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 THE LIBRARY 
 
 OF 
 
 THE UNIVERSITY 
 
 OE CALIEORNIA 
 
 LOS ANGELES
 
 A DESCRIPTIVE CATALOGUE OF 
 GAELIC MANUSCRIPTS
 
 A DESCRIPTIVE CATALOGUE 
 
 OF 
 
 GAELIC MANUSCRIPTS 
 
 IN THE 
 
 ADVOCATES' LIBRARY EDINBURGH, 
 
 AND 
 ELSEWHERE IN SCOTLAND 
 
 BY DONALD MACKINNON, M.A. 
 
 1>K0FESS0R OF CELTIC LANGUAGES, ETC. ETC. IN 
 THE UNIVERSITY OF EDINBURGH 
 
 Compiled at the instance of 
 
 JOHN, FOURTH MARQUESS OF BUTE, 
 
 through whose liberality it is published 
 
 EDINBURGH 
 PRINTED BY T. AND A. CONSTABLE 
 
 PRINTERS TO HIS MAJESTY 
 AND PUBLISHED BY 
 
 WILLIAM BROWN, 5 CASTLE STREET 
 1912
 
 Ja 1' "i
 
 
 PREFACE 
 
 In issuing this Catalogue, I beg to acknowledge the courtesy and 
 kindness which I have received from the owners and custodiers 
 of the Manuscripts herein described. 
 
 In particular, my grateful thanks are due to the Curators of 
 the Advocates' Library for the exceptional arrangements kindly 
 made by them which enabled me to read their large collection 
 of Gaelic MSS., and to the Keeper of the Library and his staff 
 for the courteous manner in which they carried out these 
 arrangements. 
 
 The frequent references to Mr. Standish Hayes O'Grady's 
 Catalogue of Irish MSS. in the British Museum show my 
 indebtedness to that excellent work. In reading the Medical 
 MSS. of the Scottish Collection, the Chapter on Medicine, etc. 
 in Mr. O'Grady's Catalogue was of much benefit to me. 
 
 I have also received Avilling aid from Professor Kuno 
 Meyer, LL.D., now of Berlin, in a variety of ways. 
 
 DON. MACKINNON. 
 
 University of Edinburgh, 
 March, 1912. 
 
 a 2
 
 CONTENTS 
 
 Introduction, PP- 1-4 
 
 MSS. IN ADVOCATES' LIBRARY 
 
 A— MSS. I-LXV 
 
 CHAPTER 
 
 I. Medicine, etc., pp. 5-71. 
 
 MSS. II, III, IV, IX, X, XI, XII, XIII, XIV, XVII, xviii, xx, xxi, xxii, 
 
 XXIII, XXV, XXVI, XXVII, XXXIII, XLI, LX. 
 
 II. Religious and Ecclesiastical, pp. 72-105. 
 
 MSS. I, V, VI, VII, XXIV, XXV, XXVI, xxix, xxxi, XXXVI, XXXIX, XL, 
 XLVII, XLVIII, XLIX, LIA^, LV, LVI, LVIII, LXIV, LXV. 
 
 III. History and Genealogy, pp. 106-28. 
 
 MSS. I, II, V, VI, VII, VIII IX, XXVIII, XXX, xxxvi, XXXVIII, xxxix, 
 XLI, XLTI, XLIIT, XLIV, XLVIII, XLIX, L, LI, LII, LV, LVIII. 
 
 IV. Legend and Lore, pp. 129-76. 
 
 MSS. V, XVI, XIX, XXVIII, XXXIV, XXXVI, XXXVIII, XXXIX, XL, XLIl, 
 XLV, XLVIII, LIII, LIV, LV, LVI, LVII, LVIII, LIX, LXI, LXII, LXV. 
 
 V. Legal, Lexical, Grammatical, pp. 177-82. 
 
 Legal, MS. vii ; Lexical, MSS. vii, xxxviii, lxv ; Grammatical, 
 
 MSS. I, VI, VII, LVII, LVIII. 
 
 VI. Maxims, Triads, Proverbs, pp. 183-93. 
 
 Maxims (Sayings, Instructions), MSS. i, ii, vii, xlii, lvii ; Triads, 
 MSS. I, VII, XLII ; Proverbs, MSS. lxii, lxv. 
 
 VII. Gaelic Versions of Classical Epics, pp. 194-202. 
 MSS. VIII, XV, XIX, xLvi. 
 
 VIII. Miscellaneous, pp. 203-16. 
 
 MSS. V, XIX, XXXVI, XXXVIII, XXXIX, XLVIII, LV, LVII, LVIII, LXII, 
 LXIII, LXV. 
 
 IX. Special Account of Three MSS., pp. 217-46. 
 MSS. xxxii, XXXV, xxxvii.
 
 viii CATALOGUE OF GAELIC MANUSCRIPTS 
 
 B— APPENDIX I, pp. 247-82, and pp. 327-8. 
 I. MSS. Lxvi-civ, pp. 247-06 :— 
 
 (1) Dictionaries and Vocabularies : MSS. lxvi-lxxvi, lxxxi, xci- 
 
 xcviii, c, CI. 
 
 (2) Transcripts : MSS. lxxvii-lxxxi, lxxxiti-lxxxvi, lxxxix, xc, civ. 
 
 (3) Analysis of Gaelic MSS. : MS. lxxxii. 
 
 (4) Heroic Verse: MSS. lxxxvii, i.xxxviii, cii. 
 
 (5) Translations : MS. xcix, cm. 
 
 II. MSS. IN Boxes, pp. 267-81 :~ 
 
 (1) The Skene Box— (a) Life of St. Patrick ; (b) Grant's MS. (Ossianic 
 
 Ballads) ; (c) two MSS. in Scots ; (d) Translations and Extracts 
 in English and Welsh ; (e) fugitive papers. 
 
 (2) Box 2 — Sundries : Portion of large medical MS. ; Ossianic collec- 
 
 tions of Pope, Fletcher, Macdonald of Staffa, Campbell, Portree ; 
 Turner (?) MS. ; Tale of the Big Fool ; Vocabulary ; D. C. Macpher- 
 son's Texts from the Dean of Lismore ; papers on the Ossianic 
 Controversy ; stray ballads. 
 
 (3) Box 3 — Dr. Macdonald's Collection ; specimens of Ewen Maclach- 
 
 lan's Translations from the Iliad ; papers on the Ossianic Contro- 
 versy ; individual ballads and poems. 
 
 (4) Box 4 — Fragmentary vocabularies ; papers on the Ossianic Controversy 
 
 and the Highland Society's Dictionary ; a few poems and ballads. 
 
 III. Mr. J. F. Campbell's MSS., pp. 281-2. 
 
 APPENDIX II, pp. 283-312. 
 MSS. IN OTHER LIBRARIES 
 I. MSS. IN Edinburgh University : — 
 
 (1) Beaton Medical MS., pp. 283-6. 
 
 (2) Jerome Stone's MSS., pp. 286-90. 
 
 (3) Portion of a Gaelic Grammar, p. 290. 
 
 (4) Dr. Irvine's Collection, p. 291. 
 
 (5) MSS. of Rev. Thomas Innes and Rev. Robert Kirke, pp. 291-2. 
 
 (6) Collection of Irish Poems and Songs, pp. 292-4. 
 
 (7) Volume of Translation by Rev. D. Maclnnes, p. 294.
 
 TABLE OF CONTENTS ix 
 
 II. MSS. IN H. M. Register House, Edinburgh :— 
 
 (1) The Islay Charter, p. 295. 
 
 (2) Contract of Fosterage, p. 296. 
 
 (3) Elegy on Sir Duncan Campbell of Glenurchy, p. 297. 
 
 III. MS. IN THE LlHRARY OF THE SOCIETY OF ANTIQUARIES OF SCOTLAND: — 
 
 A Gaelic Version of the Lilimn Medicinae, pp. 298-301. 
 
 IV. MSS. IN THE University of Glasgow : — 
 
 (1) The Maclagan Collection, 302-10. 
 
 (2) The Fernaig MS. (described pp. 267-271). 
 
 (2) Papers, etc., of the Rev. Dr. Cameron, pp. 310-12. 
 
 (4) MS. of Dr. Macbain's Etymological Dictionary, p. 312. 
 
 APPENDIX III, pp. 313-22. 
 MSS. IN PRIVATE POSSESSION 
 
 I. MSS. IN the Writer's Possession :— 
 
 (1) An Imperfect Copy of the Treatise on Materia Medica, p. 313. 
 
 (2) Portion of Commentary on Aristotle's De Anima, pp. 313-4. 
 
 (3) Portion of Ricardus's Treatise on Medicine, pj). 314-5. 
 
 (4) Two volumes compiled by Rev. John Smith. Contents miscellane- 
 
 ous, pp. 315-8. 
 
 II. Dr. Henderson's MSS. :— 
 
 (1) A Ratisbon MS., pp. 318-9. 
 
 (2) The M'Nicol Collection, 319-20. 
 
 III. Dr. Hew Morrison's MS. :— 
 
 A MS. copy of Rob Donn's Poems, p. 321. 
 
 IV. Rev. John W. Macintyre's MSS. : — 
 
 (1) The Second Transcript, by Mr. Ewen Maclachlan, of the Dean of 
 
 Lismore's MS., p. 321. 
 
 (2) An English-Gaelic Dictionary, p. 321. 
 
 (3) A copy of Macdiarmid's Collection of Gaelic Proverbs, p. 321. 
 
 V. Captain Matheson's Collection of Poems and Songs : — 
 Three Small Volumes, pp. 321-2.
 
 X CATALOGUE OF GAELIC MANUSCRIPTS 
 
 APPENDIX IV, pp. 323-6. 
 MSS. Lost or Missing : — 
 
 (1) The Records of the Isles, p. 325. 
 
 (2) Translation of the Old Testament, p. 325. 
 
 (3) Farquharson's Collection, p. 326. 
 
 [Note on MSS. of Scottish oriii;in on the Continent, in England, and in 
 Canada, ])p. 3-23-4.] 
 
 ADDITIONS AND CORRECTIONS, pp. 327-8. 
 INDEX :— 
 
 I. Authors and principal Persons, pp. 329-39. 
 II. Principal Subjects and Treatises, pp. 339-45. 
 
 III. Other MSS. quoted or referred to, pp. 345-6. 
 
 IV. Books and Periodicals quoted or referred to, pp. 346-8.
 
 ABBREVIATIONS 
 
 Arch. Brit, = Archseologia Britannica, by Edward Lhuyd. Oxford. 1707. 
 
 Arch. fiir. Celt. Lexih. = Archiv fiir Celtische Lexikographie. 
 
 Atk. — Passions and Homilies from Leabhar Breac, by Professor Atkinson . . . 
 
 Dublin. 1887. 
 B.B. = Book of Ballymote, published in photograjjli, by the Royal Irish Academy. 
 B.L. = Book of Lismore, a MS. in Lismore Castle, Ireland. 
 Boil. = Bodleian Library, Oxford. 
 B. of iec. = Book of Lecan, a MS. in R. I. A., Dublin. 
 Brit. Mils. = British Museum. 
 Celt. Mag. = Celtic Magazine. 
 Celt. Rev. = Celtic Review. 
 
 CeZ^. &o<. = Celtic Scotland, by W. F. Skene. 3 vols. Edinburgh, 1876-80. 
 i).L. =Dean of Lismore's Book. Edinburgh, 1862. 
 D.L. MS. = Manuscript of the Dean of Lismore ( = No. xxxvii). 
 Dr. M'L. = The Rev. Dr. Thomas MacLauchlan. 
 % = Egerton { = MSS. in Brit. Mus.). 
 E. M^L. = Ewen Maclachlan, of Fortwilliain and Aberdeen. 
 Fasti = Fasti Ecclesia? Scoticame, Hew Scott, D.D. 
 i'^.M. = Annals of the Four Masters, edited by John O'Donovan, LL.D. 
 Gael. Journ. = Gaelic Joui-nal (Dublin). 
 G. S. I. = Transactions of the Gaelic Society of Inverness. 
 High. Soc. of Lond. = Highland Society of London. 
 High. Soc. of Scot. = Highland (and Agricultural) Society of Scotland. 
 J/./S.Z>. = Highland Society's Dictionary. 
 
 It. Texte. = Irische Texte, Stokes and Windisch. 4 vols. Leipzig. 
 Ir. Texte mit Wort. = Irische Texte mit Worterbuch, by Professor Windisch. 
 
 Leipzig. 1880. 
 Juh. — Essai d'un Catalogue de la Literature Epiques de I'lrlande . . . par H. 
 
 d'Arbois de Jubainville. Paris. 1883. 
 K.M. =Dr. Kuno Meyer. 
 L.Br. = Leabhar Breac or Speckled Book, published in facsimile by the Royal 
 
 Irish Academy. Dublin. 1876. 
 jC.O. = Leabhar Caol 'Narrow Book' (No. lxxxiii), a vol. of Transcripts by 
 
 Ewen Maclachlan. 
 Jf.F. = Leabhar na Feinne. London. 1872.
 
 xii CATALOGUR OF OAELIC MANUSCRIPTS 
 
 L.L. -The Boitk of Loinster, piililisliod in fiicsiiiiile by tlie Royal Irish Acafleniy. 
 
 18H0. 
 I/.f7. = Loahh:ir na h-l'i.lhri or Book of the Dun (Cow), published in facsimile 
 
 by the Royal Irish Acadciny. 1870. 
 Mann, and ('H.s^ = Manners iimi Customs of the Ancient Irish, by Eugene 
 
 O'Curry, M. K. I. A. 3 vols. Dublin. 1K73. 
 MS (S). 3/(i^ = Manuscript Materials of Ancient Irish History, by Eugene 
 
 O'Curry, M. R. I. A. Dublin. 1878. 
 CfC. = Eugene O'Curry. 
 O'Gr. C<it. = A Catalogue of Irish MSS. in the British Muscuni, by Standish 
 
 Hayes O'Grady. 
 OR. = A Chronological Account of Irish Writers . . . Ijy Edward O'Reilly. 
 
 . . . Dublin. 1820. 
 J?au>^ = Rawlinson (MSS. in Bodl. Library). 
 U«^. Oeii. = Reliquia? Celticje. 2 vols. Inverness. 1892,1894. 
 Rej). on Oss. = Report of the Committee of the Highland Society of Scotland. . . . 
 
 (upon) the Poems of Ossian. Edinburgh. 1805. 
 Rev. Celt. = Revue Celtique. 
 R. I. J. = Royal Irish Academy. 
 
 R. M'fK = Ranald Macdonald (Collection of Gaelic Poetry, Edinburgh. 1776). 
 Sil^c). (?(((/. = Silva Gadelica, A Collection of Tales by Standish H. O'Grady. 
 
 2 vols. Williams and Norgate. 1892. 
 St. Baiih. Hos2). = St. Bartholomew's Hospital, London. 
 T. a i). = Trinity College, Dublin. 
 W. H, r. = Wfst Highland Tales, by J. F. Campbell. 4 vols. Edinburgh. 
 
 1860, 1862. 
 Y.B.L. = YcWow Book of Lecan, published in photograph by the Royal Irish 
 
 Academy. Dublin. 
 Zeit.fur Celt. Fh il . — Zeitschi-'dt fiir Celtische Philologie.
 
 INTRODUCTION 
 
 The Collection of Gaelic Manuscripts known as the Scottish 
 or Advocates' Library Collection contains nearly all that now 
 remains of the old literature of the Gael written or preserved 
 in Scotland, together with a considerable amount of literary 
 debris written or transcribed in comparatively recent years. 
 The origin of the Collection is explained in the following note 
 (Dean of Lismore's Book : Edinburgh, 1862, p. vii. n.) written 
 by the late W. F. Skene, LL.D., D.C.L., etc. etc. :— 
 
 ' This collection has been formed within the last few years 
 mainly through the instrumentality of the writer. When he 
 commenced, the Faculty of Advocates possessed four Gaelic 
 MSS. The collection now consists of sixty-five. 
 
 ' The waiter formed the plan of collecting the remains of the 
 MS. Gaelic literature of Scotland, which was rapidly disappear- 
 ing, into one place, where they could be preserved, by inducing 
 the possessors of Gaelic MSS. to deposit them in some public 
 library for preservation ; and as the Faculty of Advocates were 
 already in the possession of some MSS., their library was 
 evidently the most appropriate depository for this purpose. The 
 valuable MSS. belonging to the Highland [now the Highland 
 and Agricultural] Society of Scotland formed the basis of the 
 collection ; the Directors and their Secretary, John Hall 
 Maxwell, Esq., C.B., having at once responded to the call, and 
 the fortunate discovery of the Kilbride Collection, which its 
 possessor likewise agreed to deposit, added a large number. 
 The remainder consists of MSS. deposited by individual 
 possessors, and the collection now embraces nearly all the MSS. 
 known or believed still to exist. 
 
 ' It is hoped that, if any Gaelic MSS. still remain in the 
 hands of individual possessors, they will add to the value of 
 
 A
 
 2 CATALOGUE OF GAKMC MANUSCRIPTS 
 
 this collection b}' making- tJiuiii known, :ui'l dejiositint^^ tlicin in 
 the Advocates' Library for preservation. 
 
 'The MSS. ai-o preserved in a hacked cabinet, and a general 
 catalognc of the whole has been prepared by the writer.' 
 
 The following information regarding the ownership of these 
 sixty-five MSS. is taken from Dr. Skene's Catalogue:— 
 
 MSS. I-IV are the jjroperty of the Facnity of Advocates. 
 
 MSS. V-XXXVI, as also MS. LIII, were the property of 
 the MLachlans of Kilbride in Nether Lorn. Major 
 M'Lachlan gave five of these (XXXII-XXXVI) to the 
 Highland Society: LIII was obtained by Sir William 
 MaeLeod Bannatyne, through the Rev. John Mackinnon 
 of (llendaniel, and sent to the Society. The remainder 
 (V-XXXI) disappeared, and were eventually found in the 
 repositories of a deceased man of business in Glasgow 
 who had been agent for the family, and deposited by his 
 successors in the Advocates' Library. These twenty- seven 
 MSS. are marked 'Kilbride Collection,' and are numbered 
 1 to 27 as well as V-XXXI. The signature ' H. Kerr ' (or 
 ' H. K.'), that of the agent who handed them over to the 
 Library, appears frequently on the pages. {Gf. also 
 pp. 280-4 and p. 290 of Appendix to the Report of the 
 Committee of the Highland Societ}' on the nature and 
 authenticity of the Poems of Ossian. Edin. 1805.) 
 
 MSS. XXXVI-LII were obtained from the Highland Society 
 of London. 
 
 MSS. LIV-LVII were evidently at one time the property of 
 Peter Turner, a soldier, who published a collection of 
 Gaelic Poetry in LSI 8. 
 
 MSS. LVIII-LXV are the property of the Highland Society, 
 but from whom obtained is unknown. 
 
 Dr. Skene appended to his Catalogue an account of other 
 fifteen volumes which are ' Copies of, or Transcripts from, 
 ancient MSS. and modern collections of poetry made chiefly 
 from recitation.' These are: (1) Analysis of the contents of 
 fourteen MSS. belonging to the Highland Society by Ewen 
 M'Lachlan; (2) Copies and extracts from these MSS. by Ewen
 
 INTRODUCTION 3 
 
 M'Lachlan ; (3) A transcript of the MS. of the Dean of Lismore 
 by Ewen M'Lachlan ; (4) Copy of the small volume erroneously 
 called the Leahhar Dearg or Red Book of Clanranald by Donald 
 M'Intosh ; (5) A volume containing the Tale called Olrjcdd 
 Gloinne Tuirenn; the Poems of Ossian in Gaelic from the 
 printed edition, and the Span Da na, written in the Irish charac- 
 ters, by John Sinclair, Glasgow; (6) The first collection of 
 Ossianic poetry by Duncan Kennedy; (7) The second collection of 
 Duncan Kennedy (two vols, bound in one) ; (8) Copy by Mr. D. 
 M'Intosh of a transcript of two ancient Gaelic MSS., the first 
 by Ewen Macphadric at DunstafFnage, 1603, the second by 
 Ewen Maclean for Colin Campbell before 1690 ; (9) A paper 
 portfolio, containing a fragment of a poem ascribed to Ossian, 
 with the Gaelic text on one page, and a translation on the 
 other ; (10) A paper MS. containing in Gaelic Sgeula no Laoidh 
 an Amadain mlioir, ' The Tale or Lay of the great Fool'; (11) 
 A small paper MS. containing a translation of the above (no. 10) ; 
 (12) A paper MS. containing copies of poems collected by 
 Macdonald of Staffa; (13) A small MS. collection, containing 
 six Ossianic ballads; (14) A MS. collection of poetry com- 
 mencing with Marhhrainn Eoin Diuc Earraghaoidheil 
 Elegy on John, Duke of Argyll'; (15) Loose leaves containing 
 copies of Gaelic poems. 
 
 Considerable additions have been made to the Collection 
 during the last forty-five years. The late Mr. J. F. Campbell 
 bequeathed several MS. Volumes to the Advocates' Library con- 
 taining, among other matter, many Gaelic Tales not printed by 
 him. A number of MSS., apparently overlooked by Dr. Skene 
 and Mr. Maxwell, have in recent 3^ears been transferred from 
 the Library of the Highland Society to the Advocates' Library. 
 Dr. Skene himself bequeathed the Celtic MSS. collected by him 
 to the same Library, while others have been deposited by 
 various benefactors. 
 
 Dr. Skene's Catalogue was hurriedly done, and gives but a 
 vague account of the MSS. in the Collection even at that time. 
 It has thus become desirable to prepare a more detailed Catalogue 
 of the larger Collection now in existence, and to add, as an
 
 4 CATAmaUK OF aARLIO MANUSCHTI'TR 
 
 Appendix, an acciount, of (iaclic MSS. elsewhere in Scotland, so 
 far as known to the writer. For Facility of reference, an attempt 
 has hecn made to classify the MSS. according- to the natnre of 
 their contents. Hut inasnuich as many of them as now bonnd 
 up treat of a variety of snbjects, there is frc(|ii(;ntly an a])piir('nt 
 overlapi^ini:^. Still it is to bo lioped tliat (laeru; S(;holars will 
 benefit by the arrannement adopted, imperfect in some respects 
 though it be. 
 
 In printing the (iaelic extracts the orthography of each MS. 
 is preserved ; ordinary contractions are silently extended, except 
 in doubtful cases when the extension is shoAvn in different ty]ic : 
 and the mark of aspiration (a dot over the consonant) is, in 
 deference to the usage in printing Scottish Gaelic, represented 
 by the letter h following the consonant.
 
 CHAPTER I 
 
 MEDICINE, ETC. ETC. 
 
 The old Physicians whose works the Gaelic-speaking practi- 
 tioners of Scotland and Ireland studied, translated, and com- 
 mented upon, included within the sphere of their study not 
 merely Medicine and the Physical Sciences as known to them, 
 but also Astronomy and Astrology, as well as Philosophy and 
 Metaphysics. In this extended sense the Medical section of the 
 Scottish Collection of Gaelic MSS. is very large. The fact is 
 mainly due to the zeal and industry of a family of the name of 
 M'Beath, latinised Betonus, now Beaton, who flourished for 
 several centuries in Islay as hereditary physicians, and who 
 spread from the original home to Mull, Skye ^ and Uist in the 
 Isles, as well as to Sutherlandshire and other places on the 
 Mainland. According to the pedigree of the family preserved 
 in the Laing MS. (fol. 103a) in the University of Edinburgh, 
 the founder Beath{a), a descendant of Niall of the Nine Hostages, 
 came from Ireland to Scotland, and tradition has it that he 
 came in the train of the Lady O'Cathain or O'Kane who married 
 Aonghas Og of the Isles, the warm friend and supporter of 
 Robert the Bruce. Another family of the name of O'Conacher, 
 later M'Conacher, also from Ireland as the name would indi- 
 cate, settled as physicians in Lorn in Argyllshire, and prac- 
 tised their profession for many generations in the district, 
 latterly in Airdoran near Oban. This family did not attain to 
 the celebrity of the Beatons. But the name O'Conacher appears 
 on several of the MSS., and MS. LX, one of the largest in the 
 Medical section, Avas written for Duncan O'Conacher early in 
 the seventeenth century. These hereditary physicians practised 
 their profession in the Highlands and Islands down to compara- 
 
 1 The Skye Beatons or Ik'thunes, or some of them, claim to be descended 
 
 from the Bethunes of Balfour in Fife. 
 
 6
 
 6 CATAT-OniTE OF (lAETJU MANUSCKIITS [MS. II 
 
 tivcly recent times, and hence the MSS. whicli lliey rated so 
 highly were preserved more carefully than others. The old 
 documents, it need hardly he said, are of little or no medical 
 value in our day; but in the liistory of the Highlands and of 
 the Gaelic Language and Literature, they Avill always remain 
 of the greatest importance. 
 
 The MSS. whose contents arc wholly or largely Medical are 
 the followini'- : — 
 
 MS. II 
 
 This is a collection of fragments of several j\lSS. of various 
 dates. The volume, like i\lSS. I and III, is bound in calf, and 
 stamped in gold letters : ' Bibliotheca Advocatorum. MSS. in 
 Literis Hibernicis.' The MS. was sent to the Advocates' Library 
 by the Rev. Donald Macqueen, minister of Kilmuir, Skye 
 (Rep. on Oss., App. p. 294), who also sent a copy of the 
 Gaelic translation of Bernard Gordon's Lilium Medichiae to 
 the Society of Scottish Antiquaries. At present, the MS., count- 
 ing the merest scraps, consists of 148 leaves, 104 of parchment 
 and 44 of paper. From a note on fol. 65b it would appear that 
 at a former time it consisted of 106 leaves only : an med duilog 
 ata aim sa leahharsa .|. G as 5 xx, 'the number of leaves in 
 this book is six and five score.' 
 
 Several memoranda, in Gaelic and English, are entered here 
 and there on margins and blank spaces of the MS. On fol. 16b 
 e.g. the scribe complains of his bad handwriting. On fol. 42b is 
 the following note: — Mhefer na droc/t litracJt, do graihli no a 
 haile tlilyherna blieinne Edair .\. Eoin Mc DomJiuadl J is fa da 
 am dh/iitJifdJt an diufgJi me. ' I, John sonof Donald, am the inferior 
 scribe who wrote this in the stead of the lord of Ben Edar (the 
 Hill of Howth), and far from my country am I this day.' This 
 John son of Donald may well have been the father of Duncan 
 son of John son of Donald son of Duncan O'Conacher for Avhom 
 MS. LX was written. The following entry on fol. 65b shows 
 that the MS, or a portion of it belonged to Malcolm M'Beath or 
 Bethune, probably one of the Skye physicians: Liher Malcohni 
 Betune. Ag so Icahar Giolla Colaiin Meighethadh 7 tabhraid gach
 
 MS. II] MEDICINE, ETC. 7 
 
 neach a Irgfas so hendaelrf ar aninvAnfir an leahJiair si. Amen. 
 ' The book of Malcolm Bethime. Here is the book of Malcolm 
 MacBeath, and let every one who reads this bestow a blessing 
 on the owner of this book. Amen.' Again on fol. 66a the MS., 
 or that section of it, is claimed for Duncan M'Conachcr, probably 
 the Duncan for whom MS. LX was written, while on fol. 124a 
 is the entry on the top margin leahar Eoin rnic Conatbair, 
 ' the book of John M'Conacher,' the father, evidently, of Duncan, 
 and the John son of Donald mentioned above. 
 
 A small portion of the contents of the MS. is non-medi- 
 cal : e.r/. 
 
 On fol. 17b are two lays, the first addressed to one of the sons 
 of Tuirenn, commencing : — 
 
 (Jabh na cinn-si ar li-ucht a uair 
 A meic Tuirinn arm-maidh 
 ' Receive these heads oa thy breast betimes 
 Red-weapoiied son of Tuirenn ' ; 
 
 and the second, one of the lays of Deirdre, — that commencing 
 
 A Naisi decha do ncll 
 ' Naise look ou thy cloud ' (wraith ?) 
 
 and printed in Irische Texte, ii, 133, and Celtic Revieiv, i, 116, of 
 which two quatrains, the fourth and seventh, are here awanting. 
 
 Fols. 20-26 consist of notes in Latin (the last sentence in 
 Gaelic) on months of the year. Apostles, and Saints. 
 
 Fols. 66-70, contain a copy of the well-known Tecosc 
 Chorbma Ic, ' the Precepts of Cormac' 
 
 Fol. 79 and fol. 88 are taken up with Annals. 
 
 On fol. 116 is a wordy description of an unsightl}^ caillcneli 
 or hag, written in the exaggerated, alliterative style met with in 
 the so-called runs or rctorics of Gaelic Tales. 
 
 Owing to the number of separate MSS. contained in the 
 volume there is great overlapping. The following is a very 
 brief summary of the contents : — 
 
 Fols. 1-3 are of small folio size, parchment. The subject is 
 the commencement of a well-written tract on the Constellations,
 
 8 CATALOGUE OF GAELIC MANUSCRIPTS [MS. II 
 
 openin<]c thus : Fiarfa'ujter aiinso calin renn fwil dim {s)ii/n(U'r 
 edit' Ueisccarf j tmiisceart. Nl insa. ' It is enquired here how 
 many stars are in the sky, north and south. Not difficult (to 
 tell).' There are thirteen in the south and eight in the north. 
 The names are given, with explanatory legends from Greek 
 and Roman mythology. From Aries onwards they are figured. 
 
 Fols. 4-19 are of ordinar}' quarto size, parchment. These may 
 possibly have formed part of one MS. at one time ; if so, it is now 
 very fragmentary, and the leaves are, besides, mixed up in bind- 
 ing. Thus on fol. 6 commences a detailed treatise on the lenna 
 or ' humours ' following an earlier one, now lost, on the ' com- 
 plexions ': Coinposisiones sunt qivator, etc. do lahramur do 
 na coimplexaib don taib tuas dinn labhruni anois do na 
 lennaib, ' Having spoken above of the complexions let us 
 now speak of the humours.' The subject is concluded on 
 fol. 12a, with the docquet Finid. Amen. But fols. 4 and 5, as 
 also fols. 14, 15, are a part of the treatise. A number of authors 
 are cited, chiefly Aristotle, xAvicenna, Constantinus, Galen, Hali, 
 Hippocrates, Johanisius, Isaac.^ Detached paragraphs, physical, 
 metaphysical, and astrological, appear on fols. 12, 16, 17, 19, with, 
 occasionally, medical matters interspersed. Authorities cited, — 
 Plato, Liconsis ( = Liconensis ?), Pythagoras, Paulinus, Jacobus de 
 Forlivio. On fol. 13 (continued on fol. 18) are several para- 
 graphs on the medical virtue of quickliTne, lilium, etc., — a subject 
 treated systematically in MSS. Ill and LX. Particularly notice- 
 able here are the virtues attributed to the strecus (stretits), 
 properly stercus, of goat, sheep, cow, pig, mouse, wild duck, 
 pigeon, dog, swallow and hen. Avicenna and Rhazes are 
 cited. 
 
 Fols. 20-26 are small leaves of parchment measuring only 
 3 in. by 2. The handwriting is particularly good. The subject 
 has been referred to above. 
 
 Fols. 27-70 are of paper, of various sizes of quarto. The 
 writing is in different hands, all evidently of the seventeenth 
 or early eighteenth century. Fol. 27 is written in English; 
 subject, — the bones of the head. 
 
 Fols. 28-32 contain a fragment of a treatise on Urine, opening 
 
 ^ For notices of the principal authorities quoted in the Gaelic Medical MSS. 
 V. O'Grady'a Catalogue of Irish MSS. in the British Museum, p. 173, et seq.
 
 MS. II] MEDICINE, ETC. 9 
 
 with a ' canon ' of Hippocrates : qiiihus urine grose vel (/rase 
 .|. ised ader Ipocraid is in canoin so, etc. : ' This is what Hippo- 
 crates says in this canon.' Besides Hippocrates, Bernard Gordon, 
 Egidius, Galen, Isaac and Theophihis are cited. 
 
 Fols. 33-58 are reversed in binding. The contents cover a 
 wide field, with not infrequent repetition. Interspersed are 
 many charms, with mnemonic words or a pater to make 
 them efficacious. One such was (fol. 33) applied by Fionn 
 (the great Gaelic hero) to the eye of (St.) Moling; another 
 makes the hair of the colour of gold; a third restores reason 
 to the insane. Thereafter (fol. 34) is an account of the 
 thirty-four veins that may be opened, and the ailments which 
 they relieve. The symptoms of Causon and a list of the dis- 
 eases prevalent in Autumn follow. Fols. 35-6 give an elaborate 
 section on Definition, in which Feallsam ' The Philosopher ' 
 {i.e. Aristotle), Socrates, Plato, and Prophorius are quoted. 
 Then comes (fol. 37) a quotation from the fourth book of 
 Hippocrates's Ainprismorwm on Pregnancy, with a commentary 
 in Avhich Gilbertinus, John of Damascus, ' the Latin authors,' 
 and others are cited. A section on the Planets (airdrenna), 
 their position (siiidiugud), their harmony (comaentugud) with 
 the four elements (duile) and with each other, follows. Fols. 
 44-47 are taken up with definitions and explanations of Sp>iritus, 
 dolor, inedicina, the various varieties of fevers, etc. Boesius 
 Boethius), Betrus (Petrus) Mustinus, Athteothus (Tateus ?)) 
 and Gilbertinus are cited. The last named is credited with 
 the maxim : Porta mentis est visus, which is rendered into 
 Gaelic, — Is e dorus na menonan an radarc. Detached para- 
 graphs follow (fols. 48-50), including an elaborate prescription 
 for the cure of Gout in the joints (guta nan alt); the medical 
 properties of gold ; the nine adhara or materials which make 
 up triacla ; also the nine of which neir)ih or poison is composed. 
 On fols. 51-55 is an abstract of a portion of an elaborate tract 
 on Urine in which a number of technical terms are given in 
 Latin and Gaelic, with the riagla or regulae pertaining to each, 
 according to Egidius. From fol. 55 to end of 58 the subject 
 is chiefly metaphysical : the three principles (tosaigl) of Nature, 
 — Materia, Forma, Privacio — in explanation of which Feallsam 
 (Aristotle) is quoted. Then follow the three cuisi or ' causes '
 
 10 CATAI.OdlTK OF (IAKI-K; manuscripts [MS. II 
 
 of tho 'humdiirs' with tlio medicines tliiit purge and evacuate 
 them. 
 
 Fols. 5!)-(!") arc of larger quarto and in a different liand, large 
 and fresli, the suhject rather miscellaneous. Jleat and moisture 
 are the influencing causes of many diseases. A list of the 
 diseases caused by each is given with their sub-varieties. Lithra, 
 ' Leprosy,' e.;/., has twelve varieties. The tract goes on to explain, 
 Infer alia, such matters as, — how food avoids the wind-pipe and 
 enters the gullet ; how a drunk man preserves the use of his 
 limbs but not of his faculties; how cnuimk cinn na droma (the 
 bone of the neck?) once broken Avill not join again, the reason 
 given being that it does not have fiviir ' marrow ' but inchinn 
 ' brain (matter) ' ; the three bones that form after birth,' — land 
 hafhaisi ' fontanellc,' jiacail 'tooth,' and fairdi gluioie 'the 
 patella or knee cap ' ; directions for taking baths, etc. etc. 
 
 The last layer of paper (fols. 66-70) contains Tecosc 
 Cliorhmaic, already referred to. 
 
 The remainder of the volume consists of not fewer than 
 eleven separate layers of parchment, all of quarto size, some 
 larger, some smaller. Three of them, fols. 79, 88 and 130, are 
 detached leaves. Fols. 79 and 88 are non-medical, — Annals, as 
 already stated. Fol. 130a gives the last sentence of a lost text 
 7 is cumacldaclt marbiis gach uile pestif, 'and it effectually 
 kills all kinds of worms Under this four concentric circles are 
 roughly drawn, with notes accompanying each. At the foot 
 of the page, and in a different hand, is a charm written in Latin, 
 with direction, in Gaelic, to put it under the belt of a pregnant 
 woman and that she will bring forth the infant at once. On 
 the verso of the leaf two concentric circles are neatly drawn, 
 with numerals representing the years, and the days of the 
 months of March and April. Superimposed on the centre of 
 these circles is a circular disc on which a grotesque figure, said 
 in the text to represent an angel, is drawn. This overlapping 
 circle is neatly fastened to the leaf with a thong, and revolves. 
 The text explains how the hand and foot of the angel will point 
 to the day on which Easter falls in any year, vv^hether in March 
 or April. At the foot of the page charms are given in Latin 
 and Gaelic. 
 
 Fols. 71-8 are written in a good hand, sometimes in single,
 
 MS. II] MEDICINE, ETC. 11 
 
 sometimes in double, column. Various diseases and their cures 
 are named. Among tlie cures, in addition to special recipes, 
 clysters, baths, with suitable foods and drinks, are prescribed. 
 The directions regarding baths on fol. 65 {supra) may be from this 
 older text, — the two are practically the same. The authorities 
 cited are chiefly Ebe Mesne, Isaac, Macer, and Platearius. 
 
 Fols. 80-87. The tract is written in a good clear hand, in 
 double column, with space left for capitals at the beginning of 
 chapters. The contents are various : (1) A chapter on Avounds, 
 external and internal, with their cure. Avicenna and Galen are 
 cited. A version of this chapter is found also in MS. XIII, 
 (6) fol. 7b. (2) On Hydrophobia, or as the Gaelic writers have it, 
 Idrofoirhia. The symptoms are vividly described, and various 
 remedies are suggested, Gilbertinus being the authority cited. 
 This chapter is also in MS. XIII (6) fol. 8b. (3) An interesting 
 chapter, also found in MS. XIII (6) fol. 7a, is entitled Be amove 
 hereos. It is explained that hereos in Greek is equivalent to 
 generosus in Latin, and to uasal in Gaelic. Ovid is quoted to 
 show that love is a partial judge, and that the lover is blind. 
 The origin of the malady is traced and its symptoms described 
 in detail. As to the cure, if the afflicted one is otherwise a 
 rational person, an ecnaidJt or 'wise man' is recommended to 
 reason or frighten him out of his infatuation. If he is an 
 irrational youth, the first remedy suggested is a good sound 
 whipping. Ovid's cure for such cases — continuous hard work — 
 is mentioned, as also that of Pythagoras, — travel, change of 
 country and scone. If none of these avail, the last remedy 
 recommended is to introduce to the demented one a ragged 
 ugly old hag who is to revile his mamorain to her heart's 
 content. Should this final efibrt fail, the man must be possessed 
 of a devil, and his case is hopeless. (4) Recipes for various dis- 
 orders and ailments are given on fols. 82-3, among them one 
 said to be used by the women of Salerno to promote fecundity. 
 (5) Detailed remedies for the cure of lenn ruad ' choler,' lenn 
 fuar (occasionally written lenn Jinn) ' phlegm,' and lenn duhh 
 'melancholia' are given; the proper quantity of the medicines 
 to be used, and the mode of preparing them. Ebe Mesne is 
 the authority cited, and he is referred to for further informa- 
 tion. The chapter is headed quoniam quidem de amicis meis
 
 12 CATALOGUE OF GAELIC MANUSCRIPTS [MS. II 
 
 (fol. 84a), and compares with a more elaborate cha))ter on the 
 same subject in MS. XXVII, fol. 4, which is similarly intro- 
 duced : Do guidider mo qut caniid is fen' agaiiii sgrihilut cu 
 citmair, etc.: ' My best friends have rc(|ucsted mc to write con- 
 cisely,' etc. A paragraph, after Platearius, on the cure of Gout, 
 follows (fol. 86a), which concludes thus: Et muna leor andubram- 
 ar and so rith cum in eefJtrmnad caihdel dJicg de Gilihertinus 7 
 do geabhair co leor aim jrL ' And if what we have said does not 
 suffice speed thee to the 14th chapter of Gilbertinus, and you 
 will find enough there,' etc. (6) A paragraph on the virtues of 
 aqua vitae or uisge hefJiad 'water of life' (whisky?) follows 
 (fol. 88b). They are many. Every virtue found in balsam is 
 in uisge hetliad. It boils eggs, preserves fish and flesh, and is 
 good for a variety of diseases, ailments, sores, etc. Then comes 
 a paragraph on Eggs and the proper mode of cooking them. 
 The author tells us that hens' eggs are the best, and of these 
 the 3^olk is the best part; and that wild ducks' eggs are not 
 so nourishing nor so digestible as geese's egorg. 
 
 Fols. 89-95 consist of seven leaves of smaller quarto written in 
 several hands, beginning with diseases of the qjq, and specially 
 Cataract. Various salves are recommended, one of which applied 
 by the writer cured a patient who had been blind twenty-five 
 years. Another favourite remedy was communicated by the 
 author to his companions, and was thereafter known as uisge 
 nan companacJi, 'companions' wash.' Among other ailments itch 
 in. the eyebrows, shedding of the eyelashes, redness of eyes caused, 
 inter alia, by reading minute script, are treated of. Then comes 
 Toothache ; a special cure for Sciatica, Podagra, etc. On p. 93 
 is a ' precept ' which the writer received o seinn liaigh errisdin- 
 each ar hrigaih an rosa marincc, ' from an old Saracen physician 
 (cf. Revue Celtique, xix. 385) on the virtues of Rosemary.' These 
 are named, and are even more numerous than those of aqtva 
 vitae. After a paragraph on heart diseases, several recipes are 
 given for Epilepsy (galar tuiteniacli), among them an urchasg 
 do rinne deamlian do mhnaoi ar techt cuige a richt duine, 'a 
 specific which a demon who had come to her in the guise of a 
 man gave to a woman.' A short paragraph from Rhazes on 
 the veins of the hand Avhich may be opened ; various rules in 
 medical practice ; and tables of weights and measures conclude
 
 MS. II] MEDICINE, ETC. 1 3 
 
 tliis layer. [A fuller tabic of the weights and measures of 
 physicians and apothecaries is given in MS. LX.] 
 
 Fols. 90-100 consist of eleven loaves of which the last four are 
 of smaller size and reversed in binding, but the te.xt is contiiuious. 
 Epilepsy is considered in its three varieties of Epilencia proper, 
 Analincia,, and Catalincia. The subject is again taken up later 
 (fol. 98), where, on the authorit}' of Almasor, the disease is said 
 to be under lunar influence, and where, as on fol. 95, several 
 recipes and charms are given as remedies. There is a paragraph 
 on ' the doses of the inir<ioi(le ' (emetics), the first named beino- 
 yeraconstantinus, so called after its author. Four causes of 
 drunkenness are named, with five diseases proceeding therefrom. 
 A paragraph on the hlasa or ' tastes ' from Arnaldus follows on 
 fol 97. Reverting to wounds, the writer remarks that the old 
 are cured in more ways than the young (fol. 98), and later 
 (fol. 101a) he has a long and very interesting paragraph on the 
 treatment (including dressing, food, and drink of patient), of 
 tendons when cut across {do leigheas na fetheth noch gerrtar 
 tarrsna). Diseases of the teeth, viartirtiae, and other organs; 
 the influence of the planets in certain processes, according to 
 Aristotle (feallsaTti), with salves and charms are given on fols. 
 100-102. After this comes (fols. 102b-103a) the legend of the 
 
 discovery of Hippocrates's Arcanum which commences thus : 
 
 Peritis'hnus omnium rerum Ipocras et cetera .\. eochair gach 
 uile eoluis Ipocraid ro furail eolas J aithne bais j bethadh 
 ann sna, li-uile corrpaibh do sgribhad anbetlui deginach 7 a cur 
 an a comraidlt da n-annl(ac)adh lets 7 d'ordaigli, a, cur fona 
 cinn ar li-egla na fellsum eile d'fadbail (x diriduis 7 a ruinCr) 
 7 secreide a craldld: 'Hippocrates, the key of all knowledge, at 
 the end of his life enjoined that the knowledge and cognisance 
 of death and life of all bodies be written and placed in a casket 
 to be buried with him ; and he ordered it to be put under his 
 head for fear that the other philosophers should discover his 
 arcanum and his mystery and his heart's secret.' The legend 
 goes on to relate how, long afterwards, the Emperor Ca3sar 
 ordered the tomb to be opened, in the hope of finding treasure. 
 When the casket was found the Emperor ordered his physician 
 to examine its contents, and he found that this was the 
 arcanum or ' secret ' of Hippocrates. A summary of the
 
 14 CATALOGUE OF OAELTC MANUSCRIPTS |MS. II 
 
 contents of the ciiskot I'uUows. |A less lull aei-oinit is roiiiid in 
 the Brit. Mus. MS. 'Additional 15,582,' ii MS. written in 1503 
 by David Kearny for John MlJeath or Beaton (of Islay or 
 Mull), and printed in O'Gr.'s Cat., p. 265. Cf. also p. 282 of the 
 same Cat. for another version in Brit. Mus. MS. ' Egerton 
 159.'] 
 
 A full but not very methodical cha])tor on the veins, based 
 on lihazes (v. snpni), — the months and days proper for opening 
 them ; the benefit derived ; and the treatment proper to the 
 patient, appears on fols. 103-106. In case of elf/enfa.s ' e\nerg- 
 ency,' it is stated that no rule save eirjrnf(i..s itself can be laid 
 down. The docquet Fluid shows that the chapter is concluded. 
 Paragraphs on the foods, etc., proper in the various months 
 closes this layer. Sanctiis Bedus is cited. 
 
 Fols. 107-117 consist of eleven scraps of vellum in different 
 hands, containing a variety of matter. The first five (fols. 107- 
 111) treat of the responsibility of the physician in cases of injuries, 
 and the fee (log) which he is entitled to receive from members 
 of the various social grades. Such questions are discussed in the 
 ' Laws,' rather than in the medical MSS. I have not come upon 
 the text here given in the published volumes of the Ancient 
 Laws of Ireland {Senchus ^mor), but cf. references luider ' Doctor,' 
 ' Physician,' in the Indices to Vols. i. iii. iv. A number of charms 
 against burning, drowning, wounding, etc., as also maxims in 
 Latin and Gaelic, appear on fols. 112-114. Detached paragraphs 
 on ' Why sea water is salt' ; ' the four dislracJda (properties) of 
 fish'; 'Anthrax,' ' Carbunculus,' etc., take up fols. 116-7, Isaac 
 and Galen being the authorities cited. 
 
 Fols. 118-123 are six leaves of small quarto, two of which 
 (120-1) are in point of subject unconnected with the others. All 
 are fragmentary. Fol. 118a contains faisgelta hais j hdhad . . . 
 tnar foillsig{es) G(alen) is na fersagah so, ' prognostications of 
 death and life ... as Galen explains in these verses.' On 
 fol. 118b comes the following paragraph from Hippocrates: — 
 
 Do ctiingellaib an chrechaid annso sis oir adeir Ipocraid 
 an tan cra'paid na hoill o crwpan na fethe co n-dleghar an 
 creacliadh do denanih an tan sin 7 in icair sinter na hoill o 
 imarcraidh fiichesichta ar na dortadh cum nan alt dlegliar an 
 creacliadh do denam malle h-iaro{7i) deni no malle h-uma. Et
 
 MS. II] MEDICINE, ETC. 15 
 
 na ho'dl o teid an spirut J an tes nadnrra 7 hhls nialle sel/mJie 
 athnuaighiter iat on creachadh mallle li-umJta no re h-laro{n) 
 7 adeir Ipocraid co lelghlder greamanna na glim 7 na niudh- 
 ornan J na n-<dt co h-ndidh. on creachad. El adeir Ipocraid 
 na hoill 7 na h-ailt 7 ua fefJte cruaidfer o ledradli, no o losgudh 
 no tuitini co leighiater iat on a creachadh. 7 adermaid mar 
 in cetna do spa,8niu8 an drovia (MS. droinha) 7 an inuineil 
 an tan tic o cruadhadk na. n-alt no na fethe ata sinti leth a 
 muigh 7 an tan his o cimtaibh na fethe bis a stigh tuicter a con- 
 trardha so. 7 adeir fos co leighister att nafiacal on creachadh 7 
 go n-glanta/r an anail uadha sin. 7 bidh a fis agad go fuilidh- 
 inaid ann nach coir do creachadh mar ata craidhe cos 7 land/ 
 7 dubhliatli laiine 7 cusle na rigedh 7 corrhhragad 7 j^oll arach. 
 7 (ier(7-f?asachtac7i (7) riiadh -rosac/t {MS. dg. d'. r. ros') 7 (jach 
 inadh a m-bi bualad an imlsa seachainter e, 7 gan dhenam an 
 aimsir fii.air CO hrdch: ' Of the conditions of the Cautery here 
 below, — for Hippocrates says that when the limbs contracffrom 
 shrinkage of the sinews they ought then to be cauterised, and 
 when the limbs are elongated through excess of moisture pre- 
 cipitating to the joints, they ought to be cauterised with red-hot 
 iron or brass. And the limbs from which their spirit and 
 natural heat depart and are benumbed will be reinvigorated by 
 cauterising (them) with brass or iron. And Hippocrates says 
 that pains in the knees and ankles and joints generally are 
 cured by the cautery. Hippocrates says also that the limbs and 
 joints and sinews which are stiffened through bruising or burn- 
 ing or falling are cured by being cauterised. We say the same 
 regarding spasm in the back or neck when it proceeds from 
 stiffening of the joints and sinews that are external ; but when 
 inwardly from the nerves, the contrary is the case. He says 
 further that swelling of the gums (teeth) is cured by the cautery, 
 and the breath purified thereby. But know that there are places 
 which must not be cauterised, — such as the soles (heart) of the 
 feet and the palms (heart) of the hands; ball of thumb (lit. the 
 spleen of the hand) ; vein of the fore-arm ; bend of the neck ; 
 hollow of the temples ; raging mad and delirious (people). Also 
 every place in which beating of the pulse is (felt) is to be 
 avoided. And it (the cautery) is never to be resorted to in a 
 cold season.' [A version of this paragraph is also in Brit. Mus.
 
 16 CATALOCI'K OlMIAKLIC IMAXUSCKIPTS |MS. II 
 
 MS. 'Additional, 15,582,' and is ])riiil,cd ihorolVnni in O'Gr. 
 Cat., p. 2(iS.| 
 
 As an example of the exactness with which reference to 
 authors and treatises is sometimes made in these MSS. take the 
 following' (121a): Taif/ coiudxiir Au amnsa 2 Ictdxtr <ni,itsa 4 
 caihfh'l (/on cet forceadal co fuH a;/ iiu IcirilieHdih aeiida oihriffiK/ 
 uilUlh i 7 ()ihri(/nd rtoiiKiif/Jifhc j <>d>ri(/'ii<l Is cosmail re /i-oihri;/- 
 ud liUid/ii, ' Be it known to you that Av(iccnna) says in the 
 second book, and in the fourth chapter of the first thesis, that 
 the uncompounded medicines have an universal action and a 
 particular action, and (also) an action that is like to the universal 
 action.' These being exemplified, a further reference is made to 
 the same authority's first book of the fourth forceadal in the 
 first fen or ' section ' of the first chapter thereof. A paragraph 
 on the caindidheacld 'quantity,' cailidheacht 'quality,' and stih- 
 staint ' content ' of deoc]t ' drink,' with Arnaldus on the ' tastes,' 
 (cf. snpra, p. 13) follows; after which the vicAv of S. (?) that 
 although beans {ponuire) were boiled for three days, their 
 ' windiness ' (gaethmairecht) would not be removed, whereas 
 the contrary is true of barley {eorna). Fols. 122-3 refer to 
 various diseases and their remedies, — Bernard (Gordon), Galen, 
 Gilbertinus, Hippocrates, Isaac, and Rogerus being cited. 
 
 Fols. 124-129 consist of six leaves of small quarto; hand good; 
 subject, medical and metaphysical, but somewhat mixed and 
 scrappy. The text commences De gradibus, — on the ceimenna 
 or ' degrees,' where ' Authors,' ' Doctors,' Avicenna, Averroes (the 
 5th book of his ColUget), and Geraldus de Sola are cited. Fols. 
 125-6 are metaphysical, Plat(o), Aristotle and Johanisius being 
 the authorities. Fols. 127-9 revert to medicine: Artetica, 
 Apoplexia, Poison, the three Appetites of Hippocrates, Aromatics, 
 being discussed ; and Avicenna, Commentator, Hippocrates and 
 Sofista {aiinsa leabar lahrus do na crannaih ' in the book which 
 treats of trees ') cited. 
 
 Fols. 131-148. The last layer, consisting of eighteen leaves, 
 ordinary quarto size, is written in a very good hand, in single 
 column. Up to the middle of fol. 133a the hand is somewhat 
 cramped, while the first and last pages are legible only in part. 
 Here and there letters are daubed in red. There is a gap between 
 fols. 133 and 134. The treatise is practical, — a description of a
 
 MS. IIIJ MEDICINE, ETC. 17 
 
 large variety of diseases and their cure. It opens with a chapter 
 on Pleurisy, distinguishing between real Pleurisy and what is not 
 so. The cure for the disease professes to be taken mairita is in 
 bhiaitlc uair Ipocras, 7 Constant In di ordaiyk mar sin he, 'as 
 it is in the viatic whicli Hippocrates discovered, and which was 
 laid down in that form by Constantine.' Then follows the treat- 
 ment of a large number of diseases and ailments, the last being 
 in clock fuail ' gravel.' Among the list (fol. 145b) place is 
 found for a paragraph de demoniam cdcficiato .\.do na lyiseochaib 
 7 genntleacht, ' of w^izardry and heathenism.' The authorities 
 cited are Avicenna (whose name is in this layer often written 
 in full), Constantine, Galen, and Hippocrates ; less frequently 
 Alibertus (in libro de plant is), Gerardus, Gilbertinus, Isaac, 
 Macer, Nicolaus, Platearius, and Ricardi. 
 
 The authors cited or referred to throufjhout the MS. number 
 over forty. 
 
 MS. Ill 
 
 MS. Ill consists of eighty-five leaves of parchment, small 
 quarto size, stoutly bound in calf and, like MS. II, stamped 
 ' Bibliotheca Advocatorum : MSS. Literis Hibernicis.' The recto 
 of fol. 1 and the verso of fol. 85 are firmly pasted and pressed 
 into the cover. When and how the MS. came to the Library is 
 unknown. Fourteen leaves of vellum of uniform size, and con- 
 taining a Calendar Avritten in a fine hand, were stitched in at the 
 end of the MS. after binding. 
 
 The MS. was probably written in the fifteenth century ; one 
 should say with some confidence that a portion of it was written 
 early in that century. At one time it was the property of John 
 M'Beath or Beaton, one of the famous family of physicians. 
 On fol. 53b John Beaton, in 1677 corrected to 1671, writes his 
 name in Greek characters, with ' 20 die Septe.' written opposite 
 in English script ; and on fol. 85a is the entry, somewhat 
 indistinct: Anrogach (leg. anrathachl) misi an diu aig fuacht 
 agus aig oc(ras) agus ni cIotyi cleoin agus fost ni leginn a less. 
 E{oin) M'Bh{eathadh). 1671. ' Unfortunate am I this day, cold 
 and hungry, and not of my own will, and besides I did not need 
 
 B
 
 18 CATALOGUK OK CAKl.KJ M ANMT.S(MM ITS [MS. Ill 
 
 to. John .MvBoiitJi. 1(171.' AnotJiur oiiLry on tlie smiic piii^u, 
 ' Duiicane Stewart," in bji'^lish scrij)!, suL;'L;c.sts that tltc iMS. was 
 at one time his property. A third, not very legible, AiUan 
 Stiuar{t) a'dian M'DkoiincluuUi oig rom sgriohh .so a Icabar 
 Shemiiis M'NollaiTnh may mean ' Alan Stewart, Alan son of 
 Duncan junior wrote this for me in the book of James son of 
 the Doctor.' 
 
 The contents of the MS. IVoni fol. U) to SOa are a copy of 
 a Treatise on Materia Medica, being a descriptive list of the 
 articles. Animal, Vegetable, Mineral, which the physicians of the 
 Middle Ages used for medicinal purposes. Five Gaelic copies 
 of this Treatise arc known: — 
 
 1. An imperfect copy in the British i\Iuseum ('Additional 
 15,403') containing 167 articles. This MS. is of the fifteenth 
 century and was noticed by Dr. Norman Moore in a paper on 
 the History of Medicine in Ireland, printed in St. Bartholomew 
 Hospital Reports, xi. p. 164, and by M. Henri Gaidoz in the 
 Beu. Celt. vii. p. 165. Dr. Whitley Stokes printed the headings 
 of the articles in this copy, with translation and comment, in 
 the Rev. Celt. ix. pp. 224-240; and Mr. O'Gr. in his Cat. (pp. 
 224-231) has further described 'Additional 15,403,' and printed, 
 with translation, several Articles from the MS. 
 
 2. A copy in a vellum MS. of the fifteenth centurj^ belong- 
 ing to the Earl of Crawford and preserved in the Haigh Hall 
 library. This MS. is described by Dr. Stokes in The Academy 
 of May 16, 1896, who prints from it, with translation and notes, 
 the headings of 118 articles awantin^ in the British Museum 
 copy. 
 
 3. The copy in this MS. 
 
 . 4. A copy in MS. LX, the fullest of the five. It has 312 
 separate articles, as against 286 in MS. Ill, and 285 in the British 
 Museum and Crawford MSS. combined. 
 
 5. A copy in a fifteenth century vellum MS. in the writer's 
 possession. This copy is defective, containing 167 articles 
 only. 
 
 The copy in MS. Ill was, in its original state, complete, and 
 well written by a competent scribe who was a good Gaelic
 
 MS. Ill I MEDICINE, ETC. 19 
 
 scholar, aiul who wrote Latin more correctly than is usnal in 
 these MSS. As in the other copies the Hst of Articles is 
 arranged alphabetically under their Latin names according to 
 the letters A, Jj, C, etc., but not within the several letters. Thus 
 the first Article is Aran hai'bd, while the second is Acasia and 
 the third Ahsint. Preceding each letter was an index in (laelic, 
 naming in their order the several items treated under it. Thus, 
 the index to A, with the general heading, Tittil ann so do reir 
 Flatearius, ' The Title (Index) here according to Platearius/ 
 commences Don geidhalr ' of the cuckoo-spit,' the full heading 
 in the text being Aran harha, iar\is,pes uitidi .|. tri Jt-anmanna 
 in glteidJiir, ' Aran harha, iarus, pes uituli, i.e. the three names 
 of the cuckoo-spit.' The Latin names were written in capitals 
 and coloured red, while the initial letter is elaborately drawn. 
 
 As it now is, the list is incomplete. Under ' C,' e.g. the 
 Articles on cinaglosa, cinis oirnnis, cito ualens, coconidiinn, 
 codion, ceriisa and cihapiruvi are awanting, both in text and 
 index. The lists under ' L ' and ' jM ' are also incomplete, — 
 the Articles on laudanum, lapis lazuli, lauriola, lapis agapis, 
 licium, litargirum, mas, maculata trefolium, wcanda, maru- 
 hium, mastix, mellago, mirra, mandrago, and merahuluTYi, as 
 written in LX, being awanting. There are no indices to ' L,' 
 ' M,' or ' R.' Two leaves of ' L/ written in different ink, are 
 stitched in between conium and corallus ruheus, while the 
 remainder of the Articles under ' L,' with those under ' M,' ' N,' 
 ' 0,' ' P,' ' Q,' in different hands and ink, divide the text of the 
 Article on Diptanus pulegium artis. On the other hand an 
 Article on Feihrid fucca .\. an midur huaidh is found in 
 MS. Ill only. From fol. 54a onwards the MS. is written in an 
 excelleiit but later hand, without colouring of capitals or initial 
 letters. 
 
 The Articles are all written on a uniform plan. The name 
 is first given in Latin, and then in Gaelic. The ' quality ' and 
 ' degree ' follow, and then the medical properties, whether singly 
 or in composition with others, are enumerated. Iris, e.g. is 
 thus treated: i7'is .{. gloiriam 7 ataid tri h-anmanna air .|. 
 Ireos 7 glaldinus 7 iris, iris .\. blath mar chorcair bis air. ireos 
 .|. blath geal bhis air. glaidiniLs .[. blath crocha his air. 7 atd in 
 liiih so te tirim sa ii {ceim). A prenih do thinol an deredh an
 
 20 CATALOGUE OIMIAKIJO MANUSCRUTS | MS. Ill 
 
 erraigh 7 heridJi a briglt, dci hlladaui iuidu . 7 aid brtgh Incac/t 
 diureiticich innfi j o{s)l.airidJi duinti nut f<{eUgi) 7 na n-drann 
 7 in Usa 7 is onor fkogliud.s si an agald urcoide na m-hall spir- 
 (udalta) 7 tinnis an gailc tic 6 gJt((,othinarecht. A jjudar do cur 
 is na cnedaibJi, 7 coiscidh an ainfeoil 7 glanaidh, iad, etc. etc. 
 ' /ris; i.e. gloiriam. It has three names, ireos, glaidinus and iris. 
 The flower of iris is purple, while that of ireos is white, and of 
 glaidinus saffron colour. This plant is hot and dry in the 
 second degree. If its root is gathered in the end of spring it 
 preserves its virtue for two years. It has a laxative diuretic 
 virtue, and it removes the obstructions of the spleen, the kidneys 
 and the bladder. It is a powerful remedy against troubles of 
 the spiritual organs, and stomach ailments that proceed from 
 flatulence. Its powder put on sores checks proud flesh and 
 cleans them,' etc. etc. 
 
 Frequently anecdotes, superstitions, and folk-beliefs are 
 mentioned. Thus in the Article on coniuvi (Kcoveiov) .|. rof< 
 na inoingi mire, ' the seed of the hemlock,' after its medical 
 virtues are enumerated, it is added, is di gairter erha interfecit 
 socratem .|. in luib neocli ro nnarh socratevi, 'It is it that is 
 called e. i. s. viz., the herb that killed Socrates.' Again of 
 Margarite this account is given, — .|. a nemaind,'^ fuar tirim 
 in clock so 7 a sligen do gabar t . 7 is amlaid fasus in uair 
 osglas an sleigean gcdjJiaid a Ian do drucht nemaidhi cuigi 
 dunaigh ana timcill 7 do ni clock de. A nemainn ina, in-bia j^oll 
 do reir na{duire) fein is i (as) f err ann 7 a betJi geal 7 ata hrigk 
 comurtackt an croidki ann 7 curter a lectuairibli. Et mad ailt 
 a n&mann do betk geal tobkuir do jpcata cohtim da k-itke 7 leicter 
 di an a gaile tri k-uaire no ceatkair J scoilter an t-en ainnsen 
 7 boinnter an clock as 7 bi/lk glan solus deallradacJi da eise, — 
 ' Margarita, i.e. a pearl. This stone is cold, dry, and is found in 
 a shell. And it is formed (lit. grows) in this way. When the 
 shell opens it takes in its fill of poisonous dew, closes around it, 
 and turns it into stone. The pearl that has a natural hollow 
 in it is best, if also white. It is comforting in heart afiections, 
 and is put in electuaries. And if you wish to make the pearl 
 white, give it to a pet pigeon to eat, and let it be left in its crop 
 (stomach) for three or four hours. Then cut up the bird and 
 remove the stone, and it will be pure, clear, brilliant thereafter.'
 
 MS. Ill] MEDICINE, ETC. 21 
 
 The following description is given of ' Mummy ' or muniia, 
 as here written: J. gnr spiHraldli ie tirim sa 3 ceiin 7 is ann 
 dogeihhter e sa hahUoin a crichaihh na padhanach 7 na serisd- 
 inacQi) 7 antan adlaicter tifierna an tire sin cuirter inoran 
 do mirr 7 do omiscus 7 do halsainuin 7 do spisradaihh uaisle 
 deghhcdaidJt ina timceall 7 an tan leaghas an corp dogeihhter 
 na, piidar min lad 7 ni hfuil do na h-uilidli halada.ihli nis ferr 
 haladh na siad. In tan tocter an comra dogeihhter e amesc na 
 cnam na iJiular min 7 aia hrigh fasdochach ann 7 coisge fola. 
 Is mor foghnus do lucht emetoica 7 don lucht cuiris fuil tar 
 am hel a inacli 7 an aigidh disinteria 7 na fola mista. Is mor 
 foghnus haladh na guime sin an aimsir an drocJt. aer truaillnide: 
 ' (Mummy), i.e. a kind of spice, hot, dry in the third degree. 
 And it is found in Babylon, in the country of the Pagans and 
 Saracens. When the lords of that land are buried, much myrrh 
 and musk and balsam and other noble fragrant spices is placed 
 around them ; and when the body dissolves these are found as 
 fine powder, and of all odours none are more fragrant than they. 
 When the coffin is opened it is found as fine powder among 
 the bones. It has a constrictive force, and stops the flow of 
 blood. It greatly relieves those who use emetics (?) and those 
 who vomit blood, and it is a powerful remedy in dysentery and 
 catamenia. The odour of this gum is highly beneficial in foul 
 polluted atmosphere.' 
 
 The names of the plants in English, Latin, and Greek, with 
 other occasional notes, are frequently given on the margin, 
 written in English, Roman, and Greek script, evidently in the 
 hand of .John Beaton. 
 
 The authority chiefly relied upon is Platearius. After him 
 come Avicenna, Constantinus, Ebe Mesne, Isaac and Rhazes, 
 with occasional references to Galen, Hippocrates, Macer, Gil- 
 bertus, Dioscorides, Averroes and Alexander. 
 
 At the end of the Treatise an interesting colophon recites the 
 sources and origin of it : gurah amlaid sin faghltamaid crich 
 inmholta cumair tarbhach ar an leaharsa noch do tairrngedh a 
 h-ainntitairibh 7 a h-eisimlairihh catrach salernitani 7 do reir 
 stuider comaontaigh do dhocturibh shleihhii^isalaAn 7 aduhradar 
 na "tnaighistrecha sin gach ni tinnscainter an ainm de gurab 
 dingmala a crichnugud an ainm de gurab amlaid sin do crich-
 
 22 CATALOGUE OF GAELIC MANUSCRI ITS [MS. Ill 
 
 nuighedh an Icabar so o tadhg hua ciiinn .}. haisiler a hhjisujecht 
 a mi octimhir a sollaniain lucdis suihhisceoil 7 is iad do 
 h'uimir hlladan 6 f/helii crista co n-uifje sin .\. mile hliadan 7 
 an .c. hliadan 7 v hliadna dh&j ni is mo J gac(h) neach leghfas 
 an leidxirsa tahraid, hennarld ar <inm<(iu faidlitj i cluivnn J (//illla 
 padraic hi challanain neach do g]i<d)h h-e an r/aidheilcc. F. i.n.i.t. 
 amen. Misi gilla coluim : ' And thus wc bring to a close in a 
 praiseworthy, concise and prolitablc manner, this book whicli has 
 been extracted from the Aid Idotarii^ and specimens of the city 
 of Salerno, and the kindred researches of the Doctors of Mont- 
 pelier. And these Masters said that whatsoever was begun in the 
 name of God it was fitting that it should be ended in the name 
 of God. And even so we have finished this book from (by ?) 
 Teague O'Quinn, Bachelor in Medicine, in the month of October, 
 on the festival of Luke the Evangelist. And the number of years 
 from the birth of Christ until then was one thousand and four 
 hundred and fifteen in addition. And lot every one who reads 
 this book bestow a blessing on the sovd of Teague O'Quinn, 
 and of Gilpatrick O'Callanan who translated it into Gaelic. It 
 endeth. Amen. I (am) Malcolm.' Who Malcolm, the scribe of 
 this copy, was, is unknown. The name was common in Ireland 
 and Scotland. 
 
 Immediately following this colophon, and in the same hand, 
 are several recipes and charms for wounds, burns by water or fire, 
 loss of reason, loss of speech, etc. etc., on to fol. 81b, 1. 10, when 
 comes again f. i. n. i. t. reXos-. Memoranda in Latin and Gaelic, 
 in inferior hand, follow to the foot of the page, and along the 
 margin is written in English script, and in clear firm hand : 
 Finem composui, sit laus et gloria CJtristo ; gloria p)erpetiLa sit 
 trihuenda Deo. Afiev : Xeyo avvai.. The Latin memorandum on 
 fol. 81b is repeated on fol. 82b in the same inferior hand. 
 Otherwise fols. 82, 83, 84 are blank. Then follows the Calendar, 
 already mentioned, — the MS. ending with fol. 85, pasted to the 
 cover. 
 
 1 Antidotarius est liber contra vitia et morbos. Ducauge (ed. 1883) x.v.
 
 MS. IVl MEDICINE, ETC. 23 
 
 MS. IV 
 
 This is an interesting little vellum MS. containing at present 
 ninety-nine leaves, measuring only 2h inches by If. It is in the 
 original skin binding, firmly fastened with thong, but some of 
 the leaves are now loose, and the text is not continuous between 
 fols. 60 and 61. Tassels of skin depend from the cover, and 
 an old coin is firmly fastened to it with a thong wherewith to 
 close the volume. The MS. was originally, it would appear, 
 meant to be carried about as a Breviary or book of devotion 
 by a monk, for fols. l-22a contain a copy of Psalm 118 (now 
 119) carefully written in Latin and adhering closely to the 
 Vulgate, while on fols. •22b and 23b are short prayers, also 
 in Latin. 
 
 But whatever the original intention, the subject proper of 
 the MS., as it now is, commences on fol. 25a, and consists of a 
 large collection of definitions and explanations of technical 
 terms by the great authorities, mainly in Medicine but inter- 
 spersed with not a few in Philosophy and Theology. The dis- 
 cussion opens (fol. 25a) with a pregnant sentence from Galen : 
 Quein scientia uiuicat non tnoritur, Galienus dicit in septimo 
 de ingenio s{anitatis) .|. Ader .G. in 7° .d. ing.s. gach nech aith- 
 heodaighes an ealadha ni marh h-e. gurab uime sin do h'ail lim 
 in coinpendium so ar dejinicion gach aon neth da jicjither 
 duin do scribadh' uair is tre difon na nethed ticniait do cum a 
 n-aitJine j a tucsina j o se Dia is cruthoir duin is do is coir 
 duin labairt ar tus. Et doberar in denuin so fair. Deus est 
 spera integralis cuius scntriim est utrobique circumferencia 
 uero nusquam .]. is ed is Dia ann sjjeir comlan ag a fuil a 
 sentruim in gach ri-en inad nach etir do timcliilliugud na do 
 tacmong : ' Galen says in the seventh (book) of his (treatise) de 
 ingenio Sanitatis that he whom science animates is not dead. 
 Wherefore I desire to write this Compendium on the definition 
 of everything we see, for it is by the definition of things that we 
 come to know and understand them ; and because God is our 
 Creator it is of him we ought to speak first. And this defini- 
 tion is given of him : i.e. God is a complete sphere whose centre 
 is everywhere, (but) who cannot be surrounded or touched.'
 
 24 CATALOCJUE OF GAELIC MANUSCKirXy [MS. IV 
 
 Tlirougliout tlie MS. the writer uses the native word (Inuini 
 and the borrowed word (IrfiiiUlon iiidillerently. The fact that 
 he writes n to represent tlio Latin r {s('ntrmn = centrum), and 
 that such words as drfinitio, jyriracio, etc., arc written in (laehc 
 with a final h {dcjinieon, privacdn are his usual forms), points 
 to the influence of English sounds and fonus upon the author. 
 A deiinition of Finuauicnt follows, after which the observation 
 is made that the physician ought to know somewhat of Astro- 
 logy, for the seven airdrenna. ' planets ' influence disease u])on 
 certain days and hours, — two of them, Jupiter and Venus, for 
 good ; tAvo, Saturn and Mars, for evil ; while three, Sol, 
 Mercury, and Luna, are inviedonacJi, sometimes for good, some- 
 times for evil. Then come definitions and explanations of, 
 inter alia, ' Element,' Substance, Form, Science, Body, Soul, 
 Spirit, Organ, etc. etc., by Plato, Aristotle, Augustine, Thomas 
 Aquinas, and many others. 
 
 A new section on the connection of Soul and Body com- 
 mences on fol. 43b, where, amons^ other matters, are discussed 
 (1) Things according to nature, of which Constantinus names 
 four, — lenna ' humours,' haill ' organs,' spirut ' spirit,' con- 
 cumusg j oihriugiid ' composition and action.' These generate 
 disease. (2) Things not natural. Tateus enumerates six in 
 this class, — aer ' air,' hiad ' food,' deoch ' drink,' cumscugud 
 ' motion,' cumsanad ' rest,' fohnugud 7 Una ' depletion and 
 repletion.' From these proceed aicidi na h-annna ' the accidents 
 of the souk' (3) Things contrary to nature. There are three of 
 these, — galar, cuis in galair, aicid in galair, ' disease, the cause 
 of the disease, and the accident of it.' Then follow explana- 
 tions of ' Conservation of health,' ' Prognostication,' onedicina, 
 doctrina, scientia, ]prude,ntia, intellectus, sajoientia, ojiinio, 
 nnorgud ' Putrefaction,' 'plaigh ' Plague,' etc., by Franciscus of 
 Montpelier, Galen, Isaac, the Author, Avicenna and others. 
 
 On fol. 56b comes another section on special diseases. 
 ' Gadisten ' explains apostema.\. nescoit. Guide has the following 
 paragraph on Contucon (Contusio): C. est solucon continuatis 
 qui accidit a casui vet obuiacone vel percucone alicuius rei non 
 acute ut lapitis percucone vel fuste vel obuiacone ad parietem vel 
 percucone pedis et siinilihus, which is thus rendered into Gaelic : 
 .|. is ed is contucon ann scailiud continoidecli tJiegmus o tuitim
 
 MS. IVJ MEDICINE, ETC. 25 
 
 710 hualadh netlt h-eghi neniJi.-geir mar afa hualadh cloiche no 
 maide no theginann do halla no o ■prei'p no o speic cos I con <i 
 cusmaile: 'A contusion is a continuous bruise caused by a fall, 
 or striking against something not sharp, like a blow from a 
 stone or a stick, or striking against a wall, or a kick, or a blow 
 from the foot, and the like.' A great number of diseases are 
 defined, Ger(aldus) or Ger(ard), Gilbertinus, Bernard (Gordon) 
 and others being the chief authorities. But the writer does not 
 confine himself to diseases. Thus Petrus enumerates these 
 organs in the production of voice (fol. 69): gutur = scornach ; 
 lingua = tenga ; f)alat'wm = carhut ; quat(n)or denies = na cethre 
 clar jiacla ; duo Iahra=in hd udcJifardch j in bel ichtarach. 
 Johanisius gives four definitions of neutruni .|. nenihnecldarda, of 
 which the shortest is: n. est res non sana non egrota .|. is ed is 
 nemhiiecJdarda ann red gan heth slan no eslan, ' what is neither 
 well nor ill.' 
 
 Towards the end elaborate explanations of Definition itself 
 are given, with examples from homo, indiuiduwm, etc. to illus- 
 trate the metaphysical distinctions taken. Throughout, some 
 thirty-five authors are quoted or referred to. 
 
 The history of the tiny MS. is unknown. It was at one time 
 the property of the M'Beath physicians. The first twenty-two 
 folios were written by a Neil, in all probability one of the family: 
 Mise Niall do graifne an hec sin, ' I, Neil, wrote that small 
 portion ' (fol. 22a). The name of Niall 6g ' Neil junior' appears 
 twice as the owner of the ]\IS. on fol. 24a,b, — >S'e so lehar Nel oig 
 ' This is the book of Neil junior.' The name of the scribe who 
 wrote the MS. from fol. 25 onwards appears here and there on 
 blank spaces, and at the end (fol. 99a) he adds the following 
 colophon : Misi Mael{s)ecJdainn ni illainn m in Icglia ruaidJt 
 do scrib sin do Niall n% Neill Meighethadh .|. mo sesi: 'I, Malachy, 
 son of (G)il(f )linn, son of the red leech, wrote this for Neil son 
 of Neil MacBeath, i.e. my friend (comrade).' In the family 
 pedigree in the Laing MS. there is a Niall og or Neil junior, but 
 he is the son of Hector, son of Neil. This last Neil is a 
 grandson of Fergus Finn or the Fair who, it has been suggested, 
 wrote the Islay charter of 1408. If he was the scribe of the 
 first twenty-two folios of this MS. the date would be about 1450, 
 which may well be the case. The remainder of the MS. was
 
 26 CATALOOTTE OF GAELIC ^rANUSCUIPTS [MS. IV 
 
 undoubtedly written later, and if the Neil junior of the MS. was 
 Neil senior's grandson ho Avould flourish about 1500 or a little 
 later. That date, say, 1500-1550, is about the date of the latter 
 portion of the little MSS. At the foot of 99a are two memoranda, 
 of which misl an rjilhi dnhli. '1 (aiu) the swartliy lad' is the 
 only part legible to me. 
 
 MS. IX — Kilbride Collection, No. 5 
 
 This MS. consists of a single leaf of faded paper, — the writing 
 upon Avhich is in an inferior hand of the middle or latter half 
 of the eighteenth century. The contents are a prescription for 
 Strangiuy, and a genealogy of the MacDougalls of Dunolly. 
 
 MS. X — Kilbride Collection, No 6 
 
 MS. X is a very large parchment, 15 in. by 10 J, written in 
 double cohunn, with fifty lines and upwards to the page. It is 
 but a fragment, breaking off in the middle of a sentence at the 
 foot of the tenth folio. It is in fair preservation, as Gaelic 
 MSS. go. The inner edges of the leaves are worn away at the 
 top, so that several words and phrases are lost, while the outer 
 edges at the top and bottom are frequently curled or broken. 
 
 The handwriting is fairly clear, but by no means fine. The 
 scribe writes both in Latin and Gaelic carelessly. The ortho- 
 graphy is often at fault ; words are sometimes omitted, some- 
 times repeated and then roughly deleted, while the Gaelic 
 idiom is not always pure. The text is occasionally corrected or 
 supplemented in a later hand by writing over the line, or on the 
 margin, or at the foot of the page. A mannerism, not confined 
 to this scribe, is show^i here and there by writing a letter, word, 
 or phrase twice, even thrice, as if to fill up a line. Thus, fol. 
 2a2, 11. 9-11 : 
 
 an tan disgailter lenna cintacha an cuirp glnaister na ddd 
 roch caili J o ghiaiseacht nan droch caileadh muchar an teasss 
 nachirra "] o muchadh an teasa iiadnrra tig am has. 
 
 When the peccant humours of the body are dispersed, evil
 
 MS. X] MEDICINE, ETC. 27 
 
 qualities are set in motion, and by the motion of the evil 
 qualities the natural heat is quenched, the result of which is 
 death.' 
 
 Again, fol. 4al, last line : 
 
 . . . an caibdil so Hum an caihdil so Hum an caihdil so Hum. 
 
 ' (is closed) this chapter by me, this chapter by me, this chapter 
 by me.' 
 
 There is not a Avord to indicate who the author was be- 
 yond the fact that he refers twice (fol. 6al, 6bl) to another 
 Treatise by him entitled de sperinaite (of Sperms).^ As to 
 its date, one should say that it must have been put together 
 early in the fourteenth centur}^, although this copy was tran- 
 scribed considerably later. The author cites Bernard Gordon of 
 Montpelier as two persons, — Bearrnard 7 Oordoni (fol. lal). 
 He heard of the doctors of Montpelier and speaks of them as 
 Boctuircdha nua t-sleibi Pisalaiu (fol. 9b2), ' the 'new' Doctors 
 of Montpelier.' In MS. XIV the same author refers to William 
 of Montpelier, and cites Bernard Gordon several times. But he 
 does not at any time cite the Lilium Medicinae of the latter 
 author, a work which was known pretty early in the fourteenth 
 century. One should expect that so erudite a writer as this 
 would possess a copy of so important a work as the Lilium, 
 and his usual practice is to cite the book as Avell as its author. 
 It would thus appear that this treatise was composed before the 
 Lilium Medicinae came into general circulation. 
 
 The Treatise of which this is a fragment is a learned and 
 elaborate commentary on the Aphorisms of Hippocrates, whose 
 name, when written in full, appears in Gaelic as Ipocrait, 
 Ipocraid, in Latin Ipocras, After quoting, in Latin, a maxim 
 from the Liber e2yitirniaruin of Hippocrates, who is here desig- 
 nated Righ arbttm Prindsa aboali ' King (of) A., prince (of) A.,' 
 and a saying of Hali from the first book of his Teagusc i-iglia 
 or Liber regalis to the effect that every one ought to cherish 
 this Treatise of Hippocrates alike in his bosom and in his mind, 
 the author proceeds thus: 
 
 Ln ncmiine Dei riiisercordia .|. an ainni Dia trocdiri tind- 
 
 ^ In a later MS. (XIV) the same author refers to other treatises written by 
 him.
 
 28 CATALOfUTK OF CIAELIC MANdSCRIlTS [MS. X 
 
 sgaintluT an Icabar-sa d'uraile {Mti. (larrkdl) ainiiu amprtH- 
 tnoruni 7 fuig leat gru rahadar trl h-aicmedha a n-aimltsir 
 Ipocraldk vis in lelghes .\. Empirrisi 7 metoisi 7 loisi. Et as iat 
 as cmpirisi and .\. an drong ag amm{h)idi8 araidhi 7 urcaisc 
 7 do creidis gu leigistis gach ((en g<(lar leo sin, 7 as iat so a 
 n-anmanda .\. Orohasius 7 Alhxmassar 7 Macometus. 
 
 Metoisi umorro ((icini ele iat sein noch. do gnatJadgltedh 
 creideamain do gotlia ihJi en aimdl ai<( it sdi-iiic^ jfi(( icJi 7 feada 
 fosgair"- gun a cosmailes. Et as iat so a n-((nmanda ]. And- 
 tapiis 7 Sacarias 7 Rufus 7 Serajnonn. 
 
 Loitisi umorro na featlsamain nadui'd/ia. noch faair na 
 h-ealadha saeramail ata Arsmetricacht j Geomtricacht 7 Astroil- 
 aidhecht J Fisigecht. Et as iat so a n-anmanda .|. Ipocraid 
 fuair ar dus an ealadha leighis 7 do sgrib h-i and sa teangaidh 
 Afraicci 7 do sgrib and sein a teangaidh na h-Araipi 7 and sen 
 a teangaid Laidianta. Et, n<( deaghaid sin tainic An. 7 Rasis 
 7 Tolamens 7 Constantinus 7 Almasor 7 Isaac 7 Egidius 
 7 Johanes 7 Damasenus 7 Gendldus 7 De Sola 7 Bearrnard 
 7 Gordoni 7 onilti (31S. muilti) aili. Ipocraidi umorro noch 
 do rine an leabhur so re n-ahur a')nprismorum 7 as uime aclerar 
 amprismorum .]. as (MS. as asinann) inann ampros as in 
 Greigh 7 definisio as in Laidhin 7 crichnugliudh as in G{aidh- 
 e ilg) oir as and so do crichnaidheadh "inearrdanacht 7 seachran 
 na droingi adubramiar romainn .|. impirisi 7 ^metoisi 7 as ann 
 {sa) leabur-sa do gebthar aithni jfaistiiie gacha teagraa 7 leiglies 
 gacha h-uili galar 7 cohnedh na sldinti gu dleistinach : ' In the 
 name of the merciful God, this book, by name Amprismorum, 
 is begun. And be it known to you that in the time of 
 Hippocrates there were three schools practising the healing 
 Art, the Empirics, the Methodists, and the Rationalists.^ 
 
 ' Now the Empirics were those who used charms and specifics, 
 
 ^ Borrowed from L. strix (Gr. crrpl^) ' night bird,' 'screech owl.' 
 ^ No bird appears to be now known by this name, although several are named 
 from their cry. Cf. feadag 'the plover' (lif. the whistler). In the Southern 
 Hebrides the 'Nightjar' is known as a' chnidheall mhor 'the big (spinning) 
 wheel.' Inffdfosc glosses fiibihtH ' hiss.' Cf. Irish Glosses (Dublin Irish Archaeol. 
 and Celt. Soc, p. 25). 
 
 ^ For Isodore's account of these three schools, v. infra MS. XIII (1) fol. Ia2. 
 Of. also O'Gr.'sCat. p. 239.
 
 MS. X] MEDICINE, ETC. 29 
 
 and who believed that all diseases could be cured by these. 
 Their names are Orobasius, Albamasar, and Maconictus. 
 
 ' The Methodists again were another sept who put faith in the 
 cries of birds such as owls and ravens and . . . and the like. 
 And these are their names, — ^Antapus and Sacarias and Rufus 
 and Serapion. 
 
 ' The Rationalists on the other hand were the natural philo- 
 sophers who discovered the noble sciences of Arithmetic, 
 Geometry, Astrology and Physics. These are their names, — 
 Hippocrates who was the first to discover the healing Art, and 
 who wrote it (his discovery) in the language of Africa, there- 
 after in the language of Arabia, and finally in Latin. After 
 him came Av(icenna) and Rhazes and Ptolemy and Constantine 
 and Almasor and Isaac and Egidius and John of Damascus 
 and Geraldus de Sola and Bernard de Gordon and thousands 
 besides. 
 
 ' It was Hippocrates, moreover, who wrote this book, which 
 is called AviprisTnortciyi from the Greek word annxpros ( = d(f)apicr- 
 /Ao?), which is equivalent to the Latin definitio and the Gaelic 
 crichnughndh ' ending,' so called because it makes an end of 
 the rashness and error of the Empirics and Methodists afore- 
 said. In this book are also to be found the (means of) recogni- 
 tion and issue (lit. prediction) of every ailment, and the cure of 
 every disease, and the preservation of health, duly set forth.' 
 
 The Treatise proceeds thereafter in systematic order. The 
 aphorisms of Hippocrates are quoted, in whole or in part, 
 in Latin, followed by a Gaelic translation or paraphrase, and 
 then by the comment in Gaelic. The first line of the aphorism, 
 as well as the first letter of paragraphs, is Avritten in capital 
 letters, and is commonly daubed red or yellow. A large space 
 is left for writing the initial letter, but in only one instance is 
 this space filled in. At the foot of fol. Ibl the divisions of the 
 Treatise, with their contents, are given : — 
 
 FogJiailtear an leabur-sa amprisinorum as VII rannaibh .|. 
 a VII paArteaglaihli 7 lahliraidh Ipocraid and sa cet pairtedgall 
 don leahiir so don hrig{sic) nadiirda 7 da h-oibrig]dh ihh 7 
 hialdh in II "pairtedgall (MS. pi. part.) don hrigh aininitJiiglii 
 7 da li-oihrighthihh 7 h(iaidh) in III payirtedgall do brig na 
 betha 7 do na ballaib spirutallta 7 b{iaidJt) in I I II pairtedgall
 
 3(» ('Al'AhOClIK OK CAKLK" iVl A N USl MM I'l'S |MS. X 
 
 <lo cotiiicd 7 (I'ollcti iiiiiAii 7 do ijdllrathh ad m-hau {JUS. 'luiiib 
 hnan) lorfm-h 7 l){hi'i<lh) in V jxiirtatujall d'eadavtitihlt na 
 fethcd/i 7 do tdisccUaihh hdis 7 hel/iadh na ii-eadaiidedh noc/t 
 claecldoigldlic.s a teaijindudaihlt de 7 l){iald/i) an VI pair ted; /(dl 
 do flux na hroudj d'easl{aintib/i) l{enna) f{uair) j h{iaid/i) on 
 VII pairt('dg(dl do na Ji.-nisl{ainfj.hh,) (/era 7 do teajjnuindaihh 
 tin da norh tig o lind did)li.: 'This book Aniprinniorunt is 
 divided into seven parts or chapters, and Hippocrates speaks 
 in the tirst chapter of this book of the natural force and its 
 functions. The second chapter will treat of the animal force 
 and its functions; the third of the vital force and of the 
 spiritual organs ; the fourth of the tending, nutrition, and 
 diseases of pregnant women ; the fifth of nervous diseases, and 
 of the prognostications of death or life of such diseases as 
 develop into other disorders ; the sixth of dysentery and diseases 
 of the phlegm ; and the seventh of the acute diseases and of 
 numerous ailments that proceed from melancholia.' 
 
 This comprehensive Treatise was held in high esteem by the 
 Gaelic Physicians. It was translated into Gaelic as early as 
 1403 {v. O'Gr.'s Cat., p. 222). It is frequently referred to 
 {v. supra p. 9, et aliis; cf also O'Gr.'s Cat., pp. 221, 264). The 
 Scottish Collection does not now contain a complete copy. 
 But this MS. gives the greater part of Chapter i ; MSS. XIII (4) 
 and XIV supply three copies of a portion of Chapter 11 and 
 one copy of a part of Chapter iii ; MS. XXI gives in whole or 
 in part Chapters iv, v, and vi, while MS. XI gives the whole 
 of Chapter vii. One is impressed with the ability and especially 
 with the erudition of the author, whoever he was. He makes 
 occasional mistakes. He makes Bernard and Gordon, Geraldus 
 and De Sola, Johannes and Damascenus different persons in his 
 list, although the mistake is not kept up in the text. Still his 
 knowledge, entirely from MSS., is extensive and accurate. 
 Among the names included in the list on fol. lal the following 
 are not further mentioned in this MS., — the Empirics, Albamasar, 
 Macometus and Orobasius ; the Methodists, Antapus, Rufus and 
 Sacarias ; and the Rationalists, Almasor, Egidius and Ptolemy. 
 On the other hand he quotes by name, and by their works, 
 several authors who do not appear in his list. Such arc 
 Aristotle, frequently cited as Feallsam ' the philosopher ' ;
 
 MS. XI] MEDICINE, ETC. 31 
 
 CoUiget, II dcsigmiLiou of Averrocs ; CoimnuuLator, whose proper 
 name is unknown to me; Diaferus ; Gail-, who may be Galen, 
 although that great authority is usually cited as G. simply; 
 Johannes de Sangto nafido Anglicus (John of Gaddesden :*); 
 Johannes Hispolensis ; Johanisius ; Theophilos and Ostracus 
 Avhose joint work on heat and cold is quoted on fol. Gal ; and 
 Thaddeus of Bologna {MaldJilsder Tatheus de honionia) fol. 
 Sal. Doctuiri 'Doctors,' Fi^ig/n ' Yhysldans,' Maighisdreacha 
 'Masters' and P/v/i/^ic^" ' Practitioners ' are referred to, without 
 being cited by name. 
 
 But the great authorities whose views are quoted and com- 
 mented upon most frequently are, after Hippocrates, Galen 
 who wrote a comment on these aphorisms which is con- 
 tinually cited here, e.g. an gluais na h-aifrisi so ' in the gloss 
 on this aphorism ' ; Avicenna ; Aristotle ; John of Damascus ; 
 Isaac; Rhazes; and Isodore. The author is quite familiar with 
 the works of these men which he often quotes by book, chapter, 
 and paragraph (fen). Not infrequently he confutes them by 
 quoting from another treatise of theirs. Sometimes he explains 
 the seeming difference between them and Hippocrates by point- 
 ing out that in such cases they misunderstand the meaning of 
 the great master. The author gives his own views with confi- 
 dence, whether they agree with, or differ from, the authorities. 
 
 MS. XI — Kilbride Collection, No. 7 
 
 MS. XI consists of four folios of parchment, large size, 11 in. 
 by 8i. It is written in double column, in a very small, but 
 round, regular hand, giving about sixty lines to the page. The 
 last page is largely illegible, the MS. having been for a consider- 
 able time without a cover. There is no ornamenting or colouring 
 of capital letters. 
 
 The following is a summary of the contents : — 
 
 Fols. lal-4al contain the commentar}- on the seventh 
 and last chapter of the Ainprismo^mrn of Hippocrates. This, 
 however, is in a different hand, written Avith greater care, and 
 is of earlier date than MS. X. It opens thus: In acquis
 
 32 CATALOGUE OF GAELIC MANUSCRIPTS [MS. XI 
 
 morbis fi-l(ji<l{i )l<(s r.cfrciiii/nhi m iiniliiin eat. E<loii thidscaiiiter 
 ann so <(ii, F//;xiir^ice/ ((5V/ii/</)7'i.s*><'>7'/6v/i 7 o do hilxii^' Ipocraid 
 is no pairtidud)h. letJi, (i inas diim do comtarthalhh, 7 do aicidih 
 morain d'eashdntihh lahraldJi, .se ann sa pairtlcei delghinec/i (so) 
 do taisceltaib hois'J bethad 7 do na comarfaib an niolta 7 in 
 dimolta. Et tulcter tri nethi cum droch comartadh 7 tri nethi 
 cum dedh comartha dib. Cum dedk comartha maitlt 7 nisferr 
 7 nin ro ferr. Cum a ni as dimolta mar ata olc 7 ro olc 7 
 marblitdch. Et tuc let an tan adelr Ipocraid malum .|. olc as 
 mo ata sin do leth na bethad na do leth an bais. Et an tan do 
 (jnatliaighes Ipocraid an foccd so .|. peissimwin .|. ro olc tuicter 
 sin cunntahirtach etir bas 7 bethaidli. Et an tan gnathaidhes 
 don focal so mortale .|. marbldacli tuicter ann sin Ipocraid ac 
 diultadli na betli.adh 7 ac faistine an bhais. Et is ed adeir is 
 in canoin so da m-betit na rainn imeallacha co fuar is na 
 h-easlaintih gera as ro olc an comartha sin oir foillsichidh 
 muchadh an teasa nadurdha is na ballaib prinnsipalta. Et as 
 iad so na rainn imeallacha da labraid Ipocraid .|. sron 7 cluas 
 7 barr mer na cos 7 na lamh 7 buind 7 dernanna. ' In acute 
 diseases cold in the extremities is a bad symptom. Now here is 
 begun the seventh chapter of the Amprismorum. And as 
 Hippocrates spoke in the previous chapters of the symptoms 
 {lit. signs) and accidents of many diseases, he speaks in this last 
 chapter of the prognostications of death and life, and of the 
 symptoms that are favourable and unfavourable. We must 
 understand that there are three words (lit. things) which express 
 bad symptoms, and three which express good symptoms. To 
 express good symptoms are maith " good," wis ferr " better," and 
 nis ro ferr " best." Three express unfavourable symptoms such 
 as olc '"bad," ro olc " very bad," and marbldacli "fatal." And note 
 that when Hippocrates uses the word malum " bad," he means 
 that the indications point to recovery rather than to death; 
 when he uses peissimum " very bad," he means that the 
 issue between life and death is doubtful ; but when he uses the 
 word mortale " fatal," he believes that recovery is hopeless 
 and death certain {lit. indicated). What Hippocrates says in 
 this canon is this, — that in the acute diseases cold in the ex- 
 tremities is a very bad symptom, for this shows that the 
 natural heat is quenched in the principal organs. And the
 
 MS. XIJ MEDICINE, ETC. 33 
 
 extremities of which he speaks are the nose, ear, the tips of 
 the toes and fingers, the soles and the palms.' 
 
 Thereafter the commentary proceeds maxim by maxim as 
 in MS. X. Among the new authorities cited in this chapter of 
 the Amprismorum are Gilbertus Anglicus and Rogerus oi- 
 Rogerius. Towards the end of the chapter (fol. 4al) several 
 recipes for plasters, and salves for wounds and sores are given, 
 the last of which runs thus : — 
 
 Item, gnh haindi gahair 7 mln ruis lin (7) surjh fleagha 
 urdail rlu uile 7 herhter co maith dentaib no co m-bia rigin, 
 curter cermfon m-hraiged 7 is Qmir sin leighister an cned daruh 
 ainm sginannsia maille grasaih dia j na li-ecdadhna : 'Also, 
 take goat's milk and flaxseed meal and a quantity of the juice 
 of chickweed equal to both ; boil well together until the com- 
 pound assumes consistency ; apply an emplaister of this to the 
 neck, and it, by the grace of God and the (healing) Art, heals 
 the sore called Quinsy.' 
 
 Immediately thereafter comes the subscription : Finit 
 Amen. Feargus o caisidi do sgrib so a tig mwigli i caisidi 
 e cer faithchi caerach so tarn rolrii la limasa etrl. ' Fergus 
 O'Cassidy wrote this in the house of Henry O'Cassidy . . . 
 sheep green(?), on Saturday before Lammas-day,' etc. 
 
 A copy of this Chapter, written by Gilpatrick the Scot, and 
 dated 1413, is found in the Yellow Book of Lecan (Y.B.L.), 
 pp. 456-462. 
 
 The remainder of the MS., so far as legible, is taken up 
 with paragraphs on various subjects, — medical, physical, philo- 
 sophical, e.g. : 
 
 On fol. 4al-2 is a note on facthvgud, now f<iothcJiadh, 
 faocJiadh, meaning 'ease,' 'relief,' ' favourable turn,' — the word 
 by which the Gaelic physicians translate crises. The question 
 is asked whether f<(et}iugiid comes gu ]t-oban')h 'suddenly' or 
 gradually. The writer cites Galen on the point and to the view 
 of that authority opposes his own. 
 
 On fol. 4al-2 come remarks on the Feallsanis (Aristotle) 
 maxim: Scire est rem per catisam (MS. qnasrim) cognoscere .|. 
 aithniter gach ni do reir a cuisi, ' every thing is known from 
 its cause.' There are four causes, — materialis or cuis adbiira ; 
 
 c
 
 34 CATAL()(!UE OF GAELIC MANUSCRTITS [MS. XI 
 
 ejiciens or cats denmusn, ; foriudl i'^ or culs criU/uil(//il/u; ; and 
 ii{(t)nnlis or cwIh cricliiutidhtcdch. Which of the four is 'First 
 Cause'? To.'^ar/i 'first' is to be understood in two senses, — do 
 rftir s)nn(iiiifi;//>fhl, 'first in thought': and do rcir <i('ine<imkna, 
 ' first in activity.' When the four causes are taken in connec- 
 tion with tosach each of them in turn comes out as First Cause, 
 
 Next comes (fol. 4a2) a paragraph commencing : LaiKjfrang- 
 eas (uleir iia hrlafhra so: ' Latifranc says the following words: 
 There are three hrl(j(( or 'virtues' operating in oile(nn<(in 
 foirfni 'perfect nutrition (?),' — hr'xjli claccldaidJdeocli no im- 
 2^0 /fye(<c/t, 'a changing or transmuting power'; hrigh aentadach, 
 'a unifying power'; and hrigh cosmaileach, 'an assimilating 
 power.' From the failure of any one of these various diseases 
 arise, as eitic 'hectic fever' from the failure of the first, dropsy 
 from that of the second, etc., etc. 
 
 In the paragraph following (fol. 4a2), the question is asked 
 whether neasgo'id 'emposthume' can properly be called an 
 eudolnte or 'disease.' Galen is cited in proof that it cannot: 
 When one can work without reducing his hrhja or 'vital forces' 
 he can have no disease, but he can do so although suffering 
 from neasgoid. Further what is a cause of disease is not itself 
 a disease; what is not accompanied by ieinnus or 'illness,' like 
 pleurisis, or neasgoid, is not a disease ; what cannot be generated 
 has no teinnus, and neasgoid cannot be generated, otherwise it 
 would be found in a particular organ, or pass from one organ to 
 another, or arise from a seachran or 'error' of Nature; but 
 Nature makes no error : for all which reasons neasgoid is not an 
 easlainte. On the other hand all the authorities affirm the 
 contrary, and various considerations are brought forward to 
 show that they are right. 
 
 Fol. 4a2 — bl contains an interesting note by Galen on guth 
 'Voice' and voice-production, extracted 'from the chapter on the 
 voice in his book.' Definitions of cossacldacli ' Cough,' and 
 singidtus ' Hiccough,' Gaelic fail (in Scottish Gaelic (f)aileag,) 
 are also given. 
 
 On fol. 4bl a fresh trachtadh or ' tract' begins, but be3^ond 
 the fact that the subject is medical not much can be made of it, 
 the whole of this last page, with the exception of an occasional 
 line or phrase, being practically illegible.
 
 MS. XII] MEDICINE, ETC. 35 
 
 MS. XII— Kilbride Collection, No. 8 
 
 MS. XII consists of twenty-one leaves of parchment, larg^e 
 quarto. It is made up of four layers (the third being of some- 
 what smaller size), stitched together by a stout thong, but the 
 third and fourth are now loose. They are all fragmentary. 
 The second and fourth arc in the same hand, and are parts of 
 the same treatise. The various parts of the MS. have been sub- 
 jected to rough usage, and a considerable portion of the text is 
 now illegible. A note on the margin here and there supplies an 
 omission or explanation of text. In all the layers, the various 
 sections and paragraphs are introduced by maxims quoted in 
 Latin, and written in capitals. Initial letters are frequently 
 omitted, with spaces left for them. AVhen inserted they are 
 plainly drawn and uncoloured. 
 
 1. The first layer consists at present of five leaves, of which 
 a portion of the first is torn away. There is a leaf awanting 
 between the first and second. The upper part of the page is 
 taken up with an elaborate Calendar, in which but compara- 
 tively few obits are entered. 
 
 The subject of the text, which is written in double column, 
 in a very good hand, is anatomical, beginning with the com- 
 posite organs, and first the Brain {incinn). This organ is 
 described as fuar ' cold,' Jiiuch ' moist,' and although in sub- 
 stance smeramail ' of the nature of marrow ' is different from 
 s^ner ' marrow.' The text is fragmentary and in part also 
 illegible. Leahar na n-ainniinti (leg. ainmintedh) is referred 
 to, and Lanfranc and G(alen) are cited. Thereafter (fol. 2al 
 et seq.) the various sections of the text are introduced by a 
 sentence in Latin, paraphrased and enlarged upon in Gaelic. 
 Thus fol. 2al has a paragraph on Bones in general, — their 
 number; some containing marrow, others not; some fitted to 
 form alt or joint by having ends (ciirn). in the one set, Avith 
 hollows to receive them in the corresponding set. Henricus 
 is cited. Then follows (fol 2a2) an account of the Skull 
 (doigenn). The bones of the skull are seven, with smaller 
 bones, four in number according to Aliabas. Lining the skull 
 are sreahhanna ramra 'thick membranes' which Guido calls
 
 36 r.\TAT,Or;TTE OF riAETJO MANUSfllTPTR | MS. XII 
 
 perl,cr(i7iiui)i. The contents of the sknll iiro i^ivcn, with tlio 
 remark that the hrain in man is hirt^er in proportion than in 
 animals. 
 
 On fols. 3a2-4a2 roittn na h-didhchr ' the parts of the Face ' 
 are described, — forehead, brows, cheeks, jaws, teeth, nose, ears, 
 eyes, and month. The Teeth are of the natnre of l)one, and 
 according to Guido they liave mothiigud 'sensibility.' Their 
 roots vary from one to five. Their number is usually thirty- 
 two, but occasionally only twenty. They are named as follows, — 
 two clar-fiacla 'front-teeth; two gerain 'incisors': two mod- 
 ramla 'canine'; eight vu'd-fiacla 'back-teeth'; and two ra.s- 
 salas. In addition to Guido, Avicenna, Galen, and Lanfranc 
 are cited. 
 
 The remaining sections of the text treat of the muinel or 
 Neck (Fols. 4a2-5al); the dinnen or Shoulder-blade (fob 5a2), 
 which is described as do letli an oclda mar sluasaid do leth 
 na droma mar sliseoig, (in shape) ' towards the chest like a 
 shovel, towards the back like a shaving (of wood) ' ; the Hand 
 (fol. 5bl-2); and the Nerves (fol. 5b2), when this layer comes 
 to an abrupt close. 
 
 2 and 4. Layers two and four go together, both being frag- 
 ments of a comment on Isaac's treatise on Diets. The fourth, 
 consisting of five leaves, comes tirst in order. The text, which is 
 somewhat illegible, gives the commencement of the treatise. On 
 the top margin is IJtc. emenuel. In del nomine. Amen. Then the 
 text commences : quoniam irnprimis coegit a.ntiqtios disputare 
 de naturalis ciborum : adhon as ed ader Ysac ann sa Icidxir -s-o 
 do rinne se do na dietaih uilidhi . . . comhegnidhid . . . na 
 
 sen docturi e atchttr do denam co h-oireda do nadur 
 
 maille socamlacht j stuider dethnisech do denam don tslainti 
 7 don eslainti J do lorgairecht da coimed 7 da leigheas. Et 
 ataid 2 cnis co h-egintach cum an dstuider sin .]. an diet 7 an 
 leigheas, etc. : ' What Isaac says in this book Avhich he made 
 upon diets in general (lit. universal) i.s that the old physicians 
 persuaded him to revise specially (what he had written ?) 
 
 regarding the nature of deliberately, and to make 
 
 close study of health and disease, and to investigate regarding 
 the preservation (of health) and the cure (of disease). Now there 
 are two essential conditions of that study, — Diet and Medi-
 
 MS. XII] MEDICINE, ETC. 37 
 
 cine, etc' The writer goes on to add that with respect to diets 
 the main rule is to use the most nourishing, and with respect 
 to medicines to use those which expel the things that are con- 
 trary to the complexion of the patient. The complexions are 
 then treated of from various points of vicAv. In the exposition 
 the author takes occasion to contradict a dogma of Avicenna ; 
 and to enunciate the general principle that the complexion of 
 each body must be viewed with reference to the complexion of 
 each orq-an of it, a fact which the old doctors erred in ignoring. 
 Reverting to Foods the author observes that their action and 
 potency depend on their quality; their composition; and the 
 constitution of those who consume them. In respect of bias or 
 taste, foods are distinguished in eight classes, for three of which 
 he has no Gaelic name, — aigedacli from aifjed ( = acefum) 
 ' vinegar,' iioinntega (pontica), and insipitus ' tasteless," else- 
 where said to be 'of the taste of water.' Some like cucur- 
 bita which 'perforates the veins' are without bias; while in 
 the case of others, like lentes, caulis and cailig, their sug 'juice ' 
 is of opposite quality to their sub(staint) 'substance.' 
 
 Having investigated the brtga 'virtues' of foods •do reir 
 derbtha ' by proof,' ' experience,' he now proceeds to consider 
 them do reir resuin ' according to reason.' From this point of 
 view foods are known in three ways, — (1) in respect of their 
 taste, smell, essence; (2) of their complexion; and (3) of their 
 composition. Thereafter comes a long and interesting discussion 
 on the production of fruits from seeds and plants ; the nourish- 
 ment of trees; the generation of plants and animals, with the 
 views of the Sophists thereupon ; and the nutritive value of 
 different grains. Then comes a gap between the fourth and 
 fifth leaves of this layer. 
 
 When the text resumes (on the last leaf) the author is dis- 
 cussing the influence of dtiil 'element,' and especially uisge 
 ' water,' and the views of the Sophists upon the point. He goes 
 on to consider the different kinds of flesh, with their value both 
 as food and medicine, and of earth products generally. Animals 
 are divided into coillfeacJui or Jiata ' wild,' and muinterda 
 ' tame,' the only one of the former class specially commended 
 for its flesh being the cxqjr loins or wild-goat. Hippocrates and 
 Galen are cited. The nutritive quality of the flesh of animals
 
 38 CATALOr,UK OF CAKMC MANTJSCIM TTS [MS. XII 
 
 is, jicconliiii;' to Isaac, aireclcd by llicir iialiiru or 'complexion'; 
 their ago; tlie food tliey eat; their coiidil-ioii, wlicther fat or 
 lean, or as the author has it 'hard' {cnniidh): the taste of 
 the riesh ; and its proper cooking, cor'njhKj/i (leg. cor'ii;/<i</,/i) 
 ealadlniiich. 
 
 The second layer, consisting of four leaves, begins abruptly. 
 The author is comparing the nutritive value of the blood of 
 kid and calf, the former being, according to him, preferable for 
 convalescents. Thereafter he takes up the blood of swine. 
 The remainder of the contents of the la3^cr discusses the hctha 
 ' life,' which the food-producing animals lead, — their own food ; 
 the time of year when they arc in best condition, as affecting 
 the value of their tiesh as food ; the parts of the various animals 
 that are most nutritive; the value of lucllmul 'fat' and sDter 
 ' marrow ' ; of fowls ; milk ; and fish for dietetic purposes. 
 Fresh- water fish is stated to be more nourishing than the fish 
 of the sea. Hippocrates, Galen and Rufus are cited, as also 
 Hermeas (fol. 4a2) and ' the old Doctors.' 
 
 3. The third layer consists of seven leaves, written in a very 
 good hand, and much better preserved and more legible than 
 the others. Its contents are metaphysical rather than medical. 
 The first chapter (fol. Ial-b2) is a tractate by Thomas Aquinas 
 on the secret works of nature, translated into Gaelic, according 
 to the colophon, by Cormac O'Donlcvy, evidently the scholar 
 who, in 1459, wrote parts of the Brit. Mus. MSS., Harley 546, and 
 Arundel 38o {cf. 0"Gr. Cat. pp. 171, 257). The opening sentences 
 read as follows: Qiioniam in quihusdam naturalibus cor- 
 poribus quedavi acciones naturales apparent .|. osa follus 
 gniviartha, nadurda li-egin nach. eider a ciisi do tucsin a cuid 
 do na corpaib nadurda is ulme sin do iar{r) br{atJiair) 
 n^gradsi ormsa an ni do cijinn orro do sgrihadh dih. Et do 
 ciou CO follus CO leanaid out cuirp dullila gluasacJU man did 
 tigeornalglies inntu onar is follus is in cldoich ac dul an icJdar 
 tre tigeruas talinan do beth innti 7 brig fuartha is na mitcdlaib 
 tre tiger nils an usci masedh ga.ch gnim 7 gach gluasacht da 
 fuil (ig na corpaibh duilita do letli nan dul o comsuidigter iat 
 ni fuil cunntahart ar a cuis 7 ar am bunadus gidhedh ata 
 cuid do gnimarthaib na corp nadurda nach eider do cuisiugud 
 o na duilib onar afa viagnes ag tarraing an iarainii 7 leigJteasa
 
 MS. XII| MEDICINE, ETC. 39 
 
 alrid/ithi a<- folmtif/ud leniutnn airidflil o hallalh airidthi don 
 corp 7 is h-egln tosaighi J cuisi is airdi na mar aduhramar 
 do hdh. (If/ iKi' r/uimnrfJialh so : ' Inasmuch as it is manifest that 
 there are certain operations of nature the cause of which cannot 
 1)6 ascertained through natural agencies (lit. bodies), a brother 
 monk (?) requested me to write down such observations as I 
 might make regarding these. Now I see clearly that created 
 bodies follow the movements of the elements which govern 
 them, as is manifest by the falling of a stone through the 
 influence of the earth upon it, and the " coldness " of metals 
 through the influence of water. Accordingly no doubt exists 
 regarding the cause and origin of such actions and movements 
 of created bodies as proceed from the elements of which 
 they are composed. Nevertheless there are some actions of 
 natural bodies which cannot be traced to the elements, such 
 as that of the magnet attracting iron, and certain medicines 
 purging certain humours in certain organs of the body, and 
 these must proceed from higher principles and causes than 
 those we have spoken of There are two ways in which the 
 superior agent acts upon the subordinate. One is when it com- 
 municates 'form' as well as l)rl(/ 'power,' as when the moon 
 gives forth the light which it receives from the sun ; the other 
 where the higher gives ' power ' alone to the lower, like the saw 
 in the carpenter's hand. The argument is developed by illustra- 
 tions from the ebb and flow of the sea under the influence of 
 the moon ; the attraction of iron by the magnet ; the cure of 
 disease by relics, i.e. in reality by God through the agency of 
 these; and by such plants as reithirfnim purging certain 
 humours, because of a certain hrig or virtue put into such 
 bodies and remaining in them. The author calls this hrijj a 
 tosach inmedonach, eisigeacJi ' a principle inherent, essential.' 
 Plato and his disciples said that what they called ydee 
 ofave ' substantial form ' to ' thinos natural.' The author 
 combats this view. According to him 'natural bodies' derive 
 their hrig from the ' heavenly bodies.' All lower bodies are 
 referable to the heavenly, except the soul of man which pro- 
 ceeds from an immaterial cause (cuis nem-adharda), i.e. direct 
 from God. 
 
