Catalogue of Irish Manuscripts in the Royal Irish Academy
1226
DEVOTIONAL PROSE
15th cent. Vellum. 9 × 6¼, folios fairly uniform in size. Ff. 57, paginated in pencil, 1-114; an earlier pagination, identical with this, but faded, is that carried on to 3 B 23 (see infra). Pp. 53, 54 are a mere slip, mounted on fresh vellum. The folios have been detached from their conjugates and mounted on vellum, no trace of the original staves being left. The MS. is now bound out of order. Pp. 75-114 (to be read in the order 97-114, 77-96, 75, 76) should precede p. 53. there is no subscriptio, but the hand is that of Tadcc Ua Rigbardáin. The text is uniformly clear, in double column. Lining is partly by dry point, partly in brown, with marginal prickings. The handwriting is probably that of the same scribe throughout, the startling diversity in appearance, e.g., on p. 45, cols. a, b, being due to the uneven quality of the vellum used. P. 45 shows double spacing; the vellum seems to have been razed at this point. A whitish substance adheres to pp. 28-35, 86,87; it does not appear to be mildew. Pp. 1, 114 are defaced. Pp. 76, 77, 96, 97 are very rubbed or discoloured, as if they at one period formed the outer covers of separate sections. The proper sequence of the text at this point, viz., pp. 97-114, 77-96, 75, 76, proves that pp. 97, 76 once stood at the beginning and end of a section (cf. Scribal colophon p. 53i). The MS. has been carefully repaired with vellum. Pp. 109, 110 are roughly mended with coloured silk thread. Lacunae occur before pp. 33, 39, 77, 97, 113. The initial capitals on pp. 1-30, 97 to end, are rubricated; very inferior pigments, green and yellow, are used in other sections. Bd. in half leather; gilt lettered: “Formerly in Vallancey's Collection, see infra, p.1.
Signatures, of former owners, etc., occurring on the margins, include:-P. 5, “Tumultaugh O Haanly”; pp. 6, 7, inverted, “. . . . . Egane is the posseser of this Booke,” etc.; p. 13, inverted, “Daniell Kenedy his hand and seale the 24th day of June (?) 1692” (8 is superimposed on 9), cf. p. 54; p. 19, “Fynelly”; p. 40, “Cor. Egan”; p. 44, “To Mrs Magrett Kenedy att Bellafinvogth”; p. 45, inverted, “William Chivers” (?); p. 68, transverse, “These are to certyfie that this booke lunged to Margery Egan.” “To Mr. Philip Kenedy 1699”; p. 69, “Bradstreet”; p. 80, inverted, “Owen Coulahane his mark”; p. 84, inverted, “Jo Kenedy his hand. . . . .”
p.
1 , blank, an inscription (in English) has been erased. The sale number “1270.2” and a printed extract from the sale catalogue [Vallancey, 1813] are pasted to the page.
2 . Homily on the Passion and Death of Christ. Acephalous. Beg. Imperfectly na oslugad do tabairt fesa a ruin duit. Ends (p. 5) with the words ní fuair uatha acht a nduillebar .i. a mbriathra dimaeine a tighib geindtlidi idparta an tsenrechta ⁊ tech diles idhparta Ihesu ⁊ na croiche césta do faccbail folam. Finit.
5 , col. b m. Homily on the Virgin Mary. Beg. Utt dixit Bernardus in sermone de Beatha Maria Uirgine .i. adeir Bernard cidbe ní maith dob ail let do ullmugad tabair fa lamhaibh Muire hé. Ends p. 9, col. b m.
9 , col. b. Homily on Christian Government. Beg. Regnum celorum .i. do flathamnus Ihesu annso mar adeirair a mBethaid Beinidhecht naeim.
11 , col. b. Homily on the Love of God. Beg. Fons qui in alto oritur de facili ad loco inperiora diuertatur .i. in tobur tsuigigther a n-inad ard is urusa a tarring a n-inad ísil.
17 , col. a i. Homily on the Punishment due to Sin. Beg. Labrum do pein ifrinn andso mar adeir Eclesiasticus sa dara caibidil .xx. .i. a n-aimsir tslainti do chuirp, a duine, tabair t'aire re slainti th'anma.
25 , col. a i. Homily on Repentance. Beg. Paciencia secundum Augustinum qui pecencior fuerit (?) iniurian potenciorque constituitur in regno .i. Adeir Augustín cid cia bus foighidech ac fulang in andligid is é bus laidiri a flathamhnus.
