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The body which enshrines (encases) a religious sense (intellect)
The great form under choicest of thatches,7

Which towers above each generation

Of Maisten of smoothest lands.9

The son of Diarmait, dear to me,

Should he desire it,10 it is not unpleasant (difficult):
His praise in (for) beauty and wealth11

Shall be sung in poems by me.

Beloved the name, 'tis no new report (assertion) 12
Of Aedh who does not deserve (earns not) reproach,
The pure form; fame not concealed,

To whom the shining Liphe is inheritance. 13

The grandson11 of Muiredhach without disgrace

A cliff (rock) chosen for (of) loud-speaking dignity-
A grandson has not been found his equal (like) 15
Of the kings of the clans of Cualann. 16

hill to hill and from cliff to cliff protecting myself against wolves) LU. Scél Tuain. roerenn gen. sg. of Roeriu, which Dr. O'Donovan told me in a letter dated 13th Feb. 1859 is "a hill in the Co. of Kildare, now generally anglicised Reerin and Reelion, from which I incline to believe that Aed son of Diarmaid was of the line of the O'Tuathails, in whose territory this hill is situate." réde gen. sg. fem. of réid'smooth,' an adjectival i-stem.

5. comras 3d. sg. rel. pres. of a verb comraim connected with comrar (gl. capsa) Z. 842 conn credail sense of a believer' (creduli).

6

fu thocaid thugaib: C. took tocaid as for togaid cogn. with togu' choice' and tugaib as dat. pl. of tuige 'thatch,' here used for 'hair.' This seems to me very doubtful. 8. du farclu 'superabat' a verb connected with faircle .i. fir-uachtar (Curry), rethid cosin carraic 7 dabeir a daláim ria coralai in farcli uachtarach di, LL. 171. b. 2. farclib glun (gl. genuclis) Gildas gl. 183., 'kneecaps.' farcle muidi 'cover of a milk-pail,' Ir. Nenn. 212. As to the termination cf. ar-a-chuiliu "which depraves," Patrick's hymn, fuacru, riadu, nomarbu and perhaps mairiu supra, p. 177. 9. rather thus: "of smooth Moistiu's lands" moisten gen. sg. of Moistiu, now Mullagh Mast in the county of Kildare: immaistin in campo liphi, Lib. Arm. 10. b. 1. míne gen. sg. fem. of mín : mrugaib dat. pl. of mruig, later bruig.

10. Rather: "should it be asked" iarfachta, conj. pass. of iarfaigim. 11. rather his praise more beautiful (maissiu) than treasures' (máenib for moenib = Lat. muneribus).

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12. Rather they are not (nitat) new reports" (bla). 13. duthoig country, Gael. duthaich 'regio,' Liphe the river Liffey.

15.

14. aue is here and in the next line but one, a dissyllable. ammail for a smail, a samail 'his like.' 16. cualann "the district between Bray and Wicklow" C. regiones coolennorum, Lib. Arm. 2. b. 2.

The sovereignty it is his inheritance,

All good be to him of it in the highest,17

The stalk of a family (race) without reproach
Of the wealthy kings of Marggæ.

The butt18 of a great tree of noble dignity,19

Against battle he is the foundation of battlements:
He is a silver sapling of lofty power (virtue)

Of the sons of a hundred kings, a hundred queens. 20

At ale-drinking21 poems are sung,

By companies among people's houses. 22
Sweet-singing bards announce 23

In pools of ale24 the name of Aedh.

now airde 'height.' 18.

17. no ardda rather 'or exaltation,' ardd gas' sprig.' 15. Marggae now Slewmargy (Sliabh marge) in Kilkenny and Queen's County, West of the Barrow, O'Don.

19. miad soerdae 'a noble dignity' in apposition with bun. 20. rígnae gen. pl. of a fem. i-stem rígain.

21. cormaim dat. sg. of cuirm, kovoμi, a neuter n-stem. 22. drenga (?) iter (among) dreppa (?) daena (?): drenga and dreppa are perhaps loans (A.S. drince' potus,' drepe, drype 'a blow'). 23. arbertet cf. airbert .i. airshetal bairdni, nom. pl. of bairdne a derivative from bard, means here apparently not 'bard' but bardic compositions': bindi nom. pl. masc. of bind melodious,' an adjectival i-stem. 24. laith-linni ‘alepools,' acc. pl.