 The next chapter (fol. Ib2), starting with a quotation from
 
 40 CATALOaUE OF GAELK' MANUSCRIPTS [MS. XII 
 
 the second book of ihu dc <(ni ma of the Feidlsn m. (Aristotle), — 
 lit (licit ji/i ildsop/ias in necuiido dr <inl)na — treats of anuiii 
 'Sour and esse 'Being' in man and animals. Esse is in things 
 which have life. There are several kinds of ens, — snisihi/is, etc. 
 He then goes on to speak of the Senses generally. On fol. iJal 
 the Senses (celfada) are considered specially. They are of 
 two classes, — foirimdldch ' external; and iriincdonach, 'internal.' 
 Comentatur de celo et imindo is cited. Having spoken of the 
 external senses (fol. 3bl), the objects of these — light, colour, 
 sound, taste, smell, touch — are treated of. Liimen and lux 
 are distinguished, the former being the imaujJh or reflection of 
 the latter (cf. the difference between soillse and solus in 
 Scottish Gaelic). In a section on things visibilia innom inata — 
 sofecjtlta air naaJt full ainvi — the author instances scales of fish 
 and indair inorijdldJdi 'lamina of putrefaction,' and explains 
 how these can be seen in the dark. Under ' touch ' medium is 
 described as inmedonach ider an oil (jluaister j nacit (jhtaislnn 
 7 an nl glualsis 7 nacJi (jluaister: 'intermediate between that 
 which is moved and does not (itself) move, and that which 
 moves and is not (itself) moved.' Comentatur, Alibertus {de 
 sensu), Feallsam {In libra de sensu et sensato), and Themis- 
 teus are cited. 
 
 On fol. 5b2 the exposition of the (rtfada ln')ned(jnacha ' the 
 internal Senses ' is taken up. The enumeration is taken from 
 Avicenna's sixth book on Nature (cf. infra-, p. 48, where the 
 quotation is said to be from the Jiftk book), and is as follows : 
 sensus coininunis .\. in cetfad coltclnn {Govumow Sense) 7 iina- 
 ghinaco .\. in hrUj {ntsamlaidhteacJt (faculty of Comparison) 
 7 fantastlca .\. in brig delbldach (the faculty of Presentation) 
 7 estlriiatiua .|. in brig smiuilntlgJdeach 7 breatJmacJi (the 
 faculty of Thought and Contemplation) 7 memoratiua .\. in brig 
 cuimneach (the faculty of Memory). These are explained at 
 length. Oi c'ulinhne 'Memory' it is remarked, on the authority 
 of Comentatur, that it comes (jn, h-obann ' instantly,' Avhereas 
 athcJiuimline 'Reminiscence' comes Is an lariiiolreacld 'by 
 being called up.' Alibertus, Themisteus, and Algazel are cited. 
 
 The last subject treated of (fol. 7al-b2) and the exposition 
 is not concluded when the text breaks off abruptly, is potencia 
 tntel,lectiua — don cumactain tucsanalg ' of the Intellectual
 
 MS. XIII] MEDICINE, ETC. 41 
 
 Power.' In the bu.rn/inoil or opinion of Thcinistcns it is both 
 gnimach ' active ' and fuilingteach ' passive.' Aristotle and 
 Comentatur are also cited. 
 
 MS. XIII — Kilbride Collection, No. 9 
 
 MS. XIII consists of six layers, being portions of six different 
 MSS. bound together. With the exception of a scrap of Fingalian 
 lore found on the margin at the bottom of fols. 4b and 5a of 
 the last layer, the contents are all medical. 
 
 1. The first laj^er consists of eight leaves of parchment, folio, 
 Avritten in double column, in a good clear hand. Initial letters 
 are large, elaborately drawn, and coloured in red, or red and 
 black ; but frequently a blank space represents such initial 
 letters. A note here and there on the margin supplies an 
 omission in the text. At the foot of fol, la meisi ' I,' and at 
 the foot of fol. 2a meisi m ' I, M.' are written ; otherwise there 
 is no indication of author or scribe. 
 
 The contents are canons and maxims of Damascenus, or 
 rather glosses by Isodore on canons of Damascenes, quoted in 
 Latin, and explained in a Gaelic commentary. The writer 
 frequently illustrates his argument by a proverb or saying quoted 
 from various authors in Latin and translated into Gaelic. The 
 whole Treatise is theoretical rather than practical. It opens 
 thus : Liberet te Deus,JiU anutntisime, a deuio herroris conseruet 
 te in uiain 'prospiretatis .\. co saera Diet tu a mic cartanaig o 
 aininfhis an t-shedchrain J co coimeda se tu a slighe an t-shoirh- 
 esa, ' God liberate thee, beloved son, from the ignorance of 
 error, and keep thee in the path of success.' Thereafter the 
 connnent proceeds, the author remarking inter alia that Isodore, 
 in this gloss upon Damascenus, understands by onac not ' son ' 
 but ' disciple,' who owes a greater love to his master than son 
 owes to father, for while the latter gives ' material being' (e /si 
 adburda) to his son, the former gives to his pupil ' formative 
 being' (eisi crutliaighihc) which is the ' nobler' of the two, inas- 
 much as from it proceed fitting speech, wisdom, and virtue. 
 On fol. Ia2, the author gives Isodore's description of the three 
 schools of medicine mentioned in MS. X {v. siqnxi, p. 28),
 
 42 CATAI.OdllK OIMJAKI.KJ M ANUSCUIIT.S |MS. XIII 
 
 {(•f. also O'Gr. (JaL, p. 21^0). Isodorc says that there ai-e two 
 reasons on account of wliich the natural |)liiloso])lu'r's find the 
 healiuL,^ Art, hard to uiKhu'stand, tlie lirst bein^^ the dUicreiit 
 views held by the professors of Medicine, cjj., lin])i"t'isl noc/i. do 
 ■ul;/ i lyr I ii 1/11(1 le lt-'fir<-((is<j hilhedh, J IajkUiIsI (Irr/. LoKfJi'isi^rz. 
 Loif/Jiicl = Logici from lixjlca') 'nodi do itdjji olhri ti(/ndk le 
 niit<dl(id)Jr, ct Emofold>i'h {'iiwioicl = mctkodica) iiocJt do nig 
 odn-ingud/i le ballad) na n-alnimiidteg'^ 7 do creideag^ d'an 
 gothad^h ; 7 tfu; h-egsamlact na droingl so cxaridacJd do heit{h) 
 ar an drolng tainlc hi a n-dlaig cum tuicsina na h-ealadan 
 leigJiis : ' The Empirics who profess to cure {lit. work) by salves 
 made from plants ; the Rationalists Avho cure by metals ; and 
 the Methodists who work by the organs of animals and put faith 
 in their cries. And the difference between these has caused a 
 diversity of views in their successors in understanding the 
 healing Art.' The Treatise ends abruptly at the foot of fol. 8 ; 
 but other parts of it are found in MS8. XVII, XXII, and 
 XXIil. 
 
 Among the many authorities cited are, in addition to 
 Damascenus and Isodore, Algazel, Aristotle, Averroes, Avicenna, 
 Constantine, Galen, Hali, Hippocrates, Isaac, Johanisius, and 
 Orbacius. Of non-professional authors, the writer quotes Senaca 
 (Seneca) and Salumon (Solomon) on reading, — the saying of 
 the former, L<i(jcio lecta placet, dicies repitUa phicchit, being 
 rendered /o?'/>a;7f/(/ an legad 7 tarhaigi an t-atJdegadh ' Reading 
 is pleasant, re-reading is more profitable'; that of the latter, — 
 Legere et non inteligere est ne leg ire — is dimmn ni do legadh 7 
 ga.n a tuicsin ' It is profitless to read anything without under- 
 standing it.' The Syntax of the Gaelic Article enables the 
 writer to turn a dictum of the feallsam. neatly to his native 
 idiom: Medicus sanat Socratini et non Jiorninem .\. Leigisldh 
 an liaigh Socrates 7 ni leigisi in diiine: ' The ph3'sician heals 
 Socrates (but) not Man.' 
 
 Nothing very definite can be said about the age of this laj^er. 
 It may be of the early fifteenth or even of the fourteenth 
 century. 
 
 2. The second layer also consists of eight leaves of parch- 
 
 ^ The unaspirated y for dh may be due to ' localism.' A similar phoneticism 
 is observable in the neighbourhood of Kintail and elsewhere iu Scotland.
 
 MS. XIII] MEDICINE, ETC. 43 
 
 raent, folio, written in doul)le column and in a good hand. 
 Capitals are plain and, except on the first page, uncoloured. A 
 rent in the third leaf is repaired with red silk thread. To a 
 footnote on fol. 4a is appended, in a comparatively late hand, 
 the initials 2I.B. which may be for Malcolm Bethune. This 
 layer is of later date than the first. The orthographical com- 
 bination ao, e.g., is common, and the graph 2 stands for (in, ta, 
 as well as for est. 
 
 The MS. is defective at the commencement. The last page 
 is largely illegible, but the text of the second column is con- 
 tinued across the page at the bottom, suggesting that the end 
 of a chapter, if not also the end of the MS., is reached. 
 
 The contents are various, the author showing a tendency to 
 turn aside now to Astronomy, now to Metaph3'sics. He gives 
 his own views with confidence, and does not seem to put much 
 faith in his contemporaries. The text opens with a new section, 
 but with evident reference to preceding matter, thus : /y iad 
 so oiprlghtJii an leighis aonda J adeir G{alen) go full tri 
 h-oiprighthi ag an leighes aonda .|. oipriugud uilidJd J olpriug- 
 ud rannaighi j oipriugud coitcind: 'These are the actions 
 of simple medicine, — and Galen says that uncompounded 
 medicine has a threefold action, — universal, particular, and 
 general ' (cf supra , p. IG, where a similar statement is attri1)uted 
 to Avicenna). The author proceeds to explain these from vari- 
 ous points of view, both of the medicine and of the patient. He 
 states that the doctiiire otuaglnt ' the doctors of to-day,' mistak- 
 ing the teaching of their elders, have forbidden a certain 
 treatment (fol. Ia2) ann sa chuid is gaire don F(h)rainc do 
 Saxanaihk 7 a Saxanaib fein 7 an Albain 7 an Eii-inn, 'in 
 the part of France nearest England, in England itself, as also 
 in Scotland and Ireland.' 
 
 On fol. 3a2 detached paragraphs are given on ine{a)nibra 
 spermatis\ the euingill (MS. cuincliill) or qualities oi full derg 
 'sanguis,' and lenn ruadli ' choler ' ; hruidemlacht 'brute 
 instinct ' which according to the text is of two kinds, criadham- 
 ail 'clayey,' and aerda' aerial,' the former having as its dilus 
 or property snain ar fud na, tahnan 'to wander (lit. swim) 
 over the earth,' Avhereas the latter's dilus is in case of birds 
 flying, and in case of cows loAving, thus showing a higher stage
 
 44 CATALOdUK OF GAELIC MANUSCRIPTS | MS. XIII 
 
 of ffticNtii ' intclli^tj^cncG' ; and Jlidii 'inoisturc' in its three 
 varieties, as shown respectively in plants, wine, and water. 
 
 On fol. 8bl a new subject is thus introduced: Adeir an 
 fealhani (joroh e fi'ialli. h/ds an brigJt dhilcagluich "j na hriga 
 ciirthar do congnum did ag dennm an cct dlleagha a fear 
 lenna fiuiir se h-uaire. Et is- e fad hJd.s a fear lenna duih nai 
 uaire. Et is e fad his ag denum an cct dileagJia a fer lenna 
 ruaidli tri h-uaire co leth. Et Ik e fid h/ds a fer fhola deirge 
 cethir h-uaire co leth: 'The Philosopher says that the time 
 which the digestive force, together with the forces that co- 
 operate therewith, takes in completing the first digestion is, in 
 the case of a person of phlegmatic complexion, six hours; of 
 one of a melancholic complexion, nine hours ; of one of a 
 choleric complexion, three and a half hours ; and of one of a 
 sanguine complexio]i, four and a half hours.' Then follows the 
 time which the various digestive processes take in performing 
 their respective functions in the case of persons of the four 
 ' complexions,' with the disorders and diseases attendant upon 
 each stage, and in each complexion. The treatment of the 
 diseases is not much entered upon, but metaphysical discussions 
 and the influence of the planetary sj^stem on disease are 
 unusually full, and continue until the last page, where defini- 
 tions of several technical terms are given. 
 
 The authority chiefly cited is Avicenna (Au, Aui, once 
 Ian). Animatus is frequently cited on the first two leaves, 
 but not afterwards. Galen, Hippocrates, Damascenus, Isaac, 
 Apolonius, and Henricus (MS. Hanricus) are also cited. Fcall- 
 sarii (Aristotle), The Philosophers, The Doctors, are often referred 
 to. This author does not appear to be too well versed in 
 medical Bibliography. On fol. 2bl he mistakes the title of a 
 book for its author: vis na, gallraih eile ainmighes iiainn- 
 thegni in a leahur fein, ' to the other diseases which Pantechni 
 mentions in his own book.' Hippocrates and Galen are each 
 credited with a Treatise named Pantechni. 
 
 3. The third layer also consists of eight leaves of parchment, 
 folio. The skin is white and fresh. The handwriting is large 
 and good, somewhat angular. The writing is in double column. 
 The first letter is highly elaborated. Elsewhere capitals are 
 plain, but on the first five pages and the last frequently dashed
 
 MS. XIII] MEDICINE, ETC. 45 
 
 with red. Emendations appear over the hne and on the 
 margin. There is a blank space on fol. 4bl. 
 
 On the top of the first page is written, In nomine patris 7 
 Jilii 7 sj^iritus sancti. The author announces his purpose 
 thus: — Trachtadh cumair tarbach solusta and so d'foilUiiiq- 
 adh onen^nan lucht an eitseachta a noua {sic) ^nentori: 'Here 
 follows a concise, useful, and clear Treatise to illumine the 
 mind of the reader (lit. hearers) by a new Expounder.' The 
 Treatise is more elaborate than concise, and is occasional!}' want- 
 ing in clearness. But it is a comprehensive exposition, by an 
 able and learned man, of the science of Medicine, as understood 
 at the time. Who the ' new mentor ' was we are not told. The 
 work is theoretical rather than practical, and continually passes 
 from Medicine to Metaphysics. The practice of the author is 
 to summarise the views of the authorities on every subject he 
 takes up, to point out their discrepancies, and endeavour to 
 explain if not to reconcile them. He states his own views 
 with confidence, even when they differ from the highest 
 authorities. 
 
 The Treatise is divided into two main parts: (1) Regarding 
 Medicine generally, and (2) Regarding the classification and 
 functions of the various organs. But in the course of the work 
 various distinctions are made, and explanations given of many 
 things. Thus ' Theory ' and ' Practice ' take up a large space. 
 So do things ' natural,' ' non-natural,' and 'contrary to nature' 
 (c/. supra, p. 24). A cha|)ter on the divile or ' Elements ' gives 
 the views of the philosophers from Plato and Aristotle down- 
 wards, with a comment upon each. 
 
 The second part of the Treatise commences with the Heart 
 (fol. 4b2). Then follow paragraphs on the Brain, Marrow, 
 Liver, etc. A chapter on the huAll seirhhislgJil ' ancillary 
 organs,' such as the Veins and Arteries, comes next, followed 
 by a long chapter on the hru/a or 'powers,' 'faculties.' The 
 briga are first considered generally, and then specially. Among 
 them is the brig 7iadurda or ' natural force,' in the exposition 
 of which the author tells us that the Philosophers use the term 
 Nature in eight different senses, and the Physicians in nine 
 (fols. 7b2 — Sal). Individual briga, such as the brig oilemhna 
 ' the nutritive force,' the brig fastaigtheach ' the constrictive (?)
 
 46 rATAT.OGUE OF GAELIC MAXUSCRIPTS [MS. XIII 
 
 force' arc then taken up, but before the discussion of the latter 
 is concluded the text comes to an abru])t close. 
 
 A large array of Authors is cited, in i lie case of Aristotle, 
 Avicenna, Constantine, (ialcn, Hali, lli])|)ocratcs, Isaac, Johannes 
 (Damascenus ?) and Isodore, the particular Treatise quoted 
 from is frequently named. Among the less common authorities 
 cited are Plato on vXrj (fol. 4a2), and on 'nature' (fol. 7b2), 
 Almogesto Tomoei, Boethius, Turius, and Tolameus (Ptolemy). 
 The writer makes an occasional mistake in his bibliography. 
 Thus he attributes the De aiilmn of Aristotle to Hippocrates. 
 But this may be a mere slip of the pen, and ought not 
 to count much against an author so learned and generally so 
 accurate. 
 
 4. The fourth layer is a fragment of four leaves of parch- 
 ment, folio size. It is defective at the beginning and end, and 
 when compared with MS. XIV it is found that three leaves are 
 awanting between the (present) second and third. The writing 
 is in double column, and in the same hand as j\IS. X. In onl}^ 
 two cases are capitals inserted, but space is left for them. A 
 rent in fol. 1 is repaired with green silk thread. 
 
 The subject is a portion of the second book of Hippocrates's 
 Amprismorwin. In the commencement of the text the dis- 
 cussion is on csldiitl ffcra 'acute diseases,' from which the 
 author proceeds to Fevers, which are described in great detail. 
 The subject is not concluded on fol. 2b2. On fol. Sal the 
 author has passed on to pnrgoide ' emetics,' which are con- 
 sidered in their several varieties and suitability, until the text 
 breaks off on fol. 4b2 in the middle of a sentence. 
 
 In this portion of the Amprisono7"um two new authorities are 
 cited, — 3[ai(/isfer U'dlialmvs o Sliab Pimknoi- and Aonudklus de 
 uilla noua ' William of Montpelier and Arnaldus of Villanova.' 
 
 5. The two leaves which form the fifth layer of the MS. are 
 put together in an unusual way. Four leaves of quarto vellum 
 written in double column were taken asunder. A strip of the 
 skin, including some of the text, was cut from the side of each, 
 and used to stitch the four quarto leaves as two folios. These 
 were bound into this MS., but were found to be longer than the 
 others. They were then folded in at the top and bottom so as 
 to make them rnore or less uniform with the adjacent leaves.
 
 MS. XIII] MEDICINE, ETC. 47 
 
 The text is not continuous. The page now shows in four 
 cokimns. The hand is large, round and clear. Capitals are 
 large and finely executed, but not coloured. 
 
 The subjects discussed are j^urgoide, — their varieties, when 
 they ought to be given, and how they operate ; Foods, especi- 
 ally the flesh of sheep, cows and pigs ; and i\lilk (including 
 butter, whey, curds and cheese) of cow, sheep, goat, mare and 
 ass. Among the authorities cited are Hippocrates, Galen, and 
 Alexander. 
 
 6. The sixth and last layer of MS. XIII consists of eight 
 leaves of thick parchment, large quarto. This layer is a com- 
 plete MS. in itself, written in double column, and in a clear but 
 somewhat rough hand. The MS. was for long without a cover, 
 and the first and last pages are not easily read. A marginal 
 note here and there supplies an omission of text. On the last 
 page the subject being unfinished at the foot of the second 
 column is continued on the bottom margin and written across. 
 The author writes in clear, idiomatic Gaelic, with a turn of 
 happy illustration. Six different subjects are treated of, and 
 each is concluded, the usual docquet (Fin it. Amen.) being 
 appended. 
 
 (1) The first subject discussed is the doctrine of the four 
 grcuhis or ' degrees,' in Gaelic celmeniui {cf. MS. II, sujjra, p. 16). 
 Foods, drinks, and the materials from which medicines were 
 composed were, in respect of quality, classed as hot, cold, dry, or 
 moist, in one or other of four (ri/menna or degrees. The 
 exposition opens in Latin, the words being legible only in part : 
 
 {N)otan(him (tri)plex est doctrlna g(raduuvi), which 
 
 rendered into Gaelic reads : is follus go fuilid tri forcedail ar 
 na celmennaih, 'it is manifest that the doctrine of the degrees 
 is threefold.' The three are then defined, and commented uj)on 
 at great length, the discussion taking up rather more space than 
 the other five subjects put together. At the foot of fol. 2al, 
 the author states that the ' truly noble men ' who formulated 
 and developed ' the science of the degrees ' were in succession 
 G(alen), Jacobus Alcinndi, Averroes, and Arnaldus of Villanova. 
 To himself, being an unripe youth, was given by grace the privi- 
 lege of collecting and putting together these maxims and other 
 ' secrets.' In speaking of climate in connection with the quantity
 
 48 CATALOOTTE OF CJAELIC MANUSCRIPTS [MS. XIII 
 
 of medicine to bo given, he instances larlid n<t h-Kho'ipl/ {\\Q 
 Egyptians,' as occupying a hot country, and the Lorhi<nhiial(l(h) 
 'Scandinavians' a cold country, while ^^7/^//^ PisnhiJn ' Mont- 
 pelier' enjoys a temperate (me.snr(l(() climate. 
 
 (2) Mil ' honey ' and rrir ' wax ' are treated of on fols. 5al — 
 Gal. Srx modisi md rof/noscitiir .\. adeir Nicohins co fuiled se 
 modJia on <uihintrr an mJid : ' Nicolaus says that there are six 
 ways by which Honey is known.' The six marks of good honey 
 are given : (a) Spring honey is superior to that of Winter, {h) 
 Gold-red honey is superior to pale. (^;) The lower layer of the 
 comb is superior to the upper, {d) The sweeter the taste the 
 better the quality, {e) The thicker the honey the better. (/) 
 Bee- honey is superior to that made from sugar. Wax is then 
 considered, and thereafter the medical properties of both. In 
 addition to Nicolas (H)ispanus, Galen, Aristotle, Isaac, and 
 Johannes de Sancto Mando {cf. supra, p. 31) are cited. 
 
 (3) A chapter on the cetfada ' senses ' follows on fols. 6al — 
 7a2. After quoting a maxim from the first book of the Feall- 
 f<ains Metaphysics, the author proceeds to name the cfifada, 
 giving the five from the fifth book of Avicenna on ' Nature.' 
 The substance of the chapter is to be found in several of the 
 MSS. {cf. e.g. supra, p. 40). Of the internal (inmedonach) senses, 
 the writer states that they have their seat in the brain, some in - 
 the front portion {incJtind edain), some in the central (medon), 
 and some in the posterior portion (inchind cuil). In addition 
 to Feallsam (Aristotle), Avicenna, Alibertus, Algazel, and 
 
 Comentatur ' are cited. 
 
 (4) On fol. 7a2 — b2 is a version of the tractate De amore 
 hereos, already described (v. supra, p. 11). The texts here and 
 in MS. II are practically the same. 
 
 (5) A well-written tract De solucione co7itin'iuitis .\. do na 
 cnedhaih 'of wounds' is found on fols. 7b2 — 8bl. This tract is 
 also, in substance, met with more than once (cf. e.g. MS. II, 
 supra, p. 11). Wounds are here divided into four classes, each 
 being described in detail. On fol. Sal their cure (curacio) 
 is considered, and on fol. 8a2-bl various ceirineacha ' salves, 
 plasters,' are recommended. 
 
 (6) The last column (8b2), with the margin at the foot 
 of the page, is taken up with Hydrophobia. The text is
 
 MS. XIVJ MEDICINE, ETC. 49 
 
 practically the same as that of MS. li, already noticed (v. 
 s^ipra, p. 1 ] ). 
 
 MS. XIV — Kilbride Collection, No. 10 
 
 This MS. consists of two layers of parchment, large quarto, 
 each containing eight leaves. The two are fastened together, 
 and bound in pieces of skin stitched roughly by a thong. This 
 cover was written uj^on, but only parts of the text are now 
 legible. These are in Latin, — one being a fragment of the 
 Gospel of St. John (xviii. 39-xix. 21) which follows the Vulgate 
 closely, but with a few words transposed and one or two 
 omitted ; another is devotional. A few words and phrases are 
 written in a modern unformed hand on the inside of the cover, 
 — one of them reads Mise leabar Neill meic Giollandris, ' I am 
 the book of Neil son of Gillanders,' one of the M'Beath 
 physicians, no doubt. There are Neil and Neil glas or 'gray,' 
 sons of Gillanders, in the M'Beath pedigree above referred to 
 (v. supra, p. 5). 
 
 The contents of both layers are the same, as also that of 
 MS. XIII (4) (v. supra, p. 46), — portions of Chapters ii. and iii. 
 of the Amprismorum of Hippocrates. The first layer, although 
 on the last page in smaller script, and written with a sharper 
 pen, is evidently in the same hand as that of MS. X and 
 MS. XIII (4). The second layer may also be by the same 
 scribe, although the writing is somewhat larger, rounder, and 
 more carefully executed. The three texts of MS. XIII (4) 
 and MS. XIV (1) and (2) so far overlap. Thus MS. XIII (4) 
 fol. 2al, 1. 11 to the foot of fol. 2b2, corresponds to MS. XIV 
 (1) fols. lal-2bl, 1. 10. The gap between fols. 2 and 3 of 
 MS. XIII (4) is wholly covered by MS. XIV (1), fols. 2bl-5b2, 
 and in part by MS. XIV (2), fols. lal-2bl, 1. 34. Further, 
 fols. 3 and 4 of MS. XIII (4); fols. 6, 7, and 8 of MS. XIV (1) ; 
 and fol. 2bl, 1. 85 to 4bl, 1. 41 of MS. XIV (2) give the 
 same text. Thereafter the text of MS. XIV (2) is unsupported. 
 The three texts agree so closely that the one must have been 
 copied from the other, or all of them from a common original. 
 
 On fol. 7bl, 1. 9 of MS. XIV (2), the third Chapter jof the 
 Amprismorum begins: da labo.ir ipocraid is in cet j^f don 
 
 D
 
 f)0 CATALOGUE OF (JAKI.IC MANUSCKins |MS. XIV 
 
 lf'(ihur-s(( a inpt'iHrnor^itn don hrnj midiii-da, "^ tin li-oihrij/hl Ih 
 7 is in diird pf don l>ri(/ li'i iiinhjlil "J da h-olhrnj/itih lidjrdid 
 se is in 2)t so don hri;/ J>('ofh<ii(j j do 'na halladj spiradalta: 
 ' Hippocnitos having in tlio lirst chapter of this book, Ampris- 
 moriiin, treated of the natural force and its functions, and in 
 the second chapter of the animal force and its functions, he 
 speaks in this chapter of the vital force and of the spiritual 
 organs.' 
 
 The large section of the second Chapter of the Amijrisiaorriin 
 preserved in these texts deals mainly with Fevers, — their 
 divisions and subdivisions, their symptoms and treatment ; and 
 purgoide ' Emetics,' with a variety of subsidiary matter. The 
 comparatively small portion of the third Chapter of the same 
 Treatise (MS. XIA^ (2) fols. 7bl-8b2) discusses changes of 
 seasons with their bearing on health; the diseases prevalent in- 
 the various seasons; and kindred subjects. 
 
 The authors quoted or referred to are many. Bernard 
 Gordon is cited several times, but there is no mention of any 
 work of his. The author refers to several works of his own, e.g. 
 XIV (2) lal artiail adubrumar an libra criseos {in libro 
 crisioso XIV (1) 3bl) ' as we said in the book on Crises.' Else- 
 where he speaks of leabar na cohmplex ' book on the com- 
 plexions ' by himself, and leabar do rindemair do gnathugud 7 
 do oibrigtJiib na naduiri daenda 'a book which we composed 
 on the habits and actions of human nature ' {v. supra, p. 27 n). 
 
 MS. XVII — Kilbride Collection, No. 13 
 
 MS. XV^ll consists of three leaves of parchment, largo folio 
 size. One leaf is detached, and is written in a different hand. 
 The text of it corresponds to that of XIII (1) fol. 2a2 1. 35 to 
 fol. 3b2 1. 25, but in a different hand from XIII (1). The other 
 two leaves are attached, but the text is not continuous. The 
 subject is still a fragment of the Treatise commenced in MS. 
 XIII (1), — an elaborate commentary on medical maxims or 
 aphorisms by Isodore. The text of the first leaf of the two is 
 found in MS. XXII fol. Ib2, 1. 40 to fol. 3al, 1. 45. The second 
 leaf wives on the second column the conclusion of this treatise,
 
 MS. XVIII] MEDICINE, ETC. .51 
 
 with tlic usual Fiiiit. A'lnen. Thereafter come two detached 
 paragraphs, as if to fill up the column, one on foirme duileta 
 ' created forms,' the other on brig nadurdo. or uirtus naturalis 
 ' the natural force.' Fol. 2b is not written upon. 
 
 By the aid of MSS. XXII and XXIII, this Commentary on 
 Isodore's maxims, begun in MS. XIII (1) and concluded on MS. 
 XVII 2b, can be pieced together so as to leave only one blank 
 in the text of the large Treatise. Thus the last column of 
 MS. XIII (1) is repeated on MS. XXIII fol. 1, and the text 
 is continued. At fol 2al, 1. 22 MS. XXII takes up the text 
 and carries it on continuously over its eight leaves of folio, when 
 it comes to an abrupt close. The extent of the gap from this 
 point until MS. XVII fol. 2 takes up the text and concludes the 
 Treatise is not ascertained. 
 
 MSS. XIII (1), XVII, the loose leaf in XVII, XXII, and 
 XXIII, containing portions of this Treatise, are all written in 
 different hands, a fact which indicates that this Commentary, 
 like the Amprismorum of Hippocrates, was highly prized by 
 the Gaelic physicians. In addition to the authorities cited in 
 MS. XIII (1), riatearius is mentioned in MS. XVII. 
 
 MS. XVIII— Kilbride Collection, No. 14 
 
 MS. XVIII is of paper, folio size. It is written in double 
 column, in a modern hand, large and clear but not very fine. 
 There are sixteen leaves or thirty-two pages. The first page is 
 numbered 80 and the last 104. But p. 88 is repeated, as are 
 also pp. 93-99. On the other hand page 91 is omitted in the 
 numbering. 
 
 The text was evidently meant to be a copy of Bernard Gordon's 
 LUium Medicinae. As it now stands it is but a fragment, 
 beginning and ending abruptly, and with a break between p. 90 
 and the next (p. 92). The top margin of the recto of the leaf 
 is headed an c. pt { = an cet pairteagal) ' The first Particle ' or 
 Book, while the verso has up to p. 96 Don Lubra ' of Leprosy,' 
 thereafter Do h-Shalchar an Chroicinn ' Of Foulness of the 
 Skin.' From p. 92 to the end the text agrees word for word 
 with the copy of the LUium Medicinae in the Library of the
 
 52 CATALOGUE OF ({AKI.IC MANUSCKIl'TS |MS. XVIII 
 
 Society of ScoLtisli Aiiticiuiirius (p. 4-(il', 1. II Lu p. (i2i), 1. l(i). 
 This toxt contains the concludiiit,^ ]>!iiL of the chapter on 
 Scrofula (cap. 21) ; cap. 22, don Liihni. ' on Leprosy ' ; cap. 23 ' on 
 Morphea'; cap. 24, ' on Scabies'; and the opening sentences of 
 cap. 25, 'on Pustules' {t/oraln). An occasional note on the 
 margin supplies an omission of text, otherwise there is nothing 
 in this excerpt to indicate author or scribe. [An account of the 
 Lilium Mcdicinac will 1)0 given later.] 
 
 MS. XX— Kilbride Collection, N(j. 16 
 
 MS. XX is a fragment consisting of six leaves parchment, 
 large folio (12 in. by 9). It is written in a plain, regular hand, 
 in double colunni, with fifty lines and upwards to the page. 
 Beo"innin£rs of sections are written in capital letters, but there 
 is no ornan:ientation or colouring. The ink is dull, and the MS. 
 has been roughly used, so that in some parts, especially the last 
 page, it is difficult to read it. Rents in the skin are stitched 
 with red silk thread. This MS. was written or transcribed at a 
 later date than most of the medical parchments, the script ao 
 for ae, e.rj. aon, rood, taohh, being common throughout. 
 
 The commencement of the text is awanting, but the Treatise 
 closes on the eighth line of the last column (fol. 0b2). Then 
 comes a docquet giving the date, which is illegible. Another 
 note follows: Aoif^ (in tigherna an fan do niarhadh CohthacJi 
 o inadadh . . . ' The age of the Lord when C. Avas killed by the 
 hound . . .,' but again the date cannot be fixed. Lower down 
 is Misi Eoin Macbetha A'pril 16 . . 'I (am) John MacBeath, 
 April 16 ... ' with other illegible matter. At the foot of the 
 previous page (fol. 6 a) is written across the margin in English, 
 and in inferior hand, 'This was writin by me, Luke T(?F)ully, 
 the first of November, 1679,' which, considering the ortho- 
 graphy, may be about the date of the transcript. 
 
 The text opens with the latter part of a prescription to be 
 given in the first aicid or accident in the aixis of fever. The 
 other aicidi, with their symptoms and appropriate remedies, 
 in which blood-letting has a prominent place, follow. Tart 
 ' thirst ' is treated of thereafter.
 
 MS. XXIJ MEDICINE, ETC. 53 
 
 A subsequent section opens with the statement that there is 
 a longer period in the aixii^ of the fevers called quinctana, 
 sexana, etc. to decena than in quartaita, with an explanation of 
 the fact. Feihris sang in is is thereafter discussed, including 
 sinoca, sinocus, and kindred varieties. A section follows 
 ' Regarding the diseases which are not adburdha ' (material), 
 or, as afterwards explained, those in which there is not adhur 
 or ' matter ' which must be got rid of. Here efemera which may 
 he fire, i.e. 'real efemera,' or nach fir ' what is not so,' and eitic 
 'hectic fever,' are the chief subjects of discussion. 
 
 Other sections treat at length oi diahcticii 'p<'^''i^io and min- 
 gitus sainginis (fols. 4b]-5b"2), their cause, symptoms, and cure. 
 The last section is on the mamilla and the various disorders 
 to which they are subject. 
 
 A feature of the Treatise is the full and detailed recipes pre- 
 scribed for the diseases treated of. The recognised authorities, 
 Hippocrates, Galen, Avicenna, Averroes, Constantine, Hali, and 
 Isodore are cited, as also Alibertus, Bartholomeus, Dioscorides, 
 Egidius, Gilbertinus, and Serapion. In referring to the vicAvs 
 of Avicenna and the Doctors who agree with him, the author 
 makes the observation (fol. 2al): ucus ni coir dwinne techt an 
 aighe raite nan doctuiri add an adlacad onaill h-anoir ' It does 
 not become us to contradict the dicta of the Doctors, but to 
 bury them Avith honour.' 
 
 MS. XXI— Kilbride Collection, No. 17 
 
 MS. XXI consists of eight leaves of parchment, ordinary 
 folio size, written in double column, and in a very small but 
 good hand. The initial letter is large and highly elaborate, 
 showing that the treatise is complete at the commencement. 
 It is incomplete at the end, the text breaking off in the middle 
 of a sentence. Several memoranda appear on the margins, one 
 or two supplying an omission in the text. There is nothing to 
 indicate author or scribe. 
 
 The subject is a part of the Aniprisniorum of Hippocrates, 
 written in the same style as the portions contained in MSS. X, 
 XI, XIII (4-), and XIV. The 'aphorisms' or 'canons' are
 
 54 CATALOGUE OF GAELIC MANUSCRIPTS [MS. XXI 
 
 quoted in whole or in part, in Latin, written in capital letters 
 and for the greater part coloured, while the coniiiicnt follows, 
 in Gaelic. Here the several books or ' particles ' of the lar^i^e 
 Treatise are not distinguished, but from the table of contents 
 given in MS. X they are shown to be, in whole or in [lart, 
 Books 4, 5, and G. 
 
 The text opens with an exposition of various disorders attend- 
 ing Pregnancy and the diseases resulting therefrom. Among 
 these Leprosy, Dropsy, and others are named; but that chiefly 
 dwelt upon is Syncope, — its varieties, treatment, and cure. 
 Side issues, ejj. barrenness in the male as well as in the female, 
 arc considered in some detail. A large section is devoted to 
 Milk,— its composition, together with its nutritive qualities. A 
 variety of questions propounded by ' Comentatur,' — whether the 
 milk of an animal partakes of the nature of the animal, like its 
 flesh and blood; whether the milk is affected by the kind of 
 grass the animal feeds upon ; why animals are milk-producing 
 while birds are not — are discussed. 
 
 Some observations follow on Wounds and Sores, with or with- 
 out swelling. Spasms, Rigor, etc., with the diseases to which these 
 give rise. Then follows (fols. 5a2-6a2) a long section on 
 ictericia or huidlieacliair (in Scottish Gaelic a hhiiidheach) 
 ' Jaundice.' Three varieties of ' Jaundice ' are named, — crocJida, _ 
 or yellow, uaine or green, and duh or black. Various remedies, 
 external and internal, are prescribed. 
 
 On fol. 6a2 commences the exposition of Lienteria, and on 
 the inner margin opposite is marked in vi pi. This clearly 
 means the sixth ijairteagal or book of the Treatise, and shows 
 that the preceding sections on wounds, sores, etc., formed the 
 fifth book, as the portion on pregnancy, etc., formed the fourth 
 book. The discussion on Lienteria is followed (fol. Ia2) by 
 Disentirla, after which come diseases of the kidneys and bladder. 
 Remedies in the form of potions, plasters, electuaries, baths, 
 and special diets are prescribed in great detail. The text comes 
 to an abrupt close on fol. 8b2. 
 
 Among the authorities cited in this part of the Ampris- 
 7noruin are, in addition to Hippocrates, Galen, Isaac, Avicenna, 
 Aristotle, Comentatur, G(il)b(ertinus), Gerallterus (fol. (jal) and 
 Ricardus.
 
 MS. XXVj MEDICINE, J:TC. 55 
 
 MS. XXII— Kilbride Collection, No. 18 
 
 MS. XXII consists of eight leaves of parchment, folio size. 
 It is written in double column, in a good, clear, but plain hand. 
 As already stated (v. supra, p. 51) the subject is a continuation 
 of the Treatise on canons or maxims of Isodore, commenced in 
 MS. XIII (1). Here the first line of the canon, quoted in Latin, 
 is written in round capitals, and daul)ed in red. The text is a 
 fragment opening and ending in the middle of a sentence, but 
 continuous, and covering a wide field. Various ailments and 
 diseases, with their cures, are considered, but in somewhat 
 general terms. Prescriptions are few, but baths, clysters, 
 electuaries, unguents, and plasters are frequently recommended. 
 Blood-letting, in the two forms of cuidr ' vein ' and adore ' horn,' 
 'cup,' is discussed at length; as also the influence of climate, 
 seasons and planets upon health and disease. Egidius and 
 Ptolemy, not referred to in MS. XIII (1), are here cited. 
 
 MS. XXIII — Kilbride Collection, No. 19 
 
 MS. XXIII is a fragment consisting of six leaves of parch- 
 ment, small folio size. It is written in double column, in a 
 good, plain hand, without ornamentation or colouring of any 
 kind. The tirst and last pages are more or less illegible. There 
 is a gap in the text between fol. 2 and 3, and 4 and 5, which is 
 supplied by MS. XXII. The subject, as stated above {v. p. .51), 
 is a part of the Commentary on maxims or canons of Isodore. 
 In comparing the texts of this treatise conunon to MSS. XIII 
 (1), XVII, XXII, and XXIII, one is led to the conclusion, not- 
 withstanding slight differences in diction and the occasional 
 omission of a clause or quotation in one or other of them, that 
 they are not independent translations, but copies of a common 
 original. 
 
 MS. XXV— Kilbride Collection, No. 21 
 
 The contents of MS. XXV are mainly Religious. But the 
 MS. proper is covered by four leaves, two at the beginning and 
 two at the end, of small quarto, parchment. The text of these
 
 56 CATALOGUE OF OAELIC MANUSCRIPTS [MS. XXV 
 
 is chietiy medical. Some Memoranda were written on fol. la, 
 but they are undecipherable. Fol. 4b is blank. Tlic writing is 
 in double column, in a plain but clear hand. A few marginal 
 notes, not too legible, appear. There is no colouring or orna- 
 mentation of any kind. 
 
 The te.xt on fol. Ibl opens abruptly, — somllis no ni elli 
 incoch iiK(ctli(is 7i(( leanna, .... 'very sweet or any other thing 
 that mollifies the humours.' Then follow prescriptions for (jaUtr 
 nan duas, 'disease of the ears,' especially cnuic na chuts or 
 parotide {=7rap(OTl'i) 'tumours of the cars'; disorders of the 
 uvula (cioclh-hhraii/lted); nose- obstructions {sron oiiucJiadJi); 
 pleurisy; heat and cold in the Htonv.icAx : fastidium (eimeltus) ; 
 luas craidlil 'palpitation.' Thereafter come paragraphs on 
 diets, — fish, apples, beans, and milk, among which sleep and 
 water are included. Hippocrates is cited. 
 
 There is a lacuna between fols. 2 and 3. On fol. 8al the 
 text treats of milk, curds, cheese, and butter. Fol. 3a2-b2 gives 
 the proper diet in pleuro-pneumonia (pplemonia), diseases of 
 the liver, spleen, and kidneys. A paragraph on the foods suit- 
 able when the vein of the arm is opened (fol. 4al) closes this 
 medical fragment, with the usual Finit. Amen. Two short 
 poems, not always legible, fill up the remainder of the page. 
 The subject of the first is ' Death ' ; the second is attributed to 
 G{o)fraidli o Cliinia. 
 
 MS. XXVI— Kilbride Collectiox, No. 22 
 
 The medical portion of MS. XXVI consists of six leaves of 
 parchment, quarto. The writing is in double column. The 
 text begins and ends abruptly. 
 
 Six different subjects are treated of: — 
 
 1. The hlasa or tastes (c/. supra, pp. 13, 37), in connection 
 with which Gilbertus is cited. 
 
 2. A chapter headed don fi.lun ' Of Felon. The text con- 
 sists of a number of prescriptions in the form of plasters and 
 potions for Felon, Fistula, Cancer, Carbuncles, and Furunculus. 
 This chapter ends on fol. 4b2, and the remainder of the column 
 is blank. 
 
 3. On fol, 5al-2 is a fresh chapter which professes to treat
 
 MS. XXVII] MEDICINE, ETC. r)7 
 
 of Elephantiasis, Morphea, Scabies, Apostemata, and Pruritus. 
 Only the first two are mentioned. Under Elephantiasis, Arnaldus 
 is cited, and under Morphea, Hippocrates. 
 
 4. On fols. 5bl-6al are named the foods etc., suitable for 
 each of the twelve months of the year, beginning with March 
 and ending with February. The account professes to follow a 
 leahar ' book ' which is not named. 
 
 5. The days and hours on which Sun and Moon enter the 
 same comartha or Sign in each month of the year are given on 
 fob 6al-2. 
 
 6. On fob 6bl-2 the subject is Sleep. The last couple of 
 lines are illegible. In this paragraph oi?- ' because' is written 
 oigh, a phoneticism which recalls, in Scotland, Tiree and Uist. 
 
 Several notes are found here and there on the mai'gin. The 
 following evidently refers to some calamity threatening Mull, 
 written perhaps by one of the Mull M'Beaths. Uch, a Mltuire 
 is onairg do feraihh Muile ata am. hetliaidlt an meid mairjis 
 dih a nocJd, ' Alas, Mary, woe to the living men of Mull who will 
 survive this night.' 
 
 MS. XXVII— Kilbride Collection, No. 23 
 
 The MS. proper consists of five leaves of parchment, rather 
 small folio. It is enclosed in a cover formed of four leaves 
 of parchment, firmly stitched together with a thong. These are 
 written upon in Latin. The outer pages are now illegible. On 
 the inner pages the hand is apparently the same as that of the 
 cover of MS. XIV. On one of these is a copy of the Gospel of 
 St. Mark xiv. 47-xv. 1. On the other, which is broken, there 
 are verses of the Gospel of St. John (cap. xi); of the Epistle 
 to the Philippians (cap ii.) ; and of Psalm xxii. (Vulgate xxi). 
 On the inner side of the end cover is the note : Me fein 
 leahJtar Ghillanndrias duihh "j ni 'maitlh an litir so again, 
 ' I am the book of swarthy Gillanders, and this my script is 
 bad.' Gillanders Avas doubtless a MacBeath, and probably the 
 father of Neil son of Gillanders Avho appears on MS. XIV 
 {v. supra, p. 49). 
 
 The contents of the MS. are varied, but mainly Medical. 
 The text opens with a note by Jacobus de Forlivio on
 
 r.S CATALOnUK OF aAKLTO MANUSCRIPTS [MS. XXVII 
 
 Electuaries, the openinc^ sentences of which are quoted by the 
 late Dr. M'Lauchlau in Celtic Glraniiiijs, p. 101, but. the writer 
 takes up a variety of topics. Avicenna is cited. 
 
 A succeeding cliapter (fol. Ib2) is on 'How to know things,' 
 based upon the views of the philosophers, and especially of 
 ' C!onientatur' in the beginning of the first book on Physics. 
 'Vho, discussion is chiefly on Miller la prima, Forma, and Prieacio, 
 the last being rendered into Gaelic esbaidh, na foirme 'absence 
 of Form.' ('hapters on Himoea inJiatiiKi (fol. 2a2) which is not 
 translated, and J!J/ica (fol. 21)1) 'hectic fever' follow. Bartholo- 
 meus is the authority cited in both chapters. 
 
 An interesting chapter on Music is given on fols. 2b2-3al. 
 Musica est 'pliirimum disionilium in unum, redactorwin Con- 
 cordia .|. is ed is ceol vo is hindes and raoran do netltih 
 neamchosmaile do tanking co h-aentadhach an aen ceol amain, 
 ' Music or melody consists in uniting many diverse sounds 
 (lit. things) harmoniously in one musical sound.' ' Aristotle 
 (or Arnaldus?) says that there is music in the domun or 
 universe, in daendacht or humanity, and in indstriiminti or 
 instruments. The various divisions and subdivisions of each 
 are named. Of ' human music ' e.g. some is in the body, some 
 in the soul, and some in both combined. Of musical instruments 
 some are 'stringed' like timpan or lyre; some are 'wind', 
 or 'air' like the organ; while others are 'voiced,' like gahail 
 dan ' singing songs,' and candairecht ' chanting.' 
 
 Paragraphs by Arnaldus on the duile (cf. supra, p. 45) or 
 elements, and datlia or colours follow on fol. Sal ; the causes of 
 the aicida or 'accidents' in disease (fol. 3a2); and the difference 
 between trlstitia, timor, and ira (fol. 3a2, but continued not on 
 3bl, but on 3b2). 
 
 On fol. 3bl is a paragraph by Egidius to the effect that 
 hetJia 'life' may be regarded from three points of view: 
 volujjtiiosa or sanntach ' covetous ' or ' selfish ' ; politica or 
 saethrach ' industrial ' ; and conteinplatiiia or smuaintigtecJt or 
 intsamlaigtech 'intellectual' or' imaginative.' Man shares the 
 first with the brutes, and where it predominates he is unworthy 
 of the name ; he shares the second with his fellows, and where it 
 predominates he is a man merely ; he shares the third with the 
 angels, and where it predominates he is more than human.
 
 MS. XXVII] MEDICINE, ETC. 59 
 
 Paragraphs by Avcrroes in secundo de coilictorio on the 
 administration of medicine, and on duinte ' obstructions ' fill 
 up the remainder of the coliinm. Fol. 3b2 is partly blank. 
 
 On fol 4al a different subject is introduced thus: Do 
 guididcr me na caruid is f err ayvAii sf/rihtlta cu cwmair cugu 
 leigheas dileagtha 7 folmuigldJii diuidi j comsnidighthi neoch 
 gnatJtaiges wtfisigi in a 2)'fciiticecJda J ar in guidi H%n 7 ar 
 maitJii 7'ium fcin htibeorad ar (hts do na leighesaihh diuidi 7 
 comsuidigldhi fohnaigea gacJi en lenn 7 do leighes dUeag/d/ia 7 
 foliiiuightliigacha lenna in gach hall am hi .sy, etc. (cf. sfcj^ra, p. 12), 
 ' My best friends have entreated me to write to them succinctl}' 
 (regarding the) digestive and purgative medicines, both simple 
 and compound, which physicians use in their practice ; and in 
 obedience to this request as well as for my own benefit, I shall 
 first name the simple and compound medicines which purge 
 each individual humour, and (then) the digestive and purgative 
 medicines of each humour in each organ, etc' The author 
 certainly does write succinctly. The medicines are named, 
 simple and compound, in orderly sequence, Avhich dissolve the 
 three humours, — len7i ruadh ' choler,' lenn fiiar ' phlegm,' 
 lenn duhh ' melancholia.' Then he goes on : do lahrumar 
 don leighes dileaglias gach lenn labrumar a nois don leighes 
 tairrnges he ar na, dileaghtha et atait tri neithi is insmuain- 
 tighthi cuigi sin. An cet ni dih ca leighes is dilus do gach 
 lenn do tarring. An dara ni ca med da gach. leighes is coir 
 cum gach adb^ir dih sin do tarring. An tres ni cindiis follm- 
 nuiglder an leigh-es cum na lennand do tarring, ' Having 
 spoken of the medicines which dissolve each humour, let us now 
 speak of the medicines which ' draw ' the humour, after being 
 dissolved. For this purpose three things are to be kept in view, 
 (1) what medicine has, as its property, the power to attract 
 each humour, (2) what quantity of each medicine is necessary 
 in order to draw the matter in each case, and (3) how are 
 the medicines to be regulated in order to attract the humours.' 
 These points are laid down in the same concise manner 
 (fol. 4a2). On fol. 4bl comes the second part of the tract, — 
 the treatment of the humours in the individual organs, which 
 is continued to fol. 5al. Thereafter comes the third part ' the 
 medicines which give relief, and draw forth from the organs
 
 GO CATALOrUTE OF aAKLTC MAXrSfMMlTS [MS. XXVII 
 
 the "evil complexion" which the hiinioiirs leave there.' This 
 section is fragmentary. A space left blank on fol. rr.il is filled 
 in, in inferior hand and different ink. The treatise comes to 
 an end on fol. 5a2 with an enumeration of the many medical 
 virtues of iioriiwiit ' wormwood.' The remainder of the colunm 
 is taken up with the various colours of urine and their medical 
 significance,, a subject that turns Tip frequently in these 
 documents {v. aj. pp. (S, 62). Fol. .5b is not written upon. 
 
 John Mesne is cited in the last tract, the name being written 
 in Gaelic, — ^:ieon Mcmic, and in the (jonitivc case (do iwlr) Hein 
 MeKiw (fol. 4a2). 
 
 Explanatory and other notes, not alwaj's too legible, appear 
 occasionally on the margins and blank sjiaces. Thus on fol. 8b2 : 
 Bennaclit ann so o Niall do cJntm -jxo cJiompandAcJii fain .|. 
 Ruairi Siaghail, 'A blessing here from Neill to my own 
 companion Rory O'Shiel.' 
 
 MS. XXXIII— Highland Society, Kilbride, No. 2 
 
 Two MSS. covered by very old skin are enclosed in the 
 wrapper labelled XXXIII, and both have been described by Dr. 
 Donald Smith {Rep. on Oss., App., pp. 293-4). 
 
 I. The first is a parchment of eight leaves, small folio size. 
 It contains a Calendar, carefully written in a good, clear hand. 
 On fol. lb are two well-executed fissured circles, with accom- 
 panying text explaining how to iind the Dominical Letter and 
 Golden Number of any year. Most of the entries and all the 
 numbers in the Calendar are in the same hand, written in black 
 or red. Other entries, chiefly footnotes naming the appropriate 
 foods, drinks, and days for blood-letting for each month, are in a 
 different and inferior hand. Under March e.g. is the following : 
 An treas oni .|. 9ni tnarta caith figedha 7 risin 7 hiada onillsi ele 
 7 leig full anns an xmad la 7 anns an ochtinad la as do laiinh 
 dels an aigid rigur a coitcldnne. (In) the third month, viz., 
 the month of March use figs and raisins and other sweet foods, 
 and on the tenth and eighth days open the vein of your right 
 arm specially to prevent Rigor. 
 
 Fols. la and 8b are blank, with the exception of a few
 
 MS. XXXIII] MEDICINE, ETC. fil 
 
 memoranda. Among- these are, on I'ol. la, Eoin Ma'ujbhdlia 
 est hujus libri possessor. Gidraithne. 22 don mith April 1700, 
 ' John MacBeath is the owner of this book. Coleraine, April 
 22nd, 1700'; and on fol. 8b Orra an chlnn 'Head charm,' 
 which ColumciUe 'Cokimba' prescribed for his [jille 'attendant,' 
 when going through a pass in a wood. The charm is in part 
 obscure to me. At the foot of fol. 1 b is written in phxin hand 
 ' Major John M'Lachhxn, Kilbride, No. 2.' 
 
 II. The second MS. is of paper, quarto. The paper is much 
 tattered, and many words and sentences of the text have disap- 
 peared. There are at least two hands, one rather common, the 
 other liner. The MS. is paged, and written in single column. 
 Its contents are various : 
 
 1. Verses on the Year, its divisions, festivals. Saints days, etc., 
 take up the first seven pages (p. 4 being blank). The verses are 
 (on p. 7) attributed to: 
 
 Gillihiart o Dut duinn ah Cuimh nach crion conihrvinn 
 Maith agnaoi da dcarbadh do saoigh mr dealhadh an diian so. 
 
 ' Gilbert O'Dubhagaii Abbot of C. -whose contentions shall endure, 
 His goodly countenance attests the sage who composed this i^oeni.' 
 
 A copy of the same composition is in MS. XLVIII, and 
 there attributed to O'Dubhagan (A Roman Calendar in verse 
 O dubhagan cc). The verses are printed from MS. XLVIII in 
 Reliquiae Celticae, vol. i. p. 141 et seq. 
 
 2. Pp. 9-30 contain an anatomical tract based on Galen's 
 Anatomia, but with other authorities cited, — Aristotle, Avi- 
 cenna, Constantino, Hippocrates, and, generally, na. li-ugluJair 
 ' the authors.' The same tract, Avith some difference in arrange- 
 ment and phraseology, is in MS. LX, pp. 239-260. Both begin: 
 Adeir Galen a leahhar anatomia gurab lad so na baill oiredha 
 .|. inchinn J croidhe aoi 7 tcirrjJie, 'Galen says in his book on 
 Anatomy that these are the cardinal organs, — brain and heart, 
 liver and testes. 
 
 8. Several prescriptions and charms are written on the 
 fragments which make up pp. 31-36. 
 
 4. On pp. 37-40 are written Latin maxims translated into 
 Gaelic, commencing thus: quod 'male ineipitur male jinitur .\. 
 Gach ni tinnscainter go Ic-olc is co h-olc cricJcnaighfer, ' whatso-
 
 62 CATAF.OGLTR OK CAKMC M AN l'S( '1:1 1'TS | MS. XXXIII 
 
 ever is l)eL;un badly is badly liiiishcd.' [([/'. MS. LX, p. iSl, 
 where a much lar^^er collection is given, beginning as here.] To 
 page 37 is gummed a strip of paper which was evidently the 
 end of a letter in which the son of the laird of Coll is men- 
 tioned, and signed Jf i.si Lacldainn Mac Giolla Eoiii, ' I (am) 
 Lachlan Maclean.' 
 
 5. Pp. 41-60, contained a copy of the Hcliola Salernitana, or 
 rules which the physicians of that School prepared, in Latin 
 verse, for the use of the Duke of Normandy. Pp. 41-2, the very 
 leaf from which Dr. Smith made his quotation (K<"p. 07i Oss., 
 App. p. 294), are now awanting from the MS. [The leaf may 
 have been borrowed by Dr. Smith, and owing to his sudden 
 death {Oss. Rep., p. 343) not returned.] The number and 
 subject of the various paragraphs are given on the margin. 
 [A complete copy of this tract is given in MS. LX, pp. 126-154.] 
 
 6. Pp. 61 to the end (p. 84) are taken up with an elaborate 
 Treatise on Urine, found also, but with variations, in MS. LX, 
 pp. 155-1(S0. The contents and colour of the urine are specially 
 dwelt upon, with their value in diagnosis. Hippocrates, who is 
 on p. 80 designated ro eolacJi naduire, ' the great student of 
 Nature ' is cited once or twice. 
 
 The following docquet is on p. 84 : Afise Domhncdl Mac an 
 Ollaimh. Et is olc an liter sin J do ho mor n . . . Et is mar 
 tno tiiirrsc toreis Donnchaidh Ulltaigh 7 ffronsies Ulltaigh. Et 
 is dursan lem nach hfuighini cunntapart do chuir an en focul 
 
 diomaigh siad. F. i. n. i. d. air Eghidius. Et me an dun na 
 gall. ' I (am) Donald son of the physician. The handwriting is 
 bad and great was. . . . And very sorry I am after Duncan of Ulster 
 and Francis of Ulster. And sad I am that since their departure 
 
 1 get no one to discuss a single word. An end here to (the 
 Treatise of) Egidius. I am in Donegal' [For the reference to 
 Egidius V. supra pp. 8, 9, and O'Gr. Cat., p. 173.] Lower down 
 on the same page is Leabliair Giolla, choluiiii Meigheathadh, 
 ' The book(s) of Malcolm MacBeath.' 
 
 MS. XLI— Highland Society, J. M'Kenzie, No. 5 
 
 The MS. proper consists of fourteen small leaves of thick 
 parchment. It is enclosed in a cover of two leaves of skin of
 
 MS. LX] MEDICINE, ETC. 63 
 
 still suiiiUcr size. This cover is written upon, and, where lej^ible, 
 contains Latin maxims on JDiets by Hippocrates, with transla- 
 tion and comment in Gaelic. 
 
 MS. LX — Miscellaneous, No. 3 
 
 MS. LX is of paper, quarto size, with beginning and end 
 awanting. It consists at present of 476 pages. The last page 
 is numbered 474, but two pages (162, 163) were omitted. 
 Pages 5 to 14 properly belong to the end of the MS. There is a 
 lacuna between pp. 4 and 15. In two places (pp. 300-1 and 
 424-5) a leaf with writing upon it has been cut out, but the text 
 is continuous. In several cases parts of pages are left blank, 
 and pp. 5(S and 464 are entirely blank. 
 
 This is the largest and in several respects one of the most 
 interesting MSS. in the Library. It was written, for the greater 
 part at any rate, by Angus son of Farqiihar son of Angus for 
 Duncan son of John son of Donald son of Duncan O'Conacher 
 in 1611 to 1614. This is, beyond doubt, the MS. of M'Conacher 
 of Lorn, of which the Rev. Donald M'Nicol of Lismore, in his 
 spirited reply to Dr. Samuel Johnson, says that it was seen by 
 many gentlemen still alive in that country. It appears, from 
 scraps of paper used as reading marks, that about the time 
 M'Nicol wrote (1775) the MS. was in the possession of some 
 person who had transactions in Skye and Uist. It came to 
 the Highland (and Agricultural) Society in the beginning of 
 the nineteenth century and is marked on p. 1, ' 34 J. M'H. No 7.' 
 
 It is not known when the O'Conachers settled in Lorn as 
 physicians. Their OAvn tradition is that they came from 
 Ireland, as the name would suggest. The family do not figure 
 so prominently in the Literature of the Highlands or in 
 Records as the MacBeaths or Beatons. But the name appears 
 on several of these MSS. (v. supra pp. 6, 7, and cf. also MS. 
 XXXIV, infra). In 1530 John M'Conchra of Stronecormik 
 ( = Sro7i Chormaig ' Cormac 's nose ' or ' headland,' at the head of 
 Loch Feochan) pays to ' my lord ' forty merks ' for ye grassum 
 of ye office of chirurgeon.' Early in the seventeenth century 
 (about 1639) the 'famous medicinar Dr. Donald O'Chonacher' 
 was brought from Argyll to Irvine to attend one of the family
 
 G4 CATALOdlM': (>K CAKLK" M ANUSOKI I'I'S (MS. LX 
 
 of Argyll. Ill l.iiu uiglitAjuuLh ccjulur}' Lhu lU'Couuciiurs lived aL 
 Airdoran on tlio northern shore of Loch Feochan, holding their 
 lands in feu from Argyll and Breadalbane. In 1715 M'Conacher 
 of Airdoran was invited to Inveraray, among other proprietors 
 and principal men of the county, to consult regarding the 
 measures to bo taken on behalf of the government and the 
 peace of the county. In 17 GO the M'Conacher of the day was 
 summoned, as heritor in Kilmore, to consider regarding the 
 rebuilding of the parish church. B}^ the end of the century 
 Airdoran became part of the adjoining estate of Gallanach. But 
 the Doctor's house was standing in the middle of the nineteenth 
 century, and its site is still visible. It contained a deep recess 
 where the physicians stored their drugs. In the adjoining 
 garden medicinal plants were reared, while a cup in a rock hard 
 by served as a mortar in which to pound them. 
 
 Two hands are clearly discernible in the MS., one more free 
 and flowing as e.y. on pp. 42-56, and some lines on p, 281. On 
 the top margins of pp. 251, 253 are written DonncJuidh mac 
 duhhsleiblite and j\Iisi JJonncJiadk mac. D. S. ' Duncan M'Don- 
 levy '(?)) ' I (am) Duncan Mac. D. S.'. But the M8. was for much 
 the greater part written in a plain hand by Angus son of 
 Farquhar, already mentioned. The scribe travelled about, and 
 wrote on broken lines and blank spaces personal memoranda of ' 
 an interesting character. Some are of the usual type of pious 
 ejaculations: 'God be with me; grant me sense and wisdom; 
 bring this book to a good issue,' etc. etc. Others name the 
 places, sometimes Avith dates, which he visited from time to 
 time ; — Lismore ; Achnacroish in Lismore ; Muckairn ; Trum- 
 pan(theraisa Trumpan in Sk3'e); Ollen mi Stalcaire 'Island 
 Stalker'; AvrdcltonghaiL "Ardchonnel'; Gleann Craibhrlonn 
 •' Glencreran,' etc. At Dunan EacJiain (a place not identified) 
 he meets Mac Domnaill Buihh ' Lochiel ' ; and at Dunolly, where 
 he frequently is, he meets Mac Bhughaill 'Dunolly,' and 
 Duncan O'Conacher. 
 
 One or two of the scribe's docquets are somewhat extended. 
 Thus on p. 260 : Finis don {A)natoinia o Aonghus mac Fear- 
 chair mic Aongu{i)s. An Airdcongail da7nJi a bhfochair 
 Dhonncaidh i Goncubhair agus is e Donnchadh tug an leabar 
 so dliamhsa re na sgriobhadh agus tugadlh gach aon leidhis e
 
 MS. LX] MEDICINE, ETC. 65 
 
 heannacht ar anmain an DonncJiaidh sin agus giiidhimfii iad 
 fatli gan cionta do tahairt damh phfein air son olcas a sgriohh- 
 tJta air is e an ced leabhar do sgriohh mi riaTnh uime sin 
 gacli aon a leighis e gabadh e mo letJisgeid aois an tigerna 
 1612 an. 11. Januarrius: 'Ends the (book on) Anatomy by 
 An^iis son of Farquhar son of Angus. I am in Ardchonnel 
 with Duncan O'Conacher. And it is Duncan who gave me 
 this book to write. And let every one who reads it bestow a 
 blessing on the soul of that Duncan. And I entreat them not 
 to blame myself for the badness of the handwriting, for it is the 
 first book I have ever written, wherefore let every one who reads 
 it excuse me. The age of the Lord 1G12, the eleventh day 
 of January,' Occasionally he signs his name in crypt, as on 
 p. 302, 3fisi hhdlnglifts mhhcfschhrchhngr { = Aonglms mac Fear- 
 cair), ' I am Angus son of Farquhar.' 
 
 The contents of the large MS. are varied. Dr. O'Conacher 
 had evidently the idea of compressing a small medical library 
 into one volume. Thus pp. 1-4 and 15-126 are taken up with 
 definitions and explanations of a great number of diseases and 
 related matters. The text is in Latin, accompanied by a Gaelic 
 translation or paraphrase, but as a rule without comment. 
 The scribe, up to p. 56, is evidently copying from a connected 
 treatise. On p. 15 top margin is ' liber tertius' which is repeated 
 on pp. 17 and 19. Liber 4- is on p. 28, and liber 6 on p. 34. 
 Here the paragraphs of the various sections are numbered con- 
 secutively. At the foot of p. 56 comes Jin It. 
 
 On p. 57 is a charm against bleeding of the nose. The rest 
 of the page is blank. P. 58 is all blank. 
 
 P. 59 opens with : Febris est calor innaturalis mutatus in 
 eigneum .\. is ed is frius and teas mi nadurda ar na daoch- 
 ladh a theinntigeacht, ' Fever is unnatural heat changed to 
 fieriness.' The various kinds of fever with their sub-varieties 
 are thereafter defined. Other diseases are similarly treated, and 
 as a rule without comment. 
 
 On p. 75 a new class of ailments is prefaced by: Sicut 
 scribit Galenus octauo de iuuamentis membrorutn cerebrum 
 creatum est propter oculos, ut octdi esent in eminentiori parte 
 corporis sicut speculator in arce .|. ^mar a sgribhas G. sa 8 
 leabhar do socar na mball is ar son na sul do crut]iaighi 
 
 £
 
 G6 CATALOGUE OF OAKI.IC MANriSCRTPTS |MS. LX 
 
 an inchuul innas (jo inhethd'iH lui ntUl sa ranu is atirlihir- 
 al(jhl don corp iiuir hiofi fear cohnheda na Icathrach san 
 gairedh is airdi, ' As Galen writes in the eighth book on aid 
 to the organs, the brain was formed for the sake of the eyes, 
 in order that the eyes, like the guardian of a city occupying the 
 highest watch tower, should be placed in the uppermost division 
 of the body.' The Eye, with its diseases. Ophthalmia, Cataract 
 etc. etc. is then considered. Thereafter come sections defining 
 a variety of diseases and animal processes and functions on to 
 p. 126, when this division of the MS. ends with a docquet by 
 the scribe, dated at Ardchonnel, August 23rd 1612. 
 
 Pp. 126-154 contain a complete copy of the tSchola Saler- 
 nitana, with the following prefatory note : Anglm^um regi 
 scripsit schola tola Salerni .]. is iad seal salerni co h-uilidhe 
 do sqriohh na fersada so do chiiTYi ri Sacsan do coimhed a 
 slainte, ' It was the whole school of Salerno that wrote these 
 verses to the King of England for the preservation of his 
 health.' As the Gaelic extracts made by Dr. Smith (Rep. on 
 Oss. p. 294) are somewhat inaccurate, they are transcribed here 
 from this copy (the leaf of MS. XXXITI from which Dr. Smith 
 transcribed being now lost, v. supra p. 62) : 
 
 Si uis incolumen, si uis te reddere sanum, 
 Curas toUe graves irrasci crede prophanum. 
 
 .{. Mad ailt heth follan T iniulh ail heth slan cuir na h-im- 
 snimha troma diot J creid guroh dimhaoin dititferg do denamh, 
 ' If you wish to be sound and healthy, banish heavy worries and 
 believe that it is foolish to be angry.' 
 
 Parce uino cennato parum non sit tibi uanum 
 
 Surgere post aepulas somnum fuge meridianum. 
 .|. coigill fion "J hhi do sniper bee j nar hudlc dimaoin let 
 ceimniughadh tar eis na codach J seachain codlad in medhoin 
 laoi, 'Use wine sparingly and let your supper be light. Do 
 not neglect a walk after the repast, and avoid sleeping at noon.' 
 
 Non mictum retine : nee comprime fortiter anum. 
 j. Na eonnuipli co fada ar fv.al 7 na It-eigin go laidir do 
 ttmperaeht, ' Do not retain long the urine, nor press forcibly 
 your anus.' 
 
 Haec bene si serues tu longo tempore uiues.
 
 MS. LX] MEDICINE, ETC. 67 
 
 .|. JJa coimedurna nethe .so (iduhhraiiiar cjo imcifh ffidiLr hetJi 
 ahnser fada ad hetha, ' If you observe carefully Avhat we have 
 said, you may live a long time.' 
 
 The copy in this MS. and that in MS. XXXIII agree very 
 closely, and have clearly a common source. In O'Gr.'s Cat., 
 p. 238, a quotation from ' Arundel 333 ' would suggest that a 
 different translation of the Rcf/imen SalernitanuTU was in circu- 
 lation among the Gaelic physicians. Here is the description of 
 /ear lenna ruaidJt, ' the man of choler ' from the three MSS. 
 
 Arundel 333 (O'Gr. Cat., p. 238) : 
 
 Arstutus (sic) gracilis siccus croceique coloris 
 Irstutus fallax irraciens (sic) prodigus audax. 
 
 fer lenna maid [.|.] ard cael tirini maille datk huidhe finnfach 
 
 fallsa fergach nenidvjhalaclt dana. 
 
 MS. x:xxiii : 
 
 Hirsutus: fallax: irascens: prodigus: audax: 
 Astutus : gracilis : siccus : croceique coloris. 
 
 .j. Dligid fer lenna ruaid heith finfadach fallsa fergacli ain- 
 
 niuid {leg. aindiuid) andaonnachtaclt glic caol tirim maill 
 
 datli crocUa. 
 
 MS : LX. 
 
 Hirsutus, fallax, irascens, prodigus, audax, 
 Astutus, gracilis, siccus, croceique coloris. 
 
 .]. dligliidk fear lenna ruaidh heith Jinn fadacJt fallsa fergach 
 ainniuid {leg. aindiuid) andaonnachiach glic caol te tiri^u 
 maill dath crochda : ' The man of choleric complexion must be 
 hairv, deceitful, irascible, forward, churlish, cunning, slender, 
 hot, dry, of saffron colour ' [the te of MS. LX is evidently a slip 
 of the pen, te tirini being constantly associated]. 
 
 On pp. 155-180 is a copy of the Treatise on Urine, ascribed 
 in MS. XXXIII {v. supra, p. 62) to Egidius. This copy is 
 more clearly written, but differs somewhat in arrangement from 
 that in MS. XXXIII. The colours of the urine and their signifi- 
 cance are treated of at length (pp. 179-80). 
 
 On pp. 181-209 many maxims, medical, metaphysical, moral, 
 are given in Latin with a Gaelic translation; e.g. (p. 181) Quod 
 male incipitiir male finitur .1. gach ni tinnsgainter co h-olc is
 
 68 CATALOGUE OF GAELIC MANUSCRIPTS [MS. LX 
 
 olc cricli/iiaichter. Omiic honwin a fmnvnio Deo procedit .|. r/ac/i, 
 nile ni 'niaith is o Bla it;/. Occasionally, as on pp. 188-9, the 
 author is named on the margin. Thus on p. 188 Arn. (Ariialdus 
 or Aristotle?) gives Omne simile covfortat suum svinilcm .'. 
 gacJi ni cosmail nertuigJie se a chosmalus. Hali is credited with 
 Generans et generatuni asimfiulantiir in complexlone .|. an ni 
 ginis J on genter hid cosmail ina coimplex (p. 1 89). On the 
 same page the following is attributed to Av(icenna) Egritudo 
 incognita a medico non curatur .|. in eslainti nach aithentar 
 on liaigh ni leighister uadha h-i. 
 
 An interesting Tractate entitled : Don cneid do niter le piler 
 ann so no lei.s in uile innstruinlnt gluasis mar an cetna 
 secundum, johanem de uigo genuensis, ' Of the wound made by 
 a bullet here, and by every instrument similarly propelled, by 
 Johannes de Vigo of Genoa (?),' is given on pp. 210-214. A 
 paragraph on Urine follows on p. 214. 
 
 Pp. 215-235 contain a Tract with the heading : aon leahhar 
 ann so o her do hlathuih na died ann so sios, ' A book here 
 (taken) from Ber(nard ?) on the choicest {lit. flowers) of 
 Diets.' The ' Diets ' treated of include Barley, Wheat, Beans ; 
 Flesh, Fish, Eggs ; Wine, Water, Milk (with its various pre- 
 parations) ; and many others. On p. 235 is the docquet : Finis 
 air an leabar so daruh ainm hlath nan diedh an Duin ollaigh, 
 ' This book named ' Flower of Diets ' is finished in Dunolly.' 
 
 The three following pages (236-8) are again taken up 
 with maxims and aphorisms translated from Latin to Gaelic. 
 Here is the last in this list: Omnis homo primum proponit 
 nohile uimvm .|. dlighi gacli uile dhuine in jion uasal do 
 tahairt roimh gach en digh oile, ' Every person ought to offer 
 the noble wine before any other liquor.' 
 
 The Tract based on Galen's Anatomy, noticed above in 
 MS. XXXIII (v. p. 61), is given on pp. 239-260. The version 
 here is somewhat different in detail, but the two begin and end 
 in the same way. 
 
 On p. 261 commences another Tract entitled do na dreguih 
 an so, ' Of Drugs here.' The Drugs are divided into two classes, 
 aoiic?(X ' simple,' and comhsuidhiglithi or comhcoirigJdJd 'com- 
 pound.' The list is very full, and is frequently accompanied by 
 the names of the diseases for which the medicines are a remedy,
 
 MS. LX] MEDICINE, ETC. 69 
 
 and by directions for their preparation. On pp. 279-281 the 
 autiior gives, as an appendix, an interesting paragraph on the 
 weights and measures used in medicine (f/. sx/pra, p. 12). Lahli,- 
 riiin (tun so do com/Uartdibk J do 'misiirulhli a-ib leigJds do reir 
 Nicolauis 7 Salaiinn{i)s "j droinge ele do na Ji-ur/hdariUbh j tuic 
 let da mad do nctJUbh ealaxlhiiacha mar ata hiaighi no ndan no 
 ngcosmaile do gnatocadis na poitigair no iia leagha comldrom 
 no mimir an leighis do denanih ata so maillta air an med sin 
 on usacht na nethe sin do laigidiugud no do medughudh tar 
 an misur coir guruh uinie sin is o ni nadurda nach fedur do 
 claochladh mar is innill fundament no misur do tarraing inar 
 ata gran cruithneachta ionnus da gclaona an comtrom do 
 niter do ni ealadlinacli dioph a loiged no a meid tar an iriod 
 coir go hfedur an afJiugadha J a gceartugud o na sechran leis 
 an gcruithneacld : ' Let us speak here of the medical weights 
 and measures according to Nicolaus and Salatinus and some 
 other authorities. And observe that where the Apothecaries 
 and Physicians make their balances and measures of artificial 
 material such as lead, brass, and the like, these become so far 
 untrue through frequent use, in that they diminish or increase 
 beyond the exact measure, wherefore it is a product of nature 
 which cannot be changed that ought to provide the standard 
 measure, like a grain of wheat, so that if the balance made from 
 any artificial product were to deviate by diminution or increase 
 from the true standard it could be renewed and its error 
 corrected by the wheat.' He goes on to explain that the 
 particular grain selected b}^ the physician as a standard ought 
 to be a grain of wheat of average size, full ripe, and not too 
 fresh or too old. Twenty such grains make a scruple; 60 a 
 drachm ; 90 an exagium or solitas or aureus, for these differ 
 only in name ; six aureii make the ounce ; and twelve ounces 
 the medical pound. The sextuarius ( = sextarius) again, by 
 which wine, oil, and vinegar are measured, weighs two and a 
 half pounds. A sentence, in a different hand, adds (p. 281) that 
 there are many other weights and measures, but not being in 
 common use they are ignored by the writer, who concludes with 
 lor sin ' that sufficeth.' 
 
 The next Tract in the vol. (pp. 281-302) is on a kindred 
 subject, and is thus introduced : Pharmacorum omnium quae in
 
 70 CATALOaUE OF C;AI-:L1C MANUSCKIITS [MS. LX 
 
 comviniii siiiif J tract leant LUtn usu talntla 10. RcDiaclo f(isico) 
 lymtnLrr/eiisl autorr, quarum jyrima de siritpis unum quciniibet 
 liUTiioreiii conco qurentih^Ls. Ac/ so 10 (/ciair ina hhfuilid an 
 uile Irighis noch ata an gnathach a voitcdiii a/f na practiiph .|. 
 an cet clar diohlt noch laurus do slroipnit>h dileaj/JdJia f/acJia 
 leanna: 'Here are ton tables wherein are fouiKl all kinds of 
 medioincs in conniion use anion^' practitioners, the first of which 
 speaks of the syrups which dissolve every kind of humour.' 
 The tables are thereafter given in order, with accoiujianying 
 text giving directions. Paragraphs on Liniments, Em])laisters, 
 and Cataplasms are given at the end {pp. 301-2). The colophon 
 (p. 302) says that the tables are those of Bernard Gordon. 
 
 The large Treatise on Materia ]\Tedica, already described 
 under MS. Ill (v. pp. IS, 19) takes up fully a third of the whole 
 MS. (pp. 303-463). The writer of this copy must have tran- 
 scribed from a different but very similar MS. to MS. III. This 
 copy has 27 additional Articles, and wants one {Feibrid fucca) 
 found in MS. III. He has frequent additions to, and occasional 
 divergencies from, the text of the earlier MS. He has no 
 indices. The colophon to both shows a common origin. Here 
 is the colophon in this MS. Gurah amlaidli sin fagmaid crioch 
 inmolta cuimir tarhhaeh air an leahhar so neoclt do tarraing- 
 eadh a li-ainntitairihTi 7 a Iherhulairibh catltracli salernitani 
 ■7 do reir sduider comihaontaiglii dochtuirihh tsleibhi pisidain 
 f a dubJiradar na maigJiisdrecJia sin gach ni tinnsgainter an 
 ainm Dia gnrab dingbhcdla a chriochnudhadh an aintn Dia : 
 ' And thus we bring to a close in a praiseworthy, concise and 
 profitable manner, this book which has been extracted from the 
 AntidotarW^ and Herbularii of the city of Salerno and the 
 kindred resear"aes of the Doctors of Montpelier. And these 
 Masters said that whatsoever was begun in tlie name of God it 
 was fitting that it should be ended in the name of God.' It 
 will be observed that in so far as the text is common to both 
 MSS. it differs only in one word — herbidairibh in LX for 
 eisimlairibJi in III (v. supra p. 21). 
 
 The last Treatise in the MS. begins on p. 465, goes on to the 
 last page (474), and is continued but not completed on pp. 5-14, 
 Avhich should follow. The subject is of a general kind. On the 
 
 * V. supra, p. 22, n.
 
 MS. LX] MEDICINE, ETC. 71 
 
 top margin is written (in ahim 1)'i<t m, ' In the name of God 
 this.' The text then begins, the first words being written in 
 capitals: Tria aunt suhjecta medicine etcetera anihu'd adeir 
 maighider ricairdi .|. ataid trl .suhiechfa aiy an leighes .[. cuirp 
 7 cuisi 7 comartddha , etc. ' As Master Ricardi says, the sub- 
 jects of Medicine are three in number, — viz., Bodies, Causes 
 and Indications.' Bodies are divided into those which are slctn 
 ' in health,' easlan ' ill,' and nemnecJttarda ' neither well nor ill.' 
 Causes and Indications are similarly subdivided. Under ' prog- 
 nostications,' the author remarks that Ricardi summarises 
 here the views of Hippocrates, Galen, Avicenna, and Rhazes. 
 He then proceeds to consider the foiir periods or stages of 
 disease, — tomch ' commencement ' ; tormavJi ' increase ' or ' de- 
 velopment'; 'staid 'course'; and digbal 'issue.' The dis- 
 cussion becomes very detailed, and branches off into the various 
 kinds of diseases. 
 
 On p. 7 is begun a disquisition on. the Pulse, which is said 
 to be of ten kinds, to eis^ht of which different names are given. 
 The chief authority is Philaretus (cf. O'Gr. Cat. p. 232, Liber 
 Philareti de pidsihus). The discussion is not concluded when 
 the text comes to an abrupt close on p. 14. 
 
 Some forty authorities are cited throughout the MS., the 
 most common being Galen, Avicenna, Hippocrates, Aristotle, 
 Isaac, and Rhazes. In special Tracts other authors figure more 
 frequently. Thus in the Treatise on Materia Medica, Platearius 
 is the principal authority ; in the Tract on Drugs, Mesne and 
 Ebe Mesne; and in the last Treatise, Ricardi and Philaretus. 
 A few, not met with elseAvhere, appear in this MS. Thus 
 Ualescus de Taranta is given as the author of several maxims 
 (pp. G7-98); Bris so uolus dixit is appended to a paragraph on 
 sudor (p. 68) ; secundum Fulgentium to a paragraph on ea:- 
 ercitum (p. 72). Salatinus is cited in the section on weights and 
 measures (p. 279), and Remaclo (or Reinaclo) on j). 281. Tateus 
 is described as de bonaensis (cf. suiira, p. 31 de bonionia) on 
 p. 206 ; adeir Scotus ' Scotus says ' is added to a footnote on 
 p. 198; and Selsus adeir sin ' Celsus says that,' to another 
 on p. 213.
 
 72 CATALOGUE OF GAELIC. MANUSCRIPTS [MS. I 
 
 CHAPTER TI 
 
 RELIGIOUS AND ECCLESIASTICAL 
 
 The contents of the Religious Section of the Collection are 
 varied. In form the}^ are found in verse as well as in prose, 
 while in subject they include the Historical, the Biographical, 
 the Legendary, as well as the Theological and Devotional. 
 
 MS. I 
 
 Two separate MSS. are included in MS. I. It is bound in 
 calf and, like MSS. II and III, stamped in gold letters, 
 ' MSS Literis Hibernicis. Bibliotheca Advocatorum.' 
 
 The first MS. consists of nine leaves of parchment, eight folio 
 and one quarto. With the exception of the first leaf, which 
 in subject is Genealogical (of which afterwards), its contents are 
 Religious and Ecclesiastical. It was written in a plain hand by 
 Dubghall Albannach mac mhic Fail, ' Dugald the Scot, son of 
 MacPhail ' (Paul) in the year 1467. The ink is dull, but except 
 in the first leaf the text is fairly legible throughout. Some of 
 the leaves are reversed in binding, and one or two misplaced. 
 But they are paged in pencil, according to the sequence of their 
 contents. 
 
 This portion of MS. I was discovered in the Advocates 
 Library by the late Dr. Skene, accidentally, about the year 
 1834 (v. Collectanea de rebus Albanicis, Edin. 1839, p. 60 n., and 
 Highlanders of Scotland, London, 1SS7 , vol. ii. p. 8 n.): but it is, 
 beyond doubt, the MS. presented on March 7th, 1738, by the 
 Rev. David Malcolme of Duddingstone, through Mr. Maclaurin 
 (Professor Colin Maclaurin?), to a society in Edinburgh for im- 
 proving Arts and Sciences (v. Pamphlets, Letters, etc., printed 
 by Mr. Malcolme in Edinburgh in 1738-9). 
 
 Occasional entries in text or margin supply omissions. There
 
 MS. 1 1 RELIGIOUS AND ECCLESIASTICAL 73 
 
 are others, mostly illegible. At the foot of page 7 (the paging 
 in pencil is followed), and at the top of pp. 8, 9 are traced broad 
 lines in alternate bands of black and red. That on pp. 8, 9 is 
 said, in a note of which only a part is legible, to have been 
 draAvn by O'Maelconaire ^ for the scribe of the MS. in the house 
 of Mac Aedhagain (M'Egan) in Munster. To that on p. 7 is 
 added an fer cetna ' the same man,' and the further note : Hita 
 anil so fot troigheadh Crista ina inacaeinli ar faghhail a fuill- 
 eachta for aroile leac marmoir, ' Here is the length of the 
 feet of Christ when a youth, as he left his traces upon a slab of 
 marble.' 
 
 The contents of the MS. are shortly as follows : — 
 
 Pp. 3-4b, 1. 7, contain a version of the so-called Sermo ad 
 Reges, commencing, Bai righ amra aireadha for onacaih isrl 
 feacht naill .\. Solam mac Dauithe, etc., 'There was a famous 
 noble king over the children of Israel at one time, viz., Solomon, 
 the son of David.' Although the opening paragraphs are 
 somewhat similar, the text of this version differs greatly from, 
 and is much shorter than, that in the Leahhar Breac or Speckled 
 Book (L. Br.), printed by the late Professor Atkinson on p. 151 
 of Passions and Homilies from tJie Leahhar Breac, Dublin 1887, 
 a volume quoted here as Atk. 
 
 Pp. 4b, 1. 7-5a, 1. 12.— Pais Pilii^, ' The Passion of Philip,' 
 commencing : Bai Pilih aps frith re xx bliadan ar cesadh Crist 
 oc proiceacht is in Scethia J rochuihrigedk o na genntih e 7 
 rucadh e go deilh Mairt, etc. ' Philip the Apostle was for twenty 
 years after the crucifixion of Christ preaching in Scythia. And 
 he was bound by the Gentiles and brought to the image of Mars.' 
 The greater part of this version agrees pretty closely with that 
 printed by Atk., p. 110. The latter has it that Philip was 
 preaching for forty years in Scythia. One or two paragraphs 
 are omitted in our version, as e.g., where the priest of Mars stirs 
 up the populace against the Apostle. The diction of the last 
 paragraph also differs somewhat. 
 
 Pp. 5a, 1. 13-6a. — Pais Anndrias aps ann so Dubghall qui 
 sgribsid, ' The Passion of the Apostle Andrew here, written by 
 
 ^ The Four Masters (F. M.) record the death of Torna O'Mulcoiiry, the Ollav 
 of theMurrays in History and Poetry, in liis own house, in 1468, at LiosFerbain 
 (Co. Roscommou).
 
 7t CATAhOGUK OF CAKI.IC MANUSCRllTS |MS. I 
 
 DugaKL' The Loxt begins: Uai i.iii/rcni inoi- for iia CrisUiKjIuh 
 is ill catliriuii dumndh ainon pcUi'ix oc. nu drr consul 'ecces. Ro 
 ha .so i/(( li-larai(Ui foriho uUuirlha do (/eudnilt do 'net deih, etc 
 ' There was ti great persecution of the Christians in tlie city of 
 Patras by the Proconsul Aegeas who urged tlieni to otter sacri- 
 fices to the gods.' The text here and that of Atk. (p. 10()) agree 
 so closely that the two must have been translated from the same 
 Latin text. lUit the dilibrences in diction, and occasionally in 
 clauses, can hardly warrant the suggestion of a common (Jaelic 
 original. 
 
 Pp. 6b-7b. [The Passion of the Apostle James.]— The text 
 begins abruptly without a heading : Do luid lacoj) mac Sdeiph- 
 idei .j. hrathair Eoin aps J in tuighisfjel combai ag j^'^oipcecJd 
 hretkrl Be itir iuda J is intamair. Ro fhaigh in drui diarho 
 coinainin Ermogenus a dheisgipul dinnsaid Jacob J dream 
 do shagartaib inaille fris go ro li-egnaigJidis ainm meic De a 
 fiadhnuise lacop. Felitus ainm an deisgibuil, etc., 'James, 
 son of Zebedee, and brother of John, the Apostle and Evan- 
 gelist, went and was preaching the word of God in Judea and in 
 Samaria. The wizard, whose name was Hermogenes, sent his 
 disciple, accompanied by a number of priests, to James, to 
 blaspheme the name of the Son of God in his presence. The 
 name of the disciple was Filetus.' Here again our version and 
 that of Atk. (p. 102) agree so closely, that if they are not copies 
 of a common Gaelic original, they must be translations of the 
 same Latin text. 
 
 Pp. 8a-13a, 1. 17. [The Passion of our Lord as revealed by 
 the Virgin Mary to St. Ansehn.] — The text opens thus : Do hi 
 Ansalmus naem aimscr imchian maille re deraih 7 urnaighe 
 7 re h-aintib ag edarguidhe Muire bainntigerna gumad dlng- 
 bala le pais a h-aenmec Inmain feiii dinnsi do 7 anct deaghaigh. 
 sin do fJuid/dKis 7 do tJiaisoiadJi do h-i 7 aduhairt ris an pais 
 7 na piana df ailing mo Quaesa ni fedann neach a dersgnugud 
 gan siledh der do denamh. Et ataimsi 7 corp glordha umum 
 7 ni fhedaim 7 ni dligliedli dam, cainiud do ghenamJi gidhedh 
 chena in pais dfuiling mo mac i{n)mainsi na ballaib 7 na 
 pongcaib ar an ordugudar ar fuiling se h-i foillseochadsa duit 
 si h-i. 7 dfiarfaid Ansalmus do Muire an phais ana pongcaib 7 
 dinnis Muire do li-i ana pongcaib. 7 dfiarfaid Ansalmus ardus
 
 MS. I] K'KLIGIOUS AND ECCLESTASTICAT, 75 
 
 7na7' so, Ahaio' rium, a baiiintigema, cad h-e tosoch pals'i, do hi 
 agud macsa. Do freagair Muire h-e, etc., ' The holy Anselm was 
 for a very long time with tears and praj^ers and fastings inter- 
 ceding the Lady Mary that she would be pleased to relate to 
 him the Passion of her only beloved son. Thereafter she 
 appeared and was revealed to him, and said to liim, " The 
 Passion and sufferings which my son endured, no one can relate 
 without shedding tears. My body is now glorified, and I may 
 not and cannot weep. Nevertheless the Passion which my 
 beloved son endured in his body, and the manner in which he 
 suffered I shall reveal to you in detail.' And Anselm asked 
 Mary to relate to him the Passion step by step. And Mary 
 related it to him in order. And Anselm first of all asked Mary, 
 " Tell me, Lady, what was the commencement of the Passion of 
 your son." And Mary answered him.' The narrative, given in 
 answer to St. Anselm's questions, is long and detailed, from the 
 Last Supper until after the Burial. This is succeeded by a 
 paragraph on the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans, and 
 the slaughter of the Jews to avenge (dig}/ ad) the death of 
 Christ. The narration concludes with the following colophon 
 (p. 13a, 1. 1): — gurah i sin crich. "j fig] i air na staire sin ris an 
 abar 'pais Antsebmis .|. -pais Grist ar na fagliail do Antsahmis 
 7 Scan Goncohiir do chuir an Gaegliilg 7 DonncJtadh o ficltdl' 
 do ghah h-i. Ei DuhgJtall Alhanach mac mic fail do sgrih is a 
 cairtsi h-i am haile i huagU a fochair Elisi puitilcar J tahradh 
 gach aen leaghfas bennacht 7 pa.iter ar an anmannaib ar aen. 
 Annaladh an Tigerna, a.nn so .j. mile bl~ J cetra cet 7 secJd hi' 7 
 tri XX. F{init). ' This is the end and description of the historj^ 
 called the Passion of Anselm, viz., the Passion of Christ com- 
 municated to Anselm. John O'Connor translated it to Gaelic 
 for Duncan O'Feely. And Dugald the Scot, son of the son of 
 Paul (Macphail) wrote it on this parchment in the stead of O'B. 
 in the presence of E. Butler. And let every one who reads (it) 
 bestow a blessing and a pater upon the souls of both. The 
 Annals of the Lord are, viz.. One thousand and four himdred 
 and seven and three score years. It endeth.' 14G7 is written 
 in Arabic numerals on the top margin. 
 
 P. 13. — There follow on p. 13 paragraphs in Gaelic, entitled 
 De oracione, De confessione, De umilitaiti, De indidgencia,
 
 76 CATALOGUE OV GAKLIC MANUSCRIPTS [MS. I 
 
 De cnmpinircionr, Dr iimorc, where quotations are made from 
 
 one or other of the Gospels, followed by short comments. 
 
 Pp. 14-15a, 1. 9. [The Passion of John the Baptist.]— The 
 
 text commences : Bui righ, (iinra etroaiireac/i is an dom<i,n 
 
 toir ffjtcht ndill .|. iruath mac ainntrpater, is leis do marh(t<lh 
 
 Eolii Jxiisdc J is e an tadbar for marbadh an fcr oc) anira iris- 
 
 eacli sin .\. brethcin maith do bi fo rir/he iruaidh noch do nid 
 
 reghugud do gach duine dinnisedh a sgel do, Pilip bretlieimh 
 
 a ainni j Pilip labarceann ainni ele do. do ha maith a cathair 
 
 J do badh a chonacha, cathair ardarius a aininside, etc. etc. 
 
 ' There was at one time a famous merciless king in the Eastern 
 
 world, Herod, the son of Antipater. He it was who slew John 
 
 the Baptist. And the reason for putting that pure, famous, 
 
 believing man to death was, namely, a good judge who was in 
 
 Herod's kingdom, a man who would reconcile every person who 
 
 told his story to him. Judge Philip was his name, but also 
 
 called Philip Ldharcenn. Fair was his abode, and (great) his 
 
 wealth. The name of the city in which he dwelt was Ardarius.' 
 
 This version differs somewhat in detail from that printed by 
 
 Atk. (p. 64), and also to a less extent from another in the Yellow 
 
 Book of Lecan (Y. B. L.), pp. 159b, 1. 7-160. But the three must 
 
 be translations from a common original text. Appended to our 
 
 text are the following verses (not found in L. Br. or in Y. B. L.), 
 
 with R on the margin : — 
 
 Apsalon baile in righ 
 Le na u-clerrnadh in mor gnim ; 
 Is ann sin, nir buan am bladli, 
 Do marbadh Eoin an t-uasal. 
 
 ' Cia h-acaib ghablias do laim, 
 Mo dhichennad do droch mnaib ? 
 Nocha sloinnedh thiar no thoir 
 Do Ghallaib do Ghaidhelaib.' 
 
 ' Gaeidhel ^ sut ar each uile,' 
 A Eoin alainn foltbhuidhe^ ; 
 ' Is fada siar ata a theach, 
 A crichaib na fuinedhach.' 
 
 ' Sirini idche ar Crist romchar,' 
 Adubairt Eoin an t-uasal, 
 ' Nar faghaib Gaeidhel ^ con a eib 
 Biadh J edach den taeib.' 
 
 1 MS. gh for dh.
 
 MS. I] RELIGIOUS AND ECCLESIASTICAL 77 
 
 Adultairt Modh ' Rnith gan raith 
 ' Tabraidh dam biiaib a edach derb,^ 
 Co m-benainn dc a chenn 
 A shlanfa feraib Erenn.' 
 
 Beantar a chenn d'Eoin ar sin ; 
 Tic an gnim re Gaeidhel * ; 
 Curtar mor d'airged is d'or, 
 Fa'n cenn toir an Apsolon. 
 
 Askelon, the royal seat, 
 In which the great deed was done ; 
 There, not lasting was the fame, 
 John the noble was slain. 
 
 ' What evil woman among you, 
 Will take in hand my beheading 1 
 Not one from east or west, 
 Of the blood of Foreigners or Gaels. 
 
 ' Thou handsome yellow-haired John, 
 Yonder is a Gael beyond all others ; 
 His abode is far away in the west, 
 In the lands of the western men.' 
 
 ' I ask a boon from Christ who loves me,' 
 
 Said John the noble, 
 
 ' That no comely Gael may get 
 
 Food nor raiment in any case.' 
 
 Said Mogh Ruith without grace, 
 ' Give to me even his raiment. 
 And I shall cut off his head 
 For the weal of the men of Ireland.' 
 
 Then was John beheaded. 
 
 The Gael will suffer therefrom ; 
 
 Much silver and gold 
 
 Was put under the head east in Askelon. 
 
 For references to Mogh Ruith and the great disaster that was 
 to come upon the Gael on the Festival of John the Baptist, 
 cf. O'Curry's MS. Materials of Ancient Irish History (Dublin 
 1878), especially pp. 401, 421. The famous wizard is said to 
 have studied, with his daughter, under Simon Magus (v. Folk 
 Lore, iv. p. 490), but only here have I found him named as the 
 executioner of John the Baptist. 
 
 Paragraphs on several subjects follow on p. 15, e.g.: Secht 
 ndana in speraid naeimh .j. sperad egna an Adhaini an tan 
 
 ^ MS. gh for dh. ^ The text is manifestly corrupt.
 
 78 CATAUJGUE OF (iAIlLIU MAXLISCUnTS [MS. I 
 
 (loheH ainni u-dllus for cock n-a/'n is in iiUc d/tid, etc. ' The 
 seven gifts or graces of the Holy Spirit, viz., the Spirit of Wisdom 
 in Adani when he gave their proper names to every creature in 
 the wliole world.' So the Spirit o{ In rent ion (inntlccld) was in 
 Noah when he built tlic Ark ; the Spirit of Counsel (coiaairle) 
 in Abraham when he left his country ; the Spirit of Fortitude 
 (sonairte) in Jacob when he fought for a wliolc night against an 
 unknown man; the Spirit of Knowledge ( /i.s'.s) in Moses when 
 he promulgated the whole of the Divine Law ; the Spirit of 
 Piety {crahiul) in Joshua when he observed the Divine Statutes ; 
 and the Spirit of Reverence (uamande) in David when he spared 
 Saul's life in the cave, and when he composed the hundred and 
 fifty Psalms to the Praise of God. 
 
 Another paragraph attributes the absence of serpents from 
 the land of the Gael not to St. Patrick, but to even a greater 
 man — Moses: In tan tancadar mic Isrl tar muir r. togsad 
 longport ac Parteroth. Is ann dohi Nel mac Feniusa Farsaid is 
 in ferand sin, 7 dorad Jin 7 aran doib 7 dorigne cendsa mar 
 riiL. Is and sin doben 'peist nemhnech re Gaeidhel glas mac 
 Niuil on ainmighter Gaedhil 7 do sadh um a cois gur ha has 
 do ac{ht) heacan. Rug Nel iarum in macaem cum Maisi 7 gu 
 h-Aron dia slanugad 7 slanaidter iar sin an mac. As ced 
 liumsa ar Maisi na rah nathair tria hithu sir is in ferand 
 an aiftreaband in mac so 7 a sil, etc.: 'When the children 
 of Israel crossed the Red Sea they encamped at Parteroth 
 (Pihahiroth). Neil, the son of Fenius Farsaidh, dwelt in that 
 land at the time, and he gave them wine and bread, and showed 
 o-reat kindness to them. A venomous beast attacked Gael the 
 grey, son of Neil, after whom the Gael are named, and pierced 
 his foot so that he was all but dead. Neil brought the boy to 
 Moses and Aaron to be cured, and he was cured thereupon. It 
 is my will, said Moses, that, through all time, there shall be no 
 serpent in the land which this boy and his race inhabit.' This 
 incident is recorded in greater detail in L. Br. p. 119a. In that 
 account Parteroth appears as ca^nicirot, and Gaedel is said to 
 have received the epithet glas ' grey,' o na tithih glassa do-s-gni 
 in nathair neim in a thimchell, ' from the grey lines which the 
 venomous serpent made round about him.' 
 
 Other paragraphs — one on wicked priests and deacons ; one
 
 MS. V] RELIGIOUS AND ECCLESIASTICAL 79 
 
 on the pict}^ and devotion of JJaitin ' Baithene,' Coluniba's 
 relative and successor; one on the personal appearance of 
 Christ and the Apostles ; and one on Anna, her three husbands, 
 her children and descendants, showing the relationship of some 
 of his Apostles and Disciples to the Lord, follow. Cf. L.Br, 
 pp. 180-1; Y.B.L. p. 324b. 
 
 Pp. IG-IS give the adventures of the holy Abbot Paphnutius 
 in the desert country of Egypt and surrounding country. The 
 title and first lines of the text are indistinct. The last para- 
 graph of our text is printed by Atk. (p. 55). 
 
 MS. V — KiLBKiDE Collection, No. 1 
 
 The MS. consists of eleven leaves of parchment, quarto 
 (lOi in. by (S). the first and the last couple of leaves somewhat 
 shorter. It is one of the oldest in the collection, probably of 
 the foTU-teenth century. The skin is broken, especially at the 
 foot of the page, and some lines of text are lost, many others 
 hardly legible. Rents are here and there stitched with silk or 
 course lint thread. 
 
 Fols. la, 4b, and lib (with the exception of seven lines) are 
 not written upon, but here, and occasionally elsewhere, several 
 memoranda, in various hands and of later date, appear. Thus 
 on fol. la, Eoin MaighJiethd, 1701, san 1 don Maglt, 'John 
 MacBeath, 1701, in the first of May.' 15 Historical. No. 1. 
 H. Kerr. This last, which appears frequently on the Kilbride 
 MSS., is the signature of the gentleman who deposited these 
 MSS. (v-xxxi) in the Library. 
 
 On fol. 4b among several jottings are the following : — Aniii an 
 died aoine roimh Chaingis do sguir treahhadh a Cill Patraic, 
 agus CO tiic Dia hull onaitJi fair, 'This da}', Wednesday before 
 Pentecost, ploughing ceased in Kilpatrick, and niay God bring it 
 to a good issue.' On Id do chuadhais uaind soir a ruigedk 
 caomh concuhair do h'imdha der ar gruaidh, 'From the day 
 you left us for the east, for the kindly land of Connor, tears on 
 cheeks were many.' 
 
 The contents of the MS. are varied, but the following sections 
 belong to this chapter : —
 
 80 CATALOGUE OF OAELTC MANUSCRIPTS |MS. V 
 
 Fols. 5a-Ga2, 1. 18. — Dini\lli)('ch/ (Ir'n/oli' aii/u. so. Dlnnihiii 
 Grviolv Roimi oc imU'chi feriiind na Poi'thti f<'(((-lit (tii'^i rahilc 
 don CO aro'de loch. and. Ha sdldhhir dan o (jrcli earnnd else an 
 locJi sin. Ro saidhhrighcd o indiiius iindha a tifjerna tria reic 
 a else. Dorala in tan sin in loch i cuingill etir da brathuir j 
 hatar ic lincosnain mor uime, air hni an f-sainrtt oc a forail 
 form, etc., ' Of the travels of Gregory here. When Gregor}^ of 
 Rome was upon a thiae traveUing in the land of Pontus (Asia 
 Minor) he came to a certain lake. That lake teemed with all 
 kinds of fish. Its lord, by selling the fish, was enriched from its 
 many treasures. It happened at the time that two brothers dis- 
 puted about the possession of the loch, and they contended 
 fiercely regarding it, for greed was urging them thereto.' The 
 text goes on to relate how Gregory settled this dispute, with 
 many other illustrations of his greatness and goodness. Cf. 
 Y. B. L. pp. 164-6 where other anecdotes are told of the Saint. 
 
 Fol. 6)31, 1. 23-b2, 1. 41. — Here a shorter account is given of 
 the beheading of John the Baptist {v. supra, p. 76). In this 
 version the opening paragraphs are omitted altogether. The 
 text states briefly that John was imprisoned by Herod because 
 he reproved him on account of Herodias, and goes on to narrate, 
 in substance, the incidents of the feast, the decapitation of John, 
 and the miraculous powers attending the possession of his head. 
 
 Fols. 6b2, 1. 42-7al, 1. 34 give an incident connected with 
 the decapitation of St. Paul. The opening lines are illegible; 
 but the text goes on to say that the Saint asked a woman 
 who was present to put the linen cloth which was around 
 her head upon his head, so that he might not see the exe- 
 cutioner (bdsaire) strike him, promising that she would have 
 the cloth restored to her. The Saint was brought to the 
 marofin of a lake, and when he was beheaded the head rolled 
 into the lake. The cloth was miraculously restored to the 
 woman. For two hundred and forty years the head of the 
 Saint was in the lake, preserved from corruption. Meanwhile 
 a descendant of the woman who had given the linen cloth to 
 the Apostle went to the lake to wash clothes. She saw flaming 
 candles over the spot where the head was, and all around the 
 lake. She told her story. The people gathered, found the 
 head, and brought it to the place where the body was buried.
 
 MS. V] RELIGIOUS AND ECCLESIASTICAL 81 
 
 Head and body were fresh and bleeding as on the day of the 
 decapitation. [Cf. Atk. p. 93, IL 18G9-1884, where the incident 
 is related, in substantially the same language, in the Passion of 
 Peter and Paul. Atk. has ' forty ' years for our ' two hundred 
 and forty,' and ' a daughter ' of the woman for our ' descen- 
 dant.'] 
 
 On fol. lOal, 11. 8-29 are found the following twelve quatrains, 
 here anonymous, but attributed to St. Columba in a copy found 
 in Brussels [Burg. MS. 5100]. The Brussels copy was tran- 
 scribed and translated by the late Eugene O'Curry : this trans- 
 lation is given in Celtic Scotland, ii. 91. The late Sheriff 
 Nicolson sent a copy of the original, with a rhymed translation 
 to Macmillan's Magazine (vol. xxxix. p. 78), which translation 
 appears also in ' Verses by A[lexander] N[icolson],' Edin. 1893, 
 pp. 85-9. The Brussels copy has recently been printed in 
 Zeitschrift fur Celtisch.e Philologie, vol. v. p. 496. The Edin- 
 burgh version gives a few variant readings which are of 
 
 value : 
 
 MealLtch leui Ijith an ucht ailoin 
 
 For beind chaireci, 
 Conaicind (and) ar a uiince 
 Fetli na fairrce. 
 
 Conaicind a tonna tronia 
 
 Uas lir lucliair,' 
 Aniail eanaitt ceol dia n-athair 
 
 For seol snthain.- 
 
 Conaicind i traclit reigli rindghlan 
 
 Ni dal dnbaigh, 
 Co cloisind guth na n-en n-ingnadh 
 
 Seol CO subai. 
 
 Co cloisind torni na toon tana 
 
 Ris' na cairrce, 
 Co cloisinn nuall ra taeb reilci 
 
 Fuaini na fairrce. 
 
 Conaicind a li-elta ana 
 
 (Mjos lir lind nmir,* 
 Conaicind a " mila mara 
 
 Mo gech n-ingnad. 
 
 1 Brussels : lethan. ° B. bethad. ^ B. fors. 
 
 ■* B. lindmar. '' B. na. 
 
 F
 
 82 CATALOG UK OF (lAKLKJ MANUSCRIPTS [MS. V 
 
 Conaicind a trai.uii sa tuilc 
 
 Ilia reiiniin, 
 Comad h-e in'ainm run uo-t-raitiim 
 
 Cul re h-Eirinn. 
 
 Conaiu tisadh congain cride 
 
 Occa fegliadli, 
 Co ro caininn m' ulcii iiile 
 
 Ansa (r)ethladh. 
 
 Co ro bendachaiiid in roimdlu' 
 
 Conic uile, 
 Nem CO n-iniat n-graidli gun gloine 
 
 Tir, traigh, tuile. 
 
 Co ro sgrutaind aen na loaliur 
 
 Bud maith da ni'aniniiin ; 
 Seal for slechtain for nem n-inniain, 
 
 Sel for salniaib. 
 
 Sel ac buain duilisc do cairrcil), 
 
 Sel for achlaigh ; 
 Sel ic tabairt bid do bochtaib, 
 
 Sel i carcair. 
 
 Sel for sgrutan Hatha ninii, 
 
 Neamdha^ an cendach, 
 Sel for saethar na l)a forrach 
 
 Ko bo nieallach. Mellach. 
 
 In comairle is ferr fia Dia 
 
 Dam ro-s-tenna,^ 
 Nir leice ^ an ri dia n-am gilla 
 
 Ni nom mealla. Meallach. 
 
 It may be observed, in support of the idea that these verses, 
 which describe so happily the view which presented itself to the 
 eye of the Saint as he looked from ucld alainii ' lovel}^ upland ' 
 towards that Ireland which he could not see, and the details of 
 his daily life in lona, are a genuine composition of St. Columba, 
 that the criticism which Pope Gregory is said to have passed on 
 the AUns when he first heard it recited, is applicable to this 
 poem, viz., that the Deity is praised, but in his works rather 
 than in his Being. 
 
 Immediately following the above verses are other quatrains 
 of great beauty. Unfortunately only two or three of them are 
 
 ^ B. naemda. * B. nostendai. •* B. Ni reilge.
 
 MS. V] RELIGIOUS AND ECCLESIASTICAL 83 
 
 entire here, the MS. being eaten into, but the late I'rofessor 
 O'Growney recovered them in a modern MS. in Dublin, and 
 they are printed, with a translation by Dr. Kuno Meyer, in the 
 Gaelic Journal (Dublin), vol. v. pp. 04-5. Here are the first 
 two quatrains : — 
 
 Ro bad iiiian do lu'aniuain-si 
 
 Dcicsin jfnuisi De ; 
 Ro bad mian do ni'aninain-si 
 Bitli bctha iniule. 
 
 Ro bad mian do m'anmain-si 
 
 Leigend leabran lear ; 
 Ro bad mian do m'anmain-si 
 
 Bith fo riagail rel. 
 
 It were the desire of my soul, 
 To behold the face of God ; 
 It were the desire of my soul, 
 Eternal life with Him. 
 
 It were the desire of my soul, 
 To read closely little books ; 
 It were the desire of my soul, 
 To live under a clear rule. 
 
