Lawlok — The Cathach of St. Columba. 293 



of that place, engaged in transcribing that book unknown to Finnian. At night time, 

 while engaged at that transcription, the fingers of his right hand Tvere as caudles, which 

 shone like five very bright lamps, whose light and brightness filled the entire church. 

 On the last night, when Coluni Cille was completing the transcription of that book, 

 Finnian sent for it. When tlie messenger arrived at the door of the church, wherein was 

 Colum Cille. he was astonished at the great light he saw within, and gre.-it fear seized him. 

 Timorously he glanced through a hole which was in the valve of the door of the church, 

 and when he beheld Colum Cille, as we have described him, he dared not address him or 

 demand the book of him. It was revealed to Colum Cille, however, that the youth was 

 thus watching him, whereat he became very angry, and, addressing a pet crane of his, 

 said : "If God permits it, you have my permission to pluck out that youth's eyes, who 

 came to observe me without my knowledge." With that the crane immediately went and 

 drove its beak througl; the hole of the valve towards the youth's eye, plucked it out, and 

 left it resting on his cheek. The youth then returned to Finnian. and related to him the 

 whole of his adventure. 



Thereupon Finnian was displeased, and he blessed and sained the youth's eye, and 

 restored it to its place, so that it was as well as ever, without being injured or affected in 

 any way. When Finnian discovered that his book had been copied without his permission, 

 he went to reprove Colum Cille, and said he had acted wrongly in transcribing his book 

 without permission- " 1 shall appeal to the King of Ireland, viz., Diarmaid mac Cerbuill, 

 for judgement," says Colum Cille. "I shall agree to t'nat," sa3's Finnian. They then 

 proceeded together to Tara of the Kings, where Diarmaid mac Cerbuill resided. Finnian 

 pleaded his case first to the King as follows : " Colum Cille transcribed mj' book without 

 my knowledge," says he, "and I maintain that the transcript belongs to me." "I 

 hold," says Colum Cille, " that Finnian 's book has not decrea.5ed in value because of the 

 transcript I have made from it, and that it is not right to extinguish the divine things it 

 contained, or to prevent me or anybody else from copying it, or reading it, or from 

 circulating it throughout the provinces. I further maintain that if I benefited by its 

 transcription, which I desired to be for the general good, provided no injury accrues to 

 Finnian or his book thereby, it was quite permissible for me to copy it." Then Diarmaid 

 declared the famous judgement, to wit, "to every cow her offspring" — that is, her calf — 

 "and to every book its transcript " (ie fjuA lebhur a leabrdn). "And therefore," says 

 Diarmaid, "the transcript you have made, O Colum Cille, belongs to Finnian. ' " It is 

 a wrong judgement," says Colum Cille, "and you shall be punished for it." Curnan mac 

 Aedha, son of Echaid Tirmcharna, that is, the son of the King of Connaught, happened 

 at that time to be a hostage from his father at the court of the King of Ireland. A 

 contention arose between him and the son of the steward of Tara at a hurling match 

 concerning a hurley ball. He gave the latter a blow with his hurley on the head, which 

 caused instantaneous death. He then placed himself under the protection of Colum Cille. 

 and the King commanded that he be dragged from ColumXillc's presence, and be put to 

 death because of the deed he had done. 



The rest of the story, with which we have less coucern, may be told more 

 shortly. Columba at once (§ 169) threatened vengeance on King Diarmaid, 

 and (I 170) tied with his men from Tara. He reached Monasterboice the 

 same night. (§ 171) The next day he crossed Sliabh Bregha, where he 

 escaped an ambush, and finally (§ 172) arrived at the territory of his cousins 

 the Kings of Ciuel Conaill and Cinel Eogain, to whom he related his wrongs. 

 The outcome was the battle of Cul Dremhne, between Sligo and Drumcliffe. 

 (^§ 173) On the one side fought Ainmire, King of Cinel Conaill, Fergus and 



