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Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy. 



feared Lest I should fall in censure of men's tongues." The phrase is 

 possibly modelled on 2 Sam. xxiv. 14, *' Melius est ut incidam in 

 manus Domini . . . quam in manus hominum." Dr. Gwynn compares : 



" On evil days though faH'n, and evil tongues." — Far. Lost, vii. 26. 



P. 237, 11. 15, 16. Qiiioptime — comhiherunt. — Prof. Bury suspects 

 that itaque has got out of its place, and should precede dedici : itaque 

 — sicut^ as in p. 238, 1. 6. Eut if the text is sound, p. 239, 1. 14,. 

 should be compared, where it seems to have somewhat the force of 

 the German 'also.'" The sense is well given by Sir Samuel 

 Ferguson : — 



Who, excellently versed in civic law, 

 And sacred letters, in a like degree." 



lura is a necessary emendation : see § 13, " legis periti." 



P. 237, 1. 17. Sermo et loquela, in S. John viii. 43, are the transla- 

 tion respectively of Ao'yo? and kaXid ; but it is not likely that the 

 distinction in meaning of the two words was present to Patrick's mind. 



P. 237, 1. 18. Li litiguam alienam. — It is not clear whether he 

 means Latin or Irish. The latter is probable from the fact that he 

 speaks (Conf. 1) of the Irish as alienigenae. 



P. 237, 1. 19. Saliua. — Ferguson, "Py the savour of the style I 

 use." Cf. Aug., 0pp., torn. 3, p. 395, a. 1., " Et ab altera, ut credo, 

 saliua oris eius uicem laborem causam suscepi." 



P. 237, 1. 26. Quod ante praefatus sum. — Viz., concerning the early 

 age at which his education was interrupted. He proceeds now to 

 repeat the fact with emphasis. 



P. 238, 1. 1. In uerlis. — The substitution of u for h is common in 

 Mss. ; and it has been very generally thought that the true reading 

 here is imberhis or inherhis (so Ware). However, in iierhis gives a good 

 sense, whether we connect ^wer in uerhis, * a boy in language,' or, as in 

 B, in uerhis capt. dedi, ' I went into bondage in language as well as 

 limb.' 



P. 238, 1. 4. Non desertus. — This is practically the conjecture of 

 W. Stokes, who reads disertus. It is to be noted, however, that in A 

 desertus = ' learned' (see 1. 11 " etsi non deserta"), but disertum^ ' a 

 desert ' : e.g. §§ 19, 22, Per disertum iter fecimus " ; desertus is also 

 nearer in form to deeritis (A). 



P. 238, 1. 4. Sermonem. — So present editor. The contraction bar 

 which denotes m or n is easily forgotten by a scribe, or obliterated. 



P. 238, 1. 5. Spiritus . . . adfectus. — Adfectus in the sphere of the 

 human corresponds to Spiritus in the sphere of the divine. 