 Fol. 10a2, 1. 36-lObl, 1. 3. Another version of the bit of lore 
 given in MS. I, p. 15 (v. supra, p. 78). — Ceitri inuda na fit 
 aittreb naAhraxh is in daman . \ . Erin 7 arii 7 manund 7 ni fuil 
 i cind sleibe ripin tuaig- i tuaisgirt in heaiJia, etc., ' There 
 are four places in the Avorld where no serpent is found, to Avit, 
 Ireland and Aran and Man. There are none (also) at the head 
 (or end ?) of Mount Riphe,^ in the northern part of the world.' 
 The paragraph goes on to say that these places owe their 
 immunity to the wish expressed by Moses when he cured the 
 grey Gael from the bite of the poisonous serpent. 
 
 On fol. llal-bl,l. 7, is a legend of St. Moling, not very legible, 
 but corresponding to the text of Birtlt and Life of St. Moling, 
 by Stokes, London, 1907, pp. 34, 1. 6-42, 1. 6. 
 
 ^ Of. Torjail Troi (Calcutta 1882), p. 13, ' 6 thir na n-Eremhecda aness co slebt 
 Rife fothuaid, ' from the land of the E. in the south to the mountaine of R. in the 
 north.'
 
 84 CATALOGUE OF (lAELlC MANTTSCR1PT8 IMS. VI 
 
 MS. VI — KiMJKiDE Collection, No. 2 
 
 MS. VI (of which afterwards) is mainly genealogical. On the 
 last leaf, which forms a cover for tlie MS. proper, are some 
 jottings, not very legible, regarding Mochae (as here written) of 
 Noendruim, as to whom cf. Calendar of Oengu.s, pp. xcv, cvii. 
 
 MS. VII— KiLi5iii])E Collection, No. 8 
 
 MS. VII consists of eleven leaves of parchment, small folio. 
 It dates back to the early fifteenth, if not to the late foiu'teenth 
 century. There are several hands, all good. The MS. is written 
 in two columns, except fol. 5, which is much narrower than the 
 others. Capitals in many cases are well done, and frequently 
 coloured. Fol. 7b is not written upon. 
 
 The contents are various. The only religious part is on fols. 
 lObl, 1. 13-llbl, 1. 12, a copy of the Sermo ad lieges, with the 
 heading Teamisc rigda Solam onic Daiiith, amn so, ' The teach- 
 ing of Solomon the son of David regarding Kings here.' This 
 version agrees closely with that of MS, I, pp. 3-4 (v. supra, 
 p. 73), except that this copy gives at the end two or three addi- 
 tional paragraphs of text. Cf. also Y.B.L., p. 166b, 1. 38, ei seq. 
 
 MS. XXIV— Kilbride Collection, No. 20 
 
 The MS. consists of eight leaves of parchment, small folio 
 (9.1 in. by ()h). The first page is largely illegible, and the hist 
 entirely so. It is written in one column, in a plain but clear 
 hand. The initial letter on page 1 is large and well executed ; 
 otherwise capital letters are small and plain. 
 
 The contents up to the end of fol. Sa are a copy of the life of 
 Findchua of Bri Gobann (Smiths' Hill). This copy agrees closely 
 with that printed by Dr. Whitley Stokes (Lives of Saints from 
 the Book of Lismore, Oxford 1890, pp. 84-98), except that our 
 copy omits sentences in B.L. following the verses at the end. 
 Instead of which our MS. has the following colophon : — Misi 
 Concvhar 7 hetha "j slainti uaim do hicairi J do peasain Bri 
 Gohann 7 do mac mic Roiheart contan 7 ceannchaidh amail ro
 
 MS. XXVJ KELIOIOUS AND ECCLESIASTICAL 85 
 
 rjeallddar in inhetha'uhi Fhindcaid j aitlniid coruh tairrne 
 dilis daTnsa denis o Duindin 7 dorindisa amail rogeallus j 
 fuilngid 'p(i{th ^.)hi wt dalaithi j na ci{ll)i an dujhail risin 
 leabar so 7 na so Hid 'iia clerlrj a flaajhaU av deirc na ur fjuidi 
 ach cuirld flciacha chugamsa 7 rjuidid ctr anviannaib i carat 
 fein 7 7ia denad in lebar so dfliillid amail do niat clerig 7 leaga 
 do bunad 7 na tabrad ar iasocht e 7 na tabrad re scribad 7 leas- 
 
 aigit fa glas co h-onoracJt 'I am Connor: and health 
 
 and greeting from me to the vicar and the churl (acolyte ?) of 
 Bri Gobann, and to the son of the son of Robert .... and let 
 them buy as they promised to do this Life of Findchua ; and be 
 it known to them that Denis O'Dineen is a devoted friend of 
 mine. I have done what I have promised, and let the p. . . . of 
 
 d and of the church bear the cost of this book. And 
 
 let not the clerics imagine that they can have it in charity or 
 by prayer. But let them send its price to me, and let them pray 
 for the souls of their own friends. And they are not to roll up 
 this volume, as is the constant habit of clerics and physicians, 
 nor to give it in loan, nor allow a copy to be made from it, 
 but to carefully preserve it under lock (and key).' 
 
 Fol. 8b is written upon but, except for a stray word here and 
 there, it is now illegible. 
 
 MS. XXV— Kilbride Collection, No. 21 
 
 As already mentioned the contents of MS. XXV are mainly 
 Religious (v. p. 55). The MS. proper consists of twenty 
 leaves of parchment, small quarto (7| in. by 5|). Several of the 
 leaves are of only half size or less. Rents are repaired in red 
 silk thread. The text is written across the page in one column. 
 The hand is plain, of the sixteenth century probably. Capitals 
 are small, plain, and uncoloured. 
 
 The first section of the contents is the latter part of the 
 Passion of Christ, as revealed by the Virgin Mary to St. Anselm 
 (written in this extract San. S., ' St. S.'). The text here begins 
 abruptly where Pilate asked the Jews what they wished him 
 to do to Jesus. Thereafter it continues, as in MS. I (cf. supra 
 p. 75), with slight variations, to the end, when comes the sub-
 
 86 CATALOGUP: of GAELIC MANUSCRIPTS [MS. XXV 
 
 scription on fol. 6b, 1. 2 (counting broken leaves): ciirab l sin 
 sdair Jiarfaid San. S. do Muire ar an pais osanTO. 'co n-uigi 
 sin. Finit. amen. Seaan concuhair do cuir an GaedldUj hi 7 
 t{abrad) gacli aen l{cgfas) ^{ennacht), ' Thus far the narration 
 which St. (?) S. asked from Mary of the Passion of Ansehn. 
 It ends. Amen. John O'Connor turned it into Gaelic, and let 
 every one who reads it bestow a blessing.' 
 
 The next section, which takes up fol. 6b, 1. 4, to fol. 15b, is a 
 copy of a Treatise on the Commandments, found also in L. Br. 
 (243a-246b), and printed by Atk. pp. 245-259. The two copies 
 agree very closely. But the occasional differences in diction 
 and the omission or addition of clauses, would suggest that both 
 are an attempt to render accurately a common Latin text, rather 
 than transcripts of the same Gaelic version. The first sentence 
 in both copies runs thus : — MS. XXV : Legldliar and sa nacvi- 
 adh caibidil .xx. do leahhar Matha co tainig duine og d'inn- 
 saighi an tigerna neamda da fiarf algid de cinnus do gehadli. 
 se an flaitlieinlinas nenndlia, ' We read in the twenty-ninth chap- 
 ter of the book of Matthew, that a young man came to the Lord 
 of heaven, to ask of him how he might attain to the heavenly 
 dominion.' Atk. p. 245 : Atberair is in naeinad eaihdel jicltet do 
 lebar Matha co tanic araile fer dochuinm in athar nemdai dia 
 fiarfaide de cindas dogdhad-se a cliuit don fiaitli nemdai, 'It 
 is said in the twenty-ninth chapter of the book of Matthew 
 that a certain man came to the heavenly Father, to ask of him 
 how he should get his portion of the heavenly kingdom.' Again, 
 the last clause of the exposition of the Fifth Commandment 
 given in L.Br, is omitted in MS. XXV, while on the other 
 hand to the Latin quotation from Ezekiel which concludes the 
 Treatise in L.Br, a Gaelic translation is added in MS. XXV. 
 Finit. Amen is appended to both copies. 
 
 Fols. 16 and I7a contain a poem by Gillabridi mac Conmidhi, 
 beginning — 
 
 Deascjaidh (jacli uilc in t-uabar 
 Trit talnic in ced slduaxjhadh, 
 
 ' The dregs of every evil Pride 
 Through which came the first hosting,' 
 
 by which is meant the expulsion of the fallen Angels from 
 heaven. Thereafter comes the creation of Man, the Fall, etc.
 
 MS. XXVI] RELIGIOUS AND ECCLESIASTICAL 87 
 
 This Gilbert MacNamee, as the iiaiiio is usually rendered into 
 English, must have been born, says O'Curry {Mann, and Gust., 
 iii. 270), about the year 1180. Another poem by the same 
 author, commencing — 
 
 Ln Jivnitli ill coiindi in anhiin, 
 ' The betrayal of the Lord was on Wednesday,' 
 
 takes up fols 17b and 18. Fols. 19 and 20 contain a third poem 
 anonymous, not always legible, but mainly a laudatory descrip- 
 tion of the achievements of Magnus O'Connor. 
 
 MS. XXVI— Kilbride Collection, No. 22 
 
 MS. XXVI consists of six leaves of parchment. The con- 
 tents are Medical (v. supra, p. 56). These leaves are enclosed 
 in another fragmentary MS. of three leaves, and of somcAvhat 
 larger size (9| in. by 7). Two of the leaves are at the front of 
 the medical section and one at the end. The first and last 
 pages are wholly illegible. 
 
 Fol. Ibl concludes an anecdote, after which comes the legend 
 of Moling and the leper, as in Stokes's Birth and Life of St. 
 Moling, §§ 38 and 39. Then follows on fol. lb an encounter 
 of Mochuda with the devil, the latter in the guise of a cleric. 
 Thereafter comes an anecdote of two boys in the land of the 
 Franks {a Frangaihh), a Christian and a Jew, who go into ' the 
 temple,' when the former tells the latter about Jesus and Mary. 
 They partake of consecrated bread. When the parents of the 
 Jewish boy heard the story they put their son in a heated 
 furnace. But he was miraculously preserved b}- the Virgin, and 
 the parents became Christians. On fol. 2al-2 is a story of 
 St. Patrick and his conflict with Lacgaire mac Neill. Laegaire's 
 wife sided with Patrick, and when the saint fasted against the 
 king the queen also fasted. The legend is printed by Stokes 
 from Rawlinson (Bodleian Library), fol. 108a2, in the Tripartite 
 Life of St. Patrick (London 1887), vol. ii. pp. 556-8. The next 
 anecdote (fol. 2a2-bl) is in illustration of the power of Ciaran. 
 A man swore falsely with the saint's hand upon his neck. Im- 
 mediately a cancerous tumour appeared on his neck, his head
 
 88 CATALOG IK OF GAELIC MANUSCRIPTS [MS. XXVI 
 
 fell off his body, and he lived in that condition for four years. 
 Thereafter conies an account of a ship seen in the 'air by the 
 monks of Clon(macnois). The ship cast anchor which took 
 hold in the floor of the church. One of the crew ' swam ' down 
 from the ship, seized the anchor, and 'swam' back again, 
 carrying" the anchor with hiin. On fol. 2b2 come paragraphs 
 on the burial of a priest's wife, and on a place in the Eastern 
 world called Maissio where white luin 'blackbirds' abound, 
 and worship according to the rules of the church after the 
 manner of men. It is explained that the birds arc the pure 
 bodies of the chaste and righteous. The last paragraph tells 
 of a leper who came to Brigid demanding the best cow and the 
 best calf in her herd. He gets his demand, and the Saint causes 
 the best cow to ' love ' the best calf as much as if it were her 
 own. 
 
 Fol. 9a is written in single column. The text is legible only 
 in part, and is a description of the hero Gorhli m((c Sfalrn 
 appearing at Tara, claiming the sovereignty of Ireland, and 
 challenging the champions of all Ireland to combat. The period 
 is that of Guchulainn and the heroes of his day. 
 
 MS. XXIX — Kilbride Collection, No. 25 
 
 The MS. consists of ten leaves of parchment, of an average 
 height of six inches, and breadth ten inches. The cover formed 
 at one time part of a fine Latin Hymnary, with music. Capitals 
 are elaborately done ; the text is written in a clear, firm, large 
 hand, while the musical scale is well and regularly written. On 
 the cover, in deep black script is '17,' evidently an old catalogue 
 nuTuber. Bound in with the cover are one or two scraps of 
 paper upon which occasional jottings are written. The volume 
 was at one time the property of the MacBeaths. The names of 
 James Beaton and John Morrisone appear on the paper scraps, 
 and on the last page of the MS. are (in Latin) ' James Beaton 
 is the owner of this book,' and (in Gaelic) ' I am Malcolm 
 MacBeath.' 
 
 The outer edge of the top margin is worm-eaten, and some 
 words are lost; otherwise the MS. is in fairly good preservation.
 
 MS. XXIX] RELIGIOUS AND ECCLESIASTICAL 89 
 
 It is written in single column, in a good clear hand. On fols. 
 9b and 10a the hand is inferior. Fol. 10b has, apart from 
 jottings, only two lines of script. The MS. dates probably to 
 the early seventeenth or late sixteenth century. 
 
 The contents arc all in verse, and all religious, 'lliere are 
 ten poems, four (Nos. 1, 2, 5, 10) of which are anonymous. 
 The other six are attributed to Tadh;/ o;/, ' Tcigiie junior,' 
 m Tadhg cetna, ' the same Teigue.' This is evidently Teigue 
 bg O'Higgin who died in 1448. O'Reilly mentions a Teigue 
 ug O'Daly who flourished about 1520. Both wrote religious 
 poems. (Of. O'Reilly's Descriptive Caf(dogue of IrlsJi. Wrdcrs, 
 Dublin 1820, quoted O'R.). Here are the first lines of these 
 ten jioems : ^ 
 
 1. pp. 1-2. Gahli iiilHi(fhvcach, a Eohi BaiinJi, 28 quatrains on 
 
 John the Baptist. 
 Ferg an ChohmJhi re, cJoinn Adliniiii, 29 (juatniins. 
 A'ig .s'o hrarjha dJicif, a DJic, 34 „ 
 
 Taguir re d' m{h)ac, a MJiuire, 36 „ 
 
 Aig . . . mhsi ac matliair DJie, 30 „ 
 
 TniagJi mo mhunadJi, a Mliuirc, 38 „ 
 
 Tene ar 7ia fadadh ferg Dc, 39 ,, 
 
 Imdha rod direch go Dia, 42 „ 
 
 Beag nach tainic mo terma, 'i5(?) „ 
 
 D{ena dam)comarJe, a mafhair mor, 27(?) „ 
 
 Pages 18 and 19 are legible only in part, so that the number 
 of quatrains in the last two pieces, and the opening hue of the 
 last poem, are somewhat uncertain. 
 
 One or two notes are given on the margin. Thus at the 
 foot of page 5 comes — 
 
 Nana cerd maua cleehfar, xenfoeal da, iiir-lea,v.far ; 
 An cerd decldar is i is f err, da Jentar hi cin ditJielteall. 
 
 Misi Eogan Carrach O Siagail do graibh sin. 
 
 ' Trade not practised is not trade, the saying is ever accepted : 
 The trade practised is the best, if only pursued persistently. 
 
 I, Hugh C. O'Sheely wrote this.' 
 
 Again, on the inner margin of page 6: Go culre Dia slan 
 fear an leabhair so chuigium don Horse amen Semus Beattene 
 meise Ednard Fleming, ' May God send to me, Edward Fleming, 
 
 1 Cf. Y.B.L., p. 20 b. 
 
 2. 
 
 „ 2-3. 
 
 3. 
 
 „ 4-5. 
 
 4. 
 
 „ 6-7. 
 
 5. 
 
 „ 8-9. 
 
 6. 
 
 „ 9-11. 
 
 7. 
 
 „ 11-13. 
 
 8. 
 
 „ 14-16. 
 
 9. 
 
 „ 16-18. 
 
 .0. 
 
 „ 18-19.
 
 90 CATALOGUE OF GAELIC MANUSCRIPTS |MS. XXIX 
 
 the owner of this Ijook, Janies Beaton, safe to this country. 
 Amen.' 
 
 At the foot of page 18, following an illegible note, comes this 
 
 quatrain — 
 
 Leaba cumhand is hi caol, 
 Uch! as i an comarsan criuvidh; 
 Mairg ata na fiinr san uii; 
 Sa shuil re daeradh (huan). 
 
 ' A narrow confined bed 
 Is alas ! an unfeeling neighbour, 
 Woe to him within its wall in the mould, 
 Looking forward to everlasting punishment.' 
 
 MS. XXXI — Kilbride Collection. Fragments 27, 28, 
 
 29, 30, 31 
 
 Such is the description on the cover of this MS. Several of 
 the fragments here mentioned have recently been transferred 
 to other MSS., e.g. one leaf to MS. VIII, and two to MS. XXIII 
 to which they belonged. 
 
 The fragments that remain are, so far as legible, with one 
 exception, ecclesiastical. 
 
 (1.) There are two leaves of parchment, quarto, containing a 
 portion of Gaithreiin Conghail CldiringnigJi, ' The martial 
 career of Congal C, which corresponds to that printed in 
 vol. V. of the publications of The Irish Text Society, from p. 144, 
 L 22, Is maifJi linne, etc., to the foot of p. 168. The two texts, 
 in so far as this fragment is legible, agree pretty closely. 
 
 (2.) Three leaves of parchment, short and broad, with the 
 outer portion torn away. The contents appear to be : {a) Seven 
 psalms, directed against particular vices, e.g. diinas ' pride,' craes 
 ' gluttony,' ferg ' wrath ' ; (/>) Columba's directions to Baethin, 
 his successor in lona, regarding the apportionment of his dues 
 among his churches in Scotland and Ireland ; and (c), the rights 
 and privileges conferred by the Saint on the churches founded 
 by him. 
 
 (3.) There is a detached leaf of parchment, live inches by 
 eleven, which probably formed part of fragment (2). The writing 
 on this leaf is illegible, save only cot cc ' Columba cecinit ' on 
 the second page. It is marked ' H. Kerr 28.'
 
 MS. XL] RELKJIOUS AND ECCLESIASTICAL 91 
 
 (4.) A torn scrap of paper, with writing, marked H. Kerr, 
 xxxi. 
 
 MS. XXXVI— Highland Society, Kilbride, No. 5 
 
 In MS. XXXVI, of which later, are two religious pieces in 
 verse : 
 
 (1) On fol. 85b four quatrains beginning — 
 
 Mairg ni vaill rt.s- nige. 
 ' Woe to him M'ho makes his youth his pride.' 
 
 The verses, extending there to nine quatrains, are in MS. 
 XLVIII attributed to 'Giolla colluimM'Jllebhride mlticpJirrsoin 
 Chille Chomain,' Malcolm, son of Gilbert, son of the parson of 
 Killchoman ' (Islay ?), v. Rd. Celt, i. 136. 
 
 (2.) On fol. 94a, nine quatrains, beginning — 
 
 A dhnine cnimJniich am hd-f, 
 Sa dibail ag tcacht gaclb aon Id. 
 
 ' Remember Death, man, 
 You witness liis presence daily.' 
 
 MS. XXXIX— Highland Society, J. M'Kenzie, No. 3 
 
 MS. XXXIX, of miscellaneous contents, contains the two 
 following religious poems : 
 
 (1.) On fols. 27a-28a, twenty-three quatrains attributed to 
 Tad(j og, beginning — 
 
 At a an saoghal ag seirmoir 
 Nifnil anil add nuil gloir. 
 
 (2.) On fol. 30b, ten quatrains of the poem already noticed 
 {v. supra, p. 89), commencing — 
 
 lonulha rod direch ag Dia. 
 
 MS. XL— Highland Society, J. M'Kenzie, No. 4 
 
 This is one of the oldest and most valuable MSS. in the 
 Collection. There are five separate layers, of different dates, 
 written in different hands, all vellum, quarto, and consisting
 
 92 CATALOCIK OF (JAKIJC .MAXISCKHTS |MS. XL 
 
 in cwnido of thirty- ei,t^ht leaves. They arc paged consecutively 
 1 to 76. The MS. is bound up in a tattered leaf of parchment, 
 upon which a fragment of a Latin religious treatise is written 
 in uncials of perhaps the twelfth century. This is again en- 
 closed in a strip of deer-skin. 
 
 The contents of the MS. are varied, the following being 
 ecclesiastical : — 
 
 1. The second layer, consisting of eight- leaves, written in a 
 ])lain hand, in double column, is taken up by a copy of the Old 
 (iaoHc Jjife of St. Coluniba. Other copies known are — one in 
 L.Br., pp. 29b-34a, printed, with translation, by Dr. Stokes 
 (Calcutta LS77) . and one in B.L., fols. 7bl-lla2, also printed, 
 with translation, by Dr. Stokes (Lives of Saioits from the Book 
 of Llsmure, Oxford 1890). The Life, says the late Dr. Reeves 
 (Vita Smicti ColiiinhcB, Dublinii. mdccclvii. p. xxxii), 'is a 
 composition probably as old as the tenth century, and was 
 originally compiled, to be read as a discourse on St. Columba's 
 festival, on the text Exi de terra tua et de coyiiatioiie tua, et de 
 domo 'p(dri,s tui, et vade in terrain quam tibi monstravero.' 
 When Martin made his tour of the Hebrides in the end of the 
 seventeenth century there were two copies of this Life in the 
 Outer Isles. Martin writes (Description of the Western Islands 
 of Scotland, p. 264), ' Tlie Life of Goluinhus, written in the Irish 
 character, is in the custody of John MacNeal, in the Isle of 
 Barry ; another copy of it is kept by Macdonald of Benbecula.' 
 This in MS. XL may well be one or other of these copies. 
 
 The copy here is of later date than that of L.Br., and probably 
 also than that of B.L. One would be inclined to place it in the 
 end of the fifteenth or early in the sixteenth century. The 
 three agree pretty closely in the text which is common to them 
 all. Our version and B.L. further agree in discarding a con- 
 siderable amount of the Latin text which appears in L.Br. On 
 the other hand, in one or two cases this copy joins with L.Br, in 
 giving lines of verse which are wanting in B.L. But MS. XL 
 differs from both L.Br, and B.L. in giving here and there matter 
 not found in these MSS. The late Mr. W. M. Hennessey of 
 Dublin collated the three versions, and made a translation, with 
 notes, which is printed in Celtic Scotland, vol. ii. pp. 468-507, 
 where the additional text of MS. XL is triven within brackets.
 
 MS. XL] RKLKilOrS AXD ECCLESIASTICAI. 93 
 
 Apart from mero words and phrases, the additional matter in 
 our version is found, on p. 18a, 1. 26 to 18b, 1. 4, Loiscis c. c. an 
 baile .... is ail do simid : (King Aed gave his fort in Derry 
 to Cohimba wlio built a church there, and afterwards) set fire to 
 the place which spread rapidly, but was stayed when Columba 
 made the imann 'hymn' ar anacal an doire 'to protect the 
 wood' .|. i noli dant in duile gciri^; p. 20b, 11. 16-26, when 
 Columba leaves one of his clerics in Derry, and visits Drum- 
 clifif; p. 22b, 1. 26 to p. 26a, 1. 15, being an account of Coliunba's 
 visit to Ireland in 575, when he attended the Convention of 
 Druimceatt, together with the various public questions in which 
 he took a prominent part, — the future position of the Bards, 
 the release of Scanlan, son of the King of Ossory, and the future 
 relation of the Scottish Dalriada to Ireland ; p. 26b, 11. 10-12, 
 where it is stated that Columba ' used to go to Heaven every 
 Thursday whilst he was alive, when he wished'; p. 26b, 11. 18-30, 
 where among other matters we are told that Columba left Bishop 
 (Aedan ?) and Colman of Innis-bo-finne (Bophin Island, ofi" 
 the coast of Mayo), preaching the word of God to the Saxons : 
 visited Brude, son of Maelchu, King of the Picts, — the open- 
 ing of the locked doors of Brude's Castle, and the death of 
 the King's son and that of his druid ; and finally, on p. 27a, 
 1. 24 to p. 27b, 1. 23, where various statements are made re- 
 garding the Saint's abstinence and devotion, the churches which 
 he planted, especially those of lona, Down, and Derry, — sup- 
 ported by quotations from the poets, among whom Dalian 
 Forgaill and St. Berchan are named. 
 
 On the last page (28) the two paragraphs regarding Derry 
 and Drumcliff are repeated from p. 20b, and on the second 
 column of the same page (28) arc seven quatrains, only in part 
 legible. One runs — 
 
 Eglus fuar, 
 
 7 cleirech tana, truagh ; 
 Sinaclit for coluinn, sniglii der : 
 Ag rigli nel mor a luagh. 
 
 ' A cold church, 
 An emaciated, poor cleric ; 
 
 ' The line is obscure, but the reference must be to the Latin H^'mn, attri- 
 buted to the Saint, beginning. Noli pater indulgere tonitrxia cum fvhjore.
 
 94 CATALOLJUK OK CAKLK; MAXnsCRirTS IMS. XL 
 
 The l)0(ly in subjection, slieddinif tears: 
 Great their reward in tlie (eyes of the) Kinjj of 
 lieaven (lit. doiuls.)' 
 
 2. In the third layer of the MS., which consists of ten leaves 
 of thin vellum, written in a very good hand, with highly 
 illuminated capitals, is a version of Fennaid Adaim, 'The 
 Penance of Adam,' (pp. 45b-4Sb). This copy has been printed, 
 with translation and variant readings from Y.B.L., by Mr. A. 0. 
 Anderson, in Rev. Celt, xxiv. pp. 244-253. The copy in Y.B.L. 
 (pp. 158a-159b) corresponds closely to our copy. There is 
 another version in L.Br. (pp. 111b-] 13a) where the texts differ 
 more widely. Thus the first paragraph in XL reads : — Doroine 
 Dia talu7)i do Adnin 7 do Eha iar n-imarhus a parrtliiis. Is 
 annsin do hai Adam sechtmuin iar n-dichor a 2^ci'>''rtlius can 
 dig, can hiadJr, can edach, can teach, can teine, acid fo aithmela 
 J fo atoirrsi. Et ro hadar ag aifir iinaifir ar a cheile. Et 
 aspert: as onor do maith lucad duinn, iiiuna beth Luitcifir da 
 fhaslach orainn in Coimde do sharugadh .|. comrad fri h-ain- 
 gliu, '1 iia h-uile duile de ag ar n-anorugad ; 7 ni loiscfi teine 
 sinn, ar se, 7 ni haigjid uisce 7 ni theascfad faebur 7 ni gebar 
 gahir .|. an anoir in Choiingeadh,ar as an anoir in Choimgead 
 ata each duil co cotarsna frind, 7 ni h-e roba chintach, ach sinn 
 fein : ' God made the earth for Adam and Eve after their sin 
 in Paradise. It was then that Adam was for a week after he 
 was cast out from Paradise, without drink, or food, or clothing, 
 or house, or lire, but in grief and sorrow. And they reproached 
 each other mutually. And he (Adam) said : much of good was 
 given to us, had not Lucifer persuaded us to disobey the Lord, — 
 converse with angels, and honour done to us by every creature 
 of God. Fire would not burn us, said he, and water would not 
 drown us, and sword (lit. edge) would not wound us, and disease 
 would not overtake us, and (all this) in honour of the Lord, for 
 it is in honour of the Lord that (now) every creature is hostile 
 to us. And it was through no fault of his, but of our own.' 
 
 The corresponding paragraph in L.Br, is as follows : — Do rid- 
 nacht din Dia do Adam in talmain coitchindsea iar n-iviarbus 
 i partus, 7 nibad dionmdachsum de sin mina beth ercJira iar 
 n-amsir do. Bivi din Adam sechtmain iar na dicltor a parthus 
 cen etach cen dig cen biad cen tech cen tenid fo thorsi 7 aithmela
 
 MS. XL] RELiaiOUS AND ECCLESIASTICAL 95 
 
 dermalr, conaithber 7 imaitkber occufria araile, conid and sin 
 atbert Adam frl h-Eua : Ro-n-laad a partus tria chinaid im- 
 arbois, ol se, 7 is mor forfhacsum da cech maith ann, uair rohui 
 jjarthus con a uile airmitin for ar comas J. aitte aille, j slanti 
 cen (jalar, 7 aibnes cen erchrai ; brilige blathi ; luibe amirai ; 
 oirfited bith buan ; sasad cen saethar ; betha cenbron; aibnes 
 cen erdibad ; noime diar n-anmandaib ; comrad cunnail fri 
 h-aingiiu ; bithbetJca cen bas ; ecus na li-uile d4 oc ar n-air- 
 mitin 7 oc dr n-oenoir; 7 na h-uile anmand batarfor bith isind 
 no-s-ordaif/ed ; 7 ni-n-loiscfed tene ; 7 ni-s-baifed usee; 7 ni- 
 s-tescfad foebur no iarn ; 7 ni-s-gebad galur no saethar. Ni 
 boi dill in nim no h-i talum duil tisad frind tnine thisad 
 Lucifer. Oeus cid Lucifer din, ni co emsad ar n-aimles cen ba 
 mar fo chumachf^ in Choimded. ro sharaigsimar din in 
 Coimdid ata cech duil i cotarsna frind, "j ni h-e Dia ba cintach 
 frind sed^ sinne rosharaig esium, 7 fucsum cech maith dun 
 din bamar fo cJiumachtsiim. 
 
 A fourth version of this Tract, further amplified, is in Saltair 
 net Rann, in verse. This version is printed by Stokes, without 
 translation (Oxford, 1883). The Tract begins with Book xi 
 (p. 22), and opens thus : — 
 
 Ri doridnacJd talam tlackt 
 Do Adaum iarnatharmthecht 
 Nirbo dimdach do Dia dein 
 Manbad airchra dia aimsir. 
 
 3. The last Tract in the MS. is that known as the Cain 
 Domnaig, or The Law of Sunday, for an account of which v. Eriu, 
 vol. iii. p. 189. Our copy of this Tract does not contain the 
 ' Epistle of Jesus on the Observance of Sunday,' which is pre- 
 fixed to it in other MSS. It begins, Soire domnaig o trat{h) 
 Esparton Diashathuirn go fuined itiaitni Diahiain, ' The privi- 
 lege of Sunday from Vespers of Saturday till the end of Monday 
 morning'; or,as mL.Br. , Silire Domnoig o Espartii int ShdtJturnd 
 CO h-ergi grene Dialiiain, 'The privilege of Sunday from Saturday 
 Vespers till sunrise on Monday.' Then follows a list of things 
 that ma}' not be done on Sunday, as also of things that may. 
 
 ' MS. Sumacht. 
 
 " Sed, the Latin word, of which the contracted form was s. This contrac- 
 tion was adopted by Gaelic authors for both sed and acht ' but.'
 
 lt(i CATAI.()(;UK OF UAKLK; MANUSCRIPTiS |MS. XL 
 
 Aiiiong the former arc, — beginning a journey, buying, soiling, 
 shaving, washing, bathing, grinding meal, baking, churning, 
 splitting firewood, with several others. Among the latter are 
 named, — for clerics and nuns, going to church : for people in 
 general, going to sermon and mass; pursuing thieves and law- 
 breakers; seizing (escaped) prisoners; giving warning of enemies; 
 preparing food for guests ; tending cattle, etc. Then comes in 
 detail the legal procedure in the various cases of violation of 
 the Sunday law, with the fines and punishment proper to each 
 case. 
 
 MS. XLVII— Highland Society. J. M'Kenzie, No. 11 
 
 The MS. pro[)er consists of two leaves of parchment, quarto, 
 written in one column in a fairly good round hand. The first 
 and fourth pages are quite illegible, while the second and third 
 can be deciphered only in part. Moreover there is a gap in the 
 text bet\veen the two leaves. Traces of a large capital are 
 visible on top of page 1, and it would seem that the writing 
 came to an end with some eight or ten lines on page 4. So 
 that very probably the MS. contained at one time a complete 
 copy of the Tract. 
 
 The subject is the Tenga hith nua ' EverncAv Tongue,' of 
 Avhich Dr. Stokes has given an account in Eriu, vol. ii. p. 96. 
 Professor Dottin had previously printed in the Rev. Gelt., xxiv. 
 pp. 365-403, with translation into French, the copy in the 
 Rennes MS. Dr. Stokes considers that the copy of this Tract 
 in B.L. is unique, and that the other six copies which he 
 mentions {Erin, vol. ii. p. 97) are abridgements of it. He ac- 
 cordingly prints the B.L. text, with translation and notes, in 
 Erin, vol. ii. pp. 98-162. There is a complete copy of this 
 Tract in the Turner MS. LV {infra). 
 
 The legible parts of our fragment show that the Tract was 
 in this MS. largely compressed. Page 2 opens with daferthain 
 do tshaccartaib J do ceilidihh de 7 do onacoibh eagailsi ar 
 cheano. Et ha h-e adbur in tinoil sin ag feroib in domain co 
 himst ag techt d'estecht re ceoluibh nenihe ag a g-cantoin a 
 nellaib an aieoir os a g-cind. Et ba h-e so tosach an cheoil
 
 MS. XLVII] RELIGIOUS AND ECCLESIASTICAL 97 
 
 do chandis .\. gloria in excelsis deo, etc., 'to give(?) to priests 
 and culdees and young clerics generally. The occasion of that 
 gathering of the world's men to Jerusalem was to hear the 
 heavenly music which was chanted in the clouds of the air 
 above them. And the beginning of the music chanted was 
 gloria, etc' Thereafter other and terrible sounds were heard, 
 and then the ' Evernew Tongue ' spoke. The listeners asked who 
 the speaker was and whence he came, the reply to which was 
 that he was the Apostle Philip, born of earthly parents, and 
 sent by the Lord to preach to the heathens (our version adds 
 i crichaib Lochlainn, ' in the territories of Scandinavia ') ; 
 that his tongue was cut out of his head by the heathen seven 
 times (B.L. has nine times, Rennes MS. three times); and 
 that the language which he now spoke was the speech of 
 heaven, and was understood by all kinds of animals and 
 reptiles. 
 
 When our text opens on page 3, the terrors of the fifteen 
 days preceding the Judgment Day are being described in 
 separate paragraphs. The narration has reached the tenth 
 day : An .x. mad la .". inurf 7 isleocfi an tat indus nach 
 biaid . . . ' On the tenth day, moreover, the earth will be con- 
 vulsed and will sink, so there will not be . . .' The reading is 
 very uncertain, but one gathers that on the thirteenth day such 
 men and animals as are then alive will fall upon each other 
 promiscuously, and should their children or friends approach 
 any of these men they will not speak to them, because of their 
 shame for the evil deeds they had committed. At this point 
 and to the end of page 3 our text bears some similarity to that 
 of Y.B.L. (86a, 1. 12 et seq.). The wise men of the Jews ask 
 whether the universe will be destroyed by day or by night, and 
 on what hour did Christ rise from the dead. The 'Evernew 
 Tongue ' replies that Christ did indeed rise from the dead at 
 break of day; but by night he was born; by night he was 
 crucified, darkness coming at noon ; by night he descended into 
 hell. The text proceeds to tell of the glory, the majesty, the 
 justice and goodness of the Judge. 
 
 Two detached leaves of quarto (parchment) are also enclosed 
 in this cover. They are in different hands and on different 
 subjects. The clearer of the two gives sentences and maxims 
 
 G
 
 98 CATALOGUE OF GAELIC MANUSCRIPTS [MS. XLVIII 
 
 chiefly in verse on a variety of persons, places, and things. Of 
 the other not much can be made. 
 
 The usual docquet of ' John Mackenzie ' does not appear on 
 any of the leaves. 
 
 MS. XLVIII— Highland Society. J. M'Kenzie, No. 12 
 
 This is a small quarto MS. (6 in. by 4) consisting of thirty-four 
 leaves of paper. The first leaf is torn away, and the last four are 
 detached. It was covered by a strip of deerskin, of which one 
 side now remains. The MS. is quoted in the Highland Society's 
 Dictionar}' as Bianf{eid}i), ' deerskin ' (v. a bhos). A considerable 
 portion of its contents is printed in Rel. Celt, vol. i. pp. 119-149. 
 It evidently formed at one time part of the library of the Mac 
 Mhuirichs, the hereditary bards of Clanranald in South Uist, 
 several of the pieces being composed by one or other of this 
 family. The MS. was probably written by the middle of the 
 eighteenth century. It contains one or two pieces composed by 
 Neil M'Vurich, who wrote an elegy upon the Clanranald chief 
 who fell at SherifFmuir. The name ' Donald Johnstone ' appears 
 on the margin of folios 27b and 2Sb. The contents are miscel- 
 laneous. There are some thirty separate compositions, all, save 
 one, in verse, several of them consisting of only one or two 
 quatrains. The following may be classed as religious : 
 
 1. Fol. lb-2b (counting the torn leaf). The beginning is 
 lost, and what remains is not very legible. The first line, 
 repeated at the close, is : 
 
 {D)wiaom gan umal do Chriosd, 
 ' Vain (it is) not to submit to Christ.' 
 
 2. Fol. 3b. Three quatrains, beginning : 
 
 A ri an bheatha hi gam leighis, 
 ' King of the world, do thou save me.' 
 
 3. Fol. 4b. One quatrain : 
 
 (Ni) e mo ghradh amhain acid Dia nan Did, 
 ' The Lord of all, my only love.' 
 
 4. Fol. 7b-8a. Eight quatrains : 
 
 Caoin ihu fein, a dhuine bhochd, 
 ' Weep for thyself, poor man.'
 
 MS. XLIX] RELIGIOUS AND ECCLESIASTICAL 99 
 
 5. Fol. 13a-b. An incomplete tractate, in prose, on Confes- 
 sion : Ge go n-duhlirainar go hfuilid cas airicUt eile in nach 
 eidir absoloid do tabhairt a onach gan na peacuidh idle 
 d'eistacht, etc., 'Although we have said that there is another 
 special case in which Absolution may not be given without 
 confessing all the sins,' etc. 
 
 6. Fol. 20a-21a. Nine quatrains : 
 
 Mairg do ni uaill [MS. uaile] as oirje^ 
 ' Woe to liiiu -who boasts of his youth.' 
 
 Giolla coluim mac Ilebliride mic phersoin Chille cmnain do 
 roin in laoidh si, ' Malcolm son of Gilbert son of the parson of 
 Kilchoman made this lay ' (v. supra, p. 91). 
 
 7. Fol. 32b. Two quatrains : 
 
 Mor an teas ar aire an t-sluaiyh, 
 Agus go deid gach ni uadha air ccid. 
 
 [This may be only a fragment. A leaf or tAvo may be amissing.] 
 
 8. Fol. 33a-b. Nine quatrains : 
 
 A dhuine cuimhnich an bus, 
 'Remember Death, man.' {v. sufra, p. 91.) 
 
 To this last piece the following note is here appended : Ag sin 
 roinn do rinnis do dhuine do chonnairc me ar ti peacaAdh do 
 dhenamh nach raibe iomchubhaidh dho pecadh ar bioth do 
 dhenamh, ' These verses I composed to a man whom I saw bent 
 on committing sin, when he was unfit to commit any sin.' 
 
 MS. XLIX— Highland Society. J. M'Kenzie, No. 13 
 
 The MS. consists of twenty leaves of paper, small quarto, 
 7i in. by 9i. It is but a fragment, defective at the beginning, 
 probably also at the end. The leaves are tattered and broken, 
 text in places lost, often difficult to decipher. The contents are 
 all in verse, of much the same general character as MS. XLIV. 
 The four following pieces are religious : — 
 
 Fols. 
 
 First Line 
 
 Quatrains 
 
 Autlior 
 
 lb-2b. 
 
 Ar fhaosamh dhamh, a Dhe Athau- 
 
 24 
 
 Eochy O'Hoscy 
 
 2b-3a. 
 
 Haii ...... 
 
 13 
 
 Duncan mor O'Daly 
 
 4b-5a. 
 
 Or na m-ban bainchcnn niiiilie 
 
 14 
 
 Anon. (D. mor 
 
 O'Daly in O'Gr. Cat., p. 345) 
 lCa-17a. Nior togb eruic losa 30 Tuathal an Cainti
 
 100 CATALOGUE OF GAELIC MANUSCRIPTS IMS. LIV 
 
 MS. LIV — Highland Society. P. Tuuneii, No. 1 
 
 The MS. contains eif^hty-eij^ht pages of paper (6^ in. by 4), 
 half of the first leaf being torn away, enclosed in skin cover, 
 Peter Turner was a soldier, Mr. Campbell adds ' Pauper ' (L.F. in.), 
 and attained to the rank of corporal, which he frequently ap- 
 pends to his signature, ' Paruig Tuarnair, coirpleir.' In 1818 he 
 published a collection of Gaelic Poetry, collected in the High- 
 lands of Scotland. The greater part, if not the whole, of 
 MSS. LIV-LVII, which bear his name, came apparently from 
 Ireland. 
 
 In this MS. (LIV), the first piece, fragmentary and nearly 
 illegible, is religious. On pp. 43-59 is a composition entitled, 
 ' Faoisidin Semuis na Srun alias Paor,' 'The confession of 
 James of the Noses or Power,' — elsewhere (p. 18) designated 
 Sinnisgal 'Seneschal.' Following the 'confession' is Ahsoloid, 
 ' Absolution,' by Father Proinsias ' Francis,' with reply by James, 
 counter-reply by the priest, concludmg with a hagra or threat 
 by James. The piece is composed partly in prose and partly 
 in verse, and as a burlesque is of no great merit. 
 
 On pp. 77-87 is a long composition of date 1650 {mile go 
 leith coig deich is ced leis) describing the political and religious 
 state of Ireland. A Sioguide Romanach 'Roman Sprite' ap- 
 pears to the author, whose name is not given, and recites the 
 poem, commencing — 
 
 Innisiglmn Jios is ni fios breige, 
 ' I relate a vision which is not a sham vision.' 
 
 The versification is good, and the poem concludes — 
 
 Slan don mhnaoi bhi raoir ar uaimh ui Neill 
 Le cradh croidhe ag caoine uaisle Ghaodhailj 
 Cia d'fhag si mo chroidhe go suaidhte treith, 
 Mo ghrddh i is gach ni dha gcuala me. 
 
 ' My blessing to the l;idy who last night visited O'Neill's grave, 
 With anguish of heart bewailing the (vanished) glory of the Gael ; 
 Although she left my heart bruised and sore, 
 My darling she and her message.'
 
 MS. LVI] RELiaiOUS AND ECCLESIASTICAL 101 
 
 MS. LV— Highland Society. P. Turner, No. 2 
 
 The second of Turner's MSS. consists of three hundred and 
 eii^hty-six pages of paper, octavo, Gh in. by 4, enclosed in a padded 
 skin cover. The first two leaves are now awanting, and here and 
 there are mistakes in the pagination. The MS. was written in 
 1738 by Sea{a)n Mac G(i)ca7' or John Short, probably in Con- 
 naught. The contents are mainly Tales and Romances, with a 
 few Ossianic lays. On p. 211 are verses beginning 
 
 A corpain, cuinmigh do clirioch, 
 
 here attributed to an Ollamli eigin, but elsewhere (O'Gr. Cat., 
 p. 659) said to be by St. Columba. 
 
 On pp. 339-385 there is a complete copy of the Tenga bith 
 nua, ' Evernew Tongue.' This version is shorter than that 
 printed by Stokes (v. supra, p. 96), but the literary form, though 
 differing in arrangement and detail, is the same. The speaker 
 is the Apostle Philip, who was sent to preach to the heathens 
 a ccriocJiaibh Lochlainn, ' in Scandinavia,' and whose tongue was 
 cut out by them seven times. The Apostle communicates his 
 information in reply to questions asked by the Hebrew sages, 
 but no specimen of the ' Evernew Tongue ' is given. Ewen 
 M'Lachlan (Analysis of Gaelic MSS., pp. 77-80) states that he 
 transcribed this Tract, as also one of the Tales in the MS., with 
 a view to print them, ' when his situation will admit of it,' 
 
 MS. LVI — Highland Society. Peter Turner, No. 3 
 
 This valuable MS. (of which later) contains two fragments of 
 a religious character : 
 
 1. On p. 399 and following page, a fragment of a Tract on 
 
 Repentance. 
 
 2. On p. 361 (second layer), twenty-two lines of Verse, 
 commencing — 
 
 Naomhtha an obair iomrddh De, 
 
 a poem attributed to Mahon O'Higgin (v. O'Gr. Cat., p. 380. 
 Cf. also O'R. cxliii).
 
 102 CATALOGUE OF GAELIC MANUSCRIPTS |MS. LVIII 
 
 MS. LVIII— Miscellaneous, No. 1 
 
 MS. LVIII is a thick MS. made up of three layers of quarto 
 paper of slightly varying dimensions, bound in thick skin cover, 
 but now loose. It must have passed through various hands, 
 the names of several owners appearing here and there on 
 margins and blank spaces : Seamus O'Crualaoigh, dated 1733, 
 Patrick M'Farland, David Doherty, and otliers. The pages are 
 much tattered in places, and are at the end quite illegible. 
 
 The contents are varied, — the following being in whole or in 
 part religious or ecclesiastical : — 
 
 Pp. 239-41. Sixteen quatrains, anonymous, of a politico- 
 ecclesiastical character, commencing — 
 
 Ce (jur hhfada me am mhaiglmtir dheagathach dheasmumhnach. 
 
 Pp. 267-70. Twenty-five quatrains, of much the same char- 
 acter, so far as legible, and signed Domhnall Mheagh Carrtha na 
 Tuile, commencing — 
 
 Am luidhii go cliute is mefaon ageas. 
 
 Pp. 281-2. Twenty quatrains, anonymous, but with ' Timothy 
 Cronine ' on the margin, commencing — 
 
 MaUocht ort (a bhdis). 
 
 Pp. 283-91 contain a Tract in prose, BeotJut Sdint 
 Margread Naomlitha, ' The Life of the holy St. Margaret ' (of 
 Antioch in Pisidia), being an account of the virtues and graces 
 of a holy Jewish maiden of Antioch, and of her persecution, 
 sufferings and death at the hands of Oliverus the governor 
 (cf. Martyrology of Qorrtian, edited by Stokes for the Henry 
 Bradshaw Society, London, 1895). 
 
 On pp. 293-308 is found another Tract, in verse, with this 
 title : An ced cJcaibidil don obuirso thraclitus air chriithugliad 
 an domhuin, air uahhar an aingil, air bhrisedh na h-aithne, 
 air chur Adhaimh as Parrthus, air aimsir na ngras, air guidhe 
 na naingeal, feolghahJtala na hreitlire diadha, fiosruighe S. 
 Elizabeth, breith an Tiagarna. a representation. 
 
 ' The first chapter of this work treats of the Creation of the 
 World, the Pride of the Angel, the Transgression of the Com- 
 mandment, the Expulsion of Adam from Paradise, the Period
 
 MS. LXIV] RELIGIOUS AND ECCLESIASTICAL 103 
 
 of Grace, the Intercession of the Angels, the Incarnation of the 
 Divine Word, the Visit of St. Elizabeth, and the Birth of the 
 Lord.' 
 
 Tiie title indicates the contents. The Tract is boldly and 
 clearly written. There are references in text and margin to 
 Holy Scripture, Apocrypha, and St. Anselm. The verses have no 
 literary merit. Of the chapter Do Representation an Tiaglmrna 
 only four lines are given when the composition comes to an 
 abrupt close. 
 
 MS. LXIV— Miscellaneous, No. 6 
 
 MS. LXIV is of paper, 5| in. by 8, much tattered and torn. 
 It contains at present thirty-eight leaves, unpaged, but the 
 first five are legible only in part, and the last nine are frag- 
 mentary. In the others are broken lines, with blank spaces 
 here and there. So far as can be gathered now the contents were 
 religious verse. 
 
 The first piece (fols. Ob-7b) to which a legible author's name 
 is attached, consists of thirty-eight quatrains. It is attributed 
 to S. Pilij) hoclit li. liiiigind^ and begins 
 
 Fnigell bennacht brugh Muire. 
 
 This is followed (fols. 8a-9a) by some thirty-seven quatrains, 
 
 commencing 
 
 Tuar fcirge foighide De, 
 
 and headed : Duan an so o S. Pilip mac Cuinn crosaigh ann a 
 d . . itn 7 dentar tuarusghhail uath . . laithe an braich agus 
 an modJt ar adtiocfa Criosd do chum an bhretheamnais J na 
 briathra adera ann, ' A poem here by S. Philip son of Conn 
 Crosach in d . . ., in which is given a description of the Day of 
 Judgment, the manner in which Christ will appear, and the 
 words which He will speak.' 
 
 The rest of the contents, so far as legible, are as follow : — 
 
 Fols. First Line Quatraiiis Author 
 
 9a-10a. Ataid tri coniraig am chind 29 Tadfj og (v. O'G. Cat., p. 363) 
 
 lOa-lOa. Aithimne dod t'oide a Eoin 19 „ „ 
 
 lOb-lla. Cia gabus m'anamain se ais 28 „ „ 
 
 lla-12a. Bee nach tainic mo terma 44 ,, „ (v. sivpra, p. 89) 
 
 12a-13b. Gabh mheghnecb, a Eoin Baisdi 62 „ „ (v. supra, p. 89) 
 
 ' I have not come upon this author's name elsewhere.
 
 104 CATALOGUE OF GAELIC MANUSCRIPTS [MS. LXV 
 
 FoU. 
 
 13b-14a. 
 14b-15a. 
 15a-16a. 
 IGa-lTl). 
 
 I7b-18k 
 
 18b-19a. 
 
 19b-20a. 
 
 20a-21a. 
 
 21a-22a. 
 
 22a-23a. 
 
 23a. 
 
 23a. 
 
 23b-24b. 
 
 24b-25b. 
 
 25b-26a. 
 
 26b-27a. 
 27a-27b. 
 27b. 
 
 27 b. 
 27b. 
 
 28a. 
 28a. 
 28b. 
 29a. 
 29a-29b. 
 
 29b. 
 
 First Linu (inaLiains 
 
 Ag SO bragha dot, a Dho 34 Tadg og 
 
 Mairg danab soirbli an saegal 30 „ „ 
 
 Namadh dan caraid clann Adhaini 38 Anon. 
 Clabliaiii dechniaidli ar ndiin 74 Anon. 
 
 Duncan nior O'Daly. 
 
 Author 
 
 Aitrigc sunn diiit, a Dhe 
 Tene ar na fadodli fcrg De 
 Ceangal .sodenta sfogh ])e 
 Bennachd a mathar ar mac n-De 
 Ben g(l)as dom croidi, a Chohndhe 
 Fada me ar merughadh .sligheadh 
 (First line illegible) 
 (First line illegible) 
 Do geinedh ingen onumla 
 Tri gluine ginelach mic De 
 
 Tri mic do Muire, mac De 
 Do chodail ar bfer faire 
 Suntacli sin a cliolainn criadh 
 Na dena diomus, a dhuine 
 
 Sir ... si a Muire an duilimh (?) 
 Cionta na colla is cuis truaigbe 
 Teach lega leaba S. Padraig 
 Linn ro Padraig na purt solus 
 Mana beth cruaide croidhe 
 Slan uaim ag oilen Padraig 
 Mo chen teid d'fecjais 3. Padraig 
 
 (AtLrilMited to 
 O'G. Cat., p. 345) 
 Donnchadh mor O'Dalaigh 
 Tadg og (v. sujira p. 89) 
 Anon. 
 
 S. Pilip bocht 
 Fergal og 
 
 32 
 
 40 
 37 
 38 
 30 
 40(?) Anon. 
 
 Tugais dam, a Dhe nimi 
 
 3 Mad . . O'Cleirigh 
 2^ Tadg dall 
 44 S. Pilip bocht 
 38 Anon. (Attributed to St. 
 Columba in O'Gr. Cat., p. 663) 
 37 Anon. Cf. O'R., p. cxl. 
 27 Anon. 
 15 Anon. 
 11 Fergall og (Angus O'Daly in 
 
 O'Gr. Cat., p. 6G1) 
 4 Fergall og 
 3 Solamh mc Conmidhe 
 1 3 Tadg mac Mathgamuin 
 9 Fei'gal og O'huiginn 
 21 (Name torn) 
 8 Fergal og mac an bhaird 
 23 Aongus mac Aoda ruaidh i 
 
 uiginu 
 (?) TuilHna (?) 
 
 Fols. 30 onwards are broken. On fol. 33 begins a piece by 
 Donnchadh mor O'Dalaigh — 
 
 Lochran soillsi do siol Aduim, 
 
 also quoted in O'R., p. cxc. 
 
 MS. LXV 
 
 MS. LXV consists of forty-nine leaves of paper, 8 in. by 4i, 
 bound endwise in pasteboard which is roughly covered with 
 skin. The MS. is paged from both ends, A and B, and on the 
 cover at both ends is written in modern hand ' Miscellaneous 
 Poetry, Scots and Irish.' There are also a number of proverbs. 
 The writing is mainly in the Gaelic hand, with here and there
 
 MS. LXV] EELIGIOUS AND ECCLESIASTICAL 105 
 
 some lines and a few proverbs in the current hand. It contains 
 copies of Alexander Macdonald's poems on Summer and Winter, 
 and cannot therefore date further back than about the middle 
 of the eighteenth century. The verse is chiefly secular, but it 
 contains two short pieces of a religious character. The subject 
 of both is practically the same, — an exhortation to piety, 
 because of the uncertainty of life and the certainty of death 
 and judgment. The first piece (end A, pp. 47-8) begins 
 
 Duisg a cJt,olmt(n) as do chadal, 's fada dhuit a n-oidhche ad shuain, 
 ' Wake up, body, thy night of sleep lias been (too) long.' 
 
 Ewen M'Lachlan says, but erroneously, that the hymn is found 
 in Macdonald's Collection (cf. R. Macdonald's Collection, 1776, 
 p. 310). 
 
 The second ' hymn ' (end B, pp. 1-2) begins 
 
 Slid ayaibh laoi na n-cuig rann, gun aon fhocall ann ach Jior, 
 ' Here the hymn of five quatrains, without an untrue word,' 
 
 and ends thus : 
 
 {\S h)eg orm ifrioym fuar flinch, {h)aile bithbhuan is serbh deoch, 
 'S ota gun chill gun chrois, (cha) dteid vii ann a chois no dh'ech. 
 ' I hate hell, wet and cold, an eternal abode of bitter drink, 
 Seeing it is without church or cross, I shall not fare thither on foot or 
 on horseback.' 
 
 (Cf. Beauties of Gaelic Poetry, p. 182, note.) 
 
 There are several religious and ecclesiastical pieces in 
 MS. XXXVII, otherwise known as the Dean of Lismore's MS. 
 But the contents of that MS. are so varied and so voluminous 
 that it must be treated separately.
 
 106 CATALOGUE OF GAELIC MANUSCRIPTS [MS. I 
 
 CHAPTER III 
 
 History and Genealogy 
 
 Among the Gael, as among other peoples, Legend and History 
 are not always sharply distinguished. A large portion of the 
 contents of this Chapter is manifestly legendary, while in a 
 subsequent Chapter, ' Legend and Lore,' the reader will find 
 historic facts imbedded. 
 
 MS. I 
 
 As already stated {v. supra, p. 72), MS. I consists of two 
 separate MSS. bound in one cover. The first leaf of the first 
 MS. is covered with genealogies. The writing is indistinct, and 
 the reading is in many cases uncertain. Chemicals were applied 
 to this portion of the MS. by Dr. Skene, which did not per- 
 manently improve matters. The first page is written in five 
 irregular columns and the second in four, with occasional side- 
 notes. The genealogies are those of the kings of Scotland, 
 beginning with David i., and of the principal Highland Clans. 
 The descent of David is given step by step to Kenneth the Scot 
 son of Alpin, and through him to the kings of Dalriada up to 
 Fergus of Kintyre son of Ere, and from Ere through the tradi- 
 tional Irish pedigrees up to Noah and Adam. King Lulach is 
 in the same way traced up to Loarn Trior, brother of Fergus and 
 son of Ere. 
 
 These pedigrees were first printed by Dr. Skene in Collec- 
 tanea de rebus Albanicis, p. 50 et seq. Thereafter, with the lists 
 of kings omitted, the same author printed the genealogies of 
 the Highland Clans, supplemented and corrected from Irish 
 MSS., in Celtic Scotland, vol. iii. p. 458 et seq. 
 
 The second MS. of which MS. I is made up consists of 
 fifteen leaves of parchment, very large folio (15 in. by 10|). 
 Like several of the MSS. in the Scottish Collection it was at
 
 MS. I] HISTORY AND GENEALOGY 107 
 
 one time enclosed in leaves taken from a fine old Latin 
 Hymnary, the front cover still adhering. The MS. is old, 
 dating back, one should say, to the fourteenth century. The 
 hand is particularly good throughout. Towards the end a 
 portion of the pages is well-nigh illegible, evidently the effect 
 of rain-ooze to which the MS. nuist have been subjected for 
 a time. 
 
 As now bound, the first leaf is reversed, and the fourth ought 
 to be the second. Leaves are awanting between the fourth 
 and fifth, and between the seventh and eighth. They are 
 paged in pencil according to the sequence of their contents. 
 The writing is in two columns, in a few pages in four. The 
 contents are varied. The following may with more or less pro- 
 priety belong to this chapter. 
 
 1. A paragraph, nearly the whole of Avhich is illegible, on 
 the Milesians, commencing, Ag milidh espainnc (p. 4b). 
 
 2. A Tract covering pp. 5-8a giving the names of distin- 
 guished men and women, with explanation of names and 
 epithets attached to them, complimentary or otherwise. The 
 list here given begins with Art aenfer, ' Art the Solitary,' and 
 ends with Ulaid, ' Ulster-men.' As if glad that his task was 
 done, the scribe appends Sella. Sella. Sella. (Selah.) Another 
 version of the same tract is in MS. VII, fols. l-4a. A third, 
 with slight variations, is in B.B. fols. 249a-255a. A version con- 
 taining a longer list is printed by Stokes entitled Coir aninann 
 ' Fitness of names' (Irische Texte iii. (2), Leipzig, 1897). 
 
 3. On p. 8b is given the pedigree of Goll, the great rival of 
 the hero Find or Fionn : Goll mac Corinaic {in)ic nemaind mic 
 Morna inoirmic Garaig glunjlnd mic Aeda duanaig mic Aeda 
 chindclairi mic Conaill 'mic StJiamb mic Ceit mic Magach, 
 ' G. son of C. son of N. son of great M. son of Garadh white- 
 knee son of poetic Aed son of Aed flathead son of Conall sou 
 of S. son of Cet son of Magach.' Several notices of the family 
 are given, with an account of Goll's feud with Find. The last 
 three lines of the column commences, but does not complete, a 
 similar paragraph on Find : Find mac Cumaill mic Trenmoir 
 TYiic Treditim mice Buain mic Boga mic Baiscni, ofuilet Clann 
 Baiscni, mic Shedna SitJibaic mic in Jiledh Ahratruait ut 
 putant alii (col. ends), ' F. son of C. son of T. son of T. son of B.
 
 108 CATALOGUE OF GAELIC MANUSCRIPTS [MS. I 
 
 son of B. son of H., from whom arc the Cl.an Baiscno, son of S. S. 
 son of the poet Abratruadli (brown eyebrow) as some think.' 
 
 4. On pp. Oa-ll are <;iven the following genealogies and 
 notes : — 
 
 (1) Slainge the first king of Ireland, with his four brothers, 
 Rudraigi, Sengand, Gand, and Genand, the five sons of Deala. 
 The pedigree of this family is given up to Adaiah mac Be hJd, 
 ' Adam, son of the living God.' 
 
 (2) The first Irish king of the Taat/ia De Danmm, viz. Breas 
 son of Ealadan, is traced up to Neimed son of Agnoman. Other 
 distinguished names of this race are also noticed, their descent 
 given, and relationship indicated — Nuadu of the Silver-hand ; 
 Ogma, grianach, 'Sun-bright'; MacCuill, ' son of hazel,' MacCecht 
 (the physician), and MacGrene, ' son of the Sun,' being the three 
 sons of Cermait ' honey- mouth,' son of the Dagda, son of 
 Ealadan, etc. 
 
 (3) The descent of Mile of Spain, son of Bile, is given step 
 by step through Goedel glas (grey), son of Niul, to Japhet who 
 is the common ancestor of the Firbolg, the Tuatha De Danann 
 and the Milesians. Thereafter the descendants of Eremon and 
 Eber, sons of Mile of Spain, are given down to Ruaidri Mac Toirr- 
 dealbhaigh, in whose time presumably the Tract was originally 
 compiled. 
 
 (4) On p. 11, col. 4, Breas MacEaladan is again taken up, 
 his descent is given step by step to Noah, and a note is added 
 to the effect that this is the true genealogy of Breas, and that 
 although he had been adjudged to be of the Tuatha De Danaan 
 he is in reality of the blood of Morch, seeing that Eve daughter 
 of Fiachna son of Dealbaeth was his mother. 
 
 On p. 9 dates are inserted on the margin, in later hand, and 
 in both reckonings A(nno) M(undi) and A(nte) C(hristum). A 
 few notes, not very legible, also appear, — one to the effect that 
 the Clanna Neimhidh ' Nemidians ' were expelled from Ireland 
 in A.M. 2213, and that they returned again in a.m. 2714. 
 
 MS. II {v. supra, p. 6) 
 
 Two leaves of Annals (fols. 79 and 88) are inserted in the 
 MS. as now bound. To judge from the skin, handwriting, and
 
 MS. V] HISTORY AND GENEALOGY 109 
 
 dates the two are consecutive leaves of the same MS. The 
 skin was subjected to rough usage, so that some of the entries 
 are rather difficult to read. The year is written in Arabic 
 numerals. Fol. 88 contains entries from 1360 to 1370, and 
 fol. 79 entries from 1371 to 1402. The events recorded all 
 relate to Ireland. On fol. 79b are two notes written on blank 
 spaces, in a different and later hand, and dated 1589. 
 
 MS. V (v. supra, p. 79) 
 
 Fols. 2bl-4a contain a full and readable account of the pro- 
 ceedings at the Convention of Drumceat, held a.d. 575. The 
 story is given in several MSS. from L. U. downwards. The 
 version given here is slightly less detailed at the beginning and 
 end than that in L. Br. fol. 238 c-d, otherwise the two accounts 
 are practically the same. As is Avell known. King Aidan of 
 Dalriada and St. Columba attended the Convention. Three 
 questions of great interest to Columba were discussed: (1) The 
 future position of the Bards. (2) The case of Scanlan, prince of 
 Ossory, and a ward of the Saint. (3) The future relation of 
 Dalriada to Ireland. The eloquence of Columba, himself a 
 poet, secured a fresh lease of life, although with diminished 
 privileges, to the Bards. He was unable to persuade King 
 Ainmire to consent to the release of Scanlan from prison, but 
 the liberation of the prince was accomplished otherwise by the 
 Saint. The resolution regarding the third question, which made 
 Scottish Dalriada practically an independent kingdom, was sub- 
 mitted by Colman, a young priest, not by St. Columba. 
 
 In connection with this last question, it is stated that a 
 colony of Irishmen came to Argyll in the time of Cairpre 
 rigfota, ' tall king ' or ' long arm,' who removed from Munster 
 to Ulster in the end of the second or beginning of the third 
 century, in time of famine; that the territory occupied by 
 Cairpre's followers in Ireland and Scotland came to be called 
 Dalriada; and that there was continual contention between 
 these men and the men of Ireland. The statement of Bede 
 is practically to the same effect, his Reuda being no doubt 
 the rigfota of Gaelic MSS. But the Annalists make no mention 
 of such a migration, and Skene gives no credence to it.
 
 no CATALOGUE OF GAELIC MANUSCRIPTS [MS. V 
 
 He quotes the statement of oiir oldest Scottish chronicler re- 
 garding Fergus son of Ere {Celt. Scot., vol. i. p. 140) : ' i'pse fuit 
 primus qui de semine Chonari susce/pit regnum Alban,' as if 
 it were conclusive of the matter. The silence of the Annalists 
 regarding this colony is surprising, unless we assume, what was 
 most probably the case, that there was frequent crossing and 
 re-crossing between Argyll and Ulster before and after Cairpre 
 Longarm's day. But surely the Scottish chronicler's language 
 suggests an inference different from that drawn by ])r. Skene. 
 That Fergus was the first of Conaire's race to set up a kingdom 
 in Alba is historically true. But does not the use of regnum 
 rather imply that he was by no means the first of his race to 
 colonise a district of Alba ? 
 
 MS. VI — Kilbride Collection, No. 2 
 
 MS. VI is enclosed in two leaves of parchment. The writing 
 on this cover is illegible on the outer pages (1 and 4). Pages 2 
 and part of 3 are taken up with the adventures of Serlus 
 (Charlemagne?) and Roland (the brave?) Then comes (p. 8, 
 
 1. 19) a legend of a certain oclaech, 'warrior' (youth?), in the 
 apdaine, ' abbacy ' (the Scottish Appin) of Drumenach, who 
 gave a great feast and had wonderful experiences thereafter. 
 This is followed by not very legible paragraphs about Mocho 
 (here Mochae) of Noendruim {v. stqwa, p. 84). The writing on 
 these two leaves is later than that on the MS. proper, and is 
 probably of the late sixteenth century. 
 
 The MS. proper consists of 11 leaves of parchment, all 
 except the last genealogical. The leaves were formerly stitched 
 together with thong and thread, but are now in four divisions, 
 
 2, 4, 3, and 2. The skin is fresh, and the writing is very 
 good, bold and clear, with capitals crudely drawn, and as a 
 rule roughly coloured. Bits of the parchment are worm-eaten 
 here and there, but the text is not nmch encroached upon. 
 An occasional note is found on the margin. One runs as 
 follows -.A De "J a Muire is mor do na genelachaib sin nach 
 hfuil fis agam ar hith ce Jt-iad, ' God and Mary, of many of 
 these genealogies I know nothing in the world.' Another gives 
 step by step the pedigree of a certain individual whose name
 
 MS. VI] HISTORY AND GENEALOGY 111 
 
 is illegible through Neills and Lachlans and Farquhars and 
 Ferguses and others to Baedan son of Muridhadh son of Lodarn 
 (Lorn) mor son of Ere son of Eachaidh muinrea'tnair ' fatneck,' 
 and several generations beyond. 
 
 The explanatory text is for the most part in Gaelic, but 
 occasionally in Latin. The writing, probably of the fifteenth 
 century, is in two coliunns, but on some of the pages in four 
 and even five. The genealogies are of the ancestors and de- 
 scendants of the leading men of the Gaelic race, legendary and 
 historical. The descendants of Fergus's four sons by Meave of 
 Connaught, of whom was Mog Ruith, the pupil of Simon Magus ; 
 the descendants of Conall Cernach ; of Conchobar son of Ness ; 
 and of other Ulster heroes are conspicuous. The individuals 
 and tribes are mostly Irish, but now and again references to 
 Scotland, and especially to Dalriada, appear. Thus on one of 
 the pages it is mentioned that Aedan son of Gabran submitted 
 to Baedan son of Cairell, who was King of Scotland (Dalriada 
 only is meant) as well as of Ireland. 
 
 The MS. of which these eleven leaves are a part is of 
 great importance. One of the leaves begins : Seacht -prmifiata 
 d'uUaib ini Concobar macNeasa : ' Seven chief nobles of Ulster 
 attended Conor son of Ness.' The succeeding text follows the 
 same order, and gives practically the same names and incidents 
 as those given under a similar heading in M'Firbis's Genealogies, 
 written in 1649. M'Firbis professes to quote from Sabhall 
 Padruig, ' Patrick's Barn,' a MS. now lost (O'Curry's MS. 
 Mat., p. 20). Our MS. is much older than M'Firbis's, but is 
 probably of the same origin. 
 
 On the first page of the last leaf are written in a different, 
 inferior, and later hand : — 
 
 (1) Verses on various metres : Setnad long and short : 
 Rannaideoht big and little ; Casbhairne, etc. etc. In L.L., 
 p. 38a, 1. 19, the verses are attributed to Cellach hua Ruanada. 
 They begin : 
 
 Sloindfead duih dead aisde in dana, bid dicjlaim ratha. 
 
 (2) The legend of the beautiful Ciarnaid, a Pictish captive 
 princess from Scotland, and King Cormac {v. Keating). The 
 lay quoted by Keating is referred to here, but not given.
 
 112 CATALOGUE OF GAELIC MANUSCRIPTS [MS. VI 
 
 (8) The otynioloi^^y of Hibernia (Iroland) from Hiberiis in 
 Spain and in Armenia. 
 
 The last page is also written upon, but only a word here and 
 there can now be read. 
 
 MS. VII {v. s^qwa, p. .S4) 
 
 On fols. l-4a is found another copy of the names of noted 
 persons already mentioned {v. swpra, p. 107). The copy here, 
 like that of MS. I, begins witti Art the Solitary and ends with 
 Ulstermen (ulaid). Although the two occasionally differ in 
 arrangement and detail, they are practically the same, 
 
 Fols. 4b-5b. Here we have a list of distinguished women, 
 with, for the most part, the names of their husbands and 
 children, beginning with Scota the daughter of Pharaoh, wife of 
 Niul and mother of Gaedel glas, and ending with Derborgaill 
 daughter of Tadg (Teigue), son of Gilla Patraig, King of Ossory. 
 A corresponding list in B.B., pp. 282a-286, which does not 
 always follow the same order, begins with Eve and ends abruptly 
 with Dunlait daughter of Murcertach. Cf. also Poem by Gilla 
 Moduta in L.L., pp. 136-141. 
 
 MS. VIII — KiLBEiDE Collection, No. 4 
 
 MS. VIII consists of thirty-six leaves of parchment, large 
 folio. There are in reality two MSS. stitched together, the first 
 containing twenty-six leaves, 12| in. by 9, and the second ten 
 leaves, 13 in. by 9. Both layers, especially the second, have 
 been subjected to rough usage. The first section contains a 
 Gaelic version of the Thebaid of Statins, and the second a con- 
 siderable portion of the Legend of Troy (of both of which later). 
 
 On fol. 27 a paragraph which begins and ends abruptly 
 relates an advance by Ceallachan King of Munster, accompanied 
 by the Clan Eogan, to attack the Norsemen in Luimneach 
 (Limerick). On the same page is a satirical paragraph on the 
 Kings of Ireland and their followers, by ' Fergus from Scotland.' 
 
 Fol. 36, the last leaf, is written in a large hand. The first 
 page is legible only in part and the second is wholly illegible. 
 The readable portion consists of memoranda regarding Kings
 
 MS. XXVIII] HISTORY AND GENEALOGY 1 1 3 
 
 of Munster from Artri onwards : Raig oirrdirc ardmeanrnnach 
 7'ogahasdair JiaitJi.us J forlaniiis da coiced Muman dar ho 
 coTYiainin Artri mac Cathail rfiic Fiiiguini, J is re lind 
 rogahadar Lochlannaig neart ar tus an Eirinn, ' A famous 
 high-spirited king named Artri son of Cathal son of Fingen 
 assumed sovereignty and sway over the province of Munster, 
 and it was in his time that the Norsemen first invaded Ireland 
 in force.' Cf. Wars of the GaidJdll with the Gaill. London, 
 1867. App. B., p. 237.' 
 
 MS. IX {v. supra, p. 26) 
 
 The chiefs of the Macdougalls of Lorn, afterwards of Dunolly, 
 are named from Allaster mor son of John ciar up to Dugald son 
 of Somerled (of Argyll) son of Gillabrigde. The writer accounts 
 for the indifferent caligraphy by stating that he wrote in great 
 haste and by candle light. 
 
 MS. XXVIII— Kilbride Collection, No. 24 
 
 This MS. consists of seven leaves of parchment of irregular 
 form, 4 to 6 in. tall by about 9 in. in breadth. The writing is in 
 one column, by different hands, none of them very good. The 
 MS. is old, probably of the fourteenth century. The contents 
 are in part historical. The fourth leaf is reversed in binding. 
 
 The MS. was amissing for nearly thirty years. It was 
 borrowed from the Library by the late Dr. M'Lauchlan of 
 Edinburgh, and in the spring of 1864 it accidentally dropped 
 from his pocket on to the street. No trace of it could be found. 
 In 1888 the identical MS., enclosed in its cover, was presented to 
 the late Rev. Dr. Campbell of Dundee by an old man, to whose 
 son Dr. Campbell had been of some service. On being satisfied 
 that the MS. was that lost by Dr. M'Lauchlan twenty-nine years 
 previously. Dr. Campbell returned it to the Library. 
 
 Pp. 1-4 (1. 5) contain an old and valuable copy of the 
 Synchronisms of Flann of Bute. Flann died in 1056 A.D., but 
 the Synchronisms were continued by an unknown author to 
 1119. The Tract is of special value to Scottish students, for 
 
 H
 
 114 CATALOGUE OF CxAELIC MANUSCRIPTS [MS. XXVIII 
 
 Flanii includes the kings of Dalriada (whom he calls kinu^s of 
 Alba) in his survey. Dr. Skene found four principal' copies of 
 the Tract, two without the continuation, this and a copy in the 
 Bodl. Oxford (Hawl. B. 486); and two with the continuation, 
 — one in the Book of Lecan (R. I. A., Dublin), and another 
 in the Bodl. (Rawl. B. 512). He regarded the text of this 
 copy as containing ' the Avork of Flann in its original shape,' 
 and printed it with translation and variants from Rawl. B. 512 
 and Lecan in the Chroniclcfi of the Picts and Scots, pp. 18-22 
 (c/. also Preface, pp. xxx, xxxi). 
 
 Pp. 4 (1. 7)-6 (1. 7) contain an historical poem, commencing: 
 
 Enna, dalta Cairpri Cruaidh, JRo gab tir Enna arm ruaidh, 
 ' Enna, ward of the stern Cairbre, seized Tir-Enna of the red weai)ons.' 
 
 The poem is ascribed by O'R. (p. Ixxviii) to Flann of Bute, but 
 is claimed by O'Cnrry (Mann, and Gust., ii. 164) for MacNamee. 
 There follows a Calendar, in prose, with the dates of the Feasts 
 and Saints' Days. 
 
 Pp. 7 and 8 (reversed in binding) contain two poems, 
 attributed to Flann (O'R. p. Ixxvi, O'C, Mann, and Gust., ii. 160), 
 the first beginning : 
 
 A Uuba{i)r, ata ar do lar Senchas comcuhaidh comlan, 
 ' book ! there is in thy contents a consistent, perfect history ' ; 
 
 and the second : 
 
 Ata sivim Senchas nach suaill, 
 ' Here is no trifling history.' 
 
 This poem concludes as follows : — 
 
 Padraic ro fhacaib doib sin, 
 Uadh rosgribadh a lebraih; 
 Gach andligid linib la, 
 Crisd da coimcd mar ata. 
 
 ' Patrick decreed it thus, 
 And from him was written down ; 
 The dues levied on successive days. 
 May Christ preserve them unaltered.' 
 
 Thereafter follows a series of letters, significant no doubt, — 
 g.m.m. 7 g. 7 cm. etc. etc. A paragraph, written in small hand, 
 and in a rhetorical, exaggerated style, on the fruitfulness and 
 peacefulness of the land at one time, fills up the rest of the page.
 
 MS. XXX] HISTORY AND GENEALOGY 115 
 
 MS. XXX — Kilbride Collection, No. 26 
 
 Here are eight strips of vellum of various dimensions, the 
 largest being 6 in. by 11, and the smallest 5 in. by 8. There 
 is a piece torn from the fifth leaf and some text lost. The 
 front page is wholly illegible, while pp. 2, 3, 4 and 5 are 
 largely so. 
 
 From the top of p. 3 to middle of p. 7 there is an ironical 
 laudation of Filib mac Briain inic Felimi hi Raighallaigh in 
 prose, interspersed with Rosg or Retoric. 
 
 [F. M. under A.D. 1508 record the death of 'Philip, the son 
 of Brian, son of Felim O'Reilly, a captain, and a man who kept 
 a house of hospitality, and who was full of knowledge of each 
 science, after gaining the victory of Unction and Penance.'] 
 
 What follows is in verse and, with the possible excej)tion of 
 the last piece, evidently inspired by the preceding characterisa- 
 tion of Philip O'Reilly. 
 
 (1) On pp. 7-9 Cerball O'Dalaigh (a C. O'D., poet of 
 Corcamroe, died in 1404, v. O'R., p. cxii) has thirty-three 
 quatrains, beginning : 
 
 Ni ar deis tartar mine 
 
 in defence of Philip, and in disparagement of his censor. 
 
 (2) On pp. 9-10 Tadg dec Cianan has twenty-eight quatrains, 
 as if in reply to Cerball, first line : 
 
 Trian Connacht ar coimet aeinfir. 
 
 (3) The same Cerball replies in twenty-six quatrains 
 (pp. 10-11) beginning: 
 
 Da coimed tech tigerna. 
 
 (4) Lughaid O'Daly now joins in with forty quatrains 
 (pp. 11-13). This author is more concerned with the uncer- 
 tainties of life than with the merits of the controversy. He 
 visits Ath TruiTTi, where Felim was slain, searches for his grave, 
 and, when he finds it, is not much edified. This piece commences 
 
 Truag ar n-echtra gu h-Ath Truim. 
 
 (5) On pp. 13-15 Cerball (the name is written in a different 
 hand) gives some thirty-seven quatrains, beginning : 
 
 Ni mar each as cainte Brian.
 
 IIG CATALOGUE OF GAELIC MANUSCRIPTS [MS. XXX 
 
 (()) On the last page (16) are fifteen quatrains, not always 
 legible but seemingly on the same subject, by . . . O'Cuirnin, 
 
 beginning : 
 
 Ra{i)th Temraig ota Dornna{i)ll. 
 
 If the sul)ject of the composition on pp. 3-7 be the Philip 
 O'Reilly who died in 1508, it is clear that his apologist is not 
 the Caroll O'Daly who died in 1404. A Lughaid O'Daly's 
 death is recorded in 1337, who was Bishop of Clonmacnois. 
 He also is impossible. Tadg occ Cianan and . . . O'Cuirnin 
 I have not come upon elsewhere. 
 
 MS. XXXVI — Highland Society, Kilbride, No. 5 
 
 The MS. is of paper, ordinary quarto size, written in 1690-1 
 in a very good clear hand, in one column, by Eoghan MacGilleoin 
 (Ewen MacLean), for Colin Campbell, otherwise ' Caillain 
 Caimpbel mac Dhonchaidh mic Dughil mic Chaillain Oig mic 
 Maisfhister Archibald.' The scribe on one occasion resorts to 
 crypt : Scdlghbhn inc gngllscdlngn ddl scrngbh sdl = Eoghan 
 Mac Oilleoin do scribh so, ' Ewen Mac Lean wrote this ' (v. pp. 79a, 
 110b). The leaves are numbered on every second page up to 
 133, but the text is now defective at the beginning and end._ 
 The first fourteen leaves are awanting, and fols. 15 to 21 are 
 tattered. The last four leaves are also mutilated, and there 
 were at least a dozen more which are still traceable in the 
 binding. Of the skin covering, only the back portion now 
 remains. At present the leaves are enclosed in a sheet of blue 
 paper, on which is written, in Dr. Skene's hand, ' MS. belonging 
 to the Society of Advocates,' and in another hand, in pencil, 
 ' XXXVI, Highland Society, Kilbride 5.' On fol. 95b is written, 
 ' This manuscript is the property of John M'Lachlan of Kilbride.' 
 The contents are chiefly Heroic Tales and Romances. There 
 is a considerable amount of verse, — short poems, detached 
 couplets, and epigrams. Three of the pieces may be classed 
 as Historical. 
 
 1. On fols. 79b-81a thirty- nine quatrains, beginning: 
 Triath nan Gaoidheal Giolleaspag. 
 Subject, — the greatness, power and lineage of Archibald (the
 
 MS. XXXVI] HISTORY AND GENEALOGY 117 
 
 Marquess) of Argyll. His descent is traced through King Arthur 
 to Adam. Names are not given, but the number of progenitors 
 is said to be sixty- four. In O'Hart's Pedigrees (Dublin, 1876), 
 the late Queen Victoria is the hundred - and - thirty - sixth 
 in direct descent from Adam, all the names being given 
 {v. pp. 24-30). 
 
 2. On fols. 81a-82a is another piece of twenty-six quatrains 
 in praise of the Marquess, commencing : 
 
 Rug edrain ar iath n-Alban, 
 ' We fought on Scottish soil.' 
 
 To this poem the following note is appended, presumably by the 
 author, who may have been one of the Irish contingent who 
 fought with Montrose : Benacht chugaibh, a Thigerna, arson na 
 h-aithne do rin{n) sibh ar an dan so, J feacJdaire do chur da 
 iar{r)iiidh, seach moran do chach oile do chuala e, 7 se is locht 
 Horn air anois olcas a sgriobhneorachta o iomarcaidh deithfire, 
 7 nar sgribas an oiread-sa do Ghaoidhealg o tangas an Albuin, 
 J ni h-iongnadh sin, o{i)r ni bfuil moran do lucht tuigsean san 
 chuit a bfuili/ni an(o)is. Ni beg sin acht tabhair mo benacht 
 d'Eoin mhac Mhaigliisdir Domhnall. Do i-serbonntuigh fein go 
 feadh a chumhacht MURIS MHUILGHIRIGH. 
 
 ' A blessing to you, my Lord, for your appreciation of this poem, 
 and for sending a messenger for it, — so different from many 
 others who heard it. My chief regret now is that, because of 
 excessive haste, the handwriting is so inferior. (But) I have 
 not written this much of Gaelic since I came to Scotland, nor 
 is this surprising, for in the district in which I now am, there 
 are not many who understand the language. No more at 
 present, but give my blessing to John, son of (the Rev.) Mr. 
 Donald. — Your own servant to the extent of my power, M. O ' M.' 
 
 3. The third poem consists of fourteen quatrains (fols. 
 114a-b) on the capture of Archibald, ninth Earl of Argyll, who 
 is here described as buachill an cliruin, ' the shepherd [guardian] 
 of the crown.' The verses commence, 
 
 Is maith mo leaba, is olc mo sJniain, 
 ' Easy my bed, disturbed my sleep.
 
 118 CATALOGUE OF GAELIC MANUSCRIPTS [MS. XXXVIII 
 
 MS. XXXVIII— Highland Society. J. M'Kenzie, No. 2 
 
 The MS. is of paper, 71 in. by 6. It is paged from 5 to 193, 
 the first four pages being now awanting. Pp. 5 and 6 are but 
 a fragment, and loose. Caih Cnucha go nuvje sin, ' The battle 
 of Knock thus far,' written on p. 5, suggests the conclusion of 
 the story of that fight, in which Cumhall, the father of the hero 
 Fionn, was slain. Mish lenhar Mhanus APMuirish, ' I [am] the 
 book of Magnus son of Maurice,' is also written in inferior 
 hand on p. 5. On the last page (198) is ' J. Everitt for 
 J. M'Kenzie, Esq., Secretary of the Highland Society.' 
 
 The MS. Avas covered by leaves of an old Latin Hymnary, 
 part of which still adheres. There are several hands, all good, 
 one particidarly fine and clear. The writing may not be of 
 uniform date, and, one should say, is not older than the end of 
 the sixteenth or beginning of the seventeenth century. 
 
 The contents are various, — heroic tales and ballads, a 
 vocabulary, annals, etc. The MS. was analysed by Ewen 
 M'Lachlan, who also transcribed some of its contents. The 
 following may be included in this chapter, 
 
 1. On p. 171 six lines of annals, with dates inserted, but 
 afterwards deleted. Then follow some forty quatrains of a 
 semi-historic poem, found also in MS. XLII, where ninety-six 
 quatrains are given, beginning : 
 
 Aoihhinn sin, a Eire ard. 
 
 2. The last eleven quatrains of an elegiac poem (of which 
 the first five are in MS. XLII), — ' on a distinguished ecclesiastic ' 
 says E. M'L., Analysis, p. 51 Repeating line, 
 
 Bennacht De go m'dhaingen-si. 
 
 MS. XXXIX— Highland Society. J. M'Kenzie, No. 3 
 
 This is a paper MS. of thirty-two leaves of small quarto, un- 
 paged. It is enclosed in skin-covered pasteboard, and looks 
 to have been Avritten in the seventeenth century. The hand is 
 fairly good. Several memoranda in English, with names of
 
 MS. XLI] HISTORY AND GENEALOGY 119 
 
 Kennedy, Cameron, Alex. M'Donald and others appear on the 
 margin, under dates 1786-9. One of the poetical pieces is 
 written semi-phonetically in Roman hand on a blank space 
 of fol. 28a. 
 
 Several of the poems may perhaps be classed as historical. 
 Among them are e.rj. : 
 
 1. A fragment on fol. 22b, on the death of Angus, of the 
 Clanranald family. 
 
 2. Verses on fols, 29a-30a, on the valour of MacEoin (son 
 of John — a Maclain of Ardnamurchan ?) in foreign parts, 
 
 beginning : 
 
 Meisneach niiledha mic Eoiu, 
 An laibh troda a thir aincoil. 
 
 'The military ardour of Muclain, 
 On the battlefield in foreign lands.' 
 
 3. On fols. 31a-32a are verses of uncertain reading and not 
 very intelligible drift, beginning : 
 
 Tuar freasdal ar feirg . . . 
 
 The author is speaking of the Macleods and names several 
 of them, — Rory, Norman, William, and Alexander. They are 
 the bravest of the brave, even among Gaols. But they are as 
 liable as meaner men to be deceived and cheated by fawning, 
 flattering rhymers. 
 
 MS. XLI — Highland Society. John M'Kenzie, No. 5 
 
 The cover of the MS. is written upon {v. supra, p. 62). The 
 MS. proper consists of fourteen leaves of parchment, small quarto 
 (6 in. by 4i). On fol. 13b a prayer is asked for the soul of the 
 man for whom the book was written, viz. Neill, and at the foot 
 of fol. 12b in very small hand is the entry : Misi Magnus J is 
 amcja/r atairri tareis Neill i Neill. ' I am Magnus, and dis- 
 tressed I am after Neill O'Neill.' On fol. lb 'John Smith,' 
 evidently in the hand of Dr. Smith of Campbeltown, is 
 written. 
 
 The subject of the MS. is difficult to classify. It pur- 
 ports to be a copy (foirm) of a letter which Sar Seon, Priest
 
 120 CATALOGUE OF GAELIC MANUSCRITTS [MS. XLI 
 
 and King of India, sent to the Roman Emperor and the King 
 of the Franks, desiring the friendship of these potentates, pro- 
 mising great wealth and honour to such of their subjects as 
 might enter his service, and giving a detailed account of his 
 country, its wealth and grandeur and wonders, together with 
 the strange beasts and birds to be seen there, as well as of the 
 people, their laws, religion, and manners. 
 
 On fol. 18b, filling up a gap in the text, are bits of lore, of 
 one of which Shakespeare may have heard : ' Three women- 
 wizards in the eastern land, by name Behhinn, Becuill cladJiach, 
 and Be chairm coinramacJi, were in an empty, secluded house 
 boiling a cauldron full of wizardry (drai(jhecJit). Balar haluan 
 hladh was watching them through a hole in the door-leaf. One 
 of the hags threw a ladleful of the poison through the hole 
 and destroyed his eye.' Another is in verse, beginning : 
 Don{n)al con re tech aniar, is rabadh re creich co cian, 
 
 ' Howling of dogs against a house facing the west is ever a token 
 of spoil.' 
 
 MS. XLII — Highland Society. J. M'Kenzie, No. 6 
 
 A very tattered paper MS. in small quarto, of which twenty- 
 four leaves are entire. It is enclosed in a double cover, the 
 outer being of skin stitched with thong, the inner a leaf of an 
 old Latin Hymnar3^ Of the fragments, little or nothing can 
 be made. Corrections are made on some of the verses. Several 
 pages are blank. 
 
 Fol. 2a is taken up with genealogies, historical and mythical, 
 ranging from Adam to Don Philippe. 
 
 Fols. 3-7 contain fragmentary poems. One (fol. 4b) is headed 
 
 Ni comthrom cogadh Banbha, 
 ' Ireland's warfare is not a fair one '; 
 
 but the text here is different from the poem with the same 
 opening line quoted in O'Gr. Cat., p. 479. 
 
 From fol. 7 to fol. 14 there is a variety of matter, chiefly 
 lore, of which later. Fols. 14a-17a contain a copy of the poem 
 already noticed (v. supra, p. 118), which here extends to ninety- 
 six quatrains, 
 
 Aoibhinn sin, a Eire ard.
 
 MS. XLII] HISTORY AND GENEALOGY 121 
 
 On fol. 17 is another long poem, anonymous, beginning, 
 
 Eisdigh^ a eigsi Banhha, Re h-iomradh na h-ealadhna, 
 ' Listen, Irish Poets, to the voice of your craft.' 
 
 Gf. Poem in O'Gr. Cat., p. 535, and O'R., p. clvi, attributed to 
 John O'Clery, 
 
 Eistidh, a eigsi Bhanba, tabhraidh dJminn cead agallmha. 
 
 On fol. 18b commences an anonymous poem, 
 
 Eire og, inis na naem, 
 ' Chaste Ireland, isle of saints,' 
 
 found also in B.B., 49b, 1. 40. 
 
 Fols. 20-24 are detached. Fol. 20 gives the last five quatrains 
 of one poem, and the first twenty of another, the latter beginning, 
 
 An sith do roga, a rig Fionngall ? 
 ' Do you prefer peace. King of the Norsemen 1 ' 
 
 On fol. 21 is a portion of a poem, which can hardly be 
 described as historical : 
 
 Ataim a g-cds eider da chomairle, 
 ' I am in a strait between two counsels.' 
 
 The poem is found in MS. XLIV (v. infra, p. 123). It is also 
 quoted in O'Gr, Cat., p. 478, and there attributed to Eochy 
 O'Hosey. 
 
 Fol. 22 contains twenty quatrains of a poem, anonymous, 
 beginning : 
 
 A eolcha Eirinn airdi, sloinnidh do chach gan cJiairde, 
 ' Ye learned of illustrious Ireland, relate forthwith to all.' 
 
 Fol. 24 contains twenty-six quatrains attributed to Dr. Clerk, 
 
 beginning : 
 
 A Emuin, an agadfein, 
 ' Edmund, restrain yourself,' 
 
 and the first five quatrains of a piece already noticed (v. supra, 
 p. 118), attributed here to the same author (Dr. Clerk), begin- 
 ning: 
 
 Bennacht De go vi' dhainghen-sa, 
 ' The blessing of God [be] on my stronghold.'
 
 122 CATALOGUE OF GAELIC MANUSCRIPTS IMS. XLIII 
 
 MS. XLIII— Highland Society. J. M'Kenzie, No. 7 
 
 The MS. consists of forty leaves of paper, small quarto (6^ in. 
 by 6|), written in a plain but good hand of the late seventeenth 
 century. It contains a carefully written copy of Keating's 
 History of Ireland, from the commencement down to the 
 departure of the Milesians from Gothland for Spain. {Cf. also 
 MSS. LI and LVIII.) The Title is given first in English, then 
 follow Title, Introduction and Text in Gaelic. 
 
 MS. XLIV— Highland Society. J. M'Kenzie, No. 8 
 
 MS. XLIV is now but the tattered remains of what Avas at 
 one time a valuable collection of poetry by comparatively 
 modern Irish Bards. At present the MS. consists of eighty 
 leaves, of which several are mere scraps. Many are loose, some 
 out of place, while a number are altogether lost from the body 
 of the MS. as well as at the beginning and end. The cover was 
 of thick pasteboard, enclosed in old and brittle skin. The 
 back of the cover has disappeared, and the sides are slowly 
 crumbling away. The page is of unusual form, *J^ in. by 2i. 
 Two if not three hands are discernible, one — in which much 
 the greater part of the MS. is written — very good, round and 
 regular; another sharp and free, but firm and clear. The MS., 
 which is of paper, ma}^ be of the late seventeenth century. 
 
 The poems are mainly historical, with a few religious and 
 didactic. Many of them are quoted in O'Gr.'s Cat. They are 
 here given, in so far as legible, in the order in which they appear 
 in the MS. without any attemj)t at classification. 
 
 Fol. First Line. Author. 
 
 1. A Fragment 
 
 2. Beginning of poem wanting 
 
 .3. Da gradh do fagbas Eirinn Tadg (in modern hand) i.e. Teigue 
 
 O'Daly. Cy: O'Gr. Cat., 355, and 
 O'R. xcix 
 5a. Ein fer feisd ag milledh Muman Diarmai(d) mag Craith 
 
 7a. lomdha uaisle ar iath Laigen Eogan mag Craith (v. O'Gr. Cat., 359) 
 
 9a. Da roinn cotroma ar crich Neil An fer cedna {v. O'Gr. Cat., 363) 
 
 lib. Dlighidh ollamh urrum riog Maolmuire bacach mag Craith 
 
 12a. Tanag aghaigh go h-eas g-Caoill Anon. (Tadg dall in O'Gr. Cat., 423)
 
 MS. XLIV] 
 
 HISTORY AND GENEALOGY 
 
 123 
 
 Fol. First Line. 
 
 14a. dig do mheanma a maoilir 
 
 16a. Ag so aa chomairce, a C(h)orraaic 
 
 17b. Imda sochar ag siol Neill 
 
 20b. ( )raoid sunn go siol Colla 
 
 21a. Illegible 
 
 22b. Coir De eadram is Uilleam 
 
 24a, Daoine saora siol Colla 
 
 27b. An aill leibh senchus siol g-Cein 
 
 Author. 
 
 An fer cedna 
 
 )> )) 
 An fer cedna (Tadg dall in O'Gr. 
 Cat., 40.9) 
 
 Illegible 
 An fer cedna 
 
 „ „ (Tadg dall O'Higgin 
 in O'Gr. Cat, 408) 
 Anon. Tagd dall in O'R., p. clxxi 
 32b. D' fior chogaid comaillter sidchain Anon. (Tadg dall in O'Gr. Cat., 413) 
 36a. Ferann cloidmi crioch Banba An fer cedna. (Tadg dall in O'Gr. 
 
 Cat., 427) 
 Anon. 
 
 An fer cedna. {Cf. O'Gr. Cat., 386) 
 Anon. (Eochy O'Hosey in O'Gr. 
 
 Cat., 476) 
 An fer cedna. 
 
 „ „ (Eochy O'Hosey in 
 
 O'Gr. Cat., 478). v. supra, p. 121 
 
 464 
 
 455 
 
 Fergal og mac an bhaird. (So O'Gr 
 
 Cat., 384) 
 
 38b. Meallfflrf/i ionilaoi De ar Eirinn 
 
 42a. Cred anois fairges Eniann 
 
 46a. Suirghecli sin a Eire ogh 
 
 48b. Diol d(ru)idhe inis Eogain 
 
 51b. Ataim eider da chomairle 
 
 53a. Roinn leitlie ar anbuain Eirinn 
 
 56a. Slan fad lot a laiui Aodha 
 
 58a. Maith do suidighedh siol Neill 
 
 59,60. Leaves loose 
 
 61b. At(h roinn ar Inisfail. (Repeated at 
 
 end of poem) 
 
 61b. Gaoidil meallta no mac Neill 
 
 64a. Gluais, a t(h)echtaire teid siar 
 
 64b. Cia as sine cairt ar crich Neill 
 
 67a. Mor ata ar thegosg flatha 
 
 70a. Anois diolam an dechmoid 
 
 72a. A mhacaoim senas mo sheire 
 
 72b. T' aire ort, a Ricaird oig 
 
 76a. A Mhor, cuimnigh an cumand 
 
 78b. (B)iaid a tromm ar Inisfail 
 
 An fer cedna 
 
 „ „ (c/. O'R., p. clxxiv) 
 Domnall mac Daire. (So O'R., 
 
 cxl) 
 Tadg mac Daire mic Bruaidedha. 
 
 (So in O'Gr. Cat., 388) 
 An fer cedna. (So in O'Gr. Cat., 
 
 390) 
 
 Brian O'Domnallain {v. O'Gr. Cat., 
 
 401) 
 Tadg dall. (So O'Gr. Cat., 41 ; 
 
 O'R., p. clxxii) 
 Uilleam mac an Bhaird 
 
 80a. Mairg fhechus ar inis g-Ceithlenn Anon. (Tadg dall in O'Gr. Cat. . 
 
 430, and O'R., p. clxxii) 
 81a, (D)eit(f)rig chugainn a chalbaig (con- 
 clusion on 76a) Tadg dall
 
 5 
 
 Niall inor mac Muiriche 
 
 8(?) 
 
 Anon. 
 
 11 
 
 Niall mac Muiredchaidh 
 
 11 
 
 Anon. 
 
 28 
 
 Cathelaes mac Muriche 
 
 13 
 
 Anon. 
 
 17 
 
 Niall mac Muirichedh 
 
 124 CATALOGUE OF GAELIC MANUSCRIPTS [MS. XLIV 
 
 Thereafter are three scraps of verse without the beginning 
 or end of the pieces. A detached leaf of fresher paper follows, 
 with writing in prose and in two hands, the one ending, the 
 other commencing, some scraps of lore. 
 
 MS. XL VIII (v. supra, p. 98). 
 The following poems may lay some claim to be historical :- 
 
 Fol. First Line. Quatrains. Author. 
 
 4a. Se h-oidhce dhamhsa san dun 
 
 9b. Clann an iaria o iomluibh Banba 
 
 „ Dia beatha (cui)r ar aos a leinb 
 
 lib. T'aire riut a Gliiolla easbuig 
 
 14b- 16b. Cionnus mhaireas me am aonar 
 
 17a-18a. Fuaras cara ar sgath na sgoile 
 
 18a-20a. Mor an len-sa air aicme He 
 
 The first piece celebrates a visit by the bard to the too 
 hospitable Rorj^ ^nor M'Leod in Dun vegan ; the third was written 
 on the birth of an heir to Macdonald ; the fifth is a lament for 
 the death of many Gaelic poets, and especially John, son of 
 Brian ; the sixth is an eulogy on Sir James, the heir of Donald, 
 and his wife, daughter of M'Leod ; and the last is on the high 
 descent and numerous branches of the old Macdonalds of Islay. 
 
 MS. XLIX {v. supra, p. 99). 
 
 In addition to the religious pieces already noted (v. supra, 
 p. 99), the following are more or less legible : 
 
 Fol. First Line. Quatrains. Author. 
 
 la-b. lonmhuin tech re tugas cul 24 Eochy O'Hosey (r. O'Gr.,474) 
 
 3b-4a. 'S ionmhuin fert iona bfuil Brian 12 Anon. (So O'Gr., 348) 
 4a-b. Mian Cormaic tighe Temhra 11 Anon. (So O'Gr., 652) 
 
 5a-6a. Cuirfed so ionnad (a) Aodh 20 Maolmuire mac an Bhaird. 
 
 (In O'Gr., 456, ascribed 
 to Eochy O'Hosey) 
 Gh-Sa. Slan fad lot a lamh Aodha 37 Eochy O'Hosey (So O'Gr., 
 
 455, V. siipra, p. 123) 
 8a-9b. Nodluig do chuamar don Chraoib 14 TadgdallO'Higgin (SoO'Gr., 
 
 433)
 
 38 
 
 „ (So O'Gr., 364) 
 
 36 
 
 Anon. 
 
 6 
 
 Anon. 
 
 7 
 
 Anon. 
 
 25 
 
 Lochlainn mac Taidhg i Dha- 
 
 
 laigh. (O'Gr. 374) 
 
 31 
 
 O'heodhusa (?). 
 
 MS. L] HISTORY AND GENEALOGY 125 
 
 Fol. First Line. Quatrains. Author. 
 
 lOa-b. Mor do ni daoine dibli fein 19 (Illegible.) In O'Gr., 555, 
 
 ascribed to Ferfeasa o an Cainte 
 lla-12a. La a ttemhraigh ag Toirrdheal- 31 Tadhg O'huigin 
 
 bhach 
 12b-14a. On aird thuaidh tig an chabair 
 14a-15b. Re Mn ^sga an fhir einigh 
 17b. Ni diobhtha dhamhsa riom fein 
 
 l7b-18a. Mairg do bhur gradh letromach 
 18a-19a. C'dit ar ghabhadar Gaoidhil 
 
 19b-20b. Cred mhosglas macraidh eirne 
 
 MS. L — Highland Society. J. M'Kenzie, No. 14 
 
 Here are twenty-six leaves 8vo (6 in. by 4) of faded paper 
 in pasteboard cover. Along with these were pp. 11-16 of the 
 (so-called) Red Book of Clanranald. These pages were returned 
 to Clanranald some fifteen years ago, after a copy of the text 
 was made which is now kept in this cover. There are several 
 hands, and the writing is usually in one column, occasionally 
 in two. 
 
 The contents are largely memoranda and paragraphs regard- 
 ing the Macdonalds, with genealogies of the family and of the Gael 
 generally, together with legends of the race. The volume was 
 evidently a sort of commonplace book of the M'Vurichs of South 
 Uist. The text is in several places illegible, in others uncertain, 
 
 Fol. la is blank, and lb is illegible. On fol. 2 the death in 
 1600 of James M'Sorley is recorded. Black Archibald, son of 
 Angus, was slain in 1607 in the island Mac i Carmuic and 
 buried in Kilmory in Knap(dale). Argyll took possession of 
 Kintyre in the same year, and Alexander junior, son of Angus, 
 was drowned in the Sound of Islay. In 1614 (fol. 3) Angus, 
 son of James, died in Rothesay, and was buried in Saddell. He 
 was the best (most powerful) Macdonald of his time, — Lord of 
 Islay, Kintyre, Jura, Colonsay and Gigha, of the seven tribes of 
 the Glens (of Antrim), and many others. In 1616 Dunnaomhaig 
 (in Islay) was taken by the Lord of Calder and Sergeant 
 Campbell, with Englishmen ; and Angus junior, son of Angus, 
 son of James, was hanged. In 1626 James junior {i.e. Sir James
 
 126 CATALOGUE OF GAELIC MANUSCRIPTS [MS. L 
 
 Macdoiiald of Islay) died in London, after his exile. In the 
 same year died Ruaidri (Rory mor) MacLeoid, the best Gael in 
 Scottish Gaeldom of his time (fol. 4). Notices of the three sons 
 of John of Islay, Donald (of Harlaw), John mor (of Dun- 
 naomhaig and the Glens), and Alastair Carrach, with their 
 wives, follow. Through his wife Maire Bised, sllocJtd Iain 
 mhoir (the descendants of John mor) inherited the glens of 
 Antrim. The execution of John Cattanach and his three sons 
 at Barramuir, and their burial in the temple of St. Francis, 
 now called Teamjndl nua, ' new Temple,' are noticed. Then 
 follow memoranda regarding the surviving son of this family, 
 Alexander, his sons and descendants ; and the Clanranalds. 
 
 On fols. 7-10 are notes on Parthalon and his race; the 
 Aitheach Tuatha; the Tuatha De Danann; Scota the daughter 
 of Pharaoh, etc., etc. 
 
 Fol. 12 gives the pedigree of King David, son of Malcolm, 
 through the Dalriadic line on to Aonghus Tuirinn of Tara, and 
 of Charles i. to Robert Bleire (Bruce ?), who died in 1330. 
 
 Fol. 13, under the heading ' Kings of Ireland here/ begins 
 with Heremon son of Mile of Spain, and goes on to the several 
 branches of the Gaelic race, their names and genealogies, with 
 notes of events and dates, first in a.m., and later in a.m. and a.d. 
 
 The text of the three leaves (pp. 11-16) restored to the Red 
 Book of Clanranald opens with the statement that Colla Uais 
 died at Royal Tara in a.d. 335, when on a saor chuairt, ' free 
 circuit,' in Ireland. He left four sons, whose affairs and 
 those of their descendants are briefly treated of until the 
 time of Gillebrighde son of Gilladomnan, and father of Somerled 
 of Argyll. This man appeared in Ireland among his kinsmen, 
 asked and obtained help to have the Lochlannaigh or Norsemen 
 driven from his possessions in Scotland. It is incidental!}' stated 
 that the title of the family from Reginald son of Somerled to 
 Colla Uais was O'Colla and Taoisech (thane) of Argyll. 
 
 MS. L — Highland Society. J. M'Kenzie, No. 15 
 
 This MS. is a continuation of MS. XLIII, written in the 
 same hand, and on the same paper. There are eighteen leaves
 
 MS. LII] HISTORY AND GENEALOGY 127 
 
 in two sheets. The first gives continuous text. There is a gap 
 between the first and second sheet, and possibly also elsewhere 
 in the second sheet, several of the leaves being here detached 
 and fragmentary. The narrative of Keating is in this section 
 carried down to the period of Criomthann Niathmar. 
 
 MS. LII — Highland Society. J. M'Kenzie. Fragments, 
 Nos. 16, 17, 18, 19 
 
 The litter gathered together within this cover consists of 
 some forty-five separate items, mostly written in verse, with 
 one or two in prose. The writing is mainly in the Gaelic hand, 
 but two or three scraps are in current Roman hand. The 
 subjects are varied, — mainly secular, but two or three are 
 religious, a hymn or two and a prayer, and there are one or 
 two medical notes. They are nearly all written in Gaelic, but 
 there is a scrap in Latin, and another in English. 
 
 The following pieces are complete : 
 
 1. A Mhor, cuinnhnigh an cumann (v. sujpra, p. 123). 
 
 2. Maith an chairt ceannas nan Gaidheal, 
 
 ' A good charter, the supremacy of the Gael.' 
 
 [This poem, consisting of fifty-one quatrains, is anonymous, 
 with a preface in prose. The ceannas of the Gael is with 
 Argyll, after whom come the Macdonalds and other clans]. 
 
 3. A poem of twenty-four quatrains, anonymous, beginning : 
 
 Clu oirbirt uaislighes necli, 
 "Tis a reputation for great deeds that ennobles one.' 
 
 4. A carefully written version of the well-known Ossianic 
 ballad, 
 
 Goll mear Tnileta. 
 
 5. Verses headed An ainm a n-athar agas an mhic j an 
 shiorad naomh. Ainen. Niall mac Mhuiradhuigh cecenit, ' In 
 the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost. 
 Amen. Neill M'Vurich sang,' beginning : 
 
 Maith an sgeiil do sgaoil 'nar miosg, 
 ' Good the news circulated among us.'
 
 128 CATALOGUE OF GAELIC MANUSCRIPTS [MS LII 
 
 6. Thirteen quatrains, anonymous, commencing: 
 
 An bfaca dusa thufein? 
 ' Have you seen [i.e. known] yourself [as you really are] ? ' 
 
 MS. LV {v. suiira, p. 101) 
 
 A long poem of ninety-five quatrains beginning, 
 
 Teamhair teach am hi mhac Guinn, 
 ' Where the race of Conn dwells, that is Tara,' 
 
 may properly belong to the Historical class. 
 
 MS. LVIII {v. siqora, p. 102) 
 
 The first one hundred and eighty pages of this MS. are 
 taken up with a copy of Keating's History. The narrative is 
 carried down to the death of Cet viae Magach. E. M'L. 
 transcribed several extracts from this portion of the MS. in 
 Leabhar Caol (LXXXI. pp. 159-163).
 
 CHAPTER IV 
 Legend and Lore 
 
 Legend and Lore form a large portion of the contents of the 
 MSS. While several of the pieces included in the previous 
 Chapter are more legendary than historical, much of the con- 
 tents of this Chapter contains a background of history. Under 
 Lore are included the Tracts known as Bmnshenchus, which 
 give the legendary accounts of the origin of the names of noted 
 places. 
 
 MS. V {v. supra, pp. 79, 109) 
 
 The MS. contains several interesting pieces which belong to 
 this chapter. 
 
 1. On fols. lb-2b is given an account of the battle of Leitir 
 Ruide, fought between Fachtna Fathach, father of Conchobar 
 son of Ness and monarch of Ireland, and Eochaid Feidlech, 
 father of Meave of Connaught. Fachtna was slain in the battle 
 (a.m. 5057 according to F. M.), and his opponent succeeded him. 
 According to this account his three sons, Oilill, Eochaid, and 
 Conall, accompanied their father, Eochaid Feidlech, on this 
 expedition. Oilill and Eochaid were slain. The tract concludes 
 with the arrangement made for the division of Ireland into five 
 provinces, the establishment of Fergus Mac Roich as king 
 of Ulster, and his displacement by Conchobar through the 
 intrigues of the latter's mother Ness. Four daughters of 
 Eochaid Feidlech are named, Meave, Muman, Clothru, and 
 Eithne; but there is no mention here of the three sons, Breas, 
 Nar, and Lothar, who at a later date revolted against their 
 father. For MSS. containing other versions of Cath Leitreach 
 Ruide (or Ruige), v. Essai d'un Catalogue de la Litterature 
 
 I
 
 130 CATALOGUE OF GAELIC MANUSCRIPTS [MS. V 
 
 JiJpique de VIrlandc, par H. d'Arbois do Jubaiiiville, Paris, LS83, 
 p. 72 (quoted here as ' Jub.'). 
 
 2. Fol. 6a2-bl : Duncan, son of Flann son of Malachy, made a 
 muster in order to build a wall and foss around SaujJiir Clarain, 
 urged thereto by his wife. While the men were busy at this 
 work, the body of the lady's father, Duncan the Fat, King of 
 Ossory, was brought to the church and buried forthwith. When 
 night came there appeared nine hairy, jet-black crosain (a word 
 srlossed f^cnrra elsewhere), and after the manner of their kind 
 from all time they began chanting over the grave. ' White as 
 snow were their teeth and eyes, while black as smith's coal 
 was every other limb of them. Each had a poem with him, 
 and to every one they gazed on they brought disease which en- 
 dured a day and a night.' The poems are quoted. The question 
 arose among laymen and clerics how such demons could pursue 
 so religious a king as Duncan the Fat, who when in life had, 
 among other pious deeds, imposed upon each house in Ossory 
 th.rQQpellic8, i.e.j^dlic declitnaide J pellic mirend'^ j)ellic. tuirtin 
 ciric, for providing food and drink in the churches of Ireland. 
 It was resolved to ask the clerics to pray to God to reveal to 
 them why the demons pursued the king thus. An angel 
 appeared and told them this was the third time demons came 
 out of hell to Ireland. He told them to fast, offer Mass on the 
 morrow, and afterwards to consecrate grave, churchyard, and 
 church, and that the demons would depart. The demons now 
 assumed the form of birds, for they dared not tread on conse- 
 crated ground. But they still pursued the king's body, for the}^ 
 were powerless against his soul. For another version, cf Gael. 
 Journ., vol. iv, p. 106. Dr. Meyer derives pellic from L. 
 pelliciwni, ' basket of untanned hide,' and translates ' a basket of 
 tithes, a basket of broken meat, and a basket of waxen tablets.' 
 
