14 THE pbesident's address. 



The sanctuary was called in Irisli maighin, in Breton m^w^■A^ ; 

 in Cornwall it retains the Latin name corrupted into sentry. The 

 hounds were indicated by crosses. 



The retainer was either free or unfree. The free man was 

 granted his selb, the equivalent to the Danish toft — a bit of land 

 taken out of the common. It was given to him by the chief, lay 

 or ecclesiastical, and for it he rendered service or made a pay- 

 ment in cattle. The unfree retainer was a hothach, and lived in 

 a both, or cott. 



No noble fflaith), or saint (naomh), could retain a fugitive for 

 an indefinite period. He was bound to pay the eric, or fine, due 

 for the offence committed, or surrender the refugee at the 

 expiration of a certain number of days. But not to pay was 

 considered such a confession of weakness, or exhibition of 

 niggardliness, that no protector dared to risk it. He strained 

 every nerve to raise the number of maid-servants, cows, or 

 sheep, that would compensate for the wrong done.f 



There is a curious story in the Liber Llandavensis of a man 

 named Ligessauc, who had killed three of King Arthur's men 

 and fled for sanctuary to St. Cadoc. The saint had to compound 

 for him with nine cows of a peculiar breed. After that 

 Ligessauc became a vassal of the saint, he and his descendants 

 for ever. 



But this was not the only way in which an ecclesiastical tribe 

 was recruited. 



It is supposed by Professor Rhys that in remote Pagan times 

 in Ireland it had been customary among the natives to sacrifice 

 to the gods the first male child and firstborn of all domestic ani- 

 mals. We find this among the Canaanitish peoples of Palestine, 

 and the non-Aryan Firbolgs belonged to the same stock. But in 

 time this sacrifice assumed another form, and the first child and 

 firstborn of every beast were surrendered to the Druid. No 

 sooner was the Christian ecclesiastical tribe constituted, and 



t St. Findcliua was granted the hithei-to unheard-of privilege of his right of 

 sanctuary extending over one year, a month, and a day. '' Book of Lismore," p. 

 237. St. Cadoc obtained right of sanctuary for seven years, se\ren months, and 

 seven days. " Cambro-British S3," p. 49. 



