328 Proceedings of the Ro>ial Irish Academy. 



books, we find a remarkable contrast. The Psalms are not seldom mentioned 

 as read by lads in training for the monastic life,' which proves that 

 Psalters were often written. The Gospels are much less frequently 

 referred to in this connexion. = N'evertheless, the mention of Psalters 

 is rare. I have observed only one reference to the copying of a 

 Psalter,' and only one passage in which a Psalter is specially associated with 

 a distinguished ecclesiastic* As to the remaining books of the Bible, they 

 might almost seem to have been unknown if we trusted the hagiographers- 

 St. Colnian Ella is said to have transcribed the Acts ;° St. Moling, on one 

 occasion, to have read a book containing " the Epistles of the Apostles " f and 

 a youth named Aedlian to have studied " the twelve minor ju-ophets under 

 St. Sinell.'" I have noted no other references. In a comparatively small 

 number of cases the manuscript of a saint is described as " a book," without 

 a more definite description. These facts might seem to suggest the inference 

 that ancient Irish churchmen seldom read or copied any book of the Bible 

 other than the four Gospels. But that is, of course, an absurd supposition : 

 though, if we may judge from the existing remains, the book most copied and 

 most read was the Book of the Gospels, and the Psalter came next to it. The 

 simplest explanation of the phenomena is this. In the earliest Lives a portion 

 of the Scriptures was commonly called a " book." I n most cases these books 

 would be Gospels. And so in the course of time the hagiographers, wishing 

 to give to their stories the vividness and interest which comes of definiteness, 

 changed liber into euamjeliura in practically every case, though sometimes they 

 were doubtless Psalters or Service Books. It is not at all improbable, 

 therefore, that Keating or the writer of the Book of ilolaga substituted 

 " Gospel " for the vaguer " book." 



Thus the contradiction, real or apparent, between the " Gospel" of Keating 

 and the " book " of O'Donnell is by no means fatal to our theory. But when 

 O'Donnell uses the word " book " he may be believed to be reproducing the 

 earliest form of the story : for, while " Gospel " might take the place of 



' Stokes, pp. 206, 222, 249, 268; Plumnier, i, 201, 205 ; Cod. Sal., 166, 179, 446, 916. . 



2 Plummer, i, 69, 206 (= Stokes, p. 269). 



3 By Colraan Ella, when he also wrote Acts and other books (Acta, 42 : Cod. Sal., 4.39). 

 This is in strange contrast to Adauman, who says that St. Columba was copying a Psalter 

 on the day of his death (iii, 23). The only other book of the Bible mentioned by him as 

 written in lona was also a Psalter (i, 23). 



■* Colnian of Dromore {Acta, 13: Cod. Sal., 832). Also Maighen of Kilmainham in 

 Martyrology of Donegal, December 18. 

 5 See note 3. 



« Vit;i, 4 : Plummer, ii, 191. 

 '• Vita Comgalli, 54 : Plummer, ii, 19. 