 3. Fol. 7al-2 gives a paragraph opening : Cetna ailges 
 rogabadh an Eirinn, cuich h-el ' What was the first [unlawful] 
 claim made in Ireland ? ' The answer is that Crichinbel, the 
 satirist of Bres son of Ealadhan, preferred the first ailges from 
 the Dagda. Unfortunately the text is broken, and the exact 
 terms cannot now be read. But the sequel shows that the 
 Dagda was circumvented, and deprived of the third part of his 
 food by the satirist. By the aid of Mac Occ, however, Crichinbel
 
 MS. V] LEGEND AND LORE 131 
 
 was in turn overreached, and the Dagda's full share of provisions 
 was restored to him. 
 
 4. Fol. 7a2-bl gives a legend, not very legible or intelligible, 
 in wliich Michael the Archangel and St. Patrick figure. 
 
 5. Fol. 7bl : Kins: Cormac son of Art, while in Tara after 
 sunset, saw two beautiful women approaching him. They said 
 they came over the sea from Alba ; they were of the tribes of 
 glaisdig and of the race of geilti glinni : the slcJtuire did not 
 acknowledge them. They wrought woe wherever they Avent. 
 They made great havoc in Scotland; and now they came to 
 harass Cormac and Tara. Their names were Mael, ' bald,' and 
 Elgin, ' violence.' Whomsoever Mael laid hold of lost his 
 fingers, toes, eyebrows, eyelashes and ears. Elgin pierced the 
 heads of her victims. For four years they roamed about Tara 
 destroying and maiming. Thereafter they approach Cormac 
 and threaten him with similar violence, unless he worships them 
 and does homage to the seven demons that dwell in each of 
 them. The king appeals to the protection of the true God who 
 rules heaven and earth. ' You cannot escape us,' said they, ' for 
 we will secure that only the worship of images and idols shall 
 flourish in Ireland henceforth and for ever.' ' I am a smith of 
 the great God,' said Cormac. 
 
 6. Fols. 7b2-8a2 : The Aided or Tragical Death of Conchobar 
 son of Ness. For MSS. in which this legend appears, v. Jub. 
 p. 13, and ' Todd Lecture Series,' vol. xiv., where Dr. Kuno Meyer 
 prints, with translation, the various versions, with the exception 
 of this in MS. V. The L.L. version is also printed, with transla- 
 tion, by O'Curry (MSS. Mat. pp. 637-642). Another copy of 
 the Aided of Conchobar is given in MS. XL (v. infra), where 
 the beginning of the Tale is illegible. Here in MS. V it is 
 complete, except a few words of text lost at the foot of a column. 
 This account agrees with the L.L. version, with slight variations, 
 until towards the end, when it agrees pretty closely with 
 MS. XL. MS. V adds, . . . dian-ebra, ' whence is said ' : 
 
 Ba sgel gach muighi go mur, 
 
 Oigheadh in righ ConcMibair ; 
 
 Ba mor na en giiine gan cath. 
 
 Do laim Get moir meic Madach . etrl. 
 
 7. Fol. 8a2 gives notes on the four Manannans : (a) M. son
 
 132 CATALOGUE OF GAELIC MANUSCRIPTS [MS. V 
 
 of Allot; (b) M. son of Cerb, — ho it was who wooed Tuagh, from 
 whom TuiKjli Inbir (v. infra) is named ; (c) M. son of Ler, the 
 great merchant and pilot between Ireland, Scotland, and the Isle 
 of Man; (d) M. the son of Agna. It was he that commanded the 
 great expedition to avenge the sons of Uisneach, who dwelt for 
 sixteen years in the North of Scotland, having expelled and 
 slain the three sons of Gnatgoile who held that land by violence, 
 8. On fol. 8b are several items : The lands and privileges 
 which Conall Echliiath gave to Torna eiges ' poet,' — Caimfind, 
 daughter of Conall, being Torna's mother; the genealogy of 
 Ocaim uirri Fermuide Mnie; the genealogy and original home 
 of Find son of Cum all, with notes on the powers and privileges 
 of the feindid (cf. Airem muintiri Find, printed by Mr. 
 O'Grady from Eg., 1782 (Brit. Mus.), in vol. i. p. 92 of ^ilva 
 Gadelica : Williams and Norgate, 1892) ; the parentage 
 and origin of Fithal, King Cormac's ollamh. Fithal and Cith- 
 ruadh were the two sons of Fercaegat, '• man of fifty,' or Fachtna, 
 whose first name was Fercaegat, and he was from Leinster, as 
 
 the poet says : 
 
 Mac Fircaegcd Fithil fial, 
 Ollam eirenn fa maith miadh ; 
 Ollam Cormaic fa cruaidh cath, 
 Gilla do Luignib Teamrach. 
 
 Following a note on the destruction by pestilence of the race of 
 Partholan, in punishment of Partholan's slaying his father and 
 mother and three brothers, when contending for his tuath, it is 
 added : ' Scotania in stony Scoitia was the name of that tuath, 
 and it is from them, and not from Scota the daughter of 
 Pharaoh, that the Gael are called Scots.' Then follow an 
 explanation of the names Dun MacNeclitwin and Loch Eirne ; 
 and the conditions upon which the children of Conall Cearnach 
 held Murthemne. 
 
 9. On fol. 10a2 are sixteen quatrains on the name Tuag 
 Inbir, beginning : 
 
 Tuag Inbir alaind gaeth ghlas, in eol duib a dindsenchas. 
 
 Cf. also MS. XVI (infra); L.L., p. 152 yS; Folk Lore, vol. iii. 
 p. 509. 
 
 10. Fol. lObl contains a very interesting piece of lore, found
 
 MS. V] LEGEND AND LORE 133 
 
 also in Eg. 1782, entitled Fulacht na ^morrigna, 'The cooking 
 of the great Queen,' as the wife of the Dagda, the famous king of 
 the Tuatha de Danann, was traditionally named. A paragraph 
 under the same title but of different text is found in Y.B.L., 
 p. 419a. The indeoin of the Dagda is described in MS. H. 3, 
 18 (T.C.D.), p. 433. (Cf Trans, of R. I. A. vol. xviii. Part ii. p. 213.) 
 The reading, except a word or letter obscured by soot, is clear, 
 but the meaning of several words is doubtful. Fulacht na 
 morrigna and so .\. crand a roth j crand a niol ediir teine J uisci 
 7 iarand i corp 7 da nai rethlen as an moil sin. Foluath athlam 
 ic impo h-e. Tricha bir dohid ass J tricha drol 7 tricha fertas. 
 Seolfoai jfo h-ingnadh a cruth re luth a drol 7 a retlen. Fulucht 
 na morrigna do gres . . . ger ur gaband do. Indeoin an dagdai ^ 
 dogres. Grinde mac luchair do [7'inde] .\.tri noai [m-bera] 7 tri 
 noai tuill indtib. Aoen bir ro fuilnged re fuin 7 focer Eochaig 
 Ollathar de. Aen sgiath ro cuired ar luth e 7 aenfer ro h-inledh. 
 Bir Deichen, im^orro, Goibnend fouair Deichen an bir sin ; an 
 glinn Treichen fouair Deichen an bir sin. Ar seilb loga, imorro, 
 rotaisged in bir sin attireib Nuagatt. Aen fer deg, imorro, 
 do clanduib Eithlend ised ronidh an fulacht sin .j. Lugaid, 
 Aengus anbroga, Cermat, Midir, Mac Sgail, Cii, Cian, Cethen, 
 Uar, luchraidh, lucharua. Re Unci Eremoin, imorro, ix.nur 
 do clanduib Miled donid an fulachta .\. Lubair, Ttibar, Tenfa, 
 Confa, Gaither, Enna nior, Enna becc, Gola mend, Cesron. Re 
 lind Ugaini viii.ur fo tualuing bir d{eichen) doimcoimet .\. 
 Aidid, Lugaid, Crom, Arc, Illann, tri meic Glais a glind in 
 Sgail. 7 re lind eachach F(eidlig ?) fo tualuing b{ir) D(eicJien) 
 d(o) c{oimet) .|. Eogan, Eochaidh, Cobtach, Lugaid, Fiacha, 
 Merorand, Daire. Cuiger laech 7 aen ben re lind Conchubuir 
 donid an fulachta .\. Naisi, Cethernd, Conchubar, Cuculaind, 
 Mesdega, Felini nocrothach. Cethrur isin Fein oca innill .]. Find 
 feisin, Oissin, Diarmait, Cailte. x. slesa 7 x. faebuir ar in nibir 
 sin o aimsir Logach co li-aimsir Eathach Fi4idlig ?). aimsir 
 Eathach co Goncubar 8 slesa 7 8 faebuir fair. 6 slesa 7 6 
 faebair fair iarsin co Find. 4 rinda 7 4 faebuir oc Find fair. 
 Finit. ' The F. of the great Queen here. Its wheel was of wood ; 
 and of wood its shaft [axle ?], between fire and water; its frame was 
 of iron. Twice nine pulleys [?] were in that shaft. Smoothly and 
 
 ^ MS. da gai.
 
 131 CiVTALOGUE OF OAKLIO MANUSCRIPTS [MS. V 
 
 swiftly it revolved. Thirty spits projected from it, thirty hooks, 
 and thirty spindles. It had a sail, and wonderful it looked when 
 its hooks and pulleys were in motion. The V. of the great 
 Queen had always . . . The anvil [?] of the Dagdathus: Grinde 
 the son of Luchar [made it] ; thrice nine spits it had, and thrice 
 nine holes in them. One spit it carried when roasting, and 
 
 E. Ollathar perished by it. One wing set it in motion, and one 
 man put it in gear. As to the spit of ])eichcn now, Deichen had 
 that spit from Goibniu, and it was in the glen of Treichiu that 
 Deichen found it. The spit was, moreover, kept, because of its 
 value, in the lands of Nuadu. Besides, they were eleven men 
 of the race of Ethliu who did the cooking [?], viz. L., Angus of 
 the [fairy] mansion, C, M., Mac S., C, C, C, U., 1., and 1. In 
 the time of Heremon, nine men of the Milesians did the 
 work, viz. L., T., T., C, C, big E., little E., Gola the stutterer, 
 and C Durinof the time of U. eight men had the charge of 
 tending the spit of D., viz. A., L., C, A., I., and the three sons 
 of G. from the glen of S. In the time of E. F. seven men looked 
 after D.'s spit, — E., E., C, L., F., M., and D. Five heroes and 
 one lady performed the work in C.'s time, — N., C., C., C., M., and 
 Felim, the ever blooming. Four of the Fianna attended to it, — 
 
 F. himself, O., D. and C. The spit had ten sides [faces] and ten 
 edges [angles] from the time of L. to the time of E. F. ; eight 
 faces and eieht anoies from the time of E. to that of C. There- 
 after until Find's day it had six faces and six angles. Find had 
 four points [faces] and four angles upon it. It ends. 
 
 11. Immediately following, on the same page, is a paragraph 
 on the four rivers of hell. 
 
 MS. XVI— Kilbride Collection, No. 12 
 
 The MS. consists of six leaves of parchment, large foho 
 (12 in. by 9). It is written in two columns, in bold, clear hand. 
 Capitals are large, very frequently daubed with ochre. The date, 
 according to Dr. Stokes, is probably the end of the fifteenth 
 century. 
 
 The MS. is imperfect. There is a gap of perhaps one leaf 
 between fols. 1 and 2, and another of probably three leaves
 
 MS. XVI] LEGEND AND LORE 135 
 
 between fols. 3 and 4. The subject is Dinnshenchus, or 
 legends in prose and verse, about the names of noteworthy 
 places in Ireland. Copies are found in L.L., B.B., Y.B.L., H. 3. 3. 
 (Trinity College, Dublin), llawlinson B. 506 (Bodl), a MS. in the 
 town library of Rennes, and this MS. (v. Folk Lore, vol. iii. 
 p. 469). Dr. Stokes printed the Bodl. MS. in Folk Lore, vol. iii. ; 
 the greater part of this MS. in Folk Lore, vol. iv. ; the prose of 
 the Rennes MS. in vols. xv. and xvi. of the Rev. Celt; while 
 ' Poems from the Dinnshenchus ' form the subject of the ' Todd 
 Lecture Series,' vols, vii., viii., ix., by Mr. Gwynn. 
 
 Fol. la of our MS. is mostly illegible. It (presumably) gives 
 the Preface and the beginning of a poem by Cuan O'Lochan. 
 Fol. lb gives the end of this poem, with the Articles on Teamh- 
 air, Magli m-Breagli, and beginning of Laighin. The verses 
 or retoric by the king-poet Find, son of Ross the Red, beginning 
 Moen doen, quoted by Stokes {Folk Lore, vol. iii. p. 472), are so 
 
 far glossed in our MS. 
 
 Fol. 2al gives nine quatrains of Eochu Eolach's poem on 
 Loch Garman (for the whole poem, v. L.L., p. 196), and then 
 agrees, article for article, with the Bodl. copy to fol. 3b2. 
 
 Fol. 4al gives the end of the article on Tuag Inhir: 
 
 Do luid Fcr FivgniJ fuKchdha, 
 Mac Eogabail ardbrnacha, 
 Mosfuc Tuarj, nir do daincj dath, 
 Tngin Conaill Colhtmrach. 
 
 Thus translated by Stokes : 
 
 ' For Fiugail the hurtful went, 
 The son of Eogabal the high stately : 
 He carried oft' Tuag— it was not. . . . 
 Daughter of Conall Collamair.' 
 
 7 conid de sin fos adubrad an duan, 
 
 Tnag hihir ajaind gaetli glas, etc. 
 
 And it was because of this the poem was composed 
 
 ' Tuag Inbir lovely,' etc. 
 
 The poem as here given, and also in MS. V (v. supra, p. 132), 
 differs considerably from that attributed to Bard Maile in L.L., 
 p. 152. {Of. also B.B., pp. 395-6.) 
 
 AVith the Article on Tuag Inhir the Bodl. MS. ends, and
 
 136 CATALUCiUE OF GAELIC MANUSCRIPTS [MS. XIX 
 
 Dr. Stokes {Folk Lore, vol. iv. p. 478 H tic<j.) prints our MS. to 
 the euil of tol. 5. 
 
 Fol. 0, which Stokes does not print, is on the first page 
 largely illegible, and on the second entirely so. The writing 
 on this leaf is in an inferior hand. On the top is written 
 in Gaelic ' In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,' 
 and then the conclusion of a sentence written across the page. 
 Thereafter come verses on Aileach or Oilcach, the connection of 
 Frigriu from Scotland with Aileach, and the slaying of Aedh son 
 of the Dagda by Corrgend. Cf. ' Todd Lecture Series,' vol. vii. 
 p. 34 et seq. (Gwynn), and O'C. Mann, and Gust. vol. ii. pp. 151-2. 
 
 MS. XIX— Kilbride Collection, No. 15 
 
 The MS., probably of the early fifteenth century, consists of 
 six leaves of parchment Hi in. by 8i. The first and last pages 
 are quite illegible. The contents are all in verse. The writing 
 is in two columns; the hand exceptionally good, — large, bold 
 and clear. The initial letter of each poem is large, highly 
 elaborated, and coloured. Smaller capitals begin each quatrain 
 and are coloured red, as also are the end marks of the quatrains. 
 
 The traces of an elaborate capital visible on fol. Ia2 show 
 the beginning of a poem. The piece ends on fol. Ibl, with the 
 first line repeated, Mairt i mag Tuiread, 'Tuesday in Moytura.' 
 The subject is the disasters which Ireland, and especially its 
 kings, suffered on that day of the week. As the concluding 
 lines put it : 
 
 Ni suail do rigaib Banbha 
 Dar marbhad is na Mairttib, 
 
 ' Not few of the Kings of Ireland 
 Were slain upon Tuesdays.' 
 
 Oh fol. 3b is a poem of twenty-two quatrains on the assas- 
 sination of Conn Cetchcdhach, ' Conn the hundred-fighter,' by 
 Tibraide Tirech in Tara, commencing : 
 
 Ardri ddr ghab crind uill. 
 ' A high-king who ruled over spacious Ireland.' 
 
 The poem aflfects to be written by one of Conn's sons, and 
 Sadhbh, one of the monarch's daughters, is specially addressed.
 
 MS. XIXJ LEGEND AND LORE 137 
 
 Following a gap in the MS. between fols. 3 and 4 comes on 
 fols. 4al-6a2 a poem, commencing abruptly : 
 
 Eich Echach don Mhicmhiiin mhoir; 
 Sgela in trir ni moch romhannair, 
 Gidh dib Loch Gabhair in ghloir. 
 
 ' The horses of Eochu from great Munster, 
 The story of the three .... 
 Though from them is named the famous Loch Gabar.' 
 
 This poem, of which the beginning is here lost, is the Dinnshen- 
 chus in verse. There is another copy in MS. XLII, also, unfor- 
 tunately, defective at the commencement. The first line of the 
 poem is repeated at the end : 
 
 Eiriu iarthar talman toirthigh, 
 ' Western Ireland of fertile soil.' 
 
 The poem is mentioned by O'R. (p. cxxiii) as contained in 
 the Book of Hy Maine. He ascribes its authorship to John 
 O'Dubhagan who died in 1372. O'R. says that the poem con- 
 tains 480 verses (lines), and in our copy it is stated that it 
 consists of 120 quatrains. At the close of our copy are verses 
 which would assign the poem to an earlier date. The beginning 
 of the noble history of the Dindgna is ascribed to Find tan (F. 
 son of Bochra, who survived the Deluo^e and died in the seventh 
 century a.d., v. Folk Lore, vol. iii. p. 4G9) at Tara. More definitely, 
 it is stated that the work was not put into one poem until after 
 the death of Turlogh (1156 a.d.); that the poem was composed 
 in A.M. 5365, a.d. 1166. Further, a quatrain runs: 
 
 Gilla na naemh na n-duan diadha, 
 O^Dtiind fear sgailti na sgel, 
 Ro ckuni duan bindghlan re fuagra, 
 Do dingnaih Fodla na fer. 
 
 ' Gilla-na-naem of pious lays, 
 O'Dunn the publisher of tales, 
 Composed a pure sweet poem, 
 Upon the forts of grassy Ireland.' 
 
 This would suggest that GioUa na Naomh O'Dunn, lector of 
 Inis Clothru, was the author, and O'Dusran a later editor. This 
 poet (O'R. p. Ixxxv) is said to have died in 1160 a.d. 
 
 One or two notices of Scotland appear in the poem. Thus
 
 138 CATALOrJUE OF GAELIC MANUSCRIPTS |MS. XXVIII 
 
 Claen Loch, is said to liavc taken its name from Clacn son of 
 Incfar, a poot of Alba. 
 
 MS. XXVIII {v. supra, p. 113) 
 
 Pp. 9 10 contain an acconnt of the revolt of the Aitheach 
 Tuatlm \ the slanghter of the nobles; the reign and eventual 
 overthrow of Cairprl Cindc/Ktit, ' Cairbre Cathead ' ; the re- 
 storation of the rightful heirs, Avho were born in Alba, in 
 exile : and the peaceful settlement of the land, concluding with 
 
 the quotation : 
 
 Saer clanda Erenn nili 
 Do marbta la h-aen dnine, 
 Acht na tri m/ic, monar n-gle, 
 AilrnUadar o Cairpri. 
 
 Torrach ndrnlladar nair 
 (A) maithreaclta na mac sain, 
 Gonadh ami rnrta is tir tair 
 lar tiachtam doib a n-Albain. 
 
 ' All the noble sons of Ireland 
 Were slain by one man, 
 Save three boys, a brilliant foat, 
 Who escaped from Cairbre. 
 
 ' The mothers of these boys 
 Pregnant fled eastwards, 
 Thus they were born in the eastern land 
 After (their mothers) reached Scotland.' 
 
 The Tract was printed from this MS. in Rev. Celt, vol. xx. 
 pp. 335 et seq., by Mr. W. A. Craigie. Cf. also B.B. fol. 255 ; 
 B.L. fol. 142 ; Keating ; O'C. Mann, and Cust. i. xxiv et seq. 
 
 Pp. 11-13 contain what Mr. Craigie (Rev. Celt.,\o\. xx, p. 335) 
 says ' is a very ancient version of the Lamentations of Oilioll 
 Glum, which does not appear to be found elsewhere.' Sadhbh, 
 daughter of Conn Cetchathach, and sister of Art the Solitary, 
 monarch of Ireland, was the wife of Macnia, by whom she had 
 a son Lughaidh, better known as Mac-con. Oilioll Glum carried 
 away Sadhbh by violence, and by him she had seven sons. 
 Macnia her husband died of grief. Oilioll's boys and their half- 
 brother Mac-con quarrelled. The matter was referred to Gilioll, 
 who decided in favour of his own sons. A fisrht followed in
 
 MS. XXXIV] LEGEND AND LORE 139 
 
 which Mac-con was worsted. Ho went to Scotland, and re- 
 turned the following year with a large army of Scots, Saxons, 
 Britons, and. Franks. The battle of Mag Mucrama was fought, 
 in which Art the King, and all the sons of Oilioll Ohim, save 
 one, Corniac Cas, wore slain. This account represents Oilioll 
 as looking out for the messenger with tidings of the battle. 
 When he sees him, he cries out : Sgela agad, a gilla ? Have 
 you tidings, lad ? ' Sgela mora olca agu'm bar an gilla ; 
 catli ar n-a chur ar muigh Mucrama J ar fear n-erenn do 
 chur and, ' I have great and evil tidings,' said the messenger, 
 ' a battle has been fought on the plain of M., and a great 
 slaughter of the men of Ireland took place there.' Oilioll asks 
 who acquitted himself best in the fight, and as he is told in 
 succession of the feats of each of his sons and of their fall, 
 he turns all over from crown to sole now whiter than well- 
 bleached linen, now j^ellower than the flower of the ragwort, 
 now blacker than a chafer, and again weaker than a woman 
 after her delivery. After each recital he breaks forth in eulogy 
 of each individual son and in lamentation for his death. 
 When the last wail is made, Oilioll says : droch sgel 7 degh sgel 
 
 agam do Taidb (leg. SJiaidldih) . . . anwigh (a) vii mic 
 
 7 a derbratJtair do iiiarbadh asin chath 7 deig sgel di a mac eile 
 do gabail rige n-erenn, ' Evil news and good news have I for 
 Savy this day, to wit, her seven sons and her brother slain in 
 the battle ; and good news in that her other son has become 
 King of Ireland.' For himself both were dursan, ' woeful.' 
 When Oilioll told his story, the queen, we are told, smiled 
 (gean gaire), whereupon the king gives utterance to his thoughts 
 in verse : 
 
 Beir mo sgiath fa sgiath re Uiiath, etc. 
 
 For a detailed account of this battle, v. MSS. XXXVIII and 
 LVIII {infra). 
 
 The last page of our MS. (p. 14) is illegible. 
 
 MS. XXXIV— Kilbride, No. 3 
 
 The MS. consists of twenty-one leaves of paper, rather small 
 quarto. The hand is pretty good and regular, of the late
 
 140 CATALOGUE OF GAELIC MANUSCRIPTS [MS. XXXIV 
 
 sixteenth or early seventeenth century. On fol. 21 is a greetini^, 
 written partly in Gaehc, partly in English, dated from Dunstaff- 
 nage 23rd (0 of October 1603, from ' Eomuin M'Phaill' to 
 Jolm 0'C()nclnil)ar (one of the Lorn physicians). Memoranda 
 in Engii.sh are also found at the foot of fol. 12b, and on fol. 21b. 
 The MS. is not paged. 
 
 Apart from these jottings, and eleven and a half quatrains on 
 fol. 20a, beginning : — 
 
 Ca h-ainm ata ar Feargal og, 
 
 the contents of the MS. are two well-known heroic Tales of the 
 period of Find or, as written in Scotland, Fionn. 
 
 1. The Tale known as Bruiijliean Caorthuinn, ' The Rowan 
 (fairy) Mansion or Castle.' This Tale is also found in MSS. 
 XXXVI and LVIII, from the former of which the late Rev. 
 Donald Mackintosh made a transcript of it (v. MS. LXXXIX, 
 pp. 1-27). The Tale shortly is as follows: — 
 
 Kinof Colsfan of Lochlann, with his three sons, makes an 
 expedition to Ireland in the time of Cormac mac Airt. They 
 land in Ulster and ravage the province. Cormac sends a 
 message to Fionn to Almu (later Almhuin, now Allen) to repel 
 the foe. A battle is fought, in which Goll mac Morna slays 
 Colgan. His two sons are also slain. But Fionn spares the 
 third, Miodhach to name. Miodhach is afterwards given two 
 cantreds of land in Ireland, the choice of situation being left to 
 himself. The Norse prince chose the lands where the sea watch 
 was weakest, so that he could bring in foreigners from abroad 
 when opportunity offered. 
 
 Fourteen years had passed, and the Fianna or F6inn {i.e. 
 Fionn and his band) were hunting in the district, when Miodhach 
 appeared, disguised as a warrior, but calling himself a fer-dana 
 ' poet.' Fionn invites him to repeat his dan. He asks for 
 reward only that the meaning of his dan is understood. Fionn is 
 able to explain its meaning. The unknown then invites i\iQFeinn 
 to a feast. He explains that he has two hruigheans, — one ar tuinn, 
 ' on wave,' called the ' B. of the Isle,' the other ar tir, ' on land,' 
 the B. Caorthuinn or Rowan. Conan penetrates the disguise of 
 the poet. Still Fionn goes to the feast, accompanied by Goll 
 and the Clanna Morna, leaving Oisin and Diarmaid with a party 
 to keep communications open.
 
 MS. XXXIV] LEGEND AND LORE 141 
 
 F. and his party go to the BruigJiean, and find it a magni- 
 ficent place. But in a moment everything changes. There were 
 seven doors when they entered, now there is only one. The 
 magnificent furnishings vanish. Worse than all, the heroes 
 find that they are unable to move. F. puts his thumb into 
 his mouth, and learns that he and his hearers are trapped. 
 Miodhach is in the Island Bruighean with a strong force of 
 Lochlannaigh and Greeks. The King of the World is there, 
 and the Druidic kings of Inistile. 
 
 Meanwhile Ossian, anxious about his father, sends out to 
 make inquiry. The messenger gets into communication with 
 Fionn, who informs him of their plight, and sends word to his 
 son enjoining him to strictly guard the Ford. A Greek earl with 
 a hundred knights {rid we) comes from the Island Bruighean 
 pledged to bring back Fionn's head to the King of the World. 
 In a fight at the Ford the earl and his band are slain. A 
 similar fate awaits stronger parties that come during the night 
 to the same place. A few of the imprisoned warriors manage to 
 effect their freedom and join their friends. Among them is 
 Conan, whose head, shoulders and buttocks are so dreadfully 
 damaged by the druidic mould of Inistile that he is called maol 
 ' bald ' or ' bare,' ever afterwards. Eventually there is a general 
 engagement between the' forces from Bruighean an Oilein and 
 the Feinn, when the former are all slain. 
 
 2. The second Tale, Bruighean bheag na h-Alnihuin, ' The 
 little mansion of Almu or Allen,' is still better known. It also 
 is found in MS. XXXVI, from which Mr. Mackintosh made a 
 transcript of it {v. MS. LXXXIX, pp. 141-157). 
 
 Fionn invited all the Feinn to a feast in Almu, his permanent 
 residence. Many nobles were there besides, from Scotland and 
 elsewhere. Eating and drinking over, Fergus Finnhheul (or 
 Binnbheul), ' melodious lips ' (a son of Fionn, and the Bard of the 
 Feinn), entertained the company with song. Fionn and the 
 Clanna Baoiscne liberally rewarded Fergus. Goll now called 
 for Badhbha bonluata leabhar chosach, swift-footed (soled ?) 
 long-legged B.,' who had charge of his treasure, the tribute of 
 Lochlann, and with a lavish hand gave presents to Fergus and 
 all the poets and musicians present. 
 
 Fionn angrily asks how Goll comes to have tribute from
 
 142 CATALOGUE OF GAELIC MANUSCRIPTS [MS. XXXVI 
 
 Loclilanii, which ho (Fionn) rec:ardcd as his own possession. 
 GoU replies with equal heat,— he recounts his own exploits; 
 recalls the many injuries he suffered at the hands ofCumhall, 
 Fionn's father, and the many benefits which he (GoU) conferred 
 upon Fionn. Conan, .<uo more, here interposes with a rude gibe, 
 whereupon Gaireall, son of Fionn, gives him a violent bloAv 
 {don\). And now the fat is in the fire. The Clanna Morna and 
 the Clanna Baoiscne fight desperately. Before sunrise eleven 
 hundred of Fionn's friends are slain. The loss on GoU's side is 
 but small, comparatively. 
 
 Ferrous and the poets now interpose with music and song, 
 and the warriors instantly lay down their arins. Fionn refuses 
 to make peace. He appeals for justice to King Cormac, his 
 daughter Ailbhe, his son Cairbre, and his judges. Goll agrees. 
 Both parties appear at Tara. When Fionn proceeds to state 
 the case, Goll objects on the ground that Fionn could make 
 truth of a lie {firinu den bhreig). He proposed instead that 
 Fergus, upon oath, should tell the story. This is done. Fergus 
 said that Caireall, his brother, struck the first blow. An eiric 
 was due to the Clanna Morna because of this ; but inasmuch as 
 so few of them were slain, no fine was imposed upon either 
 party, and peace was restored. 
 
 MS. XXXVI {v. supra, pp. 91, 116) 
 
 The MS. contains the following Tales and Heroic Poems :— 
 1. The Tale entitled Imtheacht Conaill Gulhan fon domhan 
 m{h)or, ' The Travels of Conall G. throughout the Great World.' 
 It is a long tale in prose, with verse interspersed, covering here 
 the first seventy-nme pages of the MS. Mackintosh made a 
 transcript of it when the MS. was not so defective as it now is, 
 which is found in MS. LXXXIX, commencing with new pagina- 
 tion at p. 28. The Tale was popular, long though it is. Mr. 
 Campbell took down several versions from oral recitation in 
 various parts of the Highlands, and printed an English transla- 
 tion of the longest of them (West Highland Tales — W. H. T. — 
 vol. iv. pp. 185-281), with notes and variants. In addition to
 
 MS. XXXVI] LEGEND AND LORE 143 
 
 the defective state of the MS. at the commencement, there are 
 blanks at pp. 51b, 54a, 54b, and 55a. 
 
 Conall Gulban was a younger son of Niall of the Nine 
 Hostages, and thus comes within the Historic period. He is 
 traditionally said to have been baptized by St. Patrick, and there 
 are several poems by Flann Mainistrech and others recounting 
 his exploits in Ireland (v. Mann, and Cust., vol. ii. 160 + ). Accord- 
 ing to the Tale, Conall was a brave and handsome prince, Avho 
 excelled in all feats of daring and dexterity. His father, called 
 upon to join an expedition in foreign parts, and his elder 
 brothers refusing to stay at home, Conall was persuaded to 
 do so. He fell in love with the beautiful daughter of the Kino- 
 of Leinster, Eithne Uchtsohii^, ' bright breast,' and, unable to 
 obtain her father's consent to their marriage, the young couple 
 ran away. Conall one day lay down to sleep on the slope of 
 Beinn Edair (Hill of Howth). A mighty warrior from over 
 the sea carries the princess away in his ship while Conall is 
 asleep. He obtains a vessel and sets off in pursuit. He sails 
 past Kintyre, Islay, Colonsay, Corryvreckan, Midi and Lewis, 
 past all the isles of Alba and ' Fair-Lochlann,' and at length 
 reaches the city of Beirhhe (Bergen), in Norway. Here he falls 
 in with a famous Druid, Duaitach, the son of Ferfeasa, an 
 Irishman who knew his father. He hears of his wife and her 
 captor who had visited Lochlann, but had sailed away ao-ain. 
 Accompanied by Duanach, Conall now travels by sea and land over 
 the world, — through Italy, Greece, and Turkey, until at last he 
 finds his wife. His adventures in these parts form the body of 
 the Tale. Duanach returns to Norway, laden with treasure, and 
 Conall goes home to Ireland. On parting with the prince 
 Duanach composes an affecting lay, the opening lines of which 
 are frequently quoted on the margins and blank spaces of 
 these MSS. : 
 
 Uclicui ! is cradh croidhe leiii, 
 Syaradh Je mac ri Eirionn. 
 
 ' Alas ! my heart is sore 
 At parting with the son of Ireland's king.' 
 
 The following note regarding the composition and history of the 
 romance is appended. 'The Druid {i.e. Duanach) wrote these 
 echtra a tamJtlorguibhJilidh j a slechtaib ollamhan, ' adventures
 
 144 CATALOGUE OF GAELIC MANUSCRIPTS [MS. XXXVI 
 
 on tho tablets of poets and the staves of ollamhs', and tlic Tale 
 was not known until the time of Loisgenv, the poet of Donald 
 son of Aodh son of Ainmire. Donald went to I-colm-kill (lona) 
 on a visit to Columba, and thereafter proceeded to Lochlann, 
 and it was he (i.e. his poet) who wrote this Tale and brought it 
 to Ireland and deposited it in Glen-da-loch among books of 
 History and Annals.' 
 
 2. Pp. 83b-84b contain a copy of the well-known Lay which 
 Eimhir, the widow of Cuchulainn, addressed to Conall Cearnach 
 when that hero returned from his wild expedition, carrying the 
 heads of the slayers of Cuchulainn and their abettors on a 
 withe, beginning : — 
 
 A GJionuill, ca sealbh na cinn ? 
 ' Conall, whose are these heads 1 ' 
 
 Cf. H. and J. M'Callum's Coll. (Montrose, 1816), p. 132 ; L. F. 
 p. 16 ; Rcl. Gelt, vol i. pp. 113-114; vol. ii. p. 365. 
 
 3. Pp. 86a-91b contain a modern version of Seel mucci mic 
 Ddthd, ' The Tale of Mac Datho's Pig,' printed by Professor Win- 
 disch from L.L. with variants from later MSS. (Irische Texte tnit 
 Wurterhuc]i, Leipzig, 1880, p. 96 et seq.), and by Dr. Kuno Meyer 
 from Rawl. B. 512 (Bodl.), with translation, in Hihernica Minora, 
 p. 51 + . Our version has many modernisms and corruptions, — 
 MacDcUho e.g. is frequently written Mac da Shogli. Several of 
 the encounters of the warriors from Connaught with Conall 
 Cearnach are omitted, as also the verse passages for the most 
 part. 
 
 4. Pp. 104b-110b contain the Tale headed Bruighion Cheisi 
 Coruin. Fionn and the Feinn held a great hunt over a wide 
 country. The heroes were resting and enjoying themselves, 
 when their shouting annoyed Conaran mac Ahnidil, a chief of 
 the Tiiatha De Danann and lord of Ceisi Coruin, who dwelt in 
 a cave hard by. Conaran's three daughters, ugly, old hags, came 
 to the mouth of the cave and were winding yarn. Fionn and 
 Conan passed by, had a look at the Cailleachs, and fell on the 
 ground, enchanted. The hags bound the two heroes, and carried 
 them into the cave. The same treatment was meted out to 
 Ossian and his friends of the Clanna Baoiscne, to the Clanna 
 Morna, the Clanna Ronan, and the Clanna Neimhidin who
 
 MS. XXXVI] LEGEND AND LORE 145 
 
 formed the four catha or battalions of the Feinn. Redheaded 
 hounds were barking about the mouth of the cave, while the 
 remains of beasts of the chase were strewn all around. The 
 three hags now armed themselves and went forth prepared 
 to challenge any foe. As none appeared, they were about to 
 return to the cave to behead all the heroes. But a warrior, 
 thought to be lollann, a descendant of Get mor mac Magfach, 
 but who turned out to be Goll mac Morna, was seen approach- 
 ing. He fights the Amazons, giving one of the three stoutest 
 blows ever delivered in Ireland, the other two being that of 
 Fergus at Cath Gaire when he slew the three Maoil Mithc, and 
 that of Gonall Cearnach when he slew Get mac Magach. Goll 
 slew two of the three Amazons, Gamog and Cuilin cen{n) ruagh, 
 ' russet-headed C The third, larnach, seized hold of Goll, 
 when his back was turned. The two had a bout of wrestling, 
 and eventually Goll was the victor. The Amazon now swears 
 by her gods that she will release the Feinn if Goll spares her 
 life. This is done. Goll enters the cave, frees the heroes, the 
 poet, Fergus Jinnbheul, first. They come out exhausted, sit 
 down, and Fergus sings a lay of twelve quatrains in praise of 
 Goll, beginning : — 
 
 Bvadhacli sin, a GJivlJI, (/<> iii-huaidh, 
 ' Victorious, ever victorious, Goll ! ' 
 
 Thereafter larnach comes out fully armed and challenges all 
 the Feinn. They all decline the combat. Fionn himself is 
 about to engage her, when Goll interposes with the plea that it 
 is not meet that the great leader should fight a cailleach. He 
 fights the Amazon himself, and slays her. He then demolished 
 and burnt the Bruigh/lon, after removing the treasure. Fionn 
 gave his daughter Caom chnes geal .\. jinn, ' the fair white skin,' 
 to Goll in marriage. She became the mother of Fedh mac Guill, 
 and on that very fort seventeen years afterwards the Feinn 
 slew him (Fedh). A version of the Tale is printed in Silv. Gad., 
 vol. i. p. 306. A copy is also in T. C. D., H. 5. 4. 
 
 5. Pp. llla-113b (additional paging 31-36) contain an heroic 
 poem of fifty-six quatrains, beginning : — 
 
 Greis ar caithrem an fliir m]i{oir), 
 ' A while on the martial career of the great warrior.' 
 K
 
 14G CATALOGUE OF GAELIC MANUSCRIPTS [MS. XXXVI 
 
 This is the well-known ballad, entitled Dm/vy, ' the Red,' or Dearg 
 mac Drdoidlibhill, as here written. It is common in Ireland 
 and Scotland,— u MSS. LV, LVII (infra), and O'Gr., Cat. 
 pp. 592, 5i)i), 62C), 681, 636, 644, where the opening line is usually 
 
 Iniuosad caithrcm aiifhir mhoir. 
 
 For the various versions of the ballad found in Scotland, v. 
 L. F., pp. 107-123. Dr. Smith's Dearg mac Drui'bheil (Sean 
 Dana, 1787: 4to ed. p. 112; 8vo p. 223) seems founded on this 
 ballad, although Smith's poem bears little resemblance to it. 
 
 6. Pp. 116a-127a give the Tale of the ' Ceithirncach,' — an 
 adventurous juggler, O'Domhnallan, who visited several Irish 
 mansions and performed wonderful feats : La n-aon da raihh 
 0' Domhnall .|. Aodh ruadh inac NeUl (jhairhJt inic Toirdhealhh- 
 aigli an fhiona go mfiaithihh a mtiuintire 7 a tJnre, etc., ' One 
 day as O'Donnell, viz. Red Hugh son of Neill the Rough son 
 of Turlogh the Bibulous, with the nobles of his people and 
 district,' etc. There is another copy in MS. LV {infra). Popular 
 versions were found by Mr. Campbell in various parts of the 
 Highlands (v. W. H. T., vol. i. pp. 289-319). For an older version, 
 cf. Silv. Gad., vol. i. p. 276 et seq. 
 
 7. Pp. 1276 to the end of the MS., in so far as legible, contain 
 theTtileoi Alurchadh mac Brian 7 an Dirioch. Brian Boruidh 
 (leg. horoimlie ' of the tribute ') and his two sons Duncan and 
 Murrough organised a great hunt, when Murrough lost his way 
 and went through some mavellous adventures. A popular 
 version of Muracho/lli MacBrian is printed by Mr. Campbell 
 (ir. H. T., vol. ii. pp. 195-217), but it bears little resemblance to 
 that of this MS. ' Murachadh ' is the brother of Dimcan, both 
 sons of Brian Borr, and gets lost at a hunt, — these facts common 
 to both show their common origin. 
 
 MS. XXXVIII {v. supra, p. 118) 
 
 The MS. contains the following legends : — 
 
 1. The violent Death of Cuchulainn (pp. 7-69). The account 
 is NQxy long and detailed. A transcript was made by E, M'L. 
 in Leabhar Gaol (L.C), ' Narrow Book,' pp. 1-44. Another 
 version, defective at the beginning and illegible at the end, is
 
 MS. XXXVIII] LEGEND AND LORE 147 
 
 found in an older MS. (MS. XLV infra), and a third, defective 
 at the end, in MS. LIX {infra). The heroes of Ulster, after 
 the battles of Fincora, Gaire, and Ros-na-rig, had returned 
 victoriously to Emain Macha, and Cuchulainn repaired to 
 Bundealcjain. The Uilidians were suffering from the cess 
 noinclen. Of all his victories at the Tain none gave greater 
 satisfaction to Cuchulainn than the deaths of Calatin and his 
 sons. But after his death, six children were born to Calatin at 
 one birth, three sons and three daughters. The orphans were 
 brought up by Queen Meave at Cruachan. She had their right 
 feet and left hands cut off. When they were seven years of age 
 she enjoined them to travel the Avhole world, and to become the 
 pupils of the best wizards they might hear of, so as to fit them 
 to avenge their father's death. They obeyed. They were three 
 years in Alba, and two in Saxonland. Thereafter they went 
 to Babylon and to every land from the rising to the setting of 
 the sun, and finally to Hell, where Vulcan made for them three 
 spears, three swords, and three shields, the best he ever forged. 
 He prophesied that three great kings would fall by these 
 weapons, — Liathmacha the king of Irish horses, Cuchulainn 
 the king of Irish heroes, and Laeg son of Riangabra the king 
 of Irish charioteers. 
 
 When the children of Calatin returned to Cruachan, Meave 
 summoned Lugaid son of Curoi from Munster ; Macniadh son of 
 Finn, and Conchobar son of Ros from Leinster ; and Ere, son of 
 Cairbre, whose fathers were slain by Cuchulainn. A great 
 muster was resolved on, and an expedition to Ulster to compass 
 the destruction of Cuchulainn. King Conchobar of Ulster heard 
 of the preparations made, and sent Lebarcham to Dundealg- 
 ain, with injunctions from himself and his counsellors to the 
 great hero not to bide the hosts alone in Dundealgain, but with 
 his wife (Eimhir) and his charioteer (Laeg) to repair to Eamain 
 Macha. The hero reluctantly consented. Queen Meave and 
 the forces of the four provinces of Ireland were laying waste the 
 possessions of Cuchulainn. The children of Calatin were 
 endeavouring by Avizardry to make him face the hosts alone. 
 Conall Cearnach was in foreign parts, and Niamh his wife 
 extracted a promise from Cuchulainn that he would not meet 
 the enemy without her consent. She persuaded the hero to
 
 148 CATALOGUE OF CxAELIC MANUSCRIPTS [MS. XXXVIII 
 
 accompany her and others to (ilnin-da-hodur, where the shouts 
 and challen<j:es of war raised by the wizards would not, as they 
 believed, be heard by Cuchulainn. in this they were, however, 
 mistaken. Moreover, one of the liaij^s inveigled Niamh and 
 her ladies away from the hero, and then returned in the guise 
 of Niamh, and persuaded Cuchulainn to the fight. The fraud 
 was discovered too late. 
 
 Cuchulainn goes to meet the foe. Ho is fully aware that he 
 is going to his death. He has violated his geasa. He visits 
 Eraain Macha, bids farewell to Einihir his wife, and to his 
 mother Baithene (Dechtire). The latter offers him the usual 
 bdllan lachta (cup of milk), but three times the milk is turned 
 to blood. The Druid Cathfad accompanies the hero part of the 
 way, when a beautiful maiden is seen at Ath na Foraire, ' Ford 
 of watching,' washing and weeping. The Druid returns and 
 Cuchulainn makes profession of his faith in these terms : 
 Adraim-si don aen Dia da n-adraid slat 7 creidim-si don 
 aird-rig do rinne nami 7 talamn, ' I worship the one God whom 
 they worship, and I believe in the high King who made heaven 
 and earth.' The hero now comes upon six aiinids, ' hags/ at 
 their cooking, — their appearance, dress, and occupation being 
 described with great detail. 
 
 When the men of Ireland saw Cuchulainn approaching they 
 sent C'Vb Cuilleasc, the satirist of Leinster, accompanied by thrice 
 nine poets, to demand the hero's spear. ' Will you receive it by 
 the point (grain) or by the haft (urlann) ? ' asked Cuchulainn. 
 ' By neither,' said Gu Cuilleasc, ' but slantwise ' {tarrsna). So it 
 was done, and the satirist with his three nines fell dead under 
 the weight of it. Lugaid son of Curoi went forth to view ' the 
 man who, some say, is my father' (d'fechsain in athar ud 
 adarar do beith acum), and returned, giving a description of 
 the hero, his horses and chariot. 
 
 Meave now gives the three venomous weapons wrought by 
 Vulcan to Lugaid, Macniadh, and Ere. A description of 
 Cuchulainn facing the hosts and of the furious rushes he makes 
 at them follows. He orders Laeg to gather stones to hurl at 
 the foe. Meave spurs on the men of Ireland. Macniadh makes 
 the first attack and wounds the Liathmacha. Ere now charges. 
 Laeg is wounded. He parts from Cuchulainn, and makes havoc
 
 MS. XXXVIII] LEGEND AND LORE 149 
 
 on his own account. Ciichulainn makes great slaughter. Meave 
 calls out in a loud voice : ' Where is Lugaid ? ' ' Here,' replies 
 Lugaid. ' You undertook that Cuchulainn should fall by the 
 venomous spear of Vulcan, and I gave it to you.' . . . ' If I did, 
 it must be accomplished,' said L. He hurls the spear. The 
 Dub sailend (Cuchulainn's other horse, — Macpherson's Duhh- 
 sron-gheal, Fingal, i. 1. 370) is wounded and falls ; the Liath- 
 macha, with a spear through it, alone sustaining the chariot 
 now. Cuchulainn leaves the chariot and charges on foot. He 
 is mortally wounded. A doharchii, ' waterdog,' ' otter,' drinks 
 his blood, and although at one time told that to kill a namesake 
 (cu) would be his last feat, he kills the doharchu. Laeg joins 
 him. He directs the charioteer to carry him to a large stone 
 pillar near at hand, and instructs him how to lay him down, 
 with his face to the foe, his shield and spear at his battle 
 shoulder, and his sword firmly grasped in his hand. Thus the 
 great hero of the Gael died. Laeg went aAvay sorrowfully to 
 carry the news to Eimhir and to Emain Macha. 
 
 For three days and three nights the men of Ireland dared 
 not approach the hero. At length Badh, the daughter of Calatin, 
 in the shape of a fxlncidJi .\. feannog, 'carrion crow,' hovered 
 over him and signalled to the camp that he was dead. When 
 the warriors came they found his sword grasped so firmly in his 
 hand that the tendons had to be cut before the weapon could be 
 removed. ' One cheek still glowed like the sun, the other was 
 white as the snow of one night.' Meave ordered Lugaid to cut 
 off the hero's head, and Ere was commanded to carry it to Tara. 
 The hosts thereupon dispersed. 
 
 Eimhir proceeded at once to where the body of her husband 
 lay, and sent Lebarcham in search of Conall Cearnach, who Avas 
 happily found. This warrior made for Murthemhne with such 
 speed that one of his horses was killed. The chariot was then 
 driven single, and we are told that this was the third time that 
 inarcaidhecht ar srian aen eich, ' riding (driving) by the bridle 
 of one horse' was ever made in Ireland, — the first being by 
 Lug lamfhada, ' longhand,' at the battle of Mag Tuiread, 
 ' Moytura,' when he slew the giant Fine, the second by Cuchu- 
 lainn at the Tain bo Cualgne, and the third now by Conall 
 ar in derg ruathar, 'on the wild (lit. red) on- rush.'
 
 150 CATALOGUE OF GAELIC MANUSCRIPTS [MS. XXXVIII 
 
 Conall views the battlclickl, but is unable to reckon up 
 the number of the shiin. lie finds a hundred ridges with a 
 hundred dead bodies on cacli, as also a hundred furrows with 
 a hundred dead in each of them. Is inor do mai-h '^no dhalhi-Ha, 
 ' CJrcat is tlie number which my foster son has slain,' said Conall. 
 Eindiir wishes to bury her dead. ]>ut Conall will not hear of it. 
 lie must first find tlie head, and avenge the hero's death. He 
 follows in pursuit of the hosts. He overtakes Lugaid and Maine, 
 slays them, and cuts ofi' their heads. He takes a sapling of 
 hazel, ' thick enough to fill his grip,' makes a withe {(jad) of it, 
 and strings the heads on the withe. He fares to Tara, finds 
 youths playing at hurley, with Cuchulainn's head as ball. He 
 slays them and puts the heads of Maol and Miodhna on the 
 withe. At Tara he meets an Ulster man, Ceann Biorraidhe, and 
 sends him with Cuchulainn's head to Eimhir. He now attacks 
 Ere and his warriors, slays them all, and puts Erc's' head and 
 that of the chief of his household, Muireadhach, on the withe. 
 The next head for the withe was that of Colla Fathach, one of 
 Lugaid son of Curoi's warriors. Cuilleann of Breg fared the 
 same fate. Conall's next feat was to slay the six children of 
 Calatin, notwithstanding their druidism and wizardry. He now 
 falls in with Connla, foster brother of Lugaid son of Curoi, and 
 his numerous followers. He slays them all, except a few that 
 run away, and puts Connla's head on the withe. He next comes 
 to the plain of Airgead Ros, ' Silver wood ' (or promontory), and 
 there finds Lugaid son of Curoi who beheaded Cuchulainn, with 
 his battalion. Lugaid was one-handed, and before the combat 
 began he pleaded that he and Conall were unfairly matched. 
 To enable them to fight on equal terms Conall must allow his 
 left hand to be fastened to his side. Conall chivalrously agreed 
 to this arrangement. The two warriors fight furiously, and in 
 one of his thrusts L. cuts asunder the fastenings on C.'s hand. 
 He asks that the hand be tied up again, but C. declined, adding 
 that he agreed on the first occasion with reluctance, but seeing 
 that L. himself freed the limb, it would not be fastened the 
 second time. The fight was renewed and C. proved the victor. 
 ' Were it not that it was your hand that cut off Cuchulainn's 
 head,' said Conall, ' I should be sorry to cut off yours.' But what 
 must be must be, and so Lugaid's head was put on the withe.
 
 MS. XXXVIII] LEGEND AND LORE 151 
 
 Thereafter he slew fifty of the chief men of the Clanna Deagh- 
 aidh and strung their heads upon the withe. The gad was now 
 ' full,' and Conall swung the grim burden on his back and pro- 
 ceeded to Dun Dealgain where Cuchulainn's body lay. Eimhir 
 came forward and asked, 
 
 A Chonaill, (jidh iad na cinn, 
 
 As dearbh linn gur deargais fairni. 
 
 And the lay which in modern ballads is known as ' The lay of 
 the Heads' (Laoidh nan Ceann, v. siijpra, p. 144) proceeds. There- 
 after Cuchulainn was fittingly interred, Eimhir ordering Conall 
 to make the grave broad and spacious that she might have 
 room to lie beside her beloved, and the lay was made. [Here 
 MS. XXXVIII breaks off, the lay not being given.] 
 
 A version, from which ours differs considerably, is in L.L. 
 119-123. An abridgement of this version is printed by Stokes 
 in Rev. Celt, vol. iii. pp. 175-185. For later MSS. in which the 
 Death of Cuchulainn, and the Bearcj ruathar of Conall Cearnach 
 are found, v. Jub., pp. 15, 100. 
 
 2. Pp. 71-114 contain a well- written and detailed account of 
 the battle of Afagh Mucrulmhe {v. supra, p. 139), including the 
 adventures and intrie^ue of King Art before the battle, in which 
 he was slain. This version is transcribed in L.C., pp. 45-79. 
 For a list of the copies of the Tale in other MSS., v. Jub., p. 75. 
 The oldest of these, that in L.L., is printed, with Introduction, 
 Translation and Notes, by Stokes in Rev. Celt. vol. xiii. p. 426 + . 
 
 3. Oileamuin Concidainn j oigheadh CJionnlaoich, ' The 
 Education of Cuchulainn and the Violent Death of Conlaoch.' 
 This tract is transcribed in L.C., pp. 81-105. There are many 
 copies of later date than this MS. entitled Foghlum Chonculainn 
 enumerated by Jub. (pp. 140-1) and one of these, of date 
 1715 (Brit. Mus. Eg. 106), is printed by Stokes {Rev. Celt., 
 vol. xxix. p. 110). 
 
 The tragedy of Conlaoch is found in prose in several MSS. 
 (v. Jub., p. 16), but in the Scottish collection this is the only 
 copy. In verse it is one of the most common of our ballads both 
 in Scotland and in Ireland. Cf. Miss Brook's Reliques of Irish 
 Poetry (ed. 1789, p. 9), L.F., pp. 9-13 ; v. L.L., Introduction, p. 55. 
 
 4. On p. 154 are found five quatrains attributed to Ossian.
 
 152 CATALOGUE OF GAELIC MANUSCRIPTS [MS. XXXVIII 
 
 The lines are profusely glossed. They were printed, some- 
 what inaccurately, with suggested translation, by Skene in 
 D.L., Ixxxiv. The same short poem, also glossed, is in L.L., 
 p. 208a, and this copy, with the Edinburgh version and Skene's 
 translation, is printed by Professor Windisch in Irische Texte iiiit 
 Wortcrbuch, ^^. 162-164. Some of the obscurer words — genam, 
 'sword,' ditais, 'hand/ cuib for cit, 'dog,' cribuis, 'pig' — are 
 quoted from this poem by O'Davoren {v. L.L, Introduction, 
 p. 55; Rev. Celt, vol. ii. p. 470; Archiv. fur Gelt. Lexik. ii. 
 O'Dav. Gloss.). 
 
 5. Pp. 155-170 give a copy of the well-known tragedy of the 
 children of Lir or Lear. This version is transcribed in L.C., 
 pp. 106-118. Another copy is found in MS. LVI (infra). 
 
 6. A version of the Legend of Bruighionn ChaortJiuinn 
 (v, supra, p. 140) is found on pp. 175-192. This copy is tran- 
 scribed in L.C., pp. 132-148. 
 
 MS. XXXIX (v. supra, pp. 91, 118) 
 
 More than two-thirds of the MS. is taken up with a Tale 
 or series of Tales difficult to classify, — a sermon in legendary 
 form. The text is defective at the beginning, but from the con- 
 text we gather that an emperor's wife accused his son of insult- 
 ing her. The emperor sentenced his son, who declined to defend 
 himself, to death. The Tales are told by the emperor's council- 
 lors with the view to secure the son's pardon. 
 
 The first Tale opens abruptly with the case of a lady whose 
 husband had been hanged. She was left in a lonely hut near 
 his grave. A knight, whose duty it was to watch over executed 
 criminals still hanging on the gallows, in case they might be re- 
 moved, visits the Avidow. Meanwhile a culprit was taken away, 
 and the knight was in danger of his life. For love of him 
 the widow with her own hands placed the body of her husband, 
 who was by this time buried, upon the gallows, and knocked out 
 two of his teeth that he might personate the stolen body of the 
 culprit. The knight declined to have anything further to do 
 with such an abandoned woman. This story secured a night's 
 respite for the emperor's son.
 
 MS. XL] LEGEND AND LOEE 153 
 
 In the next Tale the city of Rome and Christianity are 
 threatened by the Saracens. But a clever device was hit upon 
 by which all danger was averted. Another night's respite was 
 granted to the youth, who still declined to say a word in his own 
 defence. 
 
 The third Tale is that of a knight who had a vision of a lovely 
 lady, and he must needs go in search of her. He found her 
 confined in a castle by an old jealous husband. By various 
 mancEUvres he not only contrives to free the lady but to get her 
 husband to give her away in marriage to himself. Upon hearing 
 this Tale the emperor pardons his son, who now tells the last 
 Tale of the series. 
 
 There was a knight whose father cast him into the sea, be- 
 cause the son was wiser and more learned than himself. But 
 the son survives and prospers, while the father is reduced to 
 poverty. He visits his father and stepmother, showing them all 
 respect. 
 
 The son then declared himself, revealed the truth of the 
 matter, which the empress confirmed. She is put to death. 
 The Tract concludes with the observation that this is the way 
 that tigharnadha, ' rulers,' deal with evil men unless they reform, 
 and by repentance secure the everlasting life. 
 
 MS. XL (v. swpra, p. 91) 
 
 The first layer of the MS. (pp. 1-12), is of exceptional value 
 in that it provides us with an account of the deaths of many of 
 the Ulster Heroes, as well as of Queen Meave and Get MacMagach 
 of Connaught, several of which are found nowhere else except in 
 Keating, who must have had access to this MS. or to another 
 copy, now lost. They are all well entitled to be called Aideda 
 ' violent Deaths.' This section of the MS. is transcribed in L.C, 
 (pp. 224-282) under the heading, in modern Scottish Gaelic: 
 Leabhar Bian an Fheidh . I . Bas nan Laoch Eirionnach. 
 ' From the Deer-skin Book . I . The Death of the Irish Heroes.' 
 The beginning of the account of Conchobar's death is illegible, 
 but the omission is supplied by L.L., and by MS. V (v. supra,
 
 154 CATALOdUE OF (JARLIC MANUSCRIITS [MS. XL 
 
 p. 131), with wliich latter MS. tlic Iccjibic portion of MS. XL 
 substantially agrees. 
 
 The personages whose deaths are recorded in this section of 
 our MS., which Dr. Kuno Meyer would assign, from the hand- 
 writing, to the fourteenth century, are Conchohar, Ailill, Conall 
 Cearnach, Fergus mac Roich, Queen Meave of Cruachan, Get 
 mac Magach, Laoghairc Buadhach, Ccltchar mac Uthechair, Blai 
 bringa, ' hospitaller,' and Conganchnes, ' Horny-skin.' An ab- 
 stract of the account of Meave's death is given by Dr. Meyer in 
 Gelt. Mag., vol. xii. pp. 211-212. The text of the Aided of Ailill 
 and of Conall Cearnach, with translation, notes, and variants 
 from the R.I. A. MS, H. I. 17, is given by the same scholar in 
 Zeit fur Gelt. Phil. (vol. i. p. 102 + ), while all the other texts 
 are printed by him, with translation and notes, in vol. xiv. of 
 the Todd Lecture Series (Dublin, 1906). In the same volume 
 references are given to the other MSS. in which copies of these 
 texts are found : L.L. ; Liber Flavus Fergus lorion; R.I.A., 23 B. 
 21 ; 23. G. 21. Gf. also Jub., pp. 7, 8, 13, 23, 26, 28. 
 The third layer of MS. XL (pp. 29-48), contains : 
 (1) Aided Guill oneic Garbada J aided Gairb Glinde Rige, 
 ' The violent death of Goll son of Garbad, and of Garb of Glen 
 Rige.' Both these heroes were slain by Cuchulainn. The first 
 was one of three brothers, ' sons of the King of Northern 
 Germany of the world.' They had cast lots for the conquest 
 of the islands of Britain, of Denmark, and of Ireland. The last 
 fell to Goll. A mighty warrior was Goll. One eye was in his 
 head as big as a heifer's caldron. The other eye no crane 
 could pick out of his skull. Four troops of ten men would find 
 room on his shield ; his sword measured thirty feet in length. 
 By wondrous feats of agility and valour, Cuchulainn slew this 
 hero, and carried off his head to Emain Macha. Meanwhile the 
 Ultonians, with Conchobar, had gone to feast with Conall, son 
 of Gleo Glas, to Dun Colptha in Cualgne. When passing 
 through Glen Rige, Garb came forth, and slew fifty heroes of 
 the rearguard of the cavalcade. Cuchulainn followed Concho- 
 bar's party to Cualgne, passed through Glen Rige, and saw the 
 slaughter which the two-headed Garb had made. He fights 
 and conquers him, cuts off his two heads, and carries them, with 
 that of Goll, to Cualgne. The version in L.L. (pp. 107b-lllb),
 
 MS. XL] LEGEND AND LORE 155 
 
 with variants from our version, translation and notes, was 
 printed by Stokes in Rev. Celt, vol. xiv. p. 396, et seq. Cf. also 
 Jub., p. 25. 
 
 (2) Tain bo Fraich, 'The Cattle-spoil of Fraoch,' son of 
 Fidach, a great hero and chief of the Gamhanraidh. Variant 
 versions are found in L.L. (pp. 248a-252b); Y.B.L. (pp. 55b-60a); 
 Eg. 1782 (Brit. Mus.), fols. 82b-87b. O'Beirne Crowe printed 
 the L.L. version in R.LA., Ir. MS. Series, in 1870; Dr. Kimo 
 Meyer the Eg. version, with variants from L.L., Y.B.L., and our 
 version in Zeit. fur Celt. Phil. iv. pp. 32-47 ; and Mr. A. O. 
 Anderson this text, with translation and notes, in Ptev. Celt. 
 vol. xxiv. pp. 128-154. Jub. (p. 217) mentions a riiodern copy 
 in T. C. D., H. 1. 13, p. 349. Popular versions of the Tale have 
 been found in the Scottish Highlands in prose and verse, framed 
 upon one of the incidents in the old Saga, — that in which Oilill 
 sends Fraoch to fetch the berries of the rowan tree. In the 
 modern ballad it is Meave, through jealousy, that sends him. 
 The rowan tree is guarded by a monster. In the old version 
 Fraoch kills the monster; in the ballad both perish, v. L.F., 
 pp. 29-33. Jerome Stone took down the ballad with others in 
 Perthshire, and sent a rhymed paraphrase of it in English to the 
 Scots Magazine, where it was printed under the title of ' Albion 
 and the daughter of Mey,' in January 1756. This version of 
 the ballad, with Stone's paraphrase and a literal transla- 
 tion, is given in Rep. on Oss., App. vii. pp. 99-117. Stone's 
 MS. is now in the Library of the University of Edinburgh. The 
 Heroic Ballads, with an account of the MS. and the Collector, 
 are printed in vol. xiv. p. 314 et seq. of the Trans, of the Gaelic 
 Sac. of Inverness. 
 
 The fourth layer of the MS. (pp. 49-68) contains the only 
 complete copy of the Mesce or BaetJirem Ulad, ' The Intoxica- 
 tion ' or ' Wild March of the Ulstermen,' known to exist. The 
 late Mr. Hennessy edited the first part of this legend from L.L., 
 pp. 26lb-268b, and the conclusion of it from L.U., pp. 19a-20b, 
 with translation and notes, and this edition was printed in the 
 Todd Lecture Series, vol. i. (Dublin, 1889). Our MS., which was 
 not known to Mr. H., supplies the gap between these two MSS., 
 and gives variant readings of value in addition. Our text opens 
 somewhat differently from L.L. but concludes as in L.U. It is
 
 15G CATALOGUE OF GAETJC MANUSCRIPTS [MS. XL 
 
 docqueted: Gonad e, haot{h)rem Ulad co Temuir Luachra 
 conuige sin. Finid. Amen. Ocus a Minaird do {s)gribneadh 
 7 do he aos an tigerna an tan sin .viii. bliadna .xxx. 7 .v.c. 7 
 mile hliadan Mksh sfb {n)chh mhc gJdl crJcst mice fpfn ( = Misi 
 Seancha mac G'dlcrUt mic eoen), ' This is the wild march of the 
 Ulstermen to T. L. thus far. The end. Amen. And in Minaird 
 it was written, and the year of the Lord at that time was 1588. 
 I am Sea(n)cha son of Gilchrist son of John.' E. M'L. made a 
 transcript of this copy (0 Leahhar Bian an FMidh, ' from the 
 Deerskin Book ') in L.C, pp. 22'i-248. The last page (G8) is for 
 the greater part illegible. The legend, in abstract, runs : In 
 Conchobar's reign Ulster was in three divisions, — one under C. 
 himself, one under Cuchulainn, and one under Fintan of Dun- 
 da-bend. Conchobar's councillors pursuaded Cuchulainn and 
 Fintan to resign their provinces in his favour for a year. There- 
 after Cuchulainn and Fintan invited the king and nobles to 
 a feast, and unfortunately on the same day. There was fierce 
 contention as to which invitation should be accepted, and 
 ultimately it was arranged to accept both, — to spend the first 
 half of the night with Fintan, and the second half with Cuchu- 
 lainn. Cuchulainn sends Laeg to watch the stars for the exact 
 hour of midnight. By this time the company were intoxicated. 
 They start, however, for Cuchulainn's castle. The route is de- 
 scribed in detail, and the names are of value for the old 
 topography of the country. But now the revellers find that 
 they have lost their way. They are no longer even in Ulster. 
 Cuchulainn is able to fix their position. The night turns out 
 very wild, and to attempt to find their way to Dun Dealgain, 
 Cuchulainn's abode, is hopeless. So they make for Teamair 
 Luachra, the seat of Curoi mac Dairi, with Cuchulainn as 
 guide. Ailill and Meave of Cruachan were on a visit to Curoi 
 at the time, and the ever wary queen had a watch set. When 
 it became known that the Ulstermen had arrived, she and 
 Curoi resolved to trap them. Ailill with his seven sons, on the 
 other hand, took the part of the Ultonians. Mainly through 
 the prowess and agility of Cuchulainn, with the assistance of 
 Ailill, the Ulstermen were able to deliver themselves from the 
 toils of their enemies, and in the general fight which followed 
 they were victorious. They destroyed Temair Luachra and
 
 MS. XLV] LEGEND AND LORE 157 
 
 returned to Dun Dealgain, where they feasted for forty days. 
 Ailill paid them a friendly visit {ceilidh) and he and his sons 
 were loaded with presents, — hai iarum Conchohur iarsin con 
 coscrad a rige imbi an gein do bed a m-bethaigh, ' and Con- 
 chobar was thereafter without destruction of his sovereignty as 
 long as he lived.' 
 
 The fifth and last layer of the MS. (pp. 69-76) opens with the 
 short Tale known as Gennadh an Ruanado, ' The Bargain or 
 Purchase of the Champion ' (pp. 69-72). It forms an episode 
 in the Fled Bricrend, and is printed by Windisch from L.U. 
 with variants from Eg. 93 (Brit. Mus.) in Irische Texte init 
 Worterbuch, pp. 301-303. L.U. is defective, and Eg. is in part 
 illegible, as is also a version in a Leyden MS. (v. Celt. Mag. 
 vol. xii. p. 215). Our version is complete. A full abstract is 
 given of this short Tale by Dr. Meyer in Celt. Mag., vol. xii. 
 pp. 215-218, while the text with translation is printed by the 
 same scholar in Rev. Celt., vol. xiv. pp. 450-459. E. M'L., in his 
 Analysis of this MS., says of these pages that ' no sense can be 
 collected from their legible remains.' The orthography, it must 
 be allowed, is rather uncommon. 
 
 MS. XLII {v. supra, p. 120) 
 
 On fols. 12a- 14a is a copy of the DindsJienchas in verse, as 
 in MS. XIX (v. supra, p. 137). This copy like the former 
 one is defective at the beginning, but complete at the end. In 
 so far as the text of the two is common and legible, they agree 
 pretty closely. Fol. 19, which is detached and not very legible, 
 seems a fragment on the same subject. 
 
 MS. XLV— Highland Society. J. M'Kenzie, No. 9 
 
 The MS. consists of six leaves of parchment, large 4to (11 in. 
 by 7^). It is written in two columns, in a good plain hand, pro- 
 bably of the fifteenth century. There is not a note to indicate 
 transcriber or date. The subject is the Death of Cuchulainn. 
 The text begins : ar in faiti J doronad comairle les j isi
 
 158 CATALOGUE OF OAELIC MANUSCKIPT8 [MS. XLV 
 
 comuirle, etc., 'on the t^^reen, and they took counsel together, 
 and what [they] resolved on was,' etc., — i.e.. when Corichobar's 
 messengers reached ( ■iichulaiini at Dim Dealgaiu. The last 
 page is only in small part legible, but it does not carry the 
 narrative so far as MS. XXXVIII does. In E. M'L.'s transcript 
 of the copy in MS. XXXVIII a blank in that MS. is filled in 
 (in a different hand) from this MS. 
 
 MS. XLVIII (v. supra, pp. 98, 124) 
 
 Among the miscellaneous contents of this MS. are copies of 
 the following heroic ballads : — 
 
 Fol. 2b. Soiridh soir go h-Albain uaim. 
 
 6a. Goll mear onilenta. 
 
 „ 21a. Gnoc anair an cnoc-sa siar. 
 
 „ 23a. Be la gus an de (o) nacJi faca me Fionn. 
 
 They are printed in Rel. Celt, vol i. pp. 119, 124, 137, 139. 
 
 MS. LIII— Highland Society, Glenmasan MS. 
 
 This valuable MS. consists of twenty-seven leaves of parch- 
 ment, large 4to. It was sent to the Highland Society by 
 Lord Bannatyne, who himself received it from the Rev. John 
 Mackinnon of Glendaruel. It formed at one time, Mr. Mackinnon 
 was told, part of the Kilbride Collection. The MS. is so far 
 described and quoted from by Dr. Donald Smith (v. Rep. on Oss., 
 pp. 283, 297-298). The first and last leaves form the cover, upon 
 the back of which a strip of brown paper is pasted. The MS. is 
 written in double colunm, in a good clear hand. The third leaf 
 is misplaced in binding — it should be the fifth — and there is at 
 least two leaves (perhaps three) awanting between the fifth and 
 third (as now bound). After the third (properly the fifth) leaf 
 the MS. reads continuously. But unfortunately it is not always 
 legible. The lower corner of fol. 7 is cut away, and a couple of 
 sentences are rendered unintelligible. Several passages on other 
 pages are quite illegible. 
 
 On fol. lb is written, in a larye, rouyh, modern hand, Gleann- 
 7nasain an Cuige la deug don . . . Mi . . . do hklian ar tsaorrse
 
 MS. LIII] LEGEND AND LORE lo9 
 
 Alile da Chead Trichid sa hocht. ' Glenmasan, the fifteenth day 
 of the . . . month ... of the year of our Redemption, one 
 thousand two hundred thirty and eight.' Seeing that he is so 
 particular as to the day of the month, the scribe is evidently 
 copying an older entry to the same effect. This MS. does not 
 date further back than 1500, but it may well be a copy of an 
 older one of date 1238. There are several notes on the margins 
 and blank spaces. Thus on fol. 9 is written, ' Robert Campbell 
 at Glensluan.' He probably was the Robert Campbell, forester 
 for Argyll in Cowal, who wrote in Gaelic a congratulatory ode to 
 Edward Lhuyd, which is printed in Arch. Brit. (Oxford, 1707). 
 A grandnephew of Robert Campbell, the Rev. William Campbell, 
 minister of Kilchrenan and Dalavich, was for a time owner of 
 the MS. (fol. 15a). The name of John M'Tavish appears two or 
 three times, and one of the entries (fol. 19a) runs: Leahhar 
 Echdra ata ami so ar a scriobha le Eoin Mc Tauis, ' This is a 
 Book of Adventures written by John M'Tavish.' The entry is 
 written much later than the body of the MS. but it probably 
 records a tradition that a John M'Tavish was the scribe. 'James 
 M'Intyre his book,' with ' his book ' deleted, appears on another 
 page. He no doubt was James M'Intyre of Glenoe, a well-known 
 Gaelic scholar of the late eighteenth century. Of him it is said 
 that he showed this MS. to the Rev. William SliaAv, when that 
 sfentleman ' turned it about several times, and at last fixed his 
 eyes upon it, with the wrong end of it up.' 
 
 The subject, which occupies the whole of the MS., is con- 
 nected with the Tale of the Sons of Uisneach and Deirdre, but 
 is by no means confined to that Tragedy. With the exception 
 of the gap above mentioned, the text here is continuous. The 
 large and elaborate capital at the beginning indicates the 
 commencement of the Tale, while the usual docquet Finit 
 shows its conclusion. Naoise and Deirdre, with their party, 
 managed to escape from the pursuit of Conchobar and to 
 cross over to Alba. Our Saga opens with a great feast given 
 by the king to the nobles and poets of Ulster, at which pro- 
 posals were made for the recall of the sons of Uisneach, under 
 suitable guarantees for their safety. Conchobar first asked Conall 
 Cearnach to undertake this mission, but that hero declined. He 
 then approached Cuchulainn, — -he also refused. The king then
 
 160 CATALOGUE OF GAELIC MANUSCRIPTS [MS. LIII 
 
 sounded Fergus MucUoich, who consented. Elsewhere we are 
 told that C'oniiac Conloingcs son of Concliobar, and Du'bthach 
 Dae^^e/j/ya, 'chafer-tongue,' became joint guarantors with Fergus 
 for the safety of the exiles. Fergus with his two sons came 
 across to Scothmd and found the hidy and the heroes on the 
 shores of Loch Eitchi (Etive). Despite the protestations and 
 forebodings of Deirdrc, the party return to Ireland As soon as 
 tliey laud, Fergus is treacherously separated from them, and 
 they go forward with Fergus's two sons to Emain Macha. One 
 of Fergus's sons, Buinne Borb Ruadh, turns traitor; but the 
 other, Illann Finn, remains loyal to Naoise's party. A fight 
 ensues, in which Tllann Finn is slain under misapprehension by 
 Conall Cearnach. 
 
 At this point comes the gap in our MS. From other versions 
 we learn that the sons of Uisneach, after an heroic defence, were 
 eventually slain ; and that Deirdre was carried to Conchobar's 
 palace, where she pined away, until at length, stung by a brutal 
 insult, she dashed her head against a rock, and was killed. Also 
 that Fergus, on his arrival in Emain, finding his guarantee of 
 safe conduct violated, the sons of Uisneach and his own son 
 slain, and Deirdre in captivity, collected a party, afterwards 
 known as the Dnhloinges, ' black exile,' of three thousand (in 
 some accounts fifteen hundred) men, and fought against Con- 
 chobar and his abettors, when three hundred Ulstermcn Avere 
 slain. The Dubloinges were compelled, however, to retire from 
 Emain, but for sixteen years they ravaged the district so furiously 
 that during that time Ulster was not for a single night without 
 wail and terror {gol 7 critk). 
 
 When our text resumes, offers of peace were made on behalf 
 of Conchobar, but the negotiations came to nought. Fergus 
 with the chiefs of the Duhloinges, (Jormac, Dubthach, the poet 
 Bricne and others, took service with Meave of Connaught, and 
 the raiding to Ulster was continued. Fergus led for the most 
 part a life of inglorious ease at Cruachan. Queen Meave was an 
 indulgent hostess. His restless coimsellor Bricne obtained leave 
 to make an excursion westwards to the land of the Gamhanraidh, 
 ' stirk-folk,' a powerful people who occupied the west and north- 
 west of Ireland in a sort of semi-dependence on Connaught. 
 The poet soon returned to Cruachan, laden with presents. He
 
 MS. LIII] LEGEND AND LORE 161 
 
 head wonderful stories to tell of the greatness and power of the 
 Ganihanraidh ; of the magnificence of Dun-atha-fen, the palace 
 of Oilill Finn, ' Oilill the Fair,' son and heir of Doiiuiall Dual- 
 buidhe, ' Donald Yellowlocks,' king of the Gamhanraidh ; of the 
 great beauty of Flidais, Oilill's wife ; of her love for Fergus : 
 and of her wonderful cow, the Mael-flidaise ' the hummel [cow] 
 of Flidais.' 
 
 Fergus, inflamed by these tidings, resolves to go West and 
 carry Flidais away. Bricne, in his cups, betrays his master's 
 intention to Oilill. A great fight follows, in which Fergus and 
 his men have the worst of it. Fergus himself is captured, and 
 subjected to great indignities. Bricne escaped, and with all 
 speed made for Cruachan. The hosts of the other provinces were 
 there at the time prepared to march against Ulster, and to carry 
 away the famous Donn (brown bull) of Cualnge. Meave per- 
 suades the leaders to join her in an expedition to the West to 
 rescue Fergus. By bribes and flattery she managed to detach 
 the heroes of the Gamhanraidh from Oilill Finn, while the latter 
 foolishly allowed Fergus to join his friends. In the fight that 
 followed Oilill was slain. 
 
 The Irish hosts immediately departed for Cruachan, carrying 
 Flidais, her cow, and immense booty away with them. And now 
 the whole force of the Gamhanraidh under Donald Yellowlocks, 
 the king, and Muiredach Menu, ' Stutterer,' son of Oilill Finn, 
 set off in pursuit to rescue Flidais, They inflict heavy losses on 
 the retreating foe, but in a fight the old king of the Gamhan- 
 raidh is slain by Fergus. Still the pursuit continues, and eventu- 
 ally Muiredach Menn by a coiq^ rescues Flidais and her cow. 
 The pursuit then ceases. The Irish hosts proceed to Cruachan. 
 The Gamhanraidh return to their own country. They place 
 Muiredach Menn on his grandfather's throne. Queen Flidais 
 dwells with him for a season. Thereafter, with her cow, she 
 retired to Loch Letriach, ' to hide her secret, and never was 
 heard of more.' 
 
 The Saga is written in spirited prose, with many fine lays 
 and three vigorous Retorics interspersed. It throws light 
 upon the life of a people, — the Gamhanraidh, of whom was 
 Fer-diad, Fraech son of Fidach, and others who ruled in the 
 west and north-west of Ireland during the Cuchulainn period. 
 
 L
 
 162 CATALOGUE OF GAELIC MANUSCRIPTS [MS. LIII 
 
 A copy of II portion of this Tale is found in Y. B. L. (pp. 331-400), 
 otherwise, so far as known to me, ours is the only one pre- 
 served. In addition to the Lay in which iJeirdre bids farewell 
 to Alba, printed in Oss. Rep., p. 298, Dr. Stokes printed the first 
 four leaves of our MS. (fols. 1, 2, 4, 5 as bound), with translation 
 and notes, in Irische Texte, vol. ii. pp. 122-142 (Leipzig, 1887). 
 Dr. Cameron transcribed the same leaves, and this transcript is 
 printed, without translation, in Rel. Gelt, vol. ii. 464-474. Ewen 
 M'J^achlan read the whole MS. and made a transcript of it, 
 which is preserved in L.C. Recently the whole MS., in so far 
 as legible, has been printed, with translation and notes, in the 
 Celtic Review, vols, i.-iv. 
 
 MS. LIV (v. supra, p. 100) 
 
 The MS. contains the following heroic poems, written as a 
 rule very carelessly : — 
 
 Pp. 3a-l7a: Coabhagal (leg. comhagallamh) Phadruig is 
 Oisin, seventy-seven quatrains, beginning : 
 Oisin isfadadh do shuain. 
 V. O'Gr. Cat., pp. 631, 652. 
 
 Pp. 19-22. Lidhe (laoidh) an Tiiirc Ghlana Sgail, nineteen 
 quatrains, commencing : 
 
 An clon {cuwiline) lat an le (la) ud Fhinn ? 
 
 Pp. 22-31. Sthelig (leg. sealg) shliohh Guillnig, fifty-four 
 quatrains, first line : 
 
 A Phadruig, in g-coula (cuala) ho an telg (t-sealg). 
 
 V. O'G. Cat., pp. 574, 591, 601. 
 
 Pp. 32-34. Lidhe (laoidh) an arrachta hhinga cuib (beinne 
 cailce in O'Gr. Cat., p. 629), fifteen quatrains, beginning : 
 
 IShelig a chomorne (chomoradh) re (le) Fionn. 
 
 Pp. 34-41. Tarrngaireachd inhic Cunihaill ar Eirinn do 
 reir Oisin, forty-six quatrains, first line : 
 A Oisin, iomradhsi linn. 
 
 (Padruig, Oisin, and Fionn take part in the dialogue). Cf. 
 O'Gr. Cat., p. 656. 
 
 A Oisin, in raidhi rinn ?
 
 MS. LV] LEGEND AND LORE 163 
 
 Pp. 60-63. Laoidh mhna an hhruit, twenty-one quatrains, 
 
 beginning : 
 
 La da n-decha Fionn ag {a dh') ol. 
 
 Pp. 63-64. Five quatrains, headed Oisin ut dixit, and 
 
 beginning : 
 
 Atafaoi thonnaibh na ttoun. 
 
 (cf. O'Gr. Cat., p. 652 ; L.F., p. 139), enumerate deich cced uinge 
 derg oir and other treasures of the Feinn, now concealed under 
 rock and gravel beneath the waves. 
 
 Pp. 64-76. A long poem of eighty-two quatrains, headed 
 Oisin is Caoilte cc, begins : 
 
 An cuimin, a Oisin fheill : Ar thurus go Teamair treain? 
 ' Rememberest thou, generous Ossian, our journey to mighty Tara?' 
 
 MS. LV {v. supra, pp. 101, 128) 
 
 The MS. contains several modern Tales or Romances, with 
 copies of two or three well-known Ossianic Ballads. 
 
 1. (pp. 5-67). Each{tra) Cloinne Tomas, 'The history of the 
 Clan Thomas.' A wealthy widower of the Clan, by name 
 Mn^rcliadh Maoltuascertach, sends envoys to a nobleman, 
 Magnus 0' Madagan, asking his daughter in marriage. O'M's 
 druids object to the alliance, the bridegroom's ancestry were 
 geinte ifriandha, ' hellish heathens,' and ever opposed the 
 nobility. But the bride's mother favoured the match, and she 
 had her way. There was a great feast in the bridegroom's 
 house, and a great quarrel. Murchadh makes the peace, dis- 
 misses the members of the Clan Thomas present in a formal 
 speech full of sage advice. The Clan for many years followed 
 Murchadh's counsels, and prospered in their bondage. 
 
 In Henry viii. and Elizabeth's time they became troublesome, 
 and the local king summoned a Council to deal with the matter. 
 The Clan Thomas were blamed for raiding beyond their proper 
 territories ; for not rendering due services to their superiors ; 
 and for providing a superior education for their children. The 
 Council issued a proclamation, ordering that the Clan resume 
 their subject condition, and that the education of their children 
 be limited to instruction in the elements of the Christian faith.
 
 1G4 CATALOGUE OF GAELIC MANUSCRIPTS [MS. LV 
 
 But tho vi'^oroiis (Jlaii Thoiuas still assert themselves. In a 
 certain year the fields of Cashcl were under wheat. The crop 
 was excellent, but when it was ripe, reapers could not be got. 
 A substantial and sagacious member of tho Clan Thomas had a 
 beautiful daughter, and he suggested that it should be made 
 known that her hand would be the reward of the best reaper on 
 the fields of Cashel. From all Ireland reapers trooped to Cashel. 
 A row got up at meal-time which developed into a general fight 
 between Munster and Leinster on the one side, and Ulster and 
 Connaught on the other. It was eventually adjudged that 
 Cathal O'Croinicinn was the best reaper and the best fighter, 
 and he carried off his bride to Sligo. 
 
 The Thomases flourished under King James. Thereafter 
 bad times came. There was war between O'Neill and Mac- 
 gruder. Land was dear, and the Clan Thomas were be- 
 coming extravagant. A ' Parliament ' was summoned in 1622 
 to consider the situation. The first meeting broke up in con- 
 fusion. At the next, arrangements were made for preserving 
 order in debate, but the session ended in a scrimmage, caused 
 by the sharp tongues of two women. At the third assembly laws 
 were passed about turnips, surnames, and forbidding the use of 
 tobacco. At this stage an English-speaking tobacconist appears, 
 and a member who professes a knowledge of English is deputed 
 to converse with him. The composition ends with samples of 
 the talk of the two, in mixed Gaelic and English. The docquet, 
 dated May 16, 1738, makes Maurice son of David (the) Black, 
 the author, and John MacCiar or ' Short ' of Clochar, in the east 
 of Tirowen, the scribe. 
 
 2. The next Tale (pp. 85-210), written by the same scribe in 
 the same year, is entitled Sdair aobhinn Eumdnd Ui Cleirigh do 
 reir Sean Ui Neachtain, ' The entertaining History of Edmund 
 O'CIeary, by John O'Naughtan.' It was transcribed by E. 
 M'Lachlan, with the view to print it. The writer has some know- 
 ledge of Greek and Roman Mythology. As in the former Tale, 
 English is made use of now and again. There is a gap in the 
 MS. between pp. 157-177. This Tale, with notices of the author, 
 is printed in the Gaelic Journal (Dublin), vols. iii. and iv. 
 
 3. Pp. 217-266. Gath lisin ui Dunagan, 'The fight on 
 Liosan' (little lios, ' fort,' ' enclosed field,' 'garden') ' O'Dunagan.'
 
 MS. LV] LEGEND AND LORE 165 
 
 A braggart couple arrange to fight at a place and time agreed on. 
 One of the party is of the Clan Thomas. A formal challenge 
 (salens) is sent by the aggrieved party. But neither combatant 
 is too anxious for the fray. There is considerable humour shown 
 in the description of the heroes, and English influence is manifest 
 throughout. There is a gap in the MS., so that the Tale breaks 
 ofip abruptly, but the conclusion is near. On the last page there 
 is an ode in praise of tobacco. 
 
 4. Pp. 287-300. A copy, defective at the commencement, 
 owing to a gap in the MS., of the Tale formerly mentioned 
 (v. supra, p. 146), written by Sean Mac Clear, October 31, 1738. 
 On the top of the pages is Cearn ui Doinhnall, and at the end 
 Sgel an Cern caoil riabhaich .1 Cern ui Donihnaill. The hero 
 describes himself now as Cathal O'Cein, again as Gille deacair. 
 He was born at Oileach na righ, ' royal Aileach '; he was a night 
 in Islay, a night in Kintyre, a night in Man, etc. This shows 
 confusion of two Tales on the part of the reciter. The Ceath- 
 arnach caol riahhach, ' Kern in the narrow stripes,' or the ' Slim, 
 swarthy Kern,' and the ' Pursuit of the Gille Deacair,' ' The Lad 
 difficult (to catch),' are two different Tales. They are both 
 printed in Bilv. Gael, vol. i. pp. 257-289. 
 
 The following are the heroic Ballads in our MS. : — 
 Pp. 301-311. Laoi an Deirg cc., fifty-four quatrains, be- 
 ginning : 
 
 Inneosad cathrem anflnr mhoir. 
 
 Cf. su2)ra,-p. 145; O'G. Cat., pp. 592, 599, 626, 631, 636, 644; 
 L.F., p. 107 + , etc. 
 
 Pp. 312-326. A Chleirigh chanas na psaitm, forty-nine 
 quatrains. This is commonly known as Laoidh MJtanuis, ' The 
 Lay of Magnus.' Cf. O'Gr. Cat., pp. 599, 655 ; L.F., p. 71 + . 
 
 Pp. 326-335. Duan bheann gualann sonn, eighty -six 
 quatrains beginning : 
 
 Dubhach sinn, a Bhenn Ghualann. 
 
 The Lay contains many fine quatrains. Cf. a Lay in O'Gr. 
 Cat., p. 644, beginning : 
 
 A bheinn Bhoilbhin, dubhach anni. 
 ' Benbulbin, dismal art thou this day.'
 
 166 CATALOGUE OF GAELIC MANUSCRIPTS |MS. LVI 
 
 MS. LVI (v. supra, p. 101) 
 
 The MS. is of paper, <S in. by 6, and withont a cover. As at 
 present bound, the first layer, pp. 'i87-8(J2, come.s second. The 
 second layer (which now stands first) is paged 869-459, but 
 ' 409 ' is written in error for ' 400.' Apart from two religious 
 fragments (v. suprd, p. 101), the contents consist of four Tales. 
 There are also the following notes. At the foot of p. 409 (400), 
 in English is ' W'" Reidy of Lio(s)matigue in Parish of New- 
 markett, Borreny of Knocktopher, Count}^ of Kilkenny, Provence 
 of Linster and Kingdom of Ireland.' On p. 4.59, in English hand, 
 Finis. Pro Lectore Lector oret. On the last page (362) are the 
 initials ' J. C, ' J. P.' ; the contents of the MS. (in E. M'Lachlan's 
 handwriting) ; and ' N°. III., Patrick Turner.' The Tales are 
 written in a large, firm hand, not always uniform, but evidently 
 the same, of (one should say) the latter half of the seventeenth or 
 of the early eighteenth century. Ewen M'Lachlan (MS. LXXXII, 
 p. 67) thinks the transcript may not be older than the latter 
 half of the eighteenth century. Omissions in the text are 
 written over the line, but more frequently on the margins. 
 E. M'Lachlan read and analysed (MS. LXXXII, p. 39 + ) the MS. 
 carefully, and transcribed the Tale of the Sons of Uisneach 
 (L. C, pp. 119-131). 
 
 Taking the Tales in their order, as the MS. is now bound, 
 they are as follows : — 
 
 1. Pp. 369-398. Oiglieadh Chlainne Tuireann no an treas 
 truagh do ihri truagh na Sgealuiglieaclda sonn, ' The Tragedy 
 of the sons of T. or the third Sorrow of the Sorrows of Story- 
 telling here.' The Tale is placed in what is called the Mytho- 
 logical Cycle of Gaelic Romance, the other two Cycles being 
 known as the Cuchalainn Cycle, and the Finn or Ossianic Cycle. 
 Cia7i, the father of Lug mac Eithlenn, otherwise Ltig Lamhfhada, 
 ' L. Longhand,' the famous king of the Tuatha De Danann, was 
 murdered by the three sons of Tuiriu or Tuirenn. Lug 
 imposed an eric or ransom upon the youths for the murder of 
 his father. He demanded that they should bring him from 
 foreign parts certain articles, so difficult to obtain that the 
 king was certain the effort would cost them their lives. The
 
 MS. LVI] LEGEND AND LORE 167 
 
 youths, however, after years of toil and suffering, returned to 
 Ireland with Lug's demands. But they were so worn out that 
 they expired after landing. Among the articles brought to 
 Ireland by the sons of Tuirenn was the spear of the King of 
 Persia, which came down to Celtchair mac Uithir, a hero of 
 the Cuchulainn period, and was known as Luin Cheltchair 
 (v. O'C. Mann, and Cust., vol. ii. p. 325). As we have it now, the 
 Tale opens with the following incident : King Nuadu (whence 
 Magh Nuadat, now Maynooth or the Plain of Nuadu) had only 
 one hand, and his doorkeeper only one eye. Two famous doctors 
 came to the castle and fitted the king with a silver hand, 
 whence he was known as N. Airgiod-Ldmli, ' N. of the Silver- 
 hand.' They put a cat's eye in the doorkeeper's head, and the 
 romancist gravely tells of the official's troubles with his new 
 organ : When everything was quiet, and the doorkeeper wished 
 for needed rest, the cat's eye was provokingl}^ awake, starting 
 ' at the squeaking of the mice, the Hying of the birds, and the 
 movement of the reeds ' ; but when the official was marshalling 
 a pageant and required to be specially alert, at such times the 
 cat's eye ' would be in deep repose and sleep.' For other versions 
 of the Tale, v. Jub., p. 9. The Saga was printed, with transla- 
 tion, by O'C. in Atlantis, vol. iv. (reprinted in Gaelic Journal, 
 Dublin, vol. ii. pp. 33-50); and by the Society for the Preservation 
 of the Irish Language, with translation, vocabulary and notes, by 
 Mr. R. J. O'Duffy (Dublin, Gill and Son, 1888). An English 
 version of the same Tale is given in Joyce's Old Celtic Romances 
 (Dublin, Gill and Son, 1879). The MSS. in which the Tale is 
 preserved are modern, this being probably older than any cited 
 by Jub,, but references to the incidents on which it is founded 
 are met with in old writings. 
 
 2. Pp. 410-431. Oigheadh chloinne Lir no an dara truagh 
 do thri truagh na sgealuigheachta sonn, ' The Tragedy of the 
 children of Lear or the second Sorrow of the three Sorrows of 
 Story-telling here.' This also is a Tale of the Mythological 
 period. It is essentially a modern Saga, and may well be, as 
 Mr. A. Nutt has observed, the Gaelic version of the ' Seven Swans ' 
 marchen. It is not mentioned in the old literature, but there 
 are many copies in modern MSS. {v. Jub., p. 8), the oldest of 
 which, as yet known, is that in MS. XXXVIII {v. supra,
 
 1G8 CATALOGUE OF (I AELTC MANUSCRIPTS [MS. LVI 
 
 p. 152). O'C printed a vcr.sion with translation in AfUudis, iv., 
 which has recently been reprinted. A translation is also given 
 in Joyce's Old Celtic Roiminces. 
 
 After the battle of Toltown, where the Tuailui IM Danann 
 were defeated by the Milesians, the former met to elect a king. 
 Bove the Red was chosen, and all acquiesced except Lrar, one 
 of the candidates, who forthwith retired to his Sid. Shortly 
 afterwards Lear's wife died, and the king sent for him and gave 
 him his eldest daughter to wife. Three sons and a daughter 
 were born, when the mother died. Lear then married another 
 of the king's daughters, and all went well for a time. By 
 and by the stepmother became jealous of the affection lavished 
 upon the children by their father. She tried in vain to bribe 
 her servants to murder them ; when she attempted to kill 
 them herself ' her woman's weakness ' prevented her. At last 
 she wiled the children to bathe in Loch Dairhhreach (in West- 
 meath). While in the water the wicked stepmother by Druidic 
 power had them transformed into swans. In this guise they 
 were doomed to pass three hundred years on Loch Dairbh- 
 reacJi, three hundred in SrutJt na Maoile, as the wild belt of sea 
 between Kintyre and Antrim is called in Gaelic Literature, and 
 three hundred off Lorus Domnann (Erris in Mayo) and Innis 
 Ghiaire (Glora Isle) in the Western Sea. Their spells could not 
 be broken ' until the union of Largnen, a prince from the north, 
 with Decca, a princess of the south '; and, according to the Irish 
 version, ' until TalcJiend " adzehead " ' (a common epithet of 
 St. Patrick) ' shall come to Ireland, bringing the light of a pure 
 faith, and until ye hear the voice of the Christian bell.' 
 
 When the wicked woman's deed became known, her punish- 
 ment was swift and stern. Her father asked ' what shape of 
 all others on the earth or above the earth or under the earth 
 she most abhorred.' ' A demon of the air,' was the reply. ' A 
 demon of the air you shall be till the end of time,' said Bove 
 the Red, and so it was done. 
 
 Meanwhile the children of Lear dree their weird. Their 
 human reason and their Gaelic speech remained to them. 
 Their life on still Loch Dairhhreach was not unhappy. Tuatha 
 De and Milesians alike crowded the shore to hear their sweet, 
 plaintive music. But in Sruth na Maoile they suffered greatly.
 
 MS. LVI] LEGEND AND LORE 169 
 
 In one of the many Lays of the Tale, the sister, Fionnghiiala, 
 ' white shoulder ' to name, gives a spirited description of their 
 experiences : — 
 
 Olc a hheatha-sa; 
 Fuachd tia h-oidhche-say 
 Meud an t-sneachda-sa ; 
 Cruas na gaoithe-sa. 
 
 Do chuir leas-vihathair, 
 ainn' an ccathrar-sa, 
 A nochd 'saw dochar-sa : 
 Olc a' bheatha-sa. 
 
 ' Cruel this life, 
 The cold of this nioht, 
 The heavy fall of this snow, 
 The roar of this wind. 
 
 ' A stepmother has placed 
 Us four, this night, 
 In this sorrowful plight : 
 Cruel this life.' 
 
 On one occasion the enchanted ones are almost frozen to death 
 on Carraig-na-ron, ' Seal Rock,' possibly Eilean nan rbn, ' Seal 
 Island,' off the Island of Oronsay, a favourite resort of seals still. 
 
 The three hundred years passed in the Western Ocean round 
 Glora Isle are but a repetition of the sufferings inSmth naMaoile. 
 At length St. Kevoc (Caomhag) comes ; the wanderers hear the 
 sound of the Christian bell, and their long sentence comes to 
 an end. King Largnen rashly attempts to take the birds away 
 from the Saint's protection. Their spells are now broken ; they 
 receive Christian baptism and die. According to our version, 
 St. Kevoc curses Largnen pretty vigorously for his interference ; 
 buries the children of Lear in one grave; sings their death-song; 
 performs their funeral rites ; raises their tomb ; and writes their 
 names in Ogham, 
 
 3. Pp. 432-459. Oidheadh Chloinne h- Uisneacli sonn, no an 
 treas thruagh do thri truagh na Sgealuigheachta, ' The Tragedy 
 of the children of Uisnech here, or the third Sorrow of the 
 three Sorrows of Story-telling.' This is the oldest and the best 
 known of the three ' Sorrowful Tales.' In the old literature it 
 is frequently alluded to. It is one of the priinscela or ' Chief 
 Tales ' which a poet was bound to know. Versions are found in
 
 170 CATALOGUE OF GAELIC MANUSCRIPTS [MS. LVI 
 
 L.L., Y. B. L. Eg. 17cS2 (Brit. Mus.), Ediu. Liii., and many 
 modern MSS., for a list of which see Jub., pp. 10-13. The Saga 
 and the Lays found in it used to be recited and sung of winter 
 nights in Ireland and Scotland. A popular version was taken 
 down from recitation by Dr. Carmichael in Barra in 18G7. The 
 Tale has been several times printed. Windisch (/r. Texte mit 
 Wort. p. 67 + ) printed the text of L.L. with variants from 
 Y.B.L. and Eg. 1782. O'C. printed the Y.B.L. version, with 
 translation, in Atlantis, vol. iii. Stokes printed with translation 
 and notes the version in MS. LIII, Avith the beginning and end 
 of the Tale from this MS. and variants from a Dublin MS., in 
 Irische Texte, vol. ii. (2), Leipzig, 1887. The same texts are found 
 in Rel. Celt., vol. ii. pp. 422 + , 464 + . A version is given in 
 Keating's History of Ireland, and two others by O'Flanagan in 
 Trans, of Soc. of Dublin (1808). The Gael. Journ. (Dublin) 
 reprinted in vols. i. and ii. Windisch, O'Curry, and O'Flanagan's 
 versions. Dr. Carmichael's popular version appeared in the 
 Trans, of the Gaelic Soc. of Inverness, vol. xiii., and has been 
 since reprinted (Edin., N. Macleod). Lays connected with the 
 Tale are found in Rep. on Oss., p. 298 ; W. H. T, vol. iv. ; L. F., 
 p. 19 + ; UUonian Hero-Ballads (Sinclair, Glasgow, 1892) p. 34 + ; 
 Rel. Celt, vol. i. p. 151 ; and in the older Collections of Gillies 
 (p. 260), A. and D. Stewart (p. 562), and H. and J. M'Callum 
 (p. 221), with others. 
 
 The subject of the Saga has more than once been handled in 
 English. Macpherson's Darthula is founded on the Tale. So is 
 D"". R. D. Joyce's Deirdre (Boston and Dublin). Sir Samuel 
 Ferguson (Poems: Dublin, 1880) has dramatised the story, and 
 Dr. Angus Smith in Loch Etive and the Sons of Uisnach (Mac- 
 millan, 1879) has also treated of the legend. 
 
 The Story in outline is as follows. A daughter of surpassing 
 beauty, named Deirdre, was born to Felim, the historian of 
 Conchobar. Cathbad, the wizard, foretold that she would be 
 the cause of untold woe to Ireland. All except the king wished 
 to slay the infant. Conchobar had her reared in seclusion. 
 No one was allowed access to her except her foster-father, her 
 foster-mother, and Lebarcham, a female satirist, who could not 
 be denied. When the maid grew up, instead of marrying the 
 king, she eloped with Naoise, the son of Uisneach. Conchobar
 
 MS. LVII] LEGEND AND LORE 171 
 
 pursued the couple and their party, but they managed to pass 
 over to Scothuid and escape. Overtures were made for their 
 recall, and eventually Fergus mac Roich went to Scotland, with 
 guarantee of safe conduct, to bring them back. They returned, 
 notwithstanding the fears and forebodings of Deirdre, to Emain 
 Macha. The sons of Uisneach and their friends were treacher- 
 ously murdered there, and the lady was brought to the king's 
 palace. But Deirdre moped and pined, and passed her time 
 singing her lays, recalling the delightful life in Alba with Naoise 
 and his brothers. At length, stung by a brutal jest of Con- 
 chobar's, she dashed her head against a rock and was killed. 
 Fergus, whose guarantee had been violated, headed a party 
 against the king and committed great havoc. Cathbad cursed 
 Emain Macha, and it was levelled to the ground. Fergus and 
 his friends withdrew to Connaught, from which they ravaged 
 Ulster for many years thereafter {v. supra, pp. 159, 160). 
 
 4. Pp. 337-360. Bruighion Eocliaidh hhe'ag clerg {leg. hhig 
 dheirg) sonn, ' The enchanted mansion of little red Eochu here.' 
 This is the only copy of this Saga in our collection. Five others 
 are mentioned by Jub. (p. 52). 
 
 At one of the great hunting expeditions of the Feinn, 
 Fionn was approached by a stranger dressed in the guise of a 
 nobleman of Spain. The unknown invited the Gaelic hero with 
 fifteen of his principal men to a feast, and by magical contriv- 
 ances he decoyed them to the Bruigliean of Eochu. He was a 
 chief of the Tuatha De Danann who had contrived schemes 
 for the destruction of the Feinn. Fionn and his companions 
 were attacked by monsters, giants, witches, as well as by the 
 warriors of the Tuatha Dd. The heroes all fought well, Conan 
 in particular excelling himself. But they were being over- 
 powered, when the battalions of Fionn timeously appeared and 
 gave battle to the Tuatha Be, who were soon vanquished. 
 
 MS. LVII — Highland Society. P. Turner, No. 4 
 
 The MS. consists of twenty-four leaves of paper, 7^ in. by 
 4^, unpaged. It is a sort of commonplace book, containing a 
 number of scraps picked up, one should say, for the greater part
 
 172 CATALOGUE OF GAELIC MANUSCRirTS [MS. LVII 
 
 in Ireland, and written in the English hand, with occasional 
 excursions into the (Jaclic liand. A docquet, partly illegible, 
 bears that the MS. (or the last entry) was written by ' Paru-igf 
 Ihtarnair, Coirj>lcir,' in . . . near Argyll in . . . the year 1801. 
 The following pieces belong to this chapter : — 
 
 1. Fols. l-6a. Laoidh an Deirg, sixty-one quatrains. First 
 
 line : 
 
 Insim caithriom anfhir mhoir. 
 
 (v. sii2?ra, pp. 145, 165), and L. F., p. 107 + • 
 
 2. Fols. lla-14a. Tuairisgeul Chath Gabhradh marfhuaradh 
 e san t-shean Ghailig Eirionnaich, ' An account of the Battle of 
 Gabhra, as it was found in old Irish Gaelic' (Reference is 
 made to O'Halloran's History of Ireland, p. 280.) Seventy 
 quatrains. Begins : 
 
 Innis sin, a Oisin, air h-eineach 's air h-iowjnadh. 
 
 Of. O'Gr. Cat., pp. 598, 636 ; L. F., p. 180 ; Rel. Celt, vol. i. pp. 56, 
 110, 283, 329. 
 
 3. Bits of Lore, — e.g. : 
 
 (1) Fol. 17b. The seven languages that originated at the 
 Tower (of Babel), — Hebrew, Latin, Gaelic, Greek, Arabian, 
 Chaldee, Assyrian. 
 
 (2) How Fionn's sister arranged her brother's men and those 
 of Dubhan. Fionn and Dubhan, each with fourteen men, were 
 at sea. Provisions failed, and it was arranged that the half of 
 the party should be thrown overboard in order to save the other 
 half — every ninth man as they stood to be selected. Fionn's 
 sister arranged them in such a way that Dubhan and his com- 
 panions were all drowned, while Fionn and his friends were all 
 saved. A version, entitled Aireamh inuinntir Fhinn agus 
 Dhubhain, ' The Reckoning of Fionn and Dubhan's men,' is 
 printed in A. and D. Stewart's Collection of Poems (Edin., 1804), 
 pp. 547-548. Cf also L. F., p. 86. 
 
 MS. LVIII {v. supra, pp. 102, 128) 
 
 On pp. 197-237 is a version of Cath Fionntragha, ' The Battle 
 of Ventry' (White Strand), dated 1733. A portion of another 
 copy is found in MS. LXI (infra). Cf. Cath Fionntragha or
 
 MS. LIX] LEGEND AND LORE 173 
 
 the ' Battle of Ventry,' printed, with translation, from Rawl. B, 
 487 (Bodl), by Dr. Kuno Meyer (Oxford, 1885). For other 
 versions of Cath Fionntragha, v. Jub., p. 67. For the Ballad 
 version, v. L. F., p. 137. 
 
 Pp. 243-264 contain the greater part of a version of Bruigh- 
 ean Chaorthuinn (v. supra, pp. 140, 152). This copy breaks off 
 abruptly on p. 264. Cf. L. F., p. 86. 
 
 Pp. 309-354, forming the last twenty-three leaves of the 
 MS., are practically undecipherable. Some of the writing on the 
 first ten can be read, especially towards the middle of the page. 
 The remainder is quite illegible. The subject is the Battle of 
 Magh Mucruimhe, as in MS. XXXVIII (v. suiwa, p. 151). 
 
 On the last page of the MS. is written, in modern hand : 
 ' This MS. is a part of Dr. Keating's History of Ireland, written 
 in the reign of Charles i. 
 
 ' N.B. This and the 21 leaves preceding contain the tale 
 of Art, the father of the celebrated Cormac, King of Ulster, 
 as may be deduced from the middle spaces of some of the fore- 
 going pages. J. M' H., No. 4.' 
 
 MS. LIX— Miscellaneous, No. 2 
 
 The MS. at present consists of fifty-five leaves of paper 7^ 
 in. by 5|, unpaged, and without a cover. The first thirty-seven 
 leaves were at one time detached, and are increasingly defective 
 at the outer edge. The hand is good, and about uniform 
 throughout. Capitals are plain, but well executed. The date 
 is the end of the seventeenth or beginning of the eighteenth 
 century. 
 
 Arithmetical sums are worked out on the first and last 
 leaves. Several notes appear at the foot of the pages. Thus 
 on p. 19 : ' Trocuire co faghha an t{e) scriobh sin .|. Ferfesa 
 Duihgennain. Amen.' ' May F. O'D. who wrote this obtain 
 merc}^ Amen.' On p. 22, the following jargon: Fuicearlan 
 mac Fice Faice Ficoice Fe Faice Faoi. Eog {an) mac Ghilleoin 
 . . . ' Hugh Maclean ' . . . appears on p. 27. On p. 44, OcA, ?^c•/^, 
 ach, a Oliuia, is aoihhinn duit, ' Alas and alas, glad you may 
 be, Olivia,' a phrase repeated several times on other pages in
 
 174 CATALOGUE OF GAELIC MANUSCRIPTS [MS. LIX 
 
 variety of form. Misi Mag Falii . . . do sgriohh, ' I, M. F. 
 wrote ' (the entry is deleted by rubbing) appears on p. 6'5. On 
 p. 108 are four eulogistic quatrains, in English, ' upon the death 
 of the most accomplished gentleman, Archibald, Laird of 
 
 Largie.' 
 
 The contents of the MS. proper are : 
 
 1. Pp. 1-26. A version of the battle of Ros-na-righ. The 
 text begins — Baoi Conchuhar mac Fachtna Fhathaigh, aird-righ 
 Uladh i merten meanman J onhor chumhadh re cen . . . ; and 
 ends, Conadh e Cath ros na riogh for hoinn conuig sin. Finis. 
 Jacobus Cahan scripsit. ' Conchobar, son of F. F., high king of 
 Ulster, was (for a long time) in distress of mind and great grief. 
 
 Thus far the battle of Ros-na-righ on the Boyne. The 
 end. James Cahan is the scribe.' Our text differs considerably 
 from the older version in L.L., as also from the modern version 
 printed with translation, preface and indices, by Father Hogan 
 (Todd Lecture Series, vol. iv.). For other versions, v. Jub., p. 81, 
 and cf. Introduction to L.L., p. 46. 
 
 2. Pp. 27-74 contain a version of the death of Cuchulainn as 
 in MSS. XXXVIII and XLV. This copy gives the beginning 
 as in MS. XXXVIII, but it breaks off abruptly at the point 
 where Laeg brings the hero mortally wounded to the stone 
 pillar and lays him down to die. 
 
 3. Pp. 75-107 are detached leaves, and not continuous in text. 
 They contain fragments of a modern version of the Tain bo 
 Cualgne. Since the disappearance of MS. XXXII, of Avhich 
 later, this is the only MS. in the Scottish Collection which 
 contains any part of the great Saga. Our sixteen leaves give 
 some 885 lines of text, commencing at line 1690 or thereabout 
 of Windisch's great edition of the Tain (Leipzig, 1905), and 
 continuing, with breaks, to the end. Our text, so far as it goes, 
 corresponds pretty closely with Windisch's. 
 
 MS. LXI— Miscellaneous, No. 4 
 
 The MS. contains twenty leaves of paper, 9 in. by 7. It is paged, 
 and written in one column in a round, rather small, hand of the 
 late eighteenth or early nineteenth century. The initial letter is 
 large and plain. There is no other capital letter, but spaces are
 
 MS. LXII] LEGEND AND LORE 175 
 
 left for such at the beginning of paragraphs. The orthography- 
 is somewhat pecuHar, due evidently to the ignorance of the 
 scribe. Apart from the name ' J. Nott ' and the numbers ' 19 ' 
 and '11,' there is no note or mark of any kind. 
 
 The subject is a portion of the 'Battle of Ventry.' As com- 
 pared with the copy in MS. LVIII (v. supra, p. 172) and that 
 printed by Dr. Meyer, this one is much more verbose. Cf. for 
 example the descriptions (pp. 1-3 of this version) of the King 
 of the World ; of Glas mac Dreguinn or Dreamhain \ of the 
 leaders of the expedition ; of the shijos, storm, etc. This copy 
 breaks off abruptly with the achievements of Duhhan tnac Cais, 
 — at about the 780th line of Dr. Meyer's text. 
 
