92 
the last century. Dr. Ferdinand Keller, in a letter from Zurich, in 
1850, states that the convent of Reichenau contained before its suppres- 
sion, in 1799, as he was informed by a monk of that house, besides the 
“‘ Life of St. Columba,” several Irish manuscripts. The monks, not 
willing to deliver these valuable relics into the hands of the Government 
of Baden, saved them, as they called it,—that is, divided them among 
the members of the congregation. Some of these having entered into 
other Benedictine convents, bequeathed their treasures, when about to 
die, to their friends. A portion of the collection, however, seems to 
have become the property of the State; and from the original, described 
as a Reichenau manuscript (No. 221, Karlsruhe), Francis Joseph Mone- 
Archive-Director at Carlsruhe, has published a most curious Hiberno, 
Latin composition, in the third volume of his ‘‘ Hymni Medii Aevi,’’* 
pp. 181, 182. He observes, in a note, that it is of the eighth century, 
written in a Franconian hand, and that the author was an Irishman. 
But, as might be expected from a stranger to Irish hagiology, he is al- 
together in error as to the subject of the poem. 
It consists of twenty lines, in five stanzas, possessing alliteration as 
well as rhyme, which latter, according to Irish custom, prevails on one 
syllable through each stanza. The style is extremely barbarous, and 
characterized by the phonetic spelling which is observable in Hiberno- 
Latin writings ; as, murmoris for murmuris, benibula for benevola, puro 
for pura; and the termination the present subjunctive of the first con- 
jugation, at, for et. 
O rex, o rector regminis, cum oculis et genibus, 
0 cultor cceli carminis, cum auribus et naribus. 
© persecutor murmoris, Eakies a 
o deus alti agminis. Cum inclitis euntibus, 
-i. filio .i. pater | A 5 
Aid o sanctus mech prich benibula cum fistulis peace 
posco puro precamina, cum lingua atque enti us, 
ut refrigerat flumina | cum lacrimarum fontibus. 
mei capitis calida. Sanctus Aid altus adjuvat, 
Curat caput cum renibus meum caput ut liberat, 
i. cerebre ut hoc totum perseverat 
meis, atque cum talibus, sanum atque vigilat. 
This poem is evidently in the nature of a charm for headach, and 
all the parts which are recited in it belong to the head, even those de- 
noted by renibus, talibus, and genibus. The renes and tales appear to be 
intended for the brain, or its parts; for over talibus (probably a bar- 
barism for talis) is the gloss cerebre, which Mone pronounces ‘‘ does 
not answer at all,” though written by the original scribe. Possibly, 
like the nates and testes of ancient anatomy, they are technical names for 
some parts of the cerebral structure. Genibus is a barbarism for genzs, 
to prop up a sinking metre. Jnclitis euntibus is unintelligible. Over 
inchitis is the gloss nervibus ; but Mone goes astray when he proposes 
ancylis, as if from dyxvdy. Whatever it be, the order of the recital gives 
* “ Friburgi Brisgovie,” 1853-1855. 
