Olden — The Paten of Gourdon. 787 



and a cover, but the expression, " with" old vessels, does not convey 

 the meaning, for while the silver is defined as a certain number of 

 ounces, the patens or covers are left undetermined, which could 

 not have been the author's intention. The two words mesib and 

 nirotih are either instrumental cases, and may be translated '* made 

 of," or ablatives requiring a preposition of this meaning to be 

 supplied. The circlet, or torque of gold, must have been of a 

 definite weight, as was the case with all gold ornaments in those 

 ages, when they were used as money before coinage was known. 

 Amending the translation then, as I propose, the passage would run 

 thus, '' a necklace of three ounces of silver with a circlet of gold 

 made of old patens, or old covers." The specification as to the 

 source from which the gold was to be derived seems to have been 

 added, because there were three kinds of gold known in Ireland, 

 or luidhe or yellow gold, which was natural gold ; or derg, or red 

 gold, which was gold alloyed with copper ; and hdn or, or pale gold, 

 which was gold alloyed with silver.^ The purchaser secured that 

 the gold of this torque should be of the best, by ordering that it 

 should be made of old patens which may be presumed to have been of 

 the purest kind. I do not see how those old patens could be any other 

 than those which were disused and out of fashion, being superseded by 

 the newer kind. This would probably be largely due to foreign in- 

 fluence, and also to the fact, that the round were convenient for cover- 

 ing the chalice. The angular patens would continue in use while St. 

 Patrick's influence was dominant, that is during the time of the 

 Frst Order of Irish saints, who looked to him as their leader. But 

 a decided change would take place, especially after 543, when the 

 Second Order came in, who drew their teaching from the Welsh 

 Church, as represented by David Gildas and Docus, by whom the 

 fashions prevalent abroad would be introduced. Then the round 

 would become general, and the old would be melted down and dis- 

 appear as tliey have done. 



Some further particulars about Assicus, which are of some interest, 

 are given by Tirechan, and may be added as a conclusion to this 

 Paper. St. Patrick placed him at Elphin with his nephew Bite, and 

 Cipia Bite's mother. Those two with a third, Essu, who is occasionally 

 mentioned, were Patrick's artists, and the two former, at least, were 

 also bishops. Assicus was the head of a monastic establishment at 

 Elphin, but one day he disappeared and his monks were unable for 



1 0' Donovan, ill "The Joiirnal of the Kilkenny Archaeological Society," 

 vol. i., New Series. 1856-7, .p. 350. 