 MS. LXII — Miscellaneous, No. 5 
 
 The MS. is a fragment of fifteen leaves of paper, 7| in. by 6. 
 Leaves which were written upon have been cut out at the be- 
 ginning and end, as also at p. 23. The pagination 1-30 shows 
 that the leaves were cut out before the MS. was paged. The 
 writing is partly in the English, but mostly in the Gaelic, hand. 
 The MS., hke MSS. LXIII and LXV, is bound endwise, and the 
 three seem to have been written in the same hand, — that of 
 the poet Alexander Macdonald. Several pages are wholly 
 blank, others partly so. The contents are miscellaneous, English 
 and Gaelic, prose and verse, and are printed entire in Rel. 
 Celt., vol. i. pp. 151-166. The following heroic poems and 
 lore are included : — 
 
 1. Pp. 1-3. A Lay of Deirdre, twenty-nine quatrains, 
 
 beginning : 
 
 Tri manuinn a hh'aig riogh hretann. 
 
 2. P. 23. Lay of Cuchulainn and Conlaoch, ten quatrains 
 First line : 
 
 Fithiod bliadhona bhetham soir a foghlum gaisgeadh om mhathair. 
 
 3. Pp. 23-24. Faighdoireckt amadan Emhna Mhacha, ' The 
 prophecy of the fools of Emain Macha,' four quatrains, beginning : 
 
 Tig don choill is gerruidh croinn is denuidh curacain. 
 
 4. Pp. 24-26. Laoidh an Tailleoir, 'The Tailor's Lay,' 
 twenty-six quatrains, beginning : 
 
 Dida rhiuiidh mi dhenamk aodidh do chlanna Baoisgn ann a n-Almuinn.
 
 176 CATALOaUI-: OF GAELIC MANUSCRIPTS [MS. LXII 
 
 For another version (from Irvine's MS.), v, L. F., pp. 201-202. 
 This is a modern composition, and is a clever parody upon the 
 old ballads. It will be observed that the Tailor passes from 
 rnchulaiiin's house in Dundealgain to Fionu's abode in Almu 
 without the least consciousness of anachronism. The two 
 cycles of Gaelic legend got mixed up in the Central Highlands 
 before James Macpherson's day. 
 
 5. Pp. 26-28. Eadar Oisin 7 Padruig, ' Between Ossian 
 and Patrick,' seventeen and a half quatrains, beginning : 
 
 Oisin gur fad in do s^iain, ein/h suas is eisd na sailm. 
 
 Cf. supra, p. 162. 
 
 6. P. 30. Laoi Dhiarmuid/T\\Q Lay of Diarmaid,' beginning : 
 
 dleyiv sioth an (jlenm rem tliaobh. 
 
 Cf L. F.,^. 157 + . 
 
 The Lay is here defective, the leaf following being cut out. 
 
 MS. LXV {v. sujjra, p. 104) 
 
 The following heroic pieces are in this MS. End A. 
 Pp. 12-13. (The Feinn and the Gruagach), twenty-three 
 quatrains. First line : 
 
 () ro qhruagach creiq na tulaigh. 
 
 Cf L. F, p. 61. 
 
 Ark a Ohruachan Chraig an Tullich. 
 
 Pp. 27-29. Catli Caphtharrus an so sios ' The Battle of 
 Gabhra here.' The poem is printed in Rel. Celt., vol. i. p. 110. 
 It begins : 
 
 Hilar do chualas turns Finn. 
 Cf. supra, p. 172, and L. F., p. 180 + . 
 
 Pp. 32-33. 
 
 La da n-rab Padraic na inur, clia sailm ar uigh ach ol. 
 Cf. L. F., p. 98. ' The best battle that the heroes ever fought.' 
 
 Latha bha Padraig na mhnir 
 Clia robh ISailm air nigh ach sgeul {ag ol). 
 Pp. 34-35. 
 
 La da n-rahlimar an Fian uile orfsa tulach Almuin. 
 Cf. Laoidh na h-ighinne, L. F, p. 137.
 
 CHAPTER V 
 
 Legal, Lexical, Grammatical 
 
 These three subjects are here taken together because they are 
 treated rather summarily in these MSS. and are otherwise 
 connected. 
 
 I. Law 
 
 Reference has already been made (v. supra, p. 14) to a few- 
 paragraphs in MS. II on the rights and responsibilities of the 
 physician, and to the defective Tract in MS. XL on the Law of 
 Sunday {supra, p. 95). The only other class whose privileges 
 are commented upon are the poets. There is not a copy of any 
 of the Law Treatises, properly so called, in these MSS. 
 
 MS. VII {v. supra, pp. 84, 112) 
 
 Fols. 6a-7a contain an account of the seven orders of poets, 
 their grades, rights, and privileges. Although here in a different 
 order, the contents of the paragraphs are practically the same as 
 in B.B. 338a, 1. 8— 343a, 1. 17. 
 
 On fol. 8a, b, are named three things which are said to be the 
 exclusive privilege of the ollain or chief poet. These are teiniiv 
 laegda, itnbas forosnai, and dicheadal do c[h]eannaih. Teinin 
 laegda is not satisfactorily explained. Professor Atkinson 
 (Glossary to Brehon Laws, s.v. teinm) suggests that the phrase 
 ' would mean something like incantation, and probably denoted 
 simply the recital of some metrical charm.' Imas forosnad or 
 himbas forosnai and dicheadal do cheannaih are described by 
 Cormac : Imhas forosnai, ' Knowledge that enlightens,' i.e. it dis- 
 covers everything which the poet likes and which he desires to 
 
 M
 
 178 CATALODUK OF GAELIC MANUSCIUPTS [MS. VII 
 
 inanifcst. Thus it is done. The poet chews a piece of the flesh 
 of a red pig, or of a doL,' or cat, and puts it afterwards on the 
 tlao' behind the door, and pronounces an incantation on it, and 
 otfers it to idol-gods, and afterwards calls his idols to him, and 
 then finds them not on the morrow, and pronounces incanta- 
 tions on his two palms, and calls again unto him his idol-gods 
 that his sleep may not be disturbed ; and he laj^s his two palms 
 on his two cheeks and (in this manner) he falls asleep ; and he 
 is Avatched in order that no one may interrupt (?) nor disturb 
 him till everything about which he is engaged is revealed to 
 him (which may be) a minute or two or three, or as long as he 
 was supposed to be at (the offering) ; et ideo imhas dicitur, i.e. 
 (his) two palms (boiss) upon {im) him, that is (one) palm over (?) 
 and another hither on his cheeks. Patrick abolished this and 
 the teinm laegda, and he adjudged that Avhoever should practise 
 them should have neither heaven nor earth, because it was 
 renouncing baptism. Dicetal dochennaib (extempore recital), 
 then, was left, to be composed in right of (their) art ; for this is 
 the cause : it is not necessary in it to make an offering to the 
 ■demons, but there is a revelation at once from the ends of (the 
 poet's) fingers.' (Cormac's Glossary, Translation, p. 94). 
 
 A note in our MS. adds that the poet (eicis) Maine was the 
 first to chant (can) the teinm laegda, Lugaid of Connaught the 
 first to practise the imhas forosnai, and Find Jtua Baiscne (the 
 great hero) the first to use the dicheadal do cheannaih. 
 
 The text thereafter gives the secJd comartadha dec droch- 
 ■thagra, ' seventeen marks of bad pleading,' with a few variations, 
 as in § 22 of the Instructions of Cormac (infra), and then 
 the secht comartadha dec deagta^gra, ' Seventeen marks of good 
 pleading.' Only nine of these latter are given, viz. : — dathagud 
 seel, scannrud hriatliar, hrodlach n-urlabra, ait/d inntlccJdach, 
 innsce fossaid, atkcur n-aineolais, imradad fis, fonts fegi, 
 fechemnus feig, when the text breaks off abruptly with the end 
 of the folio (cf. ' Todd Lecture Series,' vol. xv. pp. 40, 55). 
 
 II. Vocabularies 
 
 From earliest times Gaelic scholars were in the habit of 
 glossing in Gaelic by word, phrase, or short comment important
 
 MS. XXXVIII] LEGAL, LEXICAL, AND GRAMMATICAL 179 
 
 Latin MSS. which they valued. The practice was extended to 
 old native writing^s where the diction and idiom were felt to be 
 obscure or archaic. Frequent examples of this practice are 
 met with in our MSS., a few of which have been noticed (c/. 
 pp. 135, 152). Formal vocabularies were also compiled early, the 
 oldest and most important now existing being Sanas Cormaic, 
 prepared by Cormac son of Cuilennan, prince and bishop of 
 Cashel, who was killed in battle in a.d. 903. Cormac's Glossary 
 was printed, with O'Davoren's Glossary and a Glossary to the 
 Calendar of Oengus the Culdee, by W[hitley] S[tokes] in 1862 
 (Williams and Norgate). The same Glossary, translated by 
 O'Donovan and edited by Dr. Stokes, was printed by the Irish 
 Archaeological and Celtic Society in 1868, A number of later 
 glossaries and vocabularies have recently been printed in 
 the Archiv fur Celtische Lexikogyxqjhie (Stokes and Meyer), 
 vols. i. ii. iii. 
 
 Our Scottish Collection of MSS. contains only two vocabu- 
 laries of importance. These are found in MSS. VII and 
 XXXVIII. 
 
 MS. VII {v. supra, pp. 84, 112, 177) 
 
 On fol. llbl, at 1. 13, commences a vocabulary, headed in 
 red ink Duhfhocail ann so, ' obscure words here.' The list con- 
 sists of only eighty-four words with their synonyms. There is no 
 alphabetical order of any sort attempted, the first word being 
 url.\. tosach, 'beginning,' and the last, of which both lemma and 
 gloss are obscure, iarc .\. elad (creeping along ?). The list closes 
 
 on fol. llbl, 1. 38. 
 
 MS. XXXVIII (v. supra, pp. 118, 146) 
 
 A vocabulary of between 750 and 760 entries is found on 
 pp. 140-153 of MS. XXXVIII. The list is arranged alphabetically 
 as to letters, according to the order of the Gaelic alphabet, but 
 within the individual letters alphabetical order is not preserved. 
 Thus under 'A' the first entry in the first column is annoid .j. 
 eagluis, ' church,' while ah . \. maith, ' good,' is found in the second
 
 180 CATALOGUE OF GAELIC MANUSCRIPTS [MS. LXV 
 
 column, and n . . avd, ' hit,'h,' in the third. Similarly ha . . viaitk, 
 ' good,' comes near the on<l of the ' B ' list. Along the top of 
 p. 140 a descriptive title is written. But the only words legible 
 now are coir anmanna san, 'The fitness of names in the' (?). 
 Seventeen of the obscurer entries were printed, with notes, 
 by Dr. Stokes, in the Celtic Review, vol. v. p. 291. On p. 116 of 
 this MS. are also notes on acid, no, and gov. 
 
 MS. LXV {v. siqjra, pp. 104, 176) 
 
 On p. 1, end ' B,' of MS. LXV are some twenty-five obscure 
 or rare words, or considered to be so by the scribe, with 
 their meaning in English for the most part. Several of the 
 entries cannot be read with certainty. Among them are ere, ' a 
 sa(l)mon ' ; nia, ' nephew ' ; dorr, ' anger, or very harsh ' ; dohhar, 
 wat(t)er ' ; diredh, ' a pan(n)egyric(k) ' ; riomh, ' number ' ; ong .\. 
 glan (fierce); duar .|. rann no focal (quatrain or word). 
 
 III. Grammars 
 
 MS. I {v. supra, pp. 72, 106) 
 
 The second section of MS. I, from p. 12 to the end, contains 
 an imperfect copy of the elaborate Treatise on Grammar and 
 Philology found in B.B., L.L., Laud 610 (Oxford), and elsewhere. 
 This large tract is in four Books or Chapters. In traditional 
 lore, the first Book was composed by Fenius Farsaidh, ' the 
 Antiquarian,' who founded the great school on the Plain of 
 Shenar ; the second by Amergin, son of Milesius ; the third by 
 Ferceirtne, the poet of Conchobar mac Nessa ; and the fourth 
 by Cennfaeladh the Learned, who died in a.d. 678. {v. O'C. Mann, 
 and Oust., vol. ii. pp. 53-54). Elsewhere (Mann, and Oust., vol. ii. 
 pp. 93-94) O'Curry would suggest that Cennfaeladh or Cormac 
 Mac Cuilennan, the author of the Glossary, was the author or 
 editor of the whole Treatise. 
 
 Our copy, so far as it goes, is very good. But unfortunately 
 a leaf is wanting between pp. 14 and 15, corresponding to 
 B.B p. 293a, 1. 18 to p. 295b, 1. 34. Further on, at 19b, 1. 13,
 
 MS. VII] LEGAL, LEXICAL, AND GRAMMATICAL 181 
 
 there is a large gap wliicli takes up in B.B. from p. 801b, 1. 24 
 to 314a, and which inckides, among other matters, the sixteen 
 essential components of poetry, and the section on the Ogham 
 Alphabet. Our text and that of B.B. otherwise agree pretty 
 closely. Both give at the end an explanatory paragraph with an 
 appended poem on tve focul (v. Archiv filr Celt. Lexik., vol. iii. 
 p. 293). Thereafter B.B. gives two short poems on the laws for 
 closing a poem, and on the number of attendants of the various 
 orders of poets, which are not in our MS., while on the other 
 hand our MS. contains two short poems not in B.B. 
 
 The chapter on Metric is the only part of this large Treatise 
 that has hitherto been examined by competent scholars. The 
 late Professor Atkinson in his Treatise On Irish Metric (Dublin, 
 1884) made large use of it, while the text with analysis, illus- 
 tration and comment has been printed by Professor Thurneysen 
 in Irische Texte, vol. iii. (1) pp. 1-182, under the title Mittel- 
 irische VersleJiren. 
 
 MS. VI (v. supra, p. 110) 
 
 As mentioned above (p. Ill) a short poem on various metres 
 — Setnad {Setrad ?), Rannaidecht, Casbhairne, etc., is found on 
 the first page of the last leaf of MS. VI. 
 
 MS. VII (v. supra, pp. 84, 112, 177, 179) 
 
 On fol. llbl, 1. 39, immediately following the vocabulary 
 noticed above, begins a new section entitled In uraiccechta an 
 so, 'The primer here.' Uraicecht is the title of the fourth book 
 of the Grammatical Treatise, noticed above, that attributed 
 traditionally to Cennfaeladh. Although placed last, the subject 
 matter of this chapter is preliminary to the whole work. It 
 treats of the Alphabet, Declension of Nouns, etc., — elementar}^ 
 grammar in short. In this MS. there is only a small fragment 
 of the text. Uraicecht is explained. Then follows an elaborate 
 etymological explanation of Gaidhecd, ' Gael ' ; Gaidecdg, ' Gaelic' 
 The language is subdivided into berla teibidhi, ' abstractive 
 dialect ' ; iarniberla, ' obscure dialect ' ; berla fene, frequently
 
 182 CATALOGUE OF GAELIC MANUSCRIPTS [MS. LVII 
 
 apj)lied to tho 'law dialect'; and herla edarscartho , 'the 
 separative dialect.' 'Alphabet' is next taken up, but now 
 the text becomes rather illegible, and at the loot of fol. I]b2 it 
 breaks off abruptly. 
 
 MS. LYII {v.sujmt,]). 171) 
 
 On fols. 23b, 24a, the Gaelic Alphabet, under the old name 
 Beth-hiis-nion, is given, with the remark (in English), ' Geog- 
 hes^an observes that lY, now the fifth, was formerly the third 
 letter.' 
 
 MS. LVIII {V. supra, pp. 102, 128, 172) 
 
 On pp. 183-194 is the commencement of what promised to 
 be a useful treatise on Gaelic Grammar, ar na sgriohlaidh le 
 UilliaDi CroinneacU an 1% la dklk [sic] don mhi January 
 173|. Finit 'Written by William C. the 19th day of the 
 month of January 1731-2. The End.' There is a table of 
 the more common contractions in Gaelic MSS.
 
 CHAPTER VI 
 
 Maxims, Triads, and Proverbs 
 
 The Gaelic-speaking people, older and later, have placed high 
 value upon the short pithy sayings in which the wiser among 
 their teachers expressed their views of life and conduct. The 
 Proverb, or, as they significantly term it, the Old Word {sean- 
 fhacal) meets us at every turn, in the old and modern literature, 
 as on the lips of the people to-day. To a Gael a proverb is as 
 conclusive as a Scripture text is to the theologian. He has 
 indeed expressed in a phrase which has become an Old Word 
 his absolute faith in it : Ged dJieignichear an Seanfhacal 
 rJia hhrewjnaicheav e, ' Though the Old Word be strained it 
 cannot be belied.' In the same way he was careful to translate 
 and preserve the maxims pertaining to health Avhich he found 
 in the Medical MSS. which he studied (cf. inter alia, supra, 
 pp. 61, 67). 
 
 Collections of native sayings of this kind were made early, 
 and were attributed to illustrious kings and heroes, and teachers 
 of eminence. The earliest in point of date now known is the 
 Briatharthecosc or Verbal Instructions of Cuchulainn. On one 
 occasion when the other provinces of Ireland were at variance 
 with Ulster they met at Temair na rig, 'Royal Tara,' to elect a 
 High King. After holding a ' Bull-feast ' with its attendant cere- 
 monies in due order, the assembled potentates were informed that 
 the 'King to-be' was 'a tender youth noble and strong . . . who 
 would be found at the pillow of a sick man in Emain Macha,' the 
 capital of Ulster. This was Lugaid Reoderg, a dalta or foster- 
 ling of Cuchulainn. The hero was in his ' sick bed ' in Emain 
 Macha at the time, and Lugaid was in attendance upon him. 
 His counsels to his pupil, when the latter proceeded to Tara, 
 are preserved in the Tale Serglige Concidaind, ' Sick bed of
 
 184 CATALOGUE OF GAELIC MANUSCRIPTS [MS. XLII 
 
 Cuchnlainn,' copied from tlic Yellow ]>ook of Slane, a MS. now 
 lost, into L.V., and printed by Professor Windisch (Irisrhe Texte 
 mit Worterhiich, pp. 205-227). The Tale was previously printed, 
 with translation, by O'Curry, in Atlaniis, vols. i. and ii. ; and 
 the briatharthecosc has been printed, Avith translation several 
 times (cf. Todd Lecture Series, vol. xv. p. v). 
 
 The next in order of time is the Audlcacht or Udhaclit, 
 ' Testament ' or ' Bequest ' of Morann son of Moin, or, according 
 to others, son of Cairbre Cat-head, a judge whose period is 
 placed in the first century of our era. 
 
 The third, and the best known, collection of this class is the 
 tecosca or Instructions of Cormac son of Art, a man renowned 
 for his greatness, wisdom, and learning, who was High King of 
 Ireland, in the traditional chronology from 213 to 253 a.d. Dr. 
 Kuno Meyer thinks that Tecosca Cormaic must have been com- 
 piled not later than the first half of the ninth century (Todd 
 Lecture Series, vol. xv. p. xi). 
 
 Of about the same date are the 'Sayings' (hriathra) attri- 
 buted to Fithal, a chief judge in Cormac's day. 
 
 A list of Sayings, different in literary form, and also to some 
 extent in substance, is anonymous. These are the Triads. 
 
 With the exception of briatharthecosc Concidaind, copies of 
 these, all more or less defective, are in our Collection. 
 
 Collections of Proverbs and favourite Sayings of the Scottish 
 Gael appear in two of the later MSS. 
 
 I 
 
 The Uclhacht, in other versions called [Auraicecht, ' Lessons,' 
 and Tecosca, ' Instructions ' of Morann. 
 
 MS. XLII {v. supra, p. 120, 157) 
 
 Fols. lOa-llb contain a copy of the uclhacht or 'Testament' 
 of Morann to Feradach Fechtnach. Morann was the son of 
 Cairbre Cathead, and according to F. M. (vol. i. p. 94), quoting the 
 Leabhar Gahhala or ' Book of Invasions,' Avhen the disastrous 
 reign of that usurper came to an end by his death, the Aitheach 
 Tuatha ' offered the sovereignty of Ireland to Morann, son of
 
 MS. XLII] MAXIMS, TRIADS, AND PROVERBS 185 
 
 Cairbre. He was a truly intelligent and learned man, and said 
 that he would not accept of it, as it was not his hereditary right ; 
 and, moreover, he said that the scarcity and famine would not 
 cease until the}^ should send for the three legitimate heirs to 
 the foreign countries ' (where they were), ' namely, Fearadhach 
 Finnfeachtnach, Corb Olum, and Tibraide Tireach, and elect 
 Fearadhach as king, for to him it was due, because his father ' 
 (the last monarch) ' had been killed in the massacre we have 
 mentioned' {cf. siqora, p. 138), 'whence his mother, Baine, had 
 escaped. This was done at Morann's suggestion, and it Avas to 
 invite Fearadhach to be elected king that Morann sent the 
 celebrated Udhacht or Testament.' 
 
 To the same effect is the prefatory note prefixed to this 
 copy : In a inm De in t-udhacht Morainn-si Ghiolla Padraic 
 mic Aodhagain. Incipit autacht Morainn mic Moin innso 
 do Fheradach Fhinn Fhecldnach mac CrioTnhthainn Nianair 
 mic Luigdech Sriah n-derg. Mac sidhe do ingeine Lose [sic] 
 onic Deibn do cruitheantliuaith. Pert a mathair ass ina bru 
 iar n-dilgenn tigernadh n-Erenn do na h-Aitheach Uudhaih 
 acht Feradach nama a m-hru a mathar. Do luidli sidhe iartim 
 go slogh fairis J faidis Morann in Udacld-sa cuigi, 'In the 
 name of God this (cojjy of the) Testament of Morann (by) 
 Gilpatrick Mac Egan. Begins here the Testament of Morann 
 son of Moen to Feradach Finnfechtnach son of Criomthann 
 Nianar son of Lugaid Sriabhderg. This (Feradach) was son 
 of the daughter of Lose \sie'\ son of Deibn [B.B. Luath mac 
 Derera; MS. XXVIII Luath mac Dereine] from Pictland. His 
 mother escaped with him in her womb after the destruction of 
 the nobles of Ireland by the Aitheach Tuatha, save Feradach who 
 was in his mother's womb. Thereafter he went across with a 
 host and Morann sent him this Testament,' by the hand of his 
 pupil Nere. 
 
 The udhacht then proceeds in anything but clear text in our 
 MS., and ends abruptly. 
 
 A copy in L.L., pp. 293a-294b begins Audacht Morainn nviic 
 Moin do Fheradach Fhind Fhechtnach. Mac side ingine Loith 
 mic Delaraid de Chruthentuditli. Here the text is quite clear, 
 and it differs considerably in contents and arrangement from 
 that of our MS.
 
 186 CATALOGUE OF GAELIC MANUSCRIPTS [MS. XLII 
 
 A copy is also in Y.B.L., pp. 413b-414b. Hero the head- 
 ing is: Incipit auraicaept Morainn no teccosca Murainn for 
 Feradach Finn Fech{t)nach : ' Begins the teaching or precepts 
 of Morann for Feradach Finnfechtnach.' The tecosca end witli 
 assurance of long life, prosperity, victory and every blessing 
 to cip h4 do gn4 inso huili, ' Avhosoever will do all [enjoined] 
 here.' For other copies, v. Jub., p. 41. 
 
 Morann is said to have become chief jndgc under Feradach, 
 who according to F. M. reigned prosperously from a.d. 15 to a.d. 
 36. ' Good was Ireland during his time. The seasons were 
 right tranquil. The earth brought forth its fruit ; fishful its 
 river-mouths; milkful the kine; heavy-headed the woods.' 
 
 For legends regarding Morann, his deformity, and how he 
 came by his three ' collars,' v. Irische Texte, vol. iii. (1) pp. 188-190. 
 
 II 
 
 The Tecosca or Ixstructioxs of Cormac 
 
 A critical edition of the Precepts of Cormac from a number 
 of MSS. with Preface, Translation, Notes, and Vocabulary has 
 been printed by Dr. Kuno Meyer in vol. xv. of the Todd Lecture 
 Series (Dublin, 1909), quoted here as K. M. Our Collection 
 contains three copies, all imperfect. 
 
 MS. I {v. supra, pp. 72, 106, 180) 
 
 The text of Cormac's Instructions begins on the top of p. la. 
 It is headed by a sentence which is so far illegible, but which is 
 an eulogy on the greatness, wisdom, and learning of Cormac 
 {v. MS. II; K. M., p. 2, n. 1). The treatise thereafter proceeds 
 in paragraphs or sections, Cairbre Lifechair (of the Liffey) asking 
 his father Cormac, grandson of Conn Cetchathach, certain 
 questions which with the father's answers constitute the text 
 of the Tract. Thus: A Itui Chttind, a Covniaicc, cia deach do 
 rig? Ni ansa, ol Cormac. Deck do Fosta cen fJteirg,ainine cen 
 debaid, etc., ' O grandson of Conn, O Cormac, what is best for a 
 king ? ' ' Not hard to tell,' said Cormac. ' Best for him is, — 
 Firmness without anger, patience without strife,' etc. Our
 
 MS. VII] MAXIMS, TRIADS, AND PROVERBS 187 
 
 text goes on with little variation from that of K. M. to the end 
 of § 18 of the latter (p. 2a, 1. 49). The sayings of Fithal now 
 begin, and proceed, apparently in continuous text, to p. 3a, 1. 10, 
 when ' Corniac ' is written on the margin. Then Cormac's text 
 resumes where it left off at p. 2a, 1. 49, with Ni hdga fri rig, ni 
 coimris fri baeth, etc., ' Contend not with a king, do not 
 forefather with a fool,' etc., and continues to 1. 28 of the same 
 column, giving the whole of § 19 as in K. M., and ending with 
 Jlnit. On 1. 29 is Cid imonageib trehath ? ol a mace fri Fithal, 
 and the text goes on without a marginal mark to the end, on 
 1. 53. But it is evident that the two texts of Cormac and Fithal 
 are so far mixed up in this part of MS. I {v. the Sayings of 
 Fithal, infra). 
 
 MS. II {v. supra, pp. 7, 10) 
 
 A defective copy of the Instructions of Cormac is found on 
 fols. 66-70 of MS. II. It is written, not very correctly, in a large 
 hand of the late seventeenth or early eighteenth century. This 
 copy opens with the prefator}^ note on the greatness of Cormac, 
 and gives a continuous text from the commencement to near 
 the middle of § 21 of K. M.'s text, when it ends abruptly. At the 
 foot of the page a blessing from the reader is asked for the soul 
 of the writer ' although he may not have deserved it.' 
 
 MS. VII {v. sux>ra, pp. 84, 112, 177, 179, 181) 
 
 Fol. 9a-9b, 1. 29, contains a third copy of Tecosca Cormaic. 
 This copy is well written, and agrees very closely with that in 
 MS. I {supra). It ends with the close of the eighteenth section 
 of K. M.'s text (as in MS. I, p. 2a, 1. 49). Here there are none of 
 Fithal's Sayings. 
 
 Pregnant sentences of this kind were associated with the name 
 of Cormac in popular memory down to quite recent times, and 
 were sometimes thrown into verse. Thus, in Gillies's Collection 
 of Gaelic Poetry (Perth, 1786), p. 296, we find several quatrains 
 entitled Comhairlin Chormaig do mhac, ' Cormac's Counsels 
 to his Son,' the purport of which is of much the same character 
 as several of Cormac's Precepts. Others of the same class are
 
 188 CATALOGUE OF GAELIC MANUSCRIPTS [MS. LVII 
 
 attributed to a Duine glic, 'wise man,' in the same collection 
 (Gillies, p. 295). 
 
 MS. LVII {v. supra, pp. 171, 182) 
 
 Of like import are eight quatrains in MS. LVII, fols. 14b-15a, 
 beginning : — 
 
 Luigh agus cirigh air do Laimh Dheis. 
 ' Lie (down) and rise (up) on your right hand (side ?).' 
 
 The verses here are entitled Teagasg Righ Artuir do a cldolnn 
 mh((c, 'The Instruction of King Arthur to his Sons.' Cf. O'Gr., 
 p. 577, where the same verses are entitled An teagasg 7^iogJul}ia, 
 ' Royal Precepts.' 
 
 Ill 
 
 The Sayings of Fithal 
 
 In our MS. I, p. 2, 1. 49, the Sayings of Fithal are intro- 
 duced simply by Fithal dixit. Elsewhere they are spoken of as 
 briathra Fithil, senrdite Fithil, ' yfOTds of Fithal,' 'old sayings 
 of F,' Our collection contains two copies, both defective. 
 
 As already mentioned, the Sayings of Fithal commence on 
 p. 2a, 1. 49, of 
 
 MS. I (v. supra, pp. 72, 106, 180, 186) 
 
 A number of the sayings are arranged under certain leading 
 words. They commence with Tossach augrai athc{h)ossan, 
 ' Reproof is the beginning of strife ' ; Tossa{ch) eithig airlicud, 
 ' Lending is the beginning of perjury ' (litigation ?), followed by 
 seventeen other ' T's.' Then come thirty-three ' A's,' beginning 
 with Araile maith mesrugud, ' Another good thing is modera- 
 tion,' Seven sayings are given under ' B,' the last being — Ba 
 humal corbo uasal, ' Stoop to conquer.' Then come forty-seven 
 under ' F ' : Ferr dan orbba, ' Better is art than inheritance ' 
 [cf. the modern Gaelic saying, ' Better a handful of trade than a 
 handful of gold '] ; Ferr mag morsliab, ' Better a (little) plain 
 than a great mountain.' This section closes with twenty-seven 
 ' Dligid's.'
 
 MS. XLIIj MAXIMS, TEIADS, AND PROVERBS 189 
 
 Thereafter comes seclit comartha dec droch ca . . (droch- 
 thacra, K. M.), ' Seventeen marks of bad pleading,' which con- 
 stitutes the twenty-second section of Cormac's Instructions in 
 K. M.'s text. 
 
 The next paragraph begins : 7s ail dam cofessariwi cinas beo 
 etir baethu 7 gaethu, etir gnathchib 7 ingnathcJdb, etir senaib 7 
 occaib, etir ecnaid 7 anecnaid. Ni ansa, em, ol Fithal, 'I desire 
 to ascertain how to conduct myself among the foolish and the 
 wise, among friends and strangers, among the old and the young, 
 among the learned and the ignorant. Not hard to tell, indeed,' 
 said Fithal. This again is the heading of § 29 of K. M.'s 
 Instructions of Cormac. Our text goes on without seeming 
 interruption to p. 3a, 1. 10, ending with Millsem each corma a 
 chetdeog, ' The sweetest part of ale is the first draught,' a saying 
 found near the end of the thirty-first Section of the text of 
 Cormac. It is thus clear that Fithal and Cormac are hopelessly 
 mixed up in our MS. I. 
 
 As already stated Cormac resumes at p. 3 a, 1. 11, and goes 
 on to 1. 28, when Fithal takes up the text again and continues 
 to the end of the Tract, at p. 3a, 1. 53. 
 
 MS. XLII {v. supra, pp. 120, 157, 184) 
 
 On p. 55 of his edition of Tecosca Cormaic K. M. quotes from 
 the Sayings of Fithal the fifteen virtues of good women and the 
 fifteen vices of bad women. On fol. 7b of our MS. XLII several 
 matters regarding women are discussed by way of question and 
 answer, such as, Cidh as deach do m^iaibh ? ' Who is best 
 among women ? ' Cia bean as Tneasamh do mnaibh ? ' Who is 
 the worst among women ? ' The writing is not always clear, but 
 at the end we have Cuig airdeana deg droch inhna, ' fifteen 
 marks of a bad woman,' viz., doinnmhe, dibe, diomhaine, labhra, 
 leisge, leontaighe, glor, grainni, ceasacht, cuairt, gold, ceilidhi, 
 druis, baois, bradaighe. This list is followed by the fifteen 
 marks of a good woman, which are : ciall, caoimi, cunnlacht, 
 naire, aillni, ailghine, saoire, saidhbri, soinnsge,tlds,fos,feile, 
 gaois, iodna, ionnracus. Finis. 
 
 We may assume that this fragment is the conclusion of a 
 version of the Sayings of Fithal.
 
 190 CATALOGUE OF GAELIC MANUSCRIPTS [MS. I 
 
 IV 
 
 The Triads 
 
 The Triads of Ireland is the subject of vokiine xiii. of tlie 
 ' Todd Lecture Series.' In this vohime Dr. Meyer gives us a 
 critical version from a number of MSS. of the Triads, as these 
 sayings are called, with Preface, Translation, Notes, and Vocab- 
 ulary. The number of entries in Dr. Meyer's edited list is two 
 hundred and fifty-six. These enumerative sayings are not by 
 any means all Triads. The first thirty-one entries in the list 
 are, with one exception, which is a Duad, all Monads. There 
 are also Tetrads, Pentads, even Enneads. The literary form is 
 based probably upon the frequent enumerative sentences of the 
 Old Testament, although Dr. Meyer points out that the old 
 scholars could have borrowed the form from Latin and Greek 
 sources. The Triad became the favourite form both among 
 Gaels and Britons, and sayings of this class, whether Duads, 
 Tetrads, or Pentads, go now by the name of Triads. An echo 
 of the Triad still survives among us. Dr. Meyer gives (p. ix) 
 several examples from modern Irish. Here are a few, which 
 could easily be added to, from the Scottish Highlands : Three 
 of the coldest things, — a man's knee, a cow's horn, a dog's nose. 
 Three that come unbidden, — love, jealousy, fear. Three that 
 will not bear caressing, — an old woman, a hen, a sheep. The 
 three curses of a farmer, — May frost, July fog, and the Tutor of 
 Kintail. 
 
 Our MSS. contains three copies of the old Triads, all defec- 
 tive. Dr. Meyer considers, on linguistic grounds, that they 
 must have been put together, in their present form, in the latter 
 half of the ninth century. 
 
 MS. I (v. supra, pp. 72, 106, 180, 180, 188) 
 
 On p. 3a, 1. 54, with the heading, Incipit Trecheng hreth, 
 ' The triads begin,' Cend erend Ardmacha, ' The Head of 
 Ireland — Armagh.' The list then proceeds, with one or two 
 omissions and occasional variations, pari passu with Dr. 
 Meyer's, to No. 129 of Meyer's list: tri comartha lathraig
 
 MS. VII] MAXIMS, TRIADS, AND PROVERBS 191 
 
 inallachtan : tromm, fradna, nenaid, ' Three marks of a cursed 
 site: elder, corncrake, nettle' (according to K. M.). There is 
 then a large gap in our MS., the next entry being No. 284 in 
 K, M. ' Four on whom there is neither restraint nor rule : the 
 servant of a priest, a miller's hound, a widow's son, and a strip- 
 per's calf.' Here our MS. concludes with Finit. Amen. But 
 one or two others are again added, the last being K. M.'s No. 251, 
 ' Four elements (lit. alphabets) of wisdom : patience, docility, 
 sobriety, well-spokenness ; for every patient person is wise, and 
 every docile person is a sage, every sober person is generous, 
 every well-spoken person is tractable.' Our MS. gives again 
 Finit, otherwise one would be disposed to think that the scribe 
 included the paragraph immediately succeeding among the 
 Triads. The literary form is different, but the substance is 
 not dissimilar. It runs as follows (p. 4a, 1. 5): Marcaidh na 
 hedaisi a sagairt. A scuab a heasgub. A sgiath a righ. A 
 cathbdrr a cluiccfJteach: ' The rider of the church is her priest; 
 the bishop is her broom ; the king her shield ; her belfry her 
 helmet.' After giving some twenty-seven other sayings of a 
 similar kind, the paragraph concludes: A ceand j comoircce 
 in Coimdhi cumachtach. Is bainde neime j is bainde dilind 
 ac digail a saraithi in Eglas naemda. Finit. Finit : ' Her 
 Head and Protector is the Almighty Lord. Holy Church is a 
 torrent of venom and of flood avenging her oppressors. It ends. 
 It ends.' 
 
 MS. VII (v. siLpra, pp. 84, 112, 177, 179, 181, 187) 
 
 On fol. 9b2, 1. 29, comes Tre cing bvedtlt ann so, ' The Triads 
 here,' and the list goes on to fol. 10 b 1, 1. 12. This list and that 
 of MS. 1 are clearly of common origin. They agree ver}^ closely, 
 and in both the same gap occurs between Nos. 129 and 234 of 
 Meyer's text. As in MS. I, so here, one or two Triads follow, but 
 not the same. The last in this MS. is No. 255 (the last but one 
 of Meyer's): Tri guala donti fess fudomain : guala flatha, giiala 
 ecalse, gilala nemid filed, ' Three coffers whose depth is not 
 known : the coffer of a chieftain, of a church, of a privileged 
 poet.'
 
 192 CATALOGUE OF GAELIC MANUSCltlPTS |MS. XLII 
 
 MS. XLII (v. snj>m, pp. 120, 157, 184, 189) 
 
 Owing to a gap in the MS. the copy of the Triads given here 
 begins abruptly on fol. 8a, and goes on to fol. 10a, 1. 7. The 
 first Triad is Tri hingena herto miosgais do miothocod : lahra, 
 leisce, ainiodhna, 'Three maidens that bring hatred to mis- 
 fortune,' corresponding to No. 109 of Meyer's text. Our text, 
 not very carefully written, proceeds, with some variations in 
 orthography and an occasional omission of a Triad, as in Meyer's 
 text, to No. 253: Teora siorachta flatha: cuirmthech gan 
 faisneis, buidhen gan ardanail, dirim gan chona, translated by 
 K. M., ' Three tabus of a chief: an ale-house without story- 
 telling, a troop without a herald, a great company without wolf- 
 hounds.' The last three Triads in Meyer's list are not given in 
 our MS. 
 
 V 
 
 Proverbs 
 
 Although Proverbs are frequently quoted in the texts and 
 on the margins of our MSS., the old Gaelic scholars do not 
 appear to have attempted a collection of them on a large scale. 
 The two MSS. in our Collection which give lists of Proverbs are 
 Scottish and modern. 
 
 MS. LXII (v. supra, p. 175) 
 
 Upwards of a hundred and ninety proverbs are given in 
 this MS., arranged under certain letters of the Alphabet, and 
 interspersed with other matter. With one or two exceptions, 
 they are written in English script. They are all printed in 
 Rel. Celt, vol. i. pp. 151-159. 
 
 MS. LXV {v. supra, pp. 104, 176, 180) 
 
 On pp. 5-10 (End B) of this MS., under the heading Gnafhoc- 
 aill Ghaoidheilge, ' Gaelic Proverbs,' and written, with one or 
 two exceptions, in the Gaelic hand, are found a considerable 
 number of Proverbs and sayings current among the people.
 
 MS. LXVJ MAXIMS, TRIADS, AND PROVERBS 193 
 
 The Rev. Donald Mackintosh printed a Collection of Gaelic 
 Proverbs and Familiar PJirases in 1785, which was republished 
 in 1819. An edition, based on Mackintosh's little volume, but 
 much enlarged and improved, Avas published by the late Sheriff 
 Nicolson in 1881 (Edinburgh : Maclachlan and Stewart). This 
 edition is now out print. Lists of hitherto unpublished sayings 
 of this class appear frequently in our periodicals and newspapers, 
 all in evidence of the hold which the Proverb has taken of the 
 mind of the Scottish Gael.
 
 CHAPTER VII 
 
 Gaelic Versions of Classical Epics 
 
 The Gaels seem to have been the iirst to turn the great Epics 
 of antiquity into a modern tongue. Although they had access 
 to the Iliad only in such Latin versions as were current at the 
 time, the Togail Troi, or Destruction of Troy, was the favourite 
 among them. A portion of this version is found in L.L., which 
 may have been done many years before the MS. was written 
 {circa 1147), while the first French version of the Legend of 
 Troy (the next in date) was not done until about 1180. 
 
 These Gaelic versions are all prepared on one general plan, — 
 that of the Gaelic Tale. A prefatory note gives the leading 
 events from some important date down to the time when the 
 action commences. Sometimes the descent of the principal hero 
 is traced step by step to Adam. Thereafter the sequence of 
 events in the councils of the gods and in the movements of the 
 leading men are followed more or less closely. But a translation 
 of the text, as we understand the term, is not attempted. The 
 version is presented in plain, often bald, prose. The ' translator ' 
 compresses or expands the original text at pleasure. Compres- 
 sion is largely used in passages pertaining to the gods and to 
 religion, Avhile descriptions of favourite heroes, fights, battles, 
 games, together with storms on land and sea, are largely 
 expanded. Explanatory notes, culled from other authors, are 
 frequently incorporated in the Gaelic text. Occasionally the 
 ' translator ' points to discrepancies, and tries to remove them. 
 He sometimes explains a custom, not from his knowledge of 
 Greek or Roman antiquities, but from Gaelic folk-lore. His 
 aim, in short, is to construct a Gaelic Tale based upon the 
 Classical Epic. 
 
 Of such versions Dr. Whitley Stokes published, with transla-
 
 MS. VIII] GAELIC VERSIONS OF CLASSICAL EPICS 195 
 
 tion, the Tofjail Troi from L.L. (Calcutta, 1882), and from H., 
 ii. 17 (T. C. D.), in Ir. Texte,yol ii. (1), Leipzig, 1884; Dr. Kuno 
 Meyer has printed, with translation, Merugud JJilix iiuoicc 
 Leirtis, ' The Wanderings of Ulysses the son of Laertes ' (based 
 upon an unknown Latin echo of the Odyssey), Lond. : D. Nutt, 
 1886 ; and the Rev. George Calder, M.A., has edited and trans- 
 lated the jEneid from B.B. (Irish Texts Society, vol. vi.). 
 
 Our MSS. contain copies, more or less complete, of the 
 Thebaid of Statins, the Togail Troi, and the Pharsalia of Lucan. 
 
 MS. VIII {v. supra, p. 112) 
 
 I. The first layer of this MS. (fols. 1 to 26) contains a copy 
 of the Thebaid of Statins. Another copy is found in Eg. 1781 
 (Brit. Mus.), pp. 173-253 ; and a fragment in H. ii. 7 (T. C. D.), 
 pp. 457a-460b. 
 
 The story opens Avith the following simple statement : Aroile 
 righ uasal oirinhuinneach onorach ro gabh forlamhus acus 
 ferannus ar an ard-cathraig n-aibinn n-alainn .|. Teibh is in 
 n- Greig dar ua comiainm Laius, ' A certain noble, revered, and 
 honourable king, named Laius, took sovereiofnty and rule over 
 the pleasant and beautiful chief city in Greece, Tliebae to name.' 
 This Laius was the father of Oedipus, whose two sons, Polynices 
 and Eteocles, slew each other contending for the sovereignty of 
 the place and people. The author then proceeds to relate the 
 foundation of Thebae by Cadmus, son of Agenor; the story of 
 Oedipus ; and the fraternal hatred of his two sons with all its 
 disastrous consequences. The Tale concludes thus : ' The 
 number of kings and common people slain in these wars, and 
 the melancholy fate of those who survived, historians do not 
 record. But here has been given somewhat of their deeds, their 
 story and their adventures. Sella. Sella. Sella. Finit' 
 
 Our cop3' is unfortunately defective. The first page is now 
 quite illegible. At the end of fol. 7, the transcriber missed a 
 column, which he afterwards wrote out on a narrow slip of thin 
 parchment. This slip was for a time included in MS. XXXI 
 (hence the docquet, H. Kerr, '27), but is now restored to its 
 place. Between fols. 21 and 22 there is a gap which corresponds
 
 19G CATALOGUE OF GAELIC MANUSCitlPTS [MS. VIII 
 
 roughly to Books ix. 1. 2.S0-X. 1. 75 of Statius's text. The last 
 tivo leaves (22-G) are written in a different hand. The copy in 
 the Brit. Mas. is complete. It is written in a bold, clear hand, 
 and very largely contracted. It is dated 1487. The Edinburgh 
 version must have been done much about the same time. The 
 two are clearly copies of the same original Gaelic text. It 
 would have been impossible to produce two independent 
 versions so different from the original Latin text and so similar 
 to one another as these two are. On fol. lal the poet Statius is 
 thus described : do Stait don airdfhilid Frangach socinelach, 
 ' to Statius, the nobly born chief French poet.' Does this suggest 
 that the Gaelic version of the Thebaid was done not from the 
 original Latin of Statius, but from the old French version of 
 the Epic ? This version, edited from the original MSS., with an 
 elaborate Introduction, Dissertation, Notes and Vocabulary by 
 Professor Leopold Constans, has been published in two large 
 volumes by the Societe des Anciens Textes Francais (Paris. 
 Librairie Firmin Didot et Cie, 1890). 
 
 As to the way in which the Gaelic 'translator' uses his 
 native lore to explain the customs of other peoples take the 
 following : — 
 
 (1) Mercury is sent to hell to fetch King Lains back 
 to earth in order to foment hatred between his grandsons 
 Eteocles and Polynices. He has his wand (flesc), which is thus 
 described : cadruca ainin na fleisci sin. Acus is amlaid ro bai 
 in fhlesc h-i sin, — ro thoduiscfed in dara cenn di inairb in 
 domain acus ro mairfead jiru in domain in cend aile, ' Cadu- 
 ceitm was the name of that wand, and such it was, that the one 
 end of it would waken up the dead of the world, while the other 
 end would put to death the world's men,' — a description 
 applicable to the letter to the slacan-druidheachd or ' druidic- 
 beetle' of Gaelic Tales. (2) Eteocles, accompanied by the 
 blind soothsayer Tiresias and his daughter Manto, visits the 
 infernal resrions to seek aid for the Thebans. Manto sees, 
 among others, the judges Minos, Aeacus, and Rhadaman- 
 thus, who arrive at their decisions in the following manner : 
 Acus is amlaid co her aid hretha .|. cilarnd comthoTnais 
 acco 7 lecana jinna ann 7 lecana duha 7 in tan ticed in 
 lecan find annis artus ua fir in fuigell, 7 in tan ticed in
 
 MS. VIII] GAELIC VERSIONS OF CLASSICAL EPICS 197 
 
 lecan dub annis ua anfliir in breth, 'And this is the way 
 they gave judgment, — they had an urn of a certain size, and 
 there were white stones and black stones in it, and when a 
 white stone came up first the decision was according to truth, 
 but when a black stone came up the judgment was wrong.' 
 Compare with this the ordeal of the Three Dark Stones (Ir, 
 Texte, vol. iii. (1), p. 191 j : A bucket was filled with bogstuff and 
 coal and every other kind of black thing, and three stones were 
 put into it, even a white stone and a black stone and a speckled 
 stone. Then one would put his hand therein, and if the truth 
 were with him, he would bring out the white stone. If he were 
 false, he would bring out the black stone. If he were hall 
 guilty, he would bring out the speckled. 
 
 Marginal notes are comparatively few. On fol. 15 the text 
 describes the institution of the Nemean games by the Greeks, 
 in honour of Archemorus, child of Lycurgus, slain by a dragon. 
 On the top margin runs : Is mor in tnagadh do Gregaibh ar 
 millset da inaitlms 7 da maoinibJc ar son leiniph big, ' What 
 fools these Greeks must have been to have wasted so much of 
 their means and substance on account of a little child ! ' 
 
 II. The second layer of MS. VIII (fols. 27-36) is of some- 
 what larger and thicker parchment than the first. The writing 
 is also larger, less easily read, and one should say older, — dating 
 to the early fifteenth if not to the late fourteenth century. Apart 
 from the historical paragraphs above mentioned (pp. 112-113), 
 the subject is the Argonautic expedition and the destruction 
 of Troy. 
 
 On fol. 27a2 comes the heading, repeated in later hand, 
 In nomine Patris et FilU et Spiritus Sancti. Amen. There- 
 after comes a prefatory note, repeated on 27bl, regarding the 
 descendants of Adam : They were harassed until the Flood. 
 They were, because of their sins, destroyed by the Flood, save 
 Noah and his three sons. The first sin was the slaying of Abel 
 by Cain through jealousy. His ten sons told Adam that it was 
 about their youngest sister that Cain slew Abel. During the 
 following sixteen hundred and fifty-six years, they continued 
 in that sin dishonouring God, who, to avenge these evils, 
 brought the Flood, which destroyed all persons save only 
 eight, viz. Noah and his wife, with his three sons, Semh, Camh,
 
 198 CATALOGUE OF GAELIC MAXUSCKTPTS [MS. VIII 
 
 and Idfi'dh, and their wives. Notih divided the world among 
 his three sons. He gave Asia to Shem, Africa to Ham, and 
 Europe to Japhet ; and the chief sovereignty of the world went 
 first, according to heathen story, to the descendants of Shem. 
 
 Thereafter the narrative proceeds on the lines of L.L., as 
 printed by Stokes, but with considerably less detail, to the foot 
 of fol. 35b, corresponding to MS. XV, fol. I7a, and Torjail Troi, 
 p. 27, 1. 1074, when this version comes to a close. 
 
 Beyond a trial of the pen there is hardly a marginal note on 
 this layer of MS. VI IL I^ut where Saturn is made by fraud to 
 eat a stone instead of the infant Jove, MS. VIII adds : Aiivm na 
 cloichi sin onadh co fheasur, apbas don a h-ainm J aipbitus a 
 miudh eile. Et tucad in clock doson j rodmeilt iarum gov 
 mengoraid a dlieda corofaricsiun sin ge miad clanninhcir ni 
 had caithmeac ar a claind asaitle, ' Should you wish to know 
 the name of the stone it was apbas, otherwise aipbitus. And 
 the stone was given to him, and he crunched it until it injured 
 his teeth ; and ho felt that so much, that though he had 
 children afterwards, he showed no desire to devour them.' 
 
 MS. XV — Kilbride Collectiox, No. 11 
 
 The MS. consists of twenty- six leaves of parchment, folio, 
 twelve and a half inches by eight and a half. The first and 
 last leaves form the cover. Apart from a few scribblings the 
 first leaf is not written upon, but the text is continued on the 
 first column of the last leaf, the lower half of which is now cut 
 away. The writing is in two columns, large, good, but plain. 
 Capitals are large, and in the chief divisions elaborately drawn 
 but not coloured. The date can hardly be earlier than the 
 middle of the fifteenth centurv. 
 
 The subject, not named, is the Togail Troi, of which the 
 version here may be regarded as the best and most complete. 
 The story opens with the prefatory paragraph regarding the 
 descendants of Adam until the deluge, and the settlement 
 thereafter by Noah, found also with hardly a change in MS. 
 VIII (v. swpra p. 197) and in B.B., p. 411. Thereafter the 
 narration proceeds, with minor differences as in the other
 
 MS. XV] GAELIC VERSIONS OF CLASSICAL EPICS 199 
 
 versions. But it may be said generally that MS. VIII (so far 
 as it goes), MS. XV, and B.B., pp. 411-445 agree more closely 
 with each other in arrangement and detail than they do with 
 the versions printed by Stokes from L.L. and H. ii. 17. Thus 
 in several passages, e.g. the building of the Argo (Togail Troi, 
 11. 120-146), details given in L.L. are all but passed over in 
 our MSS. On the other hand other incidents, e.g. the fight of 
 Achilles and Hector, the state of Troy and the Trojans after 
 the death of Hector, and the dragging of the latter's body 
 round the walls of the city are given with much greater detail 
 in B.B. and MS. XV. 
 
 Both B.B. and our MS. quote from Barieth, ' Dares Phrygius,' 
 descriptions of the personal appearance and character of the 
 leading personages of the Greeks and Trojans. Here, e.g., is the 
 account given of Achilles and Polyxena (MS. XV, p. 23) : 
 Achil imorro fer drd mor cliahremui' curata co sonairti hall 
 onong cas dond fair cneas oengel hnmi ruisc glasa corra ina, 
 cind is e drecli letlian fhir alaind forfhbaeiidh suairc socJtarthe 
 cennaisfri cardib calma i cathaib fri ndimdi, 'Achilles on the 
 other hand was tall, big, thick-chested, courageous, with great 
 strength of limbs. His hair was brown and curly ; his skin was 
 exceeding fair; grey piercing eyes in his head; his face was 
 broad and very beautiful ; (he was) pleasant, affable, affectionate, 
 gentle to friends ; bold in battle against enemies.' PoUxena 
 ingen Priaim ben drd mor airegda JtisidJie. Corp geal coem 
 cruthacJi ionpe. Braghe sheta shuairc sJcochraidh aid. Rose 
 glas coem cruthaclb ina cind. Mong fhota fldndhuide fuirre. 
 Baill coema comdirge aid. Mera slemna sithfliota, colptha cori 
 comdirge, traighthe tana toghaighe. Ferr a delh andas delb 
 each mna ina h-aimsir, ' Polyxena, daughter of Priam, — a tall, 
 large, stately lady she was. Her body was white, beautiful, 
 shapely. Her breast majestic, affable, loveable, A grey eye in 
 her head, lovely, shapely. Her hair was long, of colour pale 
 yellow. Limbs comely and straight. Her fingers were smooth 
 and very long ; her calves erect and even, her feet thin, beauti- 
 ful. Her figure was the handsomest of any woman of her time.' 
 
 On fol. 35b, our version, after relating in detail the slaying 
 of Hector by Achilles, gives another account : ' At that moment 
 Hector's back was to him (Achilles). Achilles struck Hector
 
 200 CATALOGUE OF GAELIC MANUSCRIPTS [MS. XIX 
 
 from behind, so Virgil says.' Then this redactor adds : ' But 
 history is more to be relied upon (firm) than poetry, and the 
 first account given is truer than this. It was his friendship for 
 the Emperor Augustus that caused Virgil to write thus ; for the 
 emperor was of the race of Aeneas and of the stock of the old 
 Roman kings.' 
 
 Several notes and quatrains are scattered over the margins 
 of the MS. Thus on p. 2 :— 
 
 A I'hir ata an ifern riani, 
 An facca tu plan budh mh6 
 Na dhul d'iaraidh neich ar neach, 
 Sas nach maith a thabhairt do. 
 
 Again on top of p. 28 — 
 
 Tieio- ail doiuhan is mo chen, 
 Donihan, deamhan agus ben. 
 Ge be duine bias da I'eir 
 Biadh a peinn 
 Is nisroithend nemh efrl. 
 
 At the foot of p. 35 : Truagh lem in hds so tuas (the death 
 of Hector). 
 
 MS. XIX {v. siqwa, p. 136) 
 
 On fols lbl-3a2 of this MS. the Argonautic expedition and 
 the siege and capture of Troy are summarised in verse (one 
 hundred and one quatrains in all). The author is Fland Mainn- 
 istreach, according to an entry at the commencement of the 
 piece. The following are the first and last quatrains : — 
 
 Luid lasou na luing loir, 
 Co catraig na Golach g6ir, 
 Do chuingidh in crocind cain, 
 Co lai n-orda n-ina;antaio;h. 
 
 Mairg rug in coblacli cruaidh cain, 
 Sluagh nan n-Grec da n-innsaighidh ; 
 Ni thernaidh don turns tai, 
 Dorad mor-laech a lighi.
 
 MS. XLVI] GAELIC VERSIONS OF CLASSICAL EPICS 201 
 
 MS. XLVI— Highland Society. John M'Kenzie, No. 10 
 
 The MS. consists of seven and a half leaves of pale parch- 
 ment, 10 in. by 8. The fourth leaf was cut down the centre, 
 and the piece given (v. Ossian, ed. 1807, vol. iii. p. 577) to 
 Mr. Astle for use in his Origin and Progress of Writing. The 
 leaves are numbered by capital letters from A to M. The word 
 'Emanuel' is written on nearly all of them, and the MS. has 
 been frequently referred to under this name. It is one of the 
 oldest (if not the very oldest) MSS. now in the Scottish Collec- 
 tion. Mr. Astle judged the handwriting to be of the ninth or 
 tenth century, and gave a facsimile of a sentence of it in his 
 Origin and Progress of Writing (t^. 124 of the Reprint: London, 
 1876). The Gaelic forms and orthography are of much later 
 date than this. But the late Dr. Graves {Proc. of the Royal 
 Irish Acad., vol. iv. p. 258) thought that he read at the end of 
 a much defaced footnote on p. 4 . . . an aimsir . . . an leab 
 . . . Tio dl M''''"^ XV, ' the time . . . the book ... in the year of 
 the Lord, 1315,' which may be the date of the MS. 
 
 The MS., which is only a fragment, is written in two columns 
 in a very good and clear hand. The text begins and ends 
 abruptly, and is not continuous. It was transcribed by E. M'L. 
 in L.Cpp. 149-158. 
 
 The subject is a Gaelic version of Lucan's Pharsalia. 
 The text opens with an account of a Roman officer, named 
 Curio, when viewing the surrounding country from a height 
 above the camp in Libya, falling in with a native of the 
 district, who gives him names and legends ot the locality, 
 among them that of Hercules and Antaeus. Dr. Donald Smith 
 {Rep. on Oss., p. 305) gives an extract from this legend, with the 
 corresponding passage from Lucan, which, adds Smith, ' this 
 ancient author appears to have had in his eye.' Dr. Smith 
 further states that ' the whole of this interesting work is still 
 extant,' and he quotes a couple of sentences from another 
 section of it (Rep. on Oss., p. 309). As matter of fact Dr. Smith, 
 when in Ireland as surgeon of the Black Watch, in 1798, tran- 
 scribed the work, of which this MS. contains a portion, ' from a 
 copy in the possession of the Rev. J. Kelly at Hall's Miln near
 
 202 CATALOGUE OF GAELIC MANUSCRIPTS (MS. XLVI 
 
 IJunbridgc' The MS. from wliieli the transcript was made was 
 supposed to bo about three hundred years old at the time. 
 This transcript found its way to the Scottish Collection. It 
 is bound in two volumes (v. infra) and entitled Caih iiior 
 muigJie na Teasaile, ' the great battle of the plain of Thessaly. 
 There are references to the Pharsalia, with illustrative passages 
 quoted therefroni, as also to MS. XLVI, but Dr. Smith did 
 not recognise that the text was a Gaelic version of Lucan's 
 Epic.
 
 CHAPTER VIII 
 
 Miscellaneous 
 
 There are several compositions, mainly in verse, scattered 
 through the MSS., especially those of more recent date, which 
 do not readily fall under any of the foregoing chapters. The 
 more interesting and important of them are gathered together 
 here. 
 
 MS. V (/'. supra, pp. 79, 109, 129) 
 
 Among the poetical pieces in this MS. not previously noticed 
 (cf. pp. 81, 83, 132) are, on fols. 9 and 10, 
 
 (1) Verses in praise of Oilill hocld, ' poor Oilill.' 
 
 (2) Sixteen lines addressed to students, beginning : — 
 
 A iiiacu leiginn lidha. 
 ' Ye polished students.' 
 
 (3) Nineteen lines, headed, he boirche ingen Cinaet i crich 
 Boirche .|. bean Beic is i ro can, ' Be B. daughter of Kenneth in 
 the territory of B., viz., the wife of Bee who sang,' beginning : — 
 
 Bee a beind Boirche na rig. 
 ' Bee in regal B. B.' 
 
 Becc Boirche was king of Ulster, and died in 716 a.d. F. M. 
 quote verses by this prince in connection with the death ot 
 Mongan, son of Fiachra Lurgan, which occurred in 620 a.d., 
 beginning : — 
 
 As h-uar an gaeth dar Hi do fail occa i cCiunn tire. 
 ' Cold is the wind over Islay which they have in Kintyre.' 
 
 Cf. also Annals of Ulster, yoI i. pp. 127, 131, 155, 167; L.L. 
 p. 41. 
 
 (4) Ten lines, with the following heading in different and
 
 204 CATALOGUE OF GAELIC MANUSCRIPTS [MS. V 
 
 later liand : Comortus ann so o Rudliruldlie re fear sgriohldha 
 an leaha ir-so, ' A challenge here from R. to the writer of this 
 book.' First line: — 
 
 Labra cibe dia n-imda, 
 ' Speaking though of many kinds.' 
 
 (5) Forty lines, commencing : — 
 
 Oclaech bis an ulcai naini. 
 'A youth who is in a saint's beard' {'i.e. defies him). 
 
 This piece is also in the Brit. Mus. MS. ' Additional, 1 9, 995 ' 
 (v. O'Gr., Cat., p. 329). 
 
 (6j Eighteen lines, with reading rather uncertain, contrast- 
 ing Laick thosaigh na h-aimsire, ' the heroes of old times,' with 
 Laicli deirigh na h-aimsire, ' the heroes of to-day.' 
 
 (6) On fol. 10b2 are spirited quatrains, commencing : — 
 
 Meisi fuillechan feidil 
 Etir tuind 7 tenid ; 
 Baidig an tond , brisid nech, 
 Loisgid an tenid tuaidlech. 
 
 After two years' experience in this uncomfortable position, the 
 writer proceeds to record his reflections. 
 
 MS. XIX (v. suj^ra, pp. 136, 200). 
 
 On fol. 6a2-6b2 is a poem on a subject unique in these MSS. 
 — Generation or Reproduction. Our MS. is unfortunately ille- 
 gible on fol. 6b. There is another copy in the Book of Hy 
 Maine (Stowe Collection, R. I. A., Dublin), fol. 103b2. (Cf. 
 Archiv filr Celt. Lexilc, ii. p. 140.) The cases described are 
 four — those of Man, Salmon, Bee, and Dove. The first quatrain 
 
 runs : — 
 
 Ceithri compertta caemha 
 Ud[i]sli [cuibhi] comhshaera 
 Do dheoin Dia nach fand i bhos 
 Dandentar eland chneas [shjolos. 
 
 Cuibhi, in the second line, is awanting in our copy.
 
 MS. XXXVI] MISCELLANEOUS 205 
 
 MS. XXXVI {v. supra, pp. 91, IIG, 142) 
 
 This MS. contains several epigrams and short poems of 
 diverse character and of various degrees of merit. Thus : — 
 Fol. 79a. Three quatrains, beginning : — 
 
 Ni me tenga lem let, 
 
 Cha bheithiin le h-aithis chugad. 
 
 0/ O'Gr. Cat., p. 613. 
 
 Fol, 82b. Twelve quatrains, commencing : — 
 
 Bregach sin, a bhen, beg an seal do bhaois. 
 
 Fol. 83a. Several lines without a heading, rhymed but not 
 spaced, beginning : — 
 
 Go m-ben(u)uigh Dia an tigh sa miiinter. 
 
 A greeting, somewhat similar, entitled Cuid Nolluic, is found in 
 MS. LXV {infra, p. 216), end B., fol. 1. 
 
 Fol. 85a. Eight vigorous quatrains of a 'flyting' between a 
 man and his wife, attributed by Mr. Mackintosh and Rev. Dr. 
 Smith to Bishop Carsewell. First line : — 
 
 Na maoi(dh) h-uaisle orum fein. 
 
 Fol. 85a. Three quatrains, addressed to a lady, beginning : — 
 
 Innis disi giodh be nie, 
 A techtara theid na cenn. 
 
 Fol. 85b. Seven spirited quatrains, beginning : — 
 
 Soraidh slan don aoidhche reir. 
 
 On the top margin, in modern hand, is written : ' This poem is 
 in Clanranald's book.' There are only six quatrains in Clan- 
 ranald's book, where the verses are attributed to Niall mor 
 mac Mhuiredhaigh, and from which they are printed in Rel. 
 Celt, vol. ii. p. 290. 
 
 Fol. 92b. Twenty-six quatrains with the heading na fiiatha 
 dligthes na daoine lochtach nach bedh ra . . ., beginning : — 
 
 Is fuatli lioni oinsach gan oran. 
 Is fuath liom ochan gan tinnes, 
 
 and ending : — 
 
 Is fuath lioiu filidh gan tuigsi, 
 Agus sin duitsi nis fuath liom.
 
 206 CA.TALOGUE OF GAELIC MANUSCRIPTS L^S. XXXVI 
 
 Fur parallel lists of ' things hateful,' cf. O'Gr. Cat, pp. 492, 652, 
 and Booh ofihe Dean of Lismore (Edinburgh: Edraonston and 
 Douglas, 1862), pp. 78, 79 (Gaelic text). 
 
 Fol. 93b. Five quatrains addressed to a fair Lady Disdain, 
 
 commencing: — 
 
 Ni b-fuigheadh iiiisi has dnit, 
 A bhen lul an chuirp mar ghei.s. 
 
 Fol. 95b contains the following epigrams : — 
 
 Nech sin bhios cor(r)ach do ghnath, 
 Is ionan(n) gne dho is don dris, 
 An ti sin nach Ij-fiiithar ach cearr, 
 Fdighdne is ferr a dhenanih leis. 
 
 Mar fhdda(dh) tinne fuidli loch, 
 Mar thiormachadh cloch an g-cuan, 
 Tegasg thabair(t) ar mnaoi bhuirb, 
 Mar bhuille uird air iaruin(n) fuar. 
 
 Fols. 114a-115a give, among others, the following: — 
 
 Na srotha is edoimne is iad labras go dana ; 
 
 Sinn fein ni mholfamar, balbh bhios na linnte lana. 
 
 Mas i an tuigsi mas i an toil, 
 
 Ata ga do chu(i)r-si tar r(d)o cheil, 
 
 Leig ormsa an tuigsi chosg, 
 
 Is biodh chosg do thoile oi't fein. 
 
 MS. XXXVIII {v. supra, pp. 118, 146, 179) 
 On pp. 115-116 are seven quatrains, beginning: — 
 Mallacht ort, a cinneamhuin, lear togbhadh m^ o thosaig. 
 
 MS. XXXIX {v. supra, pp. 91, 118, 152) 
 
 Fols. 23a-27a contain a copy of the Metrical Calendar 
 already noticed (r. p. 61). Here also the Calendar is attri- 
 buted to 
 
 Gilibeart o' Dubh- duinn 
 
 Ab Cunga nach crion crobhuing. 
 
 ' Brown Gilbert 0' D., 
 Abbot of Conga, whose reputation [lit. cluster] shall not wither.'
 
 MS. LVII] MISCELLANEOUS 207 
 
 This long composition, beginning : — 
 Bliadain so solus a dath, 
 
 is attributed by O'R., p. ci, and in Brit. Mus. MS. Eg. Ill (v. O'Gr. 
 Cat., p. 356) to John Mor O'Dugan, the author of several poems 
 which have survived, who died in 1372. 
 
 MS. XL VIII (v. siipra, pp. 98, 124, 158) 
 
 Apart from the extracts already noted on the above pages, 
 this MS. contains a number of pieces, nearly all of which are 
 printed in Rev. Celt, vol. i. pp. 119-149. The following may be 
 of some interest : — 
 
 Fol. First Line. 
 
 4b Ge h-iomdha mart agus molt 
 
 4b Dferuibli He mxr thoill toiglibhem 
 
 5a lochd maith mo ghenar do ni 
 
 5b Luaithe cu na cuideachd 
 
 5b Cetlirar tainig anoir 
 
 8a Clann Raghnaill fa Eoin san n-oilenn 
 aoibhin-si 
 
 8b Gabh a inhic mo mhunadh 
 
 24a Mairg duine bhrathis e fein 
 
 32a Namha an cliird nach tathuidher 
 
 In addition to these there are (fols. 25b-31b) sixty-nine 
 quatrains of the Metrical Calendar alread}'- noted {v. supra, 
 pp. 61, 206), with the heading here: 'A Roman Calendar in 
 verse. Dubhagan cc' First line : — 
 
 Bliaghuin so sholas a dath. 
 The copy here is incomplete. 
 
 MS. LV (v. supra, pp. 101, 128, 163) 
 
 On p. 68 of this MS. is written an English quatrain of no 
 merit; and on the last page appear five quatrains written 
 apparently on a decapitated woman. 
 
 MS. LVII (v. sujjra, pp. 171, 182, 188) 
 
 This MS. contains a number of poems and epigrams, some of 
 interest. Among them are the following : — 
 
 jatrain 
 
 s. Author. 
 
 1 
 
 Anon. 
 
 2 
 
 Anon. 
 
 5 
 
 Anon. 
 
 3 
 
 Anon. 
 
 5 
 
 Anon. 
 
 2 
 
 Cathelus M'Muires cc 
 
 8 
 
 Anon. 
 
 14 
 
 Anon. 
 
 8 
 
 Anon.
 
 208 CATALOGUE OF GAELIC MANUSCRIPTS [MS. LVII 
 
 Fols. 6a-7a. Ten quatrains, entitled, Laoidh aii' riiulairt 
 na h-oige arson na h-aoise, ' A lay on the exchange of youth 
 for old age,' beginning : — 
 
 Maluiit iim lihuil mi dourach. 
 
 Fols. 7b-9b. Aodhair do Dhoctuir Whealy, 'A satire on 
 
 Dr. Wh.' About one hundred and eight lines, very coarse. 
 
 Begins : — 
 
 Ciod an tost no'n sprochd so tli'air Ghaoidhile, 
 
 and ends :— 
 
 'Se m'ainm go dilis IMiNico Latus. 
 
 Of. O'Gr., Cat., p. 578 : ' Caineadh Whaley ' i.e. 'Abuse of Whaley,' 
 being Fardorogha mac Cormac O'Daly's lampoon on James 
 Whaley, the almanack-maker of Dublin.' 
 
 Fol. lOa-b. Comhairle do na mnae, eleven quatrains, bo- 
 ginning : — 
 
 Gabh mo tlieagasg, a bhean og. 
 
 O'R., p. clxxv, attributes the verses to Maurice, son of David 
 (ii(,^' Fitzgerald, who flourished in the early seventeenth century. 
 Fol. 14a-b. Among other lines, the following: — 
 
 A chleirigh a leigheas gach dubh air a bhan, 
 
 'S gach Years do'n Ghaoidhlig am pros 's an dan. 
 
 Caith 7 gheabhar o Tdiia ; 
 Caith gu fial agus gheabhar ni's mo ; 
 An ti ler leoir leis beagan o Dhia, 
 As leoir le Dia beaga(n) do. 
 
 Fols. 15b-l7b. Piearaca{cli) na Ruarcach, ' The florics of the 
 O'Rourkes,' ninety-six lines, beginning : — 
 
 Plearaca na Euarcacli 
 
 An cuimhne n-uile dhuine. 
 
 An English paraphrase of a portion of the verses is given in 
 adjacent columns, but deleted. O'R, p. ccx, and O'Gr. Cat. 
 p. 577, ascribe the poem to Hugh M'Gauran. 
 
 Fol. 18a. A quatrain on the transitoriness of riches, and 
 four quatrains by a jilted swain. 
 
 Fols. 18b-19b. Eleven quatrains on Molamh na Triucha, 
 with space left for an additional one, beginning : — 
 
 Cha rabh mi riamh ann san Triucha. 
 Several of these are of considerable merit.
 
 MS. LVIIJ MISCELLANEOUS 209 
 
 Fol. 20a-b contains twenty-eight lines, headed, Rann Eitnid 
 Ui Cleirigh an seana phoiteir, air dha hhi bochd, sa bhean a 
 chall, ' The verse of the old toper, E. O'C, when ill after losing 
 his wife.' First line : — 
 
 Och, mo nuar, mo chor truagh, 's as bochd mo chaoi. 
 
 At the end it is added that the author, upon concluding these 
 
 words, fell into a deep sleep and died, ' as Ave must all do.' 
 
 Fol. 20b. Four lines repeated at the end of the MS., and 
 
 found elsewhere on the margins of Gaelic MSS. (cf. O'Gr., Cat., 
 
 p. 592) :— 
 
 A leabhrain bhric bhain, 
 
 Thig an la gu fior 
 
 Gu'n abair fear os ceann clair, 
 
 Och ! cha mhairionn an lamh do sgriobh. 
 
 Fols. 21b-23a. Ninety-six lines. Le Aodh Buidh{e) mac 
 Cuirtin, Ughda{i)r an fhoclair Eirionnaich Ghaoidhlig, 'by 
 Hugh Boy [ = yellow] MacCurtin, author of the Irish Gaelic 
 Dictionary.' MacCurtin wrote a Grammar (Louvain, 1728) and 
 a Dictionary (Paris, 1732). This poem begins : — 
 
 Uaisle Eire ann an ail. 
 
 Fol. 24b. On this, the last page of the MS., Turner writes 
 the following lines, whether his own or another's does not appear, 
 in the Gaelic hand, to Bolg an t-solair, ' Collecting Bag,' or 
 ' Common- place Book,' a happy descriptive title for the volume. 
 
 Bolg an t-solair m'ainui gun gho 
 A chleirich choir, guidh gu geur, 
 An Sgribhneoir bhi gun bhron, 
 Aig dol san rod gu flaitheas De. 
 
 Is measa gu mor na am bas, 
 Ciod e'n trath no ciod e 'n uair, 
 No c'aite 'n d-teid m'anam bochd, 
 Air dol do'n chorp anns an uaigh. 
 
 A leabhrain bhig bhain, 
 
 Thig an la ort gu fior, 
 
 Gu'n abair neach os ceann clair, 
 
 Och ! ni maireann an lamh do sgriobh.
 
 210 CATALOfJlTH OF GAELIC MANUSCRIPTS [MS. LVIII 
 
 MS. LVIII (v. supva, pp. 102, 12S, 172, 1.S2) " 
 
 The contents hitherto unnoticed of this large MS. are not 
 of much interest, and as a rule are difficult to read. Thus on 
 pp. 195-190 are five quatrains, anonymous, addressed to a lady; 
 on p. 238, written leni^Lhwise, twenty-four quatrains of some 
 merit, also addressed to a lady, and anonymous. On p. 242 
 come two quatrains on the influence of the weather on St. 
 Paul's day on that of the rest of the year, beginning, 
 La St. Pol ma fli(')grann grian go glan. 
 
 Two poems hy Domlinull Mhelyli CdrrtJie natuile, 'Donald 
 Mac Carthy of the flood ' (c/. O' Gr., Cat., p. 632) are given, one 
 of twelve quatrains (pp. 265-6), where the author contrasts the 
 life in present and past times ar hanncaibh na Bandon, 'on 
 the banks of the Bandon'; and another of twenty-five quatrains 
 (pp. 267-270), which E. M'L calls a 'Love Song,' where the 
 writer in his similes introduces Bridget as superior to the 
 goddesses and beauties of classical antiquity (M edea, Helen and 
 others). 
 
 In the third layer (pp. 273-280) is a long composition, of 
 which only detached fragments are legible, closing with 'Finit per 
 me Thadaeum Croneen.' Lastly, on pp. 282-283, with ' Timothy 
 Cronine ' on the margin, are three quatrains, commencing : — 
 . . . boicht as craighte do sgeal gach laoi. 
 
 MS. LXII {v. sivpra, pp. 175, 192) 
 
 In addition to the heroic Ballads, Lore, and Proverbs pre- 
 viously noted, this MS. contains the following, in Gaelic and 
 English, all of which, as already stated (p. 175), are printed in 
 Rel. Gelt, vol. i. pp. 151-166. 
 
 I. English: — 
 (1) li(eci)pe : 
 
 A groats worth of herypickery 
 2 pence worth of Corriander seed 
 A penny worth of white ginger 
 po(u)nd the Corriander and the ginger
 
 MS. LXIII] MISCELLANEOUS 211 
 
 put theiu altogether in a bottle with a 
 mutchkin of strong Spirits. After 48 
 hours take a large morning dram every 
 other day, and keep for that day from salt meat. 
 
 (2) An Epitaph inscribed on the tomb of Margt. Scott who 
 died in the town of Dalkeith, Feby. 9th, 1738. 
 
 (3) On the death of Handel :— 
 
 To melt the soul, to captivate the ear, 
 Messia heard his voice, and Handel dy'd. 
 
 IL Gaelic : 
 
 (1) P. 9. Tuiri'inh Bhrighid, in Gaehc script, repeated in 
 the English hand, beginning : — 
 
 Gair(i)m is guid(i)m tu, a cloch, na leig Brighid a mach. 
 
 (2) Pp. 21-22. Twenty quatrains, signed, ' William M'Mhuir- 
 ach(aidh),' on the happenings upon a certain night, to the author 
 presumably. First line : — 
 
 So rinnas an tigh marcaidJi, eivadh nar thapadh an oidhche. 
 
 (3) Pp. 28-29. Fourteen quatrains of high literary merit, 
 bewailing the sale of certain lands in Kintyre, beginning : — 
 
 's tuirsech anocht ataim, 's mo chroidh briste baitht' am chom. 
 
 MS. LXIII— Miscellaneous, No. 6 
 
 This MS. is of paper, small folio or large octavo size, written 
 in the Gaelic hand about the middle of the eighteenth century. 
 It is but a fragment, defective at the beginning, probably also 
 at the end. There are, besides, two gaps. Pp. 122-130 and 
 135-142, both inclusive, are awanting. As we have it now, the 
 MS. begins with p. 118 and ends with p. 184, On p. 133 is 
 written ' Mary Mc Donald Eachen.' Beyond this there is 
 nothing to indicate author, scribe, or owner. But there can be 
 no reasonable doubt that the fragment is what remains of the 
 MS. of the poems of the great Jacobite poet, Alexander 
 Macdonald, after his death in the possession of his son Ranald 
 Ccf. Beauties of Gaelic Poetry, p. 125). The MS., as we now have
 
 212 CATALOGUE OF GAELIC MANUSCRIPTS [MS. LXIV 
 
 it, contains eighteen separate compositions, in whole or in part. 
 Of these, four were printed, more or less altered, by the' author 
 in 1751. The remainder are all, with the possible exception of 
 the last piece, written in Macdonald's well-known manner, and 
 could not have been composed by any other modern Gaelic poet. 
 They are all pronouncedly Jacobite. Many of them are very 
 coarse, while a number of quatrains are unprintable. Long 
 pieces are devoted to foul abuse of prominent Hanoverians, and 
 especially of a lady of the name of Campbell, who for a time 
 kept an hotel in Oban, and who had in her youth composed a 
 poem advocating the Hanoverian cause. The MS. is very pro- 
 bably in the poet's handwriting, which is bold and clear, and 
 probably also among the last written in the old Gaelic script in 
 Scotland. The contents have recently been printed, with notes, 
 in instalments in the Celtic Revieiv (vol. iv. p. 289 to vol. v. 
 p. 294), so that it is not necessary to give further details here. 
 
 MS. LXV (v. supra, pp 104, 176, 180, 192) 
 
 Much the greater part of the contents of this MS. is of a 
 miscellaneous character. Several of the pieces are of consider- 
 able merit, not a few are coarse, obscene even. The MS. is 
 paged from both ends. 
 
 End a. 
 
 Pp. 1-2. Marhna Eignechain Ui Gellaigh an so sios, ' Elegy 
 on E. O'Kelly here below.' First line : — 
 
 Neimhnech cnedh chriche Mhaine. 
 
 Pp. 3-5. A rather long poem in praise of Kintyre, begin- 
 ning:— 
 
 Soridh soir uam gu Cinntire le caoine disle J failte. 
 
 For a portion of this poem, v. An t- Oranaiche (Glasgow : 
 Archibald Sinclair, 1879), p. 435. 
 
 P. 6. Moladh na pio {ba le) Eoin Mc Ailain, ' The praise of 
 the Bag-pipes, by John son of Alan (Maclean ?).' First line 
 (cf. Rel Gelt, vol. ii. p. 338) :— 
 
 A Gioleasbuig, mo bennacht re m' bheo d'fer aitlileis do (i(h)niomh.
 
 MS. LXV] MISCELLANEOUS 213 
 
 P. 7. Eascaoin molaidlt na (pioba le) Lachlann M'aleoin, 
 ' The dispraise of the Bag-pipes, by Lachlan M'Lean,' beginning 
 (cf. Rel Celt, vol. ii. p. 340) :— 
 
 (A) (T(h)iolasbuigh, mo inollacht re lu'bheo ar do c(h)olain(n) gun bhriogh. 
 
 P. 8. (' Panegyric on Alex"" Macdonell, Esq. of Glengary.' — 
 E. M'L.) First line :— 
 
 Ailastir a Gleanna Garadli . . . n-diugh gal ar mo suilibh. 
 
 P. 9. (' On the Macdonalds.'— E. M'L.) First line :— 
 
 Cha ghardechus gun Chloinn Donihnuill, cha mhor toil gun Shiol CoUa. 
 
 Cf. Dean of Lismore's MS. (infra). 
 
 P. 10. E. M'L., referring to ' Macd... p. 178 ' (a reference which 
 
 I have been unable to trace), says the poem, beginning, 
 Nach truadh leibh na scela so d'eist mi Di-domhnuich, 
 
 is on Sir Lachlan Maclean. 
 P. 11. A poem beginning, 
 
 'S maith thig clogada cruach duit ar gruaig na n-ciabli amlach, 
 
 is, according to E. M'L., ' part of a song by Mary ni'n Alastair 
 Enaidh (Mary Macleod),' and refers to ' Macd., p. 107,' a reference 
 which, again, I have been unable to trace. 
 P. 16. has the following epigram : — 
 
 Dill gach conn(a)idh fearna fliucli, diii gach sin(n)e fiich rcodh ; 
 Dill gach betlia mil ma is sen, diii gach fine droch bhen. 
 
 Pp. 17-19. A rather vulgar piece, beginning: — 
 
 Chualas alladh gun bhith scriophte 
 Ar Willeam mac Murchaidh in filar. 
 
 Pp. 20-21. Coarse verses, signed Collum Columbine, begin- 
 ning : — 
 
 A Lachuinn scuir do d'bhardachd, 's nach urtha thu moladh na cainedh. 
 
 Cf. Bel. Celt, vol. ii. p. 328. 
 
 P. 22. Five quatrains, commencing : — 
 
 Bidh duine in pein is e beo, 's bidh duine beo 's gun e slan, 
 
 are given, with nine others, in Rel. Celt, vol. ii. p. 404. 
 P. 22. Six quatrains, beginning : — 
 
 Tochar do iarr ormsa ben, 's och gur mor iongnadli.
 
 214 CATALOGUE OF GAELIC MANUSCRIPTS [MS. LXV 
 
 P. 23. Five compliincntary quatrains, also given in Rel. Celt, 
 vol. ii. p. 408, addressed to 
 
 A c(h);ullech a tainican tir. 
 
 Pp. 24-25. Coarse verses in the form of a 'flyting' between 
 a married couple. First line : — 
 
 Folbainuid is gluaisaiiiuid. 
 
 Pp. 26-27. A piece which E. M'L. describes as ' Consolatory 
 suggestions to a young gentleman, whom his wife had forsaken 
 in a pet,' beginning : — 
 
 A mliarcidli ud, na bi eadiuur mas feidir leat a bhith tuicsech. 
 
 Pp. 30-31. Elegy on Conn O'Neill:— 
 
 A Chuinn ui Neill, a I'eul eolais. 
 
 Pp. 36-37. ' Satire on a Merchant,'— E. M'L. ; Moladh vihic 
 Cairhre, ' Panegyric on the son of Cairbre ' {Rel. Celt., \o\. ii. 
 p. 322). First iine :— 
 
 'S cian o chualas alladli Bdsdain. 
 
 P. 37. Sixteen lines, apparently on winter. 
 Pp. 38-40. Sixteen quatrains (' Rude Sketch of Macdonald's 
 Winter.'— E. M'L.):— 
 
 Tarruing Sol ri na in-pla(na)id 's na n-rell. 
 
 Pp. 40-43. ' Mr. MacCairbre's satir in return to my satyr,' 
 
 beginning : — 
 
 Saoil mi bhith comfada n-deislaimh 
 'Sa bha bannrionn Seaba eir Solamh. 
 
 Pp. 43-45. Uisceheatha, ' Whisky ' Eleven quatrains. First 
 
 line : — 
 
 Failt ort, Uilleim ghrinn mhic an Tdisigh sin. 
 
 P. 45. Five quatrains ' On breach of trust.' — E. M'L. 
 P. 46. Names of nine persons written in English. 
 P. 48. Four quatrains. Jacobite. First line : — 
 
 Gur binn lem na sceala so leigh mi Di-lnain. 
 
 P. 51. 'On a steady adherent to the Stewart family.' — 
 E.M'L.:— 
 
 Gu ma h-iomlan do ghaisfrech n<^ fhacas o n-de.
 
 MS. LXVj MISCELLANEOUS 216 
 
 Pp. 52-53. ' By an unfortunate Bard.' — E. M'L. Fourteen 
 Stanzas. First line : — 
 
 Ceiid Contrachd ort, a M(h)if(h)ortuin. 
 
 Cf. Rel. Celt, vol. ii. p. 335. 
 
 P. 54. On this page is given, in English, ' the dimensions 
 of a Harp,' to which is added, ' Widow Black who keeps a 
 pinnery in Frances Street sells all kinds of harp wire.' 
 
 Pp. 55-58. ' Kude sketch of Macdonald's Summer.'— E. M'L. 
 First line : — 
 
 Moch's me 'g eirigh sa mhaduinn sa n-dealt air a choill. 
 
 Pp. 58-59. Tmre77iA, ' A lament.' Coarse. Begins: — 
 
 Edoil a dh'feraib an achair?/t. 
 
 Pp. 59-61. Caoi mhic ui Maolciaran, ' Elegy on the son of 
 0' M.' Ten quatrains, beginning (v. Rel. Celt., vol. ii. p. 332) :— 
 
 Mac ui INIhaolchiarain, mo ghradh, 
 Mo ghrianan's mo choille chno, 
 
 Thig an Samhradh, thig an Samh ; 
 Thig a ghrian go lanach gheal ; 
 Thig a m-bradan as a b(h)ruaich ; 
 'S as an uaidh cha dig mo mhac. 
 
 P. 61. An Cat. Ten quatrains, v. Rel. Celt., vol. ii. p. 349. 
 
 First line : — 
 
 Mile failte dhuitsi, a chait, 
 O n-tra tharla duit bi m'ucht. 
 
 P. 62. Aonas na n-aor an Dunstaiphnis, ' Angus the Satirist 
 {i.e. Angus O'Daly) in Dunstaffnage ': — 
 
 Caol mo sgenan re li-am longaidh, 
 Rusg mo bheidh ni iosaid na coin ; 
 Fada mo shnil siar 'ga semadh, 
 Man bhiadh nach cuis gena dhamh. 
 
 and ending :- 
 
 Aofain : — 
 
 Uailsin a baile ag ithe na fema?i» 
 Islin a baile scriobadh na gainemh. 
 
 Similar characterisations are given of Oilen an Btalcair, ' Island 
 Stalker,' and Ardchattan. For satiric Angus's description of 
 Ardgour, v. Macpherson's Duanaire (Edinburgh : Maclachlan 
 and Stewart, 1868), p. 45. For an account of this Angus O'Daly 
 V. O'Donovan's Tribes of Ireland. Dublin: 1852.
 
 21(3 CATALOGUE OF GAELIC MANUSCRIPTS [MS. LXV 
 
 Pp. (VA-Gi. Versos which I']. ML. suggests may be by Mary 
 Macleod, beginning : — 
 
 Ta oiy(h)ra '.s tir is iirrainiid <,'nioinli, 
 Le 'n oilte fioii <in sar pliailte. 
 
 End B. 
 
 P. 1. A greeting on entering a house (c/. supra, p. 205), entitled 
 here CttifZ Nollidc, 'Christmas Portion,' beginning: — 
 
 Gu beanuiyh ]Jia an bhruiifhin, 
 
 'S bruighionn Ealga na m-tialbhert. 
 
 P. 2. Marbhna Maigister P]6in raic illeoin, ' Elegy on Rev. John 
 Maclean.' Six quatrains, beginning : — 
 
 'S trom 's is tur.sech ata mi, 's mi terrnadh an iar. 
 
 The author bewails the removal from them by death of three 
 clergymen within a short period : — 
 
 'S e degh Mr. Parnig 7 da Mr. E(')in. 
 ' The good Mr. Peter and the two Mr. John's.' 
 
 Facts which show that the subject of this elegy is the Rev. John 
 Maclean of Killean, Kintyre. {Cf. Scott's Fasti Eccles. Scot., 
 vol. V. p. 45.) 
 
 P. 11. Oran Connachtach, ' a Connaught (love) song,' begin- 
 ning : — 
 
 is eittrom 's as aighrach a siubhlainn-si. 
 
 P. 11. A quatrain: — 
 
 Biaidh a falhiinn na h-ascnill ca fuar e a la. 
 
 A trid a c\\\\vvai<jli buain bhrosna sa tuadh na laimh. 
 
 Pp. 19-20. An elegy, or part thereof, of considerable merit, 
 upon a distinguished man, name not given. ' Tune, Thro' the 
 wood, laddie.'— E. M'L. First line :— 
 
 'S goirt a nuall-s' aig cuan Gaoidheal.
 
 CHAPTER IX 
 
 MSS. XXXII, XXXV, XXXVII 
 
 These three MSS. have been reserved for the concludiii£( 
 chapter on the sixty-five MSS. treated of in Dr. Skene's Cata- 
 logue. 
 
 MS. XXXII — Highland Society, Kilbride, No. 1 
 
 This MS. has been amissing for many years. It was lent to 
 the late Thomas Thomson, Esq., Deputy Clerk Register, for 
 examination, and was in his possession in 1841. It has not 
 been heard of since. But Dr. Donald Smith gave a short 
 account of it in Rep. on Oss., pp. 285-294, and a more detailed 
 examination, which has been preserved, was afterwards made of 
 the MS. by Mr. Ewen M'Lachlan (Analysis of Ancient Gaelic 
 3ISS., pp. 121-127). Both these scholars regarded MS. XXXII 
 as the oldest at that time in the Collection, Dr. Smith assign- 
 ing it to the eighth century, and M'Lachlan stating that ' the 
 language and phraseology ' of the concluding section ' are at 
 least as ancient as the ninth century.' 
 
 Dr. Smith's conclusion is based on inferences drawn from his 
 interpretation of Pupu Muirciusa which he found in a note on 
 the margin of the fourth leaf of the MS. (v. Rep. on Oss., p. 285 -|- ). 
 M'Lachlan gives an ' insulated sentence ' from the bottom of one 
 of the pages, which he finds ' analogous ' to Dr. Smith's note, and 
 which he transcribes and translates thus (L. C, p. 253) : Aidchi 
 causcc a nochd j nar &.\friche Dia form sin do graif uair nir 
 leig tinnus damh en rann do graif o samhuin cus-an diu. An 
 
 coimtheach mo feitli .1. Murgiusa ilipait damh. Misi Fithil 
 
 {Anal., p. 123). 'This is Pasch-night; and let not God lay to 
 my charge that I have written the above, for indisposition has 
 not suffered me to write one sentence from Hallow-even to this
 
 218 CATALOGUE OF GAELIC ALVNUSCKIl'LS 
 
 (lay. In the Cocnobiiiin of my Father Muir<,'hius. I ain 
 Fithil . . .' (The last word is indistinct.) It is evident that 
 the last sentence was misunderstood by E. M'L. It should 
 run: 'I am in the Coenobium of my . . ., namely, of M. son 
 
 ofP; 
 
 Professor Zimmer of Berlin thought that he discovered in one 
 of Dr. Smith's extracts from this MS. proof that it could not 
 have been written earlier than the fifteenth century. Dr. Smith 
 {Rep. on Oss., p. 291), wrote the name of the scribe or redactor 
 of the Tain bo Gucdgne Senchan Toirpc^ct. Professor Zimmer 
 at once saw that 'Toirpda' was meant for Torpeisf, and that 
 the mistake arose from wrongly extending the graph 2 which 
 up till the fifteenth century stood only for est, but afterwards 
 indifferently for ent and its Gaelic equivalent ta {da). {Cf. 
 Kuhn's Zeitschriff, vol. xxviii. p. 432.) \Miat the distinguished 
 scholar for the moment forgot was that the wrong extension 
 might be by Smith. It so happens that E. M'L. transcribed 
 this very passage (L. C, p. 253), and the name stands in the 
 transcript SeancK toirp2, showing that the blunder is due to 
 Smith. It is but right to add, however, that when the name 
 subsequently appears in M'L.'s transcript, it is written in full as 
 Smith wrote it, Seanchan Toirpda ; and it is not the general 
 practice of M'L. to extend contractions. 
 
 The date of the MS., now that it is amissing, cannot be 
 definitely fixed, but from another extract transcribed by M'L. 
 (L. C, p. 253), we gather that although it may be older than 
 the fifteenth century it cannot be as old as the eighth or ninth. 
 Here we are told that at one time w^hen Cuchulainn was hunt- 
 ing in Munster Turglesta, son of the King of Lochlann, with a 
 large host harried the hero's country, and carried away great 
 booty, as also Eimir, to Manuint, ' Isle of Man,' and afterwards 
 to Innsi Call, ' the Hebrides.' When Cuchulainn heard of 
 this he instantly followed in pursuit and traced the marauders to 
 Dun Islonaidh, the old capital of Dalriada, slew Turglesta, de- 
 stroyed the Dun, and brought back Eimir, the passage conclud- 
 ing with a few lines of verse addressed by the hero to his wife. 
 The incident could not have been put together in this form 
 until after the Hebrides came to be known as Innse Gall, 
 ' Isles of foreigners,' and until the feeling of anachronism
 
 MS. XXXII 219 
 
 arising from bringing Cuchulainn and Norsemen together had 
 passed away. 
 
 The orthography of the MS. is in some respects peculiar. 
 Dr. Smith {Rej). on Oss., p. 289) draws attention to the fre- 
 quent use of u for bh. But such an equation is not uncommon. 
 jNIore marked is the frequent use of the tenues for the mediae, — 
 ceant for ce(a)nd, and as above Manuinf for ManuincZ or Man- 
 Siinn. This feature again is not unknown in comparatively late 
 MSS. Perhaps the nearest in respect of orthography to MS. 
 XXXII in the Scottish Collection is the Cennadh an ruanado 
 in MS. XL (v. Rev. Celt., vol. xiv. p. 450), where such forms as 
 antt for and, prat for hrat, meraip for meraib are common. 
 
 From M'L.'s detailed Analysis we obtain a full account of the 
 contents of the MS. The first leaf was originally blank. But 
 in a later hand there were written on the first page genealogies 
 of the families of Argyll and Macleod. The former ends with 
 Archibald, who succeeded to the earldom in 1542 and died in 
 1588, so that the genealogy would have been written between 
 these two dates (v. i^ep. on Oss., p. 290). On the second page 
 of fol. 1 is a brief account of the legend respecting the miraculous 
 cure of Gathelus by Moses and Aaron (v. supra, p. 78) in the 
 Arabian Desert. This piece is followed by a number of detached 
 moral sentiments, also in modern hand (M'L.'s Analysis, p. 122). 
 
 The original contents of the MS. begin on fol. 2. M'L. now 
 reckons by columns, and not by leaves or pages. He enumerates 
 forty columns. If by these pages are meant, the MS. contained 
 twenty leaves, exclusive of the first and last, twenty-two in all. 
 But if the MS. was written in double columns we may have only 
 twelve folios. The size of the leaf, and whether folio, quarto, 
 or what, is nowhere mentioned. 
 
 Col. 1 contains (1) An incident regarding Fionn and Ossian, 
 from which Dr. Smith quotes {Rep. on Oss., p. 298). At the 
 conclusion of the verses which Ossian sings comes the signa- 
 ture, 2[isi Fltliil mac Flaitlirig mic Aodho. Finit. (2) The 
 cure of Nuadu of the Silver Hand {cf. supra, p. 167). 
 
 Col. 2 {v. L. C, p. 252): (1) Concluding part of the cure 
 of Nuadu. (2) Two short paragraphs, commencing. In gen 
 Oilill do niath noi faithche feimie .j. nua gein annsint. (3) 
 The raid of Tuirglesta referred to above (p. 218). The ' insulated
 
 220 CATALOGUE OF GAELIC MANUSCRIPTS 
 
 sentonco ' quoted above (p. 217). Is the ' Fitliil ' who signs Iktc 
 the ' Fithil iiiao Fhuthrig mic Aodho ' of cohimn 1 ? 
 
 Cols. 8-4. On col. 3 commences the version of the Tain 
 Bo Cuahjuc (T. B. C.) contained in this MS. The Tale opens 
 with an Introduction or ' Critical Exposition,' as Dr. Smith and 
 Mr. M'Lachlan call it. Following the extract which Dr. Smith 
 quotes {Rep. on Oss., p. 291), we arc told that after Seanchan 
 and his numerous retinue Avere entertained for a time by Guaire, 
 he, the king, imposed upon them the task of recovering the lost 
 Tain. After making a complete circuit of Ireland and Scotland, 
 the poets returned to Connaught and had to report their failure. 
 Then Cailin naom, St. Caillin, who Avas uterine brother to Sean- 
 chan -^mac onatJiar da Seanchan eisWte — comes to them and 
 advises them to repair to the grave of Fergus mac Roich. 
 This is done. Through the intercession of the Saints Fergus 
 appears and recites the Tale from beginning to end. 
 
 Another version of the recovery of the Stor}'- is added. When 
 Seanchan failed to get the Tale in its entirety from the poets, he 
 asked his pupils whether any of them would go to the East to 
 the country of Leatlta Avhither the Tain was brought after the 
 Cuhnen. Eimin ua n-Eiiiiin and Muircc, son of Seanchan, 
 volunteer to go. But first they repair to the grave of Fergus. 
 Muircc sat by the grave alone while his companion Avent in 
 search of hospitality. Muircc sang a lay to the graA^e, as if it 
 Avere Fergus himself that Avas in presence. Suddenly he Avas 
 enveloped in mist so that he Avas invisible for three days. 
 Fergus had appeared to him splendidly arrayed, and recited 
 the Tale. 
 
 Thereafter comes (on col. 4) an enumeration of the twelve 
 Remstcela or Fore- tales Avhich Avere regarded as part of the 
 great Saga, although it Avas only the birth, education, and early 
 exploits of Cuchulainn that Avere embodied in the story of the 
 Tain. 
 
 Thus far the old portion of the MS., Avhich he calls Leabliar 
 Chillehhrlde, is transcribed by M'L. (L, C, pp. 251-254). 
 
 A conspectus of the Tale is now given (Anal., pp. 125-127) : — 
 
 Cols. 5-6. An enumeration of the forces assembled from all 
 parts of Ireland at Cruachan, under Oilill, Meave and Fergus, 
 for the prosecution of the Ultonian Avar.
 
 MS. XXXV 221 
 
 Col. 7. The names of the different tribes. The hosts march 
 to Loch Cairene. 
 
 Col. 8. Order of the household and nobility in the royal 
 tent : they indulge in song and festivity. 
 
 Cols. 12-19. Description of the character and exploits of 
 Cuchulainn from his childhood onwards, by Fergus MacRoich. 
 
 Col. 20. Hostilities commence : the tight of Fraech and 
 Cuchulainn. 
 
 The story proceeds thereafter, column by column, until 
 col. 40, which is the last, and which records the deaths of 
 Cur, Lath-Mac-Dabhro and Ferbaeth, at the hand of Cuchu- 
 lainn. 
 
 From this it will be seen that the version of the great Saga in 
 MS. XXXII, though interesting as a variant, and of great value 
 to the Scottish Collection, inasmuch as it contains none other 
 except the fragment in MS. LIX (v. supra, p. 174), is very 
 defective. It does not contain the incident recorded in L.L. 
 which was the immediate cause of the great war — the Comrdd 
 ChindcJiercliaiUe, ' pillow- end talk,' between Oilill and Meave 
 regarding their respective possessions, the sending by Meave 
 for the Brown (bull) of Cualgne to more than match Oilill's 
 'Whitehorn,' and her fury when her request was refused — 
 which takes up the first 160 lines of Windisch's edition of the 
 Tain Bo Cualgne. Again Windisch's text contains 6212 lines, 
 and the death of Ferbaeth, with which the version in MS. 
 XXXII ends, is recorded at line 2195, so that we have here 
 only a little more than a third of the great Tale. 
 
 The last leaf of MS. XXXII, says M'L., ' is detached from 
 the rest. It is a fragment of a Gaelic Monasticon, without 
 date or name. But the language and phraseology are at least as 
 ancient as the ninth century.' 
 
 MS. XXXV — Highland Society. Kilbride Collection, 
 
 No. 4 
 
 This MS. has somehow fallen out of its place in the Collec- 
 tion and is at present (temporarily) amissing. Dr. Donald 
 Smith gave a short account of it in Rep. on Oss., p 295, which
 
 222 CATALOllUE OF GAELIC MANUSCliUTS 
 
 substantially ai^rocs with notes made by inc some twenty 
 years ago. 
 
 The M.S. is of paper, small quarto size, and containing 
 upwards of one hundred and thirty folios. The paper is crumb- 
 ling away at the edges and curling up at the corners. There are 
 different hands. A portion seems to have been written by 
 Edmond Mac Laghlan about the middle of the seventeenth 
 century. On fol. 80 is the entry, ' 14th July 1654, Edmo. 
 M'Laglilain.' Again, on fol. 129 are verses attributed (as author 
 or scribe) to Eamonn Ma glachluinn, where the writer adds 
 Beannachd libhsi a leabhrain, ' Farewell, little book.' On fol. 
 79b is the date, ' Ul(t)imo Julii 1G55.' 
 
 There are other occasional jottings here and there. On fols. 
 127b-8a at the foot of the pages, in modern hand, is written in 
 English ' This manuscript belongs to me, John M'Lachlan of 
 Kilbride.' Again a few pages from the end is written, also in 
 English, leave of absence for fifteen days from his officer to 
 Ardle M'Laghlin, a soldier. An Ogham is written on fol. 130b, 
 with key which is afterwards deleted. 
 
 The bulk of the contents is Irish poetry of comparatively 
 modern date. Occasionally the author's name is given. Thus 
 on fol. 70, a piece is ascribed to Fearga^ 6g mac an bhaird. 
 ' F. Ward, junior' (u supra, p. 123). 
 
 There are one or two prose passages. Thus on fol. 108b, a 
 short piece begins, — Domnall Mac Ardg . . . mic Lochluinn 
 . . . and ends ... 7 a adnacal hi cluain mic Nois i ccomhfo- 
 chraihJt Altora Ciarain 1156. In the end of the eleventh and 
 beginning of the twelfth century, Donald, grandson of Lochlunn 
 (the name of his father is not given in F. M.) was Prince of 
 Oileach. Toirdhealbhach O'Connor, king of Connaught, and he, 
 in 1114, made a year's peace with the men of Munster, when 
 Donald went through Connaught homewards. In 1056, 'Toir- 
 dhealbhach O'Connor, King of Connaught . . . the Augustus of 
 the west of Europe, a man full of charity and mercy . . . died 
 . . . and was interred at Cluain-mic-Nois, beside the altar of 
 Ciarain.' Cf. F. M. 1114 a.d. and 1156 a.d. The passage in 
 our MS., beginning and ending as above quoted, refers no doubt 
 to these men and some of their transactions. 
 
 Regarding the quality of the poetry contained in the MS.
 
 MS. XXXV 223 
 
 Dr. Smith says that it is unequal in point of merit. ' The Sonnets, 
 Odes, and Epistles are all excellent : and if the writer of this 
 paper could presume to form an opinion of them, he would 
 venture to say that they yield to no compositions of the kind in 
 any language with which he is acquainted.' Seeing that the 
 MS. is at present amissing, it may not be out of place to give 
 the three following extracts in illustration of Dr. Smith's judg- 
 ment. They were copied many years ago, and beyond adding 
 marks of punctuation, accents and capitals, they are presented 
 literatim. The meaning is so clear that a translation is con- 
 sidered unnecessary. 
 
 r ol. 18. Cia tu fein, a mhacaoimli mna ? 
 
 Innis damhsa air ghradh De ; 
 Dileas misi, maith mo riin ; 
 Ca tir duitsi, cia tu fein ? 
 
 A Dlie nimhe na naoi n-gradh, 
 A mhacaoimh mna na m-bas n-iir, 
 An ttainic do leithid riamh, 
 Cia tir dut fein, no cia tii ? 
 
 larram fein d'athchiiingidh ort, 
 A ghniiis aobhdha, fholt mar or, 
 Ar ghradh th' einigh tuig thu fein, 
 Eidir chruth is cheill is ghloir. 
 
 Ma's as deilbh ata do dhoigh, 
 No uaisle an phoir da bh-fuil sibh, 
 As saidhbhrios, as maith, no as mhein, 
 Abair nacli bh-fuil tu fein glic. 
 
 Ma's alainn let do ghruaidh gheal, 
 Geal an sneachda, beg a luadh ; 
 Ata an buafallan buidhe fos, 
 Ma's bhuidhe na 'n t-6r do ghruag. 
 
 Ma's dearg let do leca shaor, 
 Lor deirge na ccaor(a) ccon ; 
 Ma's dubh let do mhala mhin, 
 Dnibhe na sin li na Ion. 
 
 ]Ma's glas let fein do shuil mhall, 
 Glaisi na sin barr an fheoir ; 
 Bi guth ceoii-bhinn ag an ccuaich, 
 Ma's binn let fein fuaim do bheoil.
 
 2-24 CATALOGUE OF GAELIC MANUSCRIPTS [MS. XXXV 
 
 Ni I'uil sii' <rliloir fluiuilidli ait, 
 Muna raibh mein mliaith dha ci^ir, 
 'S ni fuil sa crruth shej^'liainn shnairc 
 Afh olaidheainh Inaidhe a ttruaill oir. 
 
 Gach diiine cniaidh Ian do nihaoin, 
 Ciuna lioin do nihnaoi no d'fhir ; 
 Ag sin agaibh mar jfach ni 
 Ainni an ti do stfriobh an nion.^ 
 
 Cuir a cceann do nani(h)ad fein 
 T'ainm 's do shloinneadh, f;i b'e fath, 
 Ni thuicfe a l^h-fear an Atli-cliath 
 Cia tu fein, a ndiacaoimh nxna. 
 
 Fol. 30. Gluais, a litir, na leig sgis, 
 
 Gn bh-faice tu ris i fein ; 
 Fiafraigh di an bh-fhuigheam bas 
 No an ni-biam go briith a b-pein. 
 
 Ma's i an plan do dheonn duinn, 
 Fiafraigh di ga fad an phian ; 
 No ma's bas do bheira duinn, 
 Fiafraigh ga h-iiir a m-biam. 
 
 An sgeul fada ni h-e as ferr, 
 ISIithigh lem a cur a g-ceill ; 
 Muna bh-fuil furtachd domh an dan 
 Fagliad go luath an bas fein. 
 
 An bas fein da tuga duinn, 
 ]Mo chur an uir do bhein(n) reidli, 
 Os mo chionn da sgriobhadh si, 
 Ag so an ti do marbh me. 
 
 A ccrich All)an ar bheith seimh, 
 
 As ann thoghaim fein mo chur, 
 
 Mur a luighfedh si ar mo leac, 
 
 'S mur a m-biadh si ar m' f(h)ert a gul. 
 
 An doigh go theigeomadh di dul, 
 'S go bigfedh si a cur an uaigh, 
 Deifrig ort, is beir mo sgeul, 
 Bi ag imthecht go geur, is ghiais. 
 
 Fol. 33. Aoibhinn m'aisling ar Loch Ria, 
 
 Do bhean diom da thrian do m' shuain, 
 
 Tarfas damsa ingen ann, 
 
 'S i 'na suidhe os cenn cuain. 
 
 1 The name of the letter ?i. ; a letter.
 
 MS. XXXVII 225 
 
 Suidhim a bh-foc(h);iir na mna, 
 Nir bh-ferr liom iiio lamh tar nemh, 
 A gruaidh ar dath na sugh ccraobh, 
 Sa gile na an t-aol a cnes. 
 
 Fiafrighim sgeala do'n m(h)naoi, 
 Do'n ingin, nir b'e mo leas : 
 Ga sith as a ttainic tn, 
 A mhacaoimh oig is iir dreach. 
 
 A sith Mananain mic Lir, 
 
 A sliabh Mis na n-innbhear mall, 
 
 A ccnuc Medlia na mur ccorr, 
 
 Fa se fionnbhurna ccorann ccam (?). 
 
 Do blii a m-bruigin Bhuidb, 
 A sith Duilbh an tobair ghil, 
 A m-brugh Aonghuis mac-an-oig, 
 A ttulaigh aird os Boinn bhregh. 
 
 As me Aine ingen Duin, 
 Tanac ar tuinn d'f(h)oghlum bes ; 
 An dun Dubhthach is toi damh, 
 Gi b'e thra ar brath mo sgel. 
 
 Fechaim ar enlaith an c(h)uain, 
 Ma n e mar do chuaidh do'n m(h)naoi, 
 Ni facns di ach a h-ait, 
 As sin an fath do mo; i. 
 
 MS. XXXVII— Highland Society. J. M'Kenzie, No. 1 
 
 This is the MS. known as the Dean of Lismore's, and from 
 its importance in the History of Scottish GaeHc Literature, a 
 somewhat full account of it seems necessary. It is of paper, 
 rather small quarto, consisting at present of 311 pages, but pro- 
 bably defective both at the beginning and end. The paging is 
 by a modern hand, and is not free from error, there being 
 several blanks and duplicates. The MS. is enclosed in a skin 
 cover, which is written upon in a firm Scottish hand, but the 
 writing is now largely illegible. The text is in Latin, and 
 religious. It was written, in part at least, by Duncan M'Gregor, 
 or, as he designates himself, ' Duncan Deyer oclych (servitor) son 
 of Dugald son of grizzled John,' probably also in part by his 
 brother Sir James M'Gregor, who in his day was Dean of 
 
 p
 
 226 CATALOGUE OF GAELIC MANUSCRIPTS 
 
 Lismore in ArgN'llshire, and who is named in the MS. as, the 
 owner of it. The date '1512' i.s recorded on p. 144, and the 
 Obituary contained in tlie MS. i.s carried down to the year 1529 
 (an entry between 1527 and 152.S is dated 1531, Imt it may be 
 in error), so that we have conclusive evidence that this valuable 
 document was written between the 3'ears 1512 and 1529. 
 
 Of the history of the MS. for two hundred and fifty years 
 nothing is known. It has been suggested that it formed one of 
 those that fell into the hands of James Macpherson when that 
 gentleman was collecting materials for his Ossianic poetry. 
 Be that as it may, the Dean's MS. passed in the eighteenth 
 century ' into the possession of the Highland Socict}^ of London, 
 by whom it was transferred to the custody of the Highland 
 Society of Scotland, Avhen a committee of that society was en- 
 gaged in an inquiry into the authenticity of the Poems of 
 Ossian published by Macpherson ' (v. Dean of Lismore's Book — 
 quoted here as D. L. — p. vi). 
 
 The Highland Society's Committee recognised the import- 
 ance of the MS. for their purpose, and they printed in their 
 Report (pp. 92-106) three poems from it, with translation by 
 Dr. Donald Smith, two professing to be by Ossian, and one 
 by Fergus fill ' the poet,' his son. The Committee also 
 printed in the Appendix to their i^e^jor^ (pp. 300-805) an account 
 of the MS. by Dr. Smith, with a comparison between some of the 
 Ossianic poems contained in it and other versions of the same 
 poems found elsewhere. 
 
