179 



is very curious, and is borrowed from the clerical habiliments of the 

 Church of Rome. 



The box is of copper, adorned with plates of silver, some of 

 which are gilded with liquid gold ; beneath the open worked plates 

 of silver are plates of gilded brass ; it is studded with lapis lazuli, 

 and, in the centre of one side, it is ornamented by a large piece of 

 polished rock chrystal. I conceive that this box, the workmanship 

 of which is of most excellent execution, was framed about the 

 same period at which the book was written, or not long after; 

 its runic ornaments are very similar indeed to those of the illu- 

 minations of the paintings in the book. But what puts its great 

 antiquity beyond all doubt, is the tenor of the ancient inscription, 

 which still remains perfectly legible tipon one of the sides. It is 

 written in Gothic characters, such as continued in use in monu- 

 mental inscriptions, until about two centuries past ; and is as fol- 

 lows—" Tatheus O'Karbuill (O'Carroll,) REIDEEU * meipsum 

 " deauravit : Dominus Domnaldus O Cuanain, Converbius, (the 

 CoTfi<t)it>, Coarb, or successor in the Irish language,) " ultimo meip- 

 " sum restaur avit : Tom as : Ceard • dachorig • in mindsa + " This 

 latter part of the inscription is in the Irish tongue ; and Mr. O'Reil" 

 ly has, as I conceive, guessed rightly at its meaning. He reads it — 

 " Thomas" [was, understood, or is,) " the artist who made," (-Oct or 

 ■DO C0f)5,) " this holy depository," (jti ttij-M-o^d, or, more commonly 

 as now written, ttn tnff}{<x.) The very ancient notification of " re- 

 stauravit," as applied to the box, demonstrates its antiquity. I con- 



A a2 



• I have consulted with Doctor Barrett, and other antiquarians, and with Mr. O'Reilly, 

 the learned editor of the Irish-English Dictionary, in hopes of discovering the meaning of 

 these seven letters, and this mark; but in vain. It is most probably a title, and a high one, 

 as the successor is stiled Dominus. There can be no doubt about the letters : they are all ca- 

 pitals throughout. 



