387 ■ 



happy period, nearly all the original materials of this compilation pro- 

 bably perished, for one or two of them only have survived to our times. 

 Even this careful transcript was supposed to have shared the same 

 fate, and its recent discovery may be considered as the result of a 

 chance almost miraculous!- What a solemn lesson, then, is here 

 given us of the necessity of giving durability, while yet in our power* 

 to the surviving historical remains of our country, and thereby plac- 

 ing, them beyond the reach of a fate otherwise almost inevitable. To 

 me it appears a sacred duty on cultivated minds to do so. Had this 

 compilation been neglected, or had it, as was supposed, shared the 

 fate of its predecessors^ what a large portion of our history would 

 have been lost to the world for ever ! 



But to proceed. — It is to be most pertinently observed, that, from 

 the above testimonium, it appears that, in the original manuscripts, 

 the writers left blanks for the purpose of inserting subsequently any- 

 occasional information they might obtain, and by a reference to the 

 MS. now under consideration, it will be found that such blanks have 

 been frequently filled up in various parts of the volume. 



Secondly — We learn from this testimonium, that, contrary to the 

 opinion of Doctor O'Conor and others who have written on the sub- 

 ject, the second part or volume commenced, not as they state, with 

 the year 1172, but with the year 1208. So we find it is in our MS. 

 in which the period from 1170 to 1208 is substantially divided from 

 the subsequent annals, not only by the aforesaid dedication and tes- 

 timonium, but also by a heading prefixed as to the commencement of 

 the second volume. - . . i -isy.' "^ni 



9i. Thirdly — The testimonium states that Michael O'Clery, Cucogry 

 O'Clery, and Conary O'Clery, were the transcribers of the Annals from 

 the year 1332 to the year 1608, and by a reference to our MS. we, 

 shall find, not only that the w riting of those three scribes is strongly. 