 The next Gaelic scholar to study the MS. was Ewen 
 M'Lachlan of Aberdeen. The Highland Society instructed this 
 distinguished scholar to examine and report upon fourteen of 
 their more important MSS. In M'Lachlan's Report there is a 
 full and searching analysis of this MS., taking up pp. 129-167, 
 a.nd arranged as follows: (1) A general description of the MS.; 
 (2) A table of the contents page by page, with the names of 
 the authors, and the subjects of the compositions ; (3) A tran- 
 script of several extracts in prose and verse which are written 
 in Scots and Latin; (4) An alphabetical list of the names of 
 the Gaelic poets whose compositions appear in the MS. ; and 
 (5) An examination and appreciation of the principal poems 
 and their authors. While the MS. was with M'Lachlan he
 
 MS. XXXVII 227 
 
 made two transcripts of nearly all the Gaelic portion of it. 
 The earlier of the two is in the Advocates' Library, contained 
 in a half-bound folio volume, which is otherwise interesting from 
 its contents (v. infra). The second, and presumably the more 
 correct, transcript was sent by Mr. M'Lachlan {v. p. 147 of the 
 first transcript) to Sir John MacGregor Murray on May 24th, 
 1814. It afterwards came into the possession of the late 
 Rev. Dr. M'Intyre of Kilmonivaig, and is now with his son, 
 the Rev. J. Walker M'Intyre of the same parish. But Mr. 
 M'Lachlan's labours on this and the other Gaelic MSS. were 
 forgotten. 
 
 On February 14th, 1855, the Rev. Dr. M'Lauchlan of 
 Edinburgh read an elaborate paper on the Dean of Lismore's 
 MS. before the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland which, with a 
 detailed table of contents, is printed in their ProceediiKjs, vol. ii. 
 pp. 35-51. This contribution attracted much attention, and the 
 outcome of it was the appearance, seven years afterwards, of 
 'The Dean of Lismore's Book . . . edited with a Translation 
 and Notes by the Rev. Thomas M'Lauchlan, and an Introduc- 
 tion and additional Notes by W. F. Skene, Esq. Edin. 1862.' 
 This volume contains all the Ossianic poems in the Dean's MS. 
 ' It also contains every composition having reference to Scot- 
 land, with the exception of five. . . . The purely Irish poems are 
 not given, with the exception of a few specimens' (c/. 132-133). 
 The work was of great difficulty. Dr. M'Lauchlan had, 
 first of all, to read the MS., which was in many places 
 obscure and defective ; he had, secondly, to render the 
 peculiar orthography of the MS. into Gaelic literary form ; 
 and lastly, to translate these renderings, often conjectural, 
 into English. The editors had the perusal 'for a short 
 time' of Ewen M'Lachlan's transcript from Mr. M'Intyre of 
 Kilmonivaig (v. pp. x, 89, 129), from which Dr. Skene got a 
 copy made, which is now in the Advocates' Library ; but with 
 every possible care, a work of this kind, from its very nature, 
 could not be printed free from many errors. 
 
 Among the first to revise the ' readings ' of Dr. M'Lauchlan 
 was the late Mr. Donald C. Macpherson, for some years an assist- 
 ant in the Advocates' Library, and a good Gaelic scholar. Mr. 
 Macpherson went carefully over the Ossianic ballads, marking
 
 228 CATALOGUE OF GAELIC MANUSCRIPTS 
 
 on his copy of tlio printed volume the readings which he pre- 
 ferred, and afterwards writing out in fair hand the Ossianic 
 Poems thus corrected. Mr. Macpherson's transcripts are pre- 
 served in the Library. 
 
 The Ossianic ballads are printed in L. F., but Mr. Campbell 
 does not appear to have made an independent examination of 
 the MS. : he took his text from Dr. M'Lauchlan. 
 
 The late Rev. Dr. Cameron devoted considerable time and 
 labour to an examination of this MS. He had such aid as Ewen 
 M'Lachlan's transcript, Dr. M'Lauchlan's print, and Macpher- 
 son's marked copy of the published volume could furnish. Dr. 
 Cameron's ' readings ' agree very closely with Mr. Macpherson's 
 in so far as they cover the same text — a tribute to the accuracy 
 of both scholars. Dr. Cameron gave a modern version, some- 
 times with grammatical and philological notes, and a translation 
 into English, of some of his transcripts, — all of which are 
 printed in Rel. Gelt, vol. i. pp. 2-109. The last six pieces of 
 Dr. Cameron's transcript, containing in all some ninety lines, 
 were not printed by Dr. M'Lauchlan. 
 
 The next stage in connection with the elucidation of this 
 difficult MS. was an offer by Miss Yule of Tarradale to bear the 
 cost of getting as reliable a transcript as could be made of the 
 whole MS. This offer was accepted, and the work was entrusted 
 to the Rev. Walter Macleod, a master of the handwriting of the 
 period, and whose want of knowledge of Gaelic, it was thought, 
 would be of advantage in securing a mechanically accurate 
 transcript. This copy is deposited in the library. 
 
 Lastly, the late Mr. W. J. N. Liddall of Stravithie, Advocate, 
 encouraged by such Celtists as Herr Christian Stern of Berlin 
 and others, had a couple of pages of the MS. photographed with 
 the view to reproduce the whole of it, and publish it in this form 
 for the use of students. The project was not, however, carried 
 through. 
 
 Notwithstanding the labour bestowed upon it the Dean's 
 MS. has not as yet been fully and satisfactorily rendered. This 
 is due in great measure to the state of the MS. itself. It is of 
 paper, nearl}^ four hundred years old, and was during the greater 
 part of that time exposed to rough usage. As we now have it, 
 three or four leaves at the beginning and one or two at the
 
 MS. XXXVII 229 
 
 end are illecrible, and tliroufrliout, from the effects of damp and 
 frayed edges, many lines are defective and others of uncertain 
 reading. And even when the reading is clear the meaning is 
 frequently obscure. The scribes wrote phonetically in the current 
 Scottish hand and alphabet of the time. The orthography is 
 far from uniform, as one would look for. Besides, even were the 
 spelling ever so regular, Gaelic, with its initial changes as well as 
 its terminal flexions, is peculiarly ill adapted for a phonetic 
 script. The writers may have sometimes transcribed from 
 MSS. One states that he wrote the M'Gregor genealogy (p. 144) 
 a leywrow scJtenchey ny reig, ' from the books of the histories 
 of the Kings,' but the greater part, if not the whole, of the 
 Gaelic verse must have been written to dictation or from memory. 
 The scribes were natives of Fortingall, and the Gaelic in- 
 tonation of the district has no doubt changed during the last 
 four hundred years. But after making all reasonable allow- 
 ances, the fact remains that the compilers did not always re- 
 produce accurately the productions of the Gaelic poets, Irish 
 and Highland, that appear in this MS. 
 
 The value of the MS. rests mainly on the Gaelic poetry pre- 
 served in it. But it isalso of the natureof a commonplace book,into 
 which the writers gathered such literary and historical material 
 as was of interest to Highland ecclesiastics, and especially to 
 M'Gregors of that day. There are e.g. extracts in prose and verse 
 written in Latin and in Scots, — some of a moral and didactic 
 character, — ' On drunkenness ' ; ' On the nature of woman ' ; one 
 is quasi-medical ; another gives astronomical notes ; one names 
 the three perilous days in special, as also the lucky days on 
 which to be born, to begin work, etc. There are a few personal 
 memoranda of interest. But the most valuable are of an 
 historical character. A paragraph is written in Gaelic on 
 p. 144 by Duncan, the joint author of the MS., giving the 
 genealogy of the MacGregor chiefs from Eone McPhadrik to 
 Kanncme vec Alpen, ' John son of Patrick' to ' Kenneth son of 
 Alpin,' a genealogy which is elsewhere (p. 208) given in verse 
 and attributed to Duncan son of Dugald the Bald, who is the 
 same person. Another historical extract (p. 88) is written 
 in Scots and gives the descendants of Malcolm Kenmore and 
 Queen Margaret down to the capture of James the First by the
 
 230 CATALOGUE OF GAELIC MANUSClill'TS 
 
 English when on his way to France. A third is a long 
 Obituary written in Latin, commencing on p. ISG. It also begins 
 with Malcolm Kenmore, and gives the deaths of the Scottish 
 kings down to James iv. who fell at Flodden, and along with 
 him are named here Archibald of Argyll, Duncan of Gleriorchy 
 and John Campbell of Lawers who shared the fate of their 
 king. Then follows a paragraph on the battles of the Scots 
 (Scotorum Bella, p. 188) from Bannockburn to the Battle of 
 Stirling, in 1488, when James iii. was slain. Thereafter the 
 Obituary continues, recording the deaths of notable men and 
 women, particularly Campbells and M'Gregors, down to the 
 year 1529. This Obituary, with notes, was printed by 
 the late Mr. Donald Gregory in ArcJiaeologia Scotica, vol. iii. 
 p. 318, under the title, ' Chronicon Domini Iacobi MacGregor, 
 Notarii Publici ac Decani Lismorensis, qui obiit circiter 
 A.D. 1542.' 
 
 The poetical and much the larger portion of the MS., con- 
 taining over 11,000 lines of Gaelic verse, naturally falls under 
 three sections : — 
 
 I. Heroic or, as we now speak of them in Scotland, 
 OssiANic Poems. 
 
 11. Poems by Irish Authors. 
 
 III. Poems by Highland Authors. 
 
 I. Heroic Poems. 
 
 There are 29 or 30 separate pieces of this class. Two poems 
 are in one 'case run together in the MS., the first portion 
 being about Cuchulainn and his wife Eimhir, and the second 
 about the death of Fionn's father, Cumhall. Of these, nine 
 are here attributed to Ossian; two to his son Fergus Jili 'the 
 poet ' ; two to Allan son of Rory ; one each to Conall Cearnach 
 mac Edersgeoil, Caoilte mac Ronain, Gillecalum mac an Ollaimh, 
 and An Caoch O'Cluain, while twelve are anonymous. 
 
 The number, variety, and early date of the heroic poems 
 contained in the MS. make the collection of great importance 
 in the literature of the Gael, and especially of the Scottish 
 Gael. It shows conclusively that this chapter of Gaelic 
 Literature was as common and as highly valued in the 
 Scottish Highlands as in Ireland. It throws a strong side-
 
 MS. XXXVII 231 
 
 light upon the controversy raised by the publication of 
 Macpherson's Ossian, and the Sean Dana or ' Old Poems ' of Dr. 
 John Smith of Campbeltown. Further the Ossianic poems have 
 so far facilitated the reading of the MS., for of the greater 
 number of them parallel versions have been recovered in 
 Scotland and Ireland from MSS. and oral recitation, so that 
 we are provided with a partial key to the Dean's peculiar 
 orthograph}^ 
 
 Of these Heroic poems four belong to what is known as the 
 Cuchulainn or Ulster Cycle, the others being all of the Fionn 
 or Ossianic Cycle. The former include (p. 20.5 of MS.) a 
 version of the well-known ' Lay of the Heads,' as we call it, 
 attributed here, rightly, to Conall Cearnach Mac Edersgeoil. It 
 will be remembered (v. supra, pp. 144, 151 + ) that when Conall 
 returned from his dearg ruathar carrying the heads of the 
 slayers of the great hero strung upon a withe, and laid his grim 
 burden before Eimhir, the lady began the Lay, 
 
 Conall, whose are these heads ? 
 
 This ballad was very popular, and versions are found in nearly 
 all the modern collections. (6/. L. F.,p. 15 + .) The second Ballad 
 of this Cycle, ' The Death of Conlaoch ' by the hand of his father 
 Cuchulainn (p. 2.36 of MS.), is equally well known (cf. supra, 
 p. 175 ; L. F., p. 9 + ), and is still occasionally recited in Scotland. 
 It is here attributed, incorrectly, to Gillecallum mac an Ollaimh 
 ' son of the Doctor,' an author who is credited with two other 
 poems in the MS. (pp. 28, 240), and who was, no doubt, a 
 member of the Beaton family of physicians of Islay, Mull, and 
 Skye. The third Poem (p. 287 of the MS.) relating to this period 
 is anonymous, and the reading is very uncertain. It opens 
 with an account of the shooting of birds by Cuchulainn at 
 Dundealgain whereat Eindiir took umbrage, evidently because 
 she was passed over at the distribution of them. A version has 
 not been found elsewhere, but a similar incident is recorded near 
 the opening of the Tale known as the Sickbed of Cuchulainn 
 (;;. Windisch, Ir. Texte niit Wort, pp. 206-207). To this piece is 
 strung on in the MS. a Poem of the Ossianic Cycle, in which 
 Garaidh of the Clanna Morna relates to Fionn how his father 
 Curahall was slain. (For the oldest account of this transaction,
 
 232 CATALOGUE OF GAELIC MANUSCRIPTS 
 
 V. L. U., p. 41, ' Fi)tha Catha Cmicha,' printed with translation 
 by the late Mr. Hennessy in Rev. Celt, vol. ii. p. 86, 'and by 
 Professor Windisch without translation, in his Irische Gram- 
 mat ik.) The fourth and last poem of the Cuchulainn Cycle in 
 the MS. is on the death of Fraoch (p. 301), attributed to the blind 
 O'Cluan, a poet otherwise unknown. (There is a John O'Cluane 
 named as an author on p. 41 of the MS.) Fraoch or Fraech mac 
 Fidhaigh was, with Ferdiad and others, a renowned chief of the 
 Gamhanraidh, and plays a conspicuous part in the affairs of that 
 people (v. siij^ra, p. 161). The manner of his death is told in 
 prose in MS. XL and others (siq^ra, p. 155). The Ballad version 
 was taken down by Jerome Stone, the earliest of our modern 
 collectors, while versions have been recovered by M'Nicol and 
 others since his day. Cf. L. F., p. 29 + . 
 
 Of the Heroic pieces of the Fionn Cycle found in the Dean's 
 MS., several have not hitherto been recovered elsewhere in MS. 
 or from oral recitation. Among these, some attributed to Ossian, 
 others anonymous, are, Di chonna mee tyly^ Jinn (p. 31), ' I 
 have seen the household of F.' ; Is fadda no*' ni nelli jinni 
 (p. 50), ' Long this night are the . . . clouds ' ; Anvin in no^ 
 nart ono laiue (p. 126), 'Feeble this night is the strength of 
 my hands' ; Binn goiu duni in teyr in oyr (p. 171), 'Sweet is 
 one's voice in the land of gold'; Fleyr/ woir riniii lay jinni 
 (p. 174), 'A great feast was made by Fionn,' — with others. But 
 the greater number are well-known ballads, of nearly all of 
 which parallel versions have been found in Scotland and 
 Ireland, orally and in MS. The principal of these are, to take 
 them in the order in which they appear here : 
 
 (1)1. 63. La zay deacha finn mo rayth, 
 
 Da helg er sleyve ne ba(n finn). 
 
 ' On a day when Fionn my chief went 
 A-hunting on Fair Maids' hill.' 
 
 The lay is attributed to Ossian. It is known as Fair Maids' hill, 
 
 occasionally as the best Hunt the Feinn ever had. Cf. L. F. 
 
 p. 143. 
 
 (2) P. 93. Lay za dea<= say zai keill 
 
 patrik gryinn ni bachal . . . 
 
 ' One day as the gentle Patrick of the . . . crooks 
 betook him to his cell.'
 
 MS. XXXVII 233 
 
 Ossian is not named as the author. The subject of the lay 
 is the Battle of Ventry. It is not known to me elsewhere in 
 verse. For prose versions, v. supra, pp. 173-5. 
 
 (3) P. 114. Laa zane deach finn di zoill, 
 
 in nalwi as neir ymmit sloyg. 
 
 ' On a day that Fionn fared to drink, 
 to Almhu (Allen) with but few attendants.' 
 
 The lay is anonymous. It is known otherwise as Laoidh 
 mhna an bhruit, ' The Lady of the Veil's Lay ' (v. MS. LIV, 
 p. 163). The Lay is printed in Rel. Celt., vol. i. p. 116. 
 
 (4) r . 133. Heym tosk zoskla fynn 
 
 Gow tawri na draive nevin. 
 
 ' I went on a mission to rescue Fionn 
 To Tara of the pleasant tribes (?).' 
 This long lay is attributed to Caoilte MacRonain. From the 
 contents it would appear that Fionn was a prisoner with King 
 Cormac, and could only be released on Cormac getting as ransom 
 a pair of all the wild animals of Ireland. Cf. MS. LIV, p. 64. 
 {supra, p. 163). 
 
 (5) 1 . 145. Ard agni zwlle, fer coggi finn. 
 
 ' High-spirited Goll, the rival of Fionn.' 
 This lay is attributed to Fergus fill ' poet,' a son of Fionn, 
 and poet of the Feinn. Another poem by Fergus, in praise of 
 Goll, is mentioned earlier {supra, p. 145). A parallel version 
 to this lay is given by Miss Brooke {Reliques of Irish Poetry : 
 Dublin, 1789, p. 298), with the title Rosy Ghoill mac Morna. 
 Cf. also L. F., p. 125. 
 
 (6) P. 147. Glennschee in glenn so rame heiv 
 
 a binn feig ayne & Ion. 
 
 ' Glenshee this glen by my side 
 To which deer wild-fowl and blackbirds (?) resort.' 
 
 The lay is attributed, incorrectly, to Allan M'Rory. The subject 
 is the 'Death of Diarmaid.' For parallel versions, v. supra 
 MS. LXII, p. 176; Rel. Celt., vol. i. p. 166; and L. F., 
 p. 157 + . 
 
 (7) P. 1^2. Nenor a quhym fa chyill 
 
 di woyn avir chenni cholin. 
 
 ' Nine of us did bind ourselves 
 To find material for a pup's head.'
 
 234 CATALOGUP: of GAELIC MANUSCRIPTS 
 
 The translation is Dr. M'Laiichlan's. The hxy is anonymous, 
 and in the bef,nnning obscure. The hitter portion bears some 
 resemblance to the version of the Banners of the Feinn, 
 printed by H. and J. IM'Callum : jMontrose, 181G, p. 119. 
 
 (8) P. 179. In soo chonnich iiia.a in nnyne 
 
 di chonnichma kayne is goole. 
 
 ' Here I mot the Feinn, 
 I met Cian and Goll.' 
 
 The author's name is written Oflyne, no doubt for Ossyne 
 ' Ossian.' For modern versions, cf. L. F. p. 48. 
 
 (9) P. 212. Troygh Iwm twlly' ni fayni' ag ni chleirchew fa z. . r. . 
 
 'Alas ! the Mound of the Feinn is now in bondage to clerics.' 
 
 The long poem on the Battle of Gabhra, printed by the Ossianic 
 Society of Dublin (vol. i.), opens with the same lines, and for a 
 couple of quatrains that poem and this have a common text. 
 This piece is anonymous, and consists of ninety-six lines. It 
 is a lament for the dead heroes, but there is no mention of the 
 Battle of Gabhra, 
 
 (10) P. 215. Innis downe a phadrik nonnor a leyvin. 
 
 ' Tell us, Patrick, in honour of thy learning.' 
 
 This lay, known as Ossian's Pra3'-er, is attributed to Ossian in 
 the MS., and is one of the most widely knoAvn. Cf. L. F., 
 p. 41+. 
 
 (11) P. 220. Annit doif skayle beg er finn 
 
 ne skayl nach cwrre in su(ym e). 
 
 ' I know a little tale of Fionn, 
 'Tis not a tale I would despise.' 
 
 This lay is also attributed to Ossian, and is about as well 
 known as Ossian's Prayer. Cf. L. F., p. 129+ ; Miss Brooke, 
 p. 288. It is known as the Lay of Eas Ruadh (Assaroy), 
 Moighre Borb, and after ^lacpherson, Famesoluis or the Maid 
 of Craca. 
 
 (12) P. 230. Innis downi a erris, Ille feynni errin, 
 
 Kynis tharle zevin in gath zawrith ni beymi. 
 
 ' Tell us, Fergus, poet of the Feinn of Ireland, 
 What actually befell in the tierce battle of Gabhra.
 
 MS. XXXVII 235 
 
 (13) P. 232. Mor in noclit my chow feyn 
 A halgin id ta zim rair. 
 
 ' Great this night is my sorrow, 
 Thou holy man who art subject to me.' 
 
 These two poems are on the same subject, — the Battle of 
 Gabhra. The first is attributed to Fergus jili, and the second, 
 erroneously, to Allan M'Rory, A long version is printed in the 
 Transactions of the Oss. Soc. (Dublin), vol. i. For Scottish 
 versions, v. L. F., p. 180 + . 
 
 (14) P. 294. Sai k guss in dei 
 
 Fon n*- vaga mai fin ; 
 Chanakca rem rai, 
 Sai boo zad lym. 
 
 ' Six days yesterday 
 Since I saw Fionn ; 
 I have not in all my life 
 Seen six so long to me.' 
 
 The Lay is attributed to ' Ossian son of Fionn.' It is the last 
 of the Fionn Cycle given in the MS., the subject being Ossian's 
 panegyric upon his father. According to Mr. Campbell (L. F., 
 p. 123) ' the praise of Fionn is forgotten.' But this must have 
 happened in comparatively recent times. MS. XLVIII iy. 
 sujyra, p. 158) contains a copy, considerably shorter than that 
 given here, which is printed in Rel. Celt., vol. i. pp. 139-140. 
 
 A large number of the names and not a few of the incidents 
 mentioned in these poems, as in the Heroic Literature of the 
 Gael taken as a whole, are met with in the Ossianic Poems 
 published by James Macpherson. In the case of three of the 
 pieces in the Dean's MS. the similarity with the texts printed 
 by Macpherson is so detailed and so striking that they must 
 be regarded as variant versions of the same poems. These are 
 the 'Death of Conlaoch' in the Cuchulainn Cycle, and ' Faine- 
 soluis' (No. 11) and the Battle of Gabhra (Nos. 12, 13) of the 
 Fionn Cycle. Of the first two little need be said. They are 
 found in Macpherson's texts in English only. The English 
 version, with change of names, and, in the case of the ' Death 
 of Conlaoch,' with a confusion of the two periods of Cuchulainn 
 and Fionn as is the habit of Macpherson, gives the leading
 
 236 CATALOGUE OF GAELIC MANUSCRIPTS 
 
 incidents pretty much as in the GacHc Ballads. (For ' Death of 
 Conlaoch,' cf. Carthon, — Clerk's Ossian, i. p. 222, and for the 
 episode of ' Fainesoluis,' cf. Fingal, Book iii., — Clerk's Ossian, i. 
 p. 49G.) 
 
 Jn the case of the third poem, the ' Battle of Gabhra,' 
 Macpherson provides a Gaelic text, — the subject occupies the 
 greater part of Temora, Book i. There is hardly an event in 
 Gaelic Heroic Literature treated with greater fulness, and 
 preserved in a greater number and variety of accounts, MS. and 
 oral, prose and verse, than the battle between the Feinn and 
 Cairbre of the Lififey, son of Cormac mac Airt, traditionally 
 said to have been fought at Gabair (gen. Gab(h)ra) in a.d. 283. 
 The Fianna, with the exception of Ossian, Caoilte, and one or 
 two less known, were all slain. The leaders on both sides, 
 Oscar and Cairbre, each slew the other. The prose accounts 
 are found in modern MSS. only (v. Jub., p. 70). In verse we 
 have the subject treated from very early times. In L.L., p. 154, 
 is a poem headed : Ossm cecinit. I cath Gahra ro marhad 
 Oscur ocus Cairpre Lifechair, ' Ossian sang. In the battle of 
 Gabra were slain Oscar and Cairbre of the Liffey.' The Dean's 
 MS. gives two versions, the longer attributed to Allan M'Rory, 
 the shorter to Fergus j^^t. Versions have been noted in MSS. 
 LVII and LXV (v. supra, pp. 172, 176). For modern versions, 
 c/L. F., p. 180 4-- These compositions are of varied length and 
 of great diversity in detail. The ballad in L.L. e.g. consists of 
 only twenty-eight lines. That printed by the Ossianic Society 
 of Dublin (vol. i.) contains upwards of seven hundred lines. 
 But they are all of a type. The longer can be regarded as an 
 expansion, a variant version of the shorter. But when one 
 turns to Macpherson's text, one feels in quite a different world. 
 Everything is changed. The diction and the idiom are often 
 different from Gaelic usage, old or modern, Scottish or Irish. 
 The literary form is entirely different. The traditional Ossianic 
 Poems are in narrative form, — Ballads. Macpherson's Poems are 
 cast in epic form, after the classical models, — a literary form 
 not used elsewhere by the Gael. We are thus driven to the 
 conclusion that Macpherson must have himself recast his 
 materials to such an extent as to be entitled to be regarded 
 as the author of them, or that he, and he alone, found the
 
 MS. XXXVII 237 
 
 work done to his hand by a predecessor as capable as himself, 
 and as ignorant of Gaelic and Gaelic literature. 
 
 II. Poems by Irish Authors. 
 
 In some cases it is difficult to say with certainty whether 
 a poem in this MS. is of Irish or Scottish authorship. Apart 
 from the Heroic poems there are about a score anonymous 
 pieces. Several of these, from their contents, must be of Irish 
 origin. On the other hand, many of the poems show a much 
 closer approximation to Scottish Gaelic than others. These 
 may confidently be credited to Scotland, but the converse 
 does not always hold good. Many Highland authors, notably 
 Bishop Carsewell, wrote in the literary language common to 
 Scotland and Ireland at the time, and were proud to be able 
 to do so. An Artour daivle mah Gurkycli, ' Blind A. M'G.' 
 has a poem on p. 263 of the MS. The subject is an 
 attack on Castle Sween in Knapdale. Dr. M'Lauchlan (D. L., 
 p. 151) says the author is Irish, chiefly on the score of his 
 dialect and diction, and he may be right. The name looks 
 more Irish than Highland. In two cases the epithet Alhannach, 
 ' Scot,' is appended to an author's name. One of these, 
 Muireach is claimed by Dr. M'Lauchlan (D. L., p. 157) as ' the 
 first of the great race of Macvurrichs, bards to Macdonald 
 of Clanranald.' Whether this be so or not, the poet was 
 Muiredhach Albannach (O'G. Cat., pp. 337, 343), son of Angus 
 O'Daly and brother of Donnchadh mor O'Daly, who received 
 his cosrnomen from his residence in Scotland. Another is 
 Duncha ook Albanach{t), who has a piece of thirty-six lines 
 on p. 273 of the MS. The presumption is that he too was 
 an Irishman who acquired the epithet for the like reason. 
 Another Dunchaa ogga, ' Duncan junior,' without the epithet, 
 but whether a different person is unknown, has a short poem 
 on p. 239 of the MS. on the seven mortal sins. We in 
 Scotland, in the same way, apply the term Eirionnacli, ' Irish_ 
 man,' to a person who has for a time resided in that country. 
 The case of Drummond-Ernoch is historical {v. Waverley 
 Novels, Introd. to Legend of Montrose). In several cases, to judge 
 from other MSS., the Dean's texts are fragmentary, and his 
 ascriptions to authors unreliable. For many of the references
 
 238 CATALOOUE OF GAELIC MANUSCRIPTS 
 
 in this section I am indebted to Dr. E. ('. Quiggin of Cambridge, 
 who has kindly phiccd at my disposal the results of an exhaustive 
 examination of the Dean's MS. which are being printed. The 
 following may be placed with some confidence among the Irish 
 authors in the Dean's MS. 
 
 (1) P. 11. Duncan (mor) O'Daly. This great author is 
 credited with three poems,— pp. 11, 101, 122. The first is 
 obscure. The second (p. 101) begins, Ga mall I a CJiathll di 
 chrisn, ' May you enjoy your belt, Cathal'; and the first line of 
 the third (p. 122) is Bleijghin di coivall kaen voyy. This last 
 is but a fragment of a poem beginning Ben ar n-aitheirgidh 
 Eire, ' Ireland is a woman newly come to life again,' and attri- 
 buted elscAvhere {v. O'Gr. Cat., p. 354) to Tadhg Camchosach 
 Dalaigh. ' Teigue Bandy-legs O'Daly.' 
 
 A fourth poem, on p. 296 and anonymous, beginning, Garf 
 orfdin a %vrai^ is without doubt that quoted from Eg. 142, in 
 O'Gr. Cat., p. 660, beginning, Garbh eirghid iodhna hrdtha, and 
 ascribed to Duncan mor O'Daly. For other poems by this 
 author, v. supra, pp. 99, 104. 
 
 (2) P. 16. Cochondacht mac Thearlaich bhuidh(e). The poem 
 is attributed to AongJtus mac Chearbhaill bliiiidlte, 'Angus Mac 
 Carroll Buie' (O'Daly) in O'Gr. Cat., p. 361. 
 
 (3) On p. 41 is a poem headed Sivyn Mor, and beginning 
 Dome addir zane is dassy*^ This poem is quoted and com- 
 mented on in O'Gr. Cat., p. 366. It is there attributed to John 
 O'Cluane and called laoidh in duirn, ' The lay of the fist.' First 
 line, Dorn idir dan is dasacht, ' A fist between poetry and mad- 
 ness,' i.e., ' A buffet begotten of poetic frenzy.' 
 
 (4) Diarmaid O h-Iffirnan is credited on p. 112 with a poem, 
 
 beginning : — 
 
 Cayne o nach waka in voem. 
 
 (5) Two poems by Gillecrist Browlingych, Bard in Leymm 
 (pp. 153, 244), on the MacDermots of Loch Kay ( = Ce). E. M'L. 
 translates Bard in Leymm, ' The leaping Bard.' 
 
 (6) Duncan og 'the younger,' 'junior,' has two pieces, in the 
 second of which Albannach ' Scot ' is added to the name. The 
 first is on the seven mortal sins, beginning (p. 239) : — 
 
 Seachta sevda ter mo hee :
 
 MS. XXXVII 239 
 
 the second on p. 273 begins : — 
 
 Da zawlo'' zeig is sy* dane. 
 
 (7) GerroydErle (Gerald Fitzgerald, fourth Earl of Desmond, 
 says Dr. M'Lauchlan) has six short pieces. The first, on p. 10, 
 is wellnigh illegible. The second, on p. 68, is printed by 
 Dr. M'Lauchlan {Gaelic Texts— J). L., pp. 78-79; Translation, 
 p. 105). The third, on p. 88, begins : — 
 
 A wenni nyn dre boi'. 
 
 The last three are in whole or in part printed in Rel. Celt, vol. i. 
 pp. 106, 107, 109. 
 
 (8) One piece is assigned to Gille Breid beg m^ nortiee 
 (p. 226), beginning : — 
 
 Gyle chur lir aye* er nail. 
 
 For poems by Gillabrighde Mac Conmidhi, v. supra, p. 86. 
 
 (9) Three short poems are assigned to Gormlaith ni' Fhlainn, 
 whose eventful story is told by 0' Curry (MSS. Mat., pp. 131-135). 
 They are found on pp. 55, 57, 62. The three are printed by 
 Dr. M'Lauchlan, — Gaelic Texts, pp. 74, 90 ; English Translation, 
 pp. 100, 101, 118. 
 
 (10) Goffraidh jionn DAlaigh, in his day chief professor of 
 poetry in Ireland, died, according to F. M., in 1387. Gorre Finn 
 O'Daly is credited here with four poems (pp. 12, 53, 124, 165). 
 They begin respectively : — 
 
 (a) Mark maillis murn in theil. 
 
 (&) Math di hillich gormlee zarri. 
 
 (c) Teach carrit di chew follow. 
 
 {d) Neityr leiute in lein din teill neityr in linn. 
 
 The first poem is quoted in O'Gr. Cat., p. 357. 
 
 (11) Six poems are assigned to Muireach Albannach (pp. 19, 
 20, 150, 255, 284, 307 of MS.). 
 
 First lines. («) Meith doch treyl gow teig pharris. 
 (6) Baitht yn ere vec zey 
 (c) Est rumsy*' a woor mor. 
 ((i) Marrin dut y' chrot choiue. 
 (e) Dane mi heggisk a threnot. 
 (/) Marrwm di scarre rwmsy*^ 
 
 The first, second, and fifth of these poems are printed by Dr. 
 M'Lauchlan,— Gaelic Texts, pp. 120, 122; EngHsh Translation,
 
 240 CATALOCJUE OF GAELIC MANUSCRIPTS 
 
 pp. 157-159. The same pieces are also printed in Rel. Celt., 
 vol. i. pp. 104-105. Tho poem (c) is printed from the Book of 
 Hui Maine (R.I. A.) in Archiv fur Celt. Phil., vol. ii. p. 143 and 
 vol. iii. p. 241. Tho Hui Mn'nir copy has 62 lines. The Dean's 
 copy has only 24, and of these only 14 are in Hui Maine. 
 
 (12) Immediately following the poems attributed to Muireach 
 Alhannach on pp. 19-20 of the MS. comes (p. 20) a somewhat 
 long piece, with the heading Au{c)tor Jtujus Murreich lessin 
 dyle dayle, beginning : — 
 
 Cred aggew eae in gayn a zilli. 
 
 Muireach Albannach is the only poet of the O'Daly's I have 
 come upon named Muireach. And it was in his house in 
 Lios an doill that Muireach assassinated Fion O'Brolaghan, 
 O'Donnell's steward, which was the originating cause of 
 Muireach's flight to Scotland (cf. O'Gr. Cat., p. 337). As matter 
 of fact Muireach of Lisadill and Muireach Alhannach are one 
 and the same person. 
 
 (13) Tadhg bg O'Higgin has five poems credited to him in 
 the MS. We have had several poems assigned to this author 
 in other MSS. {v. supra, p. 89, 103, 124), but only one of the five 
 given here is found among them, viz. that on p. 260, beginning : — 
 
 Id ta tre corrik y™ chin.'^ 
 which is that in MSS. LXIV (v. supra, p. 103), beginning : — 
 
 Ataid tri comraig am chind. 
 The first lines of the other four (pp. 106, 166, 252, 293) are :— 
 
 (a) Kaa di zoywin gow grayn. 
 
 (b) Ffewill bannith brow mur. 
 
 (c) Cart ey seichane ac sell awze. 
 
 (d) Imgy skeall mach er mur. 
 
 The first of these poems is in Y.B.L., 374a, 1. 19, Cia do 
 gebainn co Grainne, and attributed to Tadhg; the second is 
 printed from Hui Maine in Archiv fiir Celt. Phil., vol, ii. p. 141, 
 vol. III. p. 244, where the poem is attributed to Gilla Brigdi, while 
 the third, attributed to Tadhg, is found in Y.B.L., 363a, 1. 31 
 Cairt a sithchdna ag sil Adaim. The second poem is also found 
 in MS. LXIV (v. supra, p. 103) and there ascribed to S. Pilip 
 hocht h. huigind.
 
 MS. XXXVII 241 
 
 (14) Ttvrn o Meilchonnir or Torna O'Mulconry has two 
 poems, one on p. 246, beginning : — 
 
 Tossy* feyly*^ farsing dwlle feylle fokyl, 
 and another on p. 269, first line, 
 
 Ca dy* carry* ra kird in dyist chathil chroerg. 
 
 In a marginal note to this author's name, E. M'L. writes: 
 'floruit an. 1310, 1315. Eistigh ri seanchas nach suaill, etc., 
 it contains 52 lines.' A Torna O' Maolconaire of this period, 
 and author of the poem quoted by E. M'L. is mentioned by O'R. 
 p. xciv. F. M. records in 1468 a.d. the death of Torna Ua 
 Maolchonaire, Ollav of Sil- Murray in history and poetry, in 
 his own house at Lis-fearbain, and his interment at Elphin. 
 O'Curry, on the other hand (MS. Catalogue in R. I. A. Dublin), 
 ascribed the first poem to Aodh Ollbhar O'Carrthaoidh. 
 
 Among the anonymous poems, most probably of Irish origin, 
 may be mentioned the following : p. 30, Maacht a tee in sen a 
 Neil, being an incitement to generosity; p. 36, Raitlai ny^ 
 crwneni Katreine, on St. Catherine ; p. 97, Mak sowd cr slycht 
 fin Vannynnane, in praise of Mac Richard of Connaught, not 
 met with elsewhere, but the first quatrain of which is quoted in 
 Molloy's Prosodia; and p. 177, a clairsich chnok e chosgirre, an 
 address to the harp of O'Coscair's Hill, the finest poem, perhaps, 
 in the whole MS. 
 
 III. Poems by Highland Authors. 
 
 This section of the Dean's MS. is naturally that of greatest 
 interest to Scottish Gaels. The greater number of the anony- 
 mous pieces must be attributed to Highland authors. A few of 
 them are of importance. Such e.g. are the lines on p. 57 beginning 
 Mor tubbisti no tablish, on the evils of gambling ; the aphoristic 
 composition on p. 68, on 'things hateful to me' (cf. supra, p. 205) ; 
 the reflections of the four Avho sat by Alexander the Great's 
 grave, pp. 85-86, — another version of which is printed with little 
 change in R. Macdonald's Collection (1776), p. 133 ; a piece, also 
 aphoristic, on p. 87, headed Elle nyn dre brairrin ; a long com- 
 position (author's name illegible) on p. 117, beginning 3Ior in 
 feyiii freggirt, and supposed by Dr. M'Lauchlan to be on John, 
 Lord of the Isles; verses on p. 161, beginning ^r sleycht geil 
 
 Q
 
 242 CATALOCTE OF GAELIC MANUSCRIPTS 
 
 o zHvt (JVC Ilk, evidently by a Maclean, in which the author 
 enumerates several clans friendly to him ; part of a spirited 
 exhortation to the clans on p. 204, probably written, as 
 Dr. M'Lauchlan su<,'gests, on the eve of the Battle of Flodden ; 
 and on p. 217 a panegyric on the siol Torcuill or the Macleods 
 of Lewis, beginning Hoaris male onir in tciayr; with several 
 others. 
 
 Of the pieces to which names of authors are attached, 
 several consist of only a quatrain or an epigram. A few are 
 of little literary merit, while many are vulgar, coarse, obscene. 
 This is duo in large measure no doubt to the state of public 
 feelinof at the time, but also to some extent to the cast of mind 
 of the compilers. The next collection of Gaelic Poetry that has 
 come to us is the Fernaig MS. (of which afterwards), written by 
 Duncan M'Rae in the West of Ross-shire in 1688-1693. This 
 collection is singularly pure, a circumstance due, no doubt, to 
 the character of M'Rae. Still many of the poems attributed 
 to Hiefhland authors in the Dean's MS. are of a different char- 
 acter, pure and worthy in subject and treatment. One is struck 
 with the number Avho Avrote Gaelic verse in those daj^s, and the 
 position in societ}' of several of them, — the Earl and Countess 
 of Argyll Avith other members of the family, Sir Duncan 
 Campbell, M'Gregors and others. Of the rest it may be said 
 that outside of this MS, we w^ould not have known of even their 
 names. The subject matter of the poems is various. The 
 popular song — songs with refrain, love songs so common later — 
 is unknown. On the other hand eulogies and elegies, clan and 
 genealogical pieces, are common. So are also religious and 
 moral poems, satires, and what may be called aphoristic pieces. 
 The following are the more important authors. 
 
 P. 7. A quatrain on John, son of Colin Campbell, signed 
 Duncan son of Dugald Maol or ' Bare.' Pieces are assigned to 
 the same author on pp. 28, 64, 208. On p. 223 are some verses 
 attributed to Dimcha 2PCoivle Woyle F'= Eayne reawe. If this 
 be the same person, as no doubt he is, he may be identified 
 with Duncha deyr oclych JSPDowle v<^ oyne reyivy^ who wrote 
 the M'Gregor pedigree on p. 144, the brother and amanuensis 
 of the Dean, and the scribe of a considerable portion of the MS. 
 (Cf. Dr. M'Lauchlan's Texts, pp. 137, 104 ; Bel Celt, vol. i. p. 107.)
 
 MS. XXXVII 243 
 
 P. 10. Twelve lines, satirical, on women. The verses are 
 signed Duncha Gampbel. There are in all ten pieces assigned 
 to this author who is sometimes designated as here Duncan 
 Campbell (pp. 157, 202, 225, 251), sometimes Duncan M'Cailein 
 (pp. 37, 109, 111, 149, 306). On pp. 109, 111, 157, 202, 306, he is 
 styled 'the good knight,' and on p. 251 'the knight.' The 
 author is probably Sir Duncan Campbell of Glenorchy who fell at 
 Flodden. His productions are caustic, humorous, often coarse and 
 obscene. {Gf. Dr. M'L. Texts, pp. 88, 116 ; Rel. Celt, vol. i. p. 98.) 
 
 P. 23. A short aphoristic piece of ten lines by Duncha "inor 
 voe Lawenacht, ' big Duncan from the Lennox.' {Cf. Dr. M'L., 
 pp. 93, 68; Rel. Celt. vol. i. p. 91.) 
 
 On the same page (23) is a poem by Gilchrist Taylor, who 
 has three other pieces attributed to him on pp. 120, 271, 275. 
 The compositions of this author are all religious and moral. 
 {Cf. Dr. M'L., pp. 93, 68; Rel. Celt., vol. i. p. 90.) 
 
 On p. 28 is a poem by Gillecalum mac an Ollaimh on the 
 Macdonalds, beofinning : — 
 
 Ne heyvynis gin clyne Donil. 
 ' There is no joy without the Macdonalds.' {Cf. SUpra, p. 213). 
 
 This is the author to whom the Death of Conlaoch is attributed 
 {supra, p. 231). Another piece, also on the Macdonalds, is 
 assigned to him on p. 240. Both poems must have been written 
 after the fall of the Lords of the Isles. {Cf. Dr. M'L., pp. 50, 95, 
 148, 34, 70, 112 ; Rel. Celt, vol. i. pp. 58, 91, 101.) 
 
 P. 35. Some twenty lines of a humorous character, headed 
 Dughall Mane V ion . . . ' (verses by) Dugald son(?) of the son 
 of . . .' Subject, 'Dialogue between Dugald and his wedder.' 
 
 P. 39. A short poem about John, son of William M'Leod 
 of Skye, by an author named by Dr. M'L., with hesitation, 
 3Iac Eachag. {Cf Dr. M'L. pp. 140, 106.) 
 
 P. 51. Verses addressed to the Virgin Mary by Meildonych 
 M'Venis Full{icht), 'Ludovic, son of Magnus of Mull' (?). 
 
 P. 54. A quatrain by Gilpatrick M'Lachlan. On p. 158 is 
 an indistinct poem by the same author, beginning : — 
 
 Hoaris royg nin noyk breour. 
 
 P. 55. A short poem by Dayane or John(?) of Knoydart, 
 addressed to the head of Diarmaid O'Cairbre. In the year
 
 244 CATALOGUE OF GAELIC MANUSCRIP'IS 
 
 1490 AnL,ni.s 'the turbulent' who foup^lit the Battle of IJloody 
 Bay against his father, John, Lord of the Isles, was assassinated 
 at Inverness by his own harper Mac I Chairbre, 'son of 
 O'Cairbre,' as he is called by the Clanranald historian (Rel. 
 Celt, vol. ii. p. 1<)2), but Diarinait mag Cairpre in F. M. The 
 Irish Annalists add (F. M. a.d. 141)0) that Mac Cairbre was 
 quartered for this crime. This event is without doubt the 
 subject of these verses. (Cf. Dr. M'L., pp. 99, 72.) 
 
 P. 56. A quatrain by Neil son of little Ewen (?) (Neil m" 
 ale vig). 
 
 P. 59. Aphorisms by Feylm m Dowle, Phelim son of Dugald, 
 or Macdougall. First line : — 
 
 Ne math swille sin doni' (;a bee chongvis in teir. 
 (Cf. Dr. M'L., pp. 102, 76; Rel. Celt, vol. i. p. 92.) 
 
 P. 61. To a lady by (Ewen or) John M'Muirich. A quatrain, 
 evidently by the same author, appears on p. 88. Dr. M'L. {cf. 
 pp. 109, 82) suggests that the poet was one of the Clanranald 
 Bards, although, as he states, neither John (nor Ewen) appears in 
 the pedigree of the family as given in Rcj). on Oss., p. 275. 
 
 P. 62. A quatrain by William M'Lachlan. 
 
 P. 64. Eight lines by Duncan M'Pherson. On p. 89 are 
 four lines by the same author, and on p. 267 twenty-eight lines 
 by ill {m ?) persone, who may be a different man. {Cf. Dr. M'L., 
 pp. 110, 82.) 
 
 P. 69. A quatrain by Andru toschych, 'Andrew M'Intosh' (?). 
 {Cf Dr. M'L., pp. 110, 80.) Another quatrain is attributed to 
 the same author on p. 181. 
 
 P. 70. A poem by the bard M'Intyre, beginning : — 
 
 Cred ei' in long soo er loth inchsyth (Loch Inch ?). 
 
 The same author has another poem on p. 266 and on a similar 
 subject ' a vessel filled with women,' and a third poem on 
 p. 282. {Cf Dr. M'L., pp. 107, 80.) 
 
 P. 71. A satire on women by Allein m^ Kowle wain, 'Allan 
 son of Dugald the Fair.' 
 
 P. 73. Twelve lines. A satire on women by M'Callein Erie 
 of Ergyle. 
 
 P. 84. Indistinct verses attributed to Ayne mac Cowle 
 Roy, ' John son of Dugald the Red.'
 
 MS. XXXVII 245 
 
 P. 88. Six lines attributed to Farchir macfadrikg grantrrc (?), 
 * Farquhar son of Patrick. , . .' 
 
 P. 103. A poem on M'Gregor's steed by Finlay the red Bard. 
 The poet compares M'Gregor's horse to doiv seyidin and lay 
 onaclia, no doubt Duh Sainylend and Liath Macha, the 
 famous steeds of Cuchulainn {v. Windisch, Ir. Texte mit Wort, 
 p. 268). Immediately following (p. 104) is a panegyric by the 
 same author on M'Gregor himself. On p. 216 is a poem by 
 the same Finlay, beginning : — 
 
 Hest ein doyll ni geyll 
 ' The chief demon of the Gael is dead.' 
 The author describes this ' devil ' as the plunderer of lona and 
 Reilig Oran. Dr. M'L. would identify him with Allan MacRuairi 
 of the Clan Ranald family. A quatrain by red Finlay appears 
 on p. 249, and a poem in praise of M'Gregor on p. 281, where 
 he is styled ' the good Bard.' The last poem attributed to him 
 is on p. 304, and is in part illegible. Dr. M'L. suggests that this 
 poet may be Finlay M'Nab, the chief of this name. (Cf. Dr. 
 M'L., pp. 112, 114, 143, 84, 86, 110; Rel Celt, vol. i. p. 99.) 
 
 P. 106. A short satire on women by Sir Duncan M'Kermont. 
 
 P. 116. Six lines by Aane leith M'Ynneis, John grey 
 M'Innes (son of Angus ?). 
 
 P. 129. An eulogy of Duncan M'Dougall of Durines by 
 Duncha M'Caybba, ' Duncan M'Cabe.' ((7/. Dr. M'L., pp. 119, 90 ; 
 Rel Gelt, vol. i. p. 98.) 
 
 P. 130. A long poem lamenting the M'Dougalls of Dunolly 
 by Ane iiV^ evin mP caychirn, 'John son of Ewen M'Eacharn. 
 {Cf. Dr. M'L., pp. 121, 92.) 
 
 P. 143. A short poem, by Finlay M'^Ynnah (M'Nab), com- 
 mencing : — 
 
 Doynnirre ny strakkirre da bi zail leif a screyve. 
 'The sluggards' (?) Book of Poems, should you wish to ■write it.' 
 
 {Cf. Dr. M'L., pp. 125, 94 ; Rel. Celt, vol. i. p. 99.) 
 
 P. 148. An elegy on M'Neill of Castle Sween by Effric nen 
 corgitill, ' Euphemia M'Corkindale,' beginning : — 
 A fadrin a zusk mi zair. 
 ' Rosary, that has roused my wail.' 
 {Cf Dr. M'L., pp. 126, 96 ; Rel Celt, vol. i. p. 99.)
 
 246 CATALOGUE OF GAELIC MANUSCRIPTS [MS. XXXVII 
 
 P. 155. A poGin by Doiuijall M'' ille zlavs, ' Dugald sou of 
 the grey hid (Grey ?),' ' on the M'Gregors of Gleiilyoii ' (E. ML.). 
 (Cf. Dr. M'L., pp. 128, 98.) 
 
 P. 170. Sixteen lines by Robert m<=Lymon (Lanioiit ?) a 
 Gassgaith (?). Morah 
 
 P. 17!). Twelve lines on sickness by ' in barrone eivln (({rwra, 
 M'L.) )ii''coml,' 'the (crooked) Baron (Ewen) M'Comie.' {([f. Dr. 
 M'L., pp. 138, 102.) 
 
 P. 180. A few lines by Gillepatrik Onachtan, v. Rel. Celt. 
 vol. i. p. 107. 
 
 P. 181. A quatrain attributed to Gillespec M'Neill. 
 
 P. 199. A coarse satire on three women by Donil leich 
 M'Gowle v° Gregar, ' Donald grey son of Dugald M'Gregor.' 
 
 P. 209. A poem on the M'Gregors by Af'fjillindak in 
 fardhan, ' M'Gillindak (M'Lintock) the /ear dana or poet.' {Cf. 
 Dr. M'L., pp. 141, 108.) 
 
 P. 251. Eight obscene lines attributed to Contissa Ergadien 
 Ismhella , doubtless Isobell, the second daughter of the assas- 
 sinated John Stuart of Lorn, who married Colin, first Earl of 
 Argyll. Later in the MS., on pp. 285 and 292, are two short pieces 
 ascribed to Isbell Ne vekcallein. It is possible that a Countess 
 of Argyll might in Gaelic be styled Ni'mJtic Cailein, a daughter 
 of the house certainly would. The second daughter of Earl 
 Colin and Countess Isobell was named Isabella: she married 
 William heir of Lord Drummond and ancestor of the Earls 
 of Perth (v. The House of Argyll, Glasgow, 1871, p. 34). {Cf 
 Dr. M'L., pp. 155, 118; Rel. Gelt, p. 103.) 
 
 P. 271. An Epigram by M'Cailein mor, i.e., Cailean maith. 
 
 P. 278. A poem on the death of Duncan M'Gregor by in 
 gille glas MHntalz^, 'The grev lad son of the tailor' (Taylor?). 
 (Cf Rel. Celt, vol. i. p. 107.)
 
 APPENDIX I 
 
 In addition to the sixty-five MSS. described above, a number of 
 others, chiefly modern, have accnmiilated in the Library. They 
 are of varied content, but consist for the greater part of Vocabu- 
 laries, Transcripts, and Collections of Heroic or Ossianic litera- 
 ture. A brief account of them is here given. 
 
 MS. LXVI 
 
 This MS. is a large folio volume bound in calf, without name 
 or date. It contains a Gaelic-English vocabulary which is 
 evidently complete, and a fragment of an English- Gaelic 
 vocabulary, — A to the word Blush. Many additions, especially 
 of suggested etymologies of words, are written over the original 
 text. 
 
 MS. LXVII 
 
 This is a large quarto MS. bound in calf. It contains a 
 fragment of a Gaelic-English Dictionary from A to the word 
 Duthchasach. There are numerous additions and deletions. 
 At the end is written ' Arch*^ Fletcher, Greenock, December 
 31st, 1795.' 
 
 MS. LXVIII 
 
 No. LXYIII is in j)rint, a small 8vo. vol. containing a portion 
 of a Gaelic-English Dictionary from A to cathan. There is 
 no name of author or printer, but the work is known to have 
 been prepared by Mr. Alexander Robertson, schoolmaster of 
 Kirkmichael, Perthshire, in the beginning of last century. Mr. 
 Robertson, in 1807, sold his MS. for twenty pounds to the 
 Highland Society of Scotland.
 
 218 CATALOLUK OF GAELIC MANUSCRIPTS [MS. LXIX 
 
 MSS. LXIX, LXX, LXXI 
 
 Three vols, quarto, boutid in boards with calf back, coritain- 
 in<? a Gaelic-English Dicti(Miary from the word cathan onwards, 
 and therefore presumably the MS. sold by Mr. Robertson to the 
 Highland Society or a copy of it. The volumes came by 
 purchase into the possession of the late Sir Donald Currie who 
 sent them to the Library. At the end of MS. LXXI are letters 
 from Mr. Alex. M'Laurin, Edinburgh, to the author, and a 
 fragment of a printed Prospectus of the Dictionary. 
 
 MSS. LXXII, LXXIII, LXXIV, LXXV 
 
 These four volumes are of uniform size and binding, and 
 apparently in the same handwriting as MSS. LXIX, LXX, 
 LXXI. The volumes {v. beginning of LXXIII and end of 
 LXXIV) contain an English-Gaelic Dictionary compiled by 
 Alexander M'Laurin, and presented by him to the Highland 
 Society. ' The English words were taken from Thomas 
 Sheridan's Pronouncing Dictionary, in two volumes, octavo.' 
 
 MS. LXXVI 
 
 A folio volume of 280 pages, half bound, entitled 
 
 Dictionarium Scoto Celticuni 
 
 PART III 
 
 Latino-Gaelicum 
 
 On the verso of the last leaf is written 'Mr. M. Mackay, 
 Mrs. Green's, 10 S. Hanover St.' 
 
 This is the text of the Latin-Gaelic portion of the Highland 
 Society's Dictionary published in 1828, and Mr. M. Mackay is 
 no doubt the Rev. Dr. Mackintosh Mackay, one of the editors of 
 that work. 
 
 MSS. LXXVII, LXXVIII 
 
 These two volumes contain Dr. Donald Smith's transcript of 
 the Gaelic Version of Lucan's Pharsalia already mentioned
 
 MS. LXXIX] APPENDIX I 249 
 
 (v. supra, pp. 201-220). They are of quarto size, bound in calf, 
 and backed Catli Mor muighe na TcasaUe. Seasghan i. 
 Seasghan ii. Jointly the volumes run to 698 pages. The name 
 of John Smith (i.e. Rev. Dr Smith of Campbelltown, brother 
 of Dr. Donald Smith) appears on the inside of the cover of each 
 volume. References to Lucan, with illustrative passages quoted, 
 are frequent. On the second leaf of vol. i. is 'Emanuel,' by 
 which is meant MS. XLVI (v. supra, p. 201), and Seasghan i. i.e. 
 vol. i. A version of this work, of date 1616, in the library 
 of the Franciscan Monastery, Dublin, is printed with transla- 
 tion and vocabulary in Irische Texte, vol. iv. (2), Stokes and 
 Windisch, Leipzig, 1909. 
 
 MS. LXXIX 
 
 This is a large folio volume half-bound containing the 
 following transcripts, evidently made in Ireland, by or for Dr. 
 Donald Smith. 
 
 1. Pp. 1-43. Eachtra cidainne Riglt na h-Iorruaidhe .!. Cod, 
 Cead, tO Mlchead. A prefatory note in Irish Gaelic, on p. 1, 
 is to the effect that the ' Adventures of the children of the King 
 of Norway were begun by Brian o Gelhliuidhe on the 20th 
 of August 1740.' [For other versions, v. Jub., p. 106. Dr. Hyde 
 edited with translation a version which is printed in Irish Texts 
 Society publications, vol. i.] 
 
 2. Pp. 45-67. Imchidheacld na Trom Dhaimhe, ina 
 hh-faillsighthear cinnas do fhuaras an Tain ar tJius. ' The 
 journey of the great (Bardic) company, wherein is shown how 
 the Tain was first discovered.' [For modern versions of this 
 Saga, V. Jub., p. 156. The version in the Book of Lismore (fol. 
 144a-151b)has been printed with translation by Owen Connellan 
 in Transactions of Ossianic Society, vol. v. Dublin, I860]. 
 
 3. Pp. 69-73. Cogadh Chuinn is Eoghain Mhoir, ' The war 
 of Conn and Ewen the Great." [For other versions, v. Jub., 
 p. 90.] The great Ewen is better known as Mogha Nuadat 
 {v. Keating's History). 
 
 4. Pp. 73-84. lomthusa Chonaire mhic Mhodh Lamlia & 
 Mlcacniadh mhoir mliic Luigldch, ' The affairs of Connor, son 
 of M. L., and of the great Macnia son of L.'
 
 250 CATALOGUE UF GAELIC MANUSCRIPTS [MS. LXXX 
 
 5. Pp. <sr)-92. Dcarg Rnddhdr Chulnn fair Ullln'ujk .\. Cutk 
 niaf/h BrciKjh, 'The wild onslaught of Conn on the ITltonians, 
 viz. tho Battle of the plain of Bregia.' 
 
 0. i)3-94.. An extract from Harris's Translation of Sir James 
 Ware's Histovi/ (ind Antiquities of Ireland. 
 
 7. I'p. 95-294. Extracts from the Leahhar Gabhcda or Book 
 of Conquests of ]\[ichacl O'Clcry (the chief of the Four Masters, 
 who compiled the Annals of Ireland). This section is headed 
 by Dr. Smith, ' Transcrii')tum e lihro MS. integro penes 
 Elizahetliani Maguire accolam urbis Enniskellin. Ver(r)o 
 tempore, 1798.* 
 
 For O'Clery's connection with the Le/dihar Gabhcda, v. O'C. 
 MSS. Mat. p. 168 + . 
 
 The rest of the MS. is blank. There are four sheets at the 
 end, detached, upon which some historical and other notes are 
 written. On the inner side of the front cover some quotations 
 are written, evidently to illustrate the meaning of words which 
 Dr. Smith found obscure. 
 
 MS. LXXX 
 
 This is a collection of interesting extracts in prose and verse 
 made by and for Dr. Donald Smith in Ireland in 1798. Three 
 of the pieces are written in English script, one partly in English, 
 partly in Gaelic ; all the others are in the Gaelic hand. Dr. 
 Smith evidently set high value on these extracts, — he entitles 
 the volume Aniholog(ia) Hib(ernica), and dates it ' Ocf 98."' 
 On the flyleaf are 'Donald Smith, 31. 17 M-^H.' The first two 
 leaves are unpaged. The next sixteen are paged 1-32. Then 
 comes fresh paging 1-92. Eight blank leaves follow. The 
 extracts are briefly as follows : — 
 
 1. Seachran Fhiachra Mhic Bradaigh. ' The wanderings 
 [transgression ?J of F. MacBrady ' 52 lines. The heading is in 
 Dr. Smith's hand. First line : — 
 
 Nach truagh libhse chairde, gach biiaireadh dha dtarlaidh. 
 
 2. Aiding Fhiachra. Mhic Bradaigh, ' The vision of 
 F. MacBrady,' 66 lines. The verses are dated in Smith's hand. 
 ' Ibid. December 1798.' First line : — 
 
 Chonnuirc me aisling ar nio leaba mur do cliifinn bean.
 
 MS. LXXX] APPENDIX I 251 
 
 3. Pp. 1-3. Thirty quatrains, with the heading Donchadh 
 
 mor o Daluidh, commencing : — 
 
 Dia do chnithaigh grian bhru nimhe, 
 An a lia gloine as glormhure. 
 
 This is the poem entitled Blireishligh Ghonocld Voihr in the 
 Fernaig MS. (printed in Rel Celt., vol. ii. p. 42 + ), where it extends 
 to thirty-three stanzas. Elsewhere (v. infra) this poem is 
 credited not to O'Daly, but to Baothghalach Mac Aedhagain. 
 
 4. Pp. 6. Thirty-three quatrains, anonymous, beginning : — 
 
 A Eigh comhachtuigh. a Ki glormhar, 
 A Ri mhoir na greine. 
 
 5. Pp. 6-7. Seventeen quatrains, with the heading ' Colum 
 
 Chille dixit.' First line : — 
 
 IM'aonaran dhamh sa sliabli 
 A Ri grian rob soraidh sead. 
 
 The poem is in Y. B. L., 318b. It is printed in the Miscellany 
 of the Irish Archaeol. Soc. There is also a copy in MS. Laud 
 615 (Oxford), which is printed in Zeit. filr Celt. Phil. vi. 302. 
 
 6. Pp. 7-8. Eight quatrains, with the heading An naomh 
 cedna dixit, ' The same saint said.' First line : — 
 
 Einnach naisle na gach dan, 
 Do dhuine na corp conihlan. 
 
 7. Pp. 8-13. A copy of Dan or Laoidh an Deirg, ' The lay 
 of the Red,' here entitled LaoidJc agus irntheacht an Deirg mhic 
 Draoithchill sonn, ' The lay and march of Dearg (Red) son of 
 Draoithcheall here,' beginning : — 
 
 Aithreosad caithreim an fir mlior, 
 Thainic chugain fa dheghbuagh. 
 
 This version contains thirty-three quatrains in double lines. Cf. 
 supra, pp. 145-146, 165, 175 et aliis. 
 
 8. Pp. 14-18. An anonymous poem of one hundred and 
 twenty-six double lines, beginning : — 
 
 Mairg fheachas air inis ceithlionn, 
 Na ccuan n-etrocht na n-es ni-binn. 
 
 There is another copy in MS. XLIV {v. supra, p. 123), also 
 anonymous. By O'Grady (Cat., p. 430) and O'Reilly (p. clxxii) 
 the poem is ascribed to blind Teigue O'Higgin.
 
 252 CATALOGUE OF GAELIC MANUSCRIPTS [MS. LXXX 
 
 9. Pp. 18-22. An anonynioiLS poem of one liundred and 
 six double lines, beginning': — 
 
 Parrthas Fodhla Fermannach, 
 < 'lar tei},'hlithe torchartach. 
 
 10. Pp. 22-2-3. A medley partly in Gaelic, partly in English, 
 now in prose, now in verse, entitled ' The Ram of Darby.' 
 
 11. P. 23. Twelve anonymous lines, religious, beginning — 
 
 Is mian lioiii traclit air adhbhar tuirsi 7 broin. 
 
 12. Pp. 23-25. Seventy anonymous and rather severe lines 
 on a certain Father Patrick O'Finigan who had fallen away 
 from the faith, beginning : — 
 
 Chuala me sgc-ala areir is ghoin st^ mo chroidhe. 
 
 13. Pp. 26-32. A lay of Deirdre and the sons of Uisneach, 
 
 in the handwriting of Dr. Smith. The heading is Aidhith 
 
 Chlainn Uisnich, 'The Violent death of the sons of U.' It is 
 
 added that the poem is published in ' Stewart's Collection, 
 
 vol. ii. p. 562.' This is correct, and shows that Dr. Smith wrote 
 
 the note shortly before his death. A. and D. Stewart's Collection 
 
 was published in 1804 and Dr. Smith died in 1805. The lay 
 
 begins : — 
 
 A Chlann Uisnich nan each geala, 
 Is sibh an tir na fear fuileach. 
 
 The MS. now goes on with fresh paging. 
 
 1. Pp. 1-5. Teacht ChonnlaoicJi go Jt-eirinn, 'The Coming 
 of Conlaoch to Ireland.' Forty-six quatrains. Begins : — 
 
 Tainig triath an bhorblaoich 
 An cruaidh [curaidh] crodha Conlaoch. 
 of. supra, pp. 151, 231 ; Z. i^. p. 9 + . 
 
 2. Pp. 5-10. Laoidh Mhaghnuis inhoir, ' The Lay of great 
 Magnus.' Forty-nine quatrains. This version begins : — 
 
 A Chleirigh na Spaihn saimh, 
 Dair liom f^in ni maith an chfall. 
 
 For other versions, v. swpra, p. 165 ; L. F. p. 72 -|-. 
 
 3. Pp. 10-12. Rosg Osguir mhic Oisin re hais catha Gabhra 
 ' Ode to Oscar son of Ossian in front of the Battle of Gabhra.' 
 Forty-one double lines, beginning : — 
 
 Eirigh, a Osguir fheil, a fhir an chosguir chruaidh. 
 V. Miss Brooke's Reliques, pp. 151, 296.
 
 MS. LXXX] APPENDIX I 253 
 
 4. Pp. 12-13. Rosg Ghuill "inheic Morna, ' Ode to GoU mac 
 Morna.' Begins : — 
 
 Ard aigneach Goll, fear chogaidh Finn, 
 
 and gives at the end the repeating line, in the usual form, 
 
 Ard aigneadh Ghuill. 
 For other versions, v. sitpra, p. 233, and Miss Brooke's 
 Reliques, pp. 165, 298. 
 
 5. Pp. 13-14. Muiris mac Daibhidh dhuibh 'mac Gearailt 
 air na sgriobhadh aii' liiincj ag dol don Easpain, ' Maurice, son 
 of black David Fitzgerald, written on board ship when going 
 to Spain.' Ten quatrains, with two quatrains of Ceangal. 
 
 Begins : — 
 
 Beannaigh an long so, a Chriosd chaidh, 
 An t-sion, an tonn so, 'san tir. 
 
 The poem is printed by Miss Brooke (Reliques, pp. 181, 300). 
 
 6. Pp. 15-17. Giarain ccc. The subject is an Elegy on the 
 daughter of Eoghan. Fifty-five double lines, beginning: — 
 
 Feach cram, a inghean Eoghain, 
 Me o'n eag ar naithbheaghaidh. 
 
 This poem is also printed by Miss Brooke (Reliques, pp. 191, 
 304). 
 
 7. Pp. 17-69. This long extract is in prose, and in two parts. 
 It is prefaced on p. 17 by a note to the effect that it was 
 
 extracted from Fergal O'Gara's ' book of history ' by Duald 
 M'Firbis in 1649; transcribed by James Maguire in 1713, and 
 thereafter by Turlough Maguire in 1798. By Fergal O'Gara's 
 ' Book of History ' is evidently meant the Aniials of the Four 
 Masters, which great work was dedicated to this gentleman. 
 The extract is in two parts: (ct) Pp. 17-31. Annals from the 
 landing of Cesair in Ireland in a.m. 2242 down to the death 
 of Buaidhrigh ua Conchabhair (Roderick O'Connor), King ot 
 Connaught, in 1198. This portion is without doubt summarised 
 from F. M. (6) Pp. 31-69. An account of the great families of 
 Ireland, and so far of Dalriada, with their genealogies, beginning 
 with the descendants of Niall of the Nine Hostages. Thus 
 (p. 32) among the descendants of Ewan son of Niall Naoighiall- 
 ach are included the Maclachlans and the Macladhmuins 
 (Laments) in Alba. Quotations are occasionally made from old
 
 254 CATALOGUE OF GAELIC MANUSCRIPTS [MS. LXXX 
 
 })oets in support of the prose text : e.g. on p. 50 Torna Eges is 
 (pioted, and on p. G8, where it is stated that Maolcoblia found 
 an asyluni for the poets after they were abjured by King 
 Ainjnirc at the Convention of Uruiuiceatt, the author proceeds 
 id dixit ail file, 'as the poet said' : — 
 
 Feaclit do Mhaolcobha na cellar, 
 Ag lubhar Chinntragha thlar, 
 Dha died dag filadh fuair 
 Eis an lubhar an air thuaith. 
 
 8. Pp. 69-86. A long poem of some 450 double lines, on 
 the clans and tribes of Ireland with their respective districts, 
 attributed to Giolla losa Mac Firbis of Lecan — Mac Fhirbhisigh 
 Leacain .|. Giolla losa, — commencing: — 
 
 loiiidha gabhlan air Chloinn Chuinn. 
 ' Many are the branches of the race of Conn.' 
 
 According to F. M. Giolla losa mor Mac Fhirbisigh died in 1279. 
 
 The last of this famous family, Duald above named, was murdered 
 
 at Dunttin in 1668 or 1670 (O'C. MSS. Mat. pp. 82, 122). If the 
 
 poem was written by Giolla losa who died in 1279, the concluding 
 
 lines on p. 86 must have been added at least two hundred years 
 
 later : — 
 
 ghein Chrlosd do chosain bladh 
 Gu an diiinsi do derbhadh, 
 Ceithre ched as mile mer, 
 Ni breag an line luaiter, 
 Seacht mbliadhna deg gan duibhe, 
 Ni diamdha an trend toghuidhe. 
 
 On the same page is the following note : — 
 
 Air na sgriobhadh anois go cuiniir 
 Le Toirdhealbach Mhaguidhir, 
 Mile seacht ccead is nochad beacht, 
 Is ocht mbliadhna na dhiaidh go ceart, 
 
 do Bhoctuir Gohhan, ta na leigh aig Saighdiuridh an Righ aig 
 
 Inis Ceithlin an hldiadhuin reimhraite. 
 
 ' Written now concisely, 
 By Turlough Maguire, 
 
 One thousand seven hundred and ninety exactly, 
 With eight years rightly added thereto, 
 
 for Dr. Smith Avho is Physician to the Soldiers of the King in 
 Enniskellin in the foresaid year.'
 
 MS. LXXXI] APPENDIX I 255 
 
 9. Pp. 86-90. One hundred and sixteen double lines of John 
 O'Dugan's famous topographical poem, beginning, 
 
 Triallani timcheall na Fodhla. 
 
 O'Dugan died, according to F. M. in 1372. For other poems 
 by this author, v. O'R. p. xcix + , and sttj^'''^^ PP- 61, 206-7. A 
 prefatory note to this copy runs : Sean Dubhagan ughdar na 
 duainesi an aimsir Mhailsechhiinn mhoir mhic Domihnuill, 
 an a hhfuil ceart duthchas gach cinedh araibh a n-Eirin sa 
 n-aimsir, 'John O'Dugan (was) the author of this poem, in the 
 time of Malachy the Great, son of Donald, in which is set down 
 the native district of each tribe that lived in Ireland at that 
 time.' 
 
 10. Pp. 95-96. The first part of a Legend in prose regarding 
 Farhhlaidh daughter of James son of Torquil of the race of 
 Cairbre Ri(g)fada, and high King of Scotland. The lady's grand- 
 mother was Eadoin, wife of Eochu Aireamh. The Tale breaks 
 off abruptly. Perhaps the Black Watch was ordered away from 
 Enniskillen before Turlough Maguire had time to complete his 
 transcript. The last eight leaves of the MS. are blank. 
 
 MS. LXXXI 
 
 MS. LXXXI is a half-bound volume of 276 pages, written 
 by Ewen M'Lachlan of Aberdeen. Mr. M'Lachlan names three 
 volumes of his : I. An t-easpaig (the Bishop) ; 11. Leabhar Gaol 
 (Narrow Book); and III. J5aZ(/->S'o^rtir (Collecting Book, Common- 
 Place Book). He also speaks of a Balg-Solair of Macleod's, but 
 neither his own nor Macleod's Balg-Solair is in the Library. 
 
 1. The first fortj^-one leaves of this volume are unpaged, and 
 contain a rough draft of a Gaelic-English Dictionary from A to 
 Buillsgein. 
 
 2. Thereafter the MS. is paged from p. 1 to p. 147, and these 
 are occupied (except pp. 139-140) with transcripts from the Dean 
 of Lismore's MS. To this section Mr. M'Lachlan prefixed the 
 following sentences : A Zeabhar lamli-sgrihlite MJiaighistir Mhic 
 Griogair, Easpaig Leasmor, a bhuineas do'n Ghomunn Ghaidh- 
 ealach. Anns an laimh Rbimhich, ach ann an litrichibh an 
 Easpuig fein, a reir a mliodha Mhanuinnich. Di-luain, an
 
 25G CATALOGUE OF GAELIC MANUSCRIPTS [MS. LXXXI 
 
 Cuiticamli 1(1 deiuj doii I'Jdrvarh ur, ISl)^, ' Fioni Mr. 
 i\[ac(ircgor the Bishop of Lismore's manuscript which is 
 the property of the Highhuul Society. In the Koniaii hand, 
 but in the Bishop's own orthography, in accordance with the 
 manner of the Isle of Man. Monday, the fifteenth day of sj)ring 
 (new style) 1813.' Here the Decanus Lismorensis of the MS. 
 is rendered ' Bishop of Lismore,' and this no doubt suggested 
 the name given to the volume, — An t-Easjouig. M'Lachlan 
 transcribed his extracts not in the order in which they appear 
 in the MS., but evidentl}- as he found them easiest to read. 
 Thus the first piece transcribed, an Ossianic ballad, appears 
 on p. 220 of the MS., the second on p. 230, etc. etc. Again 
 on p. 109 of this volume he remarks, ' whatever else occurred 
 worthy of preservation has been inserted in the following 
 pages. They were omitted in their proper places, as I could 
 not at that time read them with any certainty.' A note at 
 the end of these transcripts, — Amen : Alleluia : Kyrie Eleison ! ' 
 — expresses his gratification that the task was finished. And 
 yet the indefatigable scholar immediately proceeded to make 
 a second copy which, as formerely stated {supra p. 227) he 
 sent to Sir John Macgregor Murray. 
 
 3. On pp. 139-140, two modern songs are written, the first 
 consisting of fifteen stanzas, beginning : — 
 
 Cha b'e tachan a' chrattain 
 So dliuisg mi sa mhadin, 
 
 and the second of thirteen stanzas, commencing : — 
 
 Gur a muladach tha mi 
 
 A's' tir Abraich gun chas diom, 
 
 with the docquet, ' The two preceding songs, written by Donald 
 MacLachlan, 2nd May 1814.' 
 
 4. Colonel Macdonnell of Glengarry sent to Mr. Maclachlan 
 a MS. containing twenty-five poems relating to the Glengarry 
 family. Of these seven are anonymous ; and five are by John 
 Lo'in Macdonald, a well-known Gaelic poet. Four are attributed 
 to Aonghiis MacAilean {Tuathach, ' northern Highlander '), and 
 one each to Fear Lead Chluain (laird or tacksman of L. C.) ; 
 Dunnchadh Tiiac Dhonnhmiill ruaidh; Iain dubh mac 'Ein 'ic 
 Ailein; Silidh na Ceapaiche (Julia of Keppoch); Ant-aosdana
 
 MS. LXXXII] APPENDIX I 257 
 
 mac Mliathain (the poet Mathieson) ; Bean fir Acltadliuainidh 
 (the wife of the laird or tacksman of A) ; Fear Aird-na-Bidhe 
 (the laird or tacksman of A) ; Aonghus macEin duihh ruaidh ; 
 and Aonghus mac Alastair Ruaidh. Maclachlan transcribed 
 eighteen of these poems on pp. 148-161 of the MS. The other 
 seven were not transcribed, having been already printed in the 
 collections of R. Macdonald, Campbell, and Turner. 
 
 5. Two Irish poems are given on p. 162, the first consisting 
 of eight quatrains by Maurice, son of black David Fitzgerald 
 {v. supra, p. 253), beginning : — 
 
 Do bhronnadh dhomh caraid ceilg, 
 UUamh glan tana nach tilg, 
 
 and the second, an ode of twelve lines, by Goiridh Ceitinn, Ard- 
 sheanchaidh na h-Eirionn, a cur bheannachd dltachaidh, 'se 
 fhein am Breatann, ' Geoffrey Keating, chief historian of Ireland, 
 sending home his greetings, he being in Britain,' beginning : — 
 
 Beannachd leat a sgribhinn go h-innis aoibhinn Ealga. 
 
 6. Pp. 163-180 are blank, with a leaf cut out. 
 
 7. Pp. 181-187 give the ' Contents of MacGregors's MS. as 
 they stand in the Original, with reference to its pages, as well 
 to those of the transcript.' 
 
 8. The remaining pages (187-195) are taken up with sug- 
 gested etymologies and cognates of Gaelic words, the com- 
 parisons being mainly with Latin, Greek, and in two or three 
 cases Hebrew. (Supra, p. 3 (3).) 
 
 MS. LXXXII (v. supra, p. 2 (1)) 
 
 In 1812, the Highland Society sent fourteen of the more 
 important MSS. in their possession at the time to Mr. Ewen 
 M'Lachlan, Aberdeen, with the request that the distinguished 
 scholar should examine the MSS. and report upon them. The 
 Report extends to one hundred and seventy-two pages, quarto, 
 and forms the contents of this volume, which is stoutly bound 
 and backed ' Analysis of Ancient Gaelic MSS.' The title of the 
 volume, which is in M'Lachlan's hand, as is also the Report, 
 runs ' Analysis of the contents of Celtic Manuscripts belonging 
 
 R
 
 258 CATALOGUE OF GAELIC MANUSCRIPTS [MS. LXXXIII 
 
 to tho Honourable CoinmiLtee of the Highland Society of 
 
 Scotland, 
 
 Antiqiuo laudis et urtis 
 
 Ajfjfrcilior, sanctas ausus recludere fontes. — Vikgil. 
 
 by Ewen Maclachlan. Old Abd", May 25th., 1812.' 
 
 Tho MSS. examined and reported upon are those numbered 
 above XLYI, LVIII, XXXVIII, LYI, LXII, LIV, LXV, LV, 
 LIU, XL, XXXIII, XLI, XXXII, and XXXVII. The only MS. 
 of the fourteen here analysed regarding the identity of which 
 there can be any doubt is our XLI (M'Lachlan's No. XII). Mr. 
 M'Lachlan states that his No. XII 'is the fifth Manuscript 
 noticed by Mr. Macintosh in his Catalogue of ancient Gaelic 
 works then in the Highland Society's possession.' Referring to 
 this Catalogue as printed in Ossian (ed. 1807), vol. iii. p. 566 + , 
 Mr. Macintosh's fifth MS. ma}^ possibly be that at present 
 numbered XLI. But both Macintosh and M'Lachlan speak of 
 their MS. as wholly medical, whereas only the leaves forming 
 the cover of MS. XLI are medical (v. supra, pp. 62, 119). The 
 present MS. XLI must have been rebound and otherwise 
 manipulated if it is to be identified with Mr. M'Lachlan's 
 No. XII, and Mr. Macintosh's No. 5. 
 
 The other thirteen MSS. were carefully read and summarised 
 by Mr. M'Lachlan ; and his observations upon them in this Report, 
 as Avell as his transcripts in MSS. LXXXI and LXXXIII, are, 
 considering the state of Gaelic scholarship in Scotland at the 
 time, a lasting tribute to the capacity, knowledge, and integrity 
 of this distinguished scholar. 
 
 MS. LXXXIII (v. supra, p. 2 (2)) 
 
 This volume, which contains two hundred and sixty pages and 
 is bound in boards with leather back, is appropriately named by 
 Mr. M'Lachlan Leahhar Gaol, ' Narrow Book,' the page being 
 about 16 in. by 6. M'Lachlan gives it the title of 'Celtic Repository 
 or A Collection from the Ancient Gaelic MSS. of the Highland 
 Society ... by Ewen M'Lachlan of Fort William,' and dates it 
 at Old Aberdeen, 1812. He also gives an index of the 
 contents, but without always naming the MSS. from which the 
 extracts are made. The transcripts are as a whole very faithfully
 
 MS. LXXXIII] APPENDIX I 259 
 
 done. Contractions are rarely extended, and when they are the 
 extension is frequently marked with a query. Occasional notes 
 and references are given. The Transcripts are these : — 
 
 1. The Oigheadh or ' Violent Death ' of Cuchulainn (pp. 1-44), 
 from MS. XXXVIII, with a few paragraphs inserted at 
 pp. 258-259 from MS. XLV to fill up obscure paragraphs in 
 pp. 29-30 of MS. XXXVIII, v. supra, p. 146 + . 
 
 2. The Battle of MagJi Miwruiinhe ox Mucrainha (pp. 45-79), 
 from i\IS. XXXVIII, v. supra, p. 151. 
 
 3. The Education of Cuchulainn and the Violent Death of 
 Conlaoch (pp. 81-105), from MS. XXXVIII, v. supra, p. 151. 
 
 4. The Tragedy of the Children of Lir (pp. 106-118) from 
 MS. XXXVIII, V. siqjra, pp. 153, 167. 
 
 5. The Tragedy of Deirdre and the sons of Uisneach 
 (pp. 119-131) from MS. LVI, v. siipra, pp. 159, 169. 
 [M'Lachlan, after Macpherson, in his Index calls Deirdre 
 Darthula.] 
 
 6. The Tale known as Bruighean Caorthuinn, ' The Rowan 
 (fairy) Mansion or Castle' {y. supra, pp. 140, 173). M'Lachlan 
 in his Index names the tale ' Rebellion of Mac Colgain against 
 Fingal' The transcript (pp. 132-148) is partly from MS. LVIII 
 {v. supra, p. 173), but chiefly from MS. XXXVIII {v. sup)ra, 
 p. 152). 
 
 7. Pp. 149-158. A transcription of the whole of MS. XLVI, 
 called here ' Emanuel,' v. supra, pp. 201, 249. 
 
 8. Extracts from Keating's History (pp. 159-163). The 
 transcripts here are from MS. LVIII, v. supra, p. 128. 
 
 9. A transcript of the Avhole of MS. LIII, in so far as 
 legible, with the exception of the first eight columns (pp. 164- 
 223, with corrected paragraphs on pp. 556-557). MS. LIII is 
 named here the ' Glenmasan Manuscript,' v. supra, p. 158-(-. 
 
 10. Pp. 224-232. A transcipt of the first section (pp. 1-12) 
 of MS. XL, relating the deaths of Irish heroes, v. supra, 
 pp. 153-154. 
 
 11. Pp. 233-248. A transcript of the fourth layer of MS. 
 XL (pp. 49-68), containing the only complete copy as jQt known 
 of the Mesce Ulad, ' Intoxication of the Ultonians,' or as here 
 entitled Baethrem Ulad co Temuir Luachra, ' The wild (mad) 
 march of the Ulstermen to T. L.' v. supra, pp. 155-157.
 
 260 CATALOGUE OF GAELIC MAXCJSCRIPTS [MS. LXXXV 
 
 12. Pp. 240-251 and pp. 255-"2,")G, contain transcripts from 
 the parchment portion of MS. XXXIIL v. siqira, p. 60. The 
 extracts made aro the paragraphs and figures relating to the 
 Dominical Letter and Golden Number on fol. lb ; the paragraph 
 and verses on ff. 6 and 7 ; and the footnotes to the Calendar 
 naming the appropriate foods, drinks, and days for bloodletting 
 for each month of the year. 
 
 13. Pp. 251-254. Transcript of the opening sections of 
 the missing MS. XXXII, which Mr. M'Lachlan here designates 
 Leahhar Chille Bride, ' the Kilbride Book.' For details, v. supra, 
 pp. 219-220. 
 
 14. Pp. 259-260. Transcript of an article on Vinum .|. an 
 Jin, 'wine,' 'from Mr. Thomson's Vellum Manuscript.' This 
 extract must be from a copy of the Tract on Materia Medica 
 used by the Gaelic physicians (v. siq^ra, p. 18), most probably 
 from MS. Ill, which might have been in Mr. Thomson's pos- 
 session at this time. For MS. Ill, v. supra, p. 17 + . 
 
 MS. LXXXV (v. siipra, p. 3 (4)) 
 
 This is a quarto MS. in pasteboard cover, containing 196 pages. 
 It is a transcript by the Rev. Donald Mackintosh, dated ' Edinr. 
 3rd Octr. 1806,' of the so-called Red Book of Clanranald. The 
 original MS. was imperfect, thirty-two pages being awanting at 
 the beginning, and several leaves torn away at the end. 
 Mackintosh professes to have ' faithfully copied, word for word 
 and letter for letter,' but the transcript is imperfectly done. 
 The transcriber was not quite a master of the old Gaelic hand 
 and of its numerous marks of contraction, and still less of the 
 grammar of the language. The principal contents of the Red 
 Book of Clanranald, checked by the Black Book, are printed in 
 Bel. Celt, vol. ii. p. 148 to p. 309. 
 
 MS. LXXXVI (v. siiiwa, p. 3 (5)) 
 
 A folio volume of about 170 pages bound in calf, written in 
 1812-1813 by John Sinclair of 70 Bell Street, Glasgow. Mr. 
 Sinclair writes a preface in English, addressed to Sir John 
 Sinclair, in which he explains his purpose, and the liberties
 
 MS. LXXXVI] APPENDIX I 261 
 
 he took with the printed texts of Macpherson and Smith. 
 Apart from this the volume is written wholly in Gaelic, and in 
 the old Gaelic hand which Mr. Sinclair, evidently an accom- 
 plished scribe, learned to write with ease. The contents of 
 the volume are : — 
 
 1. A portion of the Tale known as Oigheadh Chlainne 
 Tuireann, ' The Tragedy of the Children of T,' The extract 
 occupies five pages, and Mr. Sinclair explains in a note 
 that he had the Irish MS. from which he transcribed 
 on loan, but was obliged to return it, Avhich brought the tran- 
 scription to an end. Gf. supra, MS. LVI, p. 166. 
 
 2. The whole of the Gaelic text of Macpherson's Ossian. 
 This takes up one hundred pages. There is a descriptive title- 
 page with the thistle, and the legend ' Nemo me impune lacessit,' 
 turned into Gaelic, CJui docJininn duine mi gun dloladh. In 
 his preface Mr, Sinclair explains how he has attempted to 
 restore from the English of Macpherson the passages — Address 
 to the Sun, Maid of Craca, and Fainne-soluis — which are not 
 found in the Gaelic text of 1807, together with minor changes 
 in orthography, such as us for is, 'and,' etc. The poems follow 
 the same order as in the printed text of 1807. But Mr. Sinclair, 
 beside the Address to the Sun, adds largely to the text of 
 Carthonn. He has 624 lines against the 333 of the 1807 text. 
 
 Besides, he inserts between the poem of Calthonn is 
 Caohnhal and Fionnghal, a Lay of Deirdre, beginning: — 
 
 Fada la gun Clilann Uisneacli. 
 
 The Lay is evidently taken from MS. LVI (supra, p. 170), 
 pp. 453-454, from which it is printed in Irische Texte, vol. ii, 
 (2) pp. 145-148. 
 
 At line 446 of Fingal, Duan in., Sinclair in a footnote adds 
 thirty-six lines and in his text eighty-two others not in the 1807 
 text. 
 
 At the end of Temora, Duan i., Sinclair adds a note in 
 which he gives Deirdre's well-known Farewell to Alba, as in 
 MS. LVI. In Temora, Duan ii., he has 551 lines as against 452 
 in the 1807 text. 
 
 3. The whole of the text of Dr. Smith's Sean Dana, with 
 such minor alterations in orthography and diction as Mr.
 
 2G2 CATALOGUE OF GAELIC MANUSCRIPTS [MS. LXXXVII 
 
 Sinclair thought proper to make. Smith's texts take up fifty- 
 six pages of the transcript, and the several poems are written 
 in the order in which they appear in print. Mr. Sinclair has 
 written a title-page to Smith's texts as to Macpherson's. Here 
 he mentions that 'some changes' — hnigau atliarravhuidh — are 
 made. The design on this title-page is a scallop shell, with the 
 legend Vair mun cuairt an t-slige chreacltuinn, 'Pass round the 
 Seallop-shell.' 
 
 4. The fourth and last extract in Mr. Sinclair's volume is a 
 copy of the composition formerly noted {v. supra, p. 100), en- 
 titled An SiogiiUlhe Romanach, ' the Roman Sprite.' Sinclair's 
 chief reason for selecting these verses apparently was that they 
 seemed to him to satisfactorily establish the locality of Tir-fo- 
 thibinn, ' Land-under-wave,' so frequently mentioned in Gaelic 
 Tale. 
 
 MSS. LXXXVII, LXXXVIII (v. supm, p. 8 (6, 7)) 
 
 These two volumes contain the Collection of Ossianic poetry 
 mq,de by Duncan Kennedy throughout Argyllshire from 1774 to 
 1783. The collection is in three volumes folio, but roughly 
 bound in two volumes. Kennedy was schoolmaster of Kilmelford, 
 and afterwards for a time accountant in Glassfow. Later he re- 
 sided in Lochgilphead. In 1786 Kennedy printed anonymously 
 a small volume of Gaelic Hymns by several authors, which was 
 reprinted with additional matter in prose and verse, and 
 recommended, at Kennedy's request, dated ' Glasgow, 11th 
 March, 1834 ' by the Rev. Dr. Norman Macleod of Campsie and 
 the Rev. Mr. Maclaurin of the Gaelic Chapel, Glasgow. 
 
 Mr. Kennedy gave the perusal of a part of his Ossianic Col- 
 lection to the Rev. Dr. Smith who had been making a collection 
 on his own account. When Dr. Smith's Sean Dana were 
 published in English (in 1780) Kennedy threatened an action 
 against Smith for a share of the profits from Sea7i Dana, on the 
 ground that they were ' translations of his collections of poems.' 
 Kennedy afterwards sold his ' Collection ' to the Highland 
 Society, giving ' a statement of those parts of the poems he had 
 really taken down from recitation, and those he claimed to have 
 composed. It is strange that the passages he claimed as his
 
 MS. LXXXIX] APPENDIX I 263 
 
 own composition are just those which have been most clearly 
 established to be genuine ' (D. L., p. lii, note). 
 
 It is unnecessary to enter upon further detail regarding this 
 large and valuable collection, as it is fully indexed, described 
 and printed in L. F. (pp. vi, xviii-xxii, and 10 to 197). 
 
 MS. LXXXIX (v. supra, p. 3 (8)) 
 
 This is a quarto MS. of 257 pages (pp. 1-27 and pp. 1-230) 
 half-bound, containing transcripts by the Rev. Donald Mackintosh 
 from MS. XXXIV and XXXVI. 
 
 1. Pp. 1-27. A transcript of the Tale known as Bruighean 
 Caorthuinn from MS. XXXIV. 
 
 The other extracts in the volume are all from MS. XXXVI. 
 
 2. Pp. 1-123. (new paging). Imtheacht Conaill Gulbanfon 
 domhan in{K)or, cf. supra, p. 142 -f . 
 
 3. Pp. 124-127. A copy of Conall Cearnach's Lay, be- 
 ginning : — 
 
 A Chonuill ca sealbh na cinn, 
 
 V. supra, p. 144, et aliis. 
 
 4. Pp. 127-128. Verses attributed to Bishop Carsewell, begin- 
 ning:— 
 
 Na maoi h-naisle orum fein, 
 
 V. supra, p. 205. 
 
 5. P. 128. Three quatrains addressed to a lady. First line: — 
 
 Innis disi giodh b'e me, 
 V. siqjra, p. 205. 
 
 5. Pp. 129-140. The Tale of MacDatho's Pig. Cf. sup)ra, 
 p. 144. 
 
 6. Pp. 141-157. Bruighean hheag na h-Almhuin, ' The little 
 mansion of Almu,' v. supra, p. 141 -f-. [This Tale was omitted 
 from the list of Tales in MS. XXXVI, supra, pp. 142-146.] 
 
 7. Pp. 157-168. Bruighean Cheisi Coruin, v. supra, p. 144. 
 
 8. Pp. 169-178. Dearg MacDruihheil, v. supra, pp. 145-146. 
 
 First line : — 
 
 T(Gr)reis ar caithrein an fhir mhoir. 
 
 9. Pp. 179-180. Poem on the Earl of Argyll, v. supra, p. 117. 
 
 First line : — 
 
 Is maith mo leaba is olc mo sliiiain.
 
 2G4 CATALOGUE UF GAELIC MAXCSCUIPT.S [MS. LXXXIX 
 
 10. Pp. LSI -182. Lmcs on Y). 12^,' Inni.^ disi giodhh'e 'iiie' 
 repeated, as also a few couplets, epigrams, and charms. 
 
 11. Pp. 183-201. An Ceithirneach, v. srujpra, p. 146, 
 
 [Pp. 107-280 are detached from the bound portion of the 
 MS. They are stitched together, and the text and paging are 
 continuous.] 
 
 12. Pp. 202-204 arc blank, and p. 205 contains one or two 
 epigrams and couplets. 
 
 13. Pp. 206-211. Triath nan Gaoidheal Giolleaspag. 
 V. su2'>ra, p. 116. 
 
 14. Pp. 211-216. Rug edrain ar iath n-Alban, Avith appended 
 note signed Miiris Mhiiilgliirigh. V. supra, p. 117. 
 
 15. Pp. 216-221 are partly blank, partly contain some verses 
 and couplets. 
 
 16. Pp. 222-226. Na faafha,—' the things hateful' here 
 enumerated are over one hundred. V. supra, pp. 205, 241. 
 
 17. Pp. 226-230. Short poems and epigrams, e.g. 
 
 p. 226. Ni bfuigheadh misi bas duit. V. supra, 206. 
 
 „ 227. A Dhuine, cuimlmich am bas. ,, „ 91. 
 
 „ 228. Neach sin bhios cor(r)acli do ghnath. ,, ,, 206. 
 
 )) 229. Mairg ni naill as oige. „ ,, 91. 
 
 „ 230. Soraidh slan don aoidhche reir. :, „ 205. 
 
 As already stated {supra, p. 260), the accuracy of Mr. 
 Mackintosh's transcripts cannot always be relied upon. 
 
 MS. XC 
 
 This is a quarto MS. stoutly bound in calf, and backed 
 'Lismore Manuscript, Transcript, 1897.' It is the transcript, 
 page for page and line for line, in so far as legible, made by the 
 Rev. Walter Macleod of the Dean of Lismore's MS. Cf. sup)ra, 
 p. 228. 
 
 MSS. XCI to XCVIII 
 
 These eight MSS. with MS. LXXVI {supra, p. 248) connect 
 with the Highland Society's Dictionary, published in 1828. MS. 
 XCI is a thick volume of ruled foolscap, containing the copy 
 sent to the printers of the Gaelic Articles under the letter ' C
 
 MSS. C, CI] APPENDIX I 265 
 
 [The copy of the Articles under 'A' and ' B ' appears not to have 
 been preserved.] The copy of ' C ' is in very large clear hand, 
 with many deletions, and slips without number pasted thereon 
 containing additional shades of meaning, references, and very 
 doubtful etymologies. MS. XCII of similar make and binding 
 contains copy of 'D,' 'E,' 'F.' MS. XCIII gives, in smaller 
 hand, copy of 'G' to end of ' O.' MS. XCIV, with return to 
 the larger hand, contains ' P ' to Subhailceach, while MS. XCV 
 completes the copy of the Gaelic text, — Subhaltach to 
 tltraiseachd. The copy of the English-Gaelic part of the 
 Dictionary is contained in two volumes (XCVI, XCVII) of even 
 make and binding with the others. MS. XCYIII is long, narrow, 
 and thick. It contains the 'proofs' of the three parts of the 
 Dictionary which passed between Dr. Macleod of Dundonald, 
 the Convener of the Highland Society's Committee, and Dr. 
 Mackintosh Mackay, the acting editor in charge of the Press. 
 
 In these proof-sheets, between the Gaelic-English and Anglo- 
 Gaelic parts, four leaves of print headed ' Specimen of English- 
 Gaelic Dictionary ' were somehow inserted, to the annoyance of 
 Dr. Macleod. 
 
 MS. XCIX 
 
 This is a Portfolio containing loose sheets which were the 
 property of the Picv. Dr. Ross of Lochbroom, and Avhich were 
 sent to the Library in May 1894 by Dr. Ross's son-in-law, the 
 late Rev. W. Sinclair of Plockton. They consist of translations 
 of portions of Temora, Cath Lodin, Carraic-thura and other 
 Ossianic poems, with some notes by Dr. Ross, as also a letter or 
 two by Dr. Ross regarding the projected publication of these. 
 Some of the notes are evidently in E. M'L's hand, and the trans- 
 lation of Temora is backed, apparently in error, as being by 
 E. M'L. 
 
 MSS. C, CI 
 
 These two volumes contain a glossary of terms and phrases 
 associated with the Music and Poetry of the Gael, compiled by 
 Angus Eraser. The first volume is written on 202 pages of a 
 Regimental Defaulters Book, which is roughly bound, while the 
 second, bound in dark calf, is backed ' Register of Admission to
 
 2(;g catalogue of Gaelic manuscripts [ms. cii 
 
 Sabbath School Reading Class.' The glossary is in a crude state, 
 and was written in quite recent times, The Beauties of Gaelic 
 Poetry, published in 1841, being among the authorities cited. 
 According to a note in the first volume the MSS. were purchased 
 from James Beaton, Castle Street, Inverness, and were the 
 property of Sergeant Gardiner his son-in-law ' who died in this 
 town a few years ago.' 
 
 MS. CII 
 
 This is a copy of the Lay of Conn, in the handwriting of the 
 late Mr. J. F. Campbell. It was sent to the Library with 
 explanatory letters by Miss M. Ferguson, who also printed the 
 Lay, with notes, in 1909. 
 
 MS. cm 
 
 This is a thin MS., of paper, small quarto, half-bound. Pro- 
 fessor Buttner, for missionary purposes, wrote in dialogue form 
 a short tract recommendins: the Christian Protestant faith. The 
 tract was meant to be translated into many languages. The 
 Rev. Alexander M'Aulay, at one time chaplain to the 88th 
 Regiment (cf Rejy. on Oss., App. p. 23 ; Ossian, ed. 1807. vol. iii. 
 p. 456) translated the tract into Gaelic, and we have it in this 
 MS., with English and Gaelic on opposite pages, thirty-seven 
 pages in all. The MS. was purchased at a sale by the Rev. 
 Donald Maclean, Duirinish, and presented by him, some sixteen 
 years ago, to the Library. 
 
 MS. CIV 
 
 No. CIV is not a MS. but the printed copy of the Dean of 
 Lismore's Book on which the late Mr. D. C. Macpherson marked 
 his corrected reading of the Dean's Ossianic poems. Mr. 
 Macpherson thereafter wrote out in fair hand these poems 
 as corrected (v. infra). 
 
 The remaining Gaelic MSS. preserved in the Library, with 
 the exception of Mr. J. F. Campbell's, are at present stored in 
 four boxes. The principal contents of these are briefly as 
 follows : —
 
 APPENDIX I 267 
 
 I. — A Locked Box containing the MSS. of the late 
 Dr. W. F. Skene 
 
 By his will the late Dr. Skene bequeathed his Celtic MSS. 
 to the Advocates' Library. The most important Gaelic MSS. 
 which Dr. Skene possessed were the Fernaig MS. and the Black 
 Book of Clanranald. At his death, neither of these was found 
 in his library. It afterwards transpired that Dr. Skene ' not 
 merely granted the [Fernaig] MS. [to the editors of Reliquiae 
 Celticae] for comparison and complete transcription, but kindly 
 presented it to Mr. Kennedy ' (Rel. Celt., vol. ii., preface). Mr. 
 Kennedy in turn left the MS. by his will to the Library. The 
 ' Black Book ' was restored by Dr. Skene ' to the representative 
 of its ancient possessors . . . and is now safe in Clanranald's 
 possession' (Rel. Celt., vol. ii. p. 139). 
 
 The Fernaig MS. 
 
 This MS. is fully described, with illustrative extracts, in 
 the Transactions of the Gaelic Society of Inverness, vol. xi. 
 pp. 311-339, while its contents are printed in Rel. Celt, vol. ii. 
 pp. 1-139, so that a brief account suffices here. It consists of 
 two small volumes of paper, seven to eight inches by three, 
 covered in pasteboard. The first volume contains thirty-six 
 leaves, three of which are blank. The second has at present 
 twenty-eight leaves, of which three at the beginning and five at 
 the end are blank. ' One of these leaves is double and folded 
 in, and there are two loose pieces, half leaves, written upon.' It 
 contains in all about four thousand two hundred lines of Gaelic 
 verse. Six leaves, all written upon, have been cut out of the 
 second volume, so that at one time the Collection must have 
 contained about four thousand eight hundred lines. 
 
 The MS. was written, beyond reasonable doubt, by Duncan 
 Macrae of Inverinate, in Kintail, a gentleman locally remem- 
 bered as Donnachadh nam Plos, ' Duncan of the (Silver) cups,' 
 between the years 1688 and 1693. On the top of the first page 
 is the heading: Doirligh Loijn di sJcrijivig lea Donochig Mac 
 Rah, 1688, ' A number [handful] of Lays written by Duncan 
 Macrae, 1688.' In 1807 the MS. was in the possession of Mr.
 
 2G8 C'ATALOdL'E OF CAFMC .MANUSCRIPTS 
 
 Matheson of Fcrnaig (Ossian, ed. 1807, vol. iii. p. 572). After- 
 wards it passed into the hands of Dr. Mackintosh Mackay, by 
 whose trustees it was presented to J)r. Skene. In the late 
 seventies I identified the MS. among Dr. Skene's Celtic MSS. 
 Subsequently I transcribed the whole of it, transliterated and 
 annotated a considerable portion, and gave an account of it 
 in the Transact ions of tlie Inverness Gaelic Societi/ (vol. xi., 
 pp. 311-339). Thereafter the MS. was borrowed by the late 
 Dr. Cameron, who transcribed the greater part of it. In 1899 
 an elaborate article by Herr Christian Stern on the first poem 
 in the Collection and its author appeared in Zeit. filr Celt. PJtil , 
 vol. ii. pp. 566-586, while in the previous year many of the 
 poems in this MS. were transliterated and printed by Dr. George 
 Henderson in Leahhar nan Gleann, pp. 198-300. 
 
 This Collection is a valuable contribution to Scottish Gaelic 
 Literature. Next to the Dean of Lismore's it is the oldest 
 Collection of a general kind which we possess. Like the 
 Dean's, the Fernaig MS. is written phonetically, and in the 
 current Scottish hand of the day. Macrae may possibly have 
 copied from MS. in one or two cases, but much the larger 
 portion of the contents must have been written down from 
 memory or from recitation. Man}^ of the poems by local authors 
 show that the intonation of the people in the west of Ross-shire 
 has hardly changed since the Revolution. The Collection is 
 singularly pure in tone, while the quality of the poetry is as a 
 rule high. More than one half of the contents is political and 
 ecclesiastical. Feeling ran high at the time, but the authors 
 discuss burning questions with temper, knowledge, and judg- 
 ment. 
 
 There are in all fifty-nine separate pieces, one or two of 
 which are single stanzas, while several consist of only a few 
 quatrains. Two pieces profess to be translations, one (p. 117 of 
 Rel. Celt., vol. ii.), entitled ' Couh Joan Vreittin or Jock Breittan's 
 complent Irished to the toon q° the King corns home in peace 
 againe. Julie 1693'; the other (p. 120) ' Another Irished by the 
 same author, called the true Protestants complent, anno 1693.' 
 The originals of these I have not been able to trace. Several 
 pieces are anonymous, some of which, as e.g. the poem on 
 the battle of Killiecrankie or Raon Ruaraidh, as Highlanders
 
 APPENDIX I 269 
 
 spoke of it, are among the best in the Collection (v. Ret. Gelt, 
 vol. ii. pp. 36, 83, 84, 90, 101, 106, 109, 120). 
 
 Macrae included in his Collection a few poems composed 
 long before his time by men living far beyond his district, and 
 it is not surprising that he made mistakes regarding their 
 authorship. The first poem in the Collection, entitled by Macrae 
 Krossanighk Illevreed, is, according to O'R. (CLXIX), ' a transla- 
 tion from a Latin work of Saint Bernard's ... by Giolla Brighid, 
 alias Bonaventure, O'Heoghusa, a Franciscan friar of the College 
 of Saint Anthony of Padua, in Louvain.' A copy is printed by 
 Herr Christian Stern from a Brussels MS. in Zeit. filr Celt. Phil., 
 vol. ii. p. 583, where the poem is also attributed to Giolla 
 Brighde. {Cf. further, Ratisbon MS. infra.) The poem entitled 
 by Macrae Bhreishllgh Ghonochi Voihr, by whom is no doubt 
 meant Duncan mor O'Daly, and attributed to that poet by 
 others {cf. supra, p. 251), is no doubt more correctly ascribed 
 in the Ratisbon MS. and elsewhere to Baothghalach mac 
 Aodhagain. Macrae attributes two poems to Bishop Carsewell 
 of Argyll (pp. 9, 14). The first of these, ChoUjn, huggid j bais, 
 ' Body, death is upon thee,' is ascribed in Irish MSS. to Donn- 
 chadh mor O'Dal}' ; the second. Ha seachh seydhin er mj hj, 
 ' Seven arrows assail me,' is in D. L. assigned to Dunchaa Ogga, 
 ' Duncan the younger ' {v. supra, p. 238), and cannot possibly be 
 Carsewell's. Two pieces are attributed to Sir John Stewart of 
 Appin (pp. 23, 24), who flourished about a hundred years before 
 Macrae, and whose Faoisid or confession is printed in Calvin's 
 Catechism (v. Reid's Bibliotheca Scoto-Celtica, Glasgow, 1832, 
 p. 173). On p. 27 are didactic verses attributed to (Mac) Eaghin 
 vyck earchir, an author otherwise unknown. [For sayings and 
 verses of similar character, cf, among others, supra, p. 187 ; 
 Nicolson's Proverbs, p. 394 + ; and Loudin or Lothian's Pro- 
 verbs in Verse, Edin. 1797, 1834, 1844.] Nine quatrains are 
 ascribed to Oishen M'Phyn (p. 89), and it is interesting to know 
 that these were recited, with hardly a change, in Kin tail in 1886. 
 ((7/.L.F.,p. 106.) 
 
 But the great bulk of the contents of the Fernaig MS. 
 belongs to Macrae's day and district, composed for the most 
 part by himself, his relatives and neighbours. With respect to 
 these, there would be little danger of error by so capable and
 
 270 CATALOGUE OF GAELIC MANUSCRIPTS 
 
 woll-infonncd a iiiau. The ' scribe ' is the acknowledged author 
 of thirteen pieces (pp. 25, 30, 32, 34, 37, 38, 4G, 51, 58, G2, 91, 
 93, 98) (?). He is also, if I mistake not, the author of the poem 
 on p. 127, ascribed to 'a certain Harper . . . and pretended to 
 be conipon'i \jq on Gillimichell M'Donald tinkler,' as also of 
 ' Gilliuiichells ansr to the ford lyns ' (p. 132). One of the stanzas 
 of the latter poem was recovered in Kintail and attributed to 
 Donnachadh nam Pios. Fear iia Pairce, ' the Laird of Park,' 
 has six pieces in the Collection (pp. 6, 10, 12, 12, 15, 16). 
 Macculloch of Park was Macrae's great-grandfather. A poem 
 on p. 114 is ascribed to a Perse Eglise, anno 1692, who lived in 
 Kilduich. Kilduich was the old name of the parish of Kintail, 
 and Donald Macrae, Duncan's brother, was minister of Kintail 
 in 1692. The Laird of Raasay has live quatrains on p. 89. 
 Macrae's wife was a daughter of Macleod of Raasay. 
 
 Of the other contributors to the Fernaig MS. there is 
 Alexander Munro with two poems (pp. 19, 21). He was a/ear- 
 teagaisg ' teacher,' ' lector ' in Strathnaver, and died before De- 
 cember 22nd, 1653 (Fasti Eccl. Scot, vol. v., p. 346). The religi- 
 ous character of his verses would appeal to Macrae. All the 
 other authors are of the district. John Mackenzie has two 
 poems (pp. 81, 85), elegies both, — one on ' the death of 
 Kenneth bg, who died in 16 — ' [can he be Kenneth bg, fourth 
 Earl of Seaforth, who died in Paris, in 1701 (v. History 
 of the Machenzies, Inverness, 1879, p. 216)?]; the other on the 
 death of John of Applecross, evidently Iain Molach, ' hairy 
 John ' (Hist, of the Machenzies, p. 443). The others are known 
 by their patronymics only. One of these was Murchadh mac 
 mhic Mhurchaidh, who has six short poems attributed to him 
 (pp. 67, 68; 69, 70, 71, 83). He is probably Murchadh mor mac 
 mhic Mhurchaidh, fear Eichildi, to whom two very spirited 
 jDoems are ascribed in Ranald Macdonald's Collection (ed. 1776, 
 pp. 23, 185). Another is Donnachadh Mac Ruairi, who has four 
 short, but very meritorious poems (pp. 74, 75, 76, 77). He is 
 doubtless the poet of the same name mentioned in Rep. on Oss., 
 App., p. 40, who held the lands called Achadh-nam-bard in 
 Trotternish, Skye, as Bard of the Macdonalds of Skye. A third 
 is Alister M'Cuistan, 'Alexander, son of Hugh' (p. 54), and 
 the fourth and last is Allistjr M'Curchj, ' Alexander son of
 
 APPENDIX I 271 
 
 Murdoch/ to whom three, if not four, poems are ascribed (pp. 72, 
 73, 78, 84 ?). It is somewhat surprising that there is no extract 
 in the Fernaig MS. from the works of the famous Jacobite bard 
 John Lom Macdonald of Lochaber or of Mary Macleod, the 
 Skye poetess. Many of the poems of these well-known authors 
 must have been known in Kintail in 1688. 
 
 The Black Book of Clanranald 
 
 The volume now known as the Black Book of Clanranald 
 was, with several other Gaelic MSS. and papers, bought in Dublin 
 by Dr. Skene many years ago. It is a sort of commonplace- 
 book, like the so-called Red Book of Clanranald, written for the 
 greater part in Gaelic, with occasional excursions into English, 
 by members of the Macmhuirich family, the hereditary bards of 
 Clanranald in South Uist. The MS. with its contents, as also 
 the kindred Red Book, is described in detail in the second 
 volume of Rel. Celt, where the principal parts of both MSS. 
 are printed. Further reference is made to Rel. Gelt, vol. ii. 
 pp. 138-309. Cf. also Celt Scot vol. iii. pp. 397-409. 
 
 The contents of the Skene box are the following : 
 
 A, Gaelic. 
 
 1. XVII. I. 1. This is a Gaelic MS., small quarto with leather 
 cover, written in a plain Gaelic hand of the eighteenth century. 
 It consists of 104 pages. The edges are frayed and a few leaves 
 are awanting at the end. The subject is a life of St. Patrick, 
 divided into twenty-one chapters. A detached sheet written in 
 English and signed P. O'Keefe, July 10th 1884, gives the head- 
 ings of the chapters. On p. 1, in modern hand, is ' Life of 
 S^ Patrick,' and on p. 3, ' Charles M'ara, Bachelor's Walk.' 
 
 2. XVII. I. 2. A thin volume of paper, folio, written in 
 English. Only the first 27 pages at the beginning, with a pao-e at 
 the end, are written upon. It is a fragment of a ' translation of 
 the Clanranald Book commonly called the little Book,' done by 
 Angus Macdonald, Insh, in 1835. The translation was evidently 
 made for Mr. Donald Gregory {v. margin of j3. 26). 
 
 Within the same cover, but detached, are 10 leaves of foolscap
 
 272 CATALOGUE OF GAELIC MANUSCRIPTS 
 
 stitched iirinly tojj^etlicr, and containing a translation of a portion 
 of the Red Rook of Chinranald beginning at p. 83 (v. supra, 
 ^IS. LXXXV, p. 260). 
 
