AN GAOḊAL.
411
do gaċ fear aga ḃ-fuil teaċ ionnus,
tar éis an toġail ġeinearálta so, ḃéiḋ
Fir-in-ar-n-ionnad ċo mór sin a's ní
ḟeudfaiḋ na Sacsain ṁallaiġe, santaiġ
driltiḋ a ṫáḃairt ḋúinn. Tá na daoine
músgailte anois. Fosgailtear a súile
le Miċeál Daḃit agus le h-Onrí Seorse.
agus a saṁail Ins na néiṫe is lúġa biḋ¬
eann spiorad na Náisiúnta. San aim¬
sir ta ṫarainn do b'ḟeárr le nar b-po¬
bail eudaċ Sacsan a caiṫeaṁ in a g-cul¬
aiḋiḃ 'na eudaċ Gaoḋalaċ, giḋeaḋ go
raḃ sé níos feárr ceud uair. Anois an
ċeud ċeist fiafruiġṫear san t-siopa,
"An eudaċ Gaoḋalaċ é seo." Anois
congḃuiġṫear ar n-airgead sa m-baile
in áit a ċur go Sacsan. San g-caoi
ċeudna, ḃí am ann nar léiġeaḋ irisleaḃ¬
ar aċ iad so bí cloḋḃuailte i Londuin;
anois ta irisleaḃair d'ar g-cuid féin
againn, agus gaċ h-uile niḋ mar sin.
To be continued.
DR. MACNISH'S ADDRESS
Continued
Mr. Skene published in 1868 the four principal
ancient Welsh MSS. with an English translation.
The four ancient books of Wales comprise, —
The Black Book of Caermarthen, which was
written in the reign of Henry II.
The Book of Aneurin, which was written proba¬
bly in the end of the 13th century.
The Book of Taliessin, which belongs to the be¬
ginning of the 14th century.
The Red Book of Hergest, which was compiled at
different times in the 14th and 15th centuries.
Mr. Skene has thus presented, in a very intelli¬
gible form, the poems of Aneurin, (who exampli¬
fies the faithfulness of the Welsh proverb; “Auo
glew gochlywir," “He that is brave, his praise will
be heard abroad,”) and of Taliessin, the poet of
excellent forehead, who among the Welsh bards
has acquired the pre-eminence of popular reputa¬
tion ; and who in his poem. The Chair of Taliessin,
says of himself, “I animate the bold : I influence
the heedless ; I wake up the looker on ; the enlight¬
ener of bold kings." In addition to the poems of
Aneurin and Taliessin, Mr. Skene's book contains
the poems of Llywrach Hen, who is said to have
reached the age of 150 years.
There is a galaxy of Welsh scholars whose labors
are very important. So wide and diversified, how¬
ever, is the field of Welsh literature, as is likewise
the case with Irish literature, that even with all
the facilities which are afforded by the labor of
Welsh and Irish scholars, the gaining of anything
like an accurate knowledge of the literature of
Wales or of Ireland demands, even from the dili¬
gent student, a vast expenditure of time and pains.
Hocopus, hic labor est.
Scottish Gaelic goes back to a very ancient date.
"'Si labhair Padric'n innis Fail nan Righ,
'Sam faidh caomh sin Colum naomh tha'n I,
Na Francigh liobhta 'lean gach tir a mbeus
O I nan deori, ghabh a mfhoghlum freimh."
“'T was Gaelic Patrick spoke in Innis-Fayl,
And sainted Calum in Iona's Isle ;
Rich polished France, where highest taste appears
Received her learning from that Isle of tears."
St. Columba is the most famous Celt of the 6th
century. When regard is had to Iona and Lindis¬
farne, and their long succession of friars and eru¬
dite monks and abbots, it may be inferred that
Gaelic must have thus enjoyed a patronage at once
lofty and faithful ; and that among scholars so re¬
nowned and zealous as Columba and his successors
were, Gaelic literature reached a high degree of
cultivation. Northmen made their appearance in
the 9th century and burned the monastery of Iona.
in 1296, Edward I. of England, gave orders to de¬
stroy the records of lona. At a later date, he
commanded that such records or histories as had
escaped his former search should be burnt or other¬
wise destroyed. Many Gaelic M S. must have been
lost or destroyed during the lamentable days that
passed over the Western Isles of Scotland. The
Scottish Gaels have no such monuments in prose
as belongs to the Irish and the Welsh, — who, more
highly favored than the Isles of Scotland, were a¬
ble to preserve those books which are now so val¬
uable. Mr. Skene has been successful in collect¬
ing a large number of Scottish MSS. which are
preserved in the Advocates' Library, Edinburgh.
It is to be hoped that Professor Mackinnon who,
in his Inaugural address, adverts to the work which
has to be done in deciphering those MSS., will be
able to bring to light some literary treasures of the
Scottish Gael of the far off centuries. The Scot¬
tish Gaels, however, have Ossian and the poetry of
his age. Competent judges will admit that the
poems of the Bard of Selma occupy the first and
most honorable place in the entire range of Celtic
poetry ; and that for purity of thought, for chaste¬
ness of sentiment, for richness of diction, and sub¬
limity of imagery, — the language which the Son
of Fingal applied to his father, the King of Mov¬
ern, applies to himself and his poetry ;
"B'aluinn do smuaintean fein, a threin ,
Seasaidh thu, athair leat fein,
Co e coimeas Righ Sheallama nam feart."
The Ossianic controversy which was waged with
extraordinary keenness toward the close of the last
century is now largely forgotten. James MacPher¬
son, to whom the great honor belongs of collect¬
ing the poems of Ossian, and giving them to the
