HioMPHiiJ. — The Gospels of Mac Regol of Birr. 7 



The great " I " of " Idber " is made up of five sectious, of which the third 

 is a curious little dark pattern with fine lines of yellow, perhaps to imitate 

 gold thread. This may be exemplified also from the Book of Lindisfarne. 

 Notice also the two rectangular pieces of ornamentation, the upper consisting 

 of an interlacing of eight birds. It has a groundwork of black, the 

 interlacing, and especially the birds' heads, being very well done ; and there 

 are some beautifully fine yellow lines, which seem to be characteristic of 

 MacEegol. 



The lower rectangle contains an interlacing of four lacertine animals with 

 faces like dogs. It also has a groundwork of black. 



We now pass to 52 recto, the initial page of St. Mark. The three corners 

 of the frame have a chaste square of black with yellow lines, similar to some 

 found in the initial page of St. Mark in the Lindisfarne Book. 



The left side of the border consists of three di^dsions. The upper con- 

 tains a very clever red worm with mouth entirely encirchng its own body, 

 like the fish-like dogs in the Book of Durrow, A fine piece of interlacing 

 is associated with this lacertine animal ; and the whole is surmounted by 

 a more natural dog's head with his tongue and his pigtail both curled up as 

 in the grotesque figure in the corresponding place in the initial page of 

 St. John. 



The second or intermediate division of the left side of the border contains 

 the introduction of human faces which have a family resemblance to the 

 grotesque figure just mentioned in the initial page of St. John. The beards 

 and queues are yellow, and cleverly intertwined. The legs and hands are very 

 peculiar. Each of these men has one hand to his mouth, and the other 

 stretching down with very elongated fingers. 



The lower division of this left side is a piece of excellent interlacing. 



The right-hand side of the frame is similar, but in inverse order. 



The lower side of the frame has two sections ; the left is a very elaborate 

 interlacing cleverly carried out, and four small birds' heads are visible. The 

 right is a beautiful interlacing of the finest white thread on a vermilion ground 

 on quite a diiiereut principle from any hitherto depicted, and its treatment 

 brings out five Maltese Crosses, which may be symbolical of the five sacred 

 wounds, and are in any case the first crosses made in Birr that have come 

 down to our time. A similar cross is found in the stem of the great Q of the 

 initial page of St. Luke in the Lindisfarne Book ; and we shall see several 

 other instances in our own MS. 



This leaf has suffered much from the binder, as also has the beginning of 

 St. Matthew, but not, fortunately, those of SS. Luke and John. 



Of interior ornaments, not connected with the writing, there are three 



