292 Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy. 



witness, hostage, and suitor to that amount. This is his full honourprice, 

 but there are five chattels for going over his enclosure without leave. There 

 is no penalty for opening it from without. Five chattels for opening his 

 house without leave, a cow for gazing into it, a dairt for (taking) a handful 

 (of thatch) from it, a dartaid for two, a coljithach for an armful, a samaisc for 

 a half-truss, a cow for a truss, and restitution of the thatch. Five chattels 

 for passing through his house or through his fold, for breaking his door ; 

 a darlaid for (removing) a rod below, a dairt for a rod above, a smnaisc for a 

 wattle below, a coljithach for a wattle above, a dairt for a. front doorpost of the 

 house, a dartaid for a rear doorpost of the house. Half honourprice of each 

 grade of a tuath for stealing what is not his out of his garth, a seventh for 

 stealing (bringing stolen property) into it. A short cast (of a spear) on each 

 side is the lawful measure of his garth. Half the dire of a steading for trespass 

 (therein). Penalty is and is not incurred towards him for breakage on the 

 floor of the liouse : no penalty for each precious thing, penalty for each thing 

 that is not precious ; no penalty for gold and silver and bronze, penalty for 

 every trough and all furniture that is proper on the floor ; a dairt for a rear 

 post of the couch, a darlaid for [a front] post of the couch ... of fir (?) and oak ; 

 with restitution of each of them, both precious and not precious ; a dairt for 

 every piece of woodwork as far as the wall.' 



IV 314. — To break a couch is exempt and not exempt from penalty. What 

 is lower in order is exempt, what is higher in order is not exempt. The 

 fordn (?) of his kitchen has the same measure (of penalties) as the parts of 

 the couch that are subject to dire. There is new straw (?) for the strewing 

 of it.'' What is subject to dire in regard of a bed : If it be a wisp (taken) 

 from a pillow, its dire is a good cushion. If it be a wisp from any part 

 below this, its dire is a good skin rug. J f it be a wisp from the feet, its dire 

 is paid in good shoes. If it be a wisp from the wall, new rushes for the 



' "Penalty . . . for breakage." Breakage in the house, incurring penalties, must be 

 by outsiders. If these were not present by the owner's leave, their acts would have a 

 different complexion. The writer, then, has guests in view — a festive party, in effect, 

 and damage resulting from indeliberate acts. This explains why liability is incurred for 

 breaking things that are in their proper place on the floor, and not for breaking valuables 

 which ought not to be on the floor, the responsibility in the latter case resting on the 

 owner. 



" Of fir and oak." There must be a lacuna preceding the corresponding passage in 

 the text. 



Airule may mean something like an alcove. The lower parts, being ordinarily in 

 the way of breakage, are exempt ; the upper parts, being less in the way, would not be 

 broken except by needless and excessive violence, and their breakage thus incurred 

 liability. JJiie = penalty above restitution. We may conjecture that the fvrdti of the 

 kitchen was a resting-place for the menials of the guesting party. To supply fresh litter 

 is part of the penalty for the damage. 



