577 



of their success was consequent upon the aid of its donor; and 

 let us hope that as our institution does not, so it never shall 

 want for minds as large, as generous, and as enlightened as 

 his, to sustain and carry on those objects which he deemed so 

 desirable and so worthy of its support. The forming- of such 

 collections in Ireland is, in truth, no childish or unworthy 

 pursuit. They are essential not only to the history of Chris- 

 tain civilization since the Roman times, but to the history of 

 that earliest family of the great Indo-Germanic race, who 

 have left the traces of their footsteps in every part of Europe, 

 and found their last refuge in the British Islands. 



" Trusting that these prefatory remarks will not be deemed 

 irrelevant to the object I have undertaken, I have now to 

 request attention to the shrine itself, which, as it is before 

 us for inspection, it is not necessary that I should occupy the 

 time of the Academy by any minutely detailed description 

 of it. 



" Its history, and the nature of the relic which it was 

 made to enshrine, is, fortunately for us, preserved by legible 

 and intelligible inscriptions, which are carved along its sides. • 

 From the first of these inscriptions, which is in Latin, but in 

 the Irish letters, and which is twice inscribed upon the case, 

 we learn that the relic, which was placed beneath the large 

 circular ball of crystal in the centre of the cross, was, as believed 

 to be, no less than a portion of the cross on which the Maker 

 of the world was crucified. 



" This inscription reads thus : 



" ' »{-■ liac cpuce c-pu;c cejicup qua papup cont)icop opbip.' 



" The remaining inscriptions, which are in the same Irish 

 characters, but in the Irish language, preserve the names of 

 the persons who were concerned in the making of the '5peppa, ' 

 or shrine of the relic. They consist of four divisions or com- 

 partments, and of these the first reads as follows : 



" ' Opoic t)0 TTIuipeGuch u Dubchaig t>o penoip ©pent).' 



"That is, in English, 'A prayer for Muireadach O'Dufl^y, 

 the senior of Ireland.' 



