Seymour — The Signs of Doomsday in the Saltair na Rann. 159 



the Mss. which Bihlmeyer uses this passage stands at the end of the 

 eighth day. J 



Seventh day. Eighth hour. — There are voices in the four corners of Heaven. 

 All the air will be moved, and will be filled with holy angels, tvJio make war 

 among themselves (i.e. the good with the evil, as in S 9) the whole day. The 

 elect will seek in that day from the holy angels with respect to the destruc- 

 tion of the age. 



Eighth day. Sixth hour. — A sweet and gentle voice is heard in Heaven 

 from the East. Then the angel who has charge over the holy angels will 

 make manifest (or announce publicly), and with him will go all the angels 

 sitting on chariots of clouds to set free the elect. 



From what has been already said it can be seen that the writer of S knew 



and used the Blickling Homilies. Apart from the general resemblance, there 



are certain passages in S which are found in B, but not in A. For example : — 



The raging of the sea in S 1 and B 3 ; the heaven falling against the earth in 



S 4 and B 2 ; the coming of the demons out of Hell, their spreading over the 



world, and their subsequent defeat in S 8 and 9 and B 6. On the other hand, 



it may safely be said that S also knew and used A. Three arguments support 



this. (1) The many points of coincidence between the two documents, more 



especially in the events of the first, third, and fifth days, which are nearly 



identical in both. (2) There are certain points in S which are found in A, 



but Jiot in B. For example : — The sulphur-fire, and the mist of vapour 



filling the sky in S 3 and A 3 ; the statement made by mankind in S 4 and 



A 3 ; the absence from the sky of the sun and moon in S 5 and A 5, whereas 



the moon only is quenched in B 4. (3) The Apocalypse of Thomas was 



known in Anglo-Saxon England. It is admitted by those competent to speak 



on the matter that the Blickling Homilies show numerous traces of its 



influence, as does also a Hatton MS. ; while it is said that what is practically 



a version of the Apocalypse is contained in the Vercelli Book.^ Now when we 



bear in mind the numerous points of connexion there are between Irish and 



Anglo-Saxon religious and homiletic literature, it may safely be said that if 



the Apocalgpse of Thomas was known in England in the latter half of the 



tenth century, it would also have been known in Ireland about the same 



date. Thus we may conclude that the writer of the additional cantos to the 



Saltair na Bann had a first-hand knowledge of the Apocalypse. Had he not 



been so hampered in his desire to fulfil the metrical requirements, we might 



have been able to find other points of resemblance between the two 



documents. 



1 Dr. M. R. James has kindly given me a reference for the last two, viz., MaxForster, 

 Studien z\ir Engl. Fhilologie (Halle, 1913). Heft 1. Der Vercelli Codex, cxvii. 



