O'Looney — Historic Tales in Irish. 243 



regarded as preparatory episodes of the great cattle-spoil, and are 

 hence called Remscelaib na Tana, or the Pre-tales of the Tain. 



The oldest copies of the Tain known to us are those preserved in 

 Leabhar na h-TJidhri, and in the Book of Leinster. The former is not 

 so full as the latter, and it is also imperfect at the end, while the 

 version in the Book of Leinster, which is nearly of the same age as 

 Leabhar na h-TJidhri, is perfect. I have made copies and translations 

 of both. The former I submitted to the Academy with my transla- 

 tion of Leabhar na h-TJidhri. The latter, with its prefaces and 

 Pre-Tales, I have collected into this book, to which I have given the 

 following title : — 



" Tain Bo Cuailstgitt : translated from the original vellum manu- 

 script known as the Book of Leinster, in the Library of Trinity 

 College, Dublin. To which are added the ancient Prologues, Prefaces, 

 and the stories of adventures which preceded the principal ex- 

 pedition or Tain, from various vellum manuscripts in the Libraries of 

 Trinity College and the Eoyal Irish Academy." 



In the story of the discovery of the Tain Bo Cuailnge, pre- 

 served in the Book of Leinster, the titles of twelve of the Pre- 

 Tales are given as follows : — 



1]" h-e uupem pempcetA. Uah^ Do Cu&ilfi^e .1. & x>o "oec .1. 

 "oe s&b&iL in c-pi*OA, *oe Aftmj m 1Tl&ic Oic, "oe Copup n& T)& 

 fflticci'o&, t>e UriAin bo tle^&moin Be eccp& tlep&i, "oe com- 

 pepc chonchob&ip, "oe cocm&pc * * * , ve compepc Con- 

 cut&in'o, "oe UtiAin bo 1-ti"o^ip, "oe UocniApc emipe. AcbepMc 

 •o&rixs ip m pempcetxvib : "oe Uhecc Concut&iri'o "oo Un^ig 

 CuLmito Cep'O'DA,, "oe 5&b&iL gApcro "oo ChomcuLyitro, ocup 

 "oia. ■out 1 c&pp&c, 'oia. turo CucliutMnT) "oo 6m&.m 1TI&.C& 

 copn.6, m&ccu &.cc ip 1 cupp n&. cati& &t>pi.<yocAp n& cpi pceoiL 

 •oe'oencA po. 



" This is the number of the Pre-Tales of the Tain Bo Cuailnge, 

 namely, twelve, i. e., of the Taking of the Sid, of the Vision of 

 the Mac Occ, of the Contention of the two Swine-Herds, of the 

 Tain Bo Regamon, of the Adventures of Nera, of the Concep- 

 tion of Conchobar, of the Courtship of * * * , of the Concep- 

 tion of Cuchulaind, of Tain Bo Fliclais, of the Courtship of Erner. 

 It is said also that [the following pieces] belong to the Pre- 

 Tales : Of the visit of Cuchulaind to the house of Culand Cercl, 

 of the Taking of Arms by Cuchulaind, and of his going into a 

 chariot and of his visit to Emain Macha, to the youths, but it is 

 in the body of the Tain these three last stories are told." 



In this volume, then, are translations of all the Tains which 

 are to be found complete in ancient Irish manuscripts. Perhaps, 



