(93) At f. 83, col. 2, lin. ult.:—" Otsaor2l- [leg. ó thsaordhálach] sin do m nall" i.e. "From Saorbhrethach this. Donall."

Here the master has for his scribe's name substituted a nearly synonymous word [cf. meanings of 'dáil'].

(94) a. At f. 83 b, col. 1, lin. ult.:—" Go roibh maith agad a Comraic" i.e. "Thank you, Cormac."

For 'Cormaic' he uses its anagram comraic, voc. of comrac ['a fight,' 'quarrel,' 'shindy']; it is also a term of law (cf. O'Davoren's Glossary, ed. Stokes, pp. 63, 64), and of prosody (ibid., p. 65).

b. Ibid., col. 2. lin. ult.:—"A Domnaill ní déntar sin tré feirg" i.e. "Donall, this is not done through malice."

(95) At f. 84, col. 3, marg. inf.:—"A Domnaill beith dam [qu. leg. beidhem] sa rann remi arís ocus dot bréithir ní misi do bris" i.e. "O Donall, that I should again be in the thick of it! and by your word it was not I that broke it."

At f. 84 b, marg. inf.:—"Dén sithcháin re Semus l-n(?) ní uil techt uaidi agat. ocus cidh bé agaib ná déna in tsithcháin sin .i. dom réirsi beidh misi ag in fer eile" i.e. "Make peace with James . . . you can't evade it. And now, whichever of you shall not make that peace, and on my terms, I will belong to the other man [that will]."

(97) At f. 85, marg. inf., defaced:—"A Domnaill díol a fhath sannadh sin co fóiridhdia oraib a sgoil. ocus co m[airidh] tu do mhuc a Shémais.i. fuair tu ó tSaidb a Búrc ocus íoc ar a son satharn inide sunn ar in báirc [leg. bpáirc]" i.e. "Donall, pay for the knowledge; and God be your help, ye of the School! Also you, James, well may you wear 'the pig' you got from Saby Bourke, and that you had to pay for here at Park, on the Saturday after Shrovetide."

Either Sémus [James] had married Saby on the Shrove-Tuesday, or she had about that time presented him with a 'son' [mac], for which the scribe writes ' pig ' [muc]; in either case fees (i.e. wedding or christening) would have to be paid. The first clause seems to refer to the word 'desruith' i.e. 'mean,' 'petty,' the last one of a column by Sémus, writer of this note and of (96).

(98) At f. 85 b, marg. inf.:—"Luan inide sunn ocus dar liumsa a Shémuis as docair bilar thalman na ngenus. imarcach so a Domnaill ocus inn inar naoin imalle. sin duit a Domnaill ó Annluan" i.e. "Here we are at Shrove-Monday: and in my opinion, James, the watercresses of starvation-land are hard fare. This, Donall, is supererogatory, considering that we are fasting besides" [which they had no business to be, at Shrovetide].

This entry is defaced. A few words written over it are illegible, and what appears to be two short lines of writing immediately under col. 2 is but the reversed impression of the second marginale on the next page, which must have been, while still wet, laid upon this one.

(99) a. At f. 86, marg. inf.:—"A Domnaill dá faghainn ní bo mó (.i. dorcha bí tu. mairg . . . ) do biadh sin ní buud ferr" i.e. "Donall, if I got more (for't is obscure you generally are, bad luck. . . ) this would be better."

The note is by the scribe of col. 1 (immediately under which it occurs), who evidently thought some of the legal explanations too scanty and enigmatical; and he was quite right. The parenthesis is superscribed and partly obliterated.

b. Ibid.:—" Sin [duit a Domnaill] úi Duibh dá boirenn. misi in Dubhaltach mac Firbisigh ocus ní bfuil foghnam . . ." i.e. "There's for you, Donall O'Davoren. I am the Dubhaltach Mac Firbis and there is no good . . ."

This note is by the scribe of the second half of col. 2, immediately under which it occurs ; it is partly obliterated.

