46 



which, though neither so ancient nor so brilliantly illuminated 

 as some others of the Irish school, is yet of peculiar interest, 

 on account of its exquisite penmanship, and the precision with 

 Avhich its date has been ascertained. It belongs to a period in 

 Irish history of which there are scarcely any other biblical re- 

 mains, and is further valuable in that it serves as an excellent 

 standard of the handwriting Avhich was practised in this coun- 

 try in the early part of the twelfth century. It is in the 

 Harleian collection, No. 1802, small quarto, consisting of 156 

 folios, the page measuring 61 by 4§ inches. It contains the 

 Latin text of the four Gospels, agreeing very nearly with the 

 Vulgate, accompanied by preliminary matter, and a running 

 commentary in the form of marginal and interlinear scholia. 



Fol. 1 commences with the prologue of St. Jerom, be- 

 ginning "Novum opus facere me cogis." At folio 3 follows 

 the " Argumentum Evangelii Matthei." In a note on the 

 upper margin the following scrap of etymology occurs : " Ar- 

 gumentum, argutum inventum ; argumentatio, argutse mentis 

 ratio." 



Fol. 3 b. The genealogy of our Saviour, with notes. Upon 

 which Wanley observes : " This is written separately from the 

 rest of the Gospel, and amongst other prefaces ; as being 

 looked upon but as a preface. I have seen other ancient co- 

 pies of the Evangelists, written in Ireland, or coming from 

 books written by Irishmen, wherein, although the sacred ge- 

 nealogy was not rejected or misplaced, there would neverthe- 

 less appear a great distinction between it and what followed ; 

 the words ' Christi autem Generatio' being illuminated again, 

 as if the Gospel had begun there."* 



Fol. 4 b. An interpretation of the Hebrew and Syriac 

 names which occur in the Gospels, "perhaps," says Wanley, 

 "taken from St. Hierom." 



* Catalogue of the manuscripts in the Harleian Collection, vol. v. pp. 180- 

 207. MS. Brit. Mus. 