 3. XVII. I. 3. A quarto paper MS. written in Enghsh. On 
 the fly-leaf (in Mr. Gregory's hand ?) is ' Copy Fragment History 
 of the Macdonalds from MS. possessed by Major Macdonald, 
 Knock, father of the late General Donald Macdonald. . . . (In 
 pencil) ' Belongs to Sir W'". Bannatyno. Lent 16 Augt 1833 to 
 Wm. F. Skene by Donald Gregory. To be returned to Mr. Gregory 
 when Mr. Skene has done with it.' The contents of the MS. are 
 printed in Collectanea de rebus Albanicis. Edin., 1839. Pp. 282- 
 324. Seventy-two pages are written upon ; the remainder is 
 blank. 
 
 4. XVII. I. 4. A thick paper MS. quarto, half-bound. 
 The volume is written from both ends in English, but almost 
 the half is blank. The contents are mainly genealogies and 
 genealogical history, largely of the Craignish family. There 
 are several hands, Dr. Skene's among them. 
 
 5. XVII. I. 5. Portfolio A. In this Portfolio are included 
 several papers : e.g. (1) The leaf amissing from MS. XXXIII 
 (v. supra, p. 62). (2) A copy of Sir James Grant's MS. This 
 contains the following : (a) Coradh edir Cuchullin agus Laogre 
 { = Laeg) taris la Cath Muirthemhne {v. supra, p. 149) s^ na 
 neasabh ris an cliara chum eug. (b) Tuiriomh eimre air 
 CiicJiullin. (c) Le Conall Gearnach, oide Chucliullin. (d) Laoi 
 nan Ceann. (e) Dan mhic Dliiarmaid descended (' from Arthur 
 mor mac Mortough.') (/) Moladh, no taogha nam Ban. 
 (3) Another copy of Sir James Grant's MS. with translation. 
 [In this copy, the last poem is awanting.] (4) Copy of a trans- 
 lation into Gaelic of twenty-eight of Vi^att's Hymns by Uistean 
 Mac Aoidh Scerrath (Hugh Mackay, Skerray), (5) A printed 
 English translation of Fingal, with notes by Rev. Dr. Ross 
 of Lochbroom. (6) Two or three Gaelic sermons (anon.) 
 (7) Interesting anecdotes, in English, of Blar Leine, the disaster 
 at Gaick, etc. etc. (8) Inventory of MSS. etc., belonging to 
 Mr. Donald Gregory handed over to the lona Club. 
 
 6. XVII. I. 5. Portfolio B. This Portfolio contains several 
 letters, with notes and excerpts from books and MSS. 
 
 7. XVII. I. 5. Portfolio C. The chief contents of this port-
 
 APPENDIX I 273 
 
 folio are excerpts from the principal old Irish MSS., with trans- 
 lations by O'Curry, W. M. Hennessey, and Dr. Skene himself, 
 together with many notes in rough draft, afterwards embodied 
 in Celtic Scotland. 
 
 7. XVII. I. 6. Portfolio B. Here are two MSS. written in 
 Scots, with a detached leaf or two. One is a Diary for the use 
 of his children by Walter Pringle of Green Know, begun in 
 August 1662, and dated at the end ' Elgine, Nov. 21, 1665.' The 
 other contains pp. 3-90 of a folio MS. regarding the history and 
 fortunes of the house of Drummond. At the end is written, 
 Nulla desunt. 
 
 B. Welsh. 
 
 1. XVII. 11. 1. A MS. copy of the Gododin of Aneurin, 
 octavo, bound in calf Suggested emendations of text and 
 etymologies are numerous. On the fly-leaf are ' William Owen, 
 lonor. 1, 1784,' and 'John Williams, lonawyr, 2nd, 1790.' 
 
 2. XVII. II. 2. Another copy of the Gododin — a thin, half- 
 bound quarto — bearing to be from a Vellum MS. of date about 
 1200. There is no translation. In a different hand from the 
 text is ' Ab Ithel Llanenddwyn [i.e., The Rev. John Williams, 
 M.A., Llandovery] Dyffryn, N. Wales. May 28, 1862.' 
 
 3. XVII. II. 3. A volume of rather small quarto bound in 
 leather, and containing, in Dr. Skene's handwriting, extracts from 
 old books and Chronicles, bearing for the most part on Welsh 
 and British History. 
 
 4. XVII. II. 4. A Portfolio containing, in Dr. Skene's hand- 
 writing, a number of extracts from Welsh MSS. 
 
 11. A Box, LABELLED ' GAELIC, SUNDRIES.' 
 
 Lying at present at the bottom of this box is a very large 
 thick medical MS., wrapped in brown paper. Along with it 
 are two or three fragments of leaves which did not originally 
 belong to it. One of these gives several technical terms in 
 Latin and Gaelic, descriptive of the colour of urine, which we 
 have met with more than once (cf sujpra, pp. 9, 62, et aliis). 
 Another gives two leaves containing a fragment of a calendar, 
 also common in the Medical MSS. Cf. i^iter alia, pp. 22, 35, 60. 
 
 s
 
 274 CATALOGUE OF GAELIC MANUSCRIPTS 
 
 The first leaf of the MS. proper is paged ' 20.' Tlie earlier leaves 
 are much broken, but when the text becomes continuous, it 
 is seen that this portion of the MS. is a copy of a Gaelic 
 version of the Lilmm Medlcinae of Bernardus Gordonius of 
 Montpelier. The fragmentary MS. XVIII {v. supra, p. 51) is 
 evidently a part of this MS., which in all probability is that 
 described by the Rev. Donald Mackintosh {Ossian, ed. 1807, 
 vol. iii. p. 571) thus: (No.) 7 (of the Kilbride Collection), 'A 
 thick folio paper MS., same character, medical, and written by 
 Duncan Conacher at Dunollie, Argyleshire, 1511.' 
 
 The MS. is a paper folio, written in two columns in a plain 
 but clear hand, with no ornamentation of any kind. The 
 pagination is fairly regular at the commencement, but later 
 it becomes very irregular, in 2:»arts non-existent. The Treatise 
 is divided into seven books or Pairteagals. The first Pairteagal 
 ends on p. 125 6. The second contains thirty-one chapters, but 
 the heading on the top of the page throughout is d'eslaintibJt 
 an cJtinn, ' Of the diseases of the head.' The paging is defective, 
 and there may be gaps in the text, but at j)resent this Pairteagal 
 covers 44 i leaves. The third contains 27 chapters on 26 leaves. 
 Subject, diseases of the eyes, ears, nose, mouth. The fourth 
 Pairteagal has 13 chapters on 27 leaves. Subject, diseases of 
 the spiritual organs. The fifth has 21 chapters on 35 leaves. 
 Subject, diseases of the nutritive organs, etc. The sixth is 
 on the diseases of the liver, kidneys, etc., — 16 chapters, 18 
 leaves. The seventh has 20 chapters, covering 20 leaves. 
 The subject is the diseases of the generative organs, but the 
 last few leaves are headed leigJteasa coinsuidighthi, ' composite 
 medicines.' 
 
 At the end of the seventh Pairteagal comes a blank space. 
 Thereafter four leaves, which so far as appears were not written 
 upon, are cut out. Then comes a new section, commencing 
 (S)enectu8 domina ohliuione est, followed by translation and 
 comment. At the foot of the page we are told this part of the 
 work is divided into five Pairteagals: (1) reminnsgni 'foretell- 
 ing,' ' prognostication ' of the disease ; (2) its period or duration ; 
 (3) its paroxismus ; (4) its axis ; and (5) its crisis (laeithi hfaoi- 
 thighti). The exposition of these five points covers 30 leaves, 
 and ends this version of Bernard Gordon's treatise.
 
 APPENDIX I 275 
 
 No small part of the interest attached to the volume is due 
 to the biographical and other notes scattered through it. It 
 will be remembered that Mackintosh says that his Kilbride, 
 No. 7, was written by Duncan Conacher at DunoUie in 1511. If 
 this MS. is to be identified with Mackintosh's, the place and date 
 are both inaccurate. Our MS. was written partly by Donn- 
 chadh ua Concubhair (the same name) in various places in 
 Ireland, and by others who assisted him, in the years 1596-1597. 
 There are three persons of the name of Donnchadh ua Con- 
 cubhair named in these notes ; one is plain D. O'C without an 
 epithet, another Donnchadh hg (younger or junior) O'C, and 
 the third is Donnchadh Alhanach (Scot) O'C. The second 
 was resident in Ireland ; but it is not quite clear whether the 
 first and third were different individuals or the same. Thus, 
 at the end of the second Pairteagal, is a note to this effect : 
 ' An end here, by the help of God, to the second book. And 
 in the stead of D. og O'C it was written, for it is that D. bg O'C 
 who gave this book to be written to D. Alhanacli O'C on the 
 last day of June, 1596.' Again, at the end of the third Pairt- 
 eagal : ' The third Pairteagal of the Lili is here finished by 
 D. Alhanach O'C, by the help of the Saviour in the jjresence 
 of D. og O'C in Achadh rtihic Airt on the 6th of August, 1596 
 . . .' At the end of the fourth Pairteagal : ' Written by D. O'C, 
 A.D. 160- [evidently an error], May 30. At Culchoill mic gilla 
 Padraig, in the presence of D. ug O'C At the end of the fifth 
 Pairteagal : ' Finished November, 1596. In Ath niic aran the 
 above portion was begun and finished by Giollapatrig, son of 
 D. og O'C At the end of the seventh Pairtea.gal is a long 
 note on the disturbed state of Ireland, with the following : 
 'Finished on February 10th in AcJiadh (?) mhic Airt in the 
 presence of D. og O'C, who gave me this book to write. 
 Thanks to all who gave me help and specially to Cathal mac 
 Cuinn, for he wrote a great deal for me . . . Alas, God, I 
 long to be Avith Duncan, for it is M'Dougall that keeps me 
 here for a month, but, by the will of God, I shall soon be 
 in the Province of Leinster (?) with Grainne and Duncan 
 and Fineen and all the rest of them.' At the foot of the 
 first page of the Section on Prognostications is this note : ' I 
 began to write this (section) on the 24th August in Baile
 
 27C CATALOGUE OF GAELIC MANUSCRIPTS 
 
 CiUhad when attending Finin son of Derniad of the Pass 
 who was snftering from Cancer hogadL At the end of the 
 Treatise conies the note : ' Here ends the Prognostica of 
 Bernardns Gordonius, October 9th. I am in Baile Cuthad 
 (here the names of friends present and absent). And 1 ask 
 the mercy of the King of Heaven for the author Bernardus 
 Gordonius, and for the translator into Gaelic, Cormac O'Duinn- 
 slebhi, and for the scribe D. O'C. I pray for the mercy of 
 God to my soul, and, God, send me safe to Dunolly if it be 
 thy Avill.' Another note gives ' the number of leaves written 
 upon in this book is 247,' signed John O'C, 
 
 Further notes in different hands and ink follow : e.g. ' iJuncan 
 O'C was born on 24th June 1571 ; the Laird of Dunachach five 
 years thereafter.' ' Duncan M'Dougall of Dunolly died, last 
 day of August, 1616, annsa clwdaltai bhreac (in the speckled 
 bedroom ?) in Dunolly. He was buried in Kilbride, in the stone 
 chest nearest the door on the back of the temple. And Father 
 Intercessor, send comfort to me speedily and mercy for my soul. 
 I, Duncan O'Connor, have written this with a bad pen.' 
 
 Uch ! a Dhia, on Uch ! a Dhia, 
 Mairg ata a nocht gan triath : 
 Ni fada bheris (mhaireas) mi beo, 
 Mo chraidhe da bhreo na dhiaigh. 
 
 ' Duncan O'Connor died in Dundainis (Dunstaffnage) 
 February 13, 1647, and was buried in Caibel iiihic Aonguis 
 (the Chapel of Campbell of Dunstaffnage). John M'Dougall of 
 Dunolly died in the codaltai breac on April 14th, 1669. The 
 Laird of Lochnell was killed in air invir (Inveraray) on the 
 last day of March, 1671.' [For the last entry, v. the House of 
 Argyll . . . and the Clan Campbell, Glasgow, 1871, p. 169, where 
 it is stated that ' Colin [of Lochnell] was shot through a window 
 at Inveraray, March, 1671]. 
 
 Following a blank leaf comes a portion of another Treatise, 
 a summary or compendium of Auicenna, introduced thus : 
 Anno Boviini, 1598. An ainm an Atliar 7 a mhic 7 an 
 spirait Nairn, tinnsgnam an leuar-sa .|. Petrus de ergelata ar 
 haille mhic cathail. Misi Donnchadh conchubair do tinn- 
 scnus e an 14 la, do mi lanuarius, 1598. ' A.D. 1598. In the 
 name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, I
 
 APPENDIX I 277 
 
 commence this book, i.e. Petrns de ergelata in the stead of the 
 son of Cathal. I, Duncan O'Connor begin it, on the 14th day of 
 January, 1598.' The reading is not very clear, nor do I under- 
 stand what de ergelata stands for. The purpose of the author 
 is to give in clear and concise form the teaching of Auicenna, 
 whom he designates jjrionnsa glormhur, ' glorious prince.' This 
 treatise runs to seventy leaves or 140 pages and ends abruptly. 
 The last eight or ten leaves are much broken, nor is it known 
 how much text is lost at the end of the MS. The subject of 
 discussion is usually named on the top of the page. On the 
 first thirty leaves Phlegmon, Formicae, Erysipelas, Carbunculus 
 Bubones, Undimia, Nodi, Scrophula, Sclerosis, Cancer and others 
 with their cure, are discussed, when the end of the exposition of 
 the third fen of the fourth book of Auicenna is reached. 
 
 Another section now begins with a definition of vulnus, and 
 after a discussion of Wounds in general goes on to treat of the 
 aicidi 'accidents' of wounds, and then enters into detail re- 
 garding venomous wounds, bruises, vomiting of blood, injuries 
 to the eye, nose, ear, etc., with the appropriate remedies in each 
 case. 
 
 There is no pagination. The writing is in one column 
 throughout, plain but clear. There are no blank spaces, and 
 hardly a note. At the foot of fol. 7a, in blacker ink and later 
 hand, is : Cotnmortus riot a Neill rahic lovihair, ' A challenge 
 to thee, Neil son of Ivar.' At the foot of fol, 45a: Uch a 
 Mharsili, is fada ata tu gun teachd air chuairt chugam, j gan 
 again acht me fein. On the last page, at the foot : 1599, an la 
 roinih la casga am haile (s)cait, ' On the day before Easter, 1599, 
 (I am) in Ballyskate(?)' There is a Ballyskate near Tobermory. 
 
 In addition to this large MS., Box No. 2 contains several other 
 MSS.and items of some importance and interest, such as, e.g. : — 
 
 1. The collection of Ossianic ballads made as early as 1739 
 by the Rev. Alexander Pope, minister of Reay. The contents of 
 this Collection are given in L. F., p. v, and the text, in so far 
 as legible, printed in L. F., pp. 218 et seq. 
 
 2. Fletcher's Collection of Ossianic poetry. This Collection, 
 begun about 1750, is fully described by Mr. J. F. Campbell, who
 
 278 CATALOGUE OF GAELIC MAXUSClilPTS 
 
 set <Troat valuo upon it, in L. F., pp. v, vi, xvi, and printed in 
 L. F., pp. 4, 19, +. 
 
 3. Macdonald of Staffa's Collection of ' Ossian's poems and 
 Music' {v. siqira, p. 3 (12)). The Collection was made in 1801-3. 
 The poems were recited by Donald MacLean, who was born in 
 1715, and who received the greater part of his lore from his 
 grand father. The scribe was John Mac Mhuirich, a schoolmaster 
 in Midi, who writes a short preface in Gaelic : cf. L. F., pp. vii, 
 xxvi, and p. 36 -f, where the ballads are printed. The Collection 
 is on 82 pages of 4to, paper of different sizes. It is marked in 
 ink ' No. 2,' ' No. 18,' both of which are deleted, and ' No. 12 ' (in 
 pencil) substituted. 
 
 4. The so-called Turner MS. No. 14 (v. supra, p. 3 (14)), 
 The MS. is paged 25 to 196. Seven leaves, five of which are 
 of larger size and evidently of later date, are placed in front of 
 the MS. proper. 'Peter Turner, 1808' appears on p. 45, and 
 'Cameron,' '1748' on p. 54. Its date is probably a few years 
 before 1748. This Collection of poems is of a miscellaneous 
 character. It contains upwards of fifty separate pieces, many of 
 which are mere fragments. The first is an elegy on John, Duke 
 of Argyll. There are thirteen or fourteen Ossianic ballads. But 
 the greater number of the poems are on passing subjects, Avhile a 
 few have special reference to Kintyre. Some are of considerable 
 literary merit, but several are vulgar in tone. The titles of the 
 Ossianic ballads are given in L. F., pp. vii, viii. Texts Q* and T, 
 but none are printed. On the other hand the whole contents of 
 the MS. are printed in Rel. Celt., vol. ii. p. 310 -f. 
 
 5. A Collection of Ossianic poems, made about 1797 by the 
 Rev. Alexander Campbell, minister of Portree, Isle of Skye. 
 Forty-eight leaves of foolscap are stitched, and an index in a 
 hand not unlike E. M'L.'s, which contains some remarks on 
 the genuineness of the ballads, is prefixed. There are in addition 
 a number of leaves of uniform size and similar hand, containing 
 duplicates of some of the ballads, with others. Mr. J. F. 
 Campbell gives a list and description of the ballads in L. F., vii 
 xxvii, but prints one only (L. F., p. 165). The Campbell Collec- 
 tion, with the exception of two or three ballads, is printed in 
 Rel. CeU.,Yol. i. 167-f . 
 
 6. A thick volume of small quarto, pp. 1-330, written in plain
 
 tr. 
 
 APPENDIX I 279 
 
 modern hand, and evidently meant for publication. It is headed 
 Sgeul no Laoidh an Aniadain Mhoir, ' The Tale or Lay of the 
 great Fool,' v. su^^ra, p. 3 (10). The common couplet, 
 
 Gach Sgeul gu Sgeul an Deirg, 
 
 'S gach Laoidh gu Laoidh an Amadaiii mho 
 
 ' Of Tales that of the Red (is best), 
 And of Lays that of the great Fool,' 
 
 is quoted, with a couple of sentences of prefatory matter. The 
 Tale then proceeds in prose, and is divided into chapters or 
 sections. The contents are concerned not so much with the 
 great Fool as with Righ an domhain Mhoir, ' The King of the 
 great world.' 
 
 7. What evidently was meant to be an English version of the 
 above Tale (v. supra, p. 3 (11)) is given in three volumes contain- 
 ing in all 598 pages, and written evidently in the same hand. 
 The title now is ' Scela, or, A tale of other times.' The couplet 
 Gach Dan guDan an Deirg, etc., is again quoted. Then follows 
 ' 21/.' A preface extending to twelve pages comes next, and 
 thereafter the Tale. The English Text is widely different from 
 the Gaelic. 
 
 8. A somewhat thick volume., small quarto, marked No, 8, 
 11, contains a Collection of Gaelic and English Vocables by 
 Malcolm Macpherson. The vocabulary, which was sent to the 
 Society through Sir J. Macgregor Murray, is of little or no value. 
 On the inside of the cover Macpherson is spoken of as a retired 
 soldier, 
 
 9. A thin volume of large quarto covered in green pasteboard 
 contains, in Mr. D. C. Macpherson's hand, the Ossianic Ballads of 
 the Dean of Lismore as corrected by that scholar (v. supra, pp. 227, 
 236), written out in fair hand for publication. This text is 
 entitled An Toiseach, ' the beginning,' ' first.' 
 
 10. Accompanying the above text is an Index Verhorum 
 written on slips, and enclosed in indiarubber band, in the hand- 
 writing of Mr. Macpherson. 
 
 11. Seventeen leaves of blue foolscap, loose, contain a copy 
 in Mr. D. C, Macpherson's hand of transcripts by E. M'L. from 
 the Dean of Lismore's MS. 
 
 12. Several loose papers, containing, among other matter:
 
 280 CATALOGUE OF GAELIC MANUSCRIPTS 
 
 (1) The Testimony of Hugh Macdonald regarding the authen- 
 ticity of Ossian's poems, printed in Rej). on Ossian, Appendix 
 p. 38. (2) The address to the Sun, from Captain Morrison (of. 
 Rep. on Ossidii, App. pp. 175-8). (3) Papers connected with the 
 preparation of the Cathohc Prayer Book (which was afterwards 
 pubHshed in 1885). (4) A printed Prospectus of 'Lives of the 
 Caledonian Bards,' by the Rev. Alexander Irvine, Rannoch, 1801. 
 (This Avork Avas not issued.) (5) Copies of individual Ossianic 
 ballads. 
 
 Box No. 3, labelled ' Papers belonging to the Highland and 
 Agricultural Society of Scotland.' 
 
 The bulk of the contents of this Box consists of many Letters 
 and Papers sent by various correspondents to Mr. Henry 
 Mackenzie and others i-egarding the authenticity of Ossian's 
 poems, and the publication of the Gaelic Texts of these. There 
 are also copies of individual Ossianic ballads of interest. Leaves 
 of print relating to various matters found their way into the box, 
 as also a copy of the Gaelic translation of Shepherd's Cliristians 
 Pocket Book, printed in 1788, and a copy of the second volume 
 of a French version of Macpherson's English Ossian, Paris, 1777. 
 
 Of more special interest are : — 
 
 1. The collection of Ossianic Poetry made by the Rev. John 
 Macdonald (Dr. Macdonald of Ferintosh) in 1805. The MS. is 
 in large 8vo., covered in pasteboard. The Collection is described 
 in L. F., vii, xxix, and several of the ballads printed (L. F., pp. 80, 
 88, 103, 112, 134.). The whole collection is printed in the 
 Transactions of the Gaelic Society of Inverness, vol. xiii. 
 pp. 269-300. 
 
 2. Specimens of E. M'L.'s translation of Homer's Iliad into 
 Scottish Gaelic, in a small 8vo. MS. covered in pasteboard. 
 
 3. A parcel backed ' Antient MSS.' from Sir J. Macgregor 
 Murray, and dated July 1800. The covering letter says that 
 five papers were sent, of which one ' appears to be an original 
 deed.' The parcel now contains (1) An elegy on Sir Norman 
 Macleod, who died March 3rd, 1705, in duplicate, commencing, 
 
 Do turn uoibhnes innsi gall, 
 ' The joy of the Helirides has departed,
 
 APPENDIX I 281 
 
 by Donnchadh Muirighesan. (2) One complete poem and 
 six quatrains of another, in the old Gaelic hand. (3) A copy in 
 fair modern hand of Jerome Stone's Bds Fliraoicli. 
 
 Box No. 4. A large portion of the contents of this Box is of 
 similar character to Box No. 3. There are : — 
 
 1. A litter of papers and projects in English regarding the 
 authenticity and publication of Ossian's poems, and regarding 
 the Dictionary which the Society afterwards published in 1828. 
 
 2. A number of versions of Ossianic ballads, singly and in 
 groups, occasionally with translation (c/. supra, p. 3 (9)). 
 
 3. A few modern poems, e.g. Oran broin air Tighearna 
 Ghrannda le Seamas Granda Tighearn Raitmhurchuis, ' A 
 Lament for the Chief of Grant, by James Grant, Laird of 
 Rothiemurchus.' 
 
 4. Detached leaves of the printed 1807 edition of Ossian, as 
 also ' Scene from Ossian,' and several copies of ' Fingal, a 
 Tragedy in five Acts, by Sir John Sinclair, Bart.' 
 
 But the greater portion of the contents of Box No. 4 con- 
 sists of material which accumulated for the preparation of the 
 Highland Society's Dictionary. There are some eighteen 
 volumes of such Gaelic-English vocabularies, the contents of 
 which occasionally overlap. They are all in quarto of various 
 sizes. One volume is half bound ; one is a large parcel fastened 
 with a string. Others are covered in rough pasteboard, several 
 are stitched but without cover. They are written in different 
 hands and ink. Two are signed Chas. Stuart, minister of 
 Strachur. One, labelled No. 7, is supposed to be by Rev. D. 
 M'Nicol (Lismore), or Rev. Du. Campbell. Two or three 
 bear the dates 1824-5-6. A number of sheets of small quarto, 
 with blanks and duplicates, consist of an English - Gaelic 
 Vocabulary from ' Babble ' to ' Fy.' A single sheet has explana- 
 tory notes on ' motes,' i.e. mod, ' a court,' ' an assize,' e.g. Tom- 
 a'-mhbid, etc. 
 
 Mr. J. F. Campbell's MSS. 
 
 J. F. Campbell of Islay, the famous collector and publisher 
 of Gaelic Tales and Ballads, gifted his MSS. to the Library.
 
 282 CATALOGUE OF GAELIC MANUSCRIPTS 
 
 Tlicso MSS., t,]iirty-ciglit in number, are thick folios, stoutly 
 bound, backed, labelled, and indexed. Several of tlieni are not 
 connected with Gaelic Literature. They are taken up with 
 Mr, Campbell's publications, Frod and Fire, Circvhir Notes, 
 Life in Normandy , etc. Others again are only indirectly con- 
 cerned with the literature of the Gael, — they consist of interest- 
 ing and valuable notes and extracts on Tartans, Clan Tartans, 
 and related matter. 
 
 The first twenty-two of these thirty-eight volumes contain 
 the records and results of Mr. Campbell's studies and research 
 in Gaelic Literature, They consist mainly of Popular Tales and 
 Ballads taken down from recitation, between the years 1859 
 and 1872, by Mr. Campbell himself or by his many coadjutors, 
 together with scraps of Folklore, Fable, Proverb and Saying, 
 Journals of Holidays in the Highlands in quest of such literary 
 matter, and Letters, Memoranda and Jottings from numerous 
 correspondents bearing on these and related subjects. 
 
 The earlier volumes (i.-xv.) contain the material collected up 
 to 1862. Of this the greater portion was utilised in West 
 Highland Tales, published in Edinburgh, — vols, i. and ii. in 
 1860, vols, iii. and iv. in 1862 — while a complete list of Tales 
 and Ballads accumulated up to that date is given in W. H. T., 
 vol. iv,, pp, 408 -I-, and L. F., pp. viii, ix. The remaining volumes 
 of Gaelic MSS. (xvi.-xxii.) contain the Ballads and Tales (with 
 related matter) collected between 1862 and 1872, with numerous 
 notes and extracts connected with Leahhar na Feinne, vol. i., 
 printed in the latter year for the author by Spottiswoode and Co., 
 London. 
 
 Of the Ballads collected before 1862, a few are printed in 
 W. H. T., vol. iii. But Mr. Campbell did not print in L. F. the 
 versions of Ossianic Ballads recovered by himself and his friends 
 on the ground that ' older collections are more complete * 
 (L. F., p. ix). The tales collected between 1862 and 1872, some 
 of which are of great interest, have not as yet been printed. 
 The Campbell collection, although made comparatively recently, 
 thus contains a large amount of hitherto unpublished matter 
 of g;reat value.
 
 APPENDIX II 283 
 
 APPENDIX II 
 
 GAELIC MSS. IN OTHER LIBRARIES. 
 I. In the University of Edinburgh. 
 
 The late David Laing LL.D. bequeathed his large Collection 
 of MSS. to the University. Among them the following are 
 Gaelic : — 
 
 1. A medical MS., Laing Coll. No. 21. 
 
 This is a vellum MS. of 111 leaves of small quarto, 6 inches 
 by 4i. It is bound in boards which are covered with skin, painted 
 black and figured, and fastened with two silver clasps, both of 
 which are now broken. The volume was purchased by Dr. 
 Laing at a sale in Edinburgh in 1835. 
 
 It would appear that originally only the first eighty-five 
 leaves were written upon. An entry on fol. 54b states that 
 this portion of the MS. was written by Cairpre O'Cendamhain 
 for John M'Beath. Another entry on the margin of fol. 85a, 
 dated 1657, was written by Donald M'Beath. But the text is of 
 older date, and in a hand much superior to that of this note. 
 
 The contents of this portion of the MS. are, shortly, as 
 follows : — 
 
 Fols. 1-9 are taken up with a Calendar, astrological Table, 
 concentric Circles, figures for the Golden Number, and some 
 Notes. The Calendar gives the names of saints under their 
 respective days with some fulness, along with notes astrological, 
 medical, folk-lore, etc. Thus one is told under the several months 
 what foods and drinks to use and what to avoid, the days on 
 which bleeding is to be resorted to, on which it is lucky to buy 
 land, to enter a new house, etc., etc. At the foot of the pages 
 notes are given as to the influence of storms and especially 
 thunderstorms in the individual months on events throughout
 
 284 CATALOGUE OF GAELIC MANUSCRIPTS 
 
 the year. The liandwriting and figures on these leaves are 
 inferior. 
 
 Fols. 10-85 are medical, beginning with Fevers. The subject 
 which receives the most detailed treatment is Urine, the various 
 colours of which are given in great detail, and the significance of 
 each as indicative of the nature and issue of the disease pointed 
 out. The usual practice of the Gaelic medical tracts is followed. 
 Paragraphs open with a pregnant Latin sentence, which is trans- 
 lated or paraphrased, and amplified in Gaelic. Bernard Gordon's 
 L ilium Medicinae seems to have been so far drawn upon. 
 
 This section of the MS. is written with great care. The initial 
 letter is large, and ornamented, or coloured. Others heading sub- 
 sequent paragraphs are on a smaller scale. The handwriting 
 varies. It is always clear, and in some paragraphs very fine. On 
 fol. 56 is a circle well drawn, with the lines and points of the com- 
 pass carefully executed, and named in Latin. Other figures are 
 also well done. Several pages and spaces were left blank in the 
 original writing, and were in part filled in at a later date. This 
 portion of the MS. was carefully read and re-read, a marginal note 
 here and there, in different hands, correcting and supplementing 
 the text. The comparatively small amount of the MS. originally 
 written upon, the frequent blank spaces, the size of the page, and 
 the character of the binding all suggest that John M'Beath 
 meant the MS. to be a sort of vade niecum to be carried about, 
 and added to by himself and his successors as further experience 
 and knowledge might render desirable. 
 
 From foL 85 onwards the contents as well as the script are 
 miscellaneous, and in point of date much later. Thus on fol. 85> 
 in inferior Scottish hand, but under Gaelic influence, is a para- 
 graph in Gaelic headed ' Signs of Life and Death.' Thereafter 
 on to fol. 95 the handwriting and language are Scottish, the 
 subject astrological On fol. 99b, in pencil and in an unformed 
 hand of the late eighteenth or early nineteenth century, is the 
 entry, ' Thomas Nealson, his Book, God give him grace therein to 
 look.' On fols. 102b, 103a are written in Gaelic hand the 
 pedigrees of six members of the M'Beath family, with notes in 
 current hand, in Latin. Fols. 104-107 contain what the writer 
 calls a ' short and useful tract ' on Astronomy or rather Astrology. 
 
 The chief interest of this volume is in the pedigrees of the
 
 APPENDIX II 285 
 
 M'Beaths given on fols. 102b and 103a, the famous family of 
 physicians to whose zeal and learning we owe so many of the 
 Medical MSS. in the Scottish Collection. The writer of these 
 genealogies gives the names of six men (presumably physicians) 
 of the clan, and traces the pedigree of each up to a common 
 ancestor Fergus jinn or Fair. Fergus the Fair is then traced 
 back step by step to Beath or Beatha who lived in the neighbour- 
 hood of Dublin on O'Kane's lands. Beath(a)'s pedigree is in turn 
 given up to Neill of the Nine Hostages, monarch of Ireland. 
 There were no doubt other M'Beaths beside these six alive at 
 this time. In the British Museum MS. ' Additional 15,582,' 
 written by David and Carbery Kearney for John M'Beath in 
 1563, there is an entry dated 158(?9)8 by James son of Rory son 
 of Neill son of Gilchrist son of Fergus son of Gilchrist son of 
 Fergus the Fair, and naming Fergus son of John son of Fergus 
 as the owner of the MS. at that date {cf. O'Gr. Cat., p. 279 ; 
 Caledonian Medical Journal, vol. v. p. 76). The writer of the 
 pedigrees in our MS. was Christopher (or Gilchrist) M'Beath. 
 Unfortunately he does not say where the men he names were 
 located, nor does he date the note which he writes in current 
 hand : de his rebus satis dictum et scriptum i^er me Chris- 
 topherum M' Veagh. One should say that the pedigrees and the 
 note were written about 1600; 
 
 In Highland tradition Beath(a), from whom the famous 
 physicians derive their surname, was one of the twenty-four 
 heads of families who accompanied the Lady O'Kane from her 
 father's lands to Scotland when she married Angus Og of Islay, 
 the friend and supporter of Robert Bruce. Fergus M'Beath is 
 the first of the clan one meets with in a Gaelic record. He 
 witnesses, if he did not also write, the Islay Charter of 1408. 
 It has been suggested that he may be the Ferghus Finn of 
 these genealogies. If this be so, there are two men of the 
 name of John, both great-grandsons of Ferghus Finn, for either 
 of whom this MS. may have been originally written. Its date 
 would thus be early in the sixteenth century. But there are 
 other two Johns, father and son, in these pedigrees, fourth and 
 fifth in direct descent from Ferghus Finn. It is in all proba- 
 bility for one or other of these that the British Museum MS. 
 ' Additional 15,582 ' was written, and not improbably ours also.
 
 28G CATALOGUE OF GAELIC MANUSCRIPTS 
 
 In soveral respects the two MSS, bear strong rcscnibLance. 
 Donald M'Jieath appears with a rather inferior hand in both. 
 Is he the Donaldus Betonus, who in 1674, placed the stone 
 in lona in memory of Joannes Betonus Maclenoruni familie 
 medlciis who died in 1657. 
 
 The MS. was at one time or other in the possession of 
 several members of the M'Beath family. Next to the original 
 text, the oldest entry in the MS. is dated 1587, and runs, 
 Is se so leobhar Giolla Colaim Mic Gioila Enndris Mic 
 Domhnaill Mic Bhethafh, ' This is the book of Malcolm son of 
 Gillanders son of Donald M'Beath.' The writer of the pedigrees 
 was presumably the possessor of the MS. when he wrote them. 
 On the same page (fol. lOtSa), also undated, comes in current 
 hand Hie Liber est Fergusii APVeagh liabitantis Peanagross. 
 This entry is very probably not much later than the other 
 Latin entry, early seventeenth century. Peanagross is Penny- 
 cross in Mull, where the site of the Ollamh Muileach or Mull 
 Doctor's house is still pointed out, and where a cross with date 
 ' 1582,' and inscription ' G. M. B., ' D. M. B.' is said to com- 
 memorate two of these famous men. Donald M'Beath, with 
 date 1657, has been already mentioned. Later entries, to judge 
 from the handwriting, are ' Fergus,' ' Fergus Beattoun,' ' Fergus 
 Beattoune.' 
 
 2. Jerome Stone's MSS. 
 
 Jerome Stone, a native of Scoonie, Fife, and a graduate of 
 St. Andrews University, was appointed in 1750 assistant in, and 
 a few years afterwards rector of, Dunkeld Academy. He died 
 of fever in May 1756 in the thirtieth year of his age. Stone 
 was a distinguished student, especially in languages. In Dun- 
 keld he studied Gaelic to purpose, and made a collection of 
 Ossianic poetry, as also of modern Gaelic poems and songs, some 
 at least of which have survived. He sent a translation, or rather 
 paraphrase, of one of the former — Bcis Fhraoich, ' the Death of 
 Fraoch,' which he called ' Albin and the daughter of Mey ' — to 
 the Scots Magazine, to which he Avas a frequent contributor. 
 [For further references to this distinguished scholar, cf. Old 
 Stat. Ace, vol. V. p. 110 ; Ency. Perthensis, ' Stone ' ; Scots Mag.,
 
 APPENDIX II 287 
 
 vols. xiv. p. 283, xvii. pp. 92, 295, xviii. 16, 314; Trans, of 
 Gael. Soc. of Inverness, vol. xiv, p. 314.] 
 
 Two volumes of Stone's MSS. (or a copy of them), are in the 
 University Library. (1) The first and largest of these is Laing, 
 No. 251. From notes on the inner cover and flyleaf we learn 
 that this volume was sent from Edinburgh in 1790 to Mr. John 
 Turcan, late schoolmaster at Kirkcaldy, for behoof of Mr. George 
 Stone, brother of the author ; that it was purchased from the 
 author's brother for Mr. Chalmers, and that it was bought at 
 the sale of Mr. Chalmers's library in 1842 by Dr. Laing. The 
 name of ' Geo. Chalmers, Esq., F.R.S.S.A.,' is pasted on the inside 
 of the front cover, and frequent marks on the margin show 
 that the learned author of Caledonia read some parts of the MS. 
 very carefully. 
 
 The MS. is a folio of some two hundred and seventy pages, 
 stoutly bound in calf, and fastened with thongs. It is written 
 very carefully in one hand, with occasional explanatory notes. 
 One of these (on p. 122) states that the piece to which it is 
 appended, ' is not inserted in his [Stone's] own collection,' thus 
 showing that this MS. is a copy. 
 
 The contents of the MS. are in three divisions : 
 
 (1) Five letters written in 1755-6 by Stone to a clergyman 
 [evidently the Rev. Thomas Tullidelph, Principal of the United 
 College of St. Andrews], explaining at considerable length his 
 studies, and his progress in writing a treatise on the origin of the 
 Scots. These are followed by six sections of the treatise itself, 
 which is entitled ' An Enquiry into the Original of the Nation 
 and Language of the Ancient Scots, with Conjectures about the 
 Primitive State of the Celtic and other European Nations.' 
 This part of the MS. is not paged, but it covers (including blank 
 leaves) one hundred and twelve pages. 
 
 (2) The second division of the MS. consists of Gaelic 
 Ballads and Poems, covering pp. 1-68. First come ten Ossianic 
 Ballads. Here are the Gaelic titles : Ora7i a Ghleirich ; An 
 Comhrag a bha ag an Fhein re Conn onac-an-Dearg ; Tean- 
 tach{t) inor na Feine ; Tigh Tormail ; Cath na'n Seishiar ; 
 A Chiosh Chnamhadh; Sealg onhor a GJdinn ; Bas Chonlaoich; 
 Bas Osgair ; Bets Fhraoich. With the Gaelic title is given an 
 English translation and a sentence explanatory of the subject of
 
 288 CATALOGUE OF GAELIC MANUSCRIPTS 
 
 the ballad. English glosses on the words which Stone con- 
 sidered obscure are frequent. The ballads are written with 
 great care, and a correctness unusual in Gaelic MSS. of the 
 period and later. They are printed verbatim et literatim in 
 Trans, of Gaelic Soc. of Inverness, vol. xiv. p. 320 et seq. 
 Aversions of all of them have been found elsewhere, and are 
 printed in L. F. Those of Stone and of Mr. N'Nicol, Lismore, 
 collected a few years later, show great similarity. In particular 
 two of these ballads, the first and ninth, and the version of the 
 same ballads printed by Mr. Campbell (L. F., pp. 72, 182) from a 
 MS. written in 1762 by Eohhan MacDiarmid, are even in point 
 of faulty orthography so much alike that Mr. MacDiarmid must 
 have had access to Stone's papers, or that both transcribed from 
 the same MS. Mr. Chalmers sent Stone's collection to the 
 Committee of the Highland Society (Rep. on Ossian, p. 24), 
 and it is disappointing to find that Dr. Donald Smith, a Gaelic 
 scholar, should sanction the somewhat disparaging terms in 
 which this collector and translator of Ossianic poetry is spoken 
 of in the Committee's Report (p. 23). 
 
 Following the Ossianic Ballads is 'A Collection of such 
 modern songs as are remarkable upon account of their Beauty 
 or the interesting Nature of their Subject.' They are seven in 
 number. The first is on the ' Massacre of Glenco, compos'd 
 by one of the Persons who made their Escape,' commencing 
 
 Clio bi sud an flauil shalach 
 
 A bha bruchta re Talamh sa ghleann. 
 
 The poem, with some variations, is printed in Beauties of Gaelic 
 Poetry, p. 375; Gillies, p. 253, and elsewhere. It is ascribed in 
 the Beauties of Gaelic Poetry to the bard Mucanach, ' The Isle 
 of Muck Bard.' The second is on the Keppoch murder, by John 
 Lorn Macdonald, and has been often printed. First line — 
 Is tearc aniugh (an diugh) mo chuis gliaire. 
 
 The third is by the same author, on the same subject, com- 
 mencing (cf. Beauties of Gaelic Poetry, p. 387) — 
 Trom Easlaint air m'aigne. 
 
 The fourth is here entitled 'Craig Guanach, a Poem upon Hunting 
 and the Beauties of Nature by a Forrester.' It is the poem 
 more commonly known as A' GhomhacJiag, or 'The Owl' (of
 
 APPENDIX II 289 
 
 Strone), and ascribed to Donald Macdonald {Domiltnall Mac 
 FhionnlaidJi nan Dan), a. famous huntsman of Lochaber. This 
 very beautiful poem is found in nearly all the Gaelic collections. 
 It begins in this version — 
 
 Mi m shuigh air Shibhri ( = sith-bhrugh) nam beann 
 An taobh sa do cheann Locha Treig.] 
 
 The fifth is styled ' Oran Rinroridh, a Song upon the Battle of 
 Kilicrankie,' beginning 
 
 Se do la a Rinroridh 
 
 Dhfag luaineacli am dhuisg mi. 
 
 Here the poem extends to thirty-seven stanzas. The versions 
 in Gillies (p. 142), and R. Macdonald (p. 188), give only twenty- 
 three stanzas. The sixth and last is headed simply ' Oran/ 
 and begins 
 
 S truagh gun bhi san aite 
 San d'araighe m oig air thus. 
 
 The verses are printed in A. and D. Stewart's Collection, p. 323. 
 
 (3) The third and last division of the MS. (pp. 75-148) is 
 headed ' Poems on Various Subjects. The contents are of a 
 very miscellaneous character. There are in all some three dozen 
 separate items of prose and verse, written mainly in English, 
 but with two in Latin and two in Scots. In prose there are 
 several letters, and extracts from letters to friends and rela- 
 tives, with a rather long article entitled ' Of the Immortality 
 of Authors, a Vision by Mr. Stone.' There are fugitive verses on 
 several subjects. There is a poem in Latin on the battle of 
 Killiecrankie, with a translation thereof into Scots. Then there 
 are translations or imitations of passages from Latin, French, 
 and Italian authors. Chief among these are a passage from the 
 Fourth Book of Tasso's Gierusalemme liberata; 'The Joys of 
 Elysium, from the xix'^ Book of Telemachus ' ; ' Description of 
 a May Morning, by Gavin Douglas, Bishop of Dunkeld.' This 
 last, with a few others, appeared in the Scots Magazine. 
 
 A carefully prepared index to the second and third divisions 
 of the MS. closes the volume. 
 
 The second volume of Jerome Stone's papers that has 
 
 T
 
 290 CATALOGUE OF GAELIC MANUSCRIPTS 
 
 come to the University is also a paper folio, of uniform size and 
 binding with the tirst. It is written Avith the same care, and in 
 a hand similar to, if not the same as, the other. This volume 
 was picked up somewhere by the late Principal Lee of Edin- 
 burgh. It was purchased at the sale of Dr. Lee's books by 
 Mr. David Laing, who afterwards presented it to the Rev. Dr. 
 Clerk of Kilmallie when that accomplished clergyman was 
 editing and translating Ossian's poems. After Dr. Clerk's death 
 the volume was acquired b}^ the University. 
 
 This MS., which may have been written somewhat earlier 
 than the former, does not contain the letters and treatise 
 Avhich form the contents of the first section of the other. The 
 third section may also be somewhat less full. But the Gaelic 
 section is exactly the same in the two MSS. 
 
 3. A iiortion of a Gaelic Grammar. Laing, No 569. 
 
 This is a quarto MS. of some one hundred and eighty pages, 
 bound in strong pasteboard. On the inside of the front cover 
 is written '15 May 1762. Ex^- F. C Apart from this there 
 is no name or date. The title of what was meant to be a com- 
 plete grammar is 
 
 ' An Introduction to the Scotish Gallic, containing 
 
 (1) Ceart-ghraipheachd [Orthograph}^], or the proper Uses 
 
 and Sounds of the Letters ; the Division of Syllables, 
 and the use of Points. 
 
 (2) Fuaim-grith [Prosody], or the Art of Pronouncing Syll- 
 
 ables and Words, with their proper Accents. 
 
 (3) Sain-fhios [Etymology], which treats of the Several 
 
 Kinds of words, their Derivations and Endings. 
 
 (4) Coimh-eager [Syntax], or the Art of joining words to- 
 
 gether in a Sentence or Sentences.' 
 
 The first division here given. Orthography, is treated of in 
 five chapters, with considerable fulness and knowledge. On 
 page 49 it is remarked that ' no words in the Dictionary order 
 begin with h ; neither did any words of old, except the Exotic, 
 begin with p.'' With the conclusion of the section on Ortho- 
 graphy on page 82, the treatise comes to an end. The remainder 
 of the MS. is blank.
 
 APPENDIX II 291 
 
 4. Dr. Irvine's Collection of Gaelic Poetry. Laing, No. 475. 
 
 This is a collection of Ossianic poetry made by the Rev. 
 Alexander Irvine of Kannoch (afterwards of Fortingal, and Little 
 Dunkeld) in 1801-S. The MS. consists of some one hundred and 
 eighty leaves of paper, quarto, half bound. It is paged and written 
 upon one side only, an occasional note and variant reading being 
 given on the blank side of the leaf. This MS. is evidently a 
 copy; a note in Gaelic at the end (p. 166), and signed 'J. M'D.', 
 stating that the poems were ' collected by the Rev. Dr. Alexander 
 Irvine, minister of the Gospel in Little Dunkeld.'' The names 
 of the reciters are given as a rule — a farmer from Kintail, the 
 Rev. Mr. Macdiarmaid of Weem, and Captain Morrison among 
 them. But they are mainly farmers, servants, foxhunters, etc., 
 in Dunkeld, Rannoch, and Breadalbane. Some of the pieces 
 are modern, one a pared}' on the Fians in the guise of a vision 
 (p. 145), and a second a spirited satire entitled ' The Tailor of 
 the Feinn' (p. 149), and attributed to the 'Tailor MacNicol,' 
 whom the poet Duncan Ban M'Intyre castigated so severely. 
 A version of this composition appears in MS. LXII. {v. su^yra, 
 pp. 175-6). There are altogether some forty separate composi- 
 tions in the volume. An index, which omits the last four 
 pieces, being variants, is prefixed. The MS. is fully described 
 in L. F. pp. vii, xxv, xxvi, and its contents printed in the same 
 publication (pp. 6 to 216). On the inner front cover is ' D. Laing, 
 1862,' which is probably the date on which the MS. came into 
 Dr. Laing's possession. On one of the blank pages following the 
 text is a quotation from the article ' Ossian,' in the Edinhurcjh 
 Encyclopcedia, vol. xvi. p. 182, citing this collection in proof of 
 the view that ' Macpherson never could have been the author 
 of the poems which he ascribed to Ossian.' According to Dr. 
 Scott (Fasti Eccl. Scot., iv. 810), Dr. Irvine was himself the 
 Avriter of the article. It has been already stated {siipra, p. 280), 
 that Irvine at one time contemplated the publication of a 
 volume of Gaelic poetry. 
 
 5. In the Laing Collection (No. 513) are five MS. volumes 
 which at one time belonged to Thomas Innes, M.A., author of 
 ' A Critical Essay on the Ancient Inhabitants of the Northern
 
 292 CATALOGUE OF GAELIC MANUSCRIPTS 
 
 Parts of Britain or Scotland,' now forming volume eight of 
 the Historiaufi of Scotland. These volumes are written for the 
 most part in Father Innes's own hand, and include, inter alia, 
 several Gaelic pedigrees and notes extracted mainly from the 
 Book of Lecan (R. I. A., 141G a.d.). There is also (Laing, No. 
 54-5) a most interesting little volume written in 1689 by the 
 Rev. Robert Kirke when he was in London attending to the 
 printing of what is known as Kirke's Bible, being the Irish 
 translation printed in Roman characters for the use of Scottish 
 Highlanders. In this volume Kirke records the changes of text 
 which he made in this edition of the Scriptures. 
 
 6. A Collection of Irish poems and songs. 
 
 This is the sixth of sixteen volumes, willed in 1865 by Peter 
 Gillegan, the scribe, to Mr, Eugene G. Finnerty. From Mr. 
 Finnerty it passed to the Hon. J. Abercromby, who presented it 
 to the University a few years ago. The volume is of paper, 
 quarto (or octavo), stoutly bound in thick j)asteboard covered 
 with leather, and fastened with a strip of skin and brass button. 
 It contains xx + 'J'02 pages, and was transcribed in 1841-4. 
 Gillegan is described by Mr. Finnerty as the last of the hedge- 
 schoolmasters, not a learned man, but of high and upright 
 character, and an enthusiastic collector and transcriber of Irish 
 MSS. This volume is very carefully done. Mr. Gillegan's 
 English hand is plain but good ; the Irish text is written in a 
 tirm and very clear Gaelic hand. The title-page and the head- 
 ings of several of the principal pieces are written with special 
 care, and frequently done in red. The first five hundred and 
 ninety-nine pages are extracted from ' Peter Daly's MS.' ; the rest 
 of the contents is gathered from various sources. The scribe 
 gives at the beginning a carefully prepared table of contents, 
 arranged under two hundred and sixty separate heads, many of 
 which contain several items. At the end he enumerates fifty 
 poets, with seven of whom he was himself intimately acquainted. 
 
 The contents of this large and valuable collection are of a 
 miscellaneous character. The greater portion is comparatively 
 modern, but several poems date as far back as the year 1400 or 
 thereabout. There are a few prose compositions, e.g. (p. 159) 
 Eachtra an Cheithearnaidh chdoil riahhaidh (v. supra, pp. 146,
 
 APPENDIX II 293 
 
 165, 264) ; Siahhrugh Sigh 7 Inneiridh Mhic na Miocliomhairle 
 (Hallucinations of the Enchanted House, and Adventures of the 
 Ill-advised Youth), in three chapters, prose and verse (u O'Gr. 
 Cat., p. 579), together with other shorter pieces. There are 
 several Ossianic ballads, among them, 
 
 1. (P. 94.) Laoidh na innd moire no Seilg ghleann naSmoil, 
 
 beginning 
 
 Oisin, is binn liom do blieul. 
 
 Here are 89 quatrains recited by Ossian to St. Patrick; the 
 entire poem, we are told, being given in volume v. 
 
 2. (P. 299.) Laoidh an Doirnn, ' The Lay of the Fist,' 28 
 quatrains, first line 
 
 Chuadhamuir-ue air Thoisg na Teamhrach. 
 
 Cf. O'Gr. Cat., p. 592 ; L. R, p. 166. 
 
 3. (P. 304.) Laoidh Chruimlinn na Ccath, 24 quatrains 
 commencing 
 
 Seacht ceatha do bhi san bhfiain. 
 
 4. (P. 310.) Laoidh an Amadain Mhoir, here in 66 quatrains, 
 
 beginning 
 
 Do chualas sg^ul uaigneach gan bhreig. 
 
 For prose version, v. supra, p. 279, and for other versions of this 
 ballad, cf. O'Gr. Cat., pp. 564, 598 ; L. F., pp. 203-8. 
 
 5. (P. 321.) Beasa na bhfian, where Caeilte, at St. Patrick's 
 
 solicitation, recites the virtues of the Feinn in 29 quatrains, 
 
 first line 
 
 Aithris dhuinn b^asa na bhfian. 
 
 6. (P. 326.) Ldoidh na s4 bhfear dheug, 40 quatrains, com- 
 mencing 
 
 Aithris dhuinn, a Oisin fheil 
 
 Fath bhur thurais go Teamhair na Righ. 
 
 Cf. supra, p. 163. 
 
 But the chief contents of the collection are historical poems ; 
 patriotic, pastoral, religious poems ; eulogies, elegies, satires, 
 love songs, and humorous verses, with here and there proverbs 
 and epigrams in prose and verse. 
 
 The scribe frequently gives rhymed translations into English, 
 one or two by himself, of the more popular poems and songs, 
 together with many notes, biographical, occasionally critical,
 
 294 CATALOGUE OF GAKLIC MAXUSCUIPTS 
 
 always interesting, regardinu^ their authors and the occasion of 
 their composition. On p. 1 of this vohime are quoted the three 
 quatrains which Peter Turner writes at the end of MS. LVII. 
 (supra, p. 209). 
 
 If the other eleven volumes of Gillegan are equal in interest 
 to this, the collection must be of no small iinportancc in the 
 history of Irish literature. 
 
 7. A Folio volume, being a translation into Gaelic of L. 
 Gaussen of Geneva's Creation of tJic World, by the late Rev. 
 Duncan Maclnnes of Oban, editor of vol. ii. of Waifs and Strays 
 of Celtic Tradition. The MS. was sent by Miss Maclnnes, the 
 translator's sister, to the Library for the benetit of Gaelic- 
 speaking students of divinit3\ 
 
 II. In the Register House, Edinburgh 
 
 In the National MSS. of Scotland four Gaelic MSS. are repro- 
 duced and described. One of these is the Book of Deer, which 
 is not in Scotland but in the University of Cambridge. The 
 first four leaves of it are photozincographed in Part I. (No. 1) of 
 our National MSS. The Book of Deer contains a Latin version 
 of the Gospel of John, with parts of the other three Gospels, 
 and a colophon of one sentence in Gaelic, written in a beautiful 
 hand of the ninth or tenth century. Its great value in Gaelic 
 literature and history consists in the Gaelic memoranda written 
 on its margins and blank spaces, sometime in the eleventh and 
 twelfth centuries. The volume has been printed by the Spalding 
 Club under the able editorship of John Stuart, LL.D. (Edin- 
 burgh : 1859). These Gaelic entries have been printed with 
 translation more than once. The translation given by Stuart 
 in the Book of Deer is by Dr. Stokes. The same scholar 
 printed, translated, and annotated them in his Goidelica 
 (2nd edition. London : Triibner and Co., 1872). But the 
 most exhaustive examination of the Gaelic portion of the con- 
 tents of the Book of Deer has been by the late Dr. Macbain 
 in G. S. I., xi. pp. 137-160. A detailed account of this most 
 important MS., inasmuch as its home is not in Scotland, does 
 not come within our province. 
 
 The other three MSS. photographed, transliterated, and
 
 APPENDIX II 295 
 
 translated in the National MSS. are deposited in the General 
 Kegister House, Edinburgh. They are — 
 
 1. The May Gaelic Charter of 1408 : National MSS. of 
 Scotland, Part II., No. LIX. 
 
 This is a single strip of goatskin, upon which Donald, Lord 
 of the Isles, dispones eleven and a half merks of land in Islay to 
 Brian Bicaire MagaodJi on the sixth day of the month of 
 Bealtuin (May) 1408. The MS. was discovered by the late Bishop 
 Reeves in the possession of Mr. John Magee, County Antrim, a 
 descendant of a family of Magees who were at one time followers 
 of the Scottish Macdonalds who settled in Antrim. Dr. Reeves 
 printed a reading of the Charter, with translation, in the Pro- 
 ceedings of the R. I. A. of January 1852. The document was 
 afterwards purchased by the Treasury, and deposited in the 
 Register House in Edinburgh. The text is now largely illegible. 
 But the Scottish authorities were fortunate enough to have an 
 old transcript of the Charter (also preserved in the Register 
 House) which enabled them to read it ' except a single word.' 
 They acknowledge indebtedness to John O'Farrell of the 
 Ordnance Survey, Dr. M'Lauchlan of Edinburgh, and Hector 
 Maclean of Islay, in reading and translating the document. 
 
 The lands conveyed are ' Baile bhicare, Machaire, learga 
 riabhoige, Ciontragha, Graftol, Tocamol, Wgasgog, Da ghleann 
 astol, Cracobus, Cornubus, agas Baile neaghtoin,' being the 
 present farms of Cornabus and Kintraw, and those adjacent 
 to them on the south and west, with the doubtful exception of 
 ' Wgasgog,' which is a name now unknown. The ' feu ' or 
 'ground annual' is four fat cows (ionmharhJdha), or, failing 
 these, forty-two merks yearly. 
 
 Donald of Harlaw signs strong and clear M'Domhnaill, with 
 the figure of a sword under the name. The witnesses are Eoin 
 Mac Domhaill, Pat M'Bhriuin, Fercos Mac Betha and Aodh 
 M'Cei. These, with the exception of Fergus M'Beath, sign with 
 a mark. To judge from the handwriting Fercos Mac Betha 
 is probably also the scribe of the Charter, and may well be the 
 Fergus Finn of the M'Beath pedigrees mentioned above (supra, 
 p. 285). The value of the document is largely due to the fact 
 that it is the only Gaelic Charter that has survived out of many
 
 296 catalog; UE OF OAELIC MANUSCKll'TS 
 
 that must have been written. Jt has since been printed in the 
 Booh of Ishtij (1.S95— privately printed), p. IG, and elsewhere. 
 
 2. Contract of FostenKjc : National MSS. of Scotland. 
 " Part III., No. LXXXIV. 
 The contract is somewhat carelessly written on a single page 
 of quarto paper in a plain Gaelic hand, with several deletions 
 and insertions. It is of considerable interest, as being the only 
 instance of such contracts, written in Gaelic, as has survived. 
 The document is dated October 8th, 1614, and details the terms 
 upon which Macleoid gives his son Norman to Eoin mac 'niic 
 Cainnigh in fosterage. Macleoid in 1614 was Rory mor Macleod, 
 the famous chief. Eoin mac in{h)ic Cainnigh, as written at 
 that date, should read ' John, son of Mackenzie ' (the chief of the 
 clan). In 1614 mac Coinnich was Red Colin, second Lord 
 Mackenzie. He had a younger brother John, whose Gaelic 
 designation would be Eoin mac mhic Coinnich. But the 
 contract goes on to say that, in the event of John's death, the 
 fostering of the child shall be with his brother Angus nuw mic 
 Cainnigh, and in the event of his death, with his brother 
 Donald onac mic Cainnigh. But among the sons of the first 
 Lord Mackenzie there are none named Angus or Donald 
 (v. History of the Mackenzies, pp. 166-7). The translation of 
 the designation must thus be vague and awkward : ' John, son 
 of a son of Kenneth.' There are four witnesses, and in the 
 document they are described thus : ' Maighisdir Eogan mac 
 Suibhne minisdir dhiuirinnsi agus domhnall mac pail duibh 
 agus Eoin mac colgan minisdir bracaduil agus toirdealbhach 
 omurgheasa.' The signatures, except the last named, are in 
 English, as follows : 
 
 S[ik] R[uairaidh] Macleoid. 
 
 Jo^ M^CoLGAN, tv'nes. 
 
 Donald M'quien, ivitnes. 
 
 ToiKDELBHACH OmURGEASA 
 MAR FIAGHNAISI, 
 
 M". EwiN m'quien, xoitnes. 
 
 Mac Suibhne, it will be observed, is here Englished ' M'Quien,' 
 as is also mac pail duibh, ' son of black Pal ' or ' Paul.' With 
 Tiirlough O'Jfur^/ieasa compare DoniicJiadh Muirighesan who
 
 APPENDIX II 297 
 
 composed the elegy on Sir Norman Macleod, who died in 
 1705 {supra, p. 281). 
 
 3. Elegy on Sir Duncan Campbell of Glenurchy : National 
 MSS. of Scotland. Part III., No. XCVI. 
 
 This MS. consists of a large leaf of thick parchment, with 
 elaborate border, brightly illuminated. The MS. was given by 
 James Macpherson to John Campbell of the Bank of Scotland 
 (the poet M'Intyre's patron). It Avas afterwards found among 
 the family papers of the late William M'Farlane of Portsburgh, 
 W.S., and presented by his son to the Lord Clerk Register for 
 preservation in the General Register House. 
 
 The Elegy is written very carefully and correctly in a clear 
 and resrular Gaelic hand. There are no contractions and no 
 accent marks. The heading runs : Marhhrann dhonncJiaidh 
 ditihh mhic chailin leith nfihic chailin oig mhic dhonnchaidh 
 mhic chailin duihh na romha mhic dhonncltaidh aii agha, ' The 
 death-verse of black Duncan, son of grey Colin, son of Colin the 
 younger, son of Duncan, son of black Colin of Rome, son of 
 Duncan the prosperous.' Black Duncan is remembered among 
 Highlanders as Donnchadh dubh a Churraichd, ' Black Duncan 
 of the Cowl' He was the seventh Laird and first Baronet of 
 Glenurchy {House of Argyll and . . . Clan Campbell, Glasgow, 
 1871, p. 132). 
 
 The elegy consists of 22 quatrains, of which these are the 
 first and last : 
 
 Mor an broinsgel bas idhuibhna, deaghmhac Chailin ceannan druagh. 
 fear do chuir acMu gu halmhuin, mo ghuin anu aadhbhuidh fuar. 
 
 Gion gur lionmhur andun donnchaidh, deaghlaoch druagh ainnir is ogh. 
 
 far thriath cciomhchoir do bfhearr dfearuibh, gearr gur chliochloigh meadliair 
 mhor. 
 
 ' Great the tale of grief the death of O'Duibhne, excellent son of Colin head of 
 the wise ; 
 A man whose fame reached Almu,i my grief this day his abode being cold.' 
 
 ' Although there be many in Duncan's castle, noble hero, sage, girl, and maid ; 
 Your fine-tressed lord, best of men, soon great mirth changed.' 
 
 ^ Now Allen, the residence of Fionn in Ireland
 
 298 CATALOGUE OF GAELIC MANUSCRIPTS 
 
 The date of Sir Duncan's death is thus recorded at the end 
 
 of the elegy : 
 
 Mile aon trioch;id slan se ced cuig nihi o oijfhre uir fir thred. 
 Moniiar an cas cuimhne sin, go bas iduibhne dlieidghil. 
 
 ' A thousand, a full thirty, six hundred, five months, from the pure heir of true 
 
 flocks, 
 Alas ! sad subject of remembrance, to the death of white-toothed Duncan.' 
 
 i.e. May-June 1631. I have not seen this elegy in print, but 
 there is a copy in the Maclagan MSS. (infra). 
 
 III. — In the Library of the Society of the 
 Antiquaries of Scotland 
 
 The MS. in this Library is a copy of the Gaelic version of 
 the Lilium Medicinae by Bernard de Gordon of Montpelier, 
 It is the largest of the Gaelic MSS. now in Scotland. It is 
 a thick paper folio of 714 pages, 11 in. by 1-^, bound in old calf. 
 The MS. was sent to the Society of Scottish Antiquaries by the 
 Rev. Donald Macqueen of Kilmuir, Isle of Skye (who also 
 sent MS. II to the Advocates' Library (v. supra, p. 6)) on 
 June 3rd, 1784. The following interesting Memorandum is 
 prefixed : 
 
 ' The Lilium Medicanum of Bernardus Gordonius, Professor of Physic in 
 the University of Mont-iielier, was publislied in the year 1305, was early 
 translated into Gaelic, and became the physical pandects of the Beatons, the 
 hereditary physicians of the Lords of the Isles, being, according to Dr. Freund 
 in his History of Physic, a book of high credit in its time. The price of tran- 
 scribing a copy was sixty milk cows. The copy possessed by Farchar Beaton 
 of Husibost five generations ago, now laid iip in the Antiquarian Museum at 
 Edinburgh, was of such value in his estimation that when he trusted himself 
 to a boat, in passing an arm of the sea, to attend any patient at Dunvegan, 
 the seat of Macleod, he sent his servant by land, for the greater security, with 
 the Lilium Medicamim. 
 
 ' N.B. — Some descendant of these hereditary physicians was established in 
 every great family in the Isles. 
 
 ' This was written on the 10th of May 1784.' 
 
 This Farquhar or Ferquhard must have flourished about 
 1630. In a pamphlet on the Beatons or Bethunes of Skye, 
 written, it is said, by the Rev. Thomas White, minister of 
 Liberton, who was married to Anna Bethune, a descendant of 
 the Skye physicians, Dr. Ferquhard is described as having ' the
 
 APPENDIX II 299 
 
 gravity of the Divine, as well as skill of the Physician.' It is 
 not, however, to Ferquhard, but to his son Dr. Angus, that our 
 MS. is ascribed in this pamphlet. Of him it is said : ' He got a 
 liberal education, and wrote a system of physic, entitled The 
 Lilly of Medicine, which he finished at the foot of Montpelier, 
 after he had studied physic twenty-eight years. The system is 
 yet extant in manuscript. ... It is in the Irish character and 
 abounds with contractions. . . . None of his posterity since the 
 death of Mr. John Bethune, Minister of Bracadale, is able to 
 read it' (v. An Historical and Genealogical Account of the 
 Bethunes of the Island of Sky (Edinburgh, 1778. Reprinted, 
 Glasgow, 1887), pp. 5-6). 
 
 The Lilium Medicinae of Bernard de Gordon is dated 1303 
 (in this copy, in error, 1305). Strictly speaking, the writing of 
 it, according to the author's preface, was begun in the month 
 of July 1303. The comprehensive treatise was held in great 
 repute throughout Europe for several centuries. Apart from 
 the MSS. that circulated during the fourteenth and fifteenth 
 centuries, eleven editions of the Latin text were printed on the 
 Continent, at Naples, Ferrara, Lyons, Venice and Frankfort, be- 
 tween 1480 and 1617 ; a Spanish version was published at 
 Seville in 1494, and a French version at Lyons in 1495. 
 Translations were also made into Gaelic and English, but 
 these have not been printed {cf O'Gr. Cat., pp. 202-3). 
 
 The copy of this work noticed above (p. 276) is said to have 
 been translated into Gaelic by Coronac 0' DuinnslehJd, no doubt 
 the Cormac mac DuinntJdebi who, in 1459, translated the 
 tract Gualterus de Dosihus (O'Gr. Cat., p. 177). 
 
 This copy of the Lilium Medicinae is almost complete. It 
 is written in a very good, plain, legible hand of the early seven- 
 teenth century, with comparatively few contractions, and with 
 such care and correctness that sixty milk cows Avould hardly 
 be considered an extravagant fee for the scribe. The writing 
 is in one column throughout, and the pagination is by leaves 
 only. The outer margin is somewhat broken at the top of a 
 few leaves at the beginning of the MS., and a word or two of 
 the text lost here and there. Between the first and second 
 folios as the MS. now stands two leaves are lost, otherwise there 
 is no lacuna in this large MS. A leaf is cut out between folios
 
 300 CATALOGUE OF GAELIC MANUSCRIPTS 
 
 213 and 214, but the text is continuous. A portion of 207a 
 and the whole of 207b, 208a are written in a freer and less 
 careful hand. 
 
 The author's preface bej^ins on folio la, which is so far 
 broken, with some text lost, and is continued on folio lb. Here 
 it is stated that the Treatise is divided into seven Particles, or 
 Books. Immediately after the preface, our text proceeds : 
 ' Here is begun the first Particle, which treats of Fevers gene- 
 rally. It contains thirty-one chapters, and speaks first of Fevers 
 in general.' 
 
 The number of the ' Particle ' is given on the top of the 
 right-hand page, and the special subject treated of on the top 
 of the left. But occasional omissions are met with. There 
 is also, in one or two cases, a discrepanc}^ as to the number of 
 chapters named at the beginning of the ' Particle,' and the 
 number treated of in the text. Thus the third ' Particle ' is 
 said to contain twenty-seven chapters, but the twenty-seventh 
 is not separately discussed. As to the number of chapters, our 
 copy gives thirty-one chapters in the First and Second Particles, 
 while the copy in the British Museum (Eg. 89), described in 
 O'Gr. Cat., pp. 202-222, gives only thirty in each of these. 
 
 Apart from discrepancies such as these, our copy contains, 
 the translation of the large treatise in the following order : 
 
 Particle I containing 31 chapters on folios 16 to 75b. 
 
 II 31 „ 75b „ 131b. 
 
 III 27 „ 132a „ 171a. 
 „ IV 13 „ 171a „ 213b. 
 „ V 21 „ 214a „ 269a. 
 „ VI 16 „ 269a „ 303b. 
 „ VII 24 „ 303b „ 338b. 
 
 The last paragraph of the Treatise (fol. 338b) opens : Leigheas 
 ann so chum namhan do dhenamh sgiartiliach 7 ma doniter 
 arson a hfer fen ata se fuilngtech, ' Here is a specific for making 
 women beautiful, and if this be done for their own husbands it 
 is allowable.' Then come two or three prescriptions for the 
 purpose, after which is Finis. There is no author's colophon, 
 as in the British Museum copy (v. O'Gr. Cat., p. 210). 
 
 Marginal notes for explanation or extension of text are fairly 
 frequent. They are in three hands: (1) a very good hand, not 
 unlike that of the scribe; (2) a later and plainer hand, in
 
 APPENDIX II 301 
 
 which the greater number of these notes are written; (3) a 
 third (on foho 35b), where the hand is English, but the text is 
 in Latin. Some of the leaves were clipped in binding, so that 
 an occasional letter or syllable is lost. Of notes of another kind 
 there are hardly any. A few not very legible scribblings in 
 current hand and in English are on folio 338b : ' God made man 
 and man made . . .' ; 'In my beginning God me speed,' etc. etc. 
 
 After the translation of the Lilium Medicinae come three 
 leaves, blank and unpaged. On the fourth leaf commences a 
 tractate with the heading: Ag so giiathugliadh iia mule 
 l^raitice neach ata coitcioima J ataid x. eclair orra sin an .c. 
 clar dihh neach labrus do na siroijyibh dileacha gach aon .1"-. 
 ( = leanna), ' Here are the recipes of all practitioners which are 
 in common use. There are ten tables of them, the first of which 
 gives the digestive syrups for each individual humour.' The 
 ten tables are given, plain and clear, on ten leaves which are 
 neither ruled nor paged. The headings of the tables are in 
 Latin — Tabida prima, tabula secunda, or in numerals . . . 
 9, X. (cf. supra, p. 70, where the authorship of these tables is 
 attributed to Bernard Gordon). 
 
 Following the tables is the beginning of another tract, the 
 heading of which is in small capitals, and runs: Incvpit tabula 
 Magistri Bernardi de Gordonis de ingen[i]is curandi Tnorbos 
 .|. tinnsgainter ann so clar Bernard Gordoni dintlecht leigheas 
 nan galur. Et adir Bernard go bfuilid x. ninnlechta ann 
 so ar leighis na ngalur. An .c. intlecht dibh is on galur do 
 gebhtir e mar ader G. annsa 4 leabur de ingenio an radh so. 
 Semper, etc. * Here begins the Table of Bernard de Gordon on 
 the method of curing diseases. And Bernard states that there 
 are ten ways of curing diseases, the first of which is ascertained 
 from the [nature of the] disease itself, as G[alen] makes in the 
 fourth book de ingenio this statement. Always,' etc. Four 
 folios, neither ruled nor paged, are given to this tract, when 
 the writing comes abruptly to an end. 
 
 From folio 290 the writing becomes gradually obscured, and 
 the last four or five leaves are much broken.
 
 302 CATALOGUE OF GAELIC MANUSCKIPTS 
 
 IV. In the University of Glasgow. 
 
 The following MSS. have recently been deposited in the 
 University of Glasgow : — 
 
 I. The Mdclagan Collection. 
 
 This large and miscellaneous Collection was made in the 
 latter half of the eighteenth century by the Rev. James Maclagan, 
 minister of Amulree, chaplain of the Black Watch — the famous 
 42d Regiment — and afterwards minister of Blair Atholl. Mr. 
 Maclagan was a correspondent of James Macpherson, to whom 
 he supplied Ossianic material. He afterwards sent papers to the 
 Committee of the Highland Society, which have disappeared. 
 But the original MSS. were carefully preserved, and were pre- 
 sented to the University by Mr. Maclagan Wedderburn, W.S., 
 of Edinburgh, the representative of the family. 
 
 The MSS. are all of paper, enclosed in an old wooden box, 
 about fifteen inches long and eight to nine inches in breadth 
 and height. The box is without lid. The papers are in four 
 layers, separated by sheets of paper. Several of the larger 
 items have numbers, but a later reader (the late Dr. MacBain, 
 probably), has recently numbered each separate item continu- 
 ously from 1 to 241. One or two are now amissing, while a few 
 unnumbered items are enclosed in an envelope, and placed on 
 the top. The largest MS. contains 86 pages octavo, others are 
 smaller quarto and octavo, of 48, 32, 16, 8, and 4 pages. There 
 are, besides, a number of sheets and single leaves of folded folio, 
 and many of smaller size, some of which are scrajDs of only a 
 couple of inches. The handAvriting is various. AVith the excep- 
 tion of a few short pieces written carefully, but with apparent 
 effort {e.g. No. 98) in the old hand, one MS. (No. 73) of eight 
 leaves quarto written semi-phonetically in Scots hand, the tests, 
 in English and Gaelic, are written in the current hand of the 
 day. The greater number are in a plain clear hand, and written 
 with considerable care and uniformity of orthography. Other 
 pieces are in the handwriting of the various correspondents 
 who supplied them, some of them rather crude and in very 
 defective orthography.
 
 APPENDIX II 303 
 
 In the following brief summary of the contents of this Collec- 
 tion the number attached to the principal items is the number 
 of the MS. or leaf which marks its order in the collection : 
 
 1. There are several pieces of some interest written in Eng- 
 lish, and one or two translated pieces. Among these are a 
 paragraph on Beregonium (14) ; a letter from the Rev. Kenneth 
 M'Aulay, Lismore, recommending a ' tour ' through the Hebrides 
 to Mr. Maclagan (64) ; literary and historical notes of interest 
 (122); historical notes, evidently copied from an older docu- 
 ment (120, last page) ; a copy of a grant by William, King of 
 Scotland, to Norman Hunter of the Hope and the Hopeton . . . 
 from above the Earth to Heaven, from under the Earth to Hell 
 . . . (195); 'Celtic names in Greece' (238); verses 'in Scotch 
 by a lady who lost her bridegroom in the murder of Glencoe 
 (36) ; a copy of the ' Garb of Old Gaul ' said to have been com- 
 posed by Sir Harry Erskine to the Royal Highland Regiment, 
 
 and a translation thereof by Morrison, Foi-leigh do chath- 
 
 hhuidhinn an Fhrisealaich, Assistant-surgeon to Eraser's 
 Regiment (37) [v. Gillies's Coll., p. 64 ; and cf Fasti, iv. p. 793, 
 where the translation is wrongly attributed to Maclagan him- 
 self] ; ' Woo'd and Married .and a',' with translation, and ' My 
 wife had taen the gie,' without translation (62); a copy of the 
 Latin verses on the Battle of Killicrankie (31) [cf. sujira, p. 289] ; 
 three pieces in Manx, MyUecJiarrane, Cadley Kinne, and 
 Ronniaght (ISO) ; translations into Gaelic verse from Latin 
 (54, 217), and Duanag Sappho (54). 
 
 3. There are a number of sayings, epigrams, love-charms, etc., 
 here and there, with the following pieces, among others, in Gaelic 
 prose : Cinn Reachdaidh a riaghladJi nam Feachd Breatuinn- 
 cach,' Heads of Regulations for the British Army ' (11) ; Mounting 
 Ewen on a horse (133, cf. L. F., pp. 210, 211) ; 'An Address to the 
 Soldiers of the 42d Regiment' (135) ; Tiomnadh Thulaich, ' The 
 Bequest of [the] Tulach ' (155), clever; Altachadh nam meir- 
 leach, ' The Thieves' Grace ' (160), by Alastair mor mac a Lon- 
 ahhidh (big Alexander M'Gillony) ; Anainn of the white bosom, 
 daughter of the King of Loitheann, a fragment (240). 
 
 4. There are several genealogies, more or less fragmentary. 
 Thus item 100 is a scrap enumerating the badges, castles, and 
 followers of Macdougall of Lorn. No. 143 is a folded folio.
 
 304 CATALOGUE OF GAELIC MANUSCRIPTS 
 
 broken, containing the genealogy of the Stewarts through 
 Banqiio, and attested as correct by Messrs. D. Macnicol (Lis- 
 niore), J. Maclagan (Blair Atholl), John Stuart, minister of 
 Strachur, and James Macintyre of Glenoe. No. 196 contains 
 
 the genealogy of MacCailein (Argyll), by D Mhuirgheasain, 
 
 and that of Maclain (Macdonald) of Glencoe, attested by 
 Macintyre of Glenoe and John Stuart, minister of Arrochar. 
 
 But much the largest portion of the Maclagan Collection 
 consists of Gaelic verse. 
 
 1. Some of the poems profess to be very old, and without 
 doubt many of them were composed long before the collector's 
 day. Passing by such poems of spurious antiquity as ' Mordubh,' 
 Book IL (223), printed in Gillies's Collection and in Mackenzie's 
 Beauties of Gaelic Poetry ; The Aged Bard's Wish (94), printed 
 in most Gaelic collections ; the Addresses to the Sun (80), as at 
 the end of Macpherson's Carthon and beginning of Carraic Thura; 
 and Malvina, we have here copies of St. Columba's well-known 
 ' Farewell to Aran ' (229) ; twenty quatrains attributed to Cor- 
 mac mac Cuileannan (author of Cormac's Glossary), beginning, 
 Mithed teacht tar mo thimna (llfi) ; a Prayer and Address 
 from the ' Missal which was in the family of Perth, and sup- 
 posed to be 700 years old in 1728' (182); Cormac's Advice to 
 his Son (69, 145), as printed in Gillies's Collection, pp. 295-8 
 (cf. sux)ra, p. 187); a Song to Calum Macleoid, from whom the 
 chief living in 1780 was the twelfth in line, — da ghlun deug 
 air ais (195) ; a copy of the Duan Alhannach (79), with notes, 
 printed in Chronicles of Picts and Scots, p. 57; the first forty- 
 eicht lines of Lachlann mor mac Mhuirich's Incitement to the 
 Macdonalds at Harlaw (97), attested by Macintyre of Glenoe to 
 have been copied ' from an old MS. in Galic Character,' v. R. Mac- 
 donald's Collection (1776), p. 5; Ode by 31ac Gailein (probably 
 Colin, 4th Earl) to the daughter of Macdonald of Dun-naomh- 
 aio- (172), printed in R. Macdonald's Collection (p. 347) and 
 elsewhere; the Duanag Ullamh, or ' Handy Lilf (187), said in 
 R. M'D.'s Collection (p. 253) to have been composed in 1569 by 
 Maclean's Bard to Colin, Earl of Argyll ; the lines quoted above 
 (supra, pp. 205, 263), and attributed, as here, to Bishop Carsewell 
 (30): verses to Dugald Macdougall, younger of Lorn, who won
 
 APPENDIX II 305 
 
 a prize for archery in England in the reign of James the Sixth 
 (195) ; a copy of the Lament for Black Duncan of the CoavI 
 (225) mentioned above (p. 297), and others. 
 
 2, The Collection contains a large number of Ossianic 
 Ballads. With the exception of the ballads supplied to Gillies 
 by Maclagan, Mr. Campbell had not access to this source, 
 Maclagan's Collection of Ossianic Ballads becomes thus of great 
 value. It consists of two parts : (1) Sixteen ballads contained 
 in No. 9 of the Collection. These are a copy of a collection 
 made by Mr. Peter M'Farlane in Argyllshire, and are all printed 
 in Rel. Gelt., i. p. 245-294. (2) Variant versions of eleven of 
 the above sixteen, with over a score of others collected by 
 Maclagan himself, or sent to him by various correspondents 
 who are frequently named. These are found here and there 
 throughout the Collection ; but details are unnecessary, for they 
 are all printed in Rel. Celt, i. pp. 295-370. 
 
 3. A large part of the contents of Maclagan's MSS. consists of 
 poems by well-known Bards whose works have been printed in 
 whole or in part since the Collection was made, but, with the 
 exception of some of Alexander Macdonald's poems, were not in 
 print until 1767, and later. Thus we have here two or three 
 copies of the well-known Comhachag or ' Owl ' (of Strone), 
 attributed universally to Donald Macdonald (Domhnall Mao 
 Fhionnlaidh nan Dan), a forester or gamekeeper who, accord- 
 ing to the tradition of Lochaber, lived in the days of Black 
 Duncan of the Cowl (v. Gael, v. p. 329), i.e. in the sixteenth- 
 seventeenth century. There are, besides, specimens of the 
 works of the following well-known poets, all of them repre- 
 sented in the Beauties of Gaelic Poetry : Mary Macleod (18, 120, 
 122); John (Lorn) Macdonald ; Neil M'Vurich (26) ; Archibald 
 Macdonald alias Ciaran Mabach (154) ; Silis Ni' Mhic Raonaill, 
 or Julia of Keppoch (146) ; Mac Mhathain or Matheson (26, 120) ; 
 Lachlan Mackinnon (105) ; Alexander Macdonald ; John 
 M'Codrum (68); Hector Macleod (139); Dugald Buchanan; 
 Robert (Donn) Mackay ; Duncan Maclntyre ; Macpherson, 
 Strathmashie (64) ; and John Roy Stewart (3, 18). 
 
 There are also several less known authors named, a few of 
 whom find a place in some of the older Collections, although 
 not in Mackenzie's Beauties of Gaelic Poetry. Among these 
 
 u
 
 306 CATALOGUE OF GAELIC MANUSCRIPTS 
 
 Ciithal Mac IMlmiricli, who lived in the early seventeenth 
 century, has two pieces here (one in an unnumbered item, 
 one in No. 38); the Rev. John M'Innes {Iain mac Aong- 
 huLs oif/), a native of Inverness-shire, minister of Crathie, 
 Braemar, afterwards of Logie Coldstonc (Fasti, vi. pp. 529, 535), 
 has several songs, poems (some ecclesiastical), and transla- 
 tions in Nos. 1, 2, 54, 73 ; John Stuart of Strathspey has very 
 meritorious verses to Mairie Grant in Nos. 20 and 137, which 
 are printed in G. S. I., xxiv. p. 175 (the poet may be John Roy 
 Stuart, the name in No. 20 being written E. R, S') ; Fear 
 Ghealanie has verses in No. 27 to his first wife, a daughter, we 
 are told, of Balnespic ; Dugald Macpherson of Skye has religious 
 pieces in Nos. 48 and 192 (a long poem on Death by the 
 same author is printed in R. M'Donald's Collection, p. 10) ; 
 Murcha mor (Murchadh mor mac mhic Mhurchaidh), has an 
 elegy on Macdonald of Sleat in No. 54, which is printed in 
 R. M'D., p. 23, as also another on p. 185, as well as several in the 
 Fernaig MS. {v. supra, p. 270); the bard Mac Ciche (R. M'D.'s 
 Mac ithich) or Keith, has two pieces — one in No. 67 on Argyll 
 beheaded at Edinburgh, printed in R. M'D., p. 138, the other, 
 Laoi Mhic Ciche, in No. 230, beginning Mo clhuil ann Criost, 
 printed by Kennedy in 1786 and 1834 ; one of the many poems 
 on the battle of Killiecrankie, 'S e do latha, Rinn-ruaraidh, in 
 No. 73, attributed here to Aonghus onac Alistir Ruaigh mhic 
 mhic Ian Ghlinnecomhann, printed in R. M'D., p. 188, and in 
 Gillies, p. 142 ; verses on the Macgregors in No. 73, repeated in 
 No. 122, by Ailean mac Ghilleasbuig, fear Lag-na-h-adhai, de 
 theaghlach Ghlinne Comhann ; a Dialogue in Verse between 
 Queen Anne and the Laird of Appin (No. 122), by Macdonald of 
 Dalness, printed in G. S. I., xxii. p. 173 ; a piece (No. 122) by 
 Macintyre of Glenoe on Dr. Samuel Johnson, v. G. S. I., xxii. 
 p. 177 ; another in the same No. (122) by the Laird of Kilbride 
 on hearing of Cromwell's death ; a song in No. 137 by Alastair 
 Robertson a Botheaspuic a rinn fbs Laeth Ranndabo 'n 
 t-Sleibhe, ' A. R. in B., who also composed the Day of Ranndabo 
 { = 1 Rendezvous) of the Hill,' — subject naimlidin na tuatha, 
 ' the enemies of the tenantry,' printed in G. 8. I., xxiv. p. 161 ; 
 verses on the capture of Lord Huntly, by Major Menzies, in 
 the same No. (137), v. G. 8. I., xxiv. p. 164, and also Highland
 
 APPENDIX II 307 
 
 Monthly, vol. i. p. 278 ; an elegy in No. 152 by Nighean mhic 
 ic Raonaill, ' daughter of Keppoch,' to her husband, who fell at 
 Killiecrankie, v. G. S. I., xxii. p. 168; verses in No. 154 by Am 
 Bard ban, ' The fair Poet ' (Sir Ewen Cameron's Bard) ; a short 
 piece in No. 162, entitled Cluas a' bhuic, ' the Buck's ear,' attri- 
 buted to Duncan M'Intyre, but which is not found in that poet's 
 published works ; the song known as Cuachag nan Craobh, ' The 
 Cuckoo of the Trees,' in No. 164, and dated 1765, thus showinsr 
 that "William Ross, born in 1762, could not have been the 
 author of these melodious verses, — v. also Turner's Collection, 
 p. 298, Avhere thirteen stanzas are given as against Ross's nine ; 
 a poem against strong drink, by Domhnull Donn Bojiondruinn, 
 ' Brown Donald of (?) Bohuntin ' (cf. Macdonald Bards, Edin- 
 burgh, 1900, p. 12), and several others. 
 
 There are a large number of anonymous pieces in the 
 Collection, some of which are important from their literary 
 merit, while others are otherwise interesting. A number of 
 the former class are printed in Gillies's Collection, to which 
 Mr. Maclagan was evidently the chief contributor. Among the 
 latter may be mentioned Sheurlus an Dobhair, or Charles of 
 Doure, given Avith more or less completeness in Nos. 13, 85, 
 and 137. The poem is printed, translated, and commented 
 upon in the Highland Monthly, vol. i. pp. 148, 213, the editor 
 regarding it as a Norwegian ballad which somehow floated down 
 among the people of the Central Highlands for over five hundred 
 years. There is a Dialogue between the Gruagach Soluis and 
 Raibeart Gabha in Nos. 35 and 85. It also is printed and 
 translated in the Highland Monthly, vol. i. p. 416. The 
 Gruagach professes to be the best informed of Eve's progeny, 
 apart from ' readers of books,' and ' Robert Smith ' asks about 
 the various important happenings in the history of the Gael, the 
 wars and exploits of Art, the ' vision ' of Charles of Doure, 
 the doings of Cuchulainn, Fionn, and the heroes of the Feinn, 
 the Battle of Clontarf, and such matters. The reply of the 
 Gruagach is not given. There is a copy of '>S'e do bheatha, 
 Mhuire mhaighdin, ' Hail, Virgin Mary,' in No. 47 ; a copy of 
 the verses composed at Alexander the Great's grave in No. 122 
 {v. supra, p. 241). The poem on the Massacre of Glencoe, so 
 often printed, is here (No. 59), as in Gillies (p. 253), anonymous.
 
 308 CATALOGUE OF GAELIC MANUSCRIPTS 
 
 R. M'D. (p. 241) and John Mackenzie (Beauties of. Gaelic 
 Poetry, p. 875) ascribe it to the Bard Mucanach, the latter 
 adding that the author was of the Glencoe family, and after the 
 Massacre lived in the Isle of Muck (v. siqira, p. 288). Among 
 other pieces may be mentioned Altachadh an t-Snaoisein, in 
 No. 68, and marked incerto auctore, — the verses are printed in 
 Conflicts of the Clans, p. 136 ; an elegy on Rob Roy in No. 73, 
 iprmtod in the Hir/hland Monthly , vol. i. p. 209 ; a Bard's Blessing 
 of the House of Tongue (No. 120); verses addressed to Sir Ewen 
 Cameron on killing the English officer by cutting open his 
 throat with his teeth (No. 204) ; and a poem in No. 210 on 
 FdsachadJt na GaidJiealtachd Alhannaicli, ' The desolating of 
 the Scottish Highlands,' beginning 
 
 A Bheinn-neamhais ard nan neul. 
 ' Thou cloud-capt lofty Bea Nevis.' 
 
 Two MSS., Nos. 73 and 122 of the Collection, are of excep- 
 tional interest. No. 73 consists of eight leaves quarto, with one 
 or more leaves awanting. The writino' is in the Scottish hand 
 of the period, and the spelling is semi-phonetic. The MS. is 
 thus of value in the history of the orthography of Scottish 
 Gaelic. In this connection No. 73 may be compared with 
 a Lochaber MS. noticed by the late Dr. Maclauchlan of Edin- 
 burgh in the Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of 
 Scotland, vol. iii. p. 307. The first poem in the MS. is the Comh- 
 achag, or as it is here called, as in Jerome Stone's MS., Creag 
 g{h)uanach (v. suijra, p. 285). A long explanatory Gaelic preface 
 is prefixed, and the writer adds a note at the end, dated July 1st, 
 1725, to the effect that if he had time, he would have given a 
 description of the huntsman-author, his appearance, dress, and 
 arms, together with an account of the wild animals that fre- 
 quented the district in his time. 
 
 No. 122 consists of eight leaves quarto, and is of interest for 
 the literary notes it contains. The authority for the statements 
 is occasionally given. Thus Mr. ( = Rev.) N. M'Leod says that 
 the last Bard of the M'Vurichs who composed poems, died 
 about fifty years previously {i.e. about 1725). Mr. M'Tavish, 
 minister of Torosay, says that the last of the M'Ewen Bards 
 to Argyll was minister of Kilchoan in Nether Lorn. Mr.
 
 APPENDIX II 309 
 
 MacTavish in 1743 saw in (Prof.) C. MacLaurin's possession, in 
 Edinburgh, the genealogy of the Macdonalds in GaeUc, which 
 was carried from Tiree by his great- or great-great-grandfather. 
 [This is doubtless the present MS. I of the Advocates' Library 
 Collection, v. siq'>ra, p. 72.] ' Several Gaelic MSS. were sup- 
 posed to be in the Laird of M'Farlane's custody.' ' M'Lachlan of 
 Kilbride has several MSS., particularly a translation of Augus- 
 tine's De civitate Dei done at lona, seen and read by Mr. Archibald 
 Lambie.' Mr. Lambie was minister of Kilmartin 1738 to 1767. 
 [This tract is not now in the Kilbride Collection.] Dr. Campbell 
 at Achnamba says that books which were in Zona were brought 
 to Douay. ' There were poetical schools or academies in Skye 
 and Inverness.' ' The proceedings before the Parliament in 
 Ardchattan when Macdougall was forfeited were in Gaelic' 
 The Duanaire Ruadli in Glenaladale's family, and given by 
 them to M'Donald of Kills in Cnoideart, contained a number 
 of Ossianic poems, Highland tales, was in folio, and came into 
 the hands of (James) M'Pherson.' ' A MS. in Glenoe's hands 
 contains the adventures of Smerbie ^mor, a predecessor of Argyll 
 who lived in the fifth century, also Claim Uisneachan ' [MS. 
 LIII was for a time in Glenoe's hands — v. Celtic Review, vol. i. 
 p. 5 — but it contains no notice of Smerbie mor\. ' A Treatise 
 on Physick was written in Gaelic by Beaton, commonly called 
 U{\eg.O)llamh Ileach' (Islay Doctor). ' Charles Stewart, Notary 
 Publick, now in the Isle of Shuna, saw several poems in the 
 Gaelic character and language among M'Leod's papers in the 
 hands of Rod. Macleod, W.S.' ' Thos. Fraser of Gortleg in 
 Stratharig knows of Lord Lovat's papers ' [and among them] ' a 
 Treatise on Physick wrote by Conchar of Ardoran in the Gaelic 
 language.' 'The Ollainh Ileach and his brother U{leg.O)llam}i 
 MuileacJi {Mull Doctor) were educated in Spain; knew Greek 
 and Latin, but no English.' ' Charles Stewart, Shuna, saw the 
 Ollamh Ileach's book with Dr. William M'Farlane, now Laird of 
 M'Farlane, in 1775.' 
 
 A few erroneous ascriptions of authorship are noticeable 
 in the Collection. In an unnumbered item Ian M'Mhuirich 
 is given instead of Lachlann as the author of the ' Incitement ' 
 at the Battle of Harlaw. In No. 73 Rorie Morison, clarsair
 
 310 CATALOGUE OF GAELIC MANUSCRIPTS 
 
 Mhicleoid, ' Macleod's harper, ' is iiaiiied as the author of the 
 poem beginning 
 
 Latha sinhhdl sleihhe ilhumJt. 
 
 The aiitlior was Lachlan Mackinnon. In No. 189 the poem 
 known as Coirc an Easiain) is ascribed to EuadJiraidh Ball, 
 ' bhnd Rory.' The author was John Mackay, piper, who was 
 also blind. 
 
 2. MSS. etc. hcqiLeatlied by the late Rev. John Kennedy 
 
 These consist of — 
 
 1. The Fernaig MS., described under Skene's MSS., supra, 
 p. 267 + . [It was thought that the valuable Fernaig MS. went, 
 under Mr. Kennedy's will, to the Advocates' Library, Edinburgh, 
 but this was found not to be the case Cf. supra, p. 267J. 
 
 2. A number of volumes of MSS., a few printed items, and a 
 pile of miscellaneous sheets in writing. The following are in 
 Mr. Kennedy's handwriting : — 
 
 (1) Transcripts of poems and songs, mainly from the 
 Maclagan Collection, and for the most part printed in volumes 
 xxi. to xxvi. of the Transactions of the Gaelic Society of 
 Inverness. 
 
 (2) Papers on ' Words and Phrases,' ' Wisdom in Books, 
 Eachdraidh nan Ceard, ' History of the Tinkers.' 
 
 (3) A sheet containing the declension of some Gaelic nouns. 
 
 (4) A notebook kept by Mr. Kennedy when attending one of 
 the Greek classes in the University of Glasgow. 
 
 The rest belonged to the Rev. Dr. Cameron. With the 
 exception of three of the volumes and a few sheets, they are 
 all in his handwriting. Dr. Cameron's library was purchased 
 for the University of Edinburgh by the late Sir William 
 Mackinnon, Bart. The books, with some exceptions, went to 
 Edinburgh, but no MS. was sent. 
 
 The contents of these Cameron papers are briefly : 
 (1) A parcel containing a translation by the late Angus 
 Macpherson of London of the first volume of Her Majesty 
 Queen Victoria's Leaves from the Journcd of Our Life in the
 
 APPENDIX II 311 
 
 Higlilands, with relative papers. The translation was printed 
 but not published. The main facts of Dr. Cameron's connec- 
 tion with it are given in Ret. Celt., i. p. clix, et seq. 
 
 (2) Twenty-three volumes of various sizes and bindings. 
 Three of these contain a MS. copy of Dr. Love's Sermons. 
 The others, so far as written upon, are all in Dr. Cameron's 
 hand. They contain jottings of his ecclesiastical activities 
 and Gaelic studies, the latter consisting of copies of several 
 Gaelic hymns, with or without corrections, and a translation 
 of one or two ; transcripts from the Dean of Lismore's MS. ; 
 an Ossianic Ballad or two, with a few extracts from Macpher- 
 son's texts ; lists of Gaelic books, with dates of publication, and 
 lists of such books as were in Dr. Cameron's library ; notes 
 regarding the Gaelic class taught by him in Glasgow ; meanings 
 of words from the ' Four Masters ' (F.M.) and the ' Wars of the 
 Gaidheil with the Gaill ' (GG) ; notes on the Gaelic article ; a 
 study of St. Patrick's Hj^mn ; and lists of errors contained in 
 the edition of the Scriptures published by Dr. M'Lauchlan and 
 Dr. Clerk in 1860. 
 
 (3) A pile of sheets: contents miscellaneous. There are 
 among them, in print, a Gaelic sermon by Dr. Clerk of Kil- 
 mallie on the Headship of Christ, printed in 1865 ; two or 
 three copies of three Gaelic sermons by the late Rev. John 
 G. Campbell, Tiree ; a few articles on Gaelic Etymology and 
 Topography ; and a number of copies of a letter to the Edin- 
 burgh Courant on the errors in Drs. M'Lauchlan and Clerk's 
 edition of the Gaelic ScrijDtures. 
 
 This parcel contains a translation of Professor Windisch's 
 Grammar of Old Irish, by Dr. Cameron. For the rest, there 
 are a number of sheets of paper entirely blank, and a still larger 
 number with only a few lines of writing in large part de- 
 leted. The others contain for the most part notes of the same 
 character as those in the volumes described above, — repetition 
 of studies in St. Patrick's Hymn and other old texts, of errors 
 in the 1860 edition of the Gaelic Scriptures, of the correct mode 
 of writing such words as gion, duCn, bheil, etc., together with 
 a number of proverbs, specimens of examination papers and 
 answers of students, lists of book purchases, etc., etc. The 
 transcripts of important MSS. which Dr. Cameron made and
 
 312 CATALOGUE OF GAELIC MANUSCRIPTS 
 
 Iho MSS. which he possessed (v. JUL Celt, i. xii, et seq.) are 
 not among these papers. 
 
 3. — The MS. copy of Dr. Machain's Etymological Dictionary. 
 This volume was presented by Dr. Macbain's executors to 
 the University.
 
 APPENDIX III 313 
 
 APPENDIX III 
 
 Gaelic MSS. in private possession 
 I. In the iu7-iters possession. 
 
 1. A parchment MS. quarto size, consisting of thirteen leaves, 
 without cover. The MS. was evidently written in the late 
 fifteenth or early sixteenth century. The hand is very good and 
 regular. Capitals, except in the last four leaves, are splashed 
 with red, otherwise there is no ornamentation. The writing is 
 in two columns, and largely contracted. 
 
 The text is an imperfect copy of the Tract on Materia Medica 
 formerly described {v. supra, p. 17 e^ seq.). There is nothing to 
 indicate author, translator or scribe. The copy is complete at 
 the commencement, but defective at the end. Several leaves 
 are also awanting here and there. Thus after a continuous text 
 of two leaves, containing the articles Aron barba to Agnus 
 Castus, there is a break of two leaves. Our third leaf gives the 
 concluding part of the article on Aurifrigmentum, and ends 
 with that on Auena. Then comes another gap of probably 
 three leaves, the next article being Camolea quinquefolium, 
 with a continuous text to Caprifolimn nnater silua(e). Then 
 follows a further gap of say three leaves, the text now resuming 
 with the concluding part of the article on Fraxinus. The 
 remaining articles in ' F,' and the first five articles in * G ' to 
 Gariojilus tollow. Thereafter comes another break of two or 
 three leaves. The MS. now begins with the last four lines of 
 the article on Licrisia, and goes on with eight leaves of con- 
 tinuous text, ending abruptly with Jarap>igra Galieni, i.e. within 
 an article or two of the end of the Tract. 
 
 2. Eight leaves of parchment, small folio, stitched together 
 with stout linen thread. The writing on the first six leaves is 
 in two columns, in a plain, clear hand of the fifteenth century.
 
 3U APPENDIX 111 
 
 'J. J.' (? Jacobus Jack) is written in quite a modern hand on 
 the foot margin of fol. 'la, otherwise there is nothing to indicate 
 author, date, or scribe. The text is continuous, and the subject 
 is given in Latin, written in small capitals: (q)u{i)nque sunt 
 potencie ainme, etc. Then follows : Ised adeir Ar. in secundo 
 de animd cofuilit cuig cmnachta co generalta ag an anim, 
 ' What Aristotle says in the second (book of the) De anima is 
 that the soul has in general five faculties.' Of these brutes have 
 four {tuicsiu or understanding being the only one denied 
 them), while plants have only one, fas or growth. After 
 explaining technical terms, 2)otencia, object and others, the 
 exposition thereafter proceeds to the senses, of which there are 
 ten, five exterior (foirimillach) and five interior (inmedonach) ; 
 the organs with their objects and media; vision, which is 
 elaborately treated; hearing; taste and smell. The interior 
 senses, under the division of Auicenna — Sensus communis, 
 imaginatiua,fantastica, estimatiua, and memoratiua — are but 
 briefly handled. The tract ends with finit on fol. 6b 2, the 
 remainder of the column being taken up with short definitions 
 of elementum (dicil), uita {hetha), teine, etc., of which last the 
 following definition is offered : Is ed is teine ann duil ata inann 
 do gnath 7 gamairind a dilus do gnath amail ata in teine 
 nemtuicsinacli, ' Fire is an element which is ever the same, the 
 property of which ever endures, as fire is non-sensitive.' Several 
 authors are quoted in course of the discussion, — Af. = (Aristotle) ; 
 Ar. ( = Arnaldus, probably at times = Aristotle) ; Au. (Aui- 
 cenna) ; Algazel ; Alibertus ; YeWsam, ' philosopher ' (=Aristotle). 
 Fols. 7 and 8 are written in one column, and in a rougher 
 and later hand. The subject is charms and nostrums for the 
 cure of various ailments, for the furthering of desirable ends, 
 and the preventing of possible mischances. Sometimes herbs 
 are recommended for a suitable drug or plaster, but in all cases 
 cabalistic letters and words are essential for repetition, or for 
 being carried about the person. 
 
 3. A fragment consisting of three leaves of parchment, one 
 of which is detached. On the foot margin of the first leaf 
 ' John Smith ' is written. Across the page of the last leaf is 
 written in large, firm, modern hand, ' Enter not into quarrelsom
 
 APPENDIX III 315 
 
 company,' and, apparently in the same hand, down the middle 
 space of the detached leaf,' ' Jacobus Jack Aught this Book,' 
 
 The text is written in two columns, in a plain, legible 
 hand, and probably dating from the late sixteenth century. 
 The besfinning and end of the tract is ofiven, but the text 
 is not continuous, there being a gap between the first and 
 the detached leaf, and between this again and the third leaf. 
 The subject is a summary or abstract of the Treatise oi Maigh- 
 ister Ricairdi (cf. supra, p. 71). The tract opens with the 
 words formerly quoted and the former tract may well be a 
 copy of this. After stating that Ricairdi's treatise is itself 
 compiled from Hippocrates, Galen, Auicenna and Rhazes, 
 the writer adds that inasmuch as the greatest danger arises 
 when the ignorant physician fails to appreciate the symptoms 
 and prognostications described by these authorities in the case 
 of the acute diseases, the discussion of these must have the 
 foremost place. Accordingly, in the exposition which follows, 
 the illustrations in this fragment are confined practically to the 
 symptoms of the various kinds of fevers. The tract concludes 
 on fol. 3 b 1 thus : giir amlaid sin crichnaidlder suirii J derridus 
 .r. do toil de. finit., ' And thus is concluded the substance and 
 secret of R(icardi) by the will of God. It ends.' 
 
 The remainder of the last page is written upon, but in faded 
 ink, and is only in part legible. The first line is meant for a 
 cure for poisoned veins : Deoch ar neim cuislenn ann so . Gab 
 macall, ' A potion for poisoned veins. Take avens.' The next 
 line reads, Sgiath luireach Colum Cilli ann so sis. finid 
 (v. Erin v. p. 13, n. 6). Then comes a blank space followed 
 by illegible text. When the text becomes fairly readable, the 
 subject is religious and metrical. Several saints are invoked, 
 among them Geoirghi, Mach(a)omhog, Malaisi, Ronan, Molinn. 
 But the luireach which the writer specially seeks to protect 
 him is ' God, Christ Son of Mary, and the Holy Spirit.' 
 
 4. A paper MS. of a hundred and eighty pages, half bound. 
 The volume consists of a large number of extracts from various 
 sources, mainly Gaelic and Celtic. The compiler Avas (the Rev.) 
 John Smith, eldest son of Dr. Smith of Campbeltown, who died 
 early, and the date is about 1810. A table of contents is prefixed.
 
 31G APPENDIX III 
 
 Among the more important Celtic items arc: (p. 13) the well- 
 known Ossianic ballad, ' Oran a ' Chleirich (L. F,, p. 72" et seq.), 
 called here An Deilgneach MIlov, and said to have been copied 
 from Mr. Sage's MSS., with translation ; (p. 29) verses on ' Anna,' 
 with translation ; (p. 30) the reckoning of Fionn and Dubhan's 
 men {v. supra, p. 172); (p. 33) a fragment of Sliahh nam Ban 
 fionn {v. L. F., p. 142 et seq. supra, p. 232); (p. 58) words 
 in the Oriental languages, which have an analogy to Gaelic 
 roots, copied from Ossian, vol. iii., p. 426-9, with other com- 
 parisons between Hebrew and Gaelic vocables; (p. 62) long 
 extracts from Ossian, vol. iii., pp. 543-569, etc., about books and 
 MSS. illustrative of the history and civilisation of the Celts; 
 (pp. 84-9) an account of the proceedings, minutes, members, etc. 
 of a Gaelic Literary Society in Glasgow College in 1809-10; 
 (pp. 101-6) notices of the principal Gaelic books published from 
 1567 to the writer's day, with those in his own possession separ- 
 ately marked; (p. 110) translations of passages from Sean Dana 
 by Alex. Stewart of Moulin; (pp. 114-47), copy of hymns by 
 Duncan Macfadyen in Stralachlan (published in Glasgow in 
 1770); (pp. 148-60) copy of elegy on Dr. M'Lachlan, the 
 Duanag Ullanih and other verses, printed in Glasgow (no date, 
 but evidently about the same time as Macfadyen's hymns); 
 (pp. 161-9) comparison of Gaelic vocables with Hebrew, Greek, 
 Latin and English words, grammatical notes, etc.; (pp. 170-5) a 
 Gaelic poem, ' The Gael leaving his native land,' ascribed here 
 to Alexander Stewart; (p. 176) satirical verses; (178-9) trans- 
 lations from Anacreon, by (the Rev.) Daniel Kelly. 
 
 Along with these, there are scattered throughout the volume 
 extracts from Beattie, Dr. Johnson, Boswell and others, mainly 
 about Ossian, quotations from Tillotson's Sermons, etc. 
 
 5. A paper MS. of some seventy pages of large quarto, 
 covered in pasteboard with leather back. The volume is written 
 upon from both ends. Some leaves are cut out at the beginning, 
 and there are blank pages and spaces. On inner front cover is 
 ' John Smith, 6th February 1810, eVea irrepoevra.' Then follows 
 a fragment of a Gaelic Etymological Dictionary, beginning with 
 maireach, ' morrow,' and continuing to the end of the Gaelic 
 alphabet. Thereafter come additional vocables under on, s, and
 
 APPENDIX III 317 
 
 a few under g, h similarly treated. Excerpts from the Glossaries 
 to Gavin Douglas's poems, glossary of the Lancashire dialect, 
 and grammar prefixed to Johnson's Dictionary follow. 
 
 At the other end of the MS. a page is given to linguistic 
 notes and comparisons, culled from various sources, — African, 
 American, Indian, Gothic and other languages. Thereafter come 
 the following poems : 
 
 1. Taihhseadh na h-Ei7)ihir h-ailne, ' The Shade of Evir- 
 allin,' by Dr. Donald Smith. With these verses, compare the 
 very different version in Fingal, iv. 11. 85-114. 
 
 2. Agalladh Fhinn 's a' Ghairbh mlcic Stairn, ' The colloquy 
 of Fionn and the Rough son of Starn,' by Dr. D(onald) S(mith). 
 The verses are evidently Dr. Smith's composition. Five quatrains 
 are put into Fionn's mouth, and five in the Garbh's. Cf. the 
 popular ballads (which are quite different) in L. F., pp. 3-8. 
 
 3. ' Oran, Dr. D*^ Smith.' The subject is the disrespect 
 shown to Gaelic in Dr. Smith's day. 
 
 4. A long poem of ninety- six quatrains or three hundred and 
 eighty-four lines by J(ohn) S(mith), D.D., ' on the Times, being 
 a Dialogue between two poor Highlanders in the year 1794.' 
 An English translation of the first eighteen quatrains is given 
 by the author. 
 
 5. Three quatrains by the three daughters of a mariner, 
 endeavouring to keep their father at home. 
 
 6. Verses attributed to Bishop Carsewell(v. sit29ra,pp.205,263). 
 
 7. Eight quatrains, anonymous. 
 
 8. Bds Artuir. Here in twelve quatrains. 
 
 9. The Elegy of Murcha MacBrian. The poem is printed 
 with variations in A. and D. Stewart's Collection, p. 549, to 
 which the reader is here referred. 
 
 10. Laoidh na Muigh finne. Nine quatrains, lamenting the 
 present desolation of the once gay abode of the fair M. 
 
 11. Rosg Fhinn. Nine quatrains in which the hero lauds 
 his followers. 
 
 12. Twelve quatrains, beginning, 
 
 Gabh mo theagasg, a bhean og. 
 
 This copy is extracted by Dr. Donald Smith from the Bolg- 
 solaraidh of Bryan Kelly, Kilmainham. Cf. su2'>ra, p. 208.
 
 318 APPENDIX III 
 
 13. Six lines, descriptive of heaven, from the same source 
 as No. 12. 
 
 14. Hymnus Christo. Four quatrains, beginning, 
 
 A ilhuine nacli luir dliuit creiiclula an chroidhe on dall. 
 
 15. Columba's farewell to Aran, beginning, 
 
 Ceileabhradh uaimsi d'Aruin. 
 
 The poem is accompanied by an explanatory note sent by Dr 
 Donald Smith from Euniskillen in 1798 to his brother Dr. 
 John Smith. 
 
 These MSS. came to the writer from Mrs. Macfadyen, formerly 
 of the Manse, Kildalton, grandnicce of the brothers Dr. Donald 
 Smith and Dr. John Smith. 
 
 n. In the possession of Rev. George Henderson, M.A., Ph.D. 
 
 1. Ratisbon MS. 
 
 This is a MS. of the seventeenth century, brought from 
 Ratisbon in 1862, by the late Rev. Donald M'Coll, a native of 
 Ardgour, priest in South Uist, Laggan, and Morvern, and pre- 
 sented by him to Dr. Henderson. 
 
 The MS. is of paper, some 9 in. long, 4 in. broad, and about 
 1 in. thick, covered in white vellum, with notches for thongs 
 which are now worn off. The MS. evidently went to Ratisbon 
 from Louvain. The contents are : — 
 
 1. A copy of the poem in the Fernaig MS. entitled Bhreishlirjli 
 Ghonochi Voihr, ' The vision of Donnachadh Mor (O'Daly),' but 
 here attributed, and no doubt more correctly, to Baothghalach 
 onac Aodhagain {v. supra, p. 269). 
 