The word dubhaltach (being an adjective) when used as a proper name takes the definite article, and is anglicised ' Duald ' (not to be confounded with 'Dugald,' which represents Dubhghall), or quite arbitrarily rendered 'Dudley.' In his ' MS. Materials of Irish History ' (p. 121) O'Curry simply states, without giving any authority, that the celebrated antiquary and genealogist Duald Mac Firbis (who in English signed himself 'Dudley Firbissie ') studied under Donall O'Davoren in 1595. We have seen however that the date of the glossary is 1569 (copied cor­rectly O'C. 2732), and the above scribal note, if O'Curry rested on that alone, does not prove that this Duald Mac Firbis ever attended the Burren Academy; for according to the traditions of Tír Fhiachrach na Muaidhe ['Tireeragh of the Moy,' of which country the Mac Firbises were hereditary Sennachies], Duald was in the year 1677 murdered by one of the Crofton family, at Dunflin in the county Sligo (lib. cit. p. 122), when, though an aged man, he was still sufficiently vigorous to be on his way to Dublin to visit Sir James Ware. The above entry is in a hand in no wise resembling that of the last antiquarian of his race, and must have been written by an elder kinsman. Whether O'Davoren's will furnished any evidence cannot be known, but it is scarcely possible that even the dates 1595, 1677, should both be right.

(100) a. At f. 86 b, col. 3, lin. penult.:—"Sin ó Domnall an cét áine do chorgus" i.e. "That's from Donall, on the first Friday of Lent."

b. Ibid., marg. inf., in another hand :—" In tráth is deire do na dáinib. téid a nenech úatha. in tenech is an saothar sa deire do drochdénuinn. ar cur dó ar eallach ní ó eallach is namh sionnadh. nír caithi riam is doilgi [ná] gach deghinach cid bé fáth" i.e. "When men draw near their end their generosity [or ' honour '] departs from them, generosity and labour [are two things that] at the last I could do [but] badly ..."

The rest involves a play upon words, not explicable without a commentary [cf. meanings of ' eallach '].

(101) At f. 87, col. 2, lin. ult. et marg. inf.:—" A Domnaill ní me is qinntach [leg. cinntach] acht Saordhálach ar milledh in pinn ocus ar dia nár théghi(?) . . ." i.e. "Donall, 'tis not I that am in fault, but the fact that Saordhálach has just ruined the pen ; and for God's sake may you not go . . ." and again : "A Domnaill bi[dh] a buidechus sin ar Saordhálach agat óir asé do sgrib" i.e. "Donall, 't is Saordhálach you have to thank for this, for 't is he that wrote it."

(102) At f. 87 b, col. 2, lin. ult. :—" Go bfis domsa is mór in luach aon pere .iiii. rábín" i.e. "I'm sure indeed one pair of dice are a munificent remuneration."

This must refer to the little segments of bread doled out to him by the master.

Col. 1 is signed "Sémus," and at the head of col. 2 is written "nár a nainm dia sed ó tSaordhálach" i.e. "That this mightn't be in God's name, from Saordhálach."

Here 'sed' = siod, in certain collocations used for súd in Connaught, Ulster, and the Highlands.

(103) a. At f. 88, col. 2, lin. penult.:—"Dar dia a Domnaill táimsi tuirsech ocus is maith in luach pére cetharrábín" i.e. "Per Deum, Donall, I'm tired, and a pair of dice are a good remuneration."

b. Ibid., col. 3, lin. ult.:—"Sin duit a Domnaill ó mac Sémuis mic Firbisigh ocus ní táinic riamh cluanaire is ferr ná thú" i.e. "There's for you, Donall, from Sémus mac Firbis's son, and there never came a more accomplished rogue than you are."

Here ' cluanaire ' (a coaxer, wheedler) is to be understood in the sense of the Shakspearean ' sweet rogue,' and refers to the way in which Donall coaxed them to work.

Col. 1 is headed by "nár a nainm dia so ó tSaordhálach do Domnall" i.e. "That this mightn't be in God's name, from Saordhálach for Donall."

These little maledictions are all in play.

(104) At f. 88 b, marg. inf., a quatrain :—" Dlom la comrac a chéile. inn ba méde nach rirfed ; ar innaibh righ co nairar. do boing caire na filed. Domnall sin ocus linn dubh rar [sic, leg. fair]" i.e. ". . . This is Donall, and he oppressed with melancholy." Obscure.

