308 Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy. 



I have not essayed the difficult task of restoring the oldest spellings 

 throughout, but have left unchanged some forms that are found in late Old 

 Irish, e.g. comaithig, fiachaih, airecTi. Where a restored spelling seemed to 

 require justification, I have given the MS. reading in a foot-note. Corrections 

 of minor significance will be recognized from comparison with Meyer's text. 



The general sense of the poem is that a king, in his judicial capacity, 

 ought to be familiar with the details of the law of joint husbandry (cumaith- 

 chiios). The old name for the body of law on this subject is mrugrecht 

 (lines 10, 88) — see IV, 124, where the scope of this body of law is 

 described.* 



The poem confirms my view that the law-tracts with accompaniment of 



gloss and commentary received in the law schools as "canonical," so to speak, 



may be ascribed to the seventh century.] 



IV 340.— 138. 



ma be ri rofesser If thou be a king, know 



recht flatho fo thoith the rule of prince towards people, 



iarnnud mescbaid According to dignity, he will make merry 



a slog sabaid their throng of magnates 



5 cuirmmthige cuii-mmescai with the intoxication of a festive house, 



mess tire (Know) appraisement of land, 



tomus forrag measurement oiforrachs, 



forberta diri increments of dire, 



dithle mesraid wastings of forest-fruit, 



10 mormiiin mrugrechta the great wealth of farm-law, 



mrogad coicrich marking of common bounds, 



cor cualne planting of stakes, 



corus rinde regulation of points, 



rann etir comorbbe sharing among joint heirs, 



15 comaithig do garmmaimm naming joint husbandmen, 



Gain chomlaind Gauls of combat, 



caithigti istoda defenders of treasure (?), 



anagraitto rig when they sue from (?) a king 



raith commairgo surety of protection. 



^ Mad be riff MS. -Jlathn fulhoth iis. ^ mbiadus. The usual expression in the Law 

 for "according to status or dignity " is/o miad, I 40, 13, etc. The meaning is that, at 

 the king's feast, the guests were seated according to precedence, as described at the 

 conclusion of Crith GabUich, where the house in which the airecTil sat is also called 

 cutnnniiheg. •'I take sabaid [sabaide 1) to be an adj. formed from snb. ^ cuirmmtigi 

 citir mesca Ms. '' This is the subject of the tract Fodla Tire, IV 276. For measurement 

 hyforrachs see ib. y, z, and III 335. "-"=IV30. i3 = iv 112. i^-'S =IV 68. " cailhigti, 

 nom. pi. of *cuthiyth{th 1 istoda r. autsado ? '^ R. a n-uggrat 6 rig 1 



• For ar 7iach am, "that he may not plough it," read there ar nach air (< ad-reg-), 

 " that he may not trespass on it by drach (tethering cattle) "; and for ar nach aitreaho, 

 " that he may not inhabit it," read ar nach aliroba, " that he may not trespass on it by 

 allrub (housing cattle)." The list of trespasses indicated is orgtm mrogo, "destruction 

 of boundary"; beimm fedo, "cutting of wood"; anrbe, " breaching of fences "; drach, 

 atlrub, cailhche aile, "damage (to cattle) by (dangerous) stakes"; tarsce, ruriuih. See 

 poem, 11. 27, 31, 72, 81 , 83. 



