426
AN GAOḊAL.
ere. We can prevent our zeal from growing luke¬
warm or listless, by applying to ourselves the an¬
swer of the brave Spartan at Thermopylӕ, when
his attention was drawn in a forcible manner to the
overwhelming strength of the foe; pugnabimus um¬
bra. Nor if fortune attends us, can we be at a loss
to determine the particular manner in which we
can be of service to Celtic literature. Our Manks
cousins tell us, "when comes the day will come its
counsel with it; Tra hig yn laa, hig yn coyrle lesh.'
We are as a Society in our infancy: let us for
the moment abandon the lofty indifference which
animated many of our ancestors when material in¬
terests were at stake. Let us believe that even to
Celtic Societies these well-known words apply;
Haud facile emergunt quorum virtutibus obstat
Res angusta domi.
Sidney Smith, when the Edinburgh Review was
established, proposed as a motto "Tenui musam
meditamur avena," words which he translated with
characteristic originality; "We cultivate literature
upon a litte oatmeal." Our faith, however, is
strong even in our oatmeal days as a Society, that
our Celtic friends will befriend us liberally; and
that out of the material treasures which their in¬
dustry and their sagacity have enabled them to ac¬
cumulate in Canada, they will so aid us that we
can procure for ourselves copies of the literary
treasures of our common race.
We want all the German and French books that
deal with Celtic literature and philology. We
want, as speedily as possible, copies of all the
principal Irish, Scottish, and Welsh MSS. We
ought to have the valuable works which perpetu¬
ate for the instruction and benefit of the Celts of
our own day and of the days that are yet to be,
the scholarship, the opinions and investigations of
the ablest, most patriotic and industrious Celts
who have ever graced the literary annals of Ireland
and Wales, of Scotland and the Isle of Man.
Let us defer to the Ossianic advice, and infuse
all the vigor and vitality that we can into our
youthful Society.
"Bithibh treun an tus na teugbhoil'
'S e cliu gach neach a cheud iamradh."
We begin our career earnestly and hopefully, —
with the determination to honor all our Celtic
brethen alike, — to welcome with equal cordiality
the aid and sympathy of the Celts of Cape Breton
and Manitoba, — to remember with catholic faithful¬
ness that the same blood warms our veins, and that
our only recognition of superior worth will be in
proportion to the services which, as Celts of the
Dominion of Canada, we can render to the common
cause of Celtic literature and Celtic philology, — to
the common cause of the noble, and the true, and
the useful, and the patriotic among the races of
the earth:
Our appeal to the Celts of Canada is in the words
of the Irish Epigram:
"Mas ionmhuinn leat na braithre,
Bi leo gu sasta socair."
"An la' chi 's nach fhaic,"
Taḃair dóiḃ gaċ niḋ iarraid
'S ná h-iarr aon niḋ orra.
Hardiman Vol. I. b. 113.
PROF. ROEHRIG ON THE IRISH LANG¬
UAGE.
Continued from page 413.
We may add to these the Irish Annals of Tigh¬
er nach, the histories of Eochaodh O'Flinn, Gilla
Caomhain, Flan, of Monasterboice, &c., the Amra
Choluimb Chille, of the Sixth Century, which con¬
tains the life of St. Columb Cille (who died 597 A.
D.), written by Dallan, son of Forgall, an Ollamh
or chief of the Irish file towards the end of the
Sixth Century; the "Felire" of Aengus (Fei ire
Aonguis) which is a poem of great interest; its ob¬
ject is to determine and bring to remembrance the
festivals of the Saints. A verse is devoted to every¬
one of three hundred and sixty-five, mostly Irish
saints. The whole, including the preface, contains
six hundred stanzas. It is a very long poem, and
one of the most ancient literary monuments of the
Irish language. It is rich in valuable historic and
topographical information, in glowing descriptions
and beautiful imagery. It is full of pure and ho¬
ly sentiment, of noble, elevated thoughts, sublime
aspirations and genuine piety and devotion.
Let us mention the "Book of Aichill," which is
one of the principal monuments of Irish jurispru¬
dence. A part of the regulations and laws con¬
tained in this book are attributed to Cormac Mac
Airt, a famous king, who reigned in the Third Cen¬
tury of our era. The Senachus Mor ("Great Treas¬
ure of Antiquities"), better known, perhaps, un¬
der the name of the "Breton Laws" (from breith¬
eamh, a judge; originally from the root ber, Sans¬
krit bhar, Greek fer, Latin fero, English to bear,
[which subsequently took in Irish the meaning of
judging], by transposal of r, breth, breta, judg¬
ment.) This Brehon Code seems to be only an
embodiment and collection of very ancient oral
traditions and customs relating to law; and, what
increases its interest and importance is the fact
that it is in no wise influenced by the Roman sys¬
tem. Its language is of a very archaic type, the
oldest form of Irish, or the so-called Bearla Feini.
It has been said that, "had there come nothing
down to us but this collection of laws, it would
have been amply sufficient to testify to the antiqui¬
ty of the Irish civilization and literary culture."
The original text of the Breton Laws is of high
antiquity. They were elaborated and committed
to writing in the time of King Laeghaire II., son
of Niall of the Nine Hostages. This was done
mostly at Teamhair (Tara). The judgments of
the pagan "Brehons" are said to have been subse¬
quently revised, remodelled, purified and changed
on the conversion of the Irish to Christianity.
These modifications are attributed to the influence
of St. Patrick, under the guidance and with the co-
operation of the Arch-Druid Dubhthaich Mac ua
lugair. Thus, these laws were also called Cain
Patraich (Patrick's Law). The inspired poet,
