554 Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy. 



ADDITIONAL NOTES. 



(1) Treoit, now Trevit, about three miles east of Tara; " Dubha Deargluachra 

 A. uim Teamhraidh thoir hudli dheas.'''' — R.I.A. 23 N 19. 



(2) So in R.I.A. 23 N 19, and other modern MSS. 



(3) This phrase echtra Airt do thig TJilc occurs below at A 26, and also in the tale 

 Genemain Cormaic, Silva Gadelica, p. 253 w. It was probably the title by which 

 that episode of Cath Mucrama was known. 



(4) Achtan a hainm, Silva Gadelica, p. 315. 



[b) fergaib fir : this construction is common in chevilles ; but here the locution 

 is predicate, and its proper interpretation is essential to the interpretation of the 

 text. I confess I have failed to understand the context. The stanza may be mis- 

 placed. In the modern version it follows stanza 36, where, however, it appears 

 equally inconsequent. Locutions of the type fergaib fir have been explained in an 

 interesting variety of ways. A few instances : — 



1, 2. for buirr bile buidnib reb | rolla a delb triimib tor, "there grew up a tree 

 0)1 which companies could sport, with the form of his face set out on 

 its clustering top" — MS. Mat., p. 474. 



3. fore ri herend trognaib triath, " the fork against the kings of Erinn, sons of 



chiefs. — lb., p. 481. In spite of the gloss, I should read /or cri herend, 

 on the body {i.e. land) of Ireland. 



4. drumne dor milib molta, the topping chief of a thousand laudations." — lb., 



p. 484. 

 ' 5. dammared Find fichtib glond, W., Ir. Texte, p. 158 z, "were F., the fighter 

 of battles, living." — G' Currf s Translation. 



6. atberim rib aidblib tuir, " I say to you, with prodigies of a host; or, vastness 



of lords or multitude.''''— CRnaR, p. 8. 



7. gabsat in tir buidnib sel, "they held the land by battalions aivhile (i.e. in 



their might).''^ — lb., p. 58. 



Numerous other instances might be cited, the majority showing by the misty 

 character of the translation that the translators were by no means clear as to the 

 meaning or construction. Of the instances cited, only Nos. 4 and 7 seem to make 

 sense, and at the same time to fit in with the originals. But the sense is made 

 in two quite different ways. I believe No. 4 to be near to the proper rendering. 



The locution consists of — (1) a dative plural, and (2) depending on this, either 

 a genitive singular or a genitive plural. The second word, therefore, is qualifica- 

 tive of the first. The first word is attached adjectivally (sometimes, perhaps, 

 adverbially) to a word in the preceding phrase, usually to the last preceding word. 

 The use of the dative adjectivally and adverbially is instanced in such remnants of 

 archaic syntax as cossaib tirmaib, iarna foebraib fennad, Fel. Prol. 48 : ind locd'm 

 rogabtha deissib ocus tririb, ib. 209 B. The whole locution has an attributive sense, 

 and may often be equivalently expressed by prefixing co, as in the verse loiscther 

 maistiu linaib gal, Silva Gad., p. 368 ; is tu banfhlaith buidnib sluag, LL. 49 /3, 

 where the adjective locutions col-linaib gal, co mbuidnib sluag would seem of 

 equal force. In this last instance we might make one epithet of the location, 

 is tu banfhlaith shluag-buidnech, "thou art the host-banded princess," and it 



