454 Proceedings of the Roi/al Irish Academij. 



name; but Mr. Gr. H. Orpen has kiudly supplied me with the following 

 note :— " As to Carolus Clonfertensis. ' In a grant from C. Be;c Gonnactie Deo 

 d ecclesic beate Marie Cistercicnsi, preserved in the archives at Dijon, one of 

 the witnesses is ' Caro Cluainfertensi '....; and from the names of the other 

 witnesses, the deed must be dated at or very near the year 1224, the date 



when Cathal Crouderg O'Gonor, King of Counaught, died ,1 think 



it very probable that the seal in the Museum is the seal of this Carolus." 



There is another portion of the matrix of an early seal of dignity in the 

 Academy's Collection ; it was formerly in the possession of Mr. Hodder M. 

 Westropp.' It has been doubted whether this was a genuine matrix on 

 accounb of the style of the lettering in the inscription and the fact that an 

 archbishop is termed EPI ; but it has not the appearance of a forgery. It 

 belonged to an Ai'chbishop of Armagh. Only half the figure, which appears to 

 have been seated, remains — the leg and the uplifted right arm. Inscription — 



AEDMACHAEXSIS EPI. 



The matrix is of bronze, and shows a fine green patina ; it measures in its present 

 state 2-| inches in length. It is probable — if the matrix is genuine — that it 

 was purposely broken, as was often done with early matrices on the death of 

 the owner. 



The matrix in the collection I shoidd place next in date is an interesting, 

 but much worn, specimen of bronze. The figures at the side indicate it as 

 being a little later than the two previously described. It was apparently 

 origmally covered with silver ; but of this, only the word DlOISriSI 

 and a fragment on the pedestal, on which the figure stands, remain. 

 The device is a figure of a bishop wearing a mitre, vested with a chasuble, 

 and apparently holding a crosier in one hand, and having the other uplifted. 

 The figure stands on a V-shaped pedestal, and has at each side a figure of an 

 animal ; but the matrix is so much worn it is not possible to determine what 

 species are meant. (Plate XLIX, fig. 2.) The inscription, with the exception 

 of the word DIOIS^ISI, is practically illegible ; but Mr. McEnery has read it as 



SI DIONISI DEI GEACIA EAPOTEX SIS EPISCOPI. 

 DIONSISI is a later cutting on a matrix of earlier date, and this name does 

 not occur among the list of Bishops of Eaphoe. The origmal matrix probably 

 belonged to the thirteenth century ; it measures 3-Jg inches by If inches, 

 and has a looped handle at the back. 



The Academy's collection contains no matrices with the efligy between 



Pvoc. Soc. of Antiquaries of London, second series, vol. v, p. 331. 