30 , col. b i. Homily on Peace of Mind. Beg. Labrum anos don síd do réir Iop sa .ii. (?) caibidil .xx. a n-eisimplair coiméta na cathrach. Text ends on p. 32, col. b i.
There is a lacuna in the MS. before p. 33.
33 . Appeal to the sinner made by Our Saviour, who relates the story of His Passion. Acephalous. Beg. here, do oibrigh sé dom anmain ⁊ ar roméd mo ghradha-sa dó san. Ends p. 38, col. a m.
38 , col. a i. Homily on Repentance, with quotations from various authors. Beg. Briathar annso o Ambrosius. Do leighis dera Petair, ar sé, ⁊ nir leighis a lorgnimartha. Ends imperfectly (p. 38, col. b) owing to a lacuna in the MS.
There is a chasm before p. 39.
39 . Do GEINEMAIN MUIRI (see colophon, p. 52, col. a m.). Acephalous, owing to a lacuna in the MS. Beg. here do Dia ⁊ do tinoil a muigh⁊ a ceithri ⁊ do chuaidh isin fásach do fagbail ciunais (= 23 B 3, fo. 79A, 1. 20).
52 , col. a i. Litany of the Blessed Virgin. Beg. A Muire mor, a Muire is mo do na Muiredaibh.
The whole section, pp. 75-114 (to be read in the order 97-114, 77-96, 75, 76), should precede pp. 53, 54, p. 53 being thus read after p. 76.
53 /54 (a slip mounted on fresh vellum. Concluding section of the MEDITATIONES VITAE CHRISTI, see infra, p. 75. Corresponds to 3 B 27 (762, supra), p. 206, 1. 22 to end of text.
53 m. Ambrosius. Is sí so Timna ba Tigerna sa croich. See MEDITATIONES VITAE CHRISTI, infra, p. 75.
53 i. Scribal colophon, referring to material transcribed on this page: “Ar dered an caidreine ticc an beccán so tuas.”
54 , blank, save for faded scribbling.
55 . MEDITATIONES VITAE CHRISTI, see infra, p. 75. fragment here beg. Hic mititur Spiritus Sanctus .i. is andso cuirither an Spirad Naem anúas. Inserted here out of place; it belongs before p. 75 infra, and corresponds to 3 B 27, pp. 201, 1. 14, seqq. Ends ni testaigend molad ba conach uatha ⁊ rl (loc. cit., p. 202, 1. 7).
55 , col. b. Life of Mary (“De statu et modu uiuendi uirginis Marie [post] ascencionem fili[i] eius .i. do staid ⁊ do modh betha Muire tar eis a Meic do dul súas”). Beg. Oir do an Eoin suibiscél ac serbís don bantigerna. See 181, 101, etc. The text ends with a “Finit” on p. 74, col, b i.
75 . (Tomás Ó Bruacháin's version of Pseudo-Bonaventura, MEDITATIONES VITAE CHRISTI, see 23 B 3, fo. 77 i.) Acephalous, wrongly bound, and defective. The folios are to be read, 97-112, 113-114, 77-96, 75, 76, 53 in this order. Chasms in text occur, after pp. 112, 114. Taking the text as bound we meet first (p. 75; cf. however p. 55, supra) the section Hic in partes diuiditur liber iste (= 3 B 27, 762, supra, p. 202, 1. 17 ff.). This is followed (p. 75, col. b) by the section Tuic, a duine, curub a tri foirnib do taisben Mac Dé hE fein ar tus (loc.cit., p. 203, 1.22). This is the end of the Life ; p. 53, a mere slip, is added to accommodate the conclusion of text (see supra p. 53, and scribal colophon, p. 53 i.). Then follows (p. 53 m.) a short section ascribed to Ambrosius (beg. Is sí so Timna an Tigerna), which occurs in certain versions of the text, but not in 3 B 27. Text on pp. 77-96 corresponds to 3 B 27, pp. 165, 1. 15-201, 1. 14; that on pp. 97-112 to pp. 61, 1. 5-93, 1. 16 (loc. cit.); that on pp. 113-114 to pp. 97, 1. 20-102, 1. 2 (loc. cit.). P. 114, which stands as the last page of our MS., is defaced. This comparison with 3 B 27 shows the fragmentary nature of our copy. Its actual initial line occurs p. 97 : an tan sin ⁊ ac diden na cora ⁊ ac fulang an ingrema (loc. cit., p. 61, 1. 5). For a further section, which belongs before p. 75, see p. 55 of this MS.