:

The two quatrains marked II, are part of a longer poem found in the Book of Leinster, the Book of Ballymote, fo. 140 b, a. line 28, "transcribed there," writes the late Eugene Curry, "from the Book of Glenndaloch," the Book of Lismore, Part II, fol. 25, a. a. and the Bodleian codex, Laud 610. Here follows the copy from the Book of Leinster :

fo. 204. b. 1.] Fechtas dósum ocernaigthi innaeclais. Conacca innóc lach cuci isatech. Étach corcarda imbi .7 delb derscaigthe leis. Maith sin achlerig arse. Amin armoling. Cid nabennachaiseo damsa arintóclách [204 b, 2] Cia ataiseo armolling. Mésse orse crist mac (Dé.) Ni etar ón armolling. INtan dothéiged crist doacallam nacéle ndé nipochorcarda na (rígda) dothéiged acht irrechtaib natróg .i. nallobor 7 naclam nobíd crist. Inamaires mongeibe dim (cia) isdóig latt and. Badóig lim armolling (comad hé) diabul domirchót. Bid ole duit intamaires or intóclách. Maith ar molling. atá sund dochomarba soscela crist latercbáil intsoscela. Natergab a chlérig orse isdochu ismesse immeradiseo infer im(nedach). Cid diathuidced ar molling. Cotartasu dobennachtain form. Nithibér ar molling arnochonairle nípa ferdde. cid domaith duit iarum. Achlerig orse mar nothiastaso indabaig mela corofothraicthe inti cotétuch. Nobíad abolud

fort maninestá thétach. Cid diatá latt ón armolling. Ata lim cenconderna ní dobennachtsu damsa bíaid asoborthon 7 abal form anechtair. Nitbía armolling ar nísairle. Maith or se tabair lán mallachta form din. Cid domaith duit ón ar molling. Ninsa a chlerig orse inbél forsatarga inmallacht formsa bíaid airchoít 7 a neim itbelaibseo. Airg, armolling, nídligi bennachtain. Ropad ferr lim nodlessaind. Cinnas dosnuilliub. Fognam dodia armolling. Fé amæ or se nírucaimsi ón. Brodlan legind. Nimó dolegendso 7 nímchobratharside. Oéni dana armolling Atósa imthroscud óthosuch domain. ni ferdde dam. Slechtain dodenam. ar molling. Foremdim tairniud forbeolu siar atát moglúne. Eirg ass ar molling níétaim dothessargain. Is and asbert diabul

ISór glan isnem imgréin is lestar argait co fin
isangel isecna nóeb cechóen dogní toil indríg.
ISén immaniada sás is nói tholla dianeslind gúas
islestar fás iscrand crín nadeni toil inrig thúas.
Iscræb chumra conabláth. is lestar islán domil.
islia lógmar comboil dogní toil maic dé donim.
IScnú chæch nadbí ammáin isbrénce brén iscrand crín.
iscréb fiadabla cenbláth cách nadéni toil inrig.
Dogní toil maice dé donim isgrian etrocht imbí sam
isairide dé donim islestar glainide glan.

IS.

ISech buada darmag réid fer adcosnaid flaith dé móir."
iscarpat fedair (sic) foríg dober búaid ahallaib óir.
ISgrian gures riched nóeb fer dianbudech inrí mór

is tempul sonaide sær is scrín nóeb conutaing ór. IS ór.
IS altóir forsndailter fín immacanar ilar cór

iscailech glanda collind isfindruine find isór. IS ór.

Luid ass tra iarsin.

Translation.

As he, Molling, was once praying in his church he saw the youth (coming) to him into the house. Purple raiment around him and a dignified form had he.

"That is well, O cleric," saith he. "Amen," saith Molling. "Wherefore dost thou not bless me?" asks the youth. "Who art thou?" quoth Molling. "I," says he, "am Christ the Son of God."

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"That cannot

be," says Molling: "when Christ used to come to converse with the servants of God (Culdees), not in purple nor royally did he come, but in the shapes of the wretched, namely, of the sick and the lepers, used Christ to be." "Is it unbelief thou hast in me?" says the youth: "who seems it to thee that is here?" Meseems," says Molling, "that it is the Devil for my hurt." "Ill for thee is thy unbelief," says the youth. "Well," says Molling, "here is thy successor, Christ's gospel," raising the gospel. "Raise it not, O cleric," says he, "likelier it is I whom thou thinkest, the man full of tribulations.” "Wherefore hast thou come? asked Molling. "That thou mayst give me thy blessing." "I will not give it," says Molling, "for it is not a desire that thou wouldst be

a MS. notol.

b MS. máir.

c MS. iscrín.

