24 



their leader, Partliolaytt, made an appeal to his good-nature, and 

 entreated from the prince some small portion of land in Britain, as 

 his crew Mere weary of sailing over the ocean. Being informed that 

 he came from Spam, the British prince received him into his protec- 

 tion, but feeling reluctant to domesticate him in Britain, "he assigned 

 faithful guides to attend him into Ireland, which Mas then M'holly 

 uninhabited, and he granted it to them subject to an annual tribute, 

 and confirmed the appointment of Partholayn as their chief. Thence- 

 forward the colony increased, and in their numbers held Ireland to 

 the present day."* This legend is not only retained, and given as 

 history, by WintoM^n-f- and Grafton, but the pretended grant by 

 this British prince, is actually specially set forth in an Irish act, 

 of the eleventh year of the reign of Queen Elizabeth, among the 

 "auncient and sundry strong authentique tytles for the kings of 

 England to this land of Ireland." 



Though Nennius's calculation of the period of this remarkable 

 expedition is in candour stated, it must be quite evident, as mcII from 

 M'hat has been said as from what folloMS, that this expedition into 

 Ireland must be placed at a much earlier period than the year 500, 

 A. C. M'hich seems to be the date assigned by his account; indeed 

 Nennius himself subsequently assumes a wider range, when he says 

 in the same work, "^/le Sci/thians, i.e. the Scots, took possession of 

 Ireland in the fourth age of the world,"'^ and defines§ this fourth age 

 of the world, as extending from David to Daniel, i. e. from about the 

 year J 100 before Christ to the year 560, A. C. ; a computation on 



* " Cum quibus suos fideles nuncios destinavit ad insulam Hibemife qux tunc vastata, 

 omni cavebat incola, eanique illis sub annali tributo concessit ; quibus ut antea Partholayn 

 constituit in regimine principem. Deinde illi creverunt, et multiplicati insulam usque in 

 hodiemum diem tenuerunl." — De Antiq. et Orig. Cantab. 



t Cronyk. of Scotland, b. 2. c. 9. j Hist. Britt. c. 10. § Hist. Britt. c. 1. 



