Uses of the Round Towers of Ireland, fyc. 369 



3. An examination of our ancient literature leads strongly to the conclusion 

 that the Irish people so generally recognized this use of the Round Towers as 

 a primary one, that they but very rarely applied to a tower, erected for defence, 

 any other term but that of cloictheach, or belfry. Thus, for example, in an 

 Irish translation of an old Life of Charlemagne, preserved in the Book of Lis- 

 more, we find the term cloictheach thus applied : 



" Do Bi Tapla na 6auoame a n-impepecc an impep po, 7 DO puachaij in c-impep he ap a 

 bee oipeac cpocuipeac, 7 DO cuip in c-impep mopan ecla ann ap a peaBup; mmip jup reie in 

 r-iapla 7 a ben a njjlenncaiB papa 15 7 a coillciB oiampa, 7 DO ponpar cloicceac ooib pein a 

 n-a coioeloaip ap ecla il-piapc in papaij. Do chuaio in c-impep oimain po DO oenarh piaoaij 

 a papaij pern, 7 capla chum cloiccij an laplu po h-e ip in n-oijci; 7 DO b' eicin oo comnuigi 

 DO oenum ann in oijci pi. Do Bi ben in lapla coppac, 7, 516 DO bi, DO pinoi umla 7 ppicolum 

 an irnpepi 7 a mumncepi in oigci pin." Fol. 119, b, a. 



" The Earl of Laudaine \Lauden ? ] lived in the empire of this emperor, and the emperor hated 

 him on account of his being upright [and] merciful, and the emperor was much afraid of him for 

 his goodness ; so that the earl and his wife fled into desert valleys and into solitary woods, 

 and made for themselves a cloictheach, in which they slept, through fear of the many monsters of the 

 forest. This vain emperor set out to hunt in his own forest, and happened [to arrive] at the 

 cloictheach of this earl in the night ; and he was obliged to tarry there for the night. The wife of 

 the earl was pregnant, and, although she was, she did homage to and attended upon the emperor 

 and his people [on] that night." 



In the following example from an ancient tract in the Leabhar Breac, we 

 find the word cloictheach applied synonymously with con, to a tower. 



" 6a mop, cpa, oiumup 7 abclop 7 bocapach in pijj cholai^ pin, uaip ip e oopgni in Diumup 

 na oepnaD pemi piam, .1. rop aipjjic oen-jpl DO oenam DO pem ; 7 ba oepmaip mec 7 lechac 7 

 aipoe in cuip pin, 7 ba h-aipoe h-e inbac cije in baile o hem imach, i n-a cloicrech jel-apo. 

 T?o pumijjeb lapum gemma jlomioe 7 leaju lojjmapa ano : 7 DO pijne in pi puioiujao opoa DO 

 buoein immullach in cuip pin. lap pin cpa DO pijne h-imajin 7 oeilb n-alamo n-mjancaig 

 chappaic cecheppiacu na jpene ano." Fol. 108, a, a. 



" Great, indeed, was the pride, vanity, and pomp of this sensual king [Castroe, king of 

 the Medes and Persians], for it is he who performed an act of pride, [such as] was never accom- 

 plished before, i. e. he erected for himself a tower of bright silver ; and great was the size, and 

 breadth, and height of that tower, which was higher than all the other houses of the town, being 

 a bright lofty cloictheach. Brilliant gems and precious stones were afterwards placed in it : and 

 the king made for himself a golden throne on the top of that tower. After that he made an image, 

 and beautiful, wonderful representation of the four-wheeled chariot of the sun there." 



And lastly, that these double purposes, for which I contend that the Towers 



VOL. XX. 3 B 



