Ferguson — On the Transcription of Ogham Legends. 45 



cross are reverted at right angles, from left to right. It is a form of 

 cross frequent on the hracteates and early inscriptional monuments 

 of Scandinavia. Its presence on the Newton Stone inscription has 

 led to many confident assertions of the Pagan character of that 

 monument. The force of this argument will be much diminished by find- 

 ing it here subordinated to an undoubted Christian cross, and associated 

 with an Ogham legend which appears to be of a Christian character. 10 



"Without direct examples, it is difficult to conceive to what an 

 extent of illusory speculation errors, such as I have exemplified, are 

 capable of seducing the unwary inquirer. The mischiefs so occasioned 

 in misapplied energy and time spent in visionary speculation, where 

 no step is taken to verify the copies by actual inspection of the 

 originals, are incalculable. Pushed to their legitimate end, however, 

 of trial by actual inspection, they cure themselves ; for no illusion is 

 dispelled without the revelation of some reality. The cast from the 

 Newton inscription, now upon the table, will illustrate what I desire 

 to convey. The Newton legend, one of the longest as it is the most 

 difficult of all known Ogham inscriptions, offers, among various pos- 

 sible combinations of those groups forming the plexus, or loop, which 

 seems to have been introduced into it in anology to the Runic knot, 

 a reading yielding the result " FostacortiqqerniP Regarding this pro- 

 visionally as a real result for purposes of comparison, the phrase upon 

 the monument at Llanpabo inAnglesea(2 Camd., p. 572), "Hie jacet 

 Pabo, Post Prydhain," "the pillar of Britain," is what naturally 

 occurs as the primd facie analogue, hinting at the commemoration here of 

 some one who in his day had been the (fosta) supporting prop of the 

 region, or person designated under the combination cortiqqemi. On 

 the other hand, these vocables, by a different grouping, might yield 

 the phrase Fostacor tiqqemi, having a sufficient resemblance to the 

 Irish Foisteachoir Tigeama, " hireling of the Lord," (a designation not 

 necessarily to be rejected as repugnant to sepulchral language) to make 

 it worthy, at least, of consideration and comparison with analogous 

 texts, should such at any time present themselves. 



Now, among Mr. Du Noyer's transcripts, there is one of the 

 Ogham-inscribed pillar at Ballyquin, in the county of "Waterford, 

 where portion of the legend yields the combination Festaqar, and the 

 similarity appeared at least sufficiently remarkable to give the Bally- 

 quin pillar a well marked place in my contemplation as a beacon and 

 possible finger-post to further exploration of the Newton mystery. 

 I had an opportunity of making a careful inspection of the Ballyquin 

 pillar in July of the present year, and found the legend to be 

 Catabar moco firiqorb. 



The Festaqar of my speculations flew 



" far off 

 Into that Limbo long and large, Btill called 

 The Paradise of Fools ;" 



10 Apostoli, as explained post. 



R. I. A. FROC. — VOL. II., SER. II., POL. LIT. AND ANTIQ. H 