(105) At f. 89, col. 3, lin. antepenult. :—"Sin ó Domnall do budhéin ocus slán imlán duit a Maghnuis ocus is ing m'aoi Sémus do beith go tim cidh tá an codh ann. olc do cungnum a Cormaic" i.e. "There's from Donall for himself; and I defy you to your best, Manus, 't is a thing to talk of that Sémus is so slack though the drink is there, bad is the assistance you give me, Cormac !"

(106) a. At f. 90, col. 1, lin. ult.:—" Is dubli do maignes a Muirchengail" i.e. "Great is your size, ' thou that bindest the ocean.' "

Here Muirchengal is written for Muirchertach [Murtough].

b. Ibid., col. 2, lin. ult. :—"A Maghnuis is grech reomad do mennaid." Obscure.

c. Ibid., col. 3, lin. ult.:—"A Domnaill má tá fubadh nó fuilledh bidh amasán [leg.achmasán] ar na pennaib ocus ar thuilledh nach ráidhim" i.e. "Donall, if there be blemish or excess [here], let the blame rest on the pens and on something more that I express not."

(107) a. At f. 90 b, marg. sup.: "A nainm dia so festa a Domniaill cin co fuil cet againn" i.e. "Now for it in God's name, Donall, though we have not permission [to do it]."

b. Ibid., col. 3, lin. ult.:—" A Domnaill co fis damsa ní dlighinn tu fiach bliadna díom dá niarthá orm hé. imsnímach m[é]" i.e. "I'm sure, Donall, that I don't owe you a year's debt, [even] though you should seek it of me. I am in the dumps."

Note the colloquial (but not universal) iar[r]thá for iarrfá.

(108) a. At f. 91, col. 3, lin. penult.:—"Cuirsim alla rér ngabra a Domnaill" i.e. "We have [now] taken a pull at our horses, Donall [i.e. knocked off work for a spell]."

b. Ibid., marg. inf., defaced:—" Dom aithnisi a Domnaill is maith in l[u]ach aon pére dísledh trí ráibín déc ocus cin a fagbáil ocus co roibh maith eig día ocus eig na . . ." i.e. "I'm sure, Donall, that a pair of dice of thirteen ráibíns are grand remuneration, and [even] those I have not got yet. Thank God and the ..."

(109) At f. 91 b, col. 2, 1. 4 infra:—"Dána sin a Maghnuis ocus ní dána ná an lorg .i. do cletha an lorg ocus ruidhles tusa" i.e. "That's bold, Manus . . ." Obscure.

To which Manus adds:—"Co coisgi dia dár ndán sinn araon a Domhnaill" i.e. "God hinder us both of our science [or, 'profession '], Domnall." He wishes that Providence would provide them with some other employment than the study and tran­scription of law.

There is a play, not reproducible in translation, upon the words dán [art, science, profession, a poem]; dána, [gen. ofdán, as well as an adj. signifying 'bold,' 'impudent']; and 'lorg' in its ordinary and technical meanings.

The next column ends with "Caomh é a Mhagnuis" i.e. "A skimpy bit, Manus."

(110) a. At f. 92, col. 2, lin. penult. :—" A móir [MS.amoir] is fiu thu ocus in odhar .i. do menma thsair ocus thsiar" i.e. "Manus, you are like the dun [cow], for your fancy is [roving] east and west."

Here instead of ' Magnus ' Donall uses its Irish equivalent 'mór.'

b. Ibid., marg. inf.:—" Dá mo mé a Cormaic do dénainn bar toilsi .i. a hurgabáil" i.e. "If it were my case, Cormac, I would do your will [i.e. that which you would fain do], viz. lay her in hold."

(111) At f. 92 b, col. 1, lin. ult., defaced :—" .i. Domnall atá . . .acht do cealgadh mé rimi so go fuilim soirb" i.e. "That is to say: 't is Donall who is . . . but I have been taken in before, so that I am easy [i.e. on my guard]."

(112) At f. 93, marg. sup.:—"In Dei nomine" and "A Domnaill ag sin dere ar do tsentribus duit. ocus is minic do cuire dere ar tsentribus roime sin duit. ocus dar limsa táinec a mithi duit mé chur (?) . . ." i.e. "There, Donall, is the finishing touch to your old trews for you, and many a time before the finish has been given to an old pair of trews for you! In my estimation the time is now come for you to send me . . ."