the better of. What good were it to thee moreover?" "O cleric," says he, "just as if thou shouldst go into a vat of honey and bathe therein with thy raiment, the odour of it would be on thee unless thou shouldst wash thy raiment." "Wherefore is this thy desire?" asks Molling. "It is" (says he), "though thou givest nought of thy blessing to me, its prosperity and its goodness will be on me externally outside." “Thou shalt not have it," says Molling, "for it is not (thy) desire." "Well then" says he, "give me the full of a curse.' "Wherefore wishest thou this?" says Molling. "Not hard to say, O cleric," says he, "the mouth whereon would come the curse on me, its hurt and its poison will be on thy lips." "Go," says Molling, "no blessing deservest thou." "Better were it for me that I should earn it. How shall I attain it?"

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"Service unto God," says Molling. "Woe's me," says he, "I bear not this." "A of reading." "No more thy reading, and this helps me not." "Fasting then," says Molling. "I am fasting from the world's beginning. Not the better am I." "Prostrations to make," quoth Molling. “I cannot bend forward, for backwards are my knees." "Go forth," says Molling, "I cannot save thee." Then said the Devil :

He is pure gold, he is a heaven round the sun,
He is a vessel of silver full of wine,

He is an angel, he is wisdom of saints,
Every one who doth the will of the King.

He is a bird round which a trap shuts,

He is a leaky bark in dangerous peril,
He is an empty vessel, he is a withered tree,
Whoso doth not the will of the King above.

He is a sweet branch, with its blossom,

He is a vessel which is full of honey,

He is a precious stone with goodness,
Whoso doth the will of God's Son of heaven.

He is a blind nut, wherein is no profit,

He is a stinking rottenness, he is a withered tree,
He is a wild apple-branch without blossom,
Every one who doth not the will of the King.

If he does the will of God's Son of heaven,

He is a brilliant sun round which is summer,

He is the image of the God of heaven,

He is a vessel glassen, pure.

He is a race-horse over a smooth plain,

(The) man who strives for (the) kingdom of great God,
He is a chariot that is seen under a king,

Which wins a prize from bridles of gold.

He is a sun that warms holy heaven,

The man for whom the great King is thankful :

He is a temple prosperous, noble,

He is a shrine which gold accompanies.

He is an altar whereon wine is shed,

Round which is chanted a multitude of choruses,
He is a cleansed chalice with liquor,

He is white findruine, he is gold."

The third poem is, to me, exceedingly obscure. It seems to mean, "There remains a fort in Tuaim Inbir,"

stars last night, with its sun, with its moon.

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with its

Gobban made that: let its story be perceived by you: my heartlet, God of heaven, he is the thatcher that thatched it.

“A house wherein thou gettest not moisture; a place wherein thou fearest not spearpoints. More radiant it is than a garden, and it without an udnacht around it."

The Suibne Geilt (lunatic) mentioned in the title to the third poem is said to have gone mad at the Battle of Moira. He" was many years afterwards murdered at Tigh Moling, now St. Mullens in the county of Carlow, by Mongan, the swineherd of S. Molling, and was interred with great honours in the church there by the saint himself."—Battle of Magh Rath, ed. O'Donovan, p. 236 n. The Gobban' in the fifth line is the celebrated Gobban Saer of Irish tradition, who flourished in the seventh century, and made a duirthech (oratory) for S. Moling—see Petrie's Round Towers, pp. 345, 401, and Lives of Cambrobritish Saints, p. 247.

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Any merit in the translation of this poem is due to the late Eugene Curry.

An ecclesiastical establishment in Westmeath, according to Mr. Hennessy.

THE VERSES IN THE CODEX BOERNERIANUS.

fo. 23.]

Téicht doróim

mór saido. beic torbai.

INrí chondaigi hifoss
manimbera latt nífogbái.

Mór báis morbaile

mór coll ceille mór mire.

olais airchenn teicht doécaib.

beith fo étoil. máic. Maire
Translation.

"To go to Rome is much of trouble, little of profit. The King whom thou seekest here, unless thou bring him with thee thou findest not. Great folly, great madness, great loss of sense, great folly, since thou hast proposed (?) to go to death, to be under the unwill of Mary's Son." From a facsimile given by Matthaei in his XIII epistolarum Pauli Codex, 1791, fo. 23. They have already been printed with a translation, by Dr. Reeves, in the Irish Ecclesiastical Journal, v. 138. In the third line the facsimile has INrí chondaigi .ǹ. hifoss, the dot over n being the punctum delens.

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