166 
O’Conor of Balanagar, in his valuable “ Dissertations on the History 
of Ireland,’ and most others who have mentioned those laws in 
their writings, call them “ Celestial Judgments.” General Val- 
lancey, in the first volume of his “ Collectanea de Rebus Hiberni- 
“ cis,’ says Breith neimead, literally means “ the sentence of the 
“ law,’ and he gives some fanciful derivations of the word 
Neimead, which never entered into the brain of the man who first 
used the term. But, notwithstanding the great reputation of all 
those learned Antiquaries, the author of these pages submits, that 
they have all mistaken the meaning of the word Neimead. In 
making this assertion he is supported by the authority of the laws 
themselves, and of other ancient documents. Amongst the Sea- 
bright collection of MSS. now in the Library of Trinity College 
Dublin,* there is a passage in which the following is to be found: 
« Cia Neimheadh is uaisle fil i talmain? Neimedh necla’’ .(necla 
for neclasa). Which are the superior degrees or ranks in the world ? 
The degrees of the church. ‘“ Cia Neimead is uaisle fil a neacl ? 
“ Which is the superior degree in the church? Neimead nEasp.” 
“ The degree of bishop.” Again, in the same Library,+ we find, 
in the laws respecting Bees, a Flaith or Prince, designated by the 
title of Uasal Neimheadh,—“ Beich tethechta gaibhte a crann Uasail 
“ Neimheadh,’ “ Fugitive Bees found in the tree of an Uasal 
Neimheadh.” This title the commentator explains by a Flaih or 
Prince. Again, in the Seanchas bheg t a very ancient code of 
laws, defining the rights and privileges of various ranks in society, 
* Class H. No. 54, page 17. + Class H. No. 34. 
{ An imperfect and very much defaced fragment of this Tract, is in the Library of Trinity 
College, Class H.36. Another imperfect copy in class H. 54. A perfect copy in the Book 
of Ballimote in the Library of the R. I Academy; and another very ancient copy in the collec- 
tion of the author of these pages. : 
