256 



was thus brought together. The time at my disposal being 

 very limited, I deemed it advisable only to attempt a cursory 

 examination of the most interesting manuscripts. For this 

 reason I confined my attention to those which were written 

 on vellum, taking that circumstance as an indication of their 

 greater age and value. 



" I. The first which I examined is marked X. in an 

 ' Analysis' of these manuscripts made by Ewen Maclachlan. 

 It consists of thirty-eight folios in all, but is made up of dis- 

 tinct portions written by different persons and at different 

 times. 



" 1. The first six folios contain what seem to be perfect 

 copies of several ancient and curious historical romances re- 

 lating to Conor Mac Nessa, Conall Cearnach, Oilioll and 

 Meave, Fergus Mac Roich, Ceat Mac Maghach, Laoghaire 

 Buadhach, Cealter Mac Uitheacar, &c. Imperfect copies of 

 some of these tales are to be found in the Book of Leinster, a 

 manuscript of the twelfth century, in the Library of Trinity 

 College, Dublin. The names of the scribe, and of the per- 

 son for whom the transcript was made, are given at the end 

 of this tract, in a kind of cipher, which I read thus : 



" Opoicfunn opip in liupaipp .j. Gom mac ©cm. 

 " TTIipi jioojpepeip -| Pepgal aca comnaic. 



" Mr. Curry tells me there was a scribe named Fergal, a 

 Mac Egan, who lived about the year 1580, and has left me- 

 moranda in his handwriting on the margins of the Leabhar 

 Breac, from which it would appear he was taking a transcript 

 at the time. 



" The writing of these six folios is throughout extraordina- 

 rily full of contractions. 



" On the upper half of page 12 is some indistinct writing, 

 in a different hand, which I did not take time to decipher. 



" 2. On folio 7 commences an ancient Irish Life of St. 

 Colum Kille, which occupies eight folios. The roundness of 



