174 



pi bo cup a nJ5ai&ilc, acup bo pupdil an cuib bo bf 50 cpuaio a 

 n^aioil'S bi bo cop a mbuga mnup 50 mbeic pf polup, pocuicpena 

 bo cac uile ; acup bo cmipaig acup bo cin6l an cuib bo bf 

 pppeice ap peb penlebop Gpenn bi, acup bo becc ap a bel pern 

 hf aj\ pdgail cpafcaip p6 rti6ip ; acup ap caicheam armpipi paibe 

 pia, ogd pcuibgp cmbup bo cuippeab p6 50c 6n cuib bi ma hinab 

 lmcubaib pen, ariiail acd pcpfbca annpo pfp. 



" Qcup a]\ nsabdil bdi&e acup bpdcaippi t>6 pena dpb-naem 

 acup pe na pdcptin gpd&ach p6n bd paibe pe po btfrpaccac. 



"Q Caipl§n phuipc na qif narhac, umoppo, bo beccaig m bera 

 po, an can bub pldn bd bliabam b6c ap picic ap ctiic c6c a]\ 

 mfle bliabain ben Cijepna." — Folio 1, b. 



" And be it known to the Readers of this Life, that it was 

 extinguished for a long time, and that there was not be found 

 but a fragment of the Book, which holy Adamnan compiled 

 of it in Latin, and another small portion in Irish, compiled by 

 the Irish poets in a very difficult dialect ; and the remainder 

 in legends scattered throughout the Old Books of Erinn. And 

 it is my opinion that the following was the cause of this. 



" When foreign Danes came at first to make a conquest in 

 Erinn, they destroyed and burned all the chief churches of 

 Erinn, and they destroyed their shrines and libraries (writings), 

 and they carried off quantities of the Relics of her Saints to their 

 own coimtry, as it is recorded in the old historical Books of 

 Erinn, and particularly as it is recorded in the Old Book which 

 is named { The War of the Danes with the Gaedhil.'* And 

 they burned and destroyed the chief churches of Collum Cille 

 in particular. And I am certain that it was at that time they 

 destroyed and burned his books, and that his Life was lost, 

 excepting the little of it that has been collected to be written 

 here. 



* An imperfect copy of this ancient account of the wars of the Danes in 

 Ireland, was found by Mr. Curry in the Library of Trinity College, Dublin. 

 It was afterwards perfected by Dr. Todd, who collated it with a MS. in the 

 Burgundian Library, Brussels. 



