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start up in opposition to the Tanaist ; and, if his friends were suffi- 
ciently powerful to support him, seize upon the government. But 
in these contests it seldom happened, that the son of the deceased 
prince became the competitor of the Tanaist. Both the ancient 
customs and the express laws of the country were against his claims. 
For these provided, that the senior, if deserving, should be declared 
the Ceannfiné, or head of the tribe : a custom which was agreeable to 
the practice of other ancient nations, of which a striking example 
is given in the succession of the kings of Edom, in the first book of 
Chronicles, chap. i. beginning at the 43d verse; to which might be 
added the authority of Strabo, to shew that the Scytho-Iberian 
kings were chosen from amongst the seniors of a particular class of 
the people, and also that the possessions of the people were held in 
common.* In like manner Procopius shews, that, according to the 
royal succession observed by the Vandalic nation, the king should 
be always the eldest prince of all those who were descended in the 
male line from their king Geseric, without any regard being had 
either to their rank, or to the proximity of blood in which they 
stood relatively to the late king their predecessor on the throne.-+ 
The same author informs us,{ that all the Gothic tribes, including 
the Vandals, observed the same laws and customs, and used the 
same language ; from which we may infer, that all the various na- 
tions of the Goths observed the custom of advancing to the office of 
chief the senior of their respective tribes. Similar practices in other 
ancient nations might, if necessary, be produced to prove, that 
the Irish were far from being singular in their laws respecting 
the appointment of their chiefs from amongst the seniors of their 
tribes, 
* Strabo. Casaboni, Paris, Folio 1620. Lib. 11. page 501. 
+ Procopius de Bell. Vandal. Lib. I. Cap. 7. 8. t Lib. I. Cap. I. 