 2. A large Treatise, entitled Sgathan Shacrmnaint na 
 h-Aithrighe . . . Aodh Mac Aingil, leghtheoir diadhachta a 
 ceolaisde na m-hrathar n-eirionnach a lohhdin, ' The Mirror of 
 the Sacrament of Penitence ' by ' Hugh Mac Caghwell, Professor 
 of Divinity in the College of the Irish Brothers in Louvain.' 
 Several transcripts were made of this Treatise, and it was printed 
 in Louvain in 1618. The learned author wrote other works in 
 Latin, in particular on the philosophy of the famous Duns Scotus. 
 
 3. A long poem with preface, also in Gaelic, by Gillebrighde,
 
 APPENDIX III 319 
 
 alias Bonaventura, h-Eodhusa on the somewhat mixed affairs, 
 social and ecclesiastical, of Meiler Magrath, Archbishop of 
 Cashel. O'Hosey was the author of the first poem in the 
 Fernaig MS., entitled Krossanighk Illivreed (v. supra, p. 2G9). 
 He also wrote the Treatise known as the Teagasg Criosdaidhe, 
 printed at Lou vain in 1608, at Antwerp in 1611, and at Rome 
 in 1707. 
 
 4. Two or three religious quatrains follow^ing O'Hosey's Poem 
 on Magrath and his affairs, beginning, 
 
 A righ na ccreaclit fhuair eug am barr an chroinn. 
 
 5. The last seven leaves of the MS., Avhich probably did not 
 originally belong to it, are ' written in the English hand of about 
 the reign of Charles ii., and consist of a short account of the 
 devotion to the Rosary.' 
 
 For a more detailed description of this MS, v. ' A manuscript 
 from Ratisbon, by George Henderson,' in vol. xxvi. of the 
 Transactions of the Gaelic Society of Inverness, p. 87. 
 
 2. The M'Nicol Collection. 
 
 The M'Nicol collection, which disappeared more than once, is 
 at present in the custody of Dr. Henderson. It bears consider- 
 able resemblance to the Maclagan Collection described above 
 (supra, p. 302 et seq.), only that the latter is more extensive 
 and more exclusively Gaelic. The contents may be briefly 
 summarised as follows : — 
 
 1. A larsfe collection of Ossianic Ballads. Details are un- 
 necessary. Mr. J. F. Campbell had access to the M'Nicol MSS. 
 He gives a full account of the Ossianic portion in L. F. v, xv, 
 and prints the texts on p. 3, et seq. 
 
 2. There are here, as in the Maclagan Collection, poems and 
 songs by well-known Gaelic Bards, such as Mary Macleod, 
 John Lom Macdonald, Alexander Macdonald, John M'Codrum, 
 Dugald Buchanan, Duncan M'Intyre, the blind piper Mackay, 
 James Shaw, and others. The elegy on Sir Lachlan Maclean 
 of Duart, entitled A' chno SJtamhna, 'The Martinmas nut,' 
 beginning, 
 
 Thriall ar bunadh gu Pharras, 
 ' Our chief has gone to heaven,'
 
 320 APPENDIX III 
 
 is here attributed to 'lame raul,' but is ascribed, more correctly, 
 to EdcJiauu Jnicach, 'Hector the Lainc,' a well-known Maclean 
 poet, by R. MM), (p. 85), John Mackenzie (Beauties of Gaelic 
 Poetry, p. 77), and Kev. A. Maclean Sinclair (Gaelic Bards, i. p. 45). 
 
 3. Various poems and songs, some of which were more 
 common in M'Nicol's day than now. Copies of such favourites 
 as the Comhachag, Duanwj Ullamh, Aged Bard's Wish, are here. 
 So are also such pieces as Baran Siq^air (v. Conflicts amiong 
 the Clans, p. 101), the ' Snuti-grace ' (ibid. p. 136), Buabastar na 
 Beirte (v. Gillies, p. 138), with many others. 
 
 4. There are several verses and sayings of Aonghus nan Aoir 
 (v. Transactions of the Gaelic Society of Inverness, vol. xxvi. et 
 suiyra, p. 215). 
 
 5. A translation into Gaelic of ' Auld Robin Gray,' printed in 
 Am Bolg Solair (Glasgow : Sinclair, p. 73), and a copy of the 
 Latin poem on the Battle of Killiecrankie (v. supra, pp. 289, 
 303). 
 
 6. The Tale of Murchadh Mac Brian (v. supra, p. 146). 
 
 7. ' The Black Prince,' of which the title alone is in English. 
 
 8. A number of Gaelic Sermons by Mr. M'Nicol. 
 
 9. A Journal in Gaelic from 1809 to 1813, by Major Dugald 
 M'Nicol, a son of the minister, who was himself a writer of 
 verse. 
 
 The Collection contains also, among other matter, the follow- 
 ing written in English. 
 
 1. Papers and Letters on the Ossianic Controversy. 
 
 2. An Abstract or First Draft of the Author's Remarks on 
 Johnson's Journey to the Hebrides. 
 
 3. Several Genealogical Papers, including the Genealogy of 
 Neil M'Vurich, the Bard of Clanranald. 
 
 4. A MS. History of Scotland, 1419-1550, and 1520-1564. 
 
 5. Extracts from Guthrie's History, and from Lhuyd's 
 Archaeologia Britannica. 
 
 6. A number of Sermons, with a Journal giving the dates on 
 which the Sermons (in Gaelic and English) were preached in 
 Lismore, Appin, and elsewhere. 
 
 In addition to the above, Dr. Henderson has several 
 papers of interest which belonged at one time to the Rev. Dr. 
 Mackintosh Mackay and to John Morrison of Harris.
 
 APPENDIX III 321 
 
 III. MSS. of Rob Bonn's Poems 
 
 Two copies of this famous bard's poems were taken down 
 during his lifetime. One was written by the Rev. ^Eneas 
 Macleod, afterwards minister of Rogart. This copy was last 
 seen in the possession of the late Rev. Dr. Mackintosh Mackay, 
 and, it is to be feared, is irrecoverably lost. The other was 
 done by Miss Thomson, daughter of the minister of Durness. 
 This copy is now in the possession of Dr. Hew Morrison, 
 Edinburgh. 
 
 IV. In the possession of the Rev. John Walker Macintyre, 
 Kilmonivaig 
 
 Mr. Macintyre possesses three MSS. 
 
 1. The second transcript of the Dean of Lismore's MS., 
 written by Ewen M'Lachlan, of Aberdeen. This MS. was given 
 to the late Rev. Dr. Macintyre of Kilmonivaig by its former 
 possessor, who emigrated. 
 
 2. A bulky volume, being an English-Gaelic Dictionary, 
 compiled in the latter half of the eighteenth century. The 
 volume probably came into the possession of the late Dr. 
 Macintyre, through his relative, James Macintyre of Glenoe, 
 who, with several others, did a great deal of useful work, in 
 collecting material for a Gaelic Dictionary at that time (of suj^ra, 
 p. 281). 
 
 3. A copy of a collection of Gaelic Proverbs made in 1769, 
 by Ewen Macdiarmid, which was in the possession afterwards 
 of the late Mr. John Shaw, Kinloch Rannoch, v. Nicolsons 
 Proverbs, p. xxxiii. For other MSS. possessed by Mr. Shaw, 
 cf. L. F., p. xvii. 
 
 V. The late Captain Matheson of Dornies Collection 
 
 Next to Mr. J. F. Campbell of Islay's MSS. {v. supra, p. 281), 
 the most meritorious collection of the nineteenth century that 
 has come under the writer's notice is that by the late Captain 
 Alexander Matheson of Dornie. This collection consists of three 
 volumes, one of foolscap, thin, neatly bound, but only in small 
 
 X
 
 322 CATALOGUE OF GAELIC MANUSCRIPTS 
 
 part written upon; a second of large octavo, 206 pages of which 
 arc written upon ; and the third of smaller octavo wholly written 
 upon. 
 
 The contents of the three volumes are practically the same, 
 an extensive collection of songs and poems composed in the 
 west of Ross-shire and neighbouring districts, by Mathesons, 
 Macraes, Mackenzies and others, and recovered from old people 
 by the industrious collector. Some of the songs and poems 
 have been published, in Avhole or in part, in various collections. 
 But much the greater number have not hitherto been printed. 
 A valuable feature of the collection is the notes attached to 
 nearly all the poems, naming the author and the date or 
 probable date of the composition, with frequently an anecdote 
 or interesting tradition regarding them. 
 
 The third volume is more of the nature of a scrap book, and 
 is less carefully written ; but the greater part of the contents 
 of this collection, if competently edited, would be a valuable 
 addition to modern Gaelic literature. 
 
 The writer is indebted to the sister of the collector, Miss 
 Betsie Matheson, for the privilege of perusing this collection. 
 
 There are several other literary remains of the nineteenth 
 century that one meets with, or hears of, here and there. Con- 
 spicuous among recent collectors, not to speak of those still 
 living, were Dr. M'Lauchlan of Edinburgh, Rev. J. G. Campbell 
 of Tiree, and the Rev James Macdougall of Duror. But a con- 
 siderable portion of presumably the most valuable part of the 
 labours of these and other such men have been published at 
 one time or other.
 
 APPENDIX IV 323 
 
 APPENDIX IV 
 
 Gaelic MSS. lost or missing 
 
 In addition to the MSS. catalogued above there are many 
 Gaelic papers of interest in private libraries. The late Dr. 
 M'Lauchlan e.g. possessed sermons written in Gaelic by the 
 Rev. James Stewart of Killin. Dr. Cameron had access to 
 Gaelic MSS. and papers by Dr. Stuart of Luss. A great-grand- 
 daughter of Duncan M'Intyre has papers and memoranda con- 
 nected with the poet's life and work. There are no doubt many 
 such here and there. 
 
 Older and later many MSS. of Scottish Gaelic origin have 
 found their way out of the country. A few such are still 
 traceable. Thus the oldest book now existing which can be 
 proved to have been written in Scotland, a copy of Adamnan's 
 Vita Columhae, transcribed by Dorbeneus, who died as Abbot- 
 elect of lona in 713, is now in the public library of SchafFhausen. 
 The Book of Deer is in Cambridge. One or two old Scotic MSS, 
 are in Rome. These and others such, apart from the Gaelic 
 colophon and memoranda in the Book of Deer, are written 
 in Latin. 
 
 To come to a later date : one or two of the Gaelic MSS. in 
 the British Museum are from Scotland. The so-called Red and 
 Black Books of Clanranald are in the possession of the Chief of 
 that name. Papers of Ewen M'Lachlan, including his transla- 
 tions from the Iliad into Gaelic, are at present in England in 
 private possession. In recent times, emigrants have occasion- 
 ally carried Gaelic MSS. abroad, and one or two have been 
 written in the Colonies. The Rev. A. MacLean Sinclair of 
 Pictou, Nova Scotia, a MS. collection of Gaelic litera- 
 ture, made by Dr. Mackenzie of Gruline, whose daughter, 
 Mary, in the absence of her father, entertained Dr. Samuel 
 Johnson ; another collection made by his own grandfather, the
 
 324 CATALOGUE OF GAELIC MANUSCRIPTS 
 
 poet John Maclean from Tiree, who owned and brought with 
 him to the Island Dr. Mackenzie's MS. ; and a third, a rhymed 
 version of the Psalms of David, with other matter, written by 
 the late Rev. Dr. Blair, in the Colony. 
 
 But much the greater number of the MSS. written by the 
 old Gaelic scholars are, it is to be feared, lost for ever. 
 Occasional references to some in the older period — the ' obits ' of 
 lona e.g., from which a portion of the Annals of Ulster would be 
 compiled, are made in Reeves's edition of Adamnan's Vita 
 Columbae. Beyond that they were of great value, we know little 
 of the contents of the old Library of lona. It used to be said 
 that many volumes went from lona to Glasgow ; Dr. Campbell 
 (supra, p. 309) says that some went to Douay. The Latin 
 section would be much larger than the Gaelic. The dispersion 
 of the considerable Gaelic library of the M'Vurichs, bards to the 
 Clanranald chiefs, is described in 1800 by the illiterate de- 
 scendant of that distinguished family (v. Rep. on Ossian, p. 275). 
 The M'Yurichs lost their lands and their literary zeal. He him- 
 self, not having been taught to read, was indifferent as to the 
 fate of the volumes. Some went here and some went there. 
 Clanranald ordered his uncle to give the Red Book to James 
 Macpherson from Badenoch. Alexander Macdonald the poet took 
 some volumes away; his son Ranald took others; he saw tailors 
 cut some of the parchments into stripes for measuring-tapes. 
 Martin in his description of the Western Isles mentions two 
 copies of the old Gaelic Life of St Columba existing in his day, 
 one with M'Neill of Barra, the other with Macdonald of 
 Benbecula. One of these may be that in our MS. XL (u supra 
 p. 92). The same author describes the medical Library of Dr. 
 Fergus Beaton of Uist, some portion of which may well form 
 part of the medical section of our Scottish Collection now. 
 Mr. M'Nicol, in his reply to Dr. Johnson, remarks again and 
 again upon lost Gaelic MSS. Further references on the same 
 subject are met with in L. F. and Rel. Celt Cf also supra, 
 pp. 217-225, 255, 308. 
 
 Special mention must be made regarding three such MSS.
 
 APPENDIX IV 325 
 
 1. The Records of the Isles. 
 
 During the administration of the Lords of the Isles, records 
 seem to have been pretty regularly kept. This department, we 
 are told, was in charge of MacDuffie or M'Phee of Colonsay. 
 These would, in part, be written in Gaelic. The disappearance 
 of these records is a great loss not merely to the History of the 
 West Highlands but to the History of Scotland. 
 
 2. A translation of the Old Testament into Scottish Gaelic. 
 
 During Cromwell's regime the Synod of Argyll showed un- 
 wonted litarary activity. They turned the Psalms of David into 
 Gaelic verse, and printed, in 1659, the first fifty of them in a 
 little volume, now extremely rare, called the Caogad or ' fifty.' 
 At the same time they took steps to translate the whole of the 
 Scriptures into Scottish Gaelic, and portioned out the Old 
 Testament, up to and including Canticles, among their members. 
 From the Synod Minutes we gather that the Books of Job 
 Proverbs, Ecclesiastes and Canticles were translated before 
 October 1657, and the Pentateuch by November 1660. Other 
 parcels were also completed, but details are not given. After 
 the Restoration the zeal of the Synod waned. Apart from the 
 first fifty their rhymed version of the Psalms was not printed 
 until after the Revolution. No part of this translation of the 
 Old Testament was ever printed. Mr. M'Nicol says that the 
 MS. was in the library of the Duke of Argyll shortly before he 
 wrote. Dr. Hew Scott (Fasti, v. p. 14) states that Duncan 
 Campbell, minister of (North) Knapdale translated the two books 
 of Chronicles, and that the MS. still existed, in 1851. But all 
 efforts to trace any portion of this work have hitherto proved 
 fruitless. The loss of this MS. to Scottish Gaelic Literature is 
 very great. The translation was made independent of the Irish 
 translation, for although the latter was done earlier it was not 
 printed until later, in 1685. This great work, even though a 
 translation, would be a most important addition to our meagre 
 stock of Scottish Gaelic prose.
 
 326 CATALOGUE OF GAELIC MANUSCRIPTS 
 
 3. Farquharson's Collection of Gaelic Poetry. 
 
 Father Farquharson, at one time student, afterwards Prefect, 
 of the College of Doiiay, when a young priest in this country 
 made a collection of Gaelic poetry. From the account given 
 in the 1807 edition of Ossian, vol. i. xl-lviii, this collection must 
 have been very extensive. The MS. is said to have been 
 of folio size, three inches thick, and closely written. The 
 priest brought the volume to Douay with him. It appears 
 to have been specially rich in Ossianic poetry. When 
 Macpherson's Ossian appeared, Mr. Farquharson carefully 
 compared Macpherson's English version with his own MS., and 
 was delighted to find the latter superior and fuller. After the 
 Prefect's day his MS. fell on evil days in Douay. The last heard 
 of it is that the students used its leaves to light their fires. If 
 we had this large and valuable MS. now, it would probably throw 
 little light on the Ossianic controversy, but it would consider- 
 ably enlarge our knowledge of the literature current in the east 
 of Inverness and Ross in the middle of the eighteenth century.
 
 ADDITIONS AND CORRECTIONS 
 
 Page 2 line 7, add, ' also IVa, IVb, being MSS. CIV, CIII of this Catalogue, 
 described on p. 2G6.' 
 „ „ 25, for XXXVI read XXXVII. 
 
 5 „ 27, add 'as also the large medical MS. described on pp. 274-277, 
 and probably MS. XVIII {v. p. 51).' 
 
 7 „ 25, 6e/ore ' copy' ?'ead 'defective.' 
 
 8 „ 6, add 'This tract is printed by Alan 0. Anderson, M.A., with 
 translation and notes, in Bev. Celt, xxx. p. 404 + .' 
 
 18 „ 11, for 'Vive' read 'Six.' 
 
 „ „ 35, add '6. A copy in Ireland, dated 1466. v. O'R. p. cxxx.' 
 
 23 „ 21, 31, for ^ (Saiiitatis) ' read ' scientiae.' 
 
 25 „ 32, for ' (G)il(f)inn' read ' Illann,' and cf. Bev. Celt., xi. 401. 
 
 51 „ 21, after ' 14,' add ' Cf. medical MS. described on pp. 273-277.' 
 
 52 „ 24, after ' C ' add ' O'M.,' and delete ' by the hound.' 
 54 „ 31, /or 'la2' read 7a2.' 
 
 61 „ 24, add ' v. pp. 206-207.' 
 
 62 „ 13, after 'returned' «(/(? 'v. p. 272, line 20.' 
 72 „ 29, add 'v. p. 309, 1. 1.' 
 75 ,, 37, add 'According to Trans. B. I. A., xxvi. 31, there is a copy of this 
 
 Passion in Liber Flavins Fergusiorum.' 
 77 „ 39, add 'But v. Eriu, iv. 173.' 
 
 79 „ 10, add ' For religious passages in MS. IV. v. p. 23.' 
 87 „ 27, after ' Christians' add ' cf B. L. xx.' 
 
 89 (foot) /or 'O'Gr. Cat., p. 661,' read ' Y. B. L., p. 20b.' 
 
 90 line 24 for ' Text ' read ' Texts.' 
 95 „ 14 /or ^chumacht' read ^ smacht.' 
 98 „ 9 add ' MS. XL not MS. XLVIII must be the Bianf of H. S. D. 
 
 MS. XL is so named (v. p. 153) by E. M'L., one of the chief 
 compilers of the Dictionary.' 
 113 „ 27 delete 'late.' 
 126,, 34 /or 'L' read 'LI.' 
 128 „ 14 /or 'LXXXr read 'LXXXIIL' 
 
 133 „ 1, after ' 1782' add 'but with much shorter and different text.' 
 136 „ 22, add ' There is a copy in the Book of Hui Maine, cf. Archiv fur 
 
 Celt. Lexih, II. 145.' 
 141 „ 6, for 'hearers' read 'companions.' 
 144 „ 26, add '3a. Pp. 96a-104a contain a copy of Bruighean bheag na 
 
 h-Almhuin. Cf. p. 141.' 
 156 line 8, after 'John' add '[Minaird "little height" is met with in 
 Scotland and Ireland. There are two in Argyllshire, one a 
 small estate on Loch Fyne ; another, a farm near Airdoran, 
 at one time the seat of the O'Conachers or M'Conachers, 
 physicians of Lorn].'
 
 328 CATALOGUE OF GAELIC MANUSCRIPTS 
 
 Page 1G4 lino 28, (nld ' This coinpo.sition is sometimes attributed to the poet Egan 
 O'Rahilly, and extracts from it have been printed in the 
 second edition of the poet's works published by the Irish 
 Texts Society, 1911.' Cf. also Zeit. filr Celt. Phil, v. 541. 
 
 „ 182 (foot), add ' The Tract is printed, with translation, in Celt. Rev., vii. 
 52-62, bv the Rev. George Caldcr, B.D.' 
 
 „ 184 line 13, for '2 3' read 213. 
 
 „ 195 „ 7, add ^ The Phar.'^nl in, other wise, In Cath Catharda, ^^ The Civil 
 War," with translation, notes, and vocabulary, was printed 
 by Whitley Stokes, and published after the great scholar's 
 lamented death. Irische Te.de (iv, 2. Leipzig, 1909.) The 
 Thebaid is being printed, with translation and notes, by the 
 writer in Celt. Rev. (vii. 106 et seq.).' 
 
 „ 201 „ 14,/or 'Proc.'rearf 'Trans.' 
 
 ,, 202 (foot), add 'The Gaelic versions give only the first seven books of the 
 Pharsalia.' 
 
 „ 208 line 13, add 'This satire is printed by O'Donovan in The Tribes of 
 Ireland, p. 284. (Dublin, 1852.)' 
 
 „ „ „ 31, /or 'column 'rcrt(? ' columns.' 
 
 „ 219 „ 34, after 'Finit' add 'The text is printed in the Todd Lecture 
 Series, vol. xvi. p. 24 + .' 
 
 „ 240 „ 3, 32, for ' Phil.' read ' Lexik.' 
 
 „ „ „ 23, for ' MSS.' read ' MS.' 
 
 „ 242 „ 27, after 'son ' insert ' ?.' 
 
 „ 249 „ 1, for ' 220' read '202.' 
 
 „ 255 „ 19, add ' The Legend is printed by Eoghan O'Neachtain in Erin, 
 iv. 49 + , and has been published by Gill and Son. Dublin, 
 1911.' 
 
 „ 260 „ 17, insert 'MS. LXXXIV. This MS. is the copy made for Dr. 
 Skene of E. M'L.'s transcript of MS. XXXVII {cf p. 227). 
 
 „ 260 „ 30, for ' 158, line 3, to p. 299 ' read ' 148 to p. 309.' 
 
 „ 267 „ 11, after ' Library' add ' Cf p. 310, 1. 11.' 
 
 „ „ „ l9,for '129' read '137.' 
 
 ,, 288 „ 22, for ' seven,' read ' six.' 
 
 „ 291 „ 18 after ' severely ' insert '(The subject of Macintyre's Satire was 
 Mac Neacain, not MacNicol).' 
 
 „ 295 ,, 12, /or ' Proceedings' reafi 'Transactions.' 
 
 , 297 „ 2, add ' The Contract, with translation by the Rev. Dr. 
 M'Lauchlan, is printed in the Gael, ii. pp. 155, 156.' 
 298 „ 17, for ' al,so ' read ' also.' 
 
 „ 300 „ 30, add ' Cf. p. 274. It would appear that this copy was not made 
 from the copy of earlier date there described.' 
 
 „ 307 „ 4, after 'Bard' add 'A poem by Domhnall Ban Bard is printed 
 in Gaelic Bards, ii. p. 113.' 
 
 „ 315 „ 2S, for ' Erin ' read ' Eriu,' and after ' 6 ' insert (.).
 
 INDEX 
 
 I. Names of Authors and Principal Persons 
 
 Aaron, 78, 219. 
 Abercromby, Hon. John, 292. 
 Ab Ithel ( = Johu Williams), 273. 
 Abratruadh, 108. 
 Achadhiianaidh, Bean fir, 257. 
 Achilles, personal appearance of, 199. 
 Adam, 77-78, 94, 1U8, 117, 120. 
 Adamnan, 323. 
 Aed (King), 93. 
 
 son of Dagda, 136. 
 
 Aegeas (Proconsul), 74. 
 Aidan (King), 109, 111. 
 Ailill (King of Connaught), 156. 
 Ainmire, King, 109. 
 Aird-na-bidhe, Fear, 254. 
 Aitheach Tuatha, 126, 138, 184. 
 Alexander (Physician), 21, 47. 
 
 the Great (verses at grave of), 
 
 307. 
 
 Albannach, Dubghall, 72. 
 
 Duncha 6g, 237. 
 
 • Muireach, 237, 239, 240. 
 
 Algazel, 40, 42, 48, 314. 
 
 Aliabas, 35. 
 
 Alibertus, 17, 40, 48, 53, 314. 
 
 Almasor, 13, 28, 30. 
 
 Almogestus Tomoei, 46. 
 
 Allan, son of Rory, 230, 233, 235. 
 
 Amergin, 180. 
 
 Anacreon (translation from), 316. 
 
 Anderson, A. 0., 7, 94, 155. 
 
 Andrevr (Apostle), 73. 
 
 Andtapus, 28, 30. 
 
 Aneurin, 273. 
 
 Angus (of the Isles), 244. 
 
 (of Islay), 285. 
 
 bg (of the Isles), 5. 
 
 son of Farquhar, son of Angus, 
 
 63, 65. 
 Animatus, 44. 
 Anna, 79. 
 Anne, Queen, 306. 
 Anselm (St.), 74, 85, 103. 
 Antipater, 76. 
 
 Apolonius, 44. 
 Appin, Laird of, 306. 
 Aquinas, Thomas, 24, 38. 
 Archibald (Laird of Largie), 174 
 Argyll, Countess of, 246. 
 
 Earls of, 117, 244, 263, 304. 
 
 Library of, 325. 
 
 Marquess of, 117, 264. 
 
 Taoisech of (v. O'Colla), 126. 
 
 Aristotle, passim 8-71, 314. 
 Arnaldus, 13, 16, 57, 58, 68, 314. 
 Arnalldus of Villa Nova, 46, 47. 
 Artaenfer, 107, 112, 138, 173. 
 Arthur, King, 117, 188. 
 
 Artri (King of Munster), 113. 
 
 Artur, death of, 317. 
 
 Astle, 201. 
 
 Athteothus (Tateus?), 9. 
 
 Atkinson, Professor, Glossary to Brehon 
 
 Laws, 177. 
 
 On Irish Metric, 181. 
 
 Passions and Homilies, 73, 
 
 74, 76, 79, 86. 
 Augustine, 24 ; (De Civitate Dei), 309. 
 Averroes (v. Colliget), 16, 21, 31, 42, 
 
 47, 53. 
 Avicen na, ^a^sj'm 8-71, 276, 277, 314, 
 
 315. 
 
 Bade (daughter of Calatin), 149. 
 
 Baedan, son of Oairell, 111. 
 
 Baitin (Baithin), 79, 90. 
 
 Balar baluan, 120. 
 
 Bannatyne, Lord, 2, 158, 272. 
 
 Bard ban, 307. 
 
 Bard in Leymm, 238. 
 
 Bartholomeus, 53, 58. 
 
 Beatha — whence M'Bheath(adh), 
 
 M'Beath, M'Veagh, Beaton, etc., 
 
 285. 
 Beaton, Christopher M'Veagh, 285. 
 Donald, 62, 283, 2S6. 
 
 Eoin (John), 14, 17, 21, 52, 61, 
 
 79, 88, 283, 284, 285. 
 
 329
 
 330 
 
 CATALOGUE OF GAELIC MANUSCRIPTS 
 
 Beaton, Faruhar (Fiirquliar), 298. 
 
 Fergus, 285, 2S6, 295, 324. 
 
 Fergus /inn, 25, 285. 
 
 Gillaudcrs, 49, 286. 
 
 dubli, 57. 
 
 Gille Coluim (Malcolm), 6, 22, 
 
 88, 286. 
 
 Gille Crist (Christopher), 285. 
 
 Hector, 25. 
 
 James, 88, 89, 285, 286. 
 
 Neil, 25, 285. 
 
 Niall dg, 25. 
 
 mac Giollandris, 49. 
 
 tjlas mac Giollandris, 49. 
 
 mac Neill Meigbethadh, 
 
 25. 
 
 • Rory son of Neill, 285. 
 
 D. M. B., 286. 
 
 G. M. B., 286. 
 
 M. B., 43, 
 
 Beattie, Professor, 310. 
 
 Bebhinn, 120. 
 
 Be Boirche, 203. 
 
 Be chairm, 120. 
 
 Becuill, 120. 
 
 Becc Boirche, 203. 
 
 Bede, 109. 
 
 Bedus, Sanctus, 9. 
 
 Beirbhe ( = Bergen), 143. 
 
 Berchan, St., 93. 
 
 Bernardus Gordonius, 6, 9, 16, 25, 27, 
 
 28,51,68, 70, 274, 283, 298, 
 Bethune, Angus, 299. 
 
 Anna, 298. 
 
 John, 299. 
 
 Betrus (Petrus?), 9. 
 
 Bile (father of Mile), 108. 
 
 Blair, Rev. Dr., 324. 
 
 Bleire (Bruce?), Robert, 126. 
 
 Boesius (Boethius ?), 9. 
 
 Boethius, 46. 
 
 Boswell, James, 316. 
 
 Bove the Red, 168. 
 
 Breas son of Ealad(h)an, 108, 
 
 Bricne (of tlie venomous tongue), 160. 
 
 Bridget, St., 88. 
 
 Bris so uolus (?), 71. 
 
 Brooke, Miss, 151, 233, 234, 252, 253. 
 
 Browlingych, Gillecrist, 238. 
 
 Bruce, Robert the, 5, 285. 
 
 Brude, son of Maelchu, 93. 
 
 Buchanan, Dugald, 305, 319. 
 
 Buttner, Professor, 266. 
 
 CfflSAR, Emperor, 13. 
 Cahan, James, 174. 
 
 Cairpre Cindihait, 138. 
 
 Lifeachair, 186, 236. 
 
 ri({fota, 109, 110. 
 
 Calatin, 147. 
 
 Calder, Rev. George, 195. 
 Cameron, Rev. Alexander, LL.D., 162, 
 228, 208, 323 ; papers of, 310. 
 
 Sir Ewen, 307, 308. 
 
 Campbell, Colin, 116. 
 
 Rev. Colin, D.D., 113. 
 
 Colin, of Lochnell, 276. 
 
 Duncan, 243. 
 
 Rev. Duncan, 325. 
 
 Sir Duncan, Elegy on, 297, 305 ; 
 
 pedigree of, 297. 
 (Duncan?), 'new Gaelic Song 
 
 Book,' 257. 
 
 Rev. Du., 281. 
 
 John (of the Bank of Scotland), 
 
 297. 
 John F., 3, 142, 146, 228, 266, 
 
 281, 321. 
 Rev. J. G., Tiree, 311, 322. 
 
 Miss, 212. 
 
 Dr., Achnamba, 309, 324. 
 
 Robert, 159. 
 
 Rev. William, 159. 
 
 Caoilte mac Ronain, 230, 233. 
 
 Carmichael, Alexander, LL.D., 170. 
 
 Carsewell, Bishop, verses attributed 
 to, 205, 263, 269, 304, 317. 
 
 Catherine, St., 241. 
 
 Ceallachan King of Munster, 112. 
 
 Celsus(MS. Selsus), 71. 
 
 Celtchair mao Uthechair, 167. 
 
 Cennfaeladh, 180. 
 
 Cermait, 108. 
 
 Charles I., descent of, 126. 
 
 Chalmers, George, 287, 288. 
 
 Christ Jesus, print of feet, 173 ; per- 
 sonal appearance of, 79 ; passion of, 
 75, 85. 
 
 Cian, 166. 
 
 Ciaran, St., 87. 
 
 Ciarnaid, 111. 
 
 Cithruadh, 132. 
 
 Claen (poet of Alba), 138. 
 
 Clerk, Rev. Dr. Archibald, 121, 236, 
 290, 311. 
 
 Cochondacht mac Thearlaieh bhuidh(e), 
 238. 
 
 Colgan King of Lochlann, 140. 
 
 Colla Uais, 126. 
 
 Colliget (title of MS.), 16 ; common 
 designation of Averroes [q. v.).
 
 INDEX 
 
 331 
 
 Collum Columbine, 213. 
 
 Colman, 93, 109. 
 
 Columba, St., 61, 90, 92, 93, 104, 109, 
 
 251, 304, 315, 318. 
 
 Life of, Gaelic, 92. 
 
 Latin, 92. 
 
 Poems attributed to, 81, 104, 
 
 251, 304, 315, 318. 
 
 At Drumceatt, 
 
 Charm attributed to, 61. 
 
 Directions to Baithin, 90. 
 
 Dues of Churches, 90. 
 
 Com(m)entator, 16, 31, 40, 41, 48, 54, 
 
 58. 
 Conaire mac Mhogli Lamha, 249, 
 Conall Cearnach, HI, 230. 
 
 Clairingnech, 90. 
 
 Echluath, 132. 
 
 Gulbau, 142. 
 
 Conaran mac Aimidil, 144. 
 
 Conchar of Ardoran (v. O'Conchubhair), 
 
 309. 
 
 Duncan (v. O'Conchubhair), 274. 
 
 Conchobar mac Nessa, 111, 157. 
 Conlaoch son of Cuchulainn, 236. 
 Conn Cetchathach, 136, 249, 250. 
 Connellan, Owen, 249. 
 Constans, Professor Leopold, 196. 
 Constantine, 8, 17, 21, 24, 28, 42, 46, 
 
 53, 61. 
 Cormac Conloiuges, 160. 
 
 mac Airt, 7, 111, 186-189. 
 
 'mac Cuilennan, 177, 178, 180, 
 
 304. 
 Corrgend, 136. 
 
 Craca, Maid of, 234, 236, 261. 
 Craigie, W. A., 138. 
 Crichinbel, 130. 
 Croneen, Thadeus, 210. 
 Crowe, O'Beirne, 155. 
 Cuchulainn, death of, 146, 183, 230. 
 Cu Cuilleasc (satirist), 148. 
 Curoi mac Daire, 156. 
 Currie, Sir Donald, 248. 
 
 Daelbaeth, 108. 
 
 Dagda, 108, 130. 
 
 Damascenus. v. John of Damascus. 
 
 Dalian Forgaill, 93. 
 
 Daly, Peter, 292. 
 
 Darieth (Dares Phrygius), 199. 
 
 Darthula (Macphersonese for Deirdre), 
 
 170, 259. 
 David I., genealogy of, 106, 126. 
 David, King of Israel, 73, 78, 324, 
 
 Deirdre, 159 (v. Heroic Lays). 
 Derborgaill, 112. 
 Diaferus, 31. 
 Dioscorides, 21, 53. 
 Dobhair, Seurlus an, 307. 
 Domnall Dualbuide, 161, 
 Donald, prince of Oileach, 222. 
 Dorbeneus, 323. 
 Dottin, Professor, 96. 
 Douglas, Gavin, 289, 317. 
 Drummond, House of, 273. 
 Drummond-Ernoch, 237. 
 Duauach (wizard, poet), 143. 
 Dubthach dael-tenga, 160. 
 Duucha og, 237, 238, 269. 
 Dunlait daughter of Murcertach, 
 112. 
 
 Ealad(h)an, lOS. 
 
 Ebe Mesue (v. Mesne), 11, 21, 71. 
 
 Eber, 108. 
 
 Egidius, 9, 28, 30, 53, 55, 58, 62. 
 
 Eimhir wife of Cuchulainn, 147, 
 
 218. 
 Eimliir aluinn, shade of, 317. 
 England, King of, 66. 
 Eochaidh Feidlech, 129. 
 
 Muinremar, 111. 
 
 Eochu Eolach, 135. 
 
 Eoghan vior {v. Mogha Nuadat), 249. 
 
 Ere father of Fergus of Kintyre, 106, 
 
 110. 
 Eremon, 108. 
 Erskine, Sir Harry, 303. 
 Eve, 112. 
 daughter of Fiachua, 108, 
 
 Fachtna Fathach, 129. 
 Fainesoluis, 234, 23(i, 261, 
 Farquhar son of Patrick, 245. 
 Feallsam. v. Aristotle. 
 Fenius Farsaidh, 78, 180. 
 Fercaegat, 132. 
 Ferceirtne, 180. 
 Ferdiad, 161, 232. 
 Ferfeasa o an Cainte, 125. 
 Fergal og, 104. 
 
 dg, mac an bhaird, 104, 123. 
 
 Fergus, v. Beaton. 
 
 Fergus /^«. 145, 230, 233, 235, 
 
 from Scotland, 112. 
 
 Mac Roich, 111, 160. 
 
 of Kintyre, 106, 110. 
 
 Ferguson, Miss M., 266. 
 Sir Samuel, 170.
 
 332 
 
 CATALOGUE OF GAELIC MANUSCKU'TS 
 
 Fiacbna, lOS. 
 Filetus, 74. 
 Find, 9, 13'2, 178. 
 
 genealogy of, 107. 
 
 son of Koss (kiiig-poet), 135. 
 
 Findchua of Bri Ciobann, 84. 
 Fiudlay, the good Bard, 245 ; the red 
 
 Hard, 245 ; ==Finlay M'Nab (?), 245. 
 Findtan, sou of Bochru, 137. 
 Fingal, Macphersonese for Find, Fionn. 
 Finnerty, E. G., 292. 
 Fionn {v. Find), 9, ci aliis. 
 Fithal, ollamh, judge, 132, 184, 187, 
 
 188, 189. 
 Fithil mac Flaithrig mic Aodho, 219. 
 Fitzgerald, Gerald, 239. 
 Maurice, son of David Duff, 208, 
 
 253, 257. 
 Flann of Bute, 113, 114, 143, 200. 
 Fleming, Edward, 80. 
 Fletcher, Archd.. 247, 277. 
 Flidais, Queen, 161. 
 Forrester ' on Beauties of Nature ' 
 
 (v. Domhnall Mac Fhionnlaidh), 288. 
 Fraech, son of Fidach, 155, 161, 232. 
 Franciscus of Montpelier, 24. 
 Fraser, Angus, 265. 
 
 Thomas, of Gortleg, 309. 
 
 Frigriu, 136. 
 Fulgentius, 71. 
 
 Gabha Raibeart (= Robert Smith), 
 
 307. 
 Gabran, 111. 
 
 Gadisten ( = John of Gaddesden), 24. 
 Gaedhel .v/as, 78, 108, 112, 219. 
 Gaidoz, Henri, IS. 
 Gail- (?), 31. 
 
 Ga\en, passim 8-71, 301, 315. 
 Gamhanraidh, 155, 160. 
 Garbh Glinde Rige, 154. 
 
 Mac Stairn, 88, 317. 
 
 Gathelus. v. Gaedhel (/las. 
 
 Gaussen, L. , of Geneva, 294. 
 
 Gealanie, Fear Gh., 306. 
 
 Georghi ( = St. George), 315. 
 
 Ger., 25. 
 
 Geraldus de Sola, 16, 28. 
 
 Gerallterus, 54. 
 
 Gerardus, 17. 
 
 GilbertinuB, 9. 11, 12, 16, 17, 25, 53, 
 
 54. 
 Gilbertus, 21, 56. 
 
 Anglicus, 33. 
 
 Gilla dubh, 26. 
 
 Gilla Moduta (poet), 112. 
 
 Gillacoluim, 22. 
 
 . . ., son of the parson of Kil- 
 
 choman, 99. 
 Gilladomnan, 126. 
 Gillebrighde, 126, 240. 
 Gillegan, Peter, 292. 
 Gilpatriek King of Ossory, 112. 
 
 the Scot, 33. 
 
 Goll son of Garbad, 154. 
 
 sou of Morna, genealogy of, 
 
 107. 
 Grant, Laird of, 281. 
 
 of Rothiemurchus, 281. 
 
 Graves, llev. Dr., 201. 
 Gregory, Donald, 230, 271, 272. 
 
 of Rome, 80, 82. 
 
 Grey, Dugald, 246. 
 Gruagach Soluis, 307. 
 Gualterus, ' de dosibus,' 299. 
 Guido, 24, 35, 36. 
 Gwynn, Edward, 135, 136. 
 
 Hali, 8, 27, 42, 46, 53, 68. 
 
 Harris, . . ., 250. 
 
 Henderson, Rev. George, 268, 318. 
 
 Hennessy, W. M., 92, 155, 232, 273. 
 
 Henricus, 35, 44. 
 
 Hermeas, 38. 
 
 (H)ermogenes, 74. 
 
 Herod, 76, SO. 
 
 Herodias, 80. 
 
 Hippocrates, passim 8-71, 315. 
 
 Hogan, Rev. Father, 174. 
 
 Homer, Gaelic translation of parts of, 
 
 280, 323. 
 Hunter, Norman, 303. 
 Huntly, capture of, 306. 
 Hyde, Dr. Douglas, 249. 
 
 Innes, Rev. Thomas, 291. 
 
 Irvine, Rev. Dr., 176, 280, 291. 
 
 lsa,a.e, passim 8-71. 
 
 Isodore, 31, 41, 42, 46, 50, 51, 53, 55. 
 
 Jacob, 78. 
 
 Jacobus Alcinndi, 47. 
 
 Jacobus de Forlivio, 8, 57. 
 
 James (the Apostle), 174. 
 
 James vi., 305. 
 
 Japhet, 108. 
 
 Johanisius, 8, 16, 25, 31, 42. 
 
 Johannes (Damascenus?), 43. 
 
 Johannes de sancto mando, 48. 
 
 Johannes de sangto naiido Anglic., 31. 
 
 Johan(n)es de vigo genuensis, 68. 
 
 Johannes Hispolensis, 31.
 
 INDEX 
 
 333 
 
 John of Damascus, 9, 28, 31, 41, 42, 44. 
 John (the Apostle), 74, 
 John (the Baptist), 76, 80. 
 Johnson, Samuel, 63, 306, 316, 323, 
 
 324. 
 Joshua, 78. 
 
 Joyce, P. W., LL.D., 167, 168. 
 Joyce, Dr. R. D., 170. 
 Jubainville, H. D'Arbois de, 130, 131, 
 
 151, 154, 155, 167, 173, 174, 186, 
 
 249. 
 
 Kearny, Carbery, 285. 
 
 David, 14, 285. 
 
 Keating, Geoffrey, History of Ireland, 
 111, 122, 127, 128, 138, 170, 173, 
 249 ; verses by, 257. 
 
 Kelly, Bryan, 317. 
 
 (Rev.) Daniel, 316. 
 
 Rev. J., 201. 
 
 Kennedy, Duncan, 3, 262, 306. 
 
 Rev. John, 267 ; (papers of), 310. 
 
 Kenneth son of Alpin, 106. 
 
 Keppoch, Julia of, 256, 305. 
 
 307. 
 
 Kerr, H., 2, 79, et passim on the Kil- 
 bride MSS. (v-xxxi). 
 
 Kevoc, St., 169. 
 
 Kirke, Rev. Robert, 292. 
 
 Knoydart.Dyane (Dean? John?) of, 243. 
 
 Labarcenn {v. Philip), judge, 76. 
 
 Laeg charioteer of Cuchulainn, 147. 
 
 Laegaire, King, 87. 
 
 Laing, David, LL.D., 283, 290, 291. 
 
 Lambie, Rev. Archibald, 309. 
 
 Lamont, Robert, 246. 
 
 Lead Chluain, Fear, 256. 
 
 Lee, Rev. Principal, 290. 
 
 Lennox, Duncan from, 243. 
 
 Lhuyd, Edward, 159. 
 
 Liconsis (Liconensis?), 8. 
 
 Liddall, W. J. N., 228. 
 
 Loarn (Lodarn) moi- son of Ere, 106, 
 
 111. 
 Loisgenn, poet, 144. 
 Lord Clerk Register, 297. 
 Loudin (Lothian), Duncan, 269. 
 Lovat, Lord, 309. 
 Love, Rev. Dr., 311. 
 Lucan, 249. 
 Lug lamhfhada, 166. 
 Lugaid of Connaught, 178. 
 
 reoderg, 183. 
 
 Lulach, King, 106. 
 
 Mac-a-Bhriuix, Pat., 295. 
 
 Mac aie vig, Neil, 244. 
 
 Mac Ailain, Eoin, 212. 
 
 Mac Ailein, Angus, 256. 
 
 MacAlastair ruaidh, Aonghus, 257, 
 
 306. 
 Mac-an-Bhaird, Feargal og, 222. 
 
 Maolmuire, 124. 
 
 Uilleam, 123. 
 
 Mac-an-Ollaimh {v. Beaton), Domhnall, 
 62. 
 
 Gillacoluim (v. Beaton), 231, 
 
 243. 
 
 (Beaton ?), Seumas, 18. 
 
 MacArdg. mic Lochluinn, Domnall, 
 
 222. 
 MacAulay, Rev. Alexander, 206. 
 
 Rev. Kenneth, 303. 
 
 Macbain, Alexander, LL.D., 294, 302, 
 
 312. 
 MacBrady, F., 250. 
 MacBrian, Murcba, 317. 
 MacCabe, Duncan, 245. 
 MacCaghwell, Hugh, 318. 
 MacCailein mor, 246. 
 MacCairbre, 214. 
 
 MacCarthy, Donald (of the Flood), 
 210. 
 
 MacCecht, 108. 
 
 M'Cei ( = Mackay), Aodb, 295. 
 
 MacCiar, Sean [v. John Short), 101, 
 164, 165. 
 
 MacCiche (Keith), 306. 
 
 MacCodrum, John, 305, 319. 
 
 MacColgan, John, 296. 
 
 MacCoU, Rev. Donald, 318. 
 
 MacComie, Baron, 246. 
 
 Mac-con, 138. 
 
 M'Conacher. v. O'Conacher. 
 
 Duncan, 7. 
 
 John, 7, 
 
 MaoConmidhe, Solamh, 104. 
 
 MacConmidhi, Gillabri(gh)di ( = Gilbert 
 Macnamee, q. v.). 
 
 MacCorkindale, Euphemia, 245. 
 
 MacCowle Roy, Ayne, 244. 
 
 MacCuileannan, Cormac, 304. 
 
 MacCuill, 108. 
 
 MacCuinn, Cathal, 275. 
 
 MacCuinn, S. Pilij), 103. 
 
 MaeCuirtin, Aodh Buidh(e), 209. 
 
 M'Cuistan, Alistir, 270. 
 
 MacCulloch of Park (Fear na Pairce), 
 270. 
 
 M'Curchj, Allistjr, 270. 
 
 MacDaire, Domnall, 123.
 
 334 
 
 CATALOGUE OF GAELIC MANUSCRIPTS 
 
 MacDhoinhnuill ruaidh, Dunncbadli, 
 
 256. 
 MacDiarmaid, Eobhau, 288. 
 Macdiarniaid, Kev. Mr., 291. 
 MaoDiarmid, Ewen, 321. 
 
 Lay by, 272. 
 
 Macdonald, Alexander, the poet, 105, 
 
 175, 212, 214, 215, 305, 319, 324. 
 
 Angus, Insh, 271. 
 
 Archibald, 305. 
 
 Donald, v. MacFhionnlaidh, 
 
 Donibuall. 
 
 (Macdouald?), Donald donn of 
 
 Bobuntin(?), 307. 
 Macdonald (Donald of the Isles), 295. 
 
 Gillimiuhell, tinkler, 270. 
 
 Hugh, 280. 
 
 John loin, 256, 271, 288, 305, 
 
 319. 
 
 of Benbecula, 92, 324. 
 
 of Dalness, 306. 
 
 of Kilis, 309. 
 
 of Staffa, 3, 278. 
 
 Macdonalds of Islay, historical notes 
 
 on the, 124, 125. 
 
 Poems in praise of the, 213, 241, 
 
 243. 
 
 Macdonell. Alexander, of Glengarry, 
 
 213, 255. 
 Macdougall, Duncan, of Dunolly, 276. 
 
 John, 276. 
 
 Dugald, j'ounger of Lorn, 304. 
 
 Rev. James, 322. 
 
 Phelim, 244. 
 
 of Dunolly, 26, 64, 275. 
 
 Macdubhsleibhe, Duncan, 64. 
 MacDuffie (Macphee) of Colonsay, 
 
 325. 
 MacDuinnthl^bi, Cormac, 299 {v. 
 
 O'Donlevy, Cormac). 
 
 Mac Eachag(?) 243. 
 
 Mac Eachran, John, son of Ewen, 245. 
 (Mac) Eaghin vyck Earchair, 269. 
 MacEgan, Baothghalach, 251, 269, 
 
 318. 
 Gilpatrick, 185. 
 
 Mac ein duibh ruaidh, Aonghus, 257. 
 Mac ein 'ic Ailein, Iain diibh, 256. 
 MacEwen, last of the Bards, 308. 
 Macfadyen, Mrs., 318. 
 Macfarlane, Peter, 305. 
 
 William, 297. 
 
 Laird of, 309. 
 
 MacFhionnlaidh, Domhnall ( = Forres- 
 ter, 288), 289, 305. 
 
 MacFirhis, . . .,111. 
 
 Duald, 253. 
 
 Giolla losa, 254. 
 
 Mac Gawran, Hugh, 208. 
 Mac Ghilleasbuit.', Ailean, .306. 
 Mac Gillony, Alex., 303. 
 MacGregor, Donald son of Dugald, 246. 
 
 Duncan, 225, 242. 
 
 Sir James, 225. 
 
 Kob Roy, 308. 
 
 MacGrene, 108. 
 Macgruder, . . ., 164. 
 
 Maclaiu ( = Macdonald) of Glencoe, 
 
 304. 
 MacIUainn, Maelsechlainn, 25. 
 Maclnnes, Rev. Duncan, 294. 
 
 Rev. John, 306. 
 
 Maclntyre, Duncan, the poet, 291, 297, 
 
 305, 307, 319, 323. 
 James (Glenoe), 304, 306, 309, 
 
 321. 
 
 Rev. Dr. John, 227. 
 
 Rev. John Walker, 227. 
 
 . . . (poet), 244. 
 
 Mackay, Hugh, 272. 
 John, 310, 319. 
 
 Rev. Dr. Mackintosh, 248, 265, 
 
 268, 320, 321. 
 
 Rob donn, 305, 321. 
 
 Mackenzie, Henry, 281. 
 
 John, 270. 
 
 of Applecross, 270. 
 
 Kenneth og, 270. 
 
 Mary, 323. 
 
 ■ ■ Dr., of Gruline, 323. 
 
 Lord ( = Seaforth), 296. 
 
 Mackermont, Sir Duncan, 245. 
 Mackinnon, Professor Donald (MSS. 
 of), 313-318. 
 
 Rev. John, 2, 158. 
 
 ■ Lachlan, 305, 310. 
 
 Sir William, 310. 
 
 Mackintosh, Andrew, 244. 
 
 Rev. Donald, 3, 140, 141, 142, 
 
 193, 258, 260, 263, 274. 
 
 M'Kowle wain, Ailein, 244. 
 MacLachlan, Donald, 250. 
 
 Ewen, 2, 3, 101, 105, 118, 128, 
 
 156, 158, 162, 166, 201, 213-217, 
 226, 241, 255-258, 265, 280, 321. 
 
 ■ Gilpatrick, 243. 
 
 William, 244. 
 
 Dr. (elegy on), 316. 
 
 ■ of Kilbride, 2, 61, 116, 222, 309. 
 
 Maclagan, Rev. James, 302, 304. 
 MacLaghlan, Edmond, 222.
 
 INDEX 
 
 335 
 
 MacLaghlin, Ardle, 222. 
 MacLauchlan, Rev. Dr. Thomas, 58, 
 
 113, 227, 295, 308, 311, 322, 323. 
 MacLaurin, Alex., 248. 
 
 (Professor Coliu?), 72, 309. 
 
 Maclean, Donald, 278. 
 
 ■ Rev. Donald, 266. 
 
 Eachann bacach, 320. 
 
 • Eweu, 116. 
 
 ■ Hector, 295. 
 
 Hugh, 173. 
 
 John (the Tiree Bard), 324. 
 
 . Rev. John, 216. 
 
 Lachlan, 62, 213. 
 
 Sir Lachlan, 213. 
 
 Maclean's Bard, 304 
 Macleod, Rev. ^neas, 321. 
 Calum, 304. 
 
 Hector, 305. 
 
 Mary, 213, 216, 271, .305, 319. 
 
 Rev. Norman, 308. 
 
 Sir Norman, 280, 
 
 Roderick, W. S., 30f). 
 
 Sir Roderick ( = Ruairi mor), 296. 
 
 Rev. Walter, 228, 264. 
 
 Rev. Dr., of Diindonald, 265. 
 
 Laird of Raasay, 270. 
 
 Macleod s, genealogy of, 219. 
 
 l)a[)ers relating to, 309. 
 
 MacLintock . . ., 246. 
 MacMathgamuin (Mahon), Tadhg, 
 
 104. 
 MacMhath, an t-aosdana, 257. 
 Mac mhic Coinnich. Angus, 296. 
 
 Donald, 296. 
 
 Eoin, 296. 
 
 Mac mhic Fail, Dubghall Albannach, 
 
 72, 73, 75. 
 Mac mhic Mhurchaidh, Murchadh, 
 
 270. 
 Mac Mhuireach(aidh), William, 211. 
 Mac M(h)urchaidli, William, 213. 
 Mac Mhiiirich, Cathal, 124. 205, 306. 
 
 Ewen (John?), 244. 
 
 John, 278, 309. 
 
 Lachannmo)-, 304, 309. 
 
 Neil, 98, 124, 127, 207, 305. 
 
 Neil ?7ior, 124. 
 
 MacMhuirichs, 98, 271. 
 last poet of, 308. 
 
 dispersion of library of, 324. 
 
 MacNab, Finlay, 245 ; v. Finlay, the 
 
 good Bard, 245. 
 MacNamee, Gilbert, 86, 87, 114, 239. 
 M'Neill, Gillespec, 246. 
 John, of Barra, 92, 324. 
 
 M'Neill, ... of Castle Sween, 245. 
 
 MacNia, 138. 
 
 MacNiadh vior mac Lugaid, 249. 
 
 Macnicol, Rev. Donald, 63, 232, 231, 
 288, 304, 319, 324, 325. 
 
 MacNicol, Donald ('the Tailor '), 291, 
 328. r. Mac Neacain. 
 
 MacNicol, Major Dugald, 320. 
 
 Mac Occ, 1.30, 
 
 Mac Neacain, Donald, 328 (v. Mac- 
 Nicol, Donald). 
 
 Macphail, Edmond, 140. 
 
 Macpherson, Angus, 310. 
 
 Donald C, 227, 266, 279. 
 
 Dugald, 306, 
 
 Duncan, 244. 
 
 James, 170, 226, 231, 235, 259, 
 
 291, 297, 302, 309, 324, 326. 
 
 Lachlan (Strathmashie), 305. 
 
 Malcolm, 279. 
 
 Mac Phyn, Oishen (=Ossian), 269. 
 
 MacQueen, Rev. Donald, 6, 298. 
 
 Macquien, Donald, 296, 
 
 Ewin, 296. 
 
 MacRae, Rev. Donald (= Perse Eglise), 
 270. 
 
 Duncan ( = Donnachadh nam 
 
 Pios), 242, 267. 
 
 MacRichard of Connaught, 241. 
 MacRuairi, Donnachadh, 270. 
 Mac Tavish, John, 159. 
 
 Rev. Mr., 308. 
 
 M'Ynneis, Aane leith, 245. 
 Mag Aodb, Brian b{h)icaire, 295. 
 MagCraith, Diarmaid, 122. 
 
 Eogan, 122. 
 
 Maolmuire bacach, 122. 
 
 Magee, John, 295. 
 Magrath, Meiler, 319. 
 Maguire, Elizabeth, 250. 
 
 James, 253. 
 
 Turlou^h, 253, 254. 
 
 MakGurkych, blind Arthur, 237. 
 
 Mhic Cailein, Iseabal Ni', 246. 
 
 Mhic ion . . ., Dughall, 243. 
 
 Mhic Raonaill, Nighean, 307. 
 
 Mic Bruaidedha, Tadhg mac Daire, 
 
 123. 
 Macer, 11, 17, 21. 
 Machaomhag, 315. 
 Macometus, 28, 30. 
 Mag Falu . . ..174, 
 Magnus son of Maurice, 118. 
 Maile (Bard), 135. 
 Maine, poet, 178. 
 Malaisi. 315.
 
 336 
 
 CATALOGUE OF GAELIC MANUSCRIPTS 
 
 Malcolm (Kcmiioii'), King((le8cendant8 
 of), L>1.'9. 
 
 Malcolnie, liov. David, 72, 
 
 iMalvina, 304. 
 
 Mananiiaiis, The four, 131. 
 
 Maolcoblia, 254. 
 
 Maoldoinlinaicb mac Venis Villi-, 243. 
 
 Margaret (St.) of Pisidia, 102. 
 
 Martin, Martiiius, 92, 324. 
 
 Mary (the Blessed Virgin), 74, 85, 243. 
 
 Matheaon, Captain Alexander, 321. 
 
 Miss Betsie, 322. 
 
 of Feruaig, 209. 
 
 Mathieson, poet {v. MacMhatb), 305. 
 
 Maurice (son of) David, 164. 
 
 Maxwell, John Hall, C.B., 1. 
 
 Meave, Queen, 111, 147, 148, 154, 
 160. 
 
 Meuzies, Major, 306. 
 
 Mesue, 71. 
 
 Ebe, 11, 21, 71. 
 
 Seon, 60. 
 
 Meyer, Dr. Kuno, 83, 130, 131, 144, 
 154, 155, 157, 173, 175, 184, 186, 
 187, 189, 191, 192, 195. 
 
 Mhuirgheasain, D ,304. v. O'Muir- 
 
 ghesan, Duncan. 
 Mile of Spain, 108. 
 Milesians, 107, 108. 
 Miodhach of Lochlann, 140. 
 Mochae of Noendruim, 84, 110. 
 Mochuda, 87. 
 
 MoghaNuadat, v. Eoghan mor, 249. 
 Mogh Ruith, 77, 111. 
 Moling, 9, 83, 87, 305. 
 Montrose, 117. 
 
 Legend of, 237. 
 
 Moore, Norman, M.D., 18. 
 Morann, 184, 185, 186. 
 Morch, 108, 
 
 Morrigan, wife of Dagda, 133. 
 Morrison, Captain, 280, 291. 
 
 Dr, Hew, 321. 
 
 John, 320. 
 
 Rorie, 309. 
 
 . , , Assistant Surgeon, 303. 
 
 Morrisone, John, 88. 
 Moses, 78, 219. 
 Muck (Isle of) Bard, 288, 308. 
 Muiredach, 111. 
 
 menn, 161. 
 
 Muirguis, 217. 
 
 Munro, Alexander, 270. 
 
 Murray, Sir John MacGregor, 227, 
 
 279, 280. 
 Mustinus, 9. 
 
 Nemidians, 108. 
 
 Niall Naoighiallach (of the nine 
 
 hostages), 143,285, 
 Nicolaus, 17, 09. 
 
 (Il)i8j)anus, 48. 
 
 Nicolson, Sheriff, 81, 193, 269, 
 
 321. X 
 
 Ni' Fhlaith, Gormlaith 239.; 
 Niul (father of Gaedel Glas), 78, 108, 
 
 112. 
 Noah, 78, 108. 
 Normandy, Duke of, 62, 
 Norsemen, 112-113, 126, 141, 
 Nuada of the silver hand, 167, 219. 
 Nutt, Alfred, 167. 
 
 O'Cairbre, Diarmaid, 243. 
 O'Callanan, Gilpatrick, 22. 
 O'Carrthaoidh, Aodh Ollbhar, 241. 
 O'Cassidy, Fergus, 33. 
 
 Henry, 33. 
 
 O'Cathain (O'Kane), Lady, 5, 285. 
 O'Cellaigh, Eignechan, 212. 
 O'Cendamhain, Cairpre, 283, 
 O'Cleary, Edmund, 164. 
 O'Cleirigh, Mad.,., 104. 
 O'Clery, Eimid, 209. 
 
 John, 121. 
 
 Michael, 250. 
 
 O'Cluan, Caech, 232. 
 
 O'CIuane, John, 232, 238, 
 
 O'Cluma, Gofraidh, 56, 
 
 O'Colla ( = Taoisech of Argyll), 126. 
 
 O'Conacher. v. O'Conchubair. 
 
 Donald, 6, 63. 
 
 Duncan, 5, 7, 63, 275, 276, 
 
 277, 
 
 Albannach, 275. 
 
 dg, 275. 
 
 Gilpatrick, son of Duncan dg, 
 
 275. 
 
 John, 6, 7, 63, 140, 276, 
 
 O'Conchubair (Physicians of Lorn, 
 
 notices of), 5, 63, 64. 
 O'Connor, John, 75, 86. 
 
 Turlough, 222, 
 
 O'Cuirnin, . , ,, poet, 116. 
 
 O'Curry, Eugoue, 77, 81,87, 168, 170 
 
 180, 184,241, 273. 
 O'Curtin, Hugh Boy, 209. 
 O'Daly, Angus, 104, 237. 
 
 Aonghas nan Aor, 215, 320. 
 
 Aonghus mac Chearbhaill bhuidhe, 
 
 238. 
 Carol], 115, 116.
 
 INDEX 
 
 337 
 
 O'Daly, Duncan mor, 99, 104, 237, 
 
 238, 251, 269, 318. 
 
 Fardarogha ma(c) Cormac, 208. 
 
 GoSrsiidh. Jionn, 239. 
 
 Lochlainn mac Taidhg, 125. 
 
 ■ Lugliaid, 115, 116. 
 
 Muireach Albannach, 237, 239. 
 
 Muireach Lis an daill{ = Muireach 
 
 Albannach), 240. 
 O'Daly, Tadhg, 122. 
 
 camchosach, 238. 
 
 og, 89, 91, 104. 
 
 O'Davoren, . . ., 152. 
 O'Domnallain, Brian, 123. 
 O'Donlevy, Cormac, 38, 276, 299, 
 O'Donovan, John, 179. 
 O'Duhhagan (?), Gilibeart, 61, 206. 
 O'Dufify, R. J., 167. 
 O'Dugan, John, 137, 207, 255. 
 O'Duibgennain, Ferfesa, 173. 
 O'Duibhne ( = Campbell), 297. 
 O'Dunn, Gilla-na-naomh, 137. 
 O'Farell, John, 295. 
 O'Feely, Duncan, 75. 
 O'Finigan, Patrick, 252. 
 O'Flanagan, . . ., 170. 
 O'Gara, Fergal, 253. 
 O'Giarain, . . ., 253. 
 O'Growney, Professor, 83. 
 O'Halloran, . . ., 172. 
 O'Hart, John, 117. 
 O'h-Iffirnan, Diarmaid, 238. 
 O'Higgin, Aong(h)as mac Aod(h)a 
 
 rua'idh, 104. 
 
 Fergal bg, 104. 
 
 Mahon, 101. 
 
 S. Pilip hocht, 103, 240. 
 
 Tadhg, 125. 
 
 dall, 104, 122, 123, 124, 
 
 251 
 
 og, 89, 91, 104, 240. 
 
 O'Hosey, Eochy, 99, 121, 123, 124. 
 
 Giolla Brighde, 269, 319. 
 
 (?)... 125. 
 
 O'Lochan, Cuan, 135. 
 O'Madadh (?), Cobthach, 52. 
 O'Maolciarain, son of, 215. 
 O'Molloy, F. (Prosodia), 241. 
 O'Muirghesan, Duncan, 281. 
 
 Turlough, 296. 
 
 O'Mulconry, Torn a, 73, 241. 
 O'Nachtan, Gillepatrik, 246. 
 O'Naughtan, John, 164. 
 O'Neill, Conn, 214. 
 O'Quinn (cuinn), Tadhg, 22. 
 O' (hua) Rnanada, Cellach, 111. 
 
 0'Siag(h)ail, Eoghan Carrach, 89. 
 O'Siaghail, Ruairi, 60. 
 Oengus the Culdee, 179. 
 Ogma grianach, 108. 
 Oilioll 6o(.7t(;, 203. 
 
 jinn, 161. 
 
 Olum, 138. 
 
 Orbacius, 42. 
 Orobasins, 28, 30. 
 Oscar son of Ossian, 236. 
 Ossian, verses attributed to, 151. 
 
 and Find, 219, 328. 
 
 son of Fionn v. Heroic Poems. 
 
 Ostracus, 31. 
 
 Ovid, 11. 
 
 Owen, William, 273. 
 
 Pal crubach, 320. 
 
 Paphnutius, 79. 
 
 Partholan, 126, 132. 
 
 Patrick, St., 87, HI, 143, 179, 311; 
 
 life of, 271. 
 Paul, the Apostle, 80. 
 Paulinus, 8. 
 Petrus, 9, 25. 
 
 de ergeJata, 277. 
 
 Philaretus, 71. 
 
 Philip, the Apostle, 73, 97, 101. 
 
 Philip, judge [v. Labarcenn), 76. 
 
 Philip son of Brian, 115. 
 
 Philippe, Don, 120. 
 
 Pilate, 85. 
 
 Platearius, 11, 12, 17, 21, 51, 71. 
 
 Plato, 8, 9, 16, 24, 39, 45 ; on v\r], 46 ; 
 
 on Nature, 46. 
 Polyxena, personal appearance of, 
 
 199. 
 Pope, Rev. Alexander, 277. 
 Pringle, Walter, 273. 
 Prophorius, 9. 
 Ptolemy, 28, 30, 46, 55. 
 Pythagoras, 8, 11. 
 
 QuiGGiN, Dr. E. C, 238. 
 
 Reeves, Bishop, 93, 295. 
 
 Reginald son of Somerled, 126. 
 
 Reinaclus (de) Lymburgensi, 70, 71. 
 
 Reuda, 109. 
 
 Rhazes, 8, 12, 14, 21, 28, 31, 71, 
 
 315. 
 Ricairdi, Maighister, 71, 315. 
 Ricardus, 17, 54.
 
 338 
 
 CATALOGUE OF GAELIC iMANUSCRIPTS 
 
 Robertson, Alastair, 30G. 
 
 Alexaiulcr, 247. 
 
 Rogei(i)u8, 10, 33. 
 
 Kolaml, 110. 
 
 llonaii, St., 315. 
 
 Rosa, Rev. Dr. Thomas, 2G5, 272. 
 
 William, poet, 307. 
 
 Ruaidri mac Toirrdealbhaigb, 108. 
 Rufus, 28, 31), 38. 
 
 SACARIA.S, 28, 30, 53. 
 
 Sadhbh, 136, 138. 
 
 Salatiiius, 69, 71. 
 
 Sappho, 303. 
 
 Sar Seon, 119. 
 
 Saracen Physician, 12. 
 
 Saul, 78. 
 
 Scaulan, 93, 109. 
 
 Scota daughter of Pharaoh, 112, 
 
 126. 
 Scott, Rev. Hew, D.D. v. Fasti. 
 Scotus, 71. 
 
 Duns, 318. 
 
 Seancha mac Gillacrist, 156. 
 Selsus ( = Celsus), 71. 
 Seneca, 42. 
 
 Serapion, 28. 
 
 Serlus (Charlemagne?), 110. 
 
 Shaw, James, poet, 319. 
 
 .John, 321. 
 
 Sheridan, Thomas, 248. 
 
 Short, John, 101, 164, 165. 
 
 Simon Magus, 77, HI. 
 
 Sinclair, Rev. A. Maclean, 320, 323. 
 
 (Archibald), Glasgow, 320. 
 
 — — John, 3, 260. 
 
 Sir John, 260, 281. 
 
 Rev. W., 265. 
 
 Skene, W. F., D.C.L., 1, 3, 72, 106, 
 
 109, 110, 114, 152, 267, 268, 272, 
 
 273. 
 Slainge, 108. 
 Smerbie mor, 309. 
 Smith, Dr. Angus, 170. 
 
 Dr. Donald, 60, 62, 66, 158, 201, 
 
 202, 217, 219, 221, 223, 248, 249, 
 250, 254, 288, 317. 
 
 Rev. Dr. John, 119, 146, 231, 
 
 249, 261, 262. 
 
 .Rev. John, 315, 316. 
 
 Socrates, 9, 20, 42. 
 
 Sofista, 16. 
 
 Solomon, 42, 73. 
 
 Somerled of Argyll, 113, 126. 
 
 Statius, 112. 
 
 Stern, Christian, 228, 268, 269. 
 Stewart, Alain, 18. 
 
 Alexander, 316. 
 
 Rev. Dr. Alexander, 316. 
 
 Charles, Notary, 309. 
 
 Duncane, 18. 
 
 Rev. James, 323. 
 
 Sir John, of Apj)in, 269. 
 
 John Roy, 305, 306. 
 
 Stuart, Rev. Charles, 281. 
 John, LL.D., 294. 
 
 Rev. Dr. John, Luss, 323. 
 
 Rev. John, 304. 
 
 Stokes, Whitley, LL.D., D.C.L., 18, 
 83, 84, 87, 92, 95, 96, 102, 107, 134, 
 135, 1315, 151, 155, 162, 170, 179, 
 180, 194, 249, 294. 
 
 Stone, Jerome, 155, 232, 281, 286, 
 287. 
 
 Supair, Baran, 320. 
 
 S., 16. 
 
 S. Pilip hocht, 104. 
 
 S. Pilip mac Cuinn Crosaigh, 103. 
 
 Tadhg occ Cianan, 15, 116. 
 
 dall {v. Tadhg dall O'Higgin), 
 
 104, 122, 123. 
 b'j (v. Tadhg dii O'Daly ; Tadhg 
 
 Oil O'Higgin), 89, 91, 104. 
 Talchend (St. Patrick), 168. 
 Tasso, 289. 
 Tateus (Athtothus? 9), 24 
 
 de Bonaensis, 71. 
 
 de Bonionia, 31. 
 
 Taj'lor, Gilchrist, 243. 
 
 Gilleglas, 246. 
 
 Telemachus, 289. 
 Themisteus, 40, 41. 
 Theophilus, 9, 31. 
 Thomson, Thomas, 217. 
 Mr., 260. 
 
 Miss, 321. 
 
 Thurneysen, 181. 
 Tibraide Tirech, 136. 
 
 Tillotson, Archbishop (quotations 
 
 from), 316. 
 Toirpda. v. Torpeist. 
 Tolameus [v. Ptolemy), 23, 46. 
 Torna, poet, 132, 254. 
 Torpeist, Senchan, 218. 
 Tuathal an Cainti, 99. 
 Tuilllna, 104. 
 
 TuUideljih, Rev. Thomas, 207. 
 Tully, Luke, 52. 
 Turglesta of Lochlann, 218. 
 Turius, 46.
 
 INDEX 
 
 339 
 
 Turner, Peter, 2, 96, 100; Collection 
 of Gaelic Poetry by, 257, 307 ; 
 MSS. of, 2; MS. called after, 
 276. 
 
 Ualescus de Taranta, 71. 
 Ulster, Duncan of, 62. 
 Francis of, 62. 
 
 Victoria, Queen, 117,310. 
 Ware, Sir James, 250. 
 
 Wedderburn, Mr. Maclagan, 302. 
 Wlialey, Dr. (Satire on), 208. 
 William King of Scotland, 303, 
 William of Montpelier, 27, 46. 
 Williams, Rev. John, 273. 
 Windiscb, Professor, 107, 144, 
 
 152, 
 
 157, 170, 174, 184, 221, 231, 232. 
 
 Yule, Miss, of Tarradale, 228. 
 
 ZiMMER, Professor, 218. 
 
 II. Principal Subjects and Treatises 
 
 Absolution, on, 100. 
 
 Address to Soldiers (42nd Regiment), 
 
 303. 
 Aged Bard's Wish, 304, 320. 
 Ailges, the first in Ireland, 130. 
 Albannach, Duan, 304. 
 Amore hereos, de, 11, 48. 
 Analysis of Gaelic MSS. (EwenM'Lach- 
 
 lan), 217, 219, 220, 226, 257-258. 
 Anatomia (Galen), 31, 60, 
 Anima, de (Aristotle), 40, 314. 
 Annals, 7, 108. 
 
 of Ulster, 203. 
 
 Antbologia Hibernica, 250. 
 Antidatorii, 21, 70. 
 Aphorisms of Hippocrates : — 
 
 Anonymous Commentary on, 26- 
 
 31, 32-33, 46, 49-50, 53-54. 
 
 Commentary by Galen on, 31. 
 
 Translated to Gaelic, 30. 
 Apostles, personal appearance of, 79. 
 Apothecaries, 69. 
 Arcanum (of Hippocrates), 13. 
 Astrology, v. Astronomy. 
 Astronomy, 8, 57, 284. 
 Auld Robin Gray (in Gaelic), 320. 
 Authors, 16, 61, 09. 
 (Latin), 9. 
 
 Bagpipes, in dispraise of, 213. 
 
 in praise of, 212. 
 
 Beregonium (Paragraph on), 303, 
 
 Blar Leine, 272. 
 
 Blasa (Arnaldus), 13, 16. v. Taste. 
 
 Bolg an-t-solair ( = MS. LVii), 209. 
 
 Bones, 35. 
 
 Book of Clanranald, 205. 
 
 (Black Book), 267, 271, 323. 
 
 (Little Book), 271. 
 
 (Red Book), 125, 126, 271, 272, 
 
 323. 
 Books, List of, published, 316. 
 Brain, 35. 
 Briga, 'powers,' 'forces,' 34, 37, 45, 
 
 et aliis. 
 
 Cabalistic letters and words, 314. 
 Cain Domnaig (Law of Sunday), 95, 
 
 96. 
 Calendars, 17, 22, 35, 60, 61, 84, 114, 
 
 206, 207, 273, 283. 
 Canons of Damascenus, 41, 55. 
 
 Isodore, 50, 51. 
 
 Carthonn, (additions to), 261. 
 
 Casbhairne, 111, 181. v. Metres. 
 
 Cath mor muighe na Teasaile, 249. 
 
 Cautery, on the, 14. 
 
 Charms, 9, 10, 14, 61, 65, 283, 314. 
 
 Civitate Dei, de, 309. 
 
 Clanna Neimhidh, 108. 
 
 Clans and Tribes of Ireland, 254. 
 
 Climate in relation to health, 43, 47,55. 
 
 Clontarf, Battle of, 307. 
 
 Coelo et mundo, de, 40. 
 
 Coilictorio, de, 59. 
 
 Collection of Irish Poems, 292. 
 
 Comhachag (Gaelic poem), 285, 305, 
 
 308, 320.
 
 340 
 
 CATALOGUE OF GAELIC MANUSCRIPTS 
 
 Coinmamlments (Treatise on), SG. 
 
 Complexions, on the, 8. 
 
 C()in|)mictione, de, 76. 
 
 Confession of James Paor, 100. 
 
 Confessione, de, 75, 79. 
 
 Coustellations, on the, 7. 
 
 Creag Chuauach (v. Comhachag), 285, 
 305, 308. 
 
 Creation of the World (Gaelic transla- 
 tion of), 294. 
 
 Crypt (names written in), 05, 114, 
 116, 156. 
 
 Cuachag nan Craobh, 307. 
 
 Definition, 9, 23, 24, 25, 26, 65. 
 Derg ruathar (Conall Cernach), 150; 
 151. 
 
 (Conn Cetehathach), 250. 
 
 Desolating of Highlands, 308. 
 Dialects, 42, 57, 219. 
 Dieheadal do cheunaib, 177. 
 Dictionary, (Taelic-English, 247. 
 
 (Fletcher), 247. 
 
 (M'Lachlan), 255. 
 
 (Robertson), 247-248. 
 
 English-Gaelic (M'Laurin), 248. 
 
 Highland Society's — 
 
 Gaelic-English, 264-65. 
 English-Gaelic, 2G5. 
 Latino-Gaeliciim, 248. 
 
 Etymological (fragmentary), 
 
 M'Lachlan, 257. 
 
 (fragmentary). Smith, 316. 
 
 MS. of Dr. M'Bain's, 312. 
 
 Diets, on, 56, 63.— (1) Bernard, 68. 
 
 (2) Hippocrates, 03. 
 
 (3) Isaac, 36. 
 
 Dinnshenchas, 129. 
 Claen Loch, 138. 
 
 Dun Macnechtuin, 132. 
 
 Laighin, 135. 
 
 Loch Eirne, 132. 
 
 Loch Garman, 135. 
 
 Magh m-Breagh, 135. 
 
 Teamhair, 135. 
 
 Tuag Inbir, 132, 135. 
 
 in verse, 137, 157. 
 
 Diseases and Cures, imsslm 8-71, 273, 
 
 274, 277, 284. 
 Doctors, 16, 31. 
 
 old, 37, 38. 
 
 recent, 43. 
 
 . of Montpelier, 27. 
 
 Dominical letter, 60, 260, 283. 
 
 I)osil)U8, (le, 29!). 
 
 Drugs, OS. 
 
 Druuneeatt, 9.S, 109, 254. 
 
 Duanag UUamh, 304, 316, 320. 
 
 Duauaire lluadli, 309. 
 
 Dubhan, I'ionn and D.'s men, 172, 
 
 3 1 6. 
 Dubloinges, 160. 
 Duile ( = Elements), Arnaldus, 58. 
 
 Novus mentor, 45. 
 
 Dunmonaidb, 218. 
 
 Easbuig, An t- ( = MS. lxxxi), 255. 
 Eggs, 12. 
 
 Eisimlaire (specimens), 21, 299. 
 Emanuel ( = MS. xlvi), 201, 249, 259. 
 Epigrams, 42, 89, 90, 93, 200, 206, 
 
 208, 213, 214, 264, 303. 
 Etymological and Linguistic, 29, 112, 
 
 132, 181, 316, 317. 
 Etymologies, — Ewen M'Lachlan, 257. 
 
 Rev. J. Smith, 316. 
 
 Excerpts from Irish Books and MSS., 
 
 253, 272, 273. 
 from Glossary of Lancashire 
 
 Dialect, 317. 
 
 from Guthrie's History, 390. 
 
 - — — from Lhuyd's ^?vA. Brit., 320. 
 
 ■ from Scripture, 23, 49. 
 
 from Welsh Books, 273, 571. 
 
 Eyes, Diseases of, and remedy, 12. 
 
 Feinn, Parodies on, 291. 
 
 Fermanagh, poem on, 252. 
 
 Figured illustrations, 10, 60, 73, 284. 
 
 Find (Fionn), reckoning of his men, 
 132. 
 
 Fionn and Dubhan's men, 172, 316. 
 
 Foods for different seasons (v. ' Calen- 
 dars '), 57, 260, 284. 
 
 Fosterage, contract of, 296. 
 
 Franciscan Monastery, Dublin, Library 
 of, 249. 
 
 Fuatha Na (things hateful), 205, 241, 
 264. 
 
 Fulacht na Morrigna, 133. 
 
 Gaelic Society in Glasgow College, 
 
 316. 
 Gaick, anecdotes of, 272. 
 Gall, Innse, 218. 
 Garb of Old Gaul, 303.
 
 INDEX 
 
 341 
 
 Genealogies, HI, 120, 253, 255. 
 Genealogy of Argyll family, 117, 209, 
 
 304. 
 
 Clans, 106. 
 
 Craignish family, 272. 
 
 Glencoe family, 304. 
 
 Lamonts, 253. 
 
 — — •M'Dougalls, 113, 303. 
 
 M'Gregors, 229. 
 
 M'Lachlans, 253. 
 
 ■ Neil M'Vurich, 320. 
 
 Stewarts, 304. 
 
 Generation (reproduction), Poem on, 
 
 204. 
 Glencoe (poem on), 307. 
 Glen-da-Ioch (Library of), 144. 
 Gleumasain ( = MS. liii), 158. 
 Glossary of Terms of Music and Foetry, 
 
 265. 
 
 to Gavin Douglas's Poems, 317. 
 
 in MS. VII, 179. 
 
 in MS. XXXVIII, 179. 
 
 in MS. Lxv, 180. 
 
 Golden Number, 60, 260, 283. 
 
 Gradibus, de, 47. 
 
 Grammar (translation of Windisch's), 
 
 311. 
 Grammar and Philology, Treatise on, 
 
 180. 
 Grammars — Uraicecht, 181. 
 
 The Alphabet, 182. 
 
 Fragment of Grammar, 182, 290. 
 Greece, Celtic names in, 303. 
 
 Harlaw, Incitement to the Mac- 
 
 donalds at, 304. 
 Healing, Ten Methods of, 301. 
 Heat and cold, on, 31. 
 Hemlock, 20. 
 Herbularii, 70. 
 Heroic (Ossiauic) Laj'S and Poems : — 
 
 A chiosh Chnamhadh, 287. 
 
 Albin and Daughter of May {v. 
 Fraech), death of, 286. 
 
 An Deilgneach mhor ( = Oran a' 
 Chleirich), 316. 
 
 Anvin in no* nart mo lawe, 232. 
 
 Arthur, Death of, 317. 
 
 Assaroy ( = Maighre Borb), 234. 
 
 Ata faoi thonnaibh na ttonn, 163. 
 
 Beasa na bhfian, 293. 
 
 Binn gow duni in teyr in oyr, 232. 
 
 Cath nan seishear, 287. 
 
 Cnoc an air an cnoc-sa siar, 158. 
 
 Conlaoch, Coming of, to Ireland, 252. 
 
 death of, 231, 287, 
 
 and Cuchulainn, 175. 
 
 Conn Cetchathach, Assassination of, 
 
 136. 
 Cuchulainn and Conlaoch, 175. 
 Cuchulainn and Laeg, 272. 
 Cumhall, death of, 231. 
 Eini(h)ir, jealoiisy of, 231. 
 Eim(h)ir's lamentof Cuchulainn, 272. 
 Fionn and Garbh, 317. 
 
 and Ossian, 219, 328. 
 
 household of, 232. 
 
 ■ Rosg of, 317. 
 
 Fleyg woir rinni lay finni, 232. 
 Fraech, death of, 232, 281, 287. 
 Gabhra, Battle of, 172, 176, 234, 
 
 235, 236. 
 Goll mac Morna, 127, 145, 158 233, 
 
 253. 
 Heym tosk zoskla fynn, 233. 
 Is fadda no* ni nelli finni, 232. 
 Lay of Ben Gualann, 165. 
 Lay of the Boar of Glen Scail, 162. 
 Lay of Bulbin, 165. 
 Lay of Children of Lear (Lir), 169. 
 Lay by Conall Cearnach, 272. 
 Lay of Conn, 266, 287. 
 Lay of Cruimlinn na Ccath, 293. 
 Lay of Diarmaid, 176, 233. 
 Lay of Lady of the Mantle, 176. 
 Lay of the Fist, 293. 
 Lay of the Heads, 144, 151, 231, 
 
 263, 272. 
 Lay of the Maiden, 176. 
 Lay of Magnus, 165, 252. 
 Lay of the Red (Dearg), 128, 145, 
 
 146, 162, 165, 172, 251, 263. 
 Lay of the Sixteen, 293. 
 Lay of Tuiriu (or Tuirenn), 7. 
 Lays of Deirdre, 7, 158, 175, 252, 
 
 261. 
 Maighre Borb. v. Assaroy. 
 Moytura, Tuesday in, 136. 
 Nenor a quhym fa chyill, 233. 
 Oscar at Gabhra, 252. 
 Oscar, death of, 287. 
 Ossian and Caoilte, 163, 
 Ossian and Finn, 219, 328. 
 Ossian and Patrick, 162, 176. 
 Ossian and the Sow of Tallann, 151. 
 Ossian's Prayer, 234, 287. 
 Proi)hesy of the Fools of Emain 
 
 Macha, 175. 
 Sealg mhor a' Ghlinn(e), 287. 
 
 Y 2
 
 342 
 
 CATALOGUE OF GAELIC MANUSCRIPTS 
 
 Seilg a choinor.adh le Finn, 1G2. 
 SeilgSleibh Giiillnig, 162. 
 Se la gus an <lu, 158, 235. 
 Sliabh nam han lionn, 232, 310. 
 Tailor of the Feinu (Parody), 291. 
 Tarrngaireachil Mbic Cumhaill air 
 
 Eirinn, 162. 
 Teamliair teach am bi mhac Cuinu, 
 
 128. 
 Teannrlacht mor na F(!'inne, 287. 
 The best battle the heroes ever 
 
 fought, 176. 
 Tigh Tormail, 287. 
 Ventry, Battle of, 233. 
 Vision of the Feinn (Parody), 291. 
 Heroic Legends and Tales : — 
 Aeneid, 195. 
 Aided (violent death) of Ailill, 154, 
 
 259. 
 
 of Blai Briuga, 154, 259. 
 
 of Celtchar mac Uthechair, 
 
 154, 259. 
 
 of Get mac Magach, 153, 259. 
 
 of Conall Cearnach, 154, 259. 
 
 of Concholar mac Nesa, 131, 
 
 152, 259. 
 
 of Conganchnes, 154, 259. 
 
 of Conlaoch, 151, 259. 
 
 of Cuchulainn, 146, 157, 174, 
 
 259. 
 
 of Fergus mac Roich, 154, 559. 
 
 of Garb Glinde Rige, 154. 
 
 of Goll mac Garbada, 154 
 
 of Laeg(h)aire Buad(h)ach, 1 54, 
 
 259. 
 
 of Meadb Cruachna, 153, 
 
 259. 
 
 Amadan mor, An t-, 3, 279. 
 
 (in verse), 293. 
 
 Anainn of the White Bosom, 303. 
 Argonautic Expedition, v. Troy. 
 Bardic Company, Journey of the 
 
 great, 249. 
 Battles : — 
 
 Fionntraigh, 173, 175. 
 
 (in verse), 233. 
 
 Leitir Ruid(g)e, 129. 
 
 Magh Breagh, 250. 
 
 Mag Mucramha, 139, 151, 173. 
 
 Magh na Teasaile ( = Pharsalia), 
 
 202. 
 
 Muirthemhue (v. Aided Con- 
 
 culainn), 292. 
 
 Ros na Righ, 174. 
 
 Bruighean bheag na h-Almhuin, 141, 
 263, 327. 
 
 Bruighean Caorthainn, 140, 152, 173, 
 259, 26.3. 
 
 Cheisi Coruin, 144, 263. 
 
 Eochaidh bhig dheirg, 171. 
 
 Oennach an ituanado, 157. 
 
 Cethirnach, 146, 264, 292. 
 
 Ciarnaid, 111. 
 
 Conaire and Macniadh, affairs of, 249. 
 
 Conall Clairingnech, 90. 
 
 Conall Gulban, Adventures of, 142, 
 263. 
 
 Conn Cetchathach — War with 
 Eoghan mor, 249. 
 
 Wild raid to Ulster, 250. 
 
 Cormac in Tara, 131. 
 
 Cuchulainn, Education of, 151, 259. 
 
 Deirdre. v. Oigheadh Cloinne Uis- 
 nigh. 
 
 Duncan, King of Ossory, 130. 
 
 Find and Oisin, 219, 328. 
 
 Garbh mac Stairn, 88. 
 
 Mac Datho's Pig, 144, 263. 
 
 Mnrchadh mac Briain, 146, 320. 
 
 Norway, Adventures of Children of 
 King of, 249. 
 
 Oigheadh Cloinne Lir, 152, 167, 259. 
 
 Tuirenn, 166, 261. 
 
 Uisnigh, 159, 169, 259. 
 
 Oilill Olum, Lamentation of, 138. 
 
 Pharsalia, 195, 201, 248, 259. 
 
 Serglige Conculaind, 183,231. 
 
 Siabhrugh Sigh and Inneiridh mhic 
 na !Miochomhairle, 293. 
 
 Tain bo Cuailgne, 174, 218, 220, 
 221. 
 
 Fraich, 155. 
 
 Thebaid of Statins, 195-197. 328. 
 
 French Version, 196. 
 
 Troj'— the Destruction of, 112, 195, 
 197, 200. 
 
 (in verse), 200. 
 
 Ulad, Mesce (Baothrem), 155, 259, 
 328. 
 
 Ulysses, Wandering of, 195. 
 History of Scotland (in MS.), 320. 
 Holy Spirit, the seven dana of the, 77. 
 Honey, 48. 
 Humilitate, de, 75. 
 Humours, on the, 8, 9, 11. 
 Hydrophobia, 11, 48. 
 Hymnary (Latin), 107, 120. 
 
 Iliad (translation by Ewen M'Lach- 
 
 lan), 280, 323. 
 Imbas forosnai, 177. 
 Indulgentia, de, 75.
 
 INDEX 
 
 34 3 
 
 Ingenio, tie (Galen), 301. 
 
 ■ S., de (Galen), 23. 
 
 Innse Gall ( = Hebrides) , 218. 
 Instructions, Sayings, etc : — 
 
 Corraac to his son, 9, 184, 186, 
 187, 304. 
 
 Cuchiilaiun to Liigaid, 183. 
 
 King Arthur to his sons, 188. 
 
 Sayings of Fithal, 184. 
 Inverness, School or Academy in, 
 
 323. 
 lona Club, 272. 
 
 Library of, 309, 324. 
 
 Ireland, Kings of, pedigrees, notes, 
 
 126. 
 Iris, 19. 
 
 Irish Poems, Collection of, 292. 
 Islay, Charter of lands in, 295. 
 luuamentis membrorum, de, 65. 
 
 Jargon, 173. 
 
 Journal (or Diary) in Gaelic, 320. 
 
 Ktlliecrankie, Latin poem on, 289, 
 303, 320. 
 
 C4aelic poem on, 289, 303. 
 
 Kintyre, Poem in praise of, 212. 
 on sale of lands in, 211. 
 
 Languages, the seven that originated 
 
 at Babel, 172. 
 Laoidh na Muighe Finne, 317. 
 Latin, poems translated from, 289, 
 
 303. 
 Fragment of religious treatise in, 
 
 92. 
 Leabar ... do gnathugud 7 do 
 
 oibrigthib na naduire daenda, 50. 
 
 na coimplex, 50. 
 
 • na n-ainmiutedh, 35. 
 
 (not named), 57. 
 
 Leabhar bian an fheidh ( = MS. xl), 
 
 153. 
 Caol (L. C.) = MS. Lxxxm, 128, 
 
 151, 152, 15.3, 156, 162, 166,201, 
 
 218, 220, 255, 258-260. 
 Chillebhride ( = MS. xxxii), 220, 
 
 360. 
 Legends and Tales : — 
 
 Adventures of Serlus and Roland, 
 110. 
 
 Christian and Jewish Boys, 87. 
 
 Ciaran, 87. 
 
 Clan Thomas, the, 163. 
 
 Drumenach, experiences of Oclaech 
 in Abbacy of, 110. 
 
 Emperor, Empress, and Prince, 
 152. 
 
 Farbhlaidh, 255, 328. 
 
 Fight of Lisin O'Dunagan, 164. 
 
 Gregorj' of Eome, 80. 
 
 History of Edmund O'Cleary, 164. 
 
 King Laegaire and St. Patrick, 87. 
 
 Men in shape of Birds, 88. 
 
 Michael and St. Patrick, 131. 
 
 Mochuda and the Devil, 87. 
 
 Paphnutius, Abbot, 79. 
 
 Paul, Beheading of, 80. 
 
 Pursuit of Gille deacair, 165. 
 
 Serpents, Places immune from, 78, 
 83. 
 
 Ship at Clonmacnois, 88. 
 
 Slim Swarthy Kern, 165. 
 
 St. Bridget and Leper, 88. 
 
 St. Moling, 83. 
 Liber criseos, 50. 
 
 criseosus, 50. 
 
 de sensu et sensatu, 40. 
 
 • epitimiarum, 27. 
 
 regalis, 27. 
 
 Life, on (Egidius), 58. 
 
 Lilium Medicira?, 6, 27, 51, 274, 
 
 283. 
 
 Editions of, 299. 
 
 Translations of, 299. 
 
 Lismore, Dean of, MS., 105, 
 
 Account of MS., 225-246. 
 
 Transcripts by Ewen M'Lachlan, 
 
 255, 321. 
 
 Rev. Dr. Cameron, 311. 
 
 D. C. Machperson, 266, 
 
 279. 
 Rev. Walter Macleod, 264. 
 
 Leaves photographed by Mr. 
 
 Liddall, 228. 
 
 Lore, 41, 120, 283. 
 
 Manx, three poems in, 301. 
 Mars, planet, 24. 
 
 statue of, 73. 
 
 Masters, 21, 31, 70. 
 
 Materia Medica, 8, 18, 70, 313. 
 
 quotations from MS., 19-21. 
 
 Maxims, translated, 61, 67, 68, 284. 
 
 native {v. Proverbs), 183. 
 
 Measures, v. weights. 
 Medicine, general, 45. 
 Three subjects of, 71. 
 
 Three Schools of, 28, 42. 
 
 Theory and Practice, 45.
 
 344 
 
 CATALOGUE OF GAELIC MANUSCRIPTS 
 
 Medicines, digestive and purgative, 
 
 52, 69. 
 
 Simple and compound, 59. 
 
 purgative, 40, 47, 5U. 
 
 Metaphysics, Aristotle, 48. 
 Metres — Casljhairue, 111, 181. 
 
 Kannaideclit mor, 111. 181. 
 
 beg, 111, 181. 
 
 Setnad.lu, 181. 
 
 Mirror of Sacrament of Penitence, 
 
 318. 
 Missal, 304. 
 Mnemonics, 9. 
 Monasticon (Gaelic), 221. 
 Moon, influence of, on epilepsy, 13. 
 Mummy, 21. 
 
 Music and musical instruments, 58. 
 Music and Poetry of the Gael, 
 
 (Glossary of terms and phrases), 265. 
 
 Nature, on (Avicenna), 16 ( ?), 48. 
 
 (Plato), 46. 
 
 NoUaic, Cuid (verses), 205, 216. 
 
 Obituary, 230. 
 O'Coscair's Hill, Harp of, 241. 
 Ogham, writing in, 222. 
 Ollamh Ileach, 309. 
 
 Muileach, 309. 
 
 Oratione, de, 75, 
 O'Rourkes, Frolics of the, 208. 
 Ossian— Authenticity of, 280, 281. 
 ■ Controversy regarding, 235-236, 
 
 291, 326. 
 Owl (of Strone), v. Comhachag, 
 
 Creag ghuanach, 285, 305, 308. 
 
 Pantechni, 44. 
 
 Parodies, 291. 
 
 Parody, the Tailor of the F6inn, 175. 
 
 Passion of Andrew, 73. 
 
 James, 74. 
 
 John the Baptist, 76, 80. 
 
 ■ Poem on, 76. 
 
 Our Lord, 74, 75, 85. 
 
 Paul, beheading of, 80. 
 
 -Philip, 73. 
 
 . St. Anselm, 75, 85. 
 
 Pearl, 20. 
 
 Pennaid Adhaim, 94. 
 Philosophers, 44, 45, 58. 
 Philosophy, 9, 16, 33, 38, 40, 43, 45. 
 Physic, treatises on, passim 8-71, 
 273, 298, 309. 
 
 Physic, history of, 298 
 Physicians, 31, 45, 69; fee of, 14. 
 
 rights and responsibilities of, 14. 
 
 Planets, 8. 
 
 influence of, on diseases, etc. 9, 
 
 13, 24,44. 
 Plants, Alibertus on, 17. 
 Pleading, marks of good and bad, 178. 
 Poems, historical, passim 114-128, 
 
 207, 241-245, 254,263. 
 
 religious, passim 76-105, 207, 
 
 208, 243, 251, 311, 316, 317, 318, 
 319. 
 
 topographical and genealogical, 
 
 254-255. 
 
 Poets, privileges of, 177. 
 Practitioners, 31, 70. 
 Prescriptions, passim 8-71. 
 
 specimen of, 33. 
 
 Prince, the Black, 320. 
 Prosodia, Molloy's Grammar, 241. 
 Proverbs, 192, 193, 269, 311, 321. 
 Pulse, Philaretus on the, 71. 
 
 Raon Ruaraidii ( = Killiekrankie), 
 
 Poem on, 268. 
 Reading, value of, 42. 
 Records of the Isles, 325. 
 Regulations for British Army, 303. 
 Remarks on Dr. Samuel Johnson's 
 
 Journey to the Hebrides (rough draft 
 
 of), 320. 
 Remscela (Fore -tales) to Tain bo 
 
 Cuailgne, 220. 
 Repentance, Tract on, 101. 
 Retoric, 7, 141. 
 
 Roman Sprite (poem), 100, 262. 
 Rosary, Devotion to the, 319. 
 Run. V. Retoric. 
 
 Salerno, "Women of, 11. 
 
 Satirical Verses, 316. 
 
 Schola Salernitana, 62, 66. 
 
 Scotonia, 132. 
 
 Scots, Battles of the, 230. 
 
 Scots handwriting, 284, 302, 308. 
 
 Scriptures, Excerpts from, 23, 49, 57. 
 
 Portion of Old Testament, 325. 
 
 Secret Works of Nature (Aquinas), 38. 
 Senses, on the (Avicenna), 40, 48. 
 Sensu, de (Alibertus), 40. 
 Sermo ad Reges, 73, 84. 
 Sermon.s, 272, 311, 320, 323. 
 Sgiath Luireach of Columba, 315.
 
 INDEX 
 
 345 
 
 Skull, 35. 
 
 Skye, School or Academy in, 309. 
 
 Sleep, on, 57. 
 
 Society of Scottish Antiquaries, Library 
 
 of, 298. 
 Sophists, 37. 
 Soul and Body, 24. 
 Soul and Senses, on the, 40. 
 Sperms, on, 27. 
 Sun, Address to the, 261, 304. 
 Synchronisms (F'lann), 113. 
 
 Table, Astrological, 283. 
 Tables, Ten Medical, 70, 301. 
 Taste, on (Arnaldus), 13, 16. 
 Teagasg Criosdaidhe (O'Hosey), 309. 
 Teeth, 10, 36. 
 Teinm laegda, 177. 
 Temora, Book I., Additions to, 261. 
 Tenga bith-niia (Ever-new Tongue), 96, 
 
 101. 
 Timore, de, 76. 
 
 Tir fo thuinn (land under wave), 262. 
 Toothache, 12, 13. 
 Topographical Poem (O'Dugan), 255. 
 Tract recommending the Protestant 
 
 Faith, 266. 
 Trees, on (Sofista), 16. 
 Trefocul, Poem on, 181. 
 Triads, 190-192. 
 Triucha, Praise of, 208. 
 Tuatha de danann, 108, 126, 144. 
 
 Udacht (Bequest) of Mokann, 184, 
 185. 
 
 Ulaid, 107, 112. 
 
 Uraicecht, 181. 
 
 Urine, on, 8, 9, 62, 67, 273, 284. 
 
 Veins, on (Rhazes), 12, 14. 
 
 Viatic, 17. 
 
 Victoria, Her Majesty Queen, Leaves 
 from Journal (Gaelic Translation), 
 310. 
 
 Vinum, 260. 
 
 Vocabulary, Gaelic-English, 247. 
 
 (Mr. Macpherson), 279. 
 
 — Index Verborum (D. C. Mac- 
 pherson), 279. 
 
 Vocabularies, Gaelic-English, 281. 
 
 English-Gaelic, 281. 
 
 179, ISO. 
 
 Gaelic-English and English- 
 Gaelic, 247. 
 
 Voice-production, 34. 
 
 Watts's Hymns (in Gaelic), 272. 
 Weights and Measures in Medicine, 
 
 12, 69. 
 Whisky (aqua vitce), properties of, 12. 
 
 verses on, 214. 
 
 Women, fifteen virtues of good and 
 
 fifteen vices of bad, 189. 
 Woimcls, 11, 24, 48. 
 marie by bullet, 68. 
 
 Year, divisions of, 61. 
 Yera Constantinus, 13. 
 
 III. Other MSS. quoted or keferred to 
 
 Balg-solair (Ewen M'Lachlan's), 
 
 255. 
 
 (Macleod's), 255. 
 
 Bodl. (Laud, 615), 251. 
 
 (Laud, 610), 180. 
 
 (Rawlinson, B. 486), 114. 
 
 ( „ 506), 135. 
 
 ( » 512), 87, 114, 
 
 144. 
 Bolg solaraidh (Bryan Kelly), 317. 
 Book of Ballymote (printed in photo.), 
 
 107, 135, 138, 180, 181, 198. 
 
 of Hy Maine, 137, 204, 240. 
 
 of Lecan, 114, 292. 
 
 Leinster (printed in facsimile), 
 
 111, 112, 131, 132, 135, 144, 151, 
 
 152, 153, 154, 155, 170, 174, 180, 
 
 185, 203, 236, 
 Book of Lismore, 84, 92, 96, 138, 249. 
 Brit. Mus. (Additional, 15,582), 285. 
 
 (Egerton, 89), 330. 
 
 ( „ 93), 157. 
 
 ■ - — ( „ 106), 151. 
 
 ( „ HI), 207. 
 
 ■ ( „ 1781), 195. 
 
 ( „ 1782), 133, 155, 
 
 170. 
 Brussels (Burg. MS. 5100), 81. 
 
 Catalogue of MSS. in R. I. A., 
 
 Eugene O'Curry, 241. 
 Culmen, 220.
 
 346 
 
 CATALOGUE OF GAELIC MANUSCRIPTS 
 
 Daly, Petkr, MS., '29-2. 
 Dublin, i\. I. A. (H. 1. 17), 154. 
 
 ■ ('23. a 21), 154. 
 
 (23. G. 21), 154. 
 T. C. D. (H. 1. 13), 155. 
 
 (H. 3. 3), 135. 
 
 (H. 3. 18), 133. 
 
 (H. 5. 4), 145. 
 
 Leabar Bkeac, printed in facsimile, 
 78, 79, 8tJ, 92, 94, 109. 
 
 Leabhar Gabhala, 184. 
 
 extracts from, 250. 
 
 Leabhar na h-Uidhri, printed in fac- 
 simile, 109, 155, 157, 184, 232. 
 
 Leydeu MS., 157. 
 
 Liber tlaviis Fergusiorum, 154. 
 
 M'FiRBia's Genealogies, 111. 
 
 Rennes MS., 135. 
 
 Sabhall Padraig, 111. 
 Sage MSS., 316. 
 
 Thomson's Vellum MS., 260. 
 
 Yellow Book op Lecan (printed in 
 photo.), 76, 79, 80, 84, 94, 97, 133, 
 135, 162, 170, 186, 240, 251. 
 
 Yellow Book of Slane, 184. 
 
 IV. Books and Periodicals quoted or referred to 
 
 Academy, the, (Journal), 18. 
 Archaeologia Britaniiica, 159. 
 Archseologia Seotica, 230. 
 Archaeological Society, Irish, 251. 
 Archiv fiir Celtische Lexikographie, 
 
 152, 179, 181, 204, 240, 327. 
 Argyll, House of, 246, 297. 
 Atlantis, 167, 168, 170, 184. 
 
 Beauties of Gaelic Poetry, 105, 266, 
 
 288, 304, 305, 308, 320. 
 Bible, Kirke's, 292. 
 Edition by Dr. M'Lauchlan and 
 
 Dr. Clerk, 311. 
 Bibliotheca Scoto-Celtica, 269. 
 Bolg Solair (Sinclair's), 320. 
 Book of Deer, 294, 323. 
 Book of Islay, 296. 
 
 Caledonian Medical Journal, 285. 
 
 Calendar of Oengus the Culdee, 179. 
 
 Calvin's Catechism, 269. 
 
 Caogad, 325. 
 
 Catalogue of Irish MSS. in the British 
 
 Museum (Standish Hayes O'Grady), 
 
 passim 14-300, 327. 
 Celtic Magazine, 154, 157. 
 Celtic Review, 162, 180,212,309, 328. 
 Celtic Scotland, 81, 92, 106, 110, 
 
 273. 
 Chronicles of the Picts and Scots, 114, 
 
 304. 
 
 Chronicon of Dean MacGregor, 230. 
 Clans (Conflict among the), 308, 320. 
 Coir Anmann, 107. 
 
 Collectanea de rebus Albanicis, 72, 
 106, 272. 
 
 Deirdre (Joyce), 170. 
 
 Description of the Western Isles of 
 
 Scotland, 92, 324. 
 Duanaire, 215. 
 
 Edinburgh Courant (Letter to), 311. 
 
 Edinburgh Encyclopedia, 291. 
 
 Encyclopaedia Perthensis, 286. 
 
 English, Books and MSS. written 
 partly in, 174, 175, 207, 211,215, 
 222, 250, 271, 272, 287, 311, 317. 
 
 Erin, 95, 96, 327, 328. 
 
 Essai d'un Catalogue de la Litterature 
 Epique de I'lrlande (Jubainville), 
 130, 131, 151, 154, 155, 167, 170, 
 173, 174, 186, 249. 
 
 Fasti Ecclejsi^ Scotican^, 216, 270, 
 
 291, 303, 306, 325. 
 Fingal, Dr. Ross's translation of, 272. 
 
 Sir John Sinclair's, 281. 
 
 Folk-lore, 77, 132, 133, 135, 136. 
 Four Masters, Annals of the, 184, 186, 
 
 203, 222, 241, 244, 255, 311. 
 Extracts from, 73, 253.
 
 INDEX 
 
 347 
 
 Gael (Magazine), 305, 328. 
 
 Gaelic Bards, 320, 328. 
 
 Gaelic Journal, 83, 130, 164, 167, 170. 
 
 Gaidhill and Gaill, Wars of, 113, 31 1. 
 
 Gillies's Collection of Gaelic Poetry 
 
 170, 187, 288, 289, 303, 304, 307, 
 
 320. 
 Glossarjs Cormac's, 178, 179, 304. 
 
 O'Davoren's, 1 79. 
 
 Calendar of Oengus, 179. 
 
 Gododin, 273. 
 
 Goidelica, 294. 
 
 Grammar prefixed to Johnson's 
 
 Dictionary, 317. 
 
 Harris's Translation of Sir James 
 
 Ware, Extract from, 250. 
 Hibernica Minora, 144. 
 Highlanders of Scotland, the, 72. 
 Highland Monthly, the, 306, 307, 
 
 308. 
 Historical and Genealogical Account of 
 
 the Bethunes of Skye, 299. 
 History of the Mackenzies, 270. 
 
 Irish Arch^ological and Celtic 
 
 SociHTv, 179, 251. 
 Irish M8. Series (Trans. R. I. A.), 155. 
 Irish Metric, 181. 
 
 Irish Texts Society, 90, 231, 249, 328. 
 Irische Grammatik, 232. 
 Irische Texte, 107, 162, 170, 173, 181, 
 
 186, 197, 249, 259, 261. 
 Irische Texte mit Worterbuch, 144, 
 
 152, 157, 170, 184, 245. 
 
 Keating, History of Ireland, 122, 127, 
 128, 170, 259. 
 
 Laws, Brehon, 14, 177. 
 
 Leabhar na Feinne (L.F. ), passim 144- 
 
 324. 
 Leabhar nan Gleann, 268. 
 Lismore, Book of the Dean of, 152, 
 
 206, 227, 239, 243, 244, 245, 246, 
 
 263. 
 Loch Etive and the Sons of Uisneach, 
 
 170. 
 
 MacCallum, H. and J.'s Collection 
 of Ossianic Poems, 144, 170, 234. 
 
 Macdonald, Eanald (Collection of 
 Gaelic Poems), 105, 241, 257, 270, 
 289, 304, 306, 308, 320, 324. 
 
 Macdonald Bards, 307. 
 
 Macdonalds, History of (Collectanea de 
 
 rebus Albanicis), 272. 
 Macfadyeii, Duncan (Hymns), 316. 
 Macmillan's Magazine, 81. 
 Manners and Customs of the Ancient 
 
 Irish, 87, 111, 114, 136, 138, 143, 
 
 167, 168, 180. 
 Manuscrij)t Materials of Ancient Irish 
 
 History, 77, 131, 239, 250, 254 
 Marty rology of Gorman, 102. 
 Mordubh, 304. 
 
 Old Celtic Romances, 167, 168 
 Old Statistical Account, 286. 
 Oranaiche, 212. 
 O'Reilly, Edward (Account of Irish 
 
 Writers), 89, 101, 104, 114, 115, 
 
 121, 122, 123, 137, 207, 208, 241, 
 
 251,255. 
 Origin and Progress of Writing, 201. 
 Ossian, Highland Society Committee's 
 
 Report on, 62, 155, 158, 162, 170, 
 
 201, 217, 219, 221, 226, 244, 266, 
 
 270, 280, 288. 
 Ossian, (Macpherson's) extracts from, 
 
 316. 
 
 references to, 231, 235, 266. 
 
 translations of, into English, 265, 
 
 281. 
 
 translation of, into French, 280. 
 
 additions to, 261. 
 
 Ossianic Society of Dublin, 224 236 
 
 249. 
 
 Passions and Homilies from Leabhar 
 Breac, 73, 74, 76, 79, 87. 
 
 Pedigrees, O'Hart's, 117. 
 
 Prayer Book, Catholic, 280. 
 
 Proceedings of the Society of Anti- 
 quaries of Scotland, 227, 308. 
 
 Reliqfes OF Irish Poetry, 151, 233 
 252, 253. 
 
 Reliquias Celtica;, 98, 144, 158, 162, 
 170, 172, 175, 176, 192, 205,207,' 
 210, 213, 215, 228, 233, 235, 239, 
 242-246, 251, 260, 267-269, ' 27l', 
 278, 305, 311, 312, 324. 
 
 Report on Ossian. v. Ossian. 
 
 Revue Celtique, IS, 94, 96, 138, 151, 
 152, 155, 157, 232, 327. 
 
 St. Bartholomew Hospital Reports, 
 
 18. 
 Saltair na Rann, 95. 
 Scots Magazine, 155, 286, 289.
 
 348 
 
 CATALOGUE OF GAELIC MANUSCRIPTS 
 
 Sean Dana (Dr. Smith), 146, 231, 
 
 2(51, 310. 
 Silva CJa.lelica, l.S'2, 145, 146, 1G5. 
 Societe ilea Anciens Textes Frau5ais, 
 
 196. 
 Stewart, A. and D.'s Collection of 
 
 Gaelic Poetry, 170, 172, 252, 289, 
 
 317. 
 
 Todd Lkctprk Seriks, 131, 135, 136, 
 154, 155, 178, 184, 186. 190, 328. 
 
 Transactions of the Gaelic Society of 
 Inverness, 155, 170, 267, 268, 280, 
 2S7, 288, 294, 306, 310, 319, 320, 
 
 of the Royal Irish Academy, 
 
 133, 295, 327. 
 
 of the Society of Dublin, 170. 
 
 Tribes of Ireland, 328. 
 
 Tripartite Life of St. Patrick, 87. 
 
 Ultonian Hero Ballad.s, 170. 
 
 Verslerex, Mitteliki.sche, 181. 
 
 Waifs and Strays of Celtic 
 Tradition, 294. 
 
 Ware, Sir James, History and Anti- 
 quities of Ireland, 250. 
 
 West Highland Tales, 142, 146, 170, 
 282. 
 
 Zeitschrift fur Celtische Philo- 
 LOGiE, 81, 154, 155, 251, 208, 269, 
 328. 
 
 Zeitschrift fiir vergleichende Sprach- 
 forschung (Kuhn), 218. 
 
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