Frercuson—On the Legend of Dathi. 173 
eleyen feet outwards from him to the light, and he was himself in the middle of the 
tower, and perceived not a ray of the light. Then came Nathi to the tower. 
* Then the followers of Nathi demolished the tower. And Formenus perceived 
the wind [outer air] abouthim. Then Formenus was snatched from them in 
i.e. a thousand paces from [that] mountain downward is Formenus. 
a flame of fire a thousand paces from the tower. And Formenus prayed the co-God- 
i.e. Dathi's 
head that the reign of Dathi might not be of long continuance, and that his grave 
might not be conspicuous. The king enjoyed life only 
while he was destroying the castle, when a flash of light- 
The Battle of Corpar, ning came from heaven on him so that he died. Amal- 
B. of Cinne, B. of i.e. there were two Amalgaids, i.e. Amalgaid son of Fiachra, and Amalgaid 
Faili, B. of Miscail, son of Dathi. : 
B. of Corde, B. of gaid then took the command of the men of Erin, and 
Pec! Grenis, carried away the body of his father with him. Nine 
Bemereihattles which battles were routed before him in the east. In the Decies 
were won around of Tara then Amalgaid died. Then the body of Dathi was 
pict, throws the carried to the west, and he was buried at Cruachan. A 
Pete company of four men of noble rank brought the body with 
the hosts, and he : 
dead. them, i.e. Dungalach and Flangus, Tomaltach and Tuathal, 
so that he is in the mid-floor of Aenach-Cruachain, even 
as Torna Eces manifested: ‘‘ Thou concealest from all, 
oh Chruacha Crovyderg, the comely king of Erin, Dathi son of Fiachra, true king, 
by sea, by land. It has been testified to all that it was in royal land the king 
died. From all I do not conceal it. Thou concealest from all,”’ ete. 
And again: 
The Saint, upon the demolition of his wall, said to him, in prophetic strain, 
That his grave nor his gravestone should not be conspicuous, oh Cruacho. 
It only remains to observe that the name Formenus and Forme- 
nius of these tracts is given as Parmenius by Keating, and as Sanctus 
Firminus by O’Flaherty, in order to perceive the relevancy of a cha- 
racteristic expression in one part of the gloss-writer’s commentary, 
which seems to afford us the first positive key to the situation. 
When, in Irish hagiological writing, this form of expression occurs— 
such a one ‘‘is” in such a place—it signifies, not that that person is 
still living, but that he is there buried, or that his relics are there 
preserved, or that his name is there venerated ; and this, generally, in 
some church of his foundation.” Now the gloss-writer here, com- 
menting on that part of the text which describes Formenus as being 
rapt away a thousand paces from the tower, uses these words: ‘‘ That 
* I do not attempt a literal translation of the first gloss, which is very obscure in 
the original, but which appears to correspond with M‘Firbis’s statement, that he 
had the name of Dathi, from his activity in catching (on his shield ?) the weapons 
thrown against him.—(Hy Fiachrach, 21.) 
25 See the Ivish Acta passim. Aremarkable example is found in the Tripartite 
Tife of St. Patrick, where certain saints, after the removal of their relics from 
Donard in the county of Wicklow, are said still to be there -—<‘‘ The third [church 
erected by the disciples of Palladius] is the church which is called Dominica Arda, 
in which ‘are’ holy men of the companions of Palladius, viz. Sylvester and Solinus, 
whose relics after some time were carried to the island of Bocthin, and are there 
held in merited honor.’’ (Todd’s St. Patrick, p. 297.) This form of expression 
has led to the erroneous belief that the authors and the persons named as being in 
such and such churches were cotemporaries. 
