284 Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy. 



69. The second fer midboth, who preserves statement, he is of better 

 thrift. His statement is collected for him in three words till the third 

 day. He preserves it without increase or diminution. He makes 

 oath after some other man who takes precedence of him in swearing, 

 and he sweaxs (to the extent of) a heifer in the third stage or its value. 

 This is his honourprice for his defamation, for violation of his precinct, for 

 his expulsion, for dishonouring him. To this his bond, his guarantee, his 

 evidence, his hostage, extend. Food-provision for himself alone, milk and 

 curds or corn. He is not entitled to butter. He protects a man of his own 

 grade over his tuath, having then a right to double food-provision.' 



70. Sick-maintenance does not exist to-day, in this time, but only the 

 payment of his worthy means to everyone according to his dignity, including 

 physician's hire and linen and food-provision and the price of the disiigure- 

 ment, injury, or defect ; but there is a common due for every order of the 

 orders of the hmtli in the law of sick-maintenance.^ 



belongs Bretlia Comaithchesa (IV 68), the law of bee-keeping (IV 162), the law of partner- 

 ship in watercourses (IV 20C), and a very old, though unglossed, tract on common pasturage 

 which has been printed as commentary (IV 100). " The fines of farm-law" were payable 

 by one member to another of such communities in respect of trespasses, neglects, etc. 



' Innsce, statement, has reference to a statement made in court, probably on oath. The 

 statement of a youth was tested, apparently, by being reduced to some sort of formula- 

 tion " iu three words " or sentences. Three days later, he was required to repeat it. If 

 he could do so "without increase or diminution," he was classed as a fer midboth who 

 preserves statement. 



The stages or grades of value in cattle begin with the dartaid, a weaned heifer calf, 

 valued at two screpalls of silver or three sacks of corn. The dairt, or yearling heifer, 

 valued at three screpalls. The colpthacli, a two-year-old heifer, valued at eight screpalls. 

 The samaisc, or young cow that has not yet calved (sam-sesc, "dry in the summer," 

 the normal season of calving being the spring, so that the samaisc yielded no milk in its 

 third summer), valued at twelve screpalls. The milch-cow was held to be double the 

 value of the samaisc. The set, or " chattel," when the word is used as a measure of value, 

 denotes the value of a samaisc. This was the normal unit, and the dairt vrna the usual 

 fraction in reckoning. 



"Defamation," air: the word can hardly be limited to its later sense of a literary 

 satire. Diguin, " violation of precinct," literally means absence of slaying or of 

 wounding. Each landed householder had a "precinct " of land about his house, called 

 hia maigen. It varied in extent according to his status. A late ti-act on the subject 

 (IV 226) appears to be a somewhat tentative essay based on older statements. Slaying, 

 wounding, or quarrelling on the maigen was an ofience against the owner's, status. This 

 ground is more fully named maigen digona, and hence briefly diguin. Further, digidn 

 came to imply " special immunity from trespass " : fer digona = grass preserved for hay 

 or winter pasture. Essoin, "expulsion," probably from a guesthouse or place of 

 common resort. Sdrugud, " dishonouring," lit. " overpowering," chiefly with regard to 

 the right to protect strangers, etc. 



2 This is one of the many passages that indicate changes in the law known to early 

 writers. We are to infer that, in an earlier time, the person who inflicted a wound on his 

 fellow- citizen was himself obliged by law to make direct provision for the care and cure 



