269 



feet, this cross was an unusually rich specimen of the jeweller's art of 

 the time. It was found at Callan, county of Kilkenny, and is noticed 

 in the "Transactions of the Kilkenny Archaeological Society," vol. iii., 

 p. 412. 



Mr. Lawless also presented a crucifix and reliquary of silver; a 

 slender crucifix of silver; a collection of 32 amber, 32 jet, 13 variegated 

 glass, 26 opaque, and 203 amber -coloured glass beads. 



The thanks of the Academy were returned to the donor. 



Catterson Smith, Esq., on the part of Mrs. Tottenham, of Eochfort, 

 county of Westmeath, presented a choice collection of Irish antiquities, 

 consisting of articles in bronze, bone, and wood — 42 in number. 



The marked thanks of the Academy were returned to Mrs. Tottenham ; 

 as also to Mr. Smith, at whose suggestion the gift was made. 



MONDAY, JANUARY 12, 18G3. 



The "Very Eev. Chaeles Graves, D.D., President, in the Chair. 



Christopher Coppinger, Esq., Q. C. ; Patrick W. Joyce, Esq. ; Tho- 

 mas Eichardson, M. D., and Captain Meadows Taylor, were duly elected 

 members of the Academy. 



The Yery Eev. the President read a paper on — 



Some !N^otices of the Acts of St. Patrick, contained in the Eook of 



Armagh. 



The conclusions which Dr. Graves endeavours to establish in this paper 

 are the following : — 



I. That Muirchn Maccumachteni, the author of the Life of St. Pa- 

 trick, with which the ''Book of ^Armagh" commences, was the son of Co- 

 gitosus. 



This conclusion is founded (1) on a necessary and certain emenda- 

 tion of the text in the prologue of Muirchu's Life of St. Patrick. The 

 prologue stands thus in the manuscript : — 



Quoniam quidem, mi domine Aido, multi conati sunt ordinare nar- 

 rationem utique istam, secundum quod patres eorum et qui ministri ab 

 initio fuerunt sermonis tradiderunt illis, sed propter difiicillimum narra- 

 tionis opus, diversasque opiniones, et plurimorum plurimas suspiciones, 

 nunquam ad unum certumque historiae tramitem pervenerunt ; ideo, ni 

 fallor, juxta hoc nostrorum proverbium, ut deducuntur pueri in amphi- 

 theatrum, in hoc periculosum et profundum narrationis sandcB pelagus, 

 turgentibus proterve gurgitum aggeribus, inter acutissimos Charybdes, 

 per ignota sequora insitos, a nuUis adhuc lintribus excepto tantum uno 

 patris mei cognito si expertum atque occupatum, ingenioU mei puerilem 



R. I. A. PROC. VOL. VIII. 2 0 