For dere leg. deredh (deireadh) ; for cuire : cuiredh; for *mithi

mithigh (hod. mithid, in the Highlands mithich,* more correctly).

The Latin words were written for the double purpose of a ' probatio pennae ' and of a pious ejaculation upon beginning this the last leaf of the glossary. The Irish marginale was added after its completion, and is much defaced. The four last words printed above are uncertain.

The word 'triubhas' signifies the tight leg-garment of the old Irish dress, called, from that word, ' trowse ' and 'trowses ' by the Elizabethan writers, and by the Scots, in relation to the Highland garb, 'trews.'

(113) The following have been relegated to the end of the Marginalia :—

i. At f. 5, col. 2, lin. ult., colophon to art. 11:—"Sin forréidh aidchi ó Domnall. ocus atá ón menn ann" i.e. "There is 'forréidh aidchi' from Donall, in which there is a manifest name [i.e. manifest allusion to a certain man's name]."

A stock form of joke, cf. (70).

ii. At f. 5 b, col. 1, lin. penult:—" Ferghal mac Uilliama sin tuas ocus co raibh maith air amáirech dias cind sin" i.e. "The foregoing applies to William's son Ferghal, and may he tomorrow reap the benefit of the same." In Donall's hand.

'Amáireach' is the present spoken form, for ' amárach.'

iii. Ibid., col. 2, mid.:—" Tria cendairde nó tria cinnísli doniter an taidhbred anuasana tria torainn leasaidh nó tria cas chairchidh daníter sísana. ocus misi Domnall ocus a fir féchsana na fer so na tabair masán orm óir is lér damh fén cuid mór dá locht ocus lorg an pinn do leanus" i.e. ". . . . and I am Donall; and you, fellow, that watch these fellows, blame me not, for it is sufficiently evident to myself that it [the text] has plenty of defects, seeing that I just followed 'the track of the pen' [i.e. copied, without sifting it, what I found before me]."

The first clause is technical, and not to be explained briefly.

iv. At f. 6 b, col. 2, lin. penult.:—"Atá damhna in idirlíne againn dá lige bhar nuamhan féin dúin a sgribhadh. tapógach sin a bhidhgaire" i.e. "We [viz. ' I '] have wherewithal to make a 'trap' [here], did but the fear of yourself permit us to write it. That will astonish you, ' O you that make us jump.' "

This conveys a hint that the preceding matter applies to Donall, to whom the same name is applied in a scribe's note, H. 3. 18 (T. C. D.), p. 450 inf.:—"In diadhais tar éis lae na haile fuite [leg. féile Muire ?] aniu ocus ailim trócair ó dia damh ar impí ó Muire óir isim sáncán atú ocus is doilge lium ná sin in bígaire (sic) do beith a bhfiabhrus ocus mé ag asgnam amáirech tar Sinainn eir a bpáirc damh 1564" i.e. "To-day is the 'dies' after Lady-day, and for myself, through Mary's intercession, I implore mercy of God, for 'I feel anyhow'; and I think still worse that 'the one that makes us jump' lies in fever, and I having to cross the Shannon [i.e. go home to Leinster, or perhaps Ormond] to-morrow. I am at Park. 1564."

v. At f. 14, col. 1, lin. ult. and marg. inf., colophon to art. 30:—"A dia a Domnaill is fada co mbiadhthá ac scripneoracht dam [MS. 2m] ocus mé fén a féchain imertha ocus is lang m' aoi co tigit in taos creatha as gach aird féile [MS. f.ii.] na croichi sunn" i.e. "My goodness, Donall, 'tis long before you'd be scrivening for me, and I looking on at others playing [gambling] ; and I think it all too long until the 'shivering fellows' return from various quarters. The Festival of the Cross is here."

vi. At f. 15, col. 2, 1. 4 inf., colophon to art. 32:—"Finit do'n tsiaparcarput ó Maghnus dá coibdelach féisin .i. Domnall ocus is imdua gné um nach coimleathaidh Domnall córusa fine damsa ocus co háirethi fána turus co Tuaim aniugh fada sin a aos cretha .i. Sémus ocus Cormac ocus Uilliam et reliqua. anno domini 1568. in Páirc mo loggggg" i.e. "An end made of 'The Supernatural Chariot' by Manus for his own kinsman Donall, and there are many points [of law] concerning which [or, 'in regard of which'] Donall does not to me fully extend the ' córus fine ' ['family law,' A. L. I., III p. 16], but specially in the matter of his trip to Tuam to-day. 'T is too tedious, you ' shivering fellows ' : James, and Cormac, and William, etc. A.D. 1568. The Park is my location."

