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Cbriftianity. At the fide of our bleffed Saviour are two hands 

 open, pointing to the names of the deceafed. There is no 

 circumftance in our Saviour's life that can any way be alluded 

 to by thefe hands, and from the pofition of them I am induced to 

 think they are Hieroglyphics. 



No fymbol was more in ufe with the ^Egyptians and with the 

 ancient Irifh than the hand. 



The fign armorial of the kings of Ireland was the hand 

 pointing upwards ; it was painted red, and is ftill the arms of 

 the O'Brien family, with this motto, Lamh laidir an uachdar, i. e. 

 " the flrong hand up," or " the ftrong hand will prevail." 



Thus the monarchs Liigh, Reachta and Cathal, obtained the 

 names of i\\e red hand ; as Li/gh-Lamhdhearg, Reachta-Righdheargy 

 Cathal-Crobhdhearg ; for lamh^ righ and crohh, are fynonima for the 

 hand. 



The Romans had a ftandard on which was painted an 

 hand ere6iy as we find among the figures of the Trojan column j 

 it was a fymbol of power * which has efcaped the notice of 

 the Roman antiquaries. 



See KENNET's.<fn/?j. Just. Lipsius, &c. 



Manus 



