•271 



turn, per quern Deus virtutes operatus est plurimas convocans euni de 

 eremo, et de sua vita solitaria, et sibi obviam pergens, ut ecclesiam in 

 episcopali dignitate cum ea gubernaret, atque ut nihil de ordine sacer- 

 dotali in suis deesset ecclesiis, accersivit. Et postea sic unctum caput 

 et principale omnium episcoporum, et beatissima puellarum principalis 

 fselici comitatu inter se et gubernaculis omnium virtutum suam erexit 

 principalem ecclesiam; et amborum meritis sua cathedra episcopalis et 

 puellaris, ac sivitis fructif era diffusa undique ramis crescentibus, intota 

 Hiberniensi insula inolevit. Quam semper Archiepiscopus Hibernien- 

 sium Episcoporum, et Abbatissa quam omnes Abbatissse Scotorum vene- 

 rantur felici successione, et ritu perpetuo dominantur. Exinde ergo, 

 ut supra dixi, a fratribus coactus beatse hujus virginis Brigidae virtutes, 

 tam eas quas ante principatam, quam alias in incipatu gessit, multo 

 studio brevitatis, licet prsepostero ordine virtutum, compendiose explicare 

 conahor.^^ 



''Veniam peto a fratribus et lectoribus hsec legentibus, qui causa 

 obedientiae coactus, nulla praerogativa scientiee suffultus, pelagus immen- 

 sum virtutum S. Brigidce et viris fortissimis formidandum, Ms paucis 

 rustico sermons dictis virtutihus de maximis et innumerabilibus cucurre- 

 rim. Orate pro me Cogitoso nepote culpabili, et ut oratione vestra pio 

 Domino me commenditis exoro, et Deus vos pacem evangelicam sectantes 

 exaiidiat." 



III. We are thus enabled to determine the time at which Cogitosus 

 lived. Eor the death of Aed, Bishop of Sletty, at whose request Muirchu 

 wrote, is set down in the Annals of the Eour Masters" at the year 798. 

 There is also a passage in the Book of Armagh" from which it is plain 

 that Aed survived Segene, Abbot of Armagh, who died A. D. 786 ; but 

 died before Elann Feblai, whose obit is recorded under the date 704. 

 Again, Colman, the son of Muirchu, and Abbot of Moville, died A. D. 

 731. It may, therefore, be inferred that Cogitosus died about the year 

 670. 



IV. Dr. Graves points out the great importance of thus establishing 

 the time of Cogitosus, as that writer has recorded the condition of archi- 

 tecture, and in general, in Ireland in his own time Vita S. Bri- 

 gidse," cap. xxxv.) The objection urged by Dr.Petrie, who was of opinion 

 that Cogitosus must have written after A. D. 799, is obviated by showing 

 that the translation, in that year, of the relics of Bishop Conlaid into a 

 shrine was an occurrence different from his burial under a monument 

 described by Cogitosus. 



V. The author shows that the prefix maccu, in the name Maccu- 

 machteni, is equivalent to the Latin occurring in the ''Book 

 of Armagh" and other very ancient documents. He establishes this by 

 a careful review of the numerous names into which this element enters 

 in the '' Book of Armagh," in ''Adamnan's Life of St. Columkille," and 

 in inscriptions on monuments. 



