74 Mr. Petbie on the History and Antiquities of Tara Hill. 



ocup necha peclica po pallnapac la pepaib 

 6peno hi pechc aicnio, ocup hi pechr paioi, 

 ocup pileouib. Ocup na paioi aipcech- 

 naoap do icpa in bepla mban mbiaio .1. 

 Canoin ; ap in Spipac naem po labpup- 

 caip ocup DO aipcecain qiia jinu na pep 

 pipeon ce do pabacap 1 n-inip GpenD, ariiail 

 oon aipcecam rpia ^mu mna ppimpaioio 

 ocup mna n-uapal aiipech 1 pechc pecap- 

 laice ; up po piachc pechc aicniD map no 

 pochc pechc licpe ina bpiacpa t)e. pipaic- 

 niD cpa Din po labpupcaip in Spipac naoih 

 cpe jinu bpecemon ocup pileo pipeon pep 

 n-Gpeno, o conjbao in inpi peo co cpeDearii 

 unalL; Dop aippen t)ubcliach uile do 

 Pacpaic in ni Din na cuccaiD ppi bpecip 

 n-t)e 1 pechc licpi, ocup Nuapiaonuipi, ocup 

 ppi coibpma cpepion. 



Conaipjeo in opo bpechemnapa la pa- 

 cpaic, ocup Gcailpi ocup plaichi Gipeno, do 

 neoch po baoip pechc aicnio uile inje cpe- 

 oem ocup a coip, ocup a comuaim n-eclaipi 

 ppi cuaic ; coniD he Sench'up IDap anDpin. 



Nonbup cpa do epjlupa do opou jao m 

 lubaip piu .1. pacpaic ocup 6erH5nup ocup 

 Caipnec, cpi h-Gppuic ; Caejaipe TTIac Nel, 

 ocuptDaipi pi UloD, ocup Cope TTIac ^u^ach 

 o niiiniain, na cpi pi ju ; tDubchac ITIacc U 

 Cujaip, ocup TJop mac Cpechim, pui 6epla 

 Peni, ocup Pepgup, na cpi pilio. Nopip Din, 

 uinm in liubaip po hopouijpiD .1. pip nonbuip, 

 &c. Ip i, cpa in Cam pacpaic : ippeo nao 

 cutnomj nee bpecetn ooennae do ^aeoeluib 

 00 caicriiec nech ni po jaba i Sencup ITlap. 



Co eainic pacpaic cpa ni cabupcha up- 

 labpa ace do cpiup a n-Gpmn : pep coi^ne, 

 ppi h-aipnep ocup pc^lujao, pep cepoa ppi 

 molao, ocup aip, bpechem ppi bpechemnup 

 <i Ropcafr ocup Papach [.1. pip 05 in pe- 



Ireland, and every ordinance used by the men of 

 Ireland in the law of nature, and in the law of the 

 Magi and Fileas. And the Magi had foretold the 

 coming of the bright language of life, i. e. the 

 Canons ; for the Holy Spirit had spoken and sung 

 through the mouths of the just men who were in 

 the island of Ireland, as he had spoken through 

 the mouths of the chief prophets and noble 

 fathers in the Old Law, for the law of nature 

 had reached where the law of the letter and 

 of the word of God had not penetrated. The 

 Holy Spirit, indeed, had spoken true wisdom 

 through the mouths of the Brehons and just Fileas 

 of the men of Ireland, from the [first] colonization 

 of the island until [the establishment of] the faith; 

 and Dubhthach shewed to Patrick all that would 

 not agree with the word of God in the written law, 

 the New Testament, and the confession of faith. 



Such of the order of the Brehons, and of the 

 church, and of the nobility of Ireland as adhered 

 to the law of nature, were all converted by Pa- 

 trick to faith, to justice, and to harmony of church 

 and laity, and that is the Senchus Mor. 



Nine persons were appointed to prepare this 

 book, namely, Patrick, and Benignus, and Cair- 

 nech, three bishops ; Laoghaire, the son of Nial, 

 and Dairi, King of Ulster, and Core, the son of 

 Lughaidh of Munster, the three kings ; Dubhthach, 

 Mac-U-Lughair, and Ros Mac Trechim, Professor 

 of the Berla Peine, and Fergus, the three poets. 

 N(^s is the name of the book which they arranged, 

 i. e. the Knowledge of Nine, &c. This is the 

 Cain Patraic : and it is a fact that no individual 

 Brehon of the Gael has dared to abrogate any 

 thing found in the Seanchus Mor. 



Until Patrick came only three in Ireland were 

 permitted to have t/riaira, namely, a Chronologist 

 to relate events and tell stories, a Per Cerda to 

 eulogize and satirise, and a Brehon to pass sen- 

 tence from the Roscadh and Pasach* [the poetical 



• For the difference between the 'Ropcab and papach see Manuscript Lib. Trin. Col. Class H. 4. 22, p. 79. 



