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Mr. PETEIE'S Inquiry into the Origin and 



Patrick himself, the statement is as little entitled to credit as, we may well 

 believe, that other one of the crozier having been originally that of our Lord. 

 There is no part of the manuscript older than the close of the seventh century, 

 or perhaps than the eighth ; and the leather case, made for its protection, is of 

 still later date, its exact age being fixed by the following entry in the Annals 

 of the Four Masters, at the year 937, of which period its ornaments are, in my 

 opinion, decidedly characteristic. 



" A. D. 937. Canom paccpaic DO curiioach la t)onncliab mac plaino, pi epeno." 



" A. D. 937. The Canoin-Patraic was covered by Donnchadh, son of Flann, King of Ireland." 



It must not be supposed, however, that this leather case is itself the cum- 

 dach noticed by the annalists, and which, no doubt, like our other ancient cases 

 for books, was formed of silver, and enriched with gems. This leather case 

 was only the covering of that more precious box in which the manuscript was 

 enshrined, but obviously cotemporaneous with it, and made as much for its 

 preservation as to render it easy of carriage. 



As a specimen of earlier and more beautiful work of this kind, I am tempted 

 to present an outline of one of the sides of the leather case of the shrine of 