The final 'g' is multiplied to fill up a short blank at the line's end, and there is a play upon 'cretha' gen. of 'crith' ['trembling,' 'ague,' 'palsy']; of 'creth' ['science,' 'art'], so that ' aos cretha ' means also ' my learned brothers '; and of 'crith' ['buying and selling,' 'traffic '], so that we may understand ' a gang of pedlars.'

vii. At f. 17 b, col. i, 1. 4 inf., colophon to a section of art. 35:—" Misi Domnall go nuigi aniu ocus tuigedh an té is luaithi cuigi innthaithmech in focail is domnall ocus bibh do chúnamh aigi cuigi .i. doman nuall slán duit a Cormaic go faiced. ocus fosernnaiter tar dligtib dilsi et reliqua a .uii. do cumalaib coir, cain.f." i.e. "Until this day I have been 'Domnall'; and he that for the purpose is most apt, let him understand what is the analysis of the word 'domnall'; to which end let him have this much by way of help [i.e. of a hint] : ' doman ' [i.e. ' the world '], 'nuall' [i.e. 'noise,' 'a report,' 'fame,' 'rumour']. I defy you, Cormac, till I ' see ' [you], and ..."

To bear out the above reading and translation, 'faiced' (with dotted f) must be taken as representing (according to a common practice) 'bhfaiced' The conclusion of the memorandum is technical and obscure, but ' cain. f.' probably stands for 'cáin fuithrime,' concerning which law cf. A. L. I., III 12.

Donall's quip was not lost upon the School [cf. (67) b, (71)], and the writers of (56), (81), shewed him that they knew his source i.e. the difficult tale in Harl. 5280, art. 39, where to a number of proper names are assigned equivalents (' kennings ') which to us must appear very far-fetched. At f. 59 b, 1. 12, of that MS. 'Domnall' is equated with 'nuall domain tarcadaich'; and in the next line 'Oed' [which means 'fire',] later 'Aedh,' 'Aodh,' anglicised 'Hugh,' the name of Donall's father, with 'tene nan nóenbémi' ['nan' interlined by another hand].

These profound jests cannot be discussed here.

viii. At f. 33 b, marg. inf., lin. ult., following (47):—"Cuir iat sin le céile go tuilledh orm sim nall doi [= misi Domnall]" i.e. "Put these together, along with more to oblige me. I'm Donall."

ix. At f. 44 b, col. 1, lin. antepenult.:—"Misi Domnall O Dubhdaboirinn mm---m---itir ur ocus iar ocus ní muill ara meil thgí .t.m.d. moi" i.e. "I am Donall O'Davoren . . ."

Quite enigmatical: the first------is crossed by f [the oghamic ' m '] ; the second by fff [' n ' of the same].

x. Ibid., marg. inf., lin. ult.:—" Togaim an turus sin qugam fén" i.e. "I elect to perform that journey myself."

xi. At f. 77 b, col. 2, lin. penult.:—" Cuirim cair ocus ualach an lebair so dím óir [ní mé] mebraigios ocus a cinta eir Cormac mac in Cosnadhaigh óir isé . . . ab reaur" i.e. "This book's ' blame and burden ' [i.e. ' responsibility '] I lay aside, since it is not I that study [the subject]; but its faults be upon the Cosny's son Cormac, for he it is that ..."

xii. At f. 78, col. 1, lin. ult.:—"Is fó lim in m[éti] sin do forbas aniugh ar in gcní [leg. gcin, his ' codex archetypus ']" i.e. "I am well pleased with that quantity of the old book which I have this day finished off."

xiii. At f. 78 b, col. 1, lin. ult.:—" A Cormaic is ort [MS. oit] is cóir a buidhaclms nó a diambuidhechus so do beith tuic [MS. tyc]" i.e. "Cormac, 'tis you that must be either thanked or ' unthanked ' for this. Understand [i.e. whether of the two, think you, do you deserve ?]